Lux [4] Origin

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  “That’s…um, really nice.”

  Paris’s lip curled. “Are you actually going to wear that shirt?”

  “Yeah, I am. Every day of my life. I think it’s ironic.” Luc’s amethyst gaze circled the room, landing back on me. “Now, I think you two have something for me?”

  Daemon let out a low breath and picked up the glass case. He tossed it over to Luc, who snatched it out of the air. “There you go.”

  The kid popped open the small and narrow case, exhaling slowly. He closed it reverently and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Thank you.”

  I had a feeling that, like Daemon, he didn’t say thank you a lot. “So…what do we do from here?” I asked.

  “Well…” Luc drawled out the word. “Shit’s about to get real. Daedalus will spare no expense or life to get their grubby little hands on you, Daemon. They are going to tear this town apart. They already are. And they will use every means possible to drag you back in.”

  Daemon stiffened. “They’re going to go after my family, aren’t they?”

  “Most likely,” he replied. “Actually, you can count on that. Anyway!” Luc spun on Archer so fast that the older origin took a step back. “I got us some new wheels.”

  “Really,” Archer replied.

  “And it’s roomy enough for the five of us.” Luc turned back to Daemon and me with an impish grin that spelled no good. “I have a surprise for you guys. But first, I’d suggest putting on some clothes.” He reached in his bag, pulled out a shirt, and tossed it at Daemon. It was a plain white T-shirt. “Me and Katy look adorkable in extraterrestrial highway shirts. You would just look stupid. You can thank me later.”

  I wondered how in the world Luc knew that Daemon also had one of those shirts.

  “And eat some damn doughnuts. In either order will do.”

  Daemon scowled, while I was just happy to start eating doughnuts. I peeked inside the box. Glazed. My favorite.

  “What kind of surprise?” Daemon asked, holding the shirt and making no attempt to put it on.

  “Now if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. But we need to get on the road soon. So eat and pack up. We’ve got places to go.”

  Daemon exhaled through his nose and then glanced at me. I could tell he didn’t take too kindly to being bossed around by Luc, but my mouth was full of glazy goodness, so I really didn’t have anything to add at the moment.

  Finally, he nodded. “All right, but if you—”

  “I know. If I’m screwing with you guys, you’re going to find a way to make my death slow and painful. Got it.” Luc winked. “I consider myself warned.”

  “By the way,” Archer said as Daemon leaned over my shoulder and started poking around the doughnuts. “Don’t forget the box of condoms on the floor.”

  My focus shot to the floor. There they were, right where Daemon had dropped them last night. My face burned like holy hell, and I almost choked on the doughnut, the sound of Daemon’s laughter ringing in my ears.

  …

  DAEMON

  I so didn’t forget the condoms when I packed what little stuff we had into our alien tote. Kat still looked a little red in the face, and it took everything in me not to tease her mercilessly about it. I went easy on her because she looked so damn cute standing there in that stupid T-shirt and those cheap plastic flip-flops, clutching the alien doll to her chest.

  I dropped my arm over her shoulders as we headed out into the bright glare of the August desert sun.

  Archer brushed past us, his gaze falling to what I carried. “Nice bag.”

  “Shut up,” I replied.

  He snorted.

  We rounded the corner of the motel, and I got my first look at our ride. “Whoa! That’s your wheels?”

  Luc threw his new T-shirt over his shoulder as he patted the rear bumper of a black Hummer. “It suits me, I like to think.”

  Kat shifted the doll to her other arm as she took in the monster. “Did you drive this small village crusher all the way from West Virginia?”

  He laughed. “No. I borrowed this.”

  Yeah, I had a feeling that Luc’s “borrowing” was the same way I had “borrowed” Matthew’s car. Heading around the driver’s side, I opened the back door for Kat. “Think you can climb up in this thing all by yourself?”

  She shot me a look over her shoulder, and I grinned. Shaking her head, she grabbed the bar and hoisted herself up. Of course, being the helpful guy that I am, I assisted with a well-placed push.

