The Darkest Star (Origin 1) - Page 77
My nose wrinkled. “I don’t.”
“It works for you.”
“It’s just . . . lotion.”
“No.” He let his head fall back. “It’s more than that.”
I had no idea what to say to that. My gaze started to trek back over to the bodies. “Are all Origins capable of what you did?”
“No.” Two fingertips curled under my chin, guiding my stare away from the fallen Luxen. Luc lifted my head. He didn’t speak as our gazes connected. Silence stretched out between us. I should have been frightened of him, especially after seeing that. I should have been running out that door and screaming at the top of my lungs.
But I wasn’t.
I wanted to be, because that seemed smarter, feeling that way.
But I wasn’t.
“Most weren’t as . . . skilled as I am,” he said, and I couldn’t suppress the shiver skating over me. “But there were a few who were a hell of lot scarier than me. Ones who . . .”
“Who what?” I whispered.
“Origins that lacked all humanity.” His thick lashes lowered, shielding his eyes. “Ones I thought I could change—teach them to be empathetic, to be more human. I learned that even though we want to believe that there is never a lost cause, there are examples of such. There are times when there is nothing we can do to change an outcome.”
“I don’t want to believe that there are people out there who are lost causes,” I admitted. “It feels too defeatist.”
His fingers dipped, barely grazing the center of my throat. A different kind of shiver skated over me. “It’s being realistic, Peaches.”
“Don’t call me that,” I said, pulse thundering as the pupils of his eyes faded into a fuzzy black.
“What in the world did I miss?”
We both turned, finding Kent standing by the stage. Luc stepped back, and I felt like I could breathe again.
“I have to cut our time together short,” Luc said, dragging a hand over his messy bronze hair. “I’ll make sure you get home safe.”
“Wait. Why wouldn’t I get home safe?”
“Luxen come in threes, and from what I know of Sean and Charity, they have a brother. He may be dead already or he may come walking through the doors any minute, looking for his siblings.”
Holy crap, that was right. Luxen were triplets. I’d just never seen a complete set of them.
“Grayson is making sure no one is lingering outside right now, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and have you out of here just in case.”
Kent looked over at us. “Seriously? Why are there dead Luxen on the floor? And better yet, who is cleaning that up? Cuz it ain’t me.”
Luc ignored him. “You’re okay. Just didn’t want to take chances.”
I suddenly remembered what Sean had said about misunderstandings. “Wait. Do you think they have something to do with what happened to Colleen and Amanda?”
A weird look flickered across Luc’s face, one I couldn’t read because it was gone before I had a chance to really figure it out. “They could be,” he said, but for some reason, I didn’t think he believed that. He took my hand, pulling me out from behind the bar. “If there is another one, Grayson will find him.”
“Really? Because Grayson literally just sat there that whole time,” I pointed out. “The only thing he seems capable of finding is a lollipop.”
Kent snorted. “Sounds like Grayson.”
“It’ll be okay,” Luc said, his gaze flickering over me as he led me to Kent. “I’d just rather you be home at the moment and not here.”
Kent’s brows lifted. “Oh wow, tonight sounds like it’s going to be fun. Can’t wait. Still not cleaning up that mess.”
“But—” I paused as Kent patted my shoulder. I shook my head, turning from him. “Wait. We haven’t—”
“We’ll get time,” Luc cut in. “I’ll make sure of it, Peaches.”
My lips thinned. “Don’t call me that.”
“I’ll be in touch,” he insisted. “I promise, but I need you to go.” His hand tightened around mine. A heartbeat passed and then he tugged me to him, chest to chest. He dipped his head and his breath moved against my temple. The contact startled me. “Do this for me. Go home.” His lips brushed my skin. “Please.”
Unsettled and thrown off, because I had a suspicion he didn’t say please a lot, I did what he asked when he let go.
I left.19
I woke early Sunday morning, jerking straight up in bed, gasping for air. My hand flew to my throat. It hurt. The skin, the fragile bones. Like someone had their hands around my neck, squeezing. . . .
I’d been dreaming.
That much I knew, because moments ago, I’d been back inside that club with those Luxen, but Luc hadn’t been there. Instead it had been a man who looked like Sean and he’d been choking me.
“God,” I whispered, willing my heart to slow down. “It was just a nightmare.”
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