Chapter 30
Less than half a football field away from one of the senator’s storage warehouses, the dull, translucent bodies of the Luxen guarding the building lay dead at my feet. It was like crushing fireflies between my fingers
,
without all the glowy mess.
But Mr. Talkative wasn’t among them. He brought me here. So I did let him go and he ran like he knew he should’ve.
Raw energy undulated through my veins, buzzing like a hit off the purest drug out there. Feeding from so many Luxen was dangerous to anyone who would cross my path. The power hummed under my skin, splintered my cells.
Luxen were like galactic Pringles in a fucked
-
up way. Once you popped one, you just couldn’t stop—like stop at all. No one would be safe around me when I was through.
Not even Serena.
But she was in there and they were doing God knows what to her. She was still alive—she had to be. I couldn’t allow myself to consider any other outcome.
I moved across the empty parking lot, sensing a cluster of Luxen on the first floor and the roof. Stopping along the side of the building, I focused on the roof. Becoming a part of the dark shadows, I rose up to the ledge and crouched.
Three Luxen stood in the center. Their heads whipped toward me like prairie dogs.
“Arum,” one of them called.
Clever
. I slipped down from the ledge, feeling the borrowed energy reverberate through my form as I spread out. The night around us turned darker. I didn’t give them a chance to fight or run. I was on them in a second, slipping behind the first and slamming my hand through the Luxen’s chest. My other arm extended and I speared the second. I spun, tossing the first on the third. They went down like a pile of bricks. I drained the second until he was nothing more than an alien prune.
Tasty.
The other two were getting up, both turning into walking light bulbs. My laugh carried like smoke.
You ssshould’ve ssstayed down
.
Focusing on the two Luxen, I drew them in like I was taking a big old breath of air. They skidded over the roof, their glowing arms flailing like beacons. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to stop them. Within a second, I slammed my hands through both of their chests.
It was over like red rover.
Leaving their bodies on the roof, I went to the door of the emergency exit. The steel door nearly came off its hinges as I tore it open. I flew down the stairwell, silent as I drew the shadows into me.
They waited on the bottom floor, at least a dozen of the fucking glowworms from outer space. I searched out Serena, not seeing her but knowing she was in the middle of them. I could
feel
her.
I also smelled blood—human blood.
Serena’s
blood
.
Rage rose like a savage, black wave. It rolled across the warehouse floor, becoming a living, breathing entity clawing at release.
I took my human form as the air turned stagnant. “For daring to even touch a single hair on her head, you all will die.”
One of the Luxen rushed me and I caught the SOB around the neck. He went Lite-Brite on me, but I twisted my wrist, snapping his neck cleanly and I kept twisting, until bone erupted through the skin
.
Another one grew balls and shot forward and I spun to the side as I kicked out, aiming my big
-
ass boot into his glowing stomach. He doubled over as static crackled in the air. Dipping around, I shoved my hand through the light. The Luxen flickered into human form for only a second, but it was long enough. My hand was inside him and I wrapped my fingers around the slender length of bone. I yanked my arm back and the Luxen howled.
He fell into a boneless mess on the floor.
I tossed the spine aside and whirled around, slamming my fist into the jaw of another Luxen. His head snapped back and on the return, I grasped the sides of his face, and slammed my head into his
,
and then I twisted. The darkness inside of me howled at the sound of cracking bone.
Light pulsed around the nearest Luxen a second before a bolt shot across the distance, slamming into my shoulder. It knocked me back a step, but not down.
I laughed. “I kind of liked how that felt.”
The Luxen reared back, releasing another blast of supercharged power. I dodged the blow this time
,
then shot forward, mowing him down before he knew what was coming.
As I straightened, I caught sight of Serena’s terrified face. A Luxen had ahold of her. A fucker in a suit was beside her, who I assumed was the senator. My focus went right back to Serena. There were bruises on her face and her lip was bloodied.
The Luxen holding her jerked her back roughly and her answering whimper sliced through me like nothing else could.
I lost control of my human form.
My mass grew with the absorbed power of so many feedings. The walls of the warehouse rattled like tin cups. A lone chair in the corner skidded across the floor. Storage cabinets shook and then toppled over, sliding across the floor. The chair reached the dark tendrils surrounding me first and then the cabinets. Each item spun into the air, whirling around me in a vicious cyclone of debris and dirt.
Thisss isss going to be painful,
I promised.
The items stopped, suspended for a flicker of a moment
,
and then they collapsed into themselves like a giant hand crumbling paper. There was nothing left of the cabinets or the chair. Not even dust.
