The Burning Shadow (Origin Series)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Something was wrong with me.

  It never crossed the minds of the law enforcement that perhaps something bad had happened to me? No one thought that I needed help? I was immediately implicated in an act where the evidence had to have proved otherwise. I wasn’t a forensic pathologist, but I knew that it was obvious to see a bullet was fired from outside the house. Did they think I was an expert marksman? Besides the fact that the front door had been blown in?

  Why was I even asking these questions? They weren’t reporting what really happened, and I knew what that meant. The police were involved in what happened to my mom.

  They were involved with the Daedalus.

  Kent turned off the TV, tossing the remote onto a cushion. “Things just got really complicated. This is way bigger than we’d anticipated.”

  I pressed my lips together because I could feel a really inappropriate giggle bubbling up.

  Luc crossed his arms over his chest. His jaw was clenched so hard I wondered if the lower half of his face was going to snap in half. “That’s an understatement.”

  “This is what they do.” Kent dragged his hand through his blue hair. “They twist what really happened to fit their agenda.”

  I stared at him, opened my mouth, and then closed it, utterly at a loss as to how to respond.

  The garage door suddenly opened, and all three of us whirled. Grayson and Zoe walked in, carrying several bags straining with groceries. They stopped.

  “What’s going on?” Zoe asked, looking between the three of us.

  Grayson sighed. “Do I even want to know?”

  “Oh, nothing big,” Kent said, plopping down on the couch. “Just that Evie was just implicated in her mother’s murder on national television.”

  Zoe lowered the bag she was holding.

  “Nothing like a little matricide to start your week off,” I said, another near-hysterical laugh building in me. “Right?”

  “Right,” she murmured.

  * * *

  I stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep, unable to shut my brain down long enough to even doze.

  It had been the same last night.

  After Zoe and Grayson got back with groceries, dinner was made. Spaghetti. I’d eaten half a plate and then gone to my room and stayed there, pretending to be asleep when Zoe knocked on my door and called my name.

  The moment Zoe had seen me in the morning, she’d tried to talk about what had been on the news, but I shut that down really quickly and tried to ignore the look of concern creeping into her expression.

  Luc never knocked on the door, last night or tonight. He’d been gone this morning when I’d woken up, and according to Zoe, he was scouting the surrounding area to make sure there was no unusual activity that would indicate that someone had discovered our whereabouts.

  I had no idea what was up with Luc. Something had shifted between us. Who he was in my bedroom the day before they came for Mom, for me, was not the same Luc I saw now. There were glimpses of him, when he’d washed my hands and held me at the safe house. He was the Luc I’d begun to fall really hard for while I’d slept against him in the car.

  But there was a distance between us I didn’t understand, and right now, when I needed him, he was gone, and I didn’t know if it was because of what happened to his club, to Clyde and Chas, or if it was something else.

  Moonlight stretched over the ceiling as I rolled onto my side. I thought about my mom, about how little I knew her. She could’ve been involved in the Daedalus up until the moment they took her life with a single gunshot. I had no idea, and it was unlikely that I’d ever know.

  How could she, though? Treating me like I was her daughter, loving me and taking care of me—

  Sucking in a sharp breath, I sat up and swung my legs off the bed as pressure clamped down on my chest. I couldn’t lie here any longer.

  The room suddenly constricted. My brain had clearly decided to really start messing with me, because it started throwing out more terrible, panic-inducing questions. Would I forget what my life was like before, well, before everything went to hell? Would I even survive—

  “Stop it.” My hands closed into fists.

  Would I see Heidi again? Was she truly safe? What was I going to do once I got to Zone 3?

  My throat clamped shut, and then I yanked off my tank top and slipped on my bra and button-down cardigan since I had no idea if anyone else was awake. I spun around, hurrying to the door. Wrenching it open, I quickly headed downstairs, my bare feet whispering on the steps. A small lamp had been left on beside the couch, casting a soft glow throughout the room.

