The Brightest Night

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Drawing in a deep, steady breath, I lifted my chin.

  “That’s right.” Morton smiled. “You may be powerful. All of you are, but what I hold in my hand is real power.”

  My lip curled, and a sound came from me that I didn’t even know I was capable of making. It was a low trill that I’d only ever heard Sarah make the day she mutated.

  “Yeah, you don’t like hearing that,” Morton replied.

  “Let the girl go,” Luc said. “Whatever you think is going to happen here doesn’t involve her.”

  “Please,” Nate pleaded from where he was on his knees, within arm’s reach of Grayson. “You promised if I brought—”

  “You didn’t do exactly what I asked, Nate. Not remotely surprised. Following basic instructions has never been your strong suit.” Morton never took his eyes off me. “But she’s right, what I know is going to happen here doesn’t involve her.”

  Morton lifted his fingers from her shoulder. The little girl didn’t move, her terrified gaze full of exhaustion and fear. I could tell she probably wondered if this was some sort of trick.

  “Tabby,” Nate called, voice shaking.

  She burst forward, her thin legs and arms pumping as she raced toward her brother, not once looking down at the bodies. He caught her in his arms, rising with her in his embrace. Nate didn’t wait around. He spun and took off, and all I could hope was that after, we could find him or he could find us.

  My eyes narrowed on Morton.

  If there was an after.

  There will be, assured Luc, and then he said, “I’m surprised you let them go so easily.”

  “I don’t need them.”

  “You sure about that?” Luc queried. “Less than a minute ago, you had a hostage. Now there’s just you and us.”

  “And this.” He lifted the hand that held the Cassio Wave, and I tensed. “We’ve been waiting for you, Evie.”

  “Is that so?” I asked, wondering how quickly I could reach him. I wasn’t exactly skilled like the others at sending bolts of the Source.

  Morton smiled. “We knew that eventually you’d come here.”

  Grayson shifted from one foot to the next. “So you’ve just been hanging around? Using little kids to go get your food?”

  “More like making sure the children would stay away from the others until I needed them to be seen. Tell me, do the people in the community really think the Daedalus has no idea who’s all here?”

  “If you’ve all really known we’ve been here this whole time, why wait?” Daemon snarled. “Why not come after us?”

  “Why would we waste precious manpower and time?” Morton asked. “What you’re doing is no concern to us. You are no threat.”

  My brows lifted in shock.

  “No threat?” laughed Daemon. “Okay.”

  Morton smirked. “We’ve known this whole time that some of the Luxen Outreach facilities have been fronts for moving unregistered Luxen and supporters to Houston and Chicago.”

  Holy crap. They really did know.

  “We’ll deal with all of you soon enough, don’t worry,” Morton said.

  “Oh, we’re not worried,” growled Daemon.

  “Are we all just going to stand around and talk some more?” Luc asked. “Or are you just wasting time until more officers show up? If that’s the case, I hope they’re better at their jobs than the last two batches.”

  “More aren’t coming.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed him.

  “I don’t need any more. I’ve seen all that I needed to see,” he continued. “I knew the moment you ripped that bat out of my hand, you were ready.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. He’d goaded me with that bat to see what I’d do, and I’d exposed at least some of my abilities right then and there. That was so stupid.

  You didn’t know, Luc’s voice entered my thoughts.

  I didn’t think that mattered.

  Morton eyed me. “The Trojan who made it to Zone 3 was a test. I’m assuming that one failed. Shame, but Sergeant Dasher will be pleased to hear how adept Nadia’s become at using the Source.”

  Air lodged in my throat as my skin hummed with barely leashed power.

  “Do not speak that name,” warned Luc, the air around him crackling. “Ever.”

  “What name should I use? Evie? That’s not her real name. Why she still answers to that is strange … and interesting.”

  “How about you don’t use either name,” Luc suggested.

  Morton laughed under his breath.

  “Are you going to tell Sergeant Dasher yourself?” I asked. “You think we’re just going to let you walk out of here?”