I drew the power in again, focusing on four of the Luxen standing between Serena and me. Fighting this way would expel energy more quickly, even with the opal cuff, but I was beyond pissed, beyond controlling myself. I wanted them all dead in a painful way.
The Luxen flew toward me, flipping back and forth between their true forms and their human facades. Someone yelled
,
but it was lost in the vacuum. The moment they touched the darkness surrounding me, their screams became a chorus. The pressure clamped down on them as they were caught in the shadows. They were gone, too, and like the chair and cabinets, nothing remained when the air settled.
It wasn’t that I was necessarily stronger than them. Luxen were formidable opponents. I was fighting differently than I ever had before. It wasn’t about the age-old battle of Arum versus Luxen. I wasn’t fighting to feed or to work off aggression. I wasn’t fighting because I was told or was obligated.
I was fighting for Serena.
She meant everything to me.
Knowing that, fully understanding what that meant, I was on a motherfucking warpath.
The remaining Luxen rushed me
,
and blasts of the Source lit up the room, cutting through the shadows pooling in from outside through the cracks in the wall.
I took a hit but barely felt it. I fed again and rose up. A Luxen followed. We twisted along the ceiling. Light. Darkness. Light. Darkness.
Darkness won.
The Luxen’s lifeless body dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. I mowed through each one that came after that. I could feel the energy seeping out of me and shit was going to hurt like a bitch, but I grabbed the nearest Luxen and speared him through the chest.
I brought the dying Luxen to the floor, preparing to finish the glowbug off
.
Serena’s sudden shrill scream stopped me when nothing else in this world could. I rose up, immediately finding her in the chaos. Only one Luxen remained—the senator
,
and the bastard had his hand around her fragile neck.
I took my human form, breathing raggedly. My body ached, but I ignored the pain. “If you have an ounce of intelligence, you’ll let her go now.”
“Or what?” the senator said, backing away, dragging Serena along with him. “You come after me, she dies.”
The air darkened and charged around me. I focused on the senator’s glowing eyes, because if I looked at Serena right now, I’d lose my shit. “You’re not going to get out of here, especially if you hurt her.”
Senator Vanderson’s lips quirked up at the edges. “Is that so? I’m sure I’m the one in the position of power right now.”
“I’ve killed all your Luxen and I’ll kill more if they come.” I took a step forward, but stopped when Serena whimpered. My hands curled into fists.
“That may be true, but I have this feeling you’d do anything to make sure she walks out of this situation.” His grip tightened, and she gasped. “Isn’t that right?”
My gaze flickered to Serena’s. I didn’t hesitate. “I would.”
“Good,” he replied, taking another step back. Over his shoulder was the exit. “Get on your knees, Arum. Where you belong.”
Oh, yeah, that made me want to put my hand through his face. I stared at him, barely able to rein in the dark rage that made me want to obliterate everything in the room.
“Get on your knees or she dies right now,” the senator repeated.
I took a deep breath. I wasn’t stupid. If the senator did what he thought he could do to me, it was doubtful he’d let Serena go. And even if he ran, Serena wasn’t safe. She’d never be safe with him alive.
That left me only one choice.
“No, Hunter, don’t,” she begged, and those pretty eyes filled with tears. “Don’t listen—”
Her words were cut off by the senator’s grip. The sound that came out of me would send demons scurrying. Senator Vanderson’s eyes widened a fraction, but he kept ahold of Serena.
“Do you want to see what her insides look like lit up?” he asked. “I’m running out of patience.”
It went against everything in my nature not to rip into him right then, but he’d snap Serena’s neck before I’d take a step. She was worth more to me than my pride. That was the truth.
I went down on my knees. “What?”
The senator took a step to the side, keeping Serena directly in front of him. I knew any movement I made at this point would mean her death. He was caged with all the dead bodies lying around him and he knew it. “How’s it feel to be where you should be? On your knees before your superior?”
I arched a brow. “Feels the same way it will when I’m standing over your dead body.”
My response seemed to unnerve him. “Your arrogance is rooted in stupidity.”
“And your lifespan is getting shorter by the second,” I promised, my eyes meeting Serena’s. The look in that stare let me know she was ready for anything. “You’re wasting air and space.”
The senator sneered. “You’ll see. You and the humans will soon see.”
In a second, Senator Vanderson slipped into his true form. The sudden light was blinding for a moment. I rose, losing sight of Serena in the glow. Her scream echoed through my soul, and at that moment, I knew I had one. Human or not, it rocked me to my very core.
The senator shoved Serena to the side with such force her feet came off the ground. She was a distraction for him to escape, because the senator thought I’d go after her.
