Catch Me When I Fall (9 page)

I tore my dagger out of the dead Nightmare’s head while the one-eared guy scrambled to its feet. Black blood oozed from the creature’s nose. It screeched at me like an angry hawk that couldn’t catch its prey, and I waited for the Nightmare to strike.

“Come on, bitch. Hit me.”

Instead of swiping at me again like I expected, the monster tried to tackle me. But I recovered quickly, using the Nightmare’s momentum to toss it over my shoulder. The beast fell to the ground behind me. I turned around and straddled its back, kneeling on the creature’s arms to keep it from getting up. From beneath me, the Nightmare squirmed and squealed, and in one quick movement, I wrapped my arms around its head and twisted, snapping the monster’s neck.

“God, Daniel. A dagger would’ve done the trick,” Samantha said. She and Seth dragged the other dead Nightmares to where mine laid on the floor. I helped them pile the heavy bodies, then Seth took a lighter out of his pocket and lit the corpses on fire. Their demonic blood burned hot and fast. We stepped back to avoid any accidental burns.

“Daniel has a natural flare for the barbaric,” Seth said.

“I do not.”

“Then do you want to tell me what that was?” Samantha asked.

I didn’t reply. I’d taken out my irritation on the Nightmares, transferring the anger mounting for myself toward them. Kayla had become an itch I couldn’t scratch. Tomorrow I would tell Giovanni to take me off her protection. As much as I hated to admit, I was emotionally compromised.

“Will you guys be okay if I pop out? My shoulder’s killing me,” I lied. Bartholomew’s serum had worked well, but I couldn’t stay here anymore. They’d ring me if things got out of hand.

“Sure,” Seth replied. He stared at me like he knew I was hiding something. Avoiding eye contact, I vanished.

I leaned against the side of the shower as hot water pounded my back. How long I’d been standing there, I didn’t know. Somewhere along the way, I just stopped thinking altogether.

Turning around, I rinsed the shampoo out of my wavy hair—that now hung to the top of my ears—and turned off the water. When I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stared at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes were framed with black circles. I looked as shitty as I felt.

When I opened the door and entered the living room, Seth sat on the sofa, staring at me.

“Blast,” I said, jumping. “What the hell are you doing here?” The sun wouldn’t come up for hours. He should be helping Samantha catch, especially now that I wasn’t there.

“After we killed the round of Nightmares last night, no more showed up. Sam said she’d text if she needed help.”

Shaking my head, I crossed through the living room, closing the bedroom door behind me. After throwing on gym shorts and a T-shirt, I reemerged. Seth stood against the sofa, facing the bedroom.

“This is getting awkward,” I said.

“What’s going on with you, man? I’ve never seen you fight like that.”

Ignoring him, I grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

“Daniel, I’m not leavin’ you alone until you spill.”

I slammed the fridge door shut. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. Try the truth, maybe?”

I chugged my beer. Seth crossed the room and slammed the fridge shut when I reached for another, prompting a glare from me.

“It’s the girl, isn’t it?” he asked. “Sam told me you’d been spending extra time watching her.”

Raising my hands in exasperation, I pushed past him, running my hands through my hair.

“What do you want me to say? I’ve never had this problem before. I can’t stop thinking about her. I can’t stay away. Hell, I went corporeal by accident once!” He knew what happened when we revealed ourselves—our time as a Protector ended. Permanently. I continued, “I’m tired, Seth. Tomorrow I’m asking Giovanni to bench me before I do something stupid.”

He walked into the living room, his hands extended out in front of him. “Now, wait. Don’t go doin’ that.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my eyebrows, asking him silently if he had a better idea.

Seth dropped his hands and sighed. “Look, don’t give up yet. You won’t last long if Giovanni puts you to work behind a desk. We’ll figure somethin’ out.”

For minutes we stared at each other, then finally I nodded. I’d give him one more night.

Just one.

y fists beat the punching bag mercilessly. I’d tried to sleep after my conversation with Seth, but Kayla’s hazel eyes taunted me, reminding me of my inability to do my job. I’d evaporated straight to our mansion’s gym, knowing if I didn’t start punching something soon, I was going to explode. As I expected, the room was completely empty. Protectors usually slept during the day, even when they were on leave from assignment.

