None of them hesitated.
Neither did I.
The Luxen shot forward, a blur of brilliant limbs. I dipped under his arms, springing up behind him. Catching his arms, I slammed my foot into his bowed back. No sooner had that Luxen gone down than another took his place.
Launching to the side, I clotheslined the one racing at me and then dipped, narrowly missing a foot with my name on it. I welcomed this—the physicality of fighting. I poured every bit of fury and frustration into each punch and kick, tearing through three more of them.
A pulse of light cut through the shadows, aiming straight for me. Bending down, I slammed a fist into the ground. Soil flew into the sky as a shockwave rippled outward, catching the Luxen and tossing him into the air. I sprang up, grabbing him as intense, bright light blew off me, turning night into day for the briefest moment.
I spun, tossing him like a disk.
He smacked into a tree and hit the ground, but he quickly shot to his feet. Charging forward, white light tinged in blue trailed behind him like a tail on a comet. Lobbing at me what amounted to a nuclear power–strength ball of energy, he let out an inhuman battle roar.
Oh, so he wanted to play that way?
I leaned to the side; the bolt fizzled out as it zoomed past. Pulling on the Source, I reared back, letting the power soar. I slammed my foot down, creating a crater and another ripple, knocking the Luxen off balance. Throwing my arm out, I let the Source go. It flew from my hand like a bullet, hitting him squarely in the chest.
He went down, alive but all kinds of twitchy.
“What do you think you’re doing, Daemon?”
At the sound of Ethan Smith’s level voice, I turned. The Elder, in his human form, stood several yards back among the fallen. My body shook with unspent power. They shouldn’t have tried to stop me. None of you should have tried to stop me.
Ethan clasped his hands in front of him. “You shouldn’t be willing to risk your community for a human girl.”
There was a good chance I was going to zap him into next week. She is not something I’m ever going to discuss with you.
“We are your kind, Daemon.” He took a step forward. “You need to stay with us. Going after this human will only—”
I threw my hand out, grabbing by the neck the Luxen who was sneaking up on me. Turning to him, we both slipped into human form. His eyes filled with terror. “For real?” I growled.
“Crap,” he muttered.
Lifting him into the air, I choke-slammed the stupid SOB into the ground. Soil and rock flew into the air as I straightened, returning my gaze to Ethan.
The Elder paled. “You’re fighting your own kind, Daemon. That is unforgiveable.”
“I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I’m not asking for shit.”
“You’ll be cast out,” he threatened.
“Guess what?” I backed away, keeping an eye on the Luxen on the ground who had started to stir. “I don’t care.”
Anger rolled off Ethan, and the calm, almost docile expression vanished. “You think I don’t know what you did to that girl? What your brother did to the other one? Both of you have brought this onto yourselves. This is why we don’t mix with them. Humans bring nothing but trouble. You are going to cause trouble, cause them to look too closely at us. We don’t need that, Daemon. You’re risking a lot for a human.”
“This is their planet,” I said, surprising myself with that statement, but it was true. Kat had said it before, and I repeated her words. “We are the guests here, buddy.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “For now.”
My head cocked to the side at those two words. Didn’t take a genius to figure out that was a warning, but right now, it wasn’t my priority. Kat was. “Don’t follow me.”
“Daemon—”
“I mean it, Ethan. If you or anyone else comes after me, I won’t go easy like I just did.”
The Elder sneered. “Is she truly worth this?”
A cold wind moved down my spine. Without the support of the Luxen community, I’d be on my own, not welcomed in any of their colonies. Word traveled fast; Ethan would make sure of it. But there wasn’t a moment of hesitation.
“Yes,” I said. “She is worth everything.”
Ethan sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re done here.”
“So be it.”
Pivoting, I took off through the trees, racing toward my house. My brain was churning. I didn’t have much of a plan. Nothing concrete, but I knew I was going to need a few things. Money was one of them. A car. Running the whole way to Mount Weather wasn’t an option. Going back to the house was going to be difficult, because I knew Dee and Dawson would be there—and they would try to stop me.
