Katie's Hellion

"Hush."

He spun her to face him and pulled her against him with one arm while his other took hers to the side for a waltz pose.

"Where you been hiding?" he asked casually.

"None of your damn business!" she snapped, craning her neck back to look up at him. Even in her heels he towered a head above her. His eyes flared amber then faded to tanzanite as he gazed down at her.

"You drop off some sort of demon in my house, try to convince me I'm either completely crazy or suffering from amnesia, stalk me to this gala, and expect me to tell you where I spend every minute of every day?" she demanded at his silence.

She tugged at her captured hand and was squeezed against him even harder.

"You weren't supposed to remember anything," he replied calmly. "You have a genetic --"

"Don't want to hear it. Take Toby and the damn death guy and leave me the hell alone."

"I can't."

"The hell you can't."

"You're in danger."

She studied him.

"Some very bad people know who you are now."

"So what? You feel guilty for dragging me into this and are obligated to help me?"

"Guilty, no. Obligated, yes. You're destined to work alongside us immortals."

His honest answer silenced her. She stepped out of his embrace, the two of them freezing in the middle of the dance floor like rocks in a flowing creek.

"Katie, I need to talk to you about something very serious."

He made no move toward her. At his severe tone, she took another step back, ready to exit as fast as she could in the snug dress and high heels.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out. A murmur went through the dancers, several of whom sounded as if they ran into each other before pausing. The orchestra fell silent, and somewhere someone --possibly the host --called for the generators to be turned on. A woman gave a cry, and the sound of jostling grew closer.

A man walked calmly through the crowd, strange red tattoos glowing all over his body, similar to the tattoos she'd seen on David Kingsly's neck when he invited her to the gala. She didn't know what he was, but she felt cold inside.

He was evil.

Kris rested one hand on her shoulder. She started to pull away.

"He can't sense you while I'm here," Kris whispered.

She watched as the creature neared in the shadowy darkness. Katie's breathing grew shallow. Her eyes stayed on the creature, which joined several more tattooed beings in the hall before they all struck out in different directions.