I didn’t have to get up.
I could be lazy like Luc and Zoe. My heart skipped a beat as I dipped my chin. Fully aware that Luc was still staring at me, I didn’t allow myself to be distracted by that. I focused on the low-level hum inside my chest and then pictured the top shirt—
I squeaked as the shirt winged across the room, smacking me in the face. It fell to Luc’s chest.
“Nice,” he remarked.
“But I did it!” Happy and surprised, I picked up the shirt and tugged it on.
“Boo.” Luc pouted.
I grinned. “I can’t believe I actually got that shirt to, like, just come to me. Maybe I should try the bottled—”
“Nope.” He curled his hand over mine. “Let’s hold off on the liquids while we’re in bed. Don’t need a second bath.”
He had a point.
“Plus, after the whole sleeping thing, you—”
“Do not say I should take it easy. I feel fine. Great, even.”
“Well, that has everything to do with me and that tub.”
I shot him a bland look. Luc smiled back at me.
My heart danced happily, because it was stupid. “We don’t have an endless amount of time to take it easy. In the morning, we practice some more. Moving things with my mind—”
“It’s not really with your mind, it’s with the Source.”
“Semantics.”
“Sure. You’re right. Just semantics of an ability you have very little control or understanding of.”
I opened my mouth but snapped it shut again. Yet another good point. Ugh. “Moving things with the Source is not helpful when said item smacks me in the face.”
“I’ll have to agree with you on that. I also have to agree with you on your shirt of choice.”
Brows furrowing, I looked down and saw that it read COMMAS SAVE LIVES. I shook my head. “Where do you get these shirts?”
“From Amazon.”
I looked up. “Really?”
Luc grinned. “Yes. Guess what?”
“If you say chicken butt, I’m going to punch you.”
“I didn’t say, ‘From Amazon,’ out loud.”
My lips parted on an inhale. “Really?”
He nodded.
Excitement thrummed through me. Rising onto my knees, I squared my shoulders. “Think something. See if I can hear it.”
He lifted his brows. “Hear anything?”
I listened with my ears … my mind … the Source. Whatever. “No.”
“Good. Because I was blocking my thoughts.”
“What the hell?” I threw up my hands. “What good is that?”
“I just need to make sure you can’t read my mind whenever you feel like it.” He winked. “I like my privacy.”
I smacked his chest, and he rolled onto his side, taking half the sheet with him as he laughed. “Oh, you like your privacy? Must be nice! How do you think I feel?”
“Like you don’t have any privacy?” He looked over his shoulder at me.
“Oh my God.”
Still laughing, he shifted onto his back. “I can teach you how to shield your thoughts, if you’d like.”
I took a deep, long breath and then another. “You know, I was about to ask why you’re just now offering that, but I’d probably hit you again, so moving on.”
“Yes. Moving on. One baby Trojan step at a time. If you can read my thoughts, it could come in handy for when—”
“We need to talk privately,” I cut in.
“—I want to talk dirty to you in public,” he finished.
I closed my eyes and then reopened them.
Luc looked utterly innocent.
“Luc.” I sighed.
A half grin appeared. “Let’s try again. I won’t block you.”
“You’d better not.”
I promise.
A wave of goose bumps erupted over my skin. I’d been watching him, so I didn’t see his lips move. “I heard you.”
Look at you, reading my thoughts.
The shivery feeling across my skin intensified. “How? How can I read them but not everything else? Or are you shielding your thoughts nonstop?” If so, that sounded exhausting.
“I was projecting, for lack of a better word,” he explained. “I concentrated on wanting you to hear me. It’s just like speaking.”
And that meant I could do it, too. Instead of him picking up random, often inconvenient thoughts, I could control—
Something occurred to me. “You weren’t lying when you said you only hear me when I’m being loud.”
“Mostly. There have been times when I went digging around, but you know that.”
I did. “So, is it possible that the reason why I’m so loud is because I’m projecting without realizing it? Thinking about you at the same time?”
“You’re right,” he said, and I was a second away from clapping. “And you’re wrong.”
Good thing I didn’t clap.
“Most of the time, it’s because you’re projecting without realizing it.” Shifting onto his side, he propped his cheek onto his fist. “Other times, it’s because your emotions are heightened, and any natural shield that the mind possesses—and yes, some of the blocking is organic—collapses. Building shields to block mind-reading jerks like me isn’t easy.”
“Of course not,” I muttered.
But you know what is?
The shiver that accompanied knowing I was hearing his words in my mind was intense. “What?”
Responding to me like this.
“But—”
Think of me and say what you want, but do so in your mind.
Responding like a normal human being was, well, what came naturally, so I had to stop myself from doing that. I concentrated on Luc, but I didn’t look at him. That felt like cheating. Can you hear me?
Yes.
My head snapped toward Luc. He was watching me with those hooded eyes. “Really?”
He arched a brow as he tapped a finger off his temple.
Really?
Totes.
The corners of my lips tugged up. This isn’t some sort of wish-fulfillment hallucination?
Luc smiled. This would be a weird thing to wish for.
Not when you wanted to feel like you were actually accomplishing something.
