“I know. If I’m screwing with you guys, you’re going to find a way to make my death slow and painful. Got it.” Luc winked. “I consider myself warned.”

“By the way,” Archer said as Daemon leaned over my shoulder and started poking around the doughnuts. “Don’t forget the box of condoms on the floor.”

My focus shot to the floor. There they were, right where Daemon had dropped them last night. My face burned like holy hell, and I almost choked on the doughnut, the sound of Daemon’s laughter ringing in my ears.

…

Daemon

I so didn’t forget the condoms when I packed what little stuff we had into our alien tote. Kat still looked a little red in the face, and it took everything in me not to tease her mercilessly about it. I went easy on her because she looked so damn cute standing there in that stupid T-shirt and those cheap plastic flip-flops, clutching the alien doll to her chest.

I dropped my arm over her shoulders as we headed out into the bright glare of the August desert sun.

Archer brushed past us, his gaze falling to what I carried. “Nice bag.”

“Shut up,” I replied.

He snorted.

We rounded the corner of the motel, and I got my first look at our ride. “Whoa! That’s your wheels?”

Luc threw his new T-shirt over his shoulder as he patted the rear bumper of a black Hummer. “It suits me, I like to think.”

Kat shifted the doll to her other arm as she took in the monster. “Did you drive this small village crusher all the way from West Virginia?”

He laughed. “No. I borrowed this.”

Yeah, I had a feeling that Luc’s “borrowing” was the same way I had “borrowed” Matthew’s car. Heading around the driver’s side, I opened the back door for Kat. “Think you can climb up in this thing all by yourself?”

She shot me a look over her shoulder, and I grinned. Shaking her head, she grabbed the bar and hoisted herself up. Of course, being the helpful guy that I am, I assisted with a well-placed push.

Kat’s head whipped around, her cheeks flushed. “You’re such a dog sometimes.”

I chuckled as I hopped in beside her. “Remember what I said about petting me.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Keep that in mind for later.” I reached around her, grabbing the seat belt before she could.

She sighed as she lifted her arms out of the way. “You know, I am totally capable of buckling myself in.”

“How cute,” Archer said from the other open door. He climbed in on the other side of Kat.

“There’s a reason why I’m doing this.” I ignored him, sliding the waist strap over her lap. She sucked in a soft gasp as my hands slid along her lower stomach. I gave her a wicked grin as I buckled her in. “Understand now?”

“Like I said: such a dog,” she murmured back, but her eyes had turned a soft heather gray.

Leaning over, I pressed my lips to her temple and then lifted my arm. There was enough give in the seat belt for her to snuggle up against my side. “So, is this car my surprise? I can get down with that.”

From the front passenger seat, Luc laughed. “Hell no. I think I might keep this one.”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” Paris said, starting the Hummer. “Actually, it’s a pretty boring ride. Besides the funny alien signs on the highway and maybe a cow or two, there’s nothing to look at.”

“Fun.” As I readjusted my legs, I glanced at Archer. He was tapping his fingers over his denim-clad knees, eyes narrowed on the back of the seat. I didn’t really trust any of them in this car, not 100 percent. They could be leading us right back to Area 51.

Archer turned his head to me. We’re not going to betray you or Katy.

My eyes narrowed. For the last time, get out of my head.

It’s hard not to. You have such a big head. One side of his lips curved up as he returned to staring at the seat in front of him. Besides, how could I bring you back? You saw what I did to get us out of there.

He had a point. Could just be a setup, like it was with Blake. He did the same thing.

I’m not Blake. I want to get away from them just as badly as you do.

I didn’t respond to that. Turning my gaze to the window, I watched the small houses and the signs for the hot springs blur and then finally fade into the flat open highway of nothing but small brush and tan soil. It wasn’t until I saw the sign that I relaxed a little.

“Las Vegas? Are we’re going to gamble and take in a Flamingo show?”

Luc shook his head. “Not unless that’s your thing.”

Not knowing where we were going or why didn’t settle well with me. I kept on guard, my eyes peeled to the road, looking for any suspicious vehicles that got a little too close. About seven miles into the almost two-hour trip, Kat dozed off. I grabbed the doll before it hit the floorboards and held onto it. I was relieved that she was getting more rest. She needed it.

Every time we came near a police car, I would tense, ready for them to pull us over for a multitude of reasons, varying from a stolen car to taking out military personnel. But no one stopped us. Not a damn thing happened the entire drive, except for Luc and Paris arguing over the radio like an old married couple. I couldn’t figure the two out. Then again, I couldn’t figure out myself.

I thought about the craziest shit on that drive to Vegas. And I mean some really far-out-there stuff, and I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that there were two people in the car who could potentially be peeking inside my head that made me think of things I really didn’t want other people to be privy to.

