He looked like he wished to argue, but the door opened once more and Luc prowled in, sending Hunter a sidelong glance. “You should’ve stayed in here, Hunter.”
“Call me crazy, but I didn’t like the idea of a Luxen being here and me not knowing what was going down.”
Luc walked behind the desk and sat down. “You are crazy, but that has been established already. Anyway, let’s get this show on the road before I have more unexpected visitors crawling out of my ass.”
My brows rose, but I wisely said nothing.
Luc opened up a door and pulled out a slender silver cuff. In the middle was a black, oval
-
shaped piece of opal with a red streak down the middle. He tossed it over to Hunter, who snatched it out of the air with a flick of his wrist. I’d swear the moment Hunter slapped that cuff around his wrist, his cheeks brightened.
Weird.
“You know I don’t give these over easily. I’ve turned better allies away when they needed one.” Luc paused. “Therefore this counts toward your one favor.”
“Fine.” Hunter’s gaze darkened. “That’s all I need.”
“Not true. You need a Luxen to feed from.”
Hunter cracked his neck to the side. “I can find a Luxen elsewhere.”
Luc smiled. “That would be unnecessary. I can work that out for you, provide a willing snack, but you’ll owe me.”
“Willing?” I glanced back and forth. “There’s Luxen willing to be fed off of?”
“There are Luxen willing to do anything for me,” Luc corrected. “And this way it will be much safer and quicker. Not to mention, you’re getting someone’s permission. That’s good karma, Hunter. You could use that.”
Hunter scowled. “Yeah, and then I owe you. I know how this game works. No thank you.”
“Aw.” Luc feigned hurt. “My favors aren’t that bad.”
“Yeah, and I’m secretly a cuddly rabbit.”
A broad grin crossed Luc’s face as he propped his elbows on the table. “Look, all I would ask is for you to help me out in a time of need. That’s all. Agree to that and then I’ll bring someone in here. Easy. Painless. You’ll be on your way.”
Hunter opened his mouth, but I stepped in. “Wait. So you’d just need help one day? Help with what?”
“Whatever I may need help with,” he replied.
Hunter sighed.
“And this Luxen seriously won’t have a problem with Hunter feeding off him?”
“Seriously.”
I looked at Hunter. Granted, I had no idea what kind of whacked
-
out favors Luc could call in, but forcing a Luxen, no matter what their race had done, didn’t set well with me.
Hunter met my stare and then cursed under his breath as he turned back to a positively beaming Luc. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll help you in your time of
need
.”
I let out a breath as Luc rose and clapped his hands. “Great.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket, his fingers flying over the screen. “This shouldn’t take long at all.”
“Is it that punk ass from outside?” Hunter started to smile. “Because I really would enjoy that.”
I thought of the young man with the fierce green eyes and doubted he’d agreed to that.
Luc laughed. “No. He’s got his hands full right now.”
Hunter looked disappointed, but a few moments later, he stilled and I knew a Luxen had arrived. The two headed to the door.
“You should really stay in here this time,” Hunter said.
For once, I listened. Watching the unlikely duo leave the office, I dropped my head into my hands. Witnessing Hunter feed wasn’t high on my to
-
do list. There was already enough that reminded me of how different we truly were.
Chapter 27
The Luxen Luc had brought in had been the typical arrogant fuck, but was surprisingly accommodating when it came to the feeding. Methinks he got off on the pain. Whatever.
Raw and pure energy coursed through me, amplified by the opal. If I didn’t do anything crazy with the borrowed energy, I’d be riding this wave for a long time.
When the Luxen scampered off, I turned to Luc. He leaned against the bar and folded his arms, giving me an arched look. “What?” I asked.
He shrugged one shoulder. “So what’s the plan now?”
The plan—the fucking plan. I turned, shoving my hand through my hair. “I’m heading to Georgia.”
“To your brother?”
I nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea. He knows how to stay off the radar.” He paused. “And what about Serena?”
Facing Luc, I wondered why in the hell I was even considering talking to him about this. Then again, it was Luc
,
and weird shit always happened around him. “She wants to go back to Colorado.”
He raised his brows. “And for what?”
“There’s something her friend left behind. It might be important.”
“I’m assuming it has to do with what her friend overheard and the Luxen’s nefarious plans?” When I didn’t answer, Luc laughed softly. “If there’s evidence of that, it is important. Though, I doubt bringing such things to light would change anything.”
“So you think Serena should go back there? Risk her life?”
Luc hopped up on the bar and let his legs dangle off. “I think it’s all rather pointless. Evidence is important, but like I said, it ain’t going to change a damn thing. The DOD will shove their heads further into the sand or they’ll just go after Luxen who don’t have anything to do with this Project Eagle.”
I frowned. “Is there really anything such as a good Luxen?”
“Is there really such a thing as a good Arum?” he challenged. “I’m sure you would’ve considered your sister a good one.”
My jaw locked down. “If you value your life at all, you will not ever speak of my sister.”
“Hey.” He raised his hands. “All I am saying is that there are innocent baby aliens on both sides. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. You aren’t planning on accompanying Serena to Colorado?”
I snorted. “I don’t have a death wish.”
“And you’re seriously going to let her go by herself?”
I opened my mouth but said nothing. I wanted to say yes, because that would be the easy and smart thing to do, but that one damn word wouldn’t come out of my mouth. But I already knew the truth. I wasn’t going to let her go without me. I never would have.
Luc pursed his lips. “Well, maybe I read it wrong.”
My irritation resurfaced. “Read what?”
“You and her.”
“And?” When he said nothing, I forced myself not to punt-kick him off the bar. “Fuck. What about us?”
Luc shrugged again. “I just didn’t think you’d let her go off by herself. That you’d be more, I don’t know, concerned about her well
-
being.”
“Why would you think that?”
He raised his brows.
“I’m an Arum, Luc. I’m not a fucking human, a Luxen, or whatever the hell you are.” I stalked over to where he sat and he just smiled at me. “I’m not—”
“Fooling me,” he cut in with a fucking wink. “You went against the DOD to protect her. You killed two officers, which is a death sentence for you if they ever catch you. Call me crazy, but that means something.”
“Means what?”
Luc cocked his head to the side. “You never struck me as the stupid type, Hunter.”
My eyes narrowed. “And you never struck me as the suicidal type, smartass.”
He laughed. “All I’m saying is that you know what it means. You just don’t want to acknowledge it yet.”
“Why don’t you enlighten me, you little tool.”
Casting me a sideways look, he hopped down and started back toward the office. “Arum are pretty thick-skulled.”
For a brief moment I entertained the idea of throwing him across the club. “Luc.”
He spared me a quick grin as he opened the door. Beyond him, Serena jumped up from the couch, her gaze moving from me to Luc.
She clasped her hands together. “Did everything go…uh, smoothly?”
“He’s fed like a fat baby,” Luc replied, and I rolled my eyes. “So you’re heading to Colorado?”
Serena glanced at me. “Yes.”
“How are you getting there?” he asked.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the next; the air around her humming a faint blue. “I really don’t know.”
Luc smiled. “Well, flying will be too risky. You can’t do that. But I have a few spare cars you can borrow, plus some money for gas and food. It’s about a twenty-three-hour drive, so you’ll—”
“Wait a sec,” I interrupted as I moved between them. “You’re going to give her a car and money to go there?”
Luc blinked innocently.
That little fuck.
“I gave you a piece of opal and a Luxen to nom-nom on.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I growled. “It’s dangerous—”
“Then go with her,” he threw out as he turned back to Serena. “That is
,
if she even wants you to go with her. I would totally understand if she didn’t.”
Oh, for the love of fuck. “She’s not going to Colorado by—”
“
She
is standing right here, buddy.” Serena got right up in my face, and it was almost laughable. “You don’t have a say in this at all
,
if I remember correctly.”
I stared down at her. The chick was insane. Eyes more green than brown, fiery and alive, and her chin stuck out stubbornly. She looked like she wanted to throttle me
.
Fucking hot.
“Maybe I’ll let you two talk this out.” Luc began backing up toward the door.
Serena crossed her arms. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
I shot Luc a look and he bowed out, much to Serena’s displeasure. She huffed. “There seriously isn’t anything to talk about.”
Leaning against the desk, I fought to keep a stupid smile off my face…and kiss her, because I really wanted to get my hands all over her right now. Doubted she’d be up for that right this second. “I can’t let you go there by yourself.”
“This conversation is stupid.” She turned away, tugging a hand through her hair. “You’ve already said your piece last night and so did I. You can’t stop me.”
“I’m not planning on stopping you.”
Serena faced me, brows lowered. “Then what are you saying?”
Good question. “I’m going with you.”
Her mouth dropped open and
,
yeah, the statement surprised me. Up to three minutes ago, there was no way in hell that I’d go there, but Luc was right about her “well
-
being” and all that shit.
She shook her head slowly. “You said that going to Colorado was stupid and suicidal.”
“And also pointless,” I added. “But I can’t let you do this alone.”
