The Burning Shadow (Origin 2)

I shot him a bland look. “You know exactly who he is. Especially since you broke his arm this morning.”

“Oh, that guy.” He watched me, focusing on my fingers. “I broke his hand, actually. Not his arm. What about him?”

My fingers stilled. “What about him? You broke his hand.”

Luc nodded, sipping his drink. “That I did.”

I stared at him for a moment. “That wasn’t okay, Luc.”

“It wasn’t?”

The waitress appeared just then, placing two plates stacked with burgers and fries in front of us. “Anything else you two need?”

I shook my head, and Luc said, “Not at the moment, but thank you.”

The older lady nodded and then pivoted around, hurrying off to another table.

Luc grabbed the ketchup bottle and then proceeded to drown his burger in it. “He shouldn’t have grabbed you in the first place.” He offered the bottle. “And he should definitely not have grabbed you hard enough to leave bruises.”

I took the ketchup. “I agree, but that doesn’t mean breaking his hand is okay. This is not an eye-for-an-eye society.”

“You’re right. It’s a hand-for-a-bruise society.” Luc bit down on his burger, and miraculously, none of the ketchup seeped out and hit his shirt. That alone had to be a result of alien superpowers. “We’re going to have to agree to disagree.”

I sighed. “Luc.”

“Do you know that a lot of people pronounce my name like Luck?” he asked as I took a smaller bite.

Ketchup smacked off the table. I sighed again.

“No. I didn’t know that. And don’t try to change the subject.”

Half his burger was already gone. “Did you know that sometimes, when you’re asleep, you make little animal noises?”

Lowering my burger, I frowned. “What?”

His lips pursed as a thoughtful expression settled across his face. “Last night, when you fell asleep once Shane and Ryan got to the brewery, you were making these little cub-like noises.”

My head slowly tilted to the side. “For real?”

“For reals.”

Warmth crept into my face. “You’re lying.”

“I’d never do such a thing.” His eyes gleamed. “By the way, I left around four, and I’d swear Sylvia had already left the house.”

“She’s been going into work early.” Rolling my eyes, I took a bite of my hamburger. “And stop trying to change the subject, you freak. You cannot run around and break people’s hands, Luc.”

Finishing his burger, he moved on to his fries. “I can run around and do pretty much whatever I please.”

“I am going to throw this hamburger in your face.”

His lips twitched. “Please aim for my mouth.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Among many other things.” Picking up a fry, he pointed it at me. “Look, I know that my reaction to learning that a guy grabbed you hard enough to leave bruises may be seen as excessive, but if he touches you again, I’ll do worse.”

“Luc, seriously—”

“He hates Luxen, right? He thinks they don’t deserve basic rights and there’s nothing better than a dead Luxen?” He tipped forward, voice low. “They feel the same way about those who support the Luxen, interact with them, and protect them. He feels the same way about you, and he proved that when he grabbed you.”

My stomach took a little tumble.

“So, he needed a really good warning to stay the hell away from you.” Luc popped the fry in his mouth. “And if I hadn’t done it, Connor would’ve, and since Connor is registered and tracked, that wouldn’t have ended well for him.”

“It might not end well for you. You may not be registered, but it’s not like you’re invisible.” I reached for the napkin to wipe my fingers. “Hell, you’re in here with no contacts, and I have no idea how no one realizes what you are.”

“Because appearances can be deceiving, Peaches.”

My eyes narrowed as I roughly cleaned my fingers. “How so?”

“Well, there may be an anti-Luxen sign on the front door of this fine, greasy establishment, but our waitress? One of the rare older Luxen. Unregistered and hidden in plain sight.”

I stared at him.

“And that happy group of teens over there? Not a single one of them are human.” When I started to look behind me, he stopped me. “Don’t be obvious, Peaches. The owners?”

“Luxen?” I whispered.

“A Luxen female and her hybrid husband. The older couple that everyone thinks are the owners are actually decoys. They’re just two humans that have known the real owners for over a decade.”

Placing the napkin on the table, I picked up my Coke as I mulled this over. “They really are hidden in plain sight.”

Luc smiled. “We’re safe here.”

My gaze connected with his, and a weird flutter started deep in my chest like there was a nest of hummingbirds attempting to buzz their way out. Which was so stupid, because he irked me just as much as I liked him.

Which was a lot.

Luc picked up a fry, popping it into his mouth. He didn’t break eye contact. Not once.