It all started when I looked away from the window and my attention fell to my leg. Kat’s left hand was curled up against my thigh. For several minutes, I couldn’t look away. What was it about the left hand? It was just a hand, and Kat had a really great hand and all, but it wasn’t that.

It was what typically went on the left hand, on the ring finger.

God, thinking about rings and the left hand made me want to get out of this vehicle and do about a hundred laps, but being married to Kat—married? My brain tripped up over that word, but it wouldn’t be terrible. Nah, it would be far from that. It would be sort of…perfect.

Spending the rest of my life with Kat was something I planned on. There was no question or doubt when it came to that. I saw her—only her—in my future. Making a decision like that didn’t send me into a cold sweat. Maybe it was because my kind mated young, usually right out of high school, and our version of marriage was really no different than what the humans did.

But we were young. Wet behind the ears, or at least that’s what Matthew would say.

Why in the hell was I even thinking about that right now, when our lives were a complete mess? Maybe it was because when everything was chaotic and tomorrow might not come, it made you think about these things? Made you want to seal the deal, so to speak? I hated thinking it, but there might not be a couple of years down the road to get married.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I tightened my arm around Kat and focused on the road. When the skyscrapers started to come into view, I gently roused her. “Hey, sleepyhead, take a look.”

She lifted her head from my shoulder and rubbed her eyes. Blinking a couple of times, she bent a little and stared out the front window. Her eyes widened. “Wow…I’ve never been to Vegas before.”

Luc twisted in his seat, grinning. “It’s better to see at night, with all the buildings lit up on the Strip.”

Eagerness filled her gaze, but she settled back, shoulders slumping. As much as I would love to take her out, there would be no sightseeing for us. It would be too risky.

I leaned over, pressing my lips to her ear, and said, “Next time. I promise.”

She turned slightly, eyes closing. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Kissing her cheek, I ignored the speculative look Archer gave me. As we entered Vegas, Kat was straining over me to see everything. The palm trees lining the Strip were probably familiar to her, but the pirate ship in front of Treasure Island wasn’t something you saw every day.

It took forever to get through the packed traffic, and normally that would have had me clawing at my eyeballs with impatience, but it wasn’t too bad. Not with Kat practically bouncing halfway in my lap, pointing out well-known hotspots like the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and the Eiffel Tower at Paris.

I was sort of in heaven.

Unfortunately, this version of heaven had an audience. Dammit.

As we reached the outskirts of Vegas, I started getting weary of this whole surprise bullshit, especially when Paris turned off the main avenue, following another road around a country club and huge golf course. We kept heading farther down the road, farther away from the teeming city. There was nothing out there but a few sprawling mansions, and then a twenty-foot security wall came out of nowhere, a glittering sandstone structure.

I leaned forward, dropping my hand on the back of Paris’s seat. “Is that quartzite in the stone?”

“You better believe it.”

Kat glanced at me, her eyes widening with realization as Paris slowed in front of a wrought-iron gate that had tiny specks of the quartz in it. I’d never seen anything like it.

An intercom popped on and Paris said, “Knock. Knock.”

Static and then a woman’s voice said, “Who’s there?”

Kat raised a brow at me, and I shrugged.

“The interrupting cow,” Paris said, glancing at Luc, who shook his head.

From the intercom, “The inter—?”

“Moooooo!” Paris said, snickering.

Kat giggled.

Archer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

There was an audible huff from the intercom. “That was stupid. The gate is opening. Give it a sec.”

“That was pretty lame,” I said.

Paris chuckled. “I saw it on the Internet. Made me laugh. I got more. Want to hear them?”

“No.” My rebuttal was joined by Archer’s. Something we agreed on. Huh. Go figure.

“Too bad.” Paris eased forward as the gates split, spreading wide. “That wasn’t even my best one.”

“It was pretty good,” Kat said, grinning when I shot her a look. “It made me laugh.”

“You’re easy to impress,” I told her.

She went to smack my arm, but I caught her hand. Threading my fingers through hers, I winked. She shook her head. “You do not impress me.”

I would’ve believed her if she and I both didn’t know better.

It took me a few seconds to realize the road also had large quantities of quartz embedded into the asphalt. The first house we came upon, a modest structure, looked like someone puked quartz all over it—on the roof, the shutters, the front door.

Holy crap.

Since there were no natural formations of quartz nearby, they had brought it in, protecting the Luxen community.

“You didn’t know about this?” Surprise colored Luc’s voice.

“No. I mean, never seemed impossible, using the quartz like this, but it had to cost a pretty penny, and I didn’t even know there was a community out here.”