At this point, I’d like to see them try.
But as I crested the rocky hill and picked up speed, what Ethan had said overshadowed my plotting. Both of you have brought this onto yourselves. Had we? The answer was simple and right in my face. Both Dawson and I had put the girls in danger simply by being interested in them. Neither of us had planned on them getting hurt, or that healing them would mutate them into something not quite human or Luxen, but we knew the risks.
I especially knew the risks.
It was why I had pushed Katy away in the beginning, had gone to extremes to keep her away from Dee and me. Partly due to what had happened to Dawson, but also because there were so many risks. And yet I had brought Kat deep into this world. Held her hand and practically escorted her right into it. Look at what that got her.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
If anyone was to be caught, if things went down badly in Mount Weather, it should’ve been me. Not Kat. Never her.
Cursing under my breath, I hit a patch of ground lit by silvery moonlight seconds before breaking clear of the forest and slowed down without intending to.
My eyes went straight to Kat’s house, and pressure clamped down on my chest.
The house was dark and still, as if it had been the years before she had moved in. No life, an empty, dark shell of a home.
I stopped beside her mother’s car and let out a ragged breath that did nothing to relieve the pressure building in my chest. In the darkness, I knew I wasn’t seen, and if the DOD or Daedalus were watching for me, they could take me in. It would make it easier for me.
If I closed my eyes, I could see Kat coming out the front door, wearing that damn shirt that said MY BLOG IS BETTER THAN YOUR VLOG, and those shorts…those legs…
Man, I had been such an ass to her, but she hadn’t backed down from me. Not for one second.
A light flipped on in my house. A second later, the front door opened, and Dawson stood there. The breeze carried his soft curse.
I had to say Dawson looked a thousand times better since I’d last seen him. The dark shadows that had been under his eyes were mostly gone. Some of the weight had returned. Like before the DOD and Daedalus had captured him, it would be nearly impossible to tell us apart with the exception of his longer, shaggier hair. Yeah, he looked like a million bucks. He had Bethany back.
I knew I sounded bitter, but I didn’t care.
The moment my feet touched the stairs, a shockwave erupted from me, cracking the cement of the steps and rattling the floorboards.
Blood drained from my brother’s face as he took a step back. A sick sense of satisfaction swelled in me. “Weren’t expecting me so soon?”
“Daemon.” Dawson’s back hit the front door. “I know you’re pissed.”
Another burst of energy left me, hitting the ceiling of the roof. Wood cracked. A fissure appeared, splitting down the center. My vision tinted as the Source filled me, turning the world white. “You have no idea, brother.”
“We wanted to keep you safe until we knew what to do—how to get Kat back. That’s all.”
I took a deep breath as I stepped up to Dawson, going eye to eye with him. “Did you think that locking me up in the community was the best answer?”
“We—”
“Did you think you could stop me?” Power shot from me, smacking into the door behind Dawson, blowing it off the hinges and into the house. “I’ll burn the world down to save her.”
Chapter 2
KATY
Soaking wet and chilled to the bone, I pulled myself off the floor. I had no idea how much time had passed since the first dose of onyx had been released and the last blast of icy water had knocked me flat on my back.
Giving in and letting them do what they wanted hadn’t seemed like an option in the beginning. At first the pain was worth it, because I’d be damned if I was going to make this easy for them. Once the onyx had been washed from my skin and I could move again, I rushed the door. I wasn’t making any progress, and by the fourth cycle of being doused with onyx and then drowned, I was done.
I was really, truly done.
Once I was able to stand without collapsing, I shuffled toward the cold table in slow, achy steps. I was pretty sure the table had a very thin layer of diamonds over the surface. The kind of money it must’ve taken to outfit a room, let alone a whole building, in diamonds had to be astronomical—and further explained the nation’s debt problem. And really, out of everything to be thinking about, that shouldn’t even make the list, but I think the onyx had shorted out my brain.