  Kat’s head whipped around, her cheeks flushed. “You’re such a dog sometimes.”

  I chuckled as I hopped in beside her. “Remember what I said about petting me.”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Keep that in mind for later.” I reached around her, grabbing the seat belt before she could.

  She sighed as she lifted her arms out of the way. “You know, I am totally capable of buckling myself in.”

  “How cute,” Archer said from the other open door. He climbed in on the other side of Kat.

  “There’s a reason why I’m doing this.” I ignored him, sliding the waist strap over her lap. She sucked in a soft gasp as my hands slid along her lower stomach. I gave her a wicked grin as I buckled her in. “Understand now?”

  “Like I said: such a dog,” she murmured back, but her eyes had turned a soft heather gray.

  Leaning over, I pressed my lips to her temple and then lifted my arm. There was enough give in the seat belt for her to snuggle up against my side. “So, is this car my surprise? I can get down with that.”

  From the front passenger seat, Luc laughed. “Hell no. I think I might keep this one.”

  “Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” Paris said, starting the Hummer. “Actually, it’s a pretty boring ride. Besides the funny alien signs on the highway and maybe a cow or two, there’s nothing to look at.”

  “Fun.” As I readjusted my legs, I glanced at Archer. He was tapping his fingers over his denim-clad knees, eyes narrowed on the back of the seat. I didn’t really trust any of them in this car, not 100 percent. They could be leading us right back to Area 51.

  Archer turned his head to me. We’re not going to betray you or Katy.

  My eyes narrowed. For the last time, get out of my head.

  It’s hard not to. You have such a big head. One side of his lips curved up as he returned to staring at the seat in front of him. Besides, how could I bring you back? You saw what I did to get us out of there.

  He had a point. Could just be a setup, like it was with Blake. He did the same thing.

  I’m not Blake. I want to get away from them just as badly as you do.

  I didn’t respond to that. Turning my gaze to the window, I watched the small houses and the signs for the hot springs blur and then finally fade into the flat open highway of nothing but small brush and tan soil. It wasn’t until I saw the sign that I relaxed a little.

  “Las Vegas? Are we’re going to gamble and take in a Flamingo show?”

  Luc shook his head. “Not unless that’s your thing.”

  Not knowing where we were going or why didn’t settle well with me. I kept on guard, my eyes peeled to the road, looking for any suspicious vehicles that got a little too close. About seven miles into the almost two-hour trip, Kat dozed off. I grabbed the doll before it hit the floorboards and held onto it. I was relieved that she was getting more rest. She needed it.

  Every time we came near a police car, I would tense, ready for them to pull us over for a multitude of reasons, varying from a stolen car to taking out military personnel. But no one stopped us. Not a damn thing happened the entire drive, except for Luc and Paris arguing over the radio like an old married couple. I couldn’t figure the two out. Then again, I couldn’t figure out myself.

  I thought about the craziest shit on that drive to Vegas. And I mean some really far-out-there stuff, and I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that there were two people in the car who could potentially be peeking inside
my head that made me think of things I really didn’t want other people to be privy to.

  It all started when I looked away from the window and my attention fell to my leg. Kat’s left hand was curled up against my thigh. For several minutes, I couldn’t look away. What was it about the left hand? It was just a hand, and Kat had a really great hand and all, but it wasn’t that.

  It was what typically went on the left hand, on the ring finger.

  God, thinking about rings and the left hand made me want to get out of this vehicle and do about a hundred laps, but being married to Kat—married? My brain tripped up over that word, but it wouldn’t be terrible. Nah, it would be far from that. It would be sort of…perfect.

  Spending the rest of my life with Kat was something I planned on. There was no question or doubt when it came to that. I saw her—only her—in my future. Making a decision like that didn’t send me into a cold sweat. Maybe it was because my kind mated young, usually right out of high school, and our version of marriage was really no different than what the humans did.

