How Luc could be so confident about that amazed me, but even if he was right, I would never be fully accepted.
Pushing aside the disappointment and lingering hurt, I said, “Being iced out did irritate me, but I also got it. That’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday.”
“I know,” he said. “But I still needed to say something. There was some other zone-related stuff Daemon wanted to talk about.” He’d gotten the neckline low enough that when I glanced down, I saw the scallop edging of my bra. “He wouldn’t want to have that conversation around anyone he didn’t know.”
“Or trust?”
“I trust you, Evie. So does Zoe. Anyone who knows you does—”
“Grayson?”
“Well…” He bit down on his lower lip. “Everyone who knows you except Grayson.”
I snorted.
“But those who don’t know you? Like Daemon? They don’t.” Luc was as blunt as he could be. “But once they get to know you, they will. We just need to respect that they need time.”
I was only mildly annoyed with his logically sound answer. “Did you and Zoe take Logic 101 classes?”
Luc chuckled as his gaze traveled to where his finger was slipping just an inch under the collar of my shirt. “Yes. We took one in between Killing Our Enemies 101 and Being Sexy as Hell 401.”
“Oh my God.” Only Luc could make a joke like that.
Grinning in a wickedly devilish way, he dipped his head, kissing where his finger had just passed. A pulse of shivery heat traveled from where his lips touched my skin to every point in my body.
“And while we wait for them to get right with their lives, that doesn’t mean I can’t fill you in,” he went on to say, pressing another kiss where my heartbeat was skyrocketing. “But first, I have an important question for you. One that I really need you to think long and hard about. Okay?”
Knowing Luc, I had no idea where this was heading. I also wasn’t sure I could even repeat my name when I felt the wet heat of his tongue against my skin, but I murmured something that sounded like a word from the English language.
Luc lifted his head as he shifted so that he was above me, the bulk of his weight resting on his arm and the heady warmth of him settling over me. “Are you religious?”
His question caught me so off guard that my thoughts cleared. “Uh, no? I mean, not really?”
“Well, I am.” A pause. “Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.”
I stared up at him.
“You know what else?”
Lips curving up at the corners, I resisted the urge to tackle-hug him. Barely. This was the Luc that had been missing after he’d taken the Source from me, this playful, irreverent side of him that simmered under the surface even in the direst of circumstances. This was what had been absent.
“What?” I whispered, voice a little thick with the unexpected burst of emotion.
“I was feeling a little off today, but now, with you, I’m definitely feeling turned on.”
“Oh my God.” I laughed.
“Tell me, Peaches, are you a parking ticket?”
“How are you going to turn that into a cheesy pickup line?”
“Because you have fine written all over you.”
“That was the lamest thing I’ve heard.”
“Are you sure?” His hand slid down my waist to my hip, leaving a riot of sensations in its wake. “What about this? Is your name Google? Because you have everything I’ve been searching for.”
I was grinning like there was nothing wrong in the world, and I had him to thank for that. “Okay. I was wrong. That was the lamest thing I’ve heard.”
“And you don’t ever have to worry about me becoming what I was last night,” he said, voice quiet as his gaze locked with mine. “That won’t happen again. Never. I’m not going to lose you. You’re sure as hell not going to lose me.”
My breath caught. “Good.”
“Like, ever, Peaches.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“You’re stuck with me,” he went on. “You’re paper and I’m glue. We go together—”
“Like cheese and bread?”
“That’s my girl.” He leaned his mouth to mine—
Another yawn escaped me, heating my entire face. “God! I’m so sorry. You go to kiss me, and I yawn right in your face.”
Laughing under his breath, he smoothed his thumb along my chin. “It was hot.”
“That was the exact opposite of hot. I can’t believe I did that. I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“You really don’t?” he asked, dropping his hand from my chin. “A lot has happened, and only a little bit of that included sleep.”
There he went, being all logical and stuff.
“Come on.” Folding his hand around mine, he hopped to his feet, pulling me up with him. “Let’s get you inside, and if you’re good, I’ll dazzle you with some more pickup lines.”
“If I’m good?” I smacked his chest, not at all surprised when he caught my hand with his unbelievably fast reflexes.
Curling an arm around me, he hauled me against his chest and kissed me.
It wasn’t quick, like the one he’d given me before he’d left to speak to Daemon. This one went on until my head swam with the taste and feel of him. He kissed me like it was the last thing he’d ever do, like he was starving just for me, and he was. I could feel it in the press of his lips and the sweep of his tongue. I was his everything, and he was mine.
His chest was hot and hard under his shirt, and his heart was thumping just as fast as mine. I slid my hands up, clutching his shoulders, the nape of his neck and then his hair.
When the kiss ended, his breathing was as ragged and raw as every one of my nerve endings. “I am yours.”
Opening my eyes, I didn’t yell at him for being in my mind. “And I am yours.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “Cheese and bread. That’s who we are.”
“Mmm,” I murmured, letting my hands slide off him as I stepped back. “That makes me hungry.”
