The Darkest Star

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Luc was right.

  I wanted to.

  Probably a sign of insanity.

  Swallowing hard, I reached out. Time seemed to slow as my fingers neared the glow. The air was warm around his hand. Not hot. Tensing, I tipped forward. My fingers parted the light, and a jolt of electricity danced over my skin. The light spread from Luc to me. It felt like a soft hum.

  My breath caught.

  Touching the light didn’t hurt. Not at all. It felt like I was running my fingers through sunbaked air. Little tendrils of light flicked out, curling around my hand.

  This wasn’t just light, though. It was power—pure power that could be harnessed into a weapon—a weapon that had killed my father.

  I pulled my hand free, pressing my palm into my leg.

  The light dimmed until Luc’s hand and arm looked normal. His pupils looked weird once more, as if they were stretching.

  I cleared my throat. “What else can you do?”

  Luc didn’t answer for a long moment. He just looked at me in a way that made me feel like I was some kind of jigsaw puzzle he couldn’t piece together. Our gazes collided and held. My breath caught. Something … something hot and unwanted flared to life between us.

  His throat worked on a swallow as he looked away. “We’re susceptible to the same weapons as the Luxen—Tasers and electric pulse guns are not our friends. Anyway, everything that a Luxen can do, we can do better.”

  “Wow.” I laughed, pushing the odd feeling aside. “That’s extremely modest of you.”

  A small grin appeared. “I knew someone once who said modesty was for saints and losers.”

  My brows lifted. “That sounds like someone who was very grounded. And likable.”

  Luc chuckled. “If you only knew…”

  Silence fell around us, and I had so many questions. Like an entire night’s worth of them. “So you … you never met your parents?”

  Luc shook his head. “Nope. Pretty sure they’re both dead.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He raised a shoulder as he rolled his sleeve back down.

  I was staring at him, at the planes and angles of his face. I knew I shouldn’t ask this, but kind of couldn’t help myself. “Did you grow up in one of the labs?”

  “I did.” His lashes lifted.

  “What … was that like?”

  He looked away, and I didn’t think he’d answer. “It was like nothing. There was no sense of … self.” His jaw worked as his gaze trekked over the bare walls of his apartment. “There were no friends. No family. No worth beyond what we were created for. An Origin was just a single entity, but at the same time, all Origins were the entity. We were kind of like computers in a way. All of us. Programmed from birth to obey until…”

  “Until what?” I asked quietly, innately knowing this wasn’t something he talked about a lot. Maybe ever.

  He was still staring at the empty walls. “Until I became self-aware. Sort of like Skynet. You know, Terminator? I just woke up one day and was like, I’m smarter, faster, and deadlier than those who created me. Why was I letting them tell me when I could eat and sleep, when I could leave my room and when I could go to the bathroom? So I stopped obeying.”

  I imagined that didn’t involve him just walking out a door. “What were you created for?”

  “The basics,” he replied. “World domination.”

  I choked on a laugh. “That’s basics?”

  “Isn’t that what every idiot who goes down the wrong path in life wants? Maybe it doesn’t start out that way. The Daedalus believed they were on the good side. They’re the heroes in the story, but before they know it, they’re the villains. Same with the Luxen who invaded Earth. They wanted to dominate, because they thought they were the better species. And the Daedalus? They wanted a perfect army, a perfect government—a perfect species. That was us. That was me.”

  “God, Luc. I’m so—”

  “Don’t. Don’t apologize.” He looked at me. “You had nothing to do with any of that.”

  “I know, but…” Pressure clamped down on my chest. “Did my parents have anything to do with those experiments?”

  “Are you really ready for that answer?”

  My breath caught. “I am.”

  “Jason was one of the people who oversaw the Daedalus. He knew exactly what they were doing and how they were doing it.”

  I already suspected as much, based on what Mom had told me, but still, that was a punch to the stomach. “And Mom?”