Her eyes widened. “Why? You seemed pretty damn sure about your decision last night.”
I really had no idea what to say to that.
“Is it because Luc was giving me a way to go? Do you actually feel guilty now?” She laughed then. “Do Arum even feel guilty?”
“Typically? No.”
Her eyes rolled. “Look, I don’t want you going with me because you feel you have to.”
“I do feel like I have to.”
Serena’s lips thinned
,
and then she shook her head again. “This is not your problem.”
“You are my problem.”
Now she stared at me like I asked to hump her leg. Perhaps I was saying the wrong things and should shut the fuck up.
Serena blinked rapidly and then she started for the door. “I’m not your problem, Hunter. Not anymore. You did your job. It’s over. Go to your brother. I don’t expect you to risk your life for something that has nothing to do with you.”
“Wait.” I moved so I was in front of Serena and placed my hands on her shoulders. “I’m saying this the wrong way.”
She arched a brow. “You think?”
I took a shallow breath. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know what’s going on in my head, Serena. I’ve been thinking things I’ve never thought before, so all of this is new to me. I’m saying the wrong shit, so let me start over?”
She stared up at me and then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“I wouldn’t have let you go there by yourself. I thought—fuck—I thought if I said that, you wouldn’t go without me. I wanted you to go to Georgia so you’d be safe
,
and so that you’d be with me. Not because I thought it was my job. And I didn’t want you to go to Colorado because I don’t want you to get hurt. It
is
dangerous, and I…I don’t like the thought of that.” Shit. Next I’ll hold her hand and start talking about butterflies and rainbows. Fuck me. “Look, I get why you need to do this. I don’t agree with it, but I’m going to…be there with you
,
and afterward we will go to Georgia together.”
Her throat worked. “All of that is…so very human.”
I winced.
A soft laugh escaped her. “It’s not really a bad thing, you know?”
“Your opinion.”
Serena tipped her head back and several moments passed before she spoke. “What does all of this mean? You’ve already risked so much and you’re going to do it again. And you want me to go to Georgia with you.” Two bright pink spots appeared on her cheeks. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had feelings for me.”
It felt like a python had wrapped itself around my chest. Even though I didn’t know what it felt like to have “feelings” for someone that went beyond wanting to fuck them or kill them or get away from them, there was so much truth in her words.
She laughed at what was most likely a fucked-up expression on my face. “Baby steps,” she said. “We’ll take baby steps.”
Chapter 28
I used to believe that Colorado was in the middle of the United States. I’m not sure why I thought this, but I discovered that Kansas was indeed the middle of the United States.
How did I know this useless factoid?
We stopped to fill up on gas in Lebanon. While Hunter did the car thing, I headed in for some snacks. Their signs proudly proclaimed itself as the middle of the United States. Awesome.
Arms full with the kind of food that would add ten pounds to my ass in a heartbeat, I headed across the cracked pavement as a county cruiser rolled in. It slowed down as it passed me, windows up and tinted.
I shivered in spite of the heat as I hurried to where Hunter was shutting the latch on the gas tank. “See the police car?”
He glanced over his shoulder as he unloaded half of my fattening goodies from my arms. “Yeah. What about it?”
Maybe I was being paranoid? I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just gave me the creeps. It was like I could feel him…watching me.”
Hunter opened my car door as he eyeballed the cruiser. With the leather pants and dark sunglasses, he looked pretty badass doing it.
I slid in as the police car door opened. A portly, older cop hauled himself out and headed into the convenience store without a backward glance in our direction.
Letting out the breath I was holding, I smiled up at Hunter. “I guess he was just staring at the junk food I was carrying.”
He smirked and then closed the door.
Back on the road, the creeped-out feeling vanished as we dug into the food. I also learned that Hunter only needed one hand to drive. I got real intimately familiar with the other hand. Hunter was…very talented.
A few times throughout the trip, he picked up on the passing presence of Luxen and Arum, but we didn’t have any problems. Though his alien senses were going off about a mile outside of Denver. As we traveled further on South Broadway, drawing closer to the post office, acid was chewing a hole through my stomach.
Hunter squeezed my knee. “You’re nervous.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.”
I shot him a look. “Too late now. We’re almost there
,
and who could we seriously trust to do this?”
“We need to be quick about this.” He coasted into the right lane. “Implants are everywhere
,
and with a huge community of Luxen nearby, I won’t be able to sense them until they are right on top of us.”
My heart turned over. “I know.”
Silence descended as the post office came into view, and I couldn’t help but ask myself if I was doing the smart thing. I wasn’t, but sometimes the smart thing wasn’t the same thing as the right thing.
