Opal Read Free Page B

know—”
    “Don’t ‘I know, Dee’ me.” Her lower lip trembled. “You let Blake go.” Her gaze moved to me, and it felt like a kick in the stomach. “Both of you let Blake go.”
    Daemon shook his head as he unfolded his arms. “Dee, there was enough killing that night. Enough death.”
    Dee reacted as though Daemon had hit her with his words, wrapping her arms around her waist for protection.
    “Adam wouldn’t have wanted that,” Ash said quietly, sitting back against the couch. “More deaths. He was such a pacifist.”
    “Too bad we can’t ask him how he really feels about it, isn’t it?” Dee’s spine stiffened, as though she was forcing herself to bite out her next words. “He’s dead.”
    Apologies bubbled up in my throat, but before they could break free, Andrew spoke. “Not only did you guys let Blake go, you lied to us. From her?” He gestured at me. “I don’t expect loyalty. But you? Daemon, you kept everything from us. And Adam died.”
    I whipped around. “Adam’s death isn’t Daemon’s fault. Don’t put that on him.”
    “Kat—”
    “Then whose is it?” Dee’s gaze met mine. “Yours?”
    I sucked in a sharp breath. “Yeah, it is.”
    Daemon’s body went rigid beside me, and then, always the referee, Matthew jumped in. “All right, guys, that’s enough. Fighting and casting blame isn’t helping anyone.”
    “It makes us feel better,” Ash muttered, closing her eyes.
    I blinked back tears and sat on the edge of the table, frustrated that I was even close to crying because I didn’t own the right to those tears. Not like they did. Squeezing my knees until my fingers dug in through the soft material, I let out a breath.
    “Right now, we need to get along,” Matthew went on. “All of us, because we have lost too much already.”
    There was a pause and then, “I’m going after Beth.”
    Everyone in the room turned to Dawson again. Not a single thing had changed in his expression. No emotion. Nothing. And then everyone started talking at once.
    Daemon’s voice boomed over the chaos. “Absolutely not, Dawson—no way.”
    “It’s too dangerous.” Dee stood, clasping her hands together. “You’ll get captured, and I won’t survive that. Not again.”
    Dawson’s expression remained blank, like nothing his friends or family had said made any difference to him. “I have to get her back. Sorry.”
    It looked like a dumbfounded stick had smacked Ash in the face. I probably looked the same. “He’s insane,” she whispered. “Freaking insane.”
    Dawson shrugged.
    Matthew leaned forward. “Dawson, I know, we all know, that Beth means a lot to you, but there’s no way you can get her. Not until we know what we’re dealing with.”
    Emotion flashed in Dawson’s eyes, turning them forest green. Anger, I realized. The first emotion I’d seen from Dawson was anger. “I know what I’m dealing with. And I know what they are doing to her.”
    Prowling forward, Daemon stopped in front of his brother, legs spread wide, arms crossed again, ready for battle. Standing together like that, it was surreal seeing them. They were identical, with the exception of Dawson’s thinner frame and shaggier hair.
    “I cannot allow you to do that,” Daemon said, voice so low I barely heard him. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but no way.”
    Dawson didn’t budge. “You don’t have a say over it. You never did.”
    At least they were talking. That was a good thing, right? Somehow I knew that the two brothers going toe-to-toe was oddly comforting as much as it was distressing. Something Daemon and Dee thought they’d never experience again.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dee moving toward them, but Andrew reached out, catching her hand and stopping her.
    “I’m not trying to control you, Dawson. It’s never been about that, but you just got back from hell. We just got you back.”
    “I’m still in hell,” Dawson replied. “And if you get in my way, I will drag