  Moving toward the kitchen, I stopped when I reached the back door that led out to a screened-in porch. “What am I doing?”

  “Good question.”

  Gasping, I spun around and saw Grayson standing in the living room. “God.” I swallowed hard, placing my hand on my stomach. “You scared me.”

  He arched a brow, staring at me.

  All righty then. I glanced around. “I … I couldn’t sleep.”

  He stared.

  Silence stretched out between us as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. This was getting awkward. “I’m guessing you couldn’t sleep, either?”

  “I was patrolling. Making sure no one is getting too close to the house without our knowledge.”

  “Oh.” I twisted my fingers around the hem of my sleep shorts. “Is that something you normally do?”

  He eyed me disinterestedly, which was an improvement from him looking at me like I was the legit worst. “Yes, it is something that all Luxen do and have done since the beginning of time.”

  Well, that sounded dramatic, but what did I know? “I had no idea.”

  “Of course you didn’t. You fear tomorrow now, because you’ve now experienced something personal that shows you just how scary the world can be.” His tone was hard. “We’ve always feared tomorrow.”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “I know what fear is.”

  He looked away, a muscle throbbing along his jaw. “I guess you do.”

  I had no idea how to respond to that.

  Grayson inclined his head. “I didn’t know you were her.”

  He was talking about Nadia.

  “It makes sense now. I never understood why he was willing to risk everything for you.” He paused, his gaze flickering over me. “I couldn’t figure it out, but I’d heard about Nadia. He spoke about her—about you only a few times. It was obvious that he’d been in love. Now I understand why he is the way he is with you. If I’d known who you were, I never would have said you were useless.”

  I opened my mouth to point out that he shouldn’t have said that to me no matter who I used to be or who he thought I was.

  But Grayson was already gone.

  He’d moved so fast the ends of my hair lifted, and I was left standing in the kitchen like I’d been talking to myself.

  “What the hell?” I muttered.

  Scrubbing my hands down my face, I turned and eyed the fridge. The idea of eating filled me with nausea, but I was stressed; therefore food was the only acceptable—

  A low, creaking sound pierced the silence—the sound of unused hinges on the door rubbing together.

  Lowering my hands, I twisted around slowly. The kitchen looked normal. No source of the sound—there. The door to either the pantry or the basement was open a couple of inches.

  What in the world?

  Inching toward it, I touched the cool knob and pulled the door open. Hinges squawked as musty air surrounded me. My heart bounced as I stepped forward, peering into the darkness. “Hello?”

  Silence greeted me.

  Frowning, I looked at the door. It was hanging sort of cockeyed. It probably hadn’t been latched properly. I started to close the door and a chill skated over my skin. I exhaled, and my breath puffed a misty cloud in front of my lips. Tiny bumps rose as the temperature dropped.

  My gaze swung back to the dark stairwell. It was pitch-black, so much so tha
t I could only see the two steps in, and the light from the kitchen seemed to hit an invisible wall, not penetrating the depth of the darkness.

  The inky blackness of the basement brushed over the second step, rolled over the old, worn wood like oil.

  Well, that was strange.

  Really strange.

  Maybe-this-house-was-haunted kind of strange.

  Still gripping the door, I took a step back. The darkness, the shadows rose, expanding and rippling over the wall. Smoky tendrils crept into the light, and the air turned frigid.

  A scream built in my throat and died in the freezing air.

  The thick shadow constricted, pulling back and swirling. Out of the blob of darkness, a shape took form. Two legs. A torso. Shoulders and arms. A head. An entire body that was as black and shiny as midnight oil.

  An Arum—it was an Arum.

  It rose up, reaching the top step. The head tilted, moving much like a cobra. A voice whispered. What do we have here?

  Holy crap, the voice—the voice was in my head.

  An arm extended. Fingertips formed, and a startled heartbeat later, the fingers drew back. Sssomething not right.

