Opal aln-3

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  I tried to pull my arm free. “And you need to let go of me.”

  “Or what? Are you going to do something about it?” His head angled toward me and I caught the familiar scent of his aftershave. “No. Because you know what the risk of exposure is.”

  I gritted my teeth. “What do you want?”

  “Only to talk.” He steered me into an empty classroom. Once inside, I tore my arm free as he locked the door. “Look—”

  Acting on instinct, I dropped my bag on the floor and let the Source soar through me. Whitish-red light spread over my arms, crackling in the air. A ball of white light the size of a softball built above my palm.

  Blake rolled his eyes. “Katy, I just want to talk. You don’t need—”

  I released the energy. The light shot across the room in a bolt. Blake darted out of the way and the light smacked into the chalkboard. The intensity melted the middle of the green slate and the smell of burning ozone filled the air.

  The Source built in me again, and this time I wasn’t going to miss. It rushed down my arms to my fingertips. In that moment, I really didn’t know if it was powerful enough to kill Blake or just do some serious damage. Or maybe I did and I just didn’t want to admit it.

  Rushing behind a huge oak desk, Blake raised his hand. All the chairs to the left of me flew to the right, smacking into my legs and crowding me. My aim was off and the energy ball skyrocketed over Blake’s head, slamming into the circular clock above the board. It exploded in a hundred dazzling pieces of plastic and glass that rained down…

  And then the pieces stopped in midair, hung there as if attached to invisible strings. Below them, Blake straightened, his eyes luminous.

  “Crap,” I whispered, my gaze darting to the door. There was no way I’d make it there and if he’d frozen those pieces, most likely everything was frozen. The door. People outside the room, I imagined.

  “Are you done yet?” Blake’s voice was harsh in my ears. “Because you’re going to tire yourself out here in a few seconds.”

  He had a point. Mutated humans didn’t have the energy stores like the Luxen did. So when they used their abilities, they wimped out pretty quickly. There was also the fact that even though I whipped up on Blake the night everything went down, Daemon had been there and we were feeding off each other.

  But it didn’t mean I was going to just stand there and let Blake do whatever he planned.

  I took a step forward and the chairs reacted in defense. They launched into the air, forcing me back as they stacked atop one another, forming a circle around me that reached the ceiling.

  Raising my hands, I pictured the chairs with little desk areas attached flying apart. Moving stuff was easy to me now, so in theory, those babies should’ve shot at Blake like bullets. They began to tremble and slid away from me.

  Blake pushed back and the wall of chairs shook but didn’t budge. I kept the image of them moving away from me, drawing on the static energy inside me until a fierce throbbing sliced through my temples. The pain increased until I dropped my arms. My heart tripped up as I whirled around. Trapped—encased in a tomb of freaking chairs.

  “And I bet you haven’t been practicing at all?” Through the gaps in chairs, I saw him come around the desk. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I paced in a tiny circle, dragging in deep breaths. My legs felt like jelly, skin dry and brittle. “You killed Adam.”

  “I didn’t mean to. You have to believe that the last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You were going to turn me over! And someone did get hurt, Blake.”

  “I know. And you have no idea how terrible I feel about that.” He followed me on the other side of the wall. “Adam was a nice guy—”

  “Don’t talk about him!” I stopped, hands balling into weak, useless fists. “You shouldn’t have come back.”

  Blake cocked his head to the side. “Why? Because Daemon’s going to kill me?”

  I mirrored his movements. “Because I’m going to kill you.”

  A brow arched and curiosity marked his features. “You already had your chance, Katy. Killing isn’t in your nature.”

  “But it’s in yours, right?” I stepped back, checking the chairs. They shook a little. Blake may have more experience with this stuff, but he was tiring, too. “Anything to protect your friend?”

  He drew in a long breath. “Yes.”

  “Well, I’ll do anything to protect mine.”

  There was a pause. During those seconds, the shattered pieces of the clock fell. I did a little victory dance inside. “You have changed,” he finally said.