Luc chuckled as he reached for my hand. “Speaking of hunger, that reminds me of what Daemon wanted to talk about.”
Probably because of that kiss we’d just shared, I was thinking about a whole different kind of hunger, and my mind immediately jumped into the land of naughtiness. I tried to blink away the images of Daemon and Luc.
And failed.
A slow smile pulled at the corners of my lips.
His eyes narrowed, but a teasing glint showed through. “Such a dirty mind.”
“Whatever.” I laughed. “What else did Daemon want to talk about?”
“One of the unofficial but entirely official leaders here is having a meeting outside the zone, and that’s got everyone antsy, especially since a group that went out to pick up a package hasn’t checked in like they were supposed to.”
I thought about the Luxen family that hadn’t made it here and the Luxen Jonathan who hadn’t come back. “Can I ask you something and you be a hundred percent honest?”
Luc didn’t answer immediately. I could tell he was thinking about his response. “Depends.”
“It can’t depend on what the question is.”
His brows snapped together as he stared down at me. He gave a little shake of his head. “Ask your question, Evie.”
“Do you think the Luxen that have been captured by ART…” It was harder to say out loud than think. “Do you think they’re dead?”
His gaze met mine, and there was no hesitation in his answer, no thinking twice. “Yes, I do.”
I closed my eyes, heart and soul heavy. “Zoe told me the family I’d seen at the club hadn’t made it here, and that’s what I feared.” Drawing in a deep breath, I opened my eyes and met his gaze. “They have to be stopped, Luc. The Daedalus. All of them.”
“Agreed.” Luc smoothed his thumb along the bottom of my lip, and we stood there for what felt like a small eternity, neither of us speaking while the air was we
ighted with what could be the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
I broke the silence. “How do you move on from that knowledge? Think about anything else?”
“You just do, because you have to. Nothing good comes from traveling down that kind of road. I would know.”
He would, far more than I, and that saddened me even more.
“We move on, but we don’t forget, Evie. You know what we do? We get revenge. We get justice. That is what we do.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. He was right. I couldn’t dwell on all that happened, but I would remember the faces of those frightened Luxen. I wouldn’t forget Kent.
Or even my mom.
I would be a part of that justice if it was the last thing I did.
“That’s not the only thing Daemon needed to talk about,” Luc added as he took my hand, walking us back to the house. “He said some supplies have been coming up missing. Food. Med stuff. Other random things. He didn’t know how long it’s been going on, but I’m under the impression that it’s been a while.”
An image of Nate formed in my mind.
“Why anyone would need to steal is beyond me. Needs are met here,” he continued. “Unless canned goods and jars of green beans are growing legs and making a run for the wall, someone is taking stuff.”
“Green beans.” I wrinkled my nose. “Ugh.”
He grinned down at me as we walked into the kitchen. “What if we only had green beans to eat?”
I thought about that. “I’d eat them and complain the entire time.”
“I can respect your honesty.”
“I should probably stop eating everything in sight, then,” I said as Luc turned on one of the lanterns. “I don’t want to add to any problems here.”
“If we need more food, I’ll get us food. It will be like caveman days. I’ll hunt and gather while you…” Luc trailed off.
I arched a brow, waiting. “I am dying with anticipation to discover which extremely sexist example you’re going to give. Tend the home? Cook the previous night’s kill? Wait patiently for my man to return?”
“I was going to say while you’ll be right there beside me.”
“Good save.”
A downright boyish grin appeared, and it was almost shocking how adorable it was, and then he laughed.
I liked his laugh; it made me want to grin and snuggle close, so I did just that. Well, I did a less graceful version of snuggling. My face plopped against his chest. Surprise flickered through me at how easy it was to be like this with him, to be affectionate and close. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how easy it had become in what was such a short, tumultuous period of time.
But was it really a short time?
Our history, remembered or not, spanned years.
Turning my head, I rubbed my cheek against his shirt, welcoming the heat beneath the thin cotton. It was time to tell him what else had happened. I lifted my head. “Something happened today.”
“Tell me all about it.” Placing his hands on my hips, he lifted me up so I was sitting on the kitchen island.
“And I think it might have to do with the missing food and supplies Daemon was telling you about, but you have to promise me that you’re not going to say anything to him or Cekiah or anyone.”
“Done.”
My brows lifted. “You’re just going to agree that easily?”
A slight frown appeared as he braced his hands on either side of my legs and leaned in. “I live life operating on a need-to-know basis. You know that, but besides that, we’re cheese and bread, Peaches. I have your back. You have mine. You tell me not to say anything, I don’t say anything, because I know you have a good reason for asking that.”
My heart squeezed as I blurted out, “I love you. I hope you know that. I love you so much.”
His features softened. “I know that. I’ve always known that,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “Tell me what happened.”
Pushing past the knot in my throat, I told him about finding Nate helping himself to some of the food we had in the pantry, and what little information I could glean from the kid.
“Damn.” Luc had moved away from the island, running his hand through the messy, bronze waves. “How old do you think he was?”
