The Burning Shadow

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  I shook her hand, wondering if I’d met her before or not. “Nice to meet you.”

  “How is my favorite Ashley doing?” Luc asked, leaning his head back.

  “I’m your only Ashley!” She planted her hands on his chest, pinning him with a rather serious look for such a young child.

  He just smiled at her in a way that was a little sad. “You’re getting so big, almost as tall as I am.”

  Her head cocked to the side. “I’m not that big!”

  “Uh-huh,” he said.

  “Nuh-uh!”

  My heart … well, it did this weird little thing as I watched Luc with this girl. It squeezed and swelled, and while I wasn’t even remotely entertaining the idea of babies of any kind, seeing him with her …

  I sighed.

  “That should be illegal, shouldn’t it?” Zoe murmured in my ear. “A guy that hot holding a kid.”

  I nodded in agreement as Luc continued to argue with the child over whether or not she was getting as tall as he was.

  Folding my arms over my chest, I looked around, realizing that Grayson had disappeared. “Where’s Grayson?” I whispered to Zoe.

  She sighed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I think he just needed some time alone.”

  Kent. Bitter grief rose from what felt like a never-ending well. I knew whatever I was feeling was nothing compared to what the others were experiencing.

  “I want to introduce you to someone very special to me, Ash.” Luc turned toward me. “This is—”

  “Nadia,” the little girl said.

  Uh.

  “No, this is Evie,” Luc gently corrected her.

  “No, it’s not.” The little girl studied me, wrinkling her little nose. “She’s Nadia.”

  Um.

  “Okay.” The girl’s mother swooped in, deftly plucking her child out of Luc’s arms. “It is way past your bedtime. I let you stay up to see your daddy, but it’s time for you to snuggle in with the bedbugs.”

  “Bedtimes are stupid,” the little girl grumbled as she all but threw herself over Beth’s shoulder so that she was facing me. “And I don’t want to snuggle with bugs.”

  I wouldn’t want to, either.

  Beth turned around. “It was really nice getting to see you guys. I’m sure we’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Yes.” Luc joined me.

  Dawson nodded at Luc and then gave me a little half smile. “Take it easy tonight, kids.”

  “Kids?” Luc snorted.

  Beth and Dawson walked off, and little Ash ended up in her dad’s arms. She was waving at us, and I waved back.

  “Sorry about that,” Daemon said. “Ash can be … different.”

  “It’s okay, but how did she know? Based on her age, she couldn’t have met me before. Right? Did she read my mind or something?” I asked, and then frowned. “Well, that doesn’t make sense, because I wasn’t thinking about being Nadia or anything like that.”

  “She can read thoughts,” Dee explained. “But Ash is … very different. Sometimes creepy, but in an adorable way.”

  Zoe’s brows rose.

  “Well, that explains why she loves Uncle Luc,” I said.

  Luc nudged me with his arm. “Don’t be jealous.”

  “Did you guys run into problems on the way here?” Kat asked, rubbing a hand along her belly.

  “Not on the way in, but on the way out, we did.” Archer dropped his arm on Dee’s shoulders. “We’ll talk later. It’s getting late.”

  Luc looked up, beyond the group. His arm tightened around my shoulders. “General Eaton,” he announced. “Should I salute you?”

  A man drifted into the glow of the lanterns, an older man with white hair buzzed closed to his skull. He was dressed in a white cotton shirt.

  “As if you ever saluted anyone in your life.” The man was nearly as tall as Luc and Archer, and while he appeared to be in his sixties, he was fit and trim.

  Then I remembered Luc saying he planned on seeing if Eaton knew what the Cassio Wave was. This was the man who possibly held all the answers.

  “This is Evie—” Luc started.

  “No, she’s not.” The general eyed me over the long, crooked slope of his nose. “I know exactly who she is. Nadia Holliday.”

  Everything inside me locked up as Zoe exchanged a look with Archer and Dee.

  Being called Nadia twice in a span of minutes was weird.