I punched and kicked like my life depended on it, not bothering to wrap my hands or put on gloves. I wanted to feel the pain. No, I needed to feel the pain. When my shirt began to stick, I tore it off, and I didn’t stop beating the bag until my arms felt like they were going to fall off.

I let myself take a break when my knuckles throbbed. They were raw, my hands having left bloody streaks on the bag. Then, I noticed I wasn’t alone.

“What do you want, Sam?”

She stepped out of the shadows. “To talk to you. I know what you’re going to do.”

Ignoring her, I punched the bag again. Pain shot from my hands down my arms, but I didn’t care. The pain kept me from thinking.

“After all these years, Daniel, you’ve never backed down from a challenge. Now, all the sudden, you want to be benched? I don’t understand.”

Damn it, Seth.
I didn’t answer her.

“Daniel, talk to me.”

“No.” I threw another punch.

“Would you just stop for one minute!”

Sweat dripped down my chest as I turned to face her. “Sam, I appreciate your concern. But it’s done with. Let me be.”

She shook her head. “No, Daniel. It’s not done with.” Her voice shook. “Because we—I—need you.”

It didn’t take me long to read her face. Seth was right. Samantha still hadn’t moved on from our night. After I picked up my shirt from the floor, I walked around a weight machine to where she stood and placed my hands on her arms. “You’ve proven yourself to be a good friend and a great Catcher. I promise you’ll do fine without me.”

“But if Giovanni benches you, he’ll remove you as my mentor.”

“You don’t need a mentor anymore. I’ve seen you fight. You’re fierce on your own. You’ll be okay.”

Samantha paused, seeming to understand that she wasn’t going to make me change my mind. Then, before I had a chance to evaporate, her hands pulled my face to hers, and her full lips pressed against mine.

A gentleman would’ve stepped away. But right now, I didn’t care about being a gentleman. Samantha was a beautiful woman. Even though I’d never felt about her the way she felt about me, not noticing her beauty was impossible.

Dropping my shirt, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me. I kissed her back and gently pressed her against the wall where she had been hiding in the shadows. Our lips opened and closed together. Her hands moved from my face down my chest to my stomach. They glided around to my back, pulling the lower half of my body against hers.

I jumped back like I had been zapped with a Taser. This wasn’t right. I had no real feelings for her, and she didn’t deserve to be treated like this.

Samantha’s large, brown eyes followed my every movement. I ran my hand down my face. “I’m sorry. This isn’t… I can’t.” I walked to where I’d left my shirt and picked it off the floor. Before I evaporated to my apartment, I turned to look at her. Samantha’s lips were tight, and her hands gripped her pant legs.

“Please forgive me,” I said before I disappeared.

At 8:55 p.m., I returned to Kayla’s room. Seth and Samantha were already there. They eyed me with sadness, but neither said anything. I resumed my usual position and leaned against the back wall, crossing my arms over my chest.

Given Hendrik standing by Kayla’s headboard, Bartholomew must not have cleared Tabbi for battle yet. All the better. It’d be too hard to say goodbye to her.

Kayla sat on her bed, reading, and at 8:58 p.m., the nurse provided Kayla her medicine. By 9:05 p.m., she was asleep, and Hendrik went to work. I closed my eyes and waited for the Nightmares to arrive.

Within thirty minutes the hairs on my arms rose, and I opened my eyes when sulfur filled my nose. Six Nightmares came from all directions. Before I had a chance to react, the Nightmare nearest me ran for the bed. I sprinted and caught the monster inches from the footboard, knocking it to the ground. The Nightmare thrashed in my arms, its elbow catching my nose. I swore as black lingered on the sides of my vision then punched the beast in the jaw. Its head bounced off the floor.

But the Nightmare was stronger than usual. It reacted quickly and kicked me off. The middle of my back hit the corner of Kayla’s bed. I gasped for air, the wind knocked out of me. A blade flew over my head, hitting the Nightmare between the eyes. I jumped to my feet and spun around. Samantha had just saved my life.

“Not today, Daniel,” she said before mule-kicking the Nightmare behind her.

After rolling my eyes, I flicked them around the room until I found Seth. He was battling two Nightmares simultaneously—and losing. Plucking Samantha’s dagger out of my Nightmare’s head and tucking it into my belt, I ran across the room to help my friend, a dagger in each hand.