He was right.
I caught her around the waist before she hit the ground. She twisted in my embrace, gripping my arms as she lifted her head. “Hunter…”
I pressed a quick kiss to the bruise on her cheek and then I sat her down. She called my name again as I turned, spying the senator almost to the door.
He wasn’t going to make it.
Launching into the air, I shifted into my true form. I landed on the senator, flipping him onto his back. His hand rose and something black and shiny glinted.
I caught his arm, twisting until he dropped the piece of obsidian he held.
Yeah, that’sss not going to happen.
Senator Vanderson struggled, but I pinned him down. I could kill him cleanly and be done with it, but for what he’d stolen from Serena, he was going to suffer.
“We will rise,” the senator gasped out.
I slammed my hand deep into his chest. His back bowed off the floor as I leaned in.
I don’t give a ssshit what you will do. Thisss isssn’t about our war.
I inhaled, drawing the Source out of the senator and into myself.
Thisss isss about her.
The flame of his essence invaded my body, pouring warmth into me. I took him in as his body flickered wildly under mine
,
and I drew it out so that every scream, every spasm of his body was an apology to Serena.
Dropping the senator to the floor, I rose and stepped around his lifeless form as I turned. Serena was on her feet, her face pale
,
the bruises standing out in stark contrast, but she was alive.
And I loved her.
We stared at each other for several moments, neither of us speaking or moving
,
and then I was in front of her, pulling her to my chest, breathing in her scent as I went down on my knees, bringing her with me. Her arms went around me and she held on just as tightly as I held her. It was then when I realized I was still in my true form. She was light against my darkness.
Serena hadn’t backed away or hesitated. She accepted me, all of me. She always had.
I slipped into my human form, cradling her against me. The words, they came out easier than I ever thought they would. “I love you.”
Chapter 31
I slept most of the twenty-hour drive to Atlanta and when I woke, we were just outside of Marietta
.
I still felt like I hadn’t gotten any rest in days. My body and face ached relentlessly, but it was a small penance to pay compared to the fact I honestly shouldn’t be alive.
The senator was dead—the creature ultimately responsible for Mel’s death. It might make me a terrible person, but I was glad. The law hadn’t laid down the punishment, but he wouldn’t be ordering anyone’s death again
.
He got what was due to him in the end.
A cool touch brushed over my hand, and I turned to Hunter. Concern pinched his face. “You hanging in there?”
I nodded and all I heard in my head was those three words:
I love you.
A tired smile pulled at my lips. “What about you? We haven’t even stopped
,
have we?”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
I didn’t see how that was possible with all that he’d done. It had been awe-inspiring to watch him battle it out, but he’d taken blows that would’ve killed a human. He had to be tired and in pain, but I knew he wouldn’t admit to it.
Turning my hand over, I threaded my fingers through his and squeezed. He glanced at me again, his expression strangely vulnerable. “Does your brother know we’re coming?”
He smiled slightly. “No. Didn’t want to risk using a cell linked to either of us.”
“Do you think he’s going to be okay with us coming there?”
Hunter nodded again. “He will. You don’t need to worry.” He brought our hands to his mouth and placed a kiss there
.
There was a lot to worry about, but with Hunter’s hand wrapped securely in mine, I felt grounded. I closed my eyes and when they reopened Hunter was coasting the Porsche up a long, narrow driveway crowded with thick, leafy maples. The same strange designs I’d seen in the gazebo were etched into many of the sturdy trunks, a seamless, twisting loop with four dots in the middle.
“Those designs,” I said, pointing toward a tree. “They’re a symbol of your kind, aren’t they?”
“Yes. The four dots represent the family and the knots are endless.” He followed the bend in the road. “It means that family is endless no matter what.”
Surprise bubbled up through me. “That’s so…”
“Human?” He laughed. “Yeah, it is. Never really thought of it that way, but it is.”
He didn’t seemed bothered by it, not like he would’ve been when I first met him. My gaze traveled over the firm line of his jaw and I knew I couldn’t even begin to count how many things had changed in such a short amount of time.
Hunter coasted to a stop in front of a large three-floor stucco home. My mouth dropped open. “He lives here by himself?” I asked. The place could fit a family of eight easily.
“As far as I know.” He pulled the keys out as he looked at me. “He already knows I’m here, so there’s no point in delaying this.”
Nervous energy built in my stomach. I couldn’t help it.
Turning to the passenger window, I stared up at the large house. This would probably be my new home for the foreseeable future.
