The Burning Shadow (Origin 2)

A tremor coursed through his hands. “You’re human, Evie. You’re human except for—”

“Except for the Andromeda serum, and April said that there was some kind of code in that serum. Maybe not a computer code, but she hit that button and my brain shorted out, and then I kicked ass, Luc. I can’t walk a straight line sober most days, but I kicked her ass in like a nanosecond. But it’s more than that,” I said, heart thumping. “That guy’s voice? I heard it before, and then James mentioned something randomly today. He’s got a cold, and he said I’ve never gotten sick—neither Zoe nor I, and you know what? He’s right.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re not human.” He let go of my cheeks and rose.

“But what I did today wasn’t something someone like me could do.” I wet my lips. “Maybe that’s why I don’t have a trace. It’s not so much the serum but what was in that serum, and now … What is going to happen? What if I start to mutate like Sarah or Coop? Because let’s just accept the fact that Coop was probably going through some version of whatever was happening to Sarah. What if—” I sucked in a shrill breath. When Sarah got sick, she’d run off like she had no idea who she was, like she was running toward someone. “What if I lose myself again? What if I mutate and I don’t remember any of this—”

“Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Stop saying that!” I shot to my feet, heart pounding. “You can’t control everything that happens. No one can.”

“I beg to differ.” His lips thinned as he turned from me. Tension tightened his shoulders, and the air became charged with static. “I am always in control—”

“Not when it comes to this,” I reasoned, shaking my head. “Why do you think it’s impossible? All the evidence points to there—”

“Because I would know!” he roared, spinning back to me. A charge of energy ripped through the room. The bulb exploded inside the lampshade of the lamp on the end table, causing me to jump. His voice lowered as his chin dipped. “I should know if you weren’t human—if that serum had done more than give you back your life.”

“You can’t know everything, Luc.”

He shook his head as he stepped forward. “I know you.”

I sucked in an unsteady breath. “Just a few days ago, you told me you knew Nadia, but you didn’t know me. Did that change?”

“Yes. I was wrong.” In a blink of an eye, he was right in front of me. “I realized I was the moment you told me you wanted me.”

My heart stuttered and then skipped a beat. “That doesn’t mean you know what is happening to me, and something is.”

Luc’s chest rose with a deep breath, and then he turned from me, walking to the window. The blinds were up, and the overcast November sky was gray and gloomy. “I don’t like this, because I always know what is going on. I always have answers.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “And I have no idea what is going on here. It reminds me of…”

I took a step toward him. “Of what?”

“Of when you first got sick.” His voice had gone so low that I barely heard him. “I didn’t have the answers then. I couldn’t fix you. I couldn’t do anything, but…” His head tipped back and he exhaled heavily. “It’s the only time I’ve ever been scared.”

I wanted to go to him, but I was rooted to where I stood. “Are you scared now?”

Another ripple of energy coasted through the room, sending static dancing over my skin. “I am.”25If Luc was afraid, then I should be terrified. I was scared, but at the same time, I felt … detached from it. I knew it was happening to me, but I felt normal as I watched Luc turn from the window and face me.

I felt like Evie, whatever the hell that meant.

“You never struck me as the type to ever be afraid,” I said, being honest.

“Usually I’m not, but when it comes to you…” He trailed off, looking away. A muscle flexed along his jaw. He inhaled deeply. “We’ll figure this out.”

“Will we?”

“We will.” He came over to me and took my hand. He sat, pulling me onto his lap, and I went, pulling my legs up and draping them over his. His sharp gaze flickered over my face. “There’s a lot we need to talk about. Things are going to change now.”

Air lodged in my throat. Things had to change now. I knew that. Huge things. Tiny knots formed in the pit of my stomach as I lowered my gaze. Dread and uncertainty took root. I didn’t have to ask to know that those things were life-changing.