  “Well,” Luc drawled as he stared down at the general. “Hell of an icebreaker.”

  The older man smiled tightly. “We’ll talk later.” He scanned the group. “Glad everyone made it made safely. Archer, I want a debriefing now.”

  Archer sighed so heavily that Grayson would’ve been envious. He kissed Dee’s cheek before he pulled away. “This shouldn’t take long,” he told her.

  “It won’t.” Eaton nodded at me before pivoting sharply, stalking down the dark street, back straight as if he were performing for an army we couldn’t see.

  “See you all later,” Archer said, and then he jogged off, easily catching up with the older man.

  Kat lifted her brows. “He’s been moody lately. Stress.”

  “I can imagine,” I murmured, more than unnerved as I watched the general disappear into the dark.

  “Come on, I’m sure you guys are hungry and exhausted,” Kat said. “I can show you the house we have ready.”

  “I’ll do it,” Dee offered. “Daemon, get back to bed before she gives birth in front of us and traumatizes everyone.”

  Kat turned to her slowly.

  The smile on Dee’s face was angelic. “Just looking out for you.”

  “Uh huh,” she murmured.

  “Perfect.” Daemon started to turn her away. “I want to get Kat in bed.”

  “No one wants to know that,” Dee remarked. “TMI.”

  “To rest,” he stressed, and then he looked at Luc. “Don’t forget we need to talk.”

  “I won’t,” Luc answered, and a fine shiver curled down my spine.

  I had a feeling I knew what he wanted to talk about.

  We said our goodbyes, and then Dee was leading us down the dark street, lit by the lamp Zoe now carried.

  “There are two houses next to ours that are empty and are perfect,” Dee was saying. “You’ll be able to take a quick shower, but it’ll be cold.”

  I about moaned. “A shower would be amazing, cold or not.”

  “How do you have the water running?” Zoe asked, keeping step with Dee. “You all didn’t have that before.”

  “We powered up some of the generators in anticipation that you guys would like to freshen up. The drive is ridiculously long,” she explained. “And I know that would be the first thing I would want.”

  “You are magnificent,” Zoe told her.

  Dee laughed. “I do try.”

  As we went farther, I could hear the distant hum of low conversation. People were definitely here, hidden in the homes or under the canopies.

  “Has anyone else arrived?” I asked, thinking of Heidi and Emery.

  “You guys are the first.”

  “Emery and Heidi probably won’t be here for several more days,” Luc explained.

  I nodded, worrying festering inside me like a wound.

  “By the way, Evie has a girl crush on you, Dee,” Luc randomly announced.

  “Luc!” I gasped as Zoe giggled. I swung at him, but he darted out of the way.

  Dee spun around, her long hair spinning around her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  I was going to throat punch Luc. “It is. I mean, I hope it is. It’s just that I think you getting on TV and talking with the senator and keeping your calm is really admirable.”

  “Thank you.” She walked to me, threading her arm through mine. “It’s not easy. I want to flip a table or find the senator and beat his face in.” Her forehead creased. “Which would reinforce all the terrible things he says about us, so unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

 
; “Too bad,” I said, earning a quick grin.

  “Taking the smarter road is not fun.”

  “Do you film here?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “We could power up all the necessary equipment, but there’s the chance of getting traced back. We leave here to do the interviews.”

  Zoe stopped suddenly, her gaze tracking over a wooden area. “Are you guys setting me up in the brick house with the white shutters? The one I normally stay in?” she asked, and I was struck again by how little I really knew about Zoe.

  “Yep,” Dee answered.

  “Cool. I’m going to go check out where Grayson went to,” she said, appearing beside me. “Unless you want me to hang out for a while?”

  “No, I’m good.” Slipping free from Dee, I hugged Zoe. “See you in the morning?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She turned to where Luc was beside me.

  “Go find Grayson,” he said softly, taking the lamp from her. “Make sure he’s dealing with everything.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she said, and then she was gone in a blur.