If I survived all that I had, I could survive meeting Hunter’s other brother. Taking a deep breath, I opened the car door and stepped out into the sweltering heat of the late Georgia afternoon sun.
Hunter appeared at my side, and I didn’t even jump. If anything, that proved how accustomed I was getting to all the weird alien stuff. He slid the wraparound sunglasses down, shielding his eyes.
He extended his hand.
I smiled tiredly as I wrapped my fingers around his. He led me up the cobblestone sidewalk, around the neatly manicured bushes and creamy flowers that carried a faint sweet scent.
My heart kicked up as we reached the sprawling portion that was rather…quaint with its wooden swing and overstuffed wicker chairs. There was a straw wreath on the door. Never would I have guessed that an Arum lived here.
Hunter raised his hand to knock but the door opened first, revealing a mirror image of Hunter.
I knew that he and his brothers were identical. I had seen Sin, but it was still a shock to be staring at a replica of Hunter
.
But like with Sin, there were minute differences that set each brother apart from one another. While an icy haughtiness surrounded Sin, there was a warmth to Lore that even Hunter didn’t have.
Lore’s pale eyes moved from Hunter to me and then down to where our hands were joined. “A human?” he asked in a voice huskier than Hunter’s.
Hunter responded with a twist of his lips. “Yeah, so what?”
“Oh, nothing.” His brother leaned against the door jamb, folding his arms. “Just don’t know what to be more surprised about. That you’re here or that you’re here with a human female.”
“I’m sure more surprising things have happened.”
“Doubtful,” Lore murmured, and then those shockingly pale eyes settled on me. He extended a hand. “And you would be?”
“Serena Cross.” I took his hand, ignoring the possessive, deep rumble that emanated from Hunter. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Well, darling, it’s a
pleasure
to meet you.” He sent his brother a half grin that was wicked enough that I felt my cheeks brighten. “How in the world did you end up with my brother?”
“Um, that’s a long story.”
Lore’s grin spread. “I’m all ears.”
Reaching out, Hunter separated our hands with a dark look. “Why don’t you stop touching my female, invite us in, and then I’ll tell you all about it.”
His brother chuckled deeply as he stepped aside. “My life would not be complete if I didn’t hear this story.”
I headed through the doorway, feeling the tips of my ears burn. Hunter slid his sunglasses up and both the brothers’ eyes were on me. I had the strong urge to run and hide behind something.
Hunter wiggled his fingers free from my death grip and put his hand on the small of my back as Lore moved in front of us. The foyer was virtually empty with the exception of a few leafy, potted plants. We passed an archway leading to a spacious kitchen and then a spiraling staircase. Lore led us into a large living room with a massive sectional couch wide enough to fit three people lying down side by side. I sat in the middle and it sucked me in the way all comfy couches do
.
“So,” Lore said, standing in front of a large picture window overlooking the driveway. “I’m assuming you’re no longer with the DOD?”
“You assumed right.” Hunter sat beside me and leaned forward, dropping his elbows on his knees.
Lore arched a brow, a mannerism so like Hunter that it made me do a double take. “Did you part on happy terms?”
“If leaving two dead officers behind is considered ‘happy’
,
then yes.”
I shot Hunter a look.
He grinned.
“Well then…” Lore sighed. “What’s going on?”
As Hunter told Lore everything, I settled back against the couch and listened. Even though I lived through all of this, it sounded crazy insane to me, like something from a bad science-fiction movie. When he finished, Lore looked floored.
“Do you think the Luxen are going to try to carry Project Eagle out?” he asked as he paced. “On a full scale?”
“I’m not sure,” I spoke up. “The senator never mentioned how many were behind it and the DOD…well, they didn’t think Mel overheard anything important. They’ve totally disregarded it.”
“Of course,” he said. “No offense, but I’ve found that when it comes to humans and Luxen, the humans tend to foolishly believe that they have the upper hand.”
“No offense taken,” I replied, because really, he was right. The DOD thought they had the Luxen community under their control and could appease them. They were wrong. “There has to be something we can do.”
“What?” Hunter asked, turning to me, his eyes narrowed. “There is no one within the DOD that I’d trust enough to relay the information to. Any contact could put you in jeopardy. I refuse to do that.”
“But—”
“He has a point, which is rare.”
Hunter shot his brother a look. “And besides, there is no proof. The only thing we had was the letter and that was destroyed. It’s doubtful that the DOD would believe it anyway.”
“So we do nothing? There has to be something! I know humans don’t mean much to you—”
“You mean a lot to me.” Hunter tilted his head to the side. “So fuck the rest of them.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Well, if I mean a lot to you
,
then you’d understand there are billions of humans on Earth and you wouldn’t say fuck it. If they are serious about Project Eagle, then we need to do something.”