  “You’re going to show him, you see. The very second I press this button, you will activate.”

  Panic and fury seized at my chest. “I didn’t activate last time, but if you’ve been here for three years, I guess you wouldn’t know that.”

  “I’ve been updated by one of the men. I think he’s one of those you buried in the ground,” remarked Morton. “This is a new, improved device. You’ll activate, and because I represent Sergeant Dasher, you will listen to me. Do you want to know what the very first thing is that I’ll have you do? I’ll make sure you kill them.”

  Whatever air I was getting into my lungs wasn’t enough.

  “These two Luxen will try to stop you, but they’ll fail. They can’t defeat you. Then your boyfriend over here will try to do the same, but he, too, will fail,” Morton continued as ice hit my veins. “And then remember the dealing with Zone 3 later? Well, that’s sooner rather than later. I’ll send you there next, and you will take out every single person there.”

  My knees started to feel weak.

  “Man, woman…” He paused. “And child.”

  No.

  No.

  My gaze swung to Luc. He was staring at Morton, his entire body seeming to vibrate with rage. I couldn’t let this happen. There was no way.

  “Why are you waiting, then?” Grayson demanded. “What’s holding you back? If I were you, I would’ve already hit the damn button. You’ve seen what she’s capable of. The fact that you haven’t tells me you’re not all that confident that the Cassio Wave is going to work.”

  A tiny bit of hope sparked, but …

  But what if it did work? It was too much of risk, because if it did, there was no going back. And if the Daedalus knew what everyone was doing here, then they had to be confident that this device would work. Because if not, they’d just exposed their knowledge of them. They’d lost the advantage of a surprise attack, and there would be no way Morton would make it out alive.

  I scrambled for a way out of this. There had to be something.

  Too bad no one ever got those elephant tranquilizers Zoe had joked about. If I were knocked out, then at least I wouldn’t be a danger—

  I knew.

  I knew what could work. “Just let me say goodbye to Luc.”

  “Evie,” Luc started. “You don’t—”

  “Please,” I cut him off as I sent him the message. You need to take the Source from me. “Just let me say goodbye.”

  There was no response from Luc as Morton laughed. “I’m supposed to trust you?”

  “What can I do? I attack you, you hit the button. Any of them attack you, you hit the button,” I reasoned. If he hits the button, I will be completely drained. I might still activate, but I won’t be able to hurt any of you. “Please,” I pleaded of both Morton and Luc. “I just want to say goodbye.”

  Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Grayson and Daemon exchange looks.

  “Please,” I whispered. You’ll be able to take him out, and you’ll be able to handle me. Keep me contained until you figure out what to do with me or—

  There will be no other option, came his swift response. I will bring you back.

  But if you can’t, you have to take care of me. You won’t have long. I’ll probably sleep eventually, but when I wake up, I’ll be at full strength.

  “You can
say goodbye,” Morton said, and I nearly sagged with relief. “But one wrong move, and that’s it.”

  “Thank you,” the words tumbled from me as I turned to Daemon and Grayson. “Don’t do anything. Please. Just let me say goodbye.”

  Daemon stared at me like I was out of my mind, but Grayson nodded, and I knew he sensed Luc and I were up to something. He was going along with it.

  “Go,” Morton urged. “Make it quick.”

  My steps were jerky as I walked the short distance to Luc, my heart thundering as my gaze met his. Fury swirled in his eyes as static crackled harmlessly off my skin.

  Promise me. I stopped in front of him as I placed my hands on his chest. If I don’t come back from this, please do not let me become a real monster.

  He cupped my cheek, his voice rough. “Evie.”

  “Nadia,” I whispered, soaking in his features and committing them to a memory I hoped I didn’t lose. “That’s who I am.”

  Luc shuddered, eyes squeezing closed and then reopening. His pupils so white and large, it nearly swallowed his entire iris. “Nadia.”

  I nodded. “I love you.”

  He dropped his forehead to mine as he folded his arm around my waist. Promise me, I told him. Promise me you won’t let me turn into something I’d hate.

