“I woke up thinking someone was calling my name.” Dawson wrapped an arm around Beth’s shoulders. “And I was glowing.”
“Same here,” Daemon said, standing.
Luc ran a hand through his messy hair. In his pajamas, he finally looked his age. “I feel itchy.”
“So do I,” Archer commented quietly. He rubbed the side of his jaw, squinting into the darkness outside the cabin window.
I looked at Beth, and she shrugged. It seemed we were the only two who weren’t feeling whatever it was that had the Luxen and origins in a tizzy.
All of a sudden, they stiffened—all of them except Beth and me. One by one, Daemon, Dawson, and Dee switched to their Luxen forms for a brief second and then resumed their human facades. It was so quick, so immediate, that it was like the sun was in the room for a moment or two.
“Something is happening,” Luc said, spinning around. He headed for the front door. “Something big is happening.”
He was out the door and everyone followed. I stepped out into the cool night air, sticking close to Daemon as he walked onto the gravel pathway in front of the porch and then into the grass. The cool blades were soft under my bare feet.
A strange fissure worked its way down my spine and then out through my nerve endings. A sense of awareness tightened the muscles in my neck as Luc walked farther across the patch of cleared land. The edges of the forest appeared dark and endless, wholly uninhabitable in the darkest hours of night.
“I feel something,” Beth said, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced at me. “Do you?”
I nodded, unsure of exactly what I was feeling, but Daemon stiffened beside me, and then I felt his heart rate kicking up in his chest, jarring mine.
“No,” he whispered.
A small burst of light lit up the sky far off in the distance. Air hitched in my throat as I watched that tiny speck of light travel down, a bright, smoky tail trailing behind it. The light disappeared as it zoomed behind the Rocky Mountains. Another appeared in the sky. Then another, over and over again, and they fell as far as the eye could see, like stars shooting down to Earth. The sky was lit with them, thousands and thousands of bursts of light as they entered our atmosphere and rained down. So many of them that I couldn’t keep track of just how many there were, until their streaming tails blended together, until night turned into day.
Luc let out a strangled, hoarse laugh. “Oh shit. ET so phoned home, kids.”
“And he’s brought friends,” Archer said, taking a step back as several of the speeding lights came close, disappearing among the tall elms and firs.
Daemon reached down, threading his fingers through mine. My heart jumped as they continued to fall before us. Tiny explosions rocked the trees, shook the ground. Light pulsed, lighting up the forest floor every couple of seconds until an intense light flared for several seconds and then faded out.
Then there was nothing. Silence fell around us. There were no crickets, no birds, no scurrying of small animals. There was nothing but our respective short breaths and my own pounding heart thundering in my veins.
A speck of light appeared farther back among the elms. One by one, they appeared, an endless succession of lights coming into existence. So many that I knew there had to be hundreds here just in the forest surrounding us.
“Should we be running right now?” I asked.
Daemon’s hand tightened on mine, and he pulled me against his side. His arms wrapped around my body, holding me close, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “There’s no point, Kitten.”
My heart stuttered a beat as pressure clamped down on my chest.
“We wouldn’t outrun them,” Archer said, his hands closing into fists. “Not all of them.”
I could only stare as a bone-deep understanding settled in me. They neared the edge of the woods, taking shape. Like Daemon and every Luxen I’d seen, their forms were human-shaped and their arms and legs well defined. They were tall, each and every one of them. Their lights cast shimmery shadows as they stopped a few feet outside of the edge of the woods. One continued forward, its light brighter than the sun during summer, tinged in a deep, vibrant crimson, just like Daemon when he was in his true form.
Sergeant Dasher and Daedalus may have lied about a lot of things, but this—oh God—this had been the truth. They had come, just as Dasher had warned, and there had to be hundreds here, and hundreds of thousands elsewhere.
The light flared red again from the one in front. A pulse of energy rolled across the clearing, raising the tiny hairs along my body. I trembled, unsure of what was happening, but then something did.
Dee was the first to lose hold of her human form and then Dawson. I wasn’t sure if it was confusion, fear, or something otherworldly, something in them that responded to the proximity of so many of their kind, but a heartbeat later, Daemon’s arms shuddered around me, and he slipped into his true form as well.
His arms fell away from me, and it was suddenly unbearