The Burning Shadow (Origin 2)

“Jackpot,” I heard Luc say from somewhere out in the hallway. “Found an office.”

Her room was impeccably neat, much … like Mom’s. Everything had its own place. A small bookshelf with books lined up in … alphabetical order? I squinted. Yep. Wow. Scarves rolled up in a basket on top, makeup stacked in cubbies, and her desk free and clear of clutter. It was like I remembered.

On the center of her perfectly made bed was a stuffed unicorn.

I knew that unicorn.

During the summer after school started back up, the summer I remembered, we’d gone to the county fair. Zoe had won that stuffed unicorn and had given it to her.

I don’t know how long I stared at the unicorn, but I finally tore my gaze from it and approached her desk, opening the drawers. Nothing but staplers and an assortment of colorful paper clips. Her walls were bare. No pictures. No paintings or posters, and I thought she’d had photos before. I turned to her dresser, letting go of the obsidian.

I really didn’t know what I was looking for. Not like there would be a diary April kept, explaining everything.

Though that would be helpful.

Opening the first drawer, I saw a bunch of undies and winced. Was I really going to go—

Luc suddenly appeared behind me, folding his arm around my waist, drawing me back against his chest. “Someone is here.”21My heart jumped into my throat as I whispered, “What?”

“Just came through the front door.”

“Shit,” I hissed, stomach hollowing.

“I want to see who it is and what they’re up to.”

I nodded, hoping that meant no one was killing anyone tonight. Unless it was April. I was totally down with killing her.

A grin flashed across Luc’s face. “Bloodthirsty. I like it.”

There was no time to be annoyed with him reading my thoughts. Luc, obviously way more skilled at this kind of stuff, launched into action. Moving fast, he picked me up as if I were nothing more than a stunned kitten. The dresser drawer closed, and the lamp flipped off without him touching it, pitching the room into darkness as he spun toward the closet door.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, nowhere near as quiet as we’d been. My body flashed hot and cold. A second later, I was pressed back among shirts and sweaters as Luc quietly and quickly closed the closet door behind him.

Hangers swayed, clacking off one another and sending a plume of dust into the air. My hand snaked out, and I caught them, stilling the little bastards a handful of seconds before April’s bedroom light came on.

My heart was speeding so fast I thought I might be sick as Luc reached behind him, placing his hand on my hip. There was no space between us as he stepped back, keeping me against the wall.

The last time we’d been in a closet, it had ended with a stolen kiss and flying ART officers.

I was really hoping there were no ART officers involved this time.

Through the tiny gaps in the slats of the closet door, I saw a woman wearing black trousers stride into the room.

I gripped the back of Luc’s shirt, pressing my lips together. He squeezed my hip in return. Whoever was in the room opened the dresser I’d been at—

My nose suddenly tickled and itched. The dust! The tickling grew until my eyes watered. Oh no. I could feel it. A sneeze building in the back of my nose.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

This was a terrible idea. Horrible idea. I was going to spin-kick myself in the face for coming up with this.

I squeezed my eyes shut as my fingers dug into Luc’s back. He turned his head toward me, and I planted my face into his back, praying to God I could stop the sneeze, because I knew if we were exposed, Luc would react first and think later, and we had no idea who was out there, if they were bad or good … or human.

The drawer closed, clicking into place. A shiver of electricity danced over my skin, radiating from Luc. Tension poured from his body, electrifying the small space. Could he tell I was about to sneeze? Was he reading my—

It happened.

My entire body jerked as the sneeze came out as a small achew.

“Shit,” Luc muttered.

Eyes wide, I jerked my head back just in time to see the woman in front of the dresser spin toward the closet doors.

Everything happened so fast.

Luc shoved me back as the closet door swung open, slamming into the wall. A whitish, snapping energy powered down his arm, spitting sparks into the air around us as the woman lifted her arm. A bolt of Source left Luc’s outstretched hand.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

The woman screamed as her body spun around, arms pinwheeling. A gun. She’d been holding a gun before it flew into the air along with something white, and then both fell to the carpet as she hit the bed, clutching her shoulder.