But I was totally talking to Luc telepathically, and that had to be the coolest thing ever.
Okay. Maybe moving a shirt with my mind—with the Source—was equally as cool.
Who was I kidding? All of this was cool, and I … holy crap on a cracker. I wasn’t afraid of these abilities. My gaze dropped to my hand, and I saw very faint black dots, barely visible under my skin. I wasn’t afraid.
I looked to Luc, and he was watching me. You know what?
What?
I feel like a badass.
His answering smile was swift and it was wide, and before I could track what he was doing, he moved. In a nanosecond, I was under him. You have always been a badass. Do you know how that makes me feel?
My body flushed hot. I have a pretty good idea.
Luc’s lips touched mine, and there wasn’t any talking from there, not vocally or in our minds.
* * *
Hours later, I very slowly, very carefully extricated myself from Luc’s embrace.
It took a while.
Even sleeping, he held on to me like I might disappear on him again, and knowing that was a very real concern for him caused my heart to ache.
But the fact that Luc didn’t wake up proved just how exhausted he was. He needed to sleep a day or two, but I couldn’t sleep yet.
Restless, but nowhere near as much, I found a pair of leggings in the dark and pulled them on. In the back of my mind, I knew I would’ve had one hell of a time finding those black pants before, but I didn’t obsess over that. Improved eyesight was definitely a cool benefit, but I’d talked to Luc telepathically tonight.
I’d also moved a shirt with the Source.
Luc and I
had also had sex.
I wasn’t sure which one of them felt more life-altering. All of them were for different reasons. So, there was a lot I could obsess over, rightfully so, but I didn’t want to stress over any of it.
An idea had occurred to me while I’d lain there in bed, and I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. Heading to the kitchen, I quickly grabbed a few cans of food and a couple of bottles of water, placing them in one of the paper bags stacked on the floor of the pantry. If Nate had come by while I’d been sleeping, he could’ve been looking for food and gotten scared off by the presence of so many different people in and out of the house. Even if he hadn’t been, maybe if he found the bag, he would come back.
With the bag in hand, I slipped out into the cool night and looked around. Spotting the furniture by the firepit, I figured that would be a good place to leave the bag. I placed it on the cushion and then turned, looking up. The sky was blanketed with tiny dazzling stars, some brighter than others. Had the sky always looked like this, or were my eyes just registering it better now? I had to think the fact there were no light sources of any significance for miles and miles had to be why so many stars were visible.
Either way, it was absolutely beautiful.
The soft wail of a baby broke the silence, and I turned to Kat and Daemon’s house. The cry came again. A soft, very frustrated wail that was most definitely coming from outside.
My feet were moving before I told them to. Curiosity had taken hold as I walked along the fence line, toward the front of the house and through an area that was only six feet wide and was more grass than stone. As I grew closer, the owh-sounding wail weakened, and I felt the creepy-crawling sensation along the back of my neck. My gaze tracked over the covered porch as I inched out into the front lawn.
Daemon was on the porch with the baby. I didn’t see him, not through the heavy curtains, but I didn’t feel that sensation when I was around Kat.
Low, masculine shushing sounds came from the porch, and they were answered by an even sleepier whimper.
Feeling like I was intruding, I turned away, but one of the curtains peeled back, and there Daemon was, glowing like a rainbow to my all-new, extra-special Arum eyes, and in his arms was this tiny thing that glowed white with a purplish tint.
A baby Origin.
The light show faded until it was barely visible. There was a whole lot of skin to see, as Daemon was shirtless, but it was the child who had my attention. He was wrapped up in a fuzzy white blanket—which was normal, I supposed—but this blanket had a teeny-tiny hood, and that hood had half of a face and ears—
“Is that a llama hood?” I blurted out, and the baby let out another cry. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t be talking if you’re trying to calm him or something.”
“Nah, it’s cool. Talking doesn’t stop him from sleeping. A bomb going off probably wouldn’t stop him from sleeping.” Daemon sighed as he looked down at the child. “And yes. It’s a llama blanket, hood thing.”
Relieved, I stared at the llama blanket. “Luc?”
“Who else?” He descended the steps, his feet also bare. “I hope Adam’s extra-strength screams didn’t wake you.”
“No. I couldn’t sleep.” Surprised that Daemon was actually walking across the driveway to where I stood instead of rushing the baby away from me, I just stood there.
And like a doofus, I said the stupidest-sounding thing possible. “I’ve never seen a baby.”
His steps slowed.
“I mean, I don’t remember ever seeing a baby, but I’ve never been close to one in real life.” I paused. “As opposed to seeing one on the TV or something. God, he’s so small. Like, wow, that is small.”
And like, wow, I needed to shut the hell up.
“Yeah, he’s a little guy.” Daemon grinned as Adam made a tired sound that vaguely resembled a yawn. “He does this crying thing, about an hour each night, at the same time. He’s not hungry or anything. According to one of the books Kat read, it’s just a thing babies do.”
“How is Kat?” I asked, folding my arms over my waist.