Hunter parked the Porsche behind the post office, near a large delivery truck and loading dock
.
He looked over at me. “Let’s do this.”
Wishing I could sound and look half as ass-kick as he did, I fished the little key off the ring stashed in my purse and then opened the door. No more than a heartbeat later, he was beside me, taking my hand in his.
I expected a SWAT team consisting of DOD officers, Arum, and Luxen to descend on us as we hurried around the side of the building and through the automatic doors, but no one was around. The lobby and rows of post office boxes were empty.
“What number is hers?” he asked.
I glanced down at the key just to confirm what I already knew. “Eight-hundred and fifty-two.”
Hunter craned his neck and sighed, spying the rows in the back. I could tell he didn’t like this, but I headed forward, determined to get into that damn box. Hopefully this wasn’t for nothing and someone had canceled her box and all the mail had been removed.
With little difficulty, I found her PO box and after wiggling the key a couple of times, the metal door swung open. Envelopes of all colors and sizes, magazines
,
and junk mail spilled forth and onto the floor.
“Holy shit,” Hunter said.
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Mel…well, she rarely checked her PO box and
,
when she did, she left stuff in it
,
and I’m sure a lot of this came after she…she died.”
“She didn’t die.” Hunter knelt down and began sorting through the mail on the floor. “She was murdered. There is a difference.”
He was right. There was a huge difference between the two. Throat thick, I reached inside the box and pulled out what was left. A lot was postmarked after she was murdered.
Tossing the junk back into the box, I tried my best not to get affected by seeing Mel’s name on every letter
,
or the overdue bills that was so her, or the half dozen animal cruelty organizations she belonged to.
It was almost too much going through these things.
Hunter stood and wrapped his hand around my arm, drawing my attention. Blinking back tears, I looked up and cleared my throat. “What?”
“Would you like me to go through them? Or we can take all of this out of here.”
The offer meant a lot to me, it really did, but I shook my head. “No. I can go through these
,
and I don’t want to take it with me.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but went back to thumbing through his pile. I stopped on an Adam and Eve catalog and then my breath caught. “Hunter, what is it?”
His head had jerked up, eyes narrowing
,
and then he turned, scanning the bits of the lobby we could see. “I sense another Arum. Close.”
Unease exploded in my stomach. “Would an Arum be working with the senator or any Luxen here?”
“Not likely.” He placed the mail back in the box. “But one could be working with the DOD. I’m going to check out the front. Whoever it is, they’re outside. Stay here.”
I nodded and Hunter started off, but then he spun around and clasped my cheeks. Tilting my head back, his eyes locked with mine. “I’ll be right back.”
“I know.”
A half smile appeared and then he was gone in a stir of icy wind. Letting out a shaky breath, I turned back to the mail and lifted the catalog, revealing a hand-scribbled note on notebook paper
.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, dropping the rest of the mail.
This was it. The freaking letter Mel had written herself. It was her handwriting, starting off with describing the Vanderson brothers as light bulbs. This was so it. I almost couldn’t believe it.
My hands shook as I scanned the letter quickly
,
and then I had to read it again because I couldn’t believe what I was reading or that Mel wouldn’t have remembered this when she spoke to me.
Or maybe she had been too scared to even speak it out loud because I almost wanted to be able to unread what I had seen. Not knowing…dear God, not knowing was almost better. There wasn’t anything new about Pennsylvania, but what was in here…
Project Eagle was in response to the government organization known as the Daedalus. What Mel had overheard really wouldn’t have made any sense to her, but it did to me knowing what I did.
Project Eagle was world domination.
It was a plan to contact the Luxen who hadn’t come to Earth yet—an honest to God invasion from within the Daedalus, using the
origin
. There was nothing explaining what the “origin” was, but those hundreds of thousands of Luxen Hunter had spoken about? Project Eagle was about bringing them here.
I shook my head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Neither do I,” said an unfamiliar voice. “But then again, seeing is believing.”
My stomach dropped as I whipped around, holding the letter close to my chest. A man stood at the entrance of the row Mel’s post office box was in. He was tall, dark haired
,
and had extraordinarily bright blue eyes. The faint light outlining his body gave away what he was.
A Luxen.
Air punched out of my lungs and I took a step back, bumping into the metal boxes behind me.
“Wondering how I’m here?” He spread his arms out to his sides. “We have eyes everywhere, sweetheart. That little podunk gas station in Kansas? Didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where you were heading.”