  Luc hauled me to his chest, fitting my body to his. I inhaled deeply, letting his scent wrap around me, and when his lips touched mine, a sob shook me. He slid his hand from my cheek, down my throat. I leaned back just enough for him to fit his hand between us. His palm flattened against my chest. I kissed him back, tears streaming down my face as I clutched at his shoulders. My pulse felt like a trapped butterfly.

  I love you, he said, and I felt the power of what he felt in his kiss. I love you with every breath I take, Nadia. I will bring you back.

  I shuddered as his palm warmed against my chest. I felt the first soft tugging motion, and then it was stronger, harder. My body started to jerk, but Luc held me closer, stilling me and silencing the sharp cry building in my throat as the Source roared to the surface and then contracted rapidly, rippling back through my veins. Bright light flashed around Luc. There was a shout, and my heart seized.

  Promise me, Luc. I started to fill dizzy. Promise you’ll end this.

  He kissed harder, deeper. Tongues and teeth clashed, and I didn’t care. I wanted to remember this, remember him and then—

  Never, he promised. I will never give up on you.

  My eyes flew open as I realized what he’d promised, and that was not to do what needed to be done if I couldn’t come back as me from this.

  If he didn’t, then this would be all for nothing. Once I regained my power, he wouldn’t be able to contain me. He wouldn’t stop me, and I would become what he feared he already was.

  But it was too late.

  Luc’s head kicked back as he jerked his hand away. Strings of white light that pulsed with intense black shadows attached to his fingers. The Source throbbed in tune with my heart. I could feel it pouring out of me and into him in fast, crashing waves, and I saw it seep into his skin, sink through his bone and muscle, to his very core. His eyes went wide as streaks of white shattered the purple. The mass of twisting, throbbing power swallowed him whole. His arm flexed around me, and then it was gone.

  I hit the ground hard, weakened and unprepared for the sudden lack of support. Stunned that Luc had let go, had let me fall, I lifted my head and looked up as what was left of the Source throbbed weakly.

  I couldn’t even see him.

  The light around him was so intense, stronger than the other night he’d done this. He had taken more this time, almost all of it. The swirling black-and-white light spun around him until it smoothed out and he was nothing more than the outline of a man colored in the shade of brilliant moonlight.

  He blazed brighter than any Luxen, than any star. The entire area, as far as I could see, was lit up. He turned the darkest night to the brightest part of the day.

  I stared at him, eyes watering, as he seemed to continue to grow in power, becoming even brighter, and for some reason I thought of what Eaton had said.

  You had to know, Luc, that they would find some way to reel you back in.

  It was the one thing neither of us could figure out, the one thing that even Blake had wondered. Why would they need to reel Luc back in when they had me, when they had the other Trojans?

  You’re the burning shadow and he’s the darkest star, and together, you will bring about the brightest night.

  The Brightest Night.

  “Hell,” Grayson murmured, having slipped out of his true form, just like Daemon had. He held his arm up to shield his eyes. “I’m hoping that’s normal.”

  Slowly, I looked over to Morton. He should be panicking, and I should already be activating. Obviously, he had to have known by now that Luc and I hadn’t simply said goodbye, but I felt the same, and Morton …

  He stood there, a hand up to block some of the intensity. He wasn’t freaking out. He wasn’t hitting the button repeatedly. He just stood there like he’d expected this.

  The Brightest Night.

  Understanding began to dawn, one so horrifying and so final, I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to believe. I just couldn’t. Pulse pounding, I swung my head back to Luc. I tried to reach out to him, sending my thoughts directly at him.

  Nothing.

  Nothing and then—

  A rush of ice and fire and power, so much pure, potent power—the kind that could level cities, wipe out civilizations, and erase entire histories. My mind immediately retreated, and the Source flared, deep in my core. It struggled, a mere spark compared to Luc’s inferno, but it pulsed, triggered by a very real, very bad threat.

  Suddenly, I thought of the dream I’d had when I’d slept all those days. Luc and I facing each another, a city utterly destroyed in the background. Slowly, I staggered to my feet as my gaze swept back to where Morton stood.