“I don’t know. I’m terrible at judging ages, but I would think he’s probably around thirteen, give or take a year? He looked like he’d been wearing the same clothes for weeks if not months.”
“And there’s more?”
I nodded. “I don’t know how many or where they are in the city, but if the rest are in the same condition, they have to be close to starving, Luc. And he was terrified of the Luxen. I can understand it. At least to some extent, but it’s not like he’s had access to the news to be fed more BS about the Luxen.”
“God only knows what he saw during the invasion and afterward, and he’s young. Hell, that kind of stuff traumatizes adults and creates the kind of fear that’s not easy to get over.” Crossing his arms, he turned to the dark sky beyond the kitchen window. “If I went to Cekiah with this, she’d launch a party immediately to find these kids and bring them in.”
“To help them?” I asked hopefully.
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Yes, to help them. They have to be barely getting by in that city.”
“I know, but if they are as scared as I think they are, they’re going to hide, Luc, and considering that they’ve moved unseen in the community, they know how to hide.”
“True.” He returned to the window. “It’s a bit concerning that they’ve snuck past the guards that patrol the walls and the city outskirts, but I’m not surprised. Getting past the wall is one thing, but the city limits is a big space. Anyway, we can’t have them running off and hiding. I’m actually surprised.”
“By what?”
“That you didn’t try to follow him.”
“I thought about it,” I admitted. “But I knew it was too much of a risk. If he saw me, he’d never come back, and I want to be able to help him—help them. I can’t even begin to understand how those kids have survived four years in that city.”
“I can’t, either.” He turned to me. “But following him presents a whole different risk, Peaches. You don’t know anything about this kid, and while I’m not inclined to think it’s some sort of trap related to why we’re here, that doesn’t mean where that kid is heading is remotely safe.”
“I know that, and it’s not like I think I can really take care of myself out there. Being able to kick butt and protect myself isn’t exactly cool if it means losing complete control.” I crossed my ankles. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to help him. I hope he comes back.”
Luc was quiet, and I thought I knew where his mind was heading.
“I know you’re suspicious. You have every reason to be, but this was just a hungry, scared kid, and I didn’t get the impression that there were any adults. If there were, wouldn’t they have been the ones looking for food?”
“You’d think.” Luc sighed as he returned to the island. “I’m not going to say anything to anyone, but you’ve got to promise me you’ll tell me the moment you see him again.”
“That’s graymail, by the way.”
“What?” He leaned against the island.
“Nothing.” I laughed quietly. “I will. I promise.” I knocked my shoulder against his. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t already know about the kid.”
“I told you, Peaches. I don’t read your mind if I can help it. You weren’t being loud.”
“I feel proud.”
Luc snorted.
I rested my cheek against his shoulder. “Do you think he will come back?”
“I think so.”
“Why?”
“Because after meeting you, I don’t see how anyone could stay away.”
11
After the most organic dinner I’d ever consumed and the quickest, coldest shower in my entire life, I sat on the bed, wearing one of
Luc’s borrowed shirts as I tried to comb all the tangles out of my hair in the bedroom lit by several candles and lanterns. While Luc showered, I thought about something else Kat and Dee had told me, something that had taken a back seat after their warning and Nate’s appearance.
Luc was like a fireproof safe, and I wanted to crack the lock on him. He was always about me, focused on what I was going through or how I was feeling. It was like a full-time job for him, and that wasn’t fair. I wanted him to be able to lean on me like I—
Coherent thoughts took a mini vacay when Luc exited the bathroom, a pair of sweats hanging indecently low on his hips as he rubbed a towel over his hair.
“Peaches,” Luc murmured as he lowered the towel. “You’re going to make me blush.”
I was definitely blushing as I got back to combing out my hair. “I don’t know how you can last so long in the cold water.”
“Skill.” He tossed the towel to the hook on the bathroom door. He had to have used the Source to have made that work. “You know, if you’d like to take a warm bath next time, I could make that happen.”
Lowering the comb, I looked over at him and all I saw was a steaming bath. “How?”
“We could run the water, and then I heat it up with the Source.”
I stared at him. “Why are you just now suggesting that?”
“Didn’t really think of it until now.” Soft shadows danced over his face and shoulders as he prowled toward the bed. “The shower would be too tricky. I imagine once you start working with the Source, you’ll be able to heat up your own baths.”
My gaze shifted to the bathroom, and dreams of hot baths danced like sugarplums in my mind. If I asked Luc to heat a bath, he’d do it right now, so I knew he’d do it for me tomorrow. The request was already forming on the tip of my tongue.
You’ll be able to heat up your own baths.
Asking Luc would be so easy, but doing it myself would be so much more fulfilling.
Luc sat in front of me. “What are you thinking?”
Returning to combing out the tangles, I said, “I want to do it myself.”
“Okay.”
“It could be a goal, you know? Like something to work toward,” I continued. “And it works like a reward, too.”
The Brightest Night Page 14
