Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2)(6)

“Kope? We’re just friends, and we haven’t talked in forever. I really don’t want a guy right now, Jay.”

“Okay, fine. I don’t know if a new guy is the answer anyway. Personally, I think you need to talk to Kaidan if you want to get over him.”

Jay had no idea how much his words pained me. I wanted nothing more than to talk to Kai. I gritted my teeth and stared down at a stack of CDs on his messy floor.

“Listen,” he said. “I don’t really know what I’m talking about here. You act happy and stuff, but it’s like . . . you’re not. Not really. I can’t figure you out. You go out all the time and party it up, but you yell at me if I try to have a drink. And by the end of every night you’re, like, trying to fix everything that went wrong. You made me drive seven people home last night!”

Whoops. “Sorry,” I whispered.

“Nah, it’s cool. I don’t care about that. I care about you, and why you’ve got this split-personality thing. I feel like you’re hiding something, but I can’t figure it out. All I can think is that it all goes back to Kaidan.”

I chewed my thumb cuticle. Jay was right, but he could never know the full truth, no matter how badly I wanted to tell him.

“Do you think maybe if you saw him again you might be able to get closure or whatever?”

There was an expectant tilt to Jay’s voice.

“I don’t know,” I began with care. “Maybe. But I have no idea when I’ll see him again.”

“Yeah, well . . . Roni told me not to tell you this, but I feel like I should.” More nervous hand rubbing to go along with his hazy, nervous aura. “They’re gonna be in town next week.”

My stomach lurched. Breathe, breathe, don’t lose it.

“Um.” I cleared my throat. “Why will they be here?”

I knew all of their families lived in the Atlanta area—Duke Pharzuph had uprooted Kaidan from England to Georgia—but I didn’t know if the band had a gig in town or something.

“I guess just to visit home. But they’re doing a signing at a music store in Atlanta on Thursday night. Roni’s seriously gonna kill me for telling you.”

He’ll be here.

“Thank you, Jay.” I couldn’t keep the tremble from my words.

“I just hope it won’t make things worse. I’ll go with, if you want.”

I nodded, still glued to the seat and fighting for control.

I’m going to see Kaidan. Pure, foolish hope and joy cartwheeled through me.

Jay rubbed his chin and stood, kicking his book bag out of the way. He picked up a pair of jeans off his messy floor and gave them the sniff test.

“Man, I don’t feel like going to work today,” Jay grumbled.

Me either, I thought. And hopefully, if no spirits showed tonight, I wouldn’t have to.

I stood up. “I’ll go and let you get ready.”

He stuck out his hand and I slapped mine into it with a weak smile.

“You’re always looking out for me, Jay. I’m sorry for how I’ve been lately.”

Jay pulled me in for a hug. “Let’s get you some closure, huh?”

Closure . . .

What I wanted was Kai in my life. To see him again could be disastrous . . . or miraculous.

I guess we’d find out soon enough.

CHAPTER TWO

DIFFERENT

Thursday evening I drove to Atlanta with Jay next to me and Veronica in the backseat. She wasn’t happy I was going to see Kaidan, but she also wasn’t about to miss out on all the excitement.

I chewed the inside of my cheek and glanced furtively around the skies. It was dangerous and stupid to try and see another Nephilim when we were all under suspicion. I promised myself I wouldn’t stay long, but I had to see him.

An image of Kai reaching for me through the pandemonium of the summit’s aftermath flashed through my mind. That devastating look on his face when the cab whisked me away. Would we dare to touch tonight? Hug? I didn’t know if I’d be able to hold back.

The three of us made our way inside. My body stilled and I fought for control of my senses when I caught a glimpse of him amid the people. The air in the room thickened as my heart expanded in my chest, too big to contain. He smiled politely at the fans crowded around, but not the kind of smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. I soaked in every detail—his hair curling up at the ends around his ears and neck; his snug, blue designer T-shirt and dark jeans. Unlike in pictures, in real life I could see Kaidan’s red badge—the supernatural starburst at his sternum that labeled him as a Nephilim inclined toward Lust.

Kaidan spotted Jay through the crowd. They both froze, and a feeling of expectancy crackled across the room.

Look at me, my heart cried. Jay sent a nod to Kaidan, who returned it and paused before his eyes skidded to mine, connecting with a jolt. He stood, staring with surprise and anticipation. My heart felt as if it had catapulted across the room.

Veronica grabbed my hand. “Oh, my gawd!” she whispered. “He’s staring at you!”

For someone who hated him, she sure sounded excited. But Kaidan had that effect.

He seemed oblivious to the people still trying to talk to him as his eyes were on me. He stood, and with that sexy stride of his, he started walking around the table, never looking away from me. Kaidan wore an expression of pained longing similar to the one he had that terrible night when Dad dragged me from him at the summit. Only the panic was missing from his eyes now.