  But we were young. Wet behind the ears, or at least that’s what Matthew would say.

  Why in the hell was I even thinking about that right now, when our lives were a complete mess? Maybe it was because when everything was chaotic and tomorrow might not come, it made you think about these things? Made you want to seal the deal, so to speak? I hated thinking it, but there might not be a couple of years down the road to get married.

  Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I tightened my arm around Kat and focused on the road. When the skyscrapers started to come into view, I gently roused her. “Hey, sleepyhead, take a look.”

  She lifted her head from my shoulder and rubbed her eyes. Blinking a couple of times, she bent a little and stared out the front window. Her eyes widened. “Wow…I’ve never been to Vegas before.”

  Luc twisted in his seat, grinning. “It’s better to see at night, with all the buildings lit up on the Strip.”

  Eagerness filled her gaze, but she settled back, shoulders slumping. As much as I would love to take her out, there would be no sightseeing for us. It would be too risky.

  I leaned over, pressing my lips to her ear, and said, “Next time. I promise.”

  She turned slightly, eyes closing. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Kissing her cheek, I ignored the speculative look Archer gave me. As we entered Vegas, Kat was straining over me to see everything. The palm trees lining the Strip were probably familiar to her, but the pirate ship in front of Treasure Island wasn’t something you saw every day.

  It took forever to get through the packed traffic, and normally that would have had me clawing at my eyeballs with impatience, but it wasn’t too bad. Not with Kat practically bouncing halfway in my lap, pointing out well-known hotspots like the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and the Eiffel Tower at Paris.

  I was sort of in heaven.

  Unfortunately, this version of heaven had an audience. Dammit.

  As we reached the outskirts of Vegas, I started getting weary of this whole surprise bullshit, especially when Paris turned off the main avenue, following another road around a country club and huge golf course. We kept heading farther down the road, farther away from the teeming city. There was nothing out there but a few sprawling mansions, and then a twenty-foot security wall came out of nowhere, a glittering sandstone structure.

  I leaned forward, dropping my hand on the back of Paris’s seat. “Is that quartzite in the stone?”

  “You better believe it.”

  Kat glanced at me, her eyes widening with realization as Paris slowed in front of a wrought-iron gate that had tiny specks of the quartz in it. I’d never seen anything like it.

  An intercom popped on and Paris said, “Knock. Knock.”

  Static and then a woman’s voice said, “Who’s there?”

  Kat raised a brow at me, and I shrugged.

  “The interrupting cow,” Paris said, glancing at Luc, who shook his head.

  From the intercom, “The inter—?”

  “Moooooo!” Paris said, snickering.

  Kat giggled.

  Archer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  There was an audible huff from the intercom. “That was stupid. The gate is opening. Give it a sec.”

  “That was pretty lame,” I said.

  Paris chuckled. “I saw it on the Internet. Made me laugh. I got more. Want to hear them?”

  “No.” My rebuttal was joined by Archer’s. Something we agreed on. Huh. Go figure.

  “Too bad.” Paris eased forward as the gates split, spreading wide. “That wasn’t even my best one.”

  “It was pretty good,” Kat said, grinning when I shot her a look. “It made me laugh.”

  “You’re easy to impress,” I told her.

  She went to smack my arm, but I caught her hand. Threading my fingers through hers, I winked. She shook her head. “You do not impress me.”

  I would’ve believed her if she and I both didn’t know better.

  It took me a few seconds to realize the road also had large quantities of quartz embedded into the asphalt. The first house we came upon, a modest structure, looked like someone puked quartz all over it—on the roof, the shutters, the front door.

  Holy crap.

  Since there were no natural formations of quartz nearby, they had brought it in, protecting the Luxen community.

  “You didn’t know about this?” Surprise colored Luc’s voice.

  “No. I mean, never seemed impossible, using the quartz like this, but it had to cost a pretty penny, and I didn’t even know there was a community out here.”

  “Interesting,” Luc murmured, his jaw setting in a hard line.