  Part of me wanted to laugh, but the action got stuck in my throat. “You have no idea.”

  Moving back from the chairs, he ran a hand through his messy hair. “This is good, because maybe you’ll understand the importance of what I’m about to offer you.”

  My eyes narrowed. “There is nothing you could offer.”

  A wry smile appeared on his lips—lips that I had kissed once. Bile stung the back of my throat. “I’ve been watching you all for days. At first I wasn’t the only one, but you know that. Or at least your bedroom window does.”

  He folded his arms when he realized he had my full attention. “I know Dawson has been trying to find Beth, but he doesn’t know where to look. I do. She’s being kept with Chris.”

  I stopped pacing. “Where’s that?”

  Blake laughed. “Like I’m going to tell you when it’s the only thing that might keep me alive. Agree to help me get Chris free, and I’ll make sure Dawson gets to Beth. That’s all I want.”

  Rendered speechless, I blinked. He was asking for our help after everything? That crazy laugh was building again and it came out this time, throaty and low. “You’re freaking nuts.”

  His expression slipped into a scowl. “The DOD thinks I’m their perfect little hybrid. I asked to stay here because of the community of Luxen and the likelihood of another being mutated. I’m their implant. And I can get you into the facility where they’re being held. I know where they are, what floor they’re on, and what cell. And more importantly, I know their weaknesses.”

  He couldn’t be serious. The chairs at the top wobbled, and I knew I was seconds away from being buried under the damn things.

  “Without me, you’ll never find her and all you’ll do is walk right into Daedalus’s hands.” He took another step back. Over his shoulder, the air was distorted in waves. The kind of power he was throwing off…

  “You need me,” he said. “And yeah, I need you guys. I can’t get to Chris alone.”

  Okay, he was being for real. “Why in the world would we trust you?”

  “You don’t have a choice.” He cleared his throat and the chairs rattled. My gaze dropped. The legs of those on the bottom bent toward him. “You’ll never find her, and Dawson will end up doing something crazy.”

  “We’ll take our chances.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.” Blake picked up my bag and placed it on the teacher’s desk. “Either you all help me or I go to Nancy Husher and tell her just how powerful you are.” At the sound of her name, I sucked in a sharp breath. Nancy worked for the DOD and most likely Daedalus. “I never reported back to her and since Vaughn was working with Will Michaels, neither did he,” he continued. “She thinks your mutation wore off. And handing over that kind of information might save my ass. It might not, but either way, they will come for you now. And before you think getting rid of me fixes this, you’re wrong. I have a message that will be delivered to her if anything happens to me, which tells what you’re capable of and exposes Daemon as the one who mutated you. Yeah, I’ve thought of everything.”

  Anger raged inside me and the chairs really started to shake. In seconds, he’d stripped away whatever power I truly gained, leaving me helpless. “You rat bastard…”

  “I’m sorry.” He was at the door now, and dear God, I was an idiot, because he looked and sounded sincere. “I di
dn’t want it to come to this, but you understand, right? You even said it yourself. You’ll do anything to protect your friends. We really aren’t that different, Katy.”

  Then he opened the door and slipped out. The wall of chairs crumbled, spilling out across the floor. Kind of ironic how they fell upon themselves, just like my whole life was collapsing onto itself.

  Chapter 10

  In a daze, I stepped out of the demolished classroom and made it halfway through the hall before the stairwell door swung open and Daemon burst through.

  His eyes were an incredibly bright green when his gaze landed on me, and he took about four ground-eating steps before he was in front of me, grasping my shoulders. Behind him were Matthew and a slightly-confused-looking Dawson, but Daemon…I’d never seen him so furious, and that was saying something.

  “We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said, jaw clenched.

  Matthew appeared at our sides. “Did you see where he went? Blake?”

  Like I needed the clarification. Then I realized they didn’t know I’d been with him. How much time had passed in that room? It felt like hours but could’ve only been minutes. And if Blake had frozen everyone outside the room, the other Luxen would’ve known, because it wouldn’t have affected them. So Blake must not have affected anything out of the room.