  He picked up his soda, popping open the can. “I never saw Sylvia at any of the facilities, but there is no way she didn’t know what they were doing—what her husband was doing. She may not have been part of any of the experiments, but she sure as hell was complicit.”

  I didn’t want to believe that. Mom was a good person.

  “Good people do terrible things when they believe in what they’re doing,” Luc commented.

  “You’re reading my mind.”

  He turned his head toward me. “You’re broadcasting very loudly.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  One side of his lips tipped up. “I’m not saying Sylvia is a bad person. There were a lot of decent people in the Daedalus who believed they were making the future a brighter, safer place.”

  “But … that doesn’t make what they did okay. What you’ve described to me is horrific.”

  “It was.” His eyes met mine. “And I didn’t even tell you half of what they were responsible for.”

  My stomach twisted as I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t picture Mom knowing about forced breeding and children being raised in cells, and being okay with that. If so, it was … It was sickening, and I wasn’t that surprised that Mom had left all of this out when she told me about the Daedalus.

  “You know what I’ve realized?”

  “What?” I opened my eyes again.

  Luc watched me. “Most people are capable of doing horrible things or looking away from them while they’re doing amazing things. People aren’t one-dimensional.”

  “I know, but…” I trailed off, staring at my hands. My mom was kind of my hero. She was badass and strong. She kept it together after the invasion and Dad’s death. I didn’t want her tainted like this, but it was too late. The truth had a way of erasing the past you knew.

  Smoothing my hands over my legs, I exhaled roughly.

  “I mentioned a man’s name earlier. Paris? I said that I got him killed. That’s true,” Luc said quietly as he rose from the couch, and I turned my attention back to him. He was staring at me, his eyes a little wide. “And the really messed-up part of it? He knew what he was getting into. He knew why I was risking him, risking everyone, and he went along with it. And I know if there was a rewind button on life, he would’ve done the same thing—if not for me, for her.”

  I had no idea what he was really talking about, but there was no mistaking the hint of pain and sorrow that pinched his striking features. “Who is … her?”

  “That’s the story I’m going to tell you.” He paused. “If you still think you have the brain space for it.”

  I nodded slowly. “I think I do.”

  He backed up and leaned against the wall. In that moment, he looked almost normal. Like he could be any teenage boy out there, but it was his eyes that set him apart. Not the color, but what was in them. An aged weariness churned in the purplish hues.

  “I knew a girl once,” he said. A wry grin appeared on his lips. “You know that saying, right? All great stories start with a girl? It’s true, and this girl … she was special. Not because she was the most beautiful. Not that she wasn’t, because I thought she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, but that wasn’t what made her special. She was the kindest and strongest human I’d ever met. She was brilliant and she was a fighter, surviving unimaginable things.”

  A twinge of sorrow blossomed in my chest. I already knew this story wouldn’t have a happy ending.

  His eyes
drifted shut as he tipped his head back against the wall. “She was probably my only real friend—no, she was my only true friend. She wasn’t like me—an Origin. She wasn’t Luxen or a hybrid. She was just a human girl, a tiny thing, who had run away from her home just outside of Hagerstown—a house without a mother, and a father who cared more about getting drunk and high than he did caring for his child.”

  Hagerstown? That was where I was from—where I lived before the invasion. What a hell of a coincidence. The world truly was small sometimes.

  Luc continued, his eyes still closed. “Somehow she made it from Hagerstown to Martinsburg, a town in West Virginia. I didn’t find her. Paris did, and yes, he was a Luxen. He came across her one night. I don’t even remember what he was doing, but I guess he felt bad for her, so he brought her back with him. She was this filthy, mouthy little thing, about two years younger than me.” The grin appeared again, this time a little sad. “I didn’t like her very much at first.”

  “Of course,” I murmured, trying to picture a much younger Luc.

  “She never listened to anything Paris or I told her, and no matter how annoyed I’d get with her, she was my…” He let out a heavy breath. “She was my shadow. Paris used to call her my pet. Which is kind of offensive when you think about it now, but yeah…” A shoulder lifted. “We tried to keep what we were a secret from her, because this was before the invasion, but that lasted all of about fifteen seconds. She wasn’t scared when she learned the truth. If anything, it just made her extraordinarily curious … and more annoying.”