  There was a moment in the back of my thoughts when I acknowledged that the voice reminded me of Sarah’s—of the words only I had been able to hear in a roomful of people.

  The shadow body pulsed and rippled, drifting closer. Fingers curled inward. A tugging motion swept over my body, and I slid an inch forward before I was able to stop myself.

  The thing hissed as it reached out again. Sssomething not right. Sssomething not natural—

  It made another sound, a cross between a growl and a moan. The thing shrank back, losing its form. In a puff of icy, black smoke, it faded into the shadows clinging to the cracked walls. The shadows in the stairwell of the basement returned to the normal level of acceptable creepiness.

  I stood there, mouth hanging open. Did that just happen? Or was that just some really, really messed-up nightmare? Like, a long, extended nightmare.

  “What in the hell are you doing?”

  33

  Jumping a good six inches off the floor, I let out a little shriek. “Luc.”

  He stood just inside the kitchen, his amethyst eyes churning. “I know you were told not to go into the basement.”

  Heart thundering, I struggled to catch my breath. “I didn’t go into the basement. The door opened, and this Arum came up the steps. Holy crap, I thought this place was haunted at first.”

  A bland expression settled over his face. “The place isn’t haunted.”

  “Yeah, I know that now. Why is there an Arum in the basement?”

  Luc strode forward, brushing past me as he peered down the stairs. A moment passed. “The reason you were told to stay out of the basement is because there are tunnels that run underground, allowing the Arum to travel without notice. Sometimes they come up and say hi when they know I’m here.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Well, that sounds perfectly normal, Luc.”

  “They’re not always in the basement, and it’s not always a problem.” He closed the door and faced me. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think anyone would be here, and I didn’t want you to freak out.”

  I stared at him, pretty sure my expression summed up every What in the hell? thought I could possibly have.

  “But of course, I should’ve figured that you’d be actively trying to get yourself killed and put a dead bolt on the door.”

  “Whoa. I’m not doing anything.” I snapped out of my stupor. “The door opened by itself. I didn’t touch it, and if you say that again to me, I’m going to start thinking you’re actively trying to get yourself killed.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What are you even doing in the kitchen at two in the morning?”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” I confessed, surprised when I saw his expression soften a bit. I ignored it. “And what are you doing in the kitchen at two in the morning?”

  “Couldn’t sleep, either.”

  I pushed my hair back from my face. “And what was an Arum doing in the basement at two in the morning?”

  His lips twitched as he glanced at the closed basement door. “Probably stopping by to see who was here.”

  “Do you think maybe you could’ve told me about the Arum possibly creeping around in the basement instead of being all vague?”

  Luc’s jaw locked down.

  “Yeah. I see that didn’t cross your mind. Instead of ‘Don’t go into the basement,’ you could’ve been like, ‘Hey, sometimes Arum creep around in the basement, so don’t go in there.’”

  “I thought you didn’t go into the basement.”

  Oh my God, I wanted to stomp my foot, like legitimately stomp my foot in his face. “I didn’t go in there. I just opened the door the rest of the way, and it came up the stairs like something out of a freaking horror movie.”

  Luc arched a brow. “I think the Arum would find that description a bit offensive.”

  My mouth dropped open as anger simmered, mixing with frustration over everything. “Whatever. I’m not talking to you.”

  “Actually, you are talking to me.”

  Raising a hand, I flipped him off as I stormed past him. “Talk to that.”

  “That’s really mature.”

  I lifted my other hand and extended that middle finger. “Two-for-one special.”

  “Now that doesn’t even make sense.”

  Reaching the stairs, I looked over my shoulder at him. “Shut up.”

  He laughed—he actually laughed.

  Doing my best to not stomp up the stairs because other people were sleeping, I stalked toward the bedroom, my hands curled into tight fists. I stepped inside.

  “I can’t believe you told me to shut up.”