  Paris glanced at him, and I didn’t understand the look they exchanged.

  “Neither does Daedalus,” Archer said. “It’s right under their noses. Perfect hiding spot.”

  “This is insane.” I shook my head as we passed more houses decked out in quartz, each home getting larger. “How did I not know about this? Do you know someone in here, Luc?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. I have some…friends in Arizona, but we need to make a pit stop here first. Let it die down for a few days so the highway won’t be such a danger traveling.”

  “So we’re going to Arizona next?” Kat asked, glancing between Luc and me.

  Luc shrugged. “It’s an offer on the table. That’s where Archer is heading to hide out for a while, but it’s up to you guys. You can take my offer of hospitality or shove it up my rear.”

  Kat frowned.

  “Makes no difference to me,” he added.

  She shook her head a little. “I don’t get why you all would risk so much to keep helping us.”

  Good question.

  Luc looked over his shoulder. “We have the same enemy, and we’re stronger in numbers. Just like in the horror movies.”

  I started picking up on other Luxen who had to be in the houses or behind the tall walls circling most of the backyards. I really couldn’t believe this—an entire community supposedly unseen by Daedalus and protected from Arum by man-made quartz deposits.

  Huh. Mind blown.

  We’d finally reached another wall and the gate opened before us. The house, if you could call the monstrous thing a house, loomed ahead like a mirage.

  “This is where we’re going?” Kat asked. A look of awe crossed her expression. “It’s a palace.”

  That brought a smile to my face.

  The place really was absurd. Had to be way more than seven thousand square feet, maybe more, rising three stories, with a sky dome over the middle section and a wing flanking each side. Like the rest of the houses, it was white sandstone with quartz embedded deep into the structure. It, too, had a tall wall blocking whatever existed behind the home.

  Paris followed the driveway, stopping halfway through the circle in front of the wide steps. In the middle of the circle was a marble statue. Of a dolphin. Weird.

  “A
ll right, kids, we’re here!” Luc threw open the passenger door and bounded up the steps. On the porch, he turned back to the Hummer. “I’m not getting any younger here.”

  Taking a deep breath, I grabbed Kat’s hand. “You ready?”

  “Yes.” She gave me a little smile. “I want to see what it looks like inside.”

  I laughed. “Absurd opulence is what I’m betting on.”

  “Same here,” Archer muttered, stepping out.

  We climbed down and walked around the Hummer. She took the tote this time, sticking the alien doll in it so its head popped out of the top. Giving her hand a squeeze, I headed up the steps while I prepared myself for God knows what. The way Luc was smiling had me wary. He looked like he—

  The feeling that swept down my spine was warming and familiar but totally impossible. So was the startling jump in energy that caused me to drop Kat’s hand. No way.

  I took a step back from the door.

  Kat turned, concern pinching her face. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  Words failed me as I stared at the door. All I could do was shake my head once. Part of me was elated, while the other half was horrified by what I was sensing—and I hoped it was my imagination.

  Moving to my side, Kat placed her hands on my upper arm. “What’s—?”

  The red-painted door opened, and, as a figure stepped out of the shadowy recesses, my suspicions were confirmed.

  “We came all this way to rush in and save your ass, but then you end up saving your own ass before we could do anything.” Dee popped her hands on her hips, and her chin was tipped up stubbornly. “Way to steal our thunder and glory, Daemon.”

  Luc clapped his hands together. “Surprise!”

  Chapter 22

  KATY

  Daemon was absolutely dumbfounded into silence. So was I. The only two people who weren’t gawking at Dee were Luc and Paris. Even Archer had the open-mouth thing going on, but I think that had less to do with what their appearance meant to Daemon than it did with how beautiful she was.

  And Dee was out of this world, extraordinarily beautiful. With her glossy black curls cascading around her exotic face and with those emerald eyes, she was stunning. A more delicate, feminine version of Daemon and Dawson. She stopped humans, aliens, hybrids, and apparently origins in their tracks.