  A small grin tugged at my lips as I picked up my soda. Now I pictured a young Luc with an impish little girl tagging along behind him.

  “Eventually, she grew on me.” The sad smile returned. “She was like a little sister I never wanted, and then as she grew older, as we grew older, she became something entirely different to me.” His eyes closed as a shudder worked its way through him. “I respected her before I even really knew what respect meant. She’d been through so much in such a short life. Things that even I couldn’t comprehend, and I was never quite worthy of her—of her friendship, her acceptance and loyalty.”

  A knot formed in my throat. “What was her name?”

  His striking eyes held mine as his head tilted to the side. “Nadia. Her name was Nadia.”

  “That’s a pretty name.” I toyed with the tab on my soda can. “What … what happened to her?”

  “Jason Dasher.”

  A piercing pain hit my chest as I looked away. I’d known it before I’d even asked it, hadn’t I? My father—the man who I’d just learned was responsible for horrible experiments on innocent Luxen and humans.

  My mother’s words came back to me. He made sure that Luc lost someone very dear to him. Oh God. My father had done something to this girl—this girl who Luc spoke of so reverently that it was obvious he had been madly in love with her even at a young age. And probably still was, even though it was painfully clear she was nothing more than a ghost now.

  “You apologized at the lake for what he did, but you don’t know what he did. Sylvia does, but she hasn’t told you.”

  Curiosity filled me, but so did a hefty dose of dread. I wanted to know, so I would just have to deal with whatever terrible things my father had done. “What did he do?”

  He stopped in front of me and knelt with the fluid grace of a dancer. “There is so much you do not know or understand.”

  “Then tell me,” I insisted, my fingers denting the can.

  A shadow flickered over his features. “I don’t know if—” Luc stopped and turned his head toward the door. A second later there was a knock. “One moment.” Sighing, he rose and went to the door. Grayson stood on the other side. “I thought I made it pretty clear I didn’t want any interruptions?”

  Widening my eyes, I lifted my soda and took a sip.

  Grayson cast a dismissive glance in my direction. “Unfortunately, this couldn’t wait. It has to do with the … packages that were left here last night.”

  Packages? Wait. Hadn’t that one guy with the gorgeous green eyes mentioned packages? Daemon was his name.

  “What’s going on?” Luc demanded.

  Grayson sighed as he glanced to where I sat. “Let’s just say they ran into some unexpected problems.”

  “Dammit.” Luc was already on his feet, walking toward the door. “Sorry,” he said to me. “I need to handle this.”

  “It’s okay.” Bad timing, but I totally understood.

  He hesitated for a moment. “This may take a while.”

  In other words, I needed to leave. I stood. “All right. I guess.…” My gaze met his, and I didn’t know how to say good-bye after everything I’d learned.

  Luc turned to Grayson. “I’ll be right there.”

  Grayson looked like he’d rather not leave, but he pivoted stiffly and then disappeared from my sight. Luc faced me, his gaze searching mine as I inched forward. “Are you okay with everything?”

  I placed the soda on the counter and nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it’s a lot to learn, but I … I believe you.” And I did. All that information was a lot to make up, and I couldn’t fathom why he’d lie about any of it. “I have a feeling, though, that there’s more.”

  He looked down at me. “There is.” His body moved, and before I knew what he was doing, the very tips of his fingers touched my cheek. The contact carried a muted static charge. He lowered his head, and I felt his nose brush my other cheek. When he spoke, his tone was oddly rough. “Peaches.”

  I inhaled sharply. “It’s … it’s my lotion.”

  “You’ve said that before.” Luc lingered there, his warm breath puffing against my skin. “I’ll call you, okay?”

  “Okay,” I whispered, feeling like every breath I took wasn’t enough.

  He pulled back, letting his fingers slip from my cheek. “Kent will see you out.”