  Whirling around, I glared at where he stood in the hall, right in front of my door. “I can’t believe you think I care that you’re surprised.” Gripping the bedroom door, I launched it shut. “Lucas.”

  Like it hit an invisible wall, the door stopped mid-swing. Oh dear. Luc prowled into the room, his expression a mix of disbelief and anger.

  Perhaps using his full first name was a mistake.

  Without anyone touching the door, it closed behind Luc, clicking softly shut. When I looked at him, he appeared … awed. Like I imagined someone did the first time they saw a falling star. “I cannot think of the last time someone told me to shut up and didn’t end up a burn mark on the ground.”

  “Oh, I haven’t said it before to you? For some reason, I feel like I have, but just in case, let me say it again. Shut up. And let me add to that. Get out.”

  His lips parted. “You’re…”

  “What?”

  He was quiet as his gaze flicked from me to the nightstand, and I wondered if he was looking at Diesel. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

  “You know what? You can go— Wait.” My entire system jolted. “What?”

  Luc’s head tilted to the side, sending several locks of hair toppling to the side. “I said you’re beautiful when you’re angry. And you’re beautiful just standing there. You’re even beautiful when you’re sad. And when you’re happy, you are breathtakingly beautiful.”

  I was stunned into absolute silence. My hands went limp. “I wasn’t expecting you to say that,” I said, my voice hoarse. The flutter was there, deep in my chest, but there was also this cracking motion in my chest. Like a sledgehammer was slamming down on my ribs. Raw, potent emotion slammed into me with the force of a speeding freight train. “Don’t say that to me right now. It’s bad timing.”

  “Bad timing? I like to think that there is no bad time to tell someone they’re beautiful,” he said quietly. “Especially when oftentimes people, no matter if they’re human or not, tend to run out of time before telling someone that.”

  “God,” I whispered.

  The cracking sensation spread, cutting deep. I smacked my hands over my face as the knot of emotion swelled, threatening to choke off all rat
ional thought. Tears burned the back of my throat, and climbed into my eyes.

  There was silence, and then Luc’s warm fingers wrapped around my wrists. “I didn’t say that to upset you.”

  It wasn’t what he’d said that upset me.

  It wasn’t how he’d said it, either.

  It was because it made me feel and it made me think, and right now, combining those two things was dangerous.

  Luc gently tugged my hands from my face. He didn’t let go, and when I opened my eyes, his searched mine intently. “You’re going to need to let it out. You can’t keep going not thinking or feeling.”

  Pressing my lips together, I shook my head.

  “It’ll burn you up from the inside like a fever. You’ve got to let it out.”

  A broken sound split the air, and it took a moment for me to realize it was me who’d made that sound. “You said I was brave and strong, and that’s what I’m trying to be right now. I need to keep it together.”

  He dipped his chin. We weren’t eye level, not with how tall he was, but we were close. “You are brave and strong, but I’m telling you not to be right now.”

  Panic took hold. I couldn’t let it out, because I couldn’t face what had happened to my mom, not right now, because then it would be true and it would be real.

  I yanked my hands free from his. “I’m mad at you, so stop trying to be supportive. It’s confusing.”

  Luc’s brows arched. “What?”

  “Yes! I’m mad and you are confusing me. First off, you were acting like a douche toward me downstairs. I didn’t open that stupid basement door, and you’ve been acting weird, ever since my—since everything happened.”

  “Evie—”

  “You’ve been distant, and I know you’ve gone through bad stuff. I’m trying to be understanding. You lost Clyde and Chas and the club, but I—” My voice cracked, and it took me a moment to speak again. “I watched my mom die right in front of me. Her blood soaked my hands and my clothing. And I don’t care that she really wasn’t my mom or if she had anything to do with what was done to me; she was still my mother! I have no idea what is really going on, what’s going to even happen five minutes from now. And you lost people you care about, that you’ve protected and took care of, and I know it’s hurting you whether you admit it or not. I want to be here for you, but you just shut me out, and I don’t understand.”