“Are you going?” She pulled her hand free.

“It doesn’t matter what I’m doing.” And I wasn’t ready to let her go yet. “You’re not going to that party.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, Daemon.”

Frustration whipped through me. Didn’t she get that I was trying to look out for her? This wasn’t a “who is the boss of me” contest. “Dee is taking you home. And I swear, if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here, I will.”

Her hand fisted against my chest. “I’d like to see you try.”

I smiled. “I bet you would.”

“Whatever. You’re the one who’s going to cause a scene carrying me out of here.”

I made a sound low in my throat, but she actually smiled up at me, a mixture of smugness and innocence. “Because your local alien teacher is watching us as we speak. What do you think he’s going to believe when you toss me over your shoulder, buddy?”

Son…of a biscuit. She was talking about Matthew.

“Thought so,” she said.

I was still seriously considering throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her out of here with the whole school watching. I think I also wanted to kiss her…with the entire school watching. Probably do things that would make that flush turn a deeper shade of red.

Her glare turned defiant, and damn if a part of me didn’t really, really like that.

A smile formed on my lips. “I keep underestimating you, Kitten.”

Chapter 19

The field where all the keg parties were held was roughly two miles outside of Petersburg and was accessed by a beaten-down dirt road that most would miss unless they knew it was there. I parked near the road, so I didn’t end up blocked in.

Climbing out of the car, I slipped my keys into my pocket as I scanned the lines of vehicles haphazardly parked. Off in the distance, the orangey glow from the bonfire beckoned as I closed the door. The scent of gasoline and burning, damp wood was strong. Shadows moved around the fire. Laughter rang out, mingling with shouts. Music blared from speakers.

I’d left the dance a few minutes after Kat walked out with Simon. Ash and Andrew were still back at the school, and I wasn’t sure if they would end up here or not. Field parties weren’t their thing. I’d been to a few, with…with Dawson. I wasn’t really keen on Dee being here, even with Adam, but she wasn’t who I was worried about.

I knew Kat could handle herself. Deep down, I knew that. How could I not? But that didn’t mean she didn’t need help or that she wasn’t in over her head with someone like Simon.

Walking around the cars, trampled cornstalks crunched under my steps. As I neared the bonfire, a girl stumbled out from behind a truck, blocking my path. A red Solo cup dangled precariously from her fingers as she teetered on heels. Dark brown hair was piled up and clumps of dried grass and cornhusks clung to her silvery dress.

The girl, whom I vaguely recognized, couldn’t have been older than fifteen. Her chin lifted, and her glazed eyes roamed over me. “Daemon?”

Unable to figure out her name, I nodded. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” She giggled, raising her cup to her lips. “Why you ask?”

I arched a brow. “You have dirt and pieces of corn all over your dress.”

Another giggle echoed out of her. “I might’ve fallen a time…or four. These shoes—” She lifted her leg to show me and wobbled suddenly. My hand snapped out, catching her arm and steadying her as she continued to lift her heeled foot. “These shoes are ah-mazing, but they are not suited for field parties.”

“No doubt,” I murmured, letting go of her arm when I was sure she wasn’t going to face-plant on the car next to her. “Are you here with someone?”

“Uh-huh. I’m here with Jon. He’s my boyfriend,” she explained, grinning as she swayed forward. “Unless you wanna be here with me, then I’m not here with anyone. Jon doesn’t exist. Nope.”

I smiled slightly. “Sorry, babe, but I’m here for someone else.”

“For shame!” She smiled broadly and then whispered, “That was bad of me to say Jon doesn’t exist, right? He’s really nice. Can it be our secret?”

Amusement flickered through me. “It’ll be our secret.”

“Yay!” She hobbled unsteadily as she clapped her hand against her cup. Beer sloshed over the side.

I could’ve left the girl there, roaming aimlessly for whatever reason between cars, but that seemed wrong for a multitude of reasons. “Let’s go find Jon.”

Turned out Jon wasn’t in much better shape when we found him sitting by the fire. Based on what the girl had said, they hadn’t even made it to the dance. When I deposited her with Jon, he stared at me like he half expected me to dropkick him into next week.

Scoping out the groups huddled around the fire, unease formed in my gut when I didn’t see Kat or Simon among them. I headed to my right, eyeing the smaller groups near the thick outcropping of trees. Couples. Lots of couples. If Kat was among them, I’d…

What would I do?

I stopped walking right then, standing in front of the truck with its doors open, blasting music. What would I do if I saw Kat with Simon, doing those things the couples were doing in the shadows of the bare trees? What could I do? She had every right to be with him. She wasn’t…

Kat wasn’t mine.

Acid churned in my gut as I wheeled around. Dee was standing there, the light from the fire reflecting off the angles of her face. Her eyes were unnaturally bright. “Have you seen Kat?” she asked.

The unease exploded. “You haven’t?”

“I saw her about five minutes ago. She was heading over to me, but then I lost track of her. She was with Simon, but…” Her nose wrinkled. “I just need to find her.” My hands curled into loose fists. “I thought you weren’t worried about Kat being with Simon.”

Adam appeared at Dee’s side. “I don’t think there will be a problem—we don’t think that, but Simon is pretty trashed, so…”

I didn’t like what I was hearing. “Where did you see her last?”

“She was over there.” Dee pointed to the other side of the fire, closer to the woods. “But she’s not there anymore.”

No shit.

We split up at that point and it took a couple of minutes to find someone who was about 70 percent certain that they had seen Kat head into the woods with Simon. That little piece of knowledge made me want to bang my head off the rough tree bark. I wanted to shake my sister. Whatever happened to the all-touted girl code? Wasn’t it some kind of unspoken law that required them not to let one another roam off with questionable dudes?

I followed a worn man-made trail, preparing myself for the fact that I just may find Kat and she might not want to be found. Actually, that was the high likelihood here. Just because Simon was a touchy jackass who was currently trashed, didn’t mean Kat needed rescuing or that she wanted rescuing.

If she was fine, I was going to walk away. She didn’t even need to know that I was here. If she was okay, I needed to—

“Simon, stop!” Kat’s shriek cut through the muted hum of music.

Instinct flared and I shot off like a bullet. A second was too long, but I found her and rage erupted inside me like a violent volcano. The son of a bitch had her pinned against a tree. His hands were on her. His body. His mouth.

They didn’t hear me or see me, but that bastard felt me when I slammed my hand down on his shoulder and tore him away from her. Cocking back my arm, I nailed him in the face. His feet left the ground and for a very happy moment he was airborne. He hit the ground, legs and arms sprawled, with a not so satisfying thud.