  “You lost someone.” Dee brushed her ponytail over her shoulder. “Kent.” That one word, just a name, was filled with so much sorrow. “He’s not with you.”

  “Yeah, it was Kent.” Luc’s hand found mine, and I squeezed his. “There were more.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, letting out a heavy sigh as she started walking. “It never gets easier. After everything we’ve all been through, will probably still go through, it never gets easier. I’m really sorry for all your loss. He was … he was Kent.”

  “Thank you,” Luc murmured.

  Dee led us past the wooden area to a street on our left. “This is where we all live, so we can be all up in one another’s business. This house has been made ready.”

  We followed her up a cracked driveway to a small rancher-style home. She stopped in front of the door, unlocking it, and then she moved in, lighting gas lamps as she went.

  “All brick. Keep the extra bedroom doors closed, blinds drawn during the day, and windows open at night, and it stays cool this time of the year.” She gestured at the ceiling. “You also get a nice cross-flow that even turns the fans.”

  The fan was spinning lazily. I looked around, spying several pieces of comfortable furniture and a kitchen.

  “I was assuming you two are okay with staying in the same place?” Dee stopped, placing her hands on her hips. “I probably should’ve checked that first.”

  Luc looked over at me, the soft light from the lamp casting a glow over his features. He waited to hear what I would say, leaving the decision up to me.

  I nodded. “That’s fine. I mean, it’s okay. Totally.”

  A smoky little smile played across Luc’s lips, and I felt my cheeks flush.

  “Good. There are some fresh toiletries in the bathroom. I’ll bring over some extra clothes that should fit and some food in a few minutes, okay?” Dee waited at the door.

  “That would be perfect,” Luc answered.

  She nodded and dipped out of the doorway, disappearing into the night.

  For several moments, Luc and I stood there, and then he said, “Let’s find out where the shower is.”

  Down the narrow, short hall we went, into a bedroom that smelled like lavender and fresh air. Luc placed my bag on the bed and then walked over to the nightstand. Another gas-powered lamp flared to life. The shower ended up being in a quaint little bathroom behind one of the doors.

  Luc placed the lamp he’d carried from outside onto the vanity. The soft glow beat back the shadows. “Why don’t you shower first?”

  “You sure?”

  He nodded, backing up as he looked around. “You’re super gross.”

  I laughed, the sound raspy but there. “Nice.”

  A grin appeared. “Here’re some towels, and there’s … a robe on the back of the door.” Picking up the towel, he placed it on the vanity next to the lamp. “You good?”

  “Yeah.” I stared down at the towel. It was either pink or off-white. There was some kind of monogram on it.

  “You sure?”

  I forced a nod as I looked around the bathroom. There were toothbrushes and mouthwash, shampoos and conditioners in the shower. All of this had been placed here by Dee, but people had definitely lived here. “Do you think they made it out?”

  “Who?”

  “The people who lived here.”

  “I don’t know. Let’s just hope that they did.”

  I decided that was what I would hope, because if they hadn’t made it out, and they were no longer here, in their own home, that meant they just didn’t make it.

  Everything felt heavy, and I … I didn’t want to think about death anymore.

  “I’ll be right outside,” Luc said, closing the door behind him.

  Glancing at the shower, knowing it was going to be ice cold, I didn’t give myself time to really think about it. I stripped off my muddy, ruined clothing and then turned the water on. Muttering a curse under my breath, I stepped under the spray.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped, the air punching out of my legs as the icy spray hit my skin. For a moment, I was shocked into immobility, but I pushed through it. I snatched up a bottle of shampoo and then took the quickest, coldest shower in my life.

  I stepped out, shivering as I grabbed the towel and rubbed at my chilled skin. Tiny bumps were all over me, and my hair felt as if it were encased in ice. Freezing, I grabbed the robe and shoved my arms through it, cinching it tightly around my waist. I found a comb and then opened the bathroom door. Luc was walking into the bedroom, carrying a plate of food. My stomach grumbled.

  “You look like an ice cube.”