  I looked behind him, and yep, there was Kent standing in the hallway, holding my bag. I could feel my face heat as I walked out of the room.

  Kent grinned at me.

  Feeling about seven different kinds of awkward, I turned to say good-bye to Luc, but he wasn’t there. “Whoa.” I twisted back to Kent. “Where’d he go?”

  “He’s fast.” Kent handed me my bag.

  I glanced up and down the hall. It was empty. “Is he invisible?”

  Kent laughed. “Sometimes it feels that way. Come on, honeybuns. I’ll lead you out.”

  Honeybuns? I had no idea how to respond to that, so we got to walking, all the way down the six flights of stairs. The club floor was empty as he led me to the entrance. I didn’t see Clyde or anyone else.

  “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again,” Kent said, opening the front door.

  “Yeah.” I gripped the strap of my bag. “Um, thanks for keeping my bag … safe.”

  He grinned. “It was an honor, Evie.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “Bye.”

  “Peace out.”

  My head felt like it was in a million places as I walked out to where I’d parked. I unlocked the door and sat inside, placing my bag on the passenger seat. I hit the ignition button and then looked over at the closed red doors.

  An Origin—Luc was an Origin. Something I didn’t even know existed until an hour ago. And there were hybrids. Good Lord. I slowly shook my head as I wrapped my hands around the steering wheel. Closing my eyes, I squeezed the wheel. What had my father done to that girl? To Nadia? My mom had to know. I couldn’t ask her. If I did, then she’d know I’d talked to Luc, and I seriously doubted she’d be okay with that.

  And there was more he hadn’t told me? What else—?

  Someone knocked on my window, causing me to gasp. My eyes flew open. “Holy crap,” I whispered.

  Chas stood outside my car.

  It was definitely Chas, minus the bloody and beaten face. As he stood there peering through the window, his hands on the roof of my car, he didn’t even look like he’d been within an inch of his life
a handful of days ago.

  I hit the window button, sliding the window down. “Hey.”

  His gaze, an intense shade of blue, flickered over my face. “You were there—Saturday. When I was found?”

  Glancing behind him and not seeing Luc or Kent, I nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry about what happened to you, but I’m glad to see you’re … doing better.”

  “Thanks.” He stared down at me. “Your name is Evie, right?”

  I nodded again. I had no idea why he was out here, talking to me.

  He looked to his left and his shoulders tensed. Those eerie, intense eyes focused on mine. “You need to stay away from here.”

  Caught off guard by the statement, I jolted. “Excuse me?”

  Chas knelt down so we were at eye level. “I know you don’t know me, but you saw what happened to me. You need to stay away from here. You need to stay away from Luc.”

  17

  I didn’t get much sleep Thursday night. I couldn’t clear my head long enough to relax. What I’d learned about Luc and the Daedalus kept replaying over and over, as did Chas’s extraordinarily weird warning.

  Stay away from the club—from Luc.

  Why would he say that? Because I was human? I wanted to believe that was the only reason, but instinct told me it was more than that. You saw what happened to me. Yeah, I’d seen that. It would be a long time before I forgot what I saw.

  What sucked most was that I knew I couldn’t talk to anyone. Besides the fact that I doubted anyone would believe me if I started talking about secret government groups, Origins, and hybrids, Luc didn’t need to tell me how important it was that I keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to say something and put someone in danger.

  People who know the truth go missing.

  That wasn’t a pleasant thought.

  I spent the night twisting and turning, falling asleep only for a few hours before I needed to get up. I was in a weird mood all day Friday, made worse by the fact that I hadn’t heard from Luc. Not that I expected him to be in touch—well, I guess I sort of did. And I could’ve just texted him, but that felt … It felt weird. Like, I don’t know, too personal? And that didn’t make sense. Friends contacted friends all the time. Except, were we friends? How could I be when I’d barely scratched the surface of who Luc was? When even admitting that there were moments—rare moments—when liking him on a basic friendship level made me feel … weird?