Bane of My Existence

Chapter 25

Kalem slinked back from the window, careful not to move the curtains and reveal himself as he did. Kinsey got up from the couch to see what he was hiding from, but he held his hand out to stop her.

"Your friend is here."

Sabrina went to Kinsey and squeezed her hand.  Fear danced in her blue eyes. "He's coming?"

"No. He's staying in the car. He's only here to make sure Kinsey doesn't leave. You'll be safe here."

Funny how Damon left him here to protect her, but his gaze never moved from Sabrina. If Damon hadn't turned out to be a manipulative asshole and Kalem hadn't helped sell the lie, Kinsey would have been happy for her friend. As it was, a protective need rose up in her and she stood in front of Sabrina, giving Kalem a hard look. Sabrina was off limits. Only one of their hearts needed to be broken.

Kalem dropped his gaze, sheepish. Sabrina didn't notice and started pacing down the hallway to the bedroom and back to the kitchen, chewing her thumbnail. "I told you not to work there."

Sabrina was stressed and scared; she said whatever came to her mind without thinking. Kinsey didn't want to hear it right now.

"Come on, 'Brina, like you knew they were bad company."

"Bad?" Sabrina stopped in her tracks to throw her a dubious glare. "They drugged you up and turned you into a little science experiment--and you call them bad?"

"They didn't-"

"You're not human anymore, Kinsey!"

Her words were a slap to the face.

She staggered back, tripping and falling onto the couch. She buried her head in her hands.

She wished she hadn't told her or Damon. She had been weak with Damon; his scent and touch had been overwhelming and her whole body purred in his arms. Her mouth opened before she could stop it. After he left, she had told Sabrina and Kalem out of fairness.

What in this fucking world was fair?

"Victor did it to save my life." She wasn't sure why she was defending him. He didn't deserve it. Maybe it was because no matter which way she spun it, she would be dead if he hadn't pumped her full of Serum Four.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Kalem chided. He stayed by the window, keeping an eye on the street.

"I don't know what to believe. The man I love never had feelings for me and had used me to get information on the Corporation. Victor is an evil madman, my sister knows it and lied to me about the real reason why they wanted me to track shifters."

"Our people are being plucked off the streets every day," Kalem scolded bitterly. "Do you expect Damon to sit back and do nothing?"

"No, of course not, but I. . ." She bit her lip. I wish it hadn't been me.

She wished she hadn't fallen as hard as she did for him. It was her fault, really. She should have dated more throughout university, then she might have been able to see no one was ever that perfect, that Damon was too good to be true.

"He did what he did for his pack," Kalem went on, lancing her heart. "But he couldn't go through with it." He turned to her, arms crossed, eyes set like steel. "He was supposed to talk you into helping us, but he didn't want to put you in more danger, so he found another job for you where you would be as far away from the Corporation as possible. So you'd be safe. Trust me, the last thing he ever wanted was for you to get hurt. If he had it his way, you wouldn't have found out about our initial plan and you'd be spending your nights with him."