  “I am.” I hopped from one foot to the other. “But I’m just glad to be clean.”

  “So am I.”

  “Shut up.”

  He laughed as he placed the plate on a dresser, along with bottled water. “Dee brought some clothes over along with this. We’ve got a whole assortment of cheese and veggies.”

  “Yum.”

  He walked over to a chair in the corner and picked up some clothing. “There’s more bottled water in the kitchen. Not quite sure where they got it, but we’re just going to assume it’s safe to drink.”

  I smiled a little at that.

  “I’m going to go and freeze to death. You good?”

  “Yeah.”

  Luc hesitated, and then he went into the bathroom, and I focused on eating as many pieces of celery and hunks of cheese as I could without choking. Then I rooted around in my bag, realizing I’d left my sleep shorts at the cabin. Nothing I could do about that now.

  But I hadn’t forgotten Diesel.

  I pulled out the rock and placed him on the nightstand, by the lamp. Then I snatched up one of the bottles of water and guzzled the liquid.

  The bathroom door opened no more than five minutes later, and Luc stepped out, wearing a pair of sweats, which hung indecently low on his hips, and nothing else. My gaze got a little hung up on all the hard, damp, bare skin on display.

  I really needed to stop staring at him.

  “I don’t mind,” he said.

  “Get out of my head.” I picked up the plate and walked over to the bed. “You don’t even look cold.”

  “I’m actually freezing, but it was worth it.”

  I sat on the bed, crossing my ankles. “I guess it’s something we’ll get used to.”

  “Imagine so.”

  I peeked over at him as he lifted his hand to push the wet strands of hair back from his face.

  “So … when should we see this general?” I asked. “He’s the one you think will be able to answer some of our questions, right?”

  “Yeah. Tomorrow morning, if you want.”

  I nodded as I offered Luc a carrot. Curling his fingers around my wrist, he took a bite of the baby carrot and then sat beside me on the bed.

  He checked out the plate of veggies and cheese. “You want anything else to eat?”<
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  “No, I’m stuffed. You should eat, though.”

  “Later.” The plate moved off my lap and onto the nightstand, resting next to the gas lamp and Diesel. He tugged on my arm, and I rose onto my knees. An arm curled around my waist, and he pulled me over into his lap. “How are you processing everything?”

  “I don’t know.” I settled against him, a little surprised by the ease of being this close to him. But it just felt right—natural, even. “I’m kind of surprised we made it here. I kept thinking we were going to run into an ambush or something; I keep waiting for something to happen.”

  “We’re safe here.” He tucked my wet hair back from my face and then dropped his hand to the space above my knee, where the robe ended.

  For now hung unspoken between us.

  And there was something else unspoken between us that couldn’t stay that way. “Are they safe from me?”

  “Evie—”

  “It’s a valid question,” I said. “And isn’t that what Daemon wants to talk to you about? I know he doesn’t want me here, and I don’t blame him. He doesn’t know what I’m capable of. I don’t even know, and neither do you.”

  “I really don’t care what Daemon wants.”

  “Luc.” I sighed.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t understand his concerns,” he added, squeezing my knee. “I do. I also get why you felt like you had to do something to stop everything back at the cabin, even if I didn’t agree with it. I do know you, Peaches. I get that you’re worried, too. We don’t know what’s going to happen an hour from now, let alone a day or a week, but what I do know is that we’re together. Right?”

  “Right.”

  “Whatever happens, we’re going to face it together, and I will not allow you to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it,” he said. “You have to believe in that. I stopped you before. I will stop you again.”

  But I’d almost killed him when he’d tried to stop me before.

  “Trust me,” Luc whispered against my forehead. “I need you to trust that I will not let you hurt anyone here.”

  I closed my eyes, shuddering. I did trust him. Irrevocably. And that meant I was going to have to act on that trust. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he repeated, kissing my cheek.

  Several moments passed while I rested in his embrace, the chill on my skin seeping away. “When Kat said something about my mom, it made me think that she’d, you know, been through something like that.”