  I swallowed, knowing Daemon’s reaction was going to be epic. “Yeah, he…wanted to talk.”

  Daemon went rigid. “What?”

  I glanced nervously at Matthew. His expression was serene compared to the rage boiling from Daemon’s gaze. “He’s been watching us. I don’t think he ever left.”

  Daemon dropped his hands and backed off, thrusting his fingers through his hair. “I cannot believe he’s here. He has a death wish.”

  Confusion slipped from Dawson’s expression, replaced by curiosity as he inched around his twin. “Why was he watching us?”

  And here comes the kicker, I thought. “He wants us to help get Chris.”

  Daemon whipped around so fast he would’ve pulled a muscle if he were human. “Come again?”

  As quickly as I could, I told them what Blake had said, leaving out the part about turning Daemon and me over to Nancy. I figured that was something best communicated in private. Good call, because Daemon almost went full Luxen mode right there.

  Matthew shook his head. “He…he can’t think we would trust him.”

  “I don’t think he cares if we do,” I said, tucking my hair back. All I wanted to do was sit down and eat a box of sugar cookies, my hands beginning to shake from exhaustion.

  “But does he really know where they are keeping Beth?” Dawson’s eyes were feverish.

  “I don’t know.” I leaned against a locker. “There’s no telling with him.”

  Dawson shot forward, suddenly in my face. “Did he say anything—anything we can use to find her?”

  I blinked, surprised by his sudden animation. “No. Not really. I—”

  “Think,” Dawson ordered, head lowered. “He had to have said something, Katy.”

  Daemon clasped his brother’s shoulder, wheeling him away. “Back off, Dawson. I mean it.”

  He shrugged Daemon’s hand away, body coiled tight. “If he knows—”

  “Don’t go there,” Daemon interrupted him. “He was sent here by the DOD to determine if Kat was a viable subject. To do to her what they are doing to Beth. He killed Adam, Dawson. We are not working with—”

  My legs had started to wobble, and I swayed a little to the left. I really couldn’t even begin to figure out how Daemon knew, but he spun toward me before I could straighten. Strong arms went around my waist, tucking me to his side.

  Daemon’s brows were dark slashes above his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  My cheeks burned. “I’m okay. Really, I am.”

  “You’re lying.” His voice dropped low, dangerous. “Did you fight him?” And then his voice went even lower and a chill ran down my spine. “Did he try to hurt you? Because I swear right now, I will tear through this state—”

  “I’m okay.” I tried to wiggle free, but his arm was like a vise grip. “I used more of the attack first, ask questions later approach. I tired myself out, but he didn’t hurt me.”

  Daemon didn’t look convinced, but he turned his attention back to his brother. “I know you want to believe that Blake can help us somehow, but he can’t be trusted.”

  Dawson looked away, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Frustration rolled off him in waves.

  “Daemon’s right.” Matthew planted his hands on his hips. At the end of the hall, the door opened and two teachers entered, carrying steaming cups and papers. “But this is not the place to discuss any of this. After school, your house.”

  And with that, he spun in the other direction and stalked off.

  “I know what you’re going to say,” Dawson said sharply. “I’m not going to do anything reckless. I promised both of you I wouldn’t and I’m keeping my end of the deal. You better keep yours.”

  Daemon wasn’t relieved as he watched Dawson head in the opposite direction. “This isn’t good,” he said.

  “You have no idea.” I glanced up at him and waited for the teachers to disappear into their classrooms. “Trusting Blake may be a moot point.”

  His eyes narrowed as he turned, angling his body as if he was shielding me. “What are you saying?”

  I prayed he didn’t lose it. “Blake confirmed what Will had said. The DOD and Daedalus believe my mutation wore off. Good news, right? But he’s desperate—more so than we realized. If we don’t agree to help him, he plans to turn us over.”