Sergeant Dasher had come and gone during the whole process, replaced by men in army fatigues. The berets they wore hid most of their faces, but from what I could see, they didn’t seem much older than me, maybe in their early twenties.
Two of them were in the room now, both with pistols strapped to their thighs. Part of me was surprised they hadn’t broken out the tranqs, but the onyx served its purpose. The one wearing a dark green beret stood near the controls, watching me, one hand on his pistol and the other on the button of pain. The other, face hidden by a khaki beret, guarded the door.
I placed my hands on the table. Through the wet ropes of my soaked hair, my fingers looked too white and pasty. I was cold and shivering so badly I wondered if I was actually experiencing a seizure. “I’m…I’m done,” I rasped out.
A muscle popped on Khaki Beret’s face.
I tried to lift myself onto the table, because I knew if I didn’t sit, I was going to fall, but the deep tremor in my muscles caused me to wobble to the side. The room whirled for a second. There just might be some permanent damage. I almost laughed, because what good would I be to Daedalus if they broke me?
Dr. Roth had remained the whole time, sitting in the corner of the room, looking weary, but now he stood, pressure cuff in hand. “Help her onto the table.”
Khaki Beret came toward me, determination locking his jaw. I backpedaled in a feeble attempt to put some distance between us. My heart pounded insanely fast. I didn’t want him touching me. I didn’t want any of them touching me.
Legs shaking, I took another step back, and my muscles just stopped working. I hit the floor hard on my butt, but I was so numb, the pain really didn’t register.
Khaki Beret stared down at me, and from my vantage point, I could see his entire face. He had the most startling blue eyes, and while he looked like he was so over this routine, there seemed to be some level of compassion to his stare.
Without saying a word, he bent down and scooped me up. He smelled of fresh detergent, the same kind my mom used, and tears welled in my eyes. Before I could put up a fight, which would’ve been pointless, he deposited me on the table. When he backed away, I gripped the edges of the table, feeling like I’d been here before.
And I had.
Another cup of water was given to me, which I accepted. The doctor sighed loudly. “Is fighting this out of your system now?”
I dropped the paper cup on the table and forced my tongue to move. It felt swollen and difficult to control. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Of course you don’t.” He placed the chest piece under my shirt, like he had done before. “No one in this room, or even in this building, expects that from you, but fighting us, before you even know what we’re about, is only going to hurt you in the end. Now breathe in deeply.”
I breathed in, but the air got stuck. The line of white cabinets across the room blurred. I would not cry. I would not cry.
The doctor went through the motions, checking my breathing and blood pressure before he spoke again. “Katy—may I call you Katy?”
A short, hoarse laugh escaped me. So polite. “Sure.”
He smiled as he placed the pressure cuff on the table and then stepped back, folding his arms. “I need to do a full exam, Katy. I promise it will not hurt. It will be like any other physical exam you’ve had before.”
Fear balled in my core. I folded my arms around my waist, shivering. “I don’t want that.”
“We can postpone it for a little bit, but it must be done.” Turning, he walked over to one of the cabinets and retrieved a dark brown blanket. Returning to the table, he draped it over my bent shoulders. “Once you regain your strength, we’re going to move you to your quarters. There you will be able to wash up and get into fresh, clean clothes. There’s also a TV if you want to watch, or you can rest. It’s pretty late, and you have a big day tomorrow.”
I held the blanket close, shaking. He made it sound like I was at a hotel. “Big day tomorrow?”
He nodded. “There is a lot we need to show you. Hopefully, then you’ll understand what Daedalus is truly about.”
I fought the urge to laugh again. “I know what you guys are about. I know what—”
“You know only what you’ve been told,” the doctor interrupted. “And what you do know is only half true.” He cocked his head to the side. “I know you’re thinking of Dawson and Bethany. You don’t know the whole story behind them.”