That fucking cop! I knew it. I forced my tongue to work. If I could keep him talking, it would hopefully give Hunter enough time to get back
,
unless something happened—I cut myself off there before panic took root. I couldn’t afford to even think about that. “How did you find me here?”
He
tsk
ed softly. “Did you think we didn’t know about that letter?”
“What?” I gasped.
The Luxen laughed jovially. “We checked everything of your friend’s and discovered the note. We kept it there, hoping that it would draw you back. The letter isn’t the lost link, sweetheart. It isn’t the last chain of evidence that we need to take care of. After all, we know she talked to you. About how much? Anyone’s guess. So you were the last link in this chain.”
Oh.
Oh crap.
He stepped forward, tipping his chin down, and I pushed away from the boxes. “Now, don’t try to run. You’re not going to escape. And your Arum friend? He won’t be coming to your aid.”
My chest seized.
“You should never trust an Arum
.
” The Luxen’s smile was almost as blinding as the light radiating down his arm. “They only care about themselves.”
Refusing to believe that Hunter would’ve betrayed me in such a way, I held my ground as I eyed the lobby behind him. “You’re lying.”
The Luxen shook his head slowly, still smiling. “Silly human…”
Around his arm, a light flared and pulsed brightly. In a split second, every instinct I owned roared to life. My legs moved before my brain caught up with them. I twisted at the waist and started to run. A scream built in my throat and my fingers tightened around Mel’s letter.
Bright light burst through the entire room. White-hot pain exploded along my spine before I could take a step, frying every nerve ending. Pain stole my breath and tripped up my heartbeat. My legs folded under me like an accordion…and then there was nothing.
…
The moment I stepped out into the thick night air, I realized it was a mistake—a stupid, motherfucking mistake. I turned to go back inside when a dark shadow pulled away from the side of the building, materializing as he grew closer.
It was the Arum from the airport, the day I had received my orders to watch over Serena and retrieve her.
“Interesting seeing you again,” I said, squaring my shoulders.
He wore his sunglasses, at night, like a total tool. “Is it?”
“I think so.” I took a step forward, and then felt
it
. Others.
Luxen
. My entire being focused not on what was in front of me, but on Serena. I’d left her unprotected in there
.
“Working with Luxen?”
“I wouldn’t say I was working with them, more like freelancing.”
My brother—Lore—freelanced like a mofo
,
and even he didn’t work with Luxen. “Yeah, whatever.”
“It’s best to just walk away from this, brother.”
I didn’t even bother responding to that. Reaching behind me, I gripped the handle of the obsidian blade and pulled it out of its protective sheath. The Arum caught sight of the glowing red blade and shifted. I wasn’t wasting time with this shithead, though.
Moving lightning fast, I shot forward and slammed the obsidian blade deep into the Arum’s chest. He shuddered as I withdrew the blade
,
and then he rose up, blocking out the dim entrance lights before the mass splintered and broke apart.
I made it to the door when a ball of fucking light slammed into my shoulder, knocking me sideways. I threw out my hand, catching myself on the brick wall. Holy shit, they were using the Source in the wide open? They weren’t fucking around.
There wasn’t much time to think.
A seven-foot glowworm barreled out from inside the post office and crashed into me. I skidded back several steps and then dug in, pushing the glowing bastard back. Glass shattered as he hit the door. He rebounded, shaking it off
,
and charged me. More prepared this time, I spun out to the side and then saw two more coming straight at me. I didn’t have time for this shit. If the Luxen had been inside, it meant they had gotten in from another entrance and they had been inside with Serena.
My heart thundered in my chest.
Cocking back my arm, I let the obsidian dagger fly. It hit the Luxen straight in the chest. Obsidian wasn’t deadly to Luxen, but a blade in the heart sure did the trick.
Another slammed into me and we went into the air, spinning in and out of our true forms as we hit the roof of the post office and slid across it. The Luxen was on top and there was a flash of a red-hot blade swinging down.
Blocking the downward attack, I rolled the Luxen onto his back and wrenched the obsidian from his hand. Without the leather handle, the blade burned, but I ignored it as I shoved it deep into the Luxen’s chest. Then I shifted and fed.
Immediately I tapped into the Luxen’s last thoughts. He blocked most of them, but I saw through his eyes Serena’s wide eyes filled with fear, heard his taunts. Saw Serena on the floor, eyes closed and face contorted in pain. She had been handed off to someone,
taken
.
I drained that fucker dry.
Dropping his body, I sprang to my feet as the other Luxen rushed over the ledge. With the last feeding, this one, and the opal, these fuckers were absolutely no match for me. I caught him around the throat, slamming him into the roof with enough force that the cement cracked.