  Daemon’s reaction was as expected. There was now a fist-sized indent in the locker beside us, and I grabbed his arm, dragging him into the nearby stairwell before teachers started inspecting the source of the noise.

  Helpless anger seeped into the air and settled over him like a blanket. He knew what I wasn’t willing to say yet. Like with Will, we’d been blackmailed—trapped again, and what could we do? Refuse to go along with Blake and be turned over? Or trust someone who had already proven he wasn’t worthy of such a thing?

  God, we were screwed to the tenth degree.

  I could tell Daemon wanted to ditch school and search the entire county, but he also didn’t want to leave me alone…no matter how hard I worked to convince him that, of all places, I was the safest at school. Because apparently I wasn’t, not when Blake was back, acting like a normal student. And Blake knew that as long as he stayed around people, there was nothing we could do.

  Throughout the rest of the day, I expected to see Blake again, but I didn’t. When the final bell rang, I wasn’t surprised when Daemon met me at my locker. “I’m riding home with you,” he said.

  “Sure.” No point in arguing over this. “But how is Dolly getting home?”

  He cracked a grin, loving it when I called his car by its stupid name. “I rode in with Dee this morning. Andrew and Ash are riding with her home.”

  I let that sink in, wondering when Dee had become so close with them. She had never been a big fan of theirs and their human-hating tendencies. So much had changed, and I knew I hadn’t even seen the full spectrum yet.

  “Do you think he’d really turn us over?” I asked once we were inside my little sedan. Outside, the bare trees surrounding the parking lot rattled like a thousand dry bones.

  “He’s obviously desperate.” Daemon tried to stretch out his long legs, grumbling. “Blake killed already to protect his friend, and the only way for Blake to keep him safe is either by turning you over, as he was originally sent to do, or for us to help him. So, yeah, I believe he’d still do it.”

  I gripped the steering wheel, welcoming the lava-like anger suffusing my skin. We’d let Blake go, giving him a chance to get as far away as he could, and he came back to manipulate us. How ungrateful was that?

  I glanced at Daemon. “What are we going to do?”

  His jaw worked. “We have two options: work with him or ki
ll him.”

  My eyes popped. “And you’d be the one to do that? Not right. It shouldn’t always be you. You’re not the only Luxen who can fight.”

  “I know, but I can’t expect someone else to carry that burden.” He looked at me.

  “And I’m not trying to start another argument over whether or not you’d make a good Wonder Woman, but I’d never expect you or my siblings to do that, either. I know you would have done it to…defend yourself and us, Kat, but I don’t want that kind of guilt on your shoulders. Okay?”

  I nodded. Imagining what I felt already, just magnified, twisted my insides. “I could handle it…if I had to.”

  A heartbeat passed, and I felt his hand on my cheek. I took my eyes off the road for a second. He smiled a little. “You burn bright, to me at least, and I know you could handle it, but the last thing I want is your light to be tainted by something so dark.”

  Stupid girlie tears burned my eyes and the road became a bit blurry. I couldn’t let them fall, because crying over him saying something sweet really didn’t help the “I’m A Badass” case. But I gave him a watery smile, and I think he understood.

  I pulled into my driveway before the rest of the crew got there. Filled with nervous energy, I followed Daemon into his house and grabbed a bottle of water, then returned to the living room. Before I could begin the agitated wearing of the carpet, Daemon caught my hand and tugged me toward him as he sat, pulling me onto his lap.

  Arms wrapped around me, he buried his face in my neck. “You know what we have to do,” he said softly.

  Dropping the bottle next to us, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Kill Blake.”

  He choked on his laugh. “No, Kitten. We’re not going to kill him.”

  I was surprised. “We’re not?”

  He pulled back, meeting my questioning stare. “We’re going to have to do what he wants.”

  Okay, I was more than surprised. More like dumbstruck. “But…but…but…”

  A grin teased his lips. “Use your words, Kitten.”

  I snapped out of my stupor. “But we can’t trust him. This is most likely a trap!”