My eyes narrowed, and the answering rush of anger warmed my insides. How dare he put what Daedalus did to Bethany and Dawson back on them? “I know enough.”
Dr. Roth glanced at Green Beret by the controls, and then he nodded. Green Beret quietly exited the room, leaving the doctor and Khaki Beret behind. “Katy—”
“I know you basically tortured them,” I cut in, growing more furious by the second. “I know you brought people in here and forced Dawson to heal them, and when that didn’t work, those humans died. I know you kept them away from each other and used Beth to get Dawson to do what you wanted. You’re worse than evil.”
“You don’t know the whole story,” he repeated evenly, completely unfazed by my accusations. He looked at Khaki Beret. “Archer, you were here when Bethany and Dawson were brought in?”
I turned to Archer, and he nodded. “When the subjects were brought in, both were understandably difficult to deal with, but after the female had gone through the mutation, she was even more violent. They were allowed to stay together until it became obvious there was a safety issue. That was why they were separated and eventually moved to different locations.”
I shook my head as I pulled the blanket closer. I wanted to yell at them at the top of my lungs. “I’m not stupid.”
“I don’t think you are,” the doctor answered. “Hybrids are notoriously unbalanced, even the ones who have mutated successfully. Beth was and is unstable.”
Knots formed in my belly. I could easily remember how crazy Beth had been at Vaughn’s house. She had seemed fine when we found her at Mount Weather, but she hadn’t always been that way. Were Dawson and everyone in danger? Could I even believe anything these people were telling me?
“That’s why I need to do a full exam, Katy.”
I looked at the doctor. “Are you saying I’m unstable?”
He didn’t respond immediately, and it felt like the table had dropped out from underneath me.
“There is a chance,” he said. “Even with successful mutations, there is an instability issue that arises when the hybrid uses the Source.”
Clenching the blanket until the feeling came back in my knuckles, I willed my heart to slow down. It wasn’t working. “I don’t believe you. I don’t bel
ieve anything you’re saying. Dawson was—”
“Dawson was a sad case,” he said, cutting me off. “And you will come to understand that. What happened with Dawson was unintentional. He would’ve been released eventually, once we were sure he could assimilate again. And Beth—”
“Just stop,” I snarled, and my own voice surprised me. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.”
“You have no idea, Miss Swartz, how dangerous the Luxen are and the threat those who have been mutated by them pose.”
“The Luxen aren’t dangerous! And the hybrids wouldn’t be, either, if you left us alone. We haven’t done anything to you. We wouldn’t have. We weren’t doing anything until you—”
“Do you know why the Luxen came to Earth?” he asked.
“Yes.” My knuckles ached. “The Arum destroyed their planet.”
“Do you know why their planet was destroyed? Or the origins of the Arum?”
“They were at war. The Arum were trying to take their abilities and kill them.” I was totally up to date on my Alien 101. The Arum were the opposite of the Luxen, more shadow than light, and they fed off the Luxen. “And you’re working with those monsters.”
Dr. Roth shook his head. “Like with any great war, the Arum and Luxen have been fighting for so long that I doubt many of them even know what sparked the battle.”
“So are you trying to say that the Arum and the Luxen are like the intergalactic Gaza Strip?”
Archer snorted at that.
“I don’t even know why we’re talking about this,” I said, suddenly so tired I wasn’t sure I could think straight. “None of that matters.”
“It does matter,” the doctor said. “It goes to show how very little you truly know about any of this.”
“Well, I guess you’re going to educate me?”
He smiled, and I wanted to knock the condescending look off his face. Too bad that would require my letting go of the blanket and mustering up the energy to do so. “During their prime, the Luxen were the most powerful and intelligent life-form in the entire universe. Just like in any set of species, evolution evolved in response, creating a natural predator—the Arum.”
Lux [4] Origin Page 2