“God.” The room tilted. I felt faint, dizzy, and I couldn’t deal with this. I couldn’t process the truth that was glowing back at me. My feet were moving into the living room before I realized what I was doing or where I was going. Then I ran back into the kitchen and grabbed my bag off the island. I spun and went for the garage door.
“Honey!” she called out.
I stopped and looked. She was back to normal. Well, except for her eyes. They were still the eyes of the Luxen.
“Please,” she said again, her eyes glistening. “Please just sit down and we will talk. We will—”
“No.”
She took a step toward.
“Don’t.” My voice cracked. “Don’t come near me.”
She stopped.
My entire body trembled. “Just stay away from me.”
I pulled the door open, stepped out, and smacked the button on the side of the wall. The garage door groaned open as I yanked the car door and tossed my bag onto the passenger seat. Muted daylight poured into the garage as I rounded the front of the car—of the Lexus that had belonged to Dad.
But he wasn’t my dad.
Because if Mom wasn’t my mom, then he wasn’t my dad. . . .
But she was the only mom I knew, and I loved her. I knew her.
My hands were shaking as I climbed into the car. I started it as the garage door swung open. Mom stood there, calling my name, but I gunned the car in reverse. Tires squealed as I backed out of the driveway. I made it to the end of the driveway when movement out of the corner of my eyes caught my attention.
I slammed on the brakes and then looked to my left. “What the hell?”
A man strode across my front yard, a tall dark-haired one I recognized immediately. Daemon. What was he doing here? My gaze flew to the open garage and I saw Mom.
Daemon appeared at my driver’s door, tapping on the window. I hadn’t even seen him move. He was in the yard and then right there.
In a state of stunned disbelief, I rolled down the window.
He bent over, placing his hands on the open window. “Where you heading to? I doubt it’s school.”
I blinked once and then twice. Then it hit me. Daemon was here because of Luc, because of that Origin. Holy crap, how long had he been out here? I clenched the steering wheel as I stared into eyes that were impossibly green.
Mom was saying something as she walked forward, but I couldn’t look away from the Luxen. I remembered the look on his face when he first saw me at the club. I remembered Luc quickly shutting him up, but Daemon had looked at me with surprise. I’d chalked it up to me being a human. . . .
“Do you know who I am?” My voice was hoarse, unfamiliar to my own ears.
An easy smile formed on his lips. “Why don’t you turn the car off and step out? Go inside. Okay?”
“What is my name?” I asked, my knuckles aching from how tightly I was clenching the steering wheel.
Something flickered over his face. “Let’s head inside. You shouldn’t—”
“What is my name?” I shouted, my voice giving out on the last word.
“Hell,” he muttered, glancing toward the garage. “Call Luc.”
My stomach plummeted all the way to my toes. I didn’t want them to call Luc. I didn’t want them to do anything.
Pulling my foot off the brakes, I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal. Daemon cursed as he jerked back. The car flew out into the street, fishtailing. With my heart racing, I shoved the gear into drive and floored it. Wind and rain poured in through the open window as I sped through the subdivision.
None of this was true. It was too unbelievable to believe, too out there to even consider.
But Mom was a Luxen.
And she said I was that girl—that girl who Luc claimed had been his only true friend. The girl he’d admitted some ten hours ago he was still in love with.
That was the deal. I stayed away if you stayed away.
No.
No way.
I wasn’t her.
My name was Evie.
That was who I was.
I passed the entrance as I dragged in deep, even breaths, hitting the open stretch of road.
My name is Evelyn Dasher.
Tears blurred my vision as I eased off the gas. My mother’s name is Sylvia Dasher. My father—
Daemon suddenly appeared in the center of the road, several yards away. Screaming, I slammed on the brakes. The wheels lost traction on the rain-slick asphalt. The car spun out, and by some act of God, I didn’t lose control. The Lexus coasted to a stop.
Dragging in deep, uneven breaths, I watched Daemon start toward me. My hands slipped off the steering wheel as emotion boiled up from deep within, like a shaken soda bottle. I smacked my hands over my face and opened my mouth to scream, but there was no sound. Nothing came out. I pressed my forehead against the steering wheel, my fingers curling into my skin. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. I dropped my hands, clutching my knees as my stomach roiled.