“Good.” He was still staring down at the infant, and I realized he was moving as he stood there, swaying and rocking gently. “Perfect, actually. She just fell back asleep not too long ago. Up feeding him. God, she’s a freaking goddess.” A brief, wider smile appeared as several thick locks of black hair toppled over his forehead. “I don’t know how she did this.” Awe filled his tone. “I honest to God don’t. So, I’m keeping the little guy company at night so she can get some rest until he gets hungry again, which is a lot. This is a walk in the park.”
I smiled at them. “She’s incredibly strong. I’d probably be hiding in a bathroom, sobbing in panic if I were in her place.”
Daemon chuckled as he looked at me. “Kat said the same thing more than once, just so you know.” He turned, angling his body so I could see Adam’s face. “Looks like me, doesn’t he?”
Opening my mouth, I wasn’t sure what to say. The little, scrunched red face didn’t look like either Daemon or Kat. In fact, he looked like a little, tired old man. And then his eyes widened from the sleepy, thin slits. I couldn’t see the color, but I knew they’d be a stunning shade of amethyst. I saw his pupils, though. Diamond white. He gave me a rather judgy look for a four-day-old infant.
“Um…” I shook my head. “He looks like you?”
“Right answer,” he replied. “By the way, glad to see you up and moving around and not dead.”
I blinked.
“Luc would’ve been … well, ‘a real pain in the ass for the entire world to deal with’ would be an understatement if he lost you again,” he went on, and I couldn’t help but think of our conversation back at Luc’s club. “Hell, he was about out of his mind when I checked in with him.”
“You stopped by?” Shock splashed through my system.
Daemon nodded as he swayed. “Got about halfway into the house each time before Luc made me leave. I think he was afraid I was going to make things worse. Can’t exactly blame him for that, all things considered.”
I was struck speechless.
“Anyway, Viv updated Kat and me earlier. Said you were awake and doing well. We were going to stop by, but she suggested we give you guys some time.” That admittedly downright charming grin appeared again. “I told Kat that about three times since Viv left. Figured Luc wouldn’t want any interruptions. I know I sure as hell wouldn’t want any if Kat had been sleeping for four days.”
“She wanted to come over? After giving birth? With the baby?”
He looked at me as if he were wondering where exactly the baby would be if not with them. “She’s been worried about you.”
“But she just gave birth,” I whisper-yelled like he didn’t know.
“Like I said, my girl is a warrior goddess.”
“Yeah. Yeah, she is.” I was half-afraid, but I had to ask. “Why are you not worried about me being so close to your baby now? You don’t want me here, and I totally get it. I’m working on controlling the Source, and I knew who I was when I woke up, but I get it. I do.”
Moonlight sliced over his face as he lifted his chin. “Not sure if you know this or not, but I wouldn’t be standing here holding my child if not for Luc. Adam decided to come into the world his own way, feetfirst. There was a lot of bleeding and the umbilical cord was cramped and he was losing oxygen. He could’ve suffocated. Luc made sure that didn’t happen. He saved my son’s life, and there’s no way I could ever repay him for that. No way at all.” Voice rough, he dipped his head, kissing the top of the llama head. “The very least I could do is be a little less of a paranoid dick about his girl.”
The back of my throat burned as a knot of emotion lodged itself right there.
“But that also doesn’t mean I stopped worrying,” he added in a tone that was surprisingly gentle. “I saw what you are capable of. I felt it. I hope for everyone’s sake nothing comes from that worrying.”
Easi
ly recalling Kat’s warning, I nodded. “I will do everything I can to make that the case.”
“I know.” There was a stretch of silence. “You probably should get back inside soon. If Luc wakes up and finds you gone, God only knows what he’ll do, but it will likely be loud and make all my hard work here with Adam go to waste.”
Grinning as the baby gurgled sleepily, I nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“Usually,” he replied, and there was a hint of a teasing grin.
“Well, I hope the night is a quiet one and all of you get some rest.”
“I hope so myself, but if it’s not…” He looked down at the top of the baby’s covered head. His features softened, impossibly so. “Wouldn’t trade a damn second of this for anything.”
Oh my goodness.
My heart imploded into goo.
“Good night,” Daemon murmured, completely unaware that I was melting like chocolate on a hot summer day. He turned, his large hand still protectively folded around the back of his son’s head as he began whispering to the sleeping child about someone called Princess Snowbird.
Watching him disappear back up the driveway and through the canopied carport, I thought that we’d actually had a decent conversation.
Maybe Daemon didn’t hate me, because he was giving me a chance to prove that I wasn’t a danger. And maybe babies were actually cute, because Adam was cute with the odd little sounds he made. Especially ones that didn’t all but rip their way out of me when they made their appearance in the world.
Babies.
I shuddered.
I stared at the darkness of the looming city. Right now, babies made me want to scream and run in the opposite direction. I was smart enough to know that could change down the road, because there would be a down the road, but that was a bridge Luc and I would cross. Together. If we wanted children one day—I shuddered again—we could adopt. Being able to conceive a child didn’t make a mother a mom or a father a dad. It didn’t mean a child was loved any more or less, and it sure as hell didn’t make one lesser than the other in any way.
I knew that better than most.
The Brightest Night Page 25
