The Burning Shadow (Origin 2)

My throat constricted as tears filled my eyes. Oh God, she was lying on my bedroom floor dead, and I couldn’t do this. The bitter bite of loss was all consuming, sucking out energy and—

Cutting those thoughts off, I told myself I needed to get it together. I had to, because there were only two roads in front of me. Survive or give up, and I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to hide. I wanted to fight.

That’s what you are trained for …

The voice doubled me over as dull pain flared behind my eyes. It was him, the male.

The bedroom door swung open, and Luc’s intense gaze swept over my face and then down, lingering on my arms and hands. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” My hands were shaking. “The blood isn’t … it isn’t mine.”

“Then who—?” Understanding flared in his face, and he cursed swiftly. “Evie…”

The way he said my name, full of sorrow, nearly broke me, because it was heavy and genuine, and he knew.

“She said … she said they were coming for me.”

A thump hit the wall outside of the bedroom as he stared at me.

“How did you know to come? I called you, but you didn’t answer.”

Luc moved before I could track him. It felt like a heartbeat had passed, and then he was right in front of me, clasping my cheeks. “We don’t have time for any of that right now.”

He was right.

I slipped free, putting distance between us. “But—”

“Sylvia called me about an hour ago, but I was … occupied. I came as soon as I got the message, apparently with either the best or the worst timing, depending on who you ask.”

That was literally the last thing I expected him to say.

“Now, I need you to be brave, Evie, like I know you can be, because we need to get the hell out of here. We’re almost out of time.”

Body trembling, I nodded. “I’m ready.”

Something loud crashed outside the bedroom, and I jumped, half expecting someone or something to break down the door.

Luc pivoted, stalking toward the window. With a wave of his hand, the curtains flew across the room. “This is our only way out.”

“The window? How am I supposed to get out of the house through that window?”

He looked over his shoulder. “You jump.”

My mouth dropped open. “I know I went badass on April, but I don’t think I can jump out of this window.”

He twisted at the waist and extended his hand to me. “I’ll make sure you land safely.”

My gaze flicked from his face to his hand. I knew he’d make sure I didn’t break my neck, but jumping out of a window … “What about Zoe?”

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “Give me your bag.”

Lifting it off my shoulder, I handed it over. Luc took it. “What do you have in this? A baby?”

“I don’t know. Mom—” My breath caught. “She packed it.”

He didn’t respond to that and dropped the bag out the window. I didn’t even hear it hit the patio below—the hard, cement patio a neck-breaking distance below. He was crouched in the windowsill in less than a nanosecond, perched there like he had all the room in the world. “Hop up.”

My gaze bounced from him to the window and then to his hand. In a daze, I placed my hand in his.

Because I trusted him.

Irrevocably.

Luc’s fingers were warm as they wrapped around mine. I got one leg up as I gripped the window frame. I peered down into the darkness, feeling like I couldn’t catch my breath.

Luc shifted, circling an arm around my waist. His lips brushed the curve of my cheek. “You’re going to be okay.”

Then he moved.

There was no time to react. He pushed out from the window. A second later, we were in the air. There wasn’t even a moment to scream. The night reached up and swallowed us whole, dragging us down so fast the wind caught my hair, plastering it to my face.

The impact was jarring.

Landing on his feet, Luc took the brunt of the fall—a fall that would’ve snapped the legs of a human in half. He didn’t even stumble. Straightening, he still had ahold of my hand as he picked up my bag. “We’ve got to go.”

Luc started running, and I went with him, not given a real chance to think about the fact I’d just jumped out of a two-story window and survived. Dogs barked as we crossed several more yards. I was panting as he cut down the side of one of the houses several down from mine, racing toward the street. Sweat poured, and my heart felt like it was going to claw its way out of my chest.

A dark SUV waited on the curb. Luc let go of my hand and opened the back door, and I didn’t hesitate. Scrambling into the back seat, I was relieved to be greeted with Kent’s blue mohawk.