Hunter was unfazed. “I’m not doing anything that will put you in danger.”
Frustrated, I took a deep breath. “I get that you’re trying to protect me.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“And I appreciate it, really I do.” I held up a hand when Hunter’s mouth opened again. “But we have to do something, even if it’s a risk or even if Project Eagle flies straight into a mountainside and nothing comes from it. We can’t pretend like we don’t know about this.”
“Serena—”
“
Hunter
,” I snapped.
“All right, lovebirds, as entertaining as it is to watch you two argue, there just might be something that I can do.”
Both of us turned to Lore. “What?” Hunter demanded.
“I know someone in the DOD that I trust—and don’t look at me like that, Hunter. How do you think I stay off their radar?”
Hunter leaned back. “Luc owed you and he took care of it.”
I frowned. “Why does everything in the world come back to Luc? A fifteen-year-old boy?”
Lore snickered. “Luc…well, he’s Luc.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that.” I pushed that aside. “What can you do?”
“I can let my friend know,” he said. “Can’t promise it will cause the DOD to go on red alert, but it’s something.”
It wasn’t much, but it was a start
,
and it gave us time to come up with something more substantial. If Project Eagle happened, all of mankind was at risk
.
“The only other option is contacting Dex to see if he can dig up anything or get the word out, but that is too risky right now.”
“It is. I don’t even know how I’m going to get his car back to him,” Hunter said.
Lore glanced out the window. “Is that his Porsche?”
Hunter nodded.
“And you drove that baby from West Virginia to Denver and then back here?” He cracked a grin. “He’s going to be so pissed.”
“Hey, there isn’t even a scratch on the thing.” Hunter paused, and a mischievous spark lit his pale eyes. “Just a couple of thousand extra miles.”
Lore laughed. “Well, now that’s settled. You two are more than welcome to stay here as long you need to. It’s safe and more than big enough.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Hunter flashed one of those rare, beautiful smiles. “It will give us time to figure out where to go from here.”
Us.
Such a small and simple word, but it was probably the most powerful thing right now. “Us” meant we were in this together, whatever the future may hold.
Lore gave Hunter and me a tour of the house, basically giving us free rein of the second floor. Afterward, Hunter followed Lore downstairs to scrounge up something for dinner. At the top of the stairs I heard Lore ask, “Have you heard from Sin?”
“Yeah,” came Hunter’s reply. “He’s up to the same old let’s
-
make
-
war bullshit…”
Their conversation faded as they reached the bottom floor. Turning from the staircase, I quenched the wiggle of unease building in my stomach. I’d worry about their less than friendly, mostly psychotic brother tomorrow.
Right now all I cared about was that shower that adjoined our newly acquired bedroom. That baby had multiple showerheads.
I headed into the bathroom, a little amazed at the size of the room and the shower stall. What the hell did Lore do to pay for all of this?
Hell. Did I even want to know?
It took an embarrassing amount of time to figure out how to get all the showerheads working. I stepped back and started to pull my shirt off when I stopped. I turned, finding Hunter leaning against the doorway.
“Don’t stop on my account.”
I smiled. “I need to put a bell on you.”
“That would ruin all the fun.” He swaggered up to me. “But you seemed to know I was here.”
“I did. Not sure how, but I did.”
“Hmm…” He bent down, capturing my lips in a quick kiss that sent my pulse pounding. “Interesting.”
My eyes drifted shut as his fingertips skated over my cheek, tucking my hair back behind my ear. “We’re really in Georgia, aren’t we?”
“Yes.”
I pressed my cheek against his palm. “And your brother is really letting us stay here?”
“He is.” Hunter paused. “We’ll find our own place soon. And I know none of this is perfect. You deserve more than this—a life, a real home, a future. Normal, human shit, and I promise that you will have all of that. I swear to you.”
I opened my eyes and blinked back tears that came out of nowhere. In Hunter’s own way, he was a making a promise I knew he would die before he broke. There was so much I wanted to say, but all I could get out was, “I love you.”
Hunter went incredibly still
,
and then he was clasping my cheeks. His mouth was on mine again, the kiss deeper and longer. I swayed into him, clutching the front of his shirt as his tongue swept over mine, staking claim on what was already his, only his. He helped me out of my shirt; so gentle that those damn tears became ever harder to hold back.
“Again,” he said, dropping onto his knees in front of me. He unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them down. “I find myself wishing for something I never thought I would.”
“What?” I stepped out of my jeans and then watched him rise.