Jennifer Armentrout - Opal

Daemon shrugged.

Now I was unsure about my earlier conviction when it came to their relationship. Adam and Dee were notorious for doing things like that. Then again, Luxen liked to eat…all the time. “You don’t think they’re…?”

“I don’t even want to know.”

Me neither, I decided. Taking his offered hand, we headed back out of the steamy gymnasium and down the streamer-laden hallway. The temps had dropped outside, but the cold air felt good against my flushed skin.

“Are you going to tell me about the surprise?”

“If I did, then it won’t be a surprise,” he replied.

I pouted. “But it’s a surprise now.”

“Nice try.” He laughed, opening the door for me. “Get in and behave yourself.”

“Whatever.” But I climbed in, primly crossing my legs. Daemon laughed again as he loped around the front of his car and got in.

Casting me a glance, he shook his head. “You’re dying to know, aren’t you?”

“Yes. You should tell me.”

He said nothing and remained quiet the whole way home, much to my surprise. Nervous excitement built inside me. There’d only been a few minutes here and there of being alone together since that fateful Saturday night.

Strange how something so terrible and so beautiful could happen in one night—the best and the worst day of my life, I realized.

I didn’t want to think of Will.

Daemon parked the car in his driveway. The living room light was on in his house. “Stay in the car, okay?”

When I nodded, he got out and disappeared—gone in a flash. Curious, I twisted around in the seat, but I didn’t see him or anyone. What could he be up to?

Suddenly, my car door opened and Daemon extended his hand. “Ready?”

A little knocked off-kilter by his reappearance, I gave him my hand and let him swoop me out of the SUV. “So my surprise…?”

“You’ll see.”

Hand in hand, we started walking. I thought he was going to lead me to his house, but he didn’t, and when we passed mine and made our way down the road, I had no idea what he had planned. That was, until I saw that we were heading to the main road and when we stopped there, I was taken back several months to the first time I learned about Daemon’s kind.

I’d walked out in front of a truck.

Yeah, idiotic move, but I’d been upset and hadn’t been thinking. Douche-version of Daemon had been to blame.

Crossing the road, I got a general idea of where we were heading. The lake. Squeezing Daemon’s hand, I fought back a stupid grin.

“Do you think you can walk in those heels?” he asked, frowning as if he’d just thought of it.

Doubtful, but I didn’t want to ruin any of this for him. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

He took it slowly anyway, making sure I didn’t fall flat on my face or break my neck. Incredibly sweet, actually, as he made sure to get all the low-hanging branches out of the way and at one point, he even let a part of his true form take hold. White light surrounded his hand, casting over the uneven ground.

Who needed a flashlight when you had Daemon?

It took a little longer than normal to get to the lake, but I enjoyed the walk and his company. And when we stepped out of the last stand of trees and the scene before me unfolded, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Moonlight reflected off the calm waters and several feet away from the bank, next to the white wildflowers that had started to bloom, were several blankets spread out and piled atop one another, creating a comfy-looking sitting area. There were a few pillows and a large cooler. A fire crackled closer to the lake, surrounded by large stones.

There were no words.

The whole setup was exceptionally romantic, sweet, awesome, and so, so perfect that I wondered if I were dreaming. I knew Daemon was capable of surprising me—he always did, but this…? My heart swelled so quickly I was sure I would float away.

“Surprise,” he said, stepping ahead, his back to the fire. “I thought this would be better than a party or whatever. And you like the lake. So do I.”

I blinked back tears. God, I needed to stop crying all the time, especially tonight, because I had loaded my lashes with mascara. “It’s perfect, Daemon. Oh my God, it’s wonderful.”

“Really?” A bit of vulnerability crept into his voice. “You really like it?”

I couldn’t believe he had to ask. “I love it.” And then I started to laugh, which was better than crying. “I really love this.”

Daemon smiled.

I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms and legs around him like a demented monkey-girl.

Laughing, he caught me and didn’t stumble. “You really love it,” he said, walking backward. “I’m glad.”

So many emotions were running through me that I couldn’t settle on one thing, but they were all good. When he put me down, I kicked off my shoes and moved to the blankets. They were soft under my toes, luxurious.

Sitting down, I tucked my legs under me. “What’s in the cooler?”

“Ah, the good stuff.” He flashed out and appeared beside the cooler, kneeling down. He cracked it open, pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Wine cooler—strawberry. Your favorite.”

I laughed. “Oh my God.”

He popped the cork with some kind of weird alien-mind-Source-Jedi power and poured each of us a glass. I took it and sipped the fizzy liquid. I liked the wine cooler because it didn’t taste like alcohol and I was really a lightweight.

“What else?” I asked, leaning over.

Out came a canister and he carefully peeled the lid off and tilted it toward me. Chocolate-covered strawberries rolled temptingly.

My mouth watered. “Did you make them?”

“Ha. No.”

“Uh…did Dee make them?”

That got a laugh. “I ordered them from the candy shop in town. Try one?”

I did and I think my mouth died and went to heaven. I may’ve even drooled on myself. “They are so good.”

“There’s more.” He pulled out a plastic container full of sliced cheese and crackers. “Also pre-made from the store, because I am not a cook or whatever.”

Who cared how he got the stuff? He did this—this was all him.

There were also cucumber sandwiches and a veggie pizza. Perfect munchie food, and we dug in, laughing and eating while the fire slowly died off.

“When did you do all of this?” I asked, reaching for my fifth or so slice of veggie pizza.

He picked up a strawberry, inspecting it with narrowed eyes. “I had the stuff in the cooler down here and the blankets wrapped in canvas. All I did when we got back was come down here real quick, spread the stuff out, and start the fire.”

I finished off my slice. “You’re amazing.”

“I know it didn’t take you this long to realize that.”

“No. I’ve always known it.” I watched him root around for another strawberry. “Maybe not in the beginning…”

He peeked up. “My awesomeness is all about the stealth.”

“Is it?” The temp had dropped and I huddled closer to Daemon and the dying fire, shivering but not anywhere near ready to head back.

“Uh-huh.” He grinned, closing the bowl and placing the rest of the food back in the cooler. Tossing me a soda, he cleaned everything up. We’d moved on past the wine coolers a while ago. “I can’t show all my dynamic sides at once.”

“Of course not. Where’s the mystery in that?”

He picked up a throw blanket. “There is none.” Draping it over my shoulders, he then settled back down next to me.

“Thank you.” I pulled the soft material close. “I think the general public would be shocked to know how deep your sweetness runs.”

Daemon stretched out, resting on his side. “They can never know.”