  Lowering his hand, he stared back at me, and he nodded.

  I almost fell again.

  Nothing felt real as I was forced to accept that none of us, not a single one of us, had given the Daedalus enough credit. In every way possible, we’d underestimated their plans, their foresight.

  This had been their plan from the very beginning.

  I stared at Luc.

  This had been Nancy Husher’s legacy.

  Pressing the back of my hand against my mouth, I turned to Morton.

  Opening his hand, he dropped the device to the floor.

  “That’s just…,” Daemon said. “That’s just an old key fob.”

  “I lied.” Morton lowered his hand, his gaze fixed on me. “Sergeant Dasher will be so proud of you, Nadia. You didn’t let him down. He knew you wouldn’t fail him. Thank you.”

  I shuddered.

  “What in the hell is this soon-to-be-dead man talking about?” Daemon growled.

  “You may have been the strongest Luxen, but you were never the smartest,” Morton replied.

  Daemon took a step toward the man, snarling as the white haze of the Source surrounded him.

  “Don’t,” I warned, and then I roped Daemon in place with my mind before he made his child an orphan.

  He tried to lift his foot, struggled to move. His wide-eyed gaze swung to me. “You’d better not be doing what I think you are.”

  I was, and he was just going to have deal with it. So was Grayson as I leashed him to where he stood. I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to hold them. I had no idea what would happen if any of them charged Morton, and I didn’t need to be worrying about them. My focus returned to Luc. There was still a chance. He’d just taken the power. He was absorbing it, and once that happened, he’d be different, but he’d be okay. He was last time. There was still a—

  “Tell me, Nadia, is this the first time he’s fed from you?” Morton asked, sounding as curious as a child. “Did it only take this one time? We believed it would take no more than twice.”
/>
  “Fed from you?” Grayson spat with disgust.

  I refused to answer, attempting to reach out to Luc again, finding nothing but the barren space filling with unending, unchecked power, and I remembered what Luc had said after he’d done it before.

  It would change me.

  “Please tell me,” Morton said.

  I would become far worse.

  “I must know.”

  I would be something to truly fear.

  “You see,” he persisted. “We have this bet going at the office—”

  “You son of a bitch,” I snapped. The Source sparked inside me, fueled only by the rage pounding there me. “You don’t matter. At all.”

  Morton laughed softly. “Oh, I matter,” he admonished. “You know who else does? Luc. That’s all we’ve needed. That’s why you were special. He wouldn’t do what he just did for anyone but you. After all, he would do anything for you.”

  Luc slowly lowered his flaming arms.

  “No one, not even that traitor general or the outdated Sons of Liberty, truly understood what the Poseidon Project was designed to do, why it was in conjunction with the Origins. Eaton should’ve known the sergeant wouldn’t have showed him all his cards.”

  But Eaton had suspected there was more. So had Blake. We just hadn’t listened.

  “For those a little slow on the uptake. Daemon, I’m talking about you.” He glanced at the furious, immobile Luxen. “The Andromeda serum didn’t create Trojans. All it did was create an updated, state-of-the-art hybrid. One with the abilities of the Luxen and Arum, coded to answer to the Daedalus, and minus that pesky sense of self Origins and earlier hybrids have. They are just fine-tuned and perfected versions of an earlier, no-longer-necessary model.” He paused, eyeing me coolly. “All except you. We’d hoped that when April used the Cassio Wave, you’d activate and then Luc would eventually feed from you in an attempt to weaken and control you, but you are somewhat defective, as it appears. The sergeant is very interested in discovering why you still have such a sense of self.”

  Ignoring what he’d meant as an insult but was actually a compliment, I tried again to reach Luc.

  “You see, the Daedalus only had two choices when it came to Luc. With his power, we either had to kill him or find a way to control him, to use him. Nancy Husher had always insisted that killing him would’ve been too much of a waste, that we just needed a way to control him. It’s a shame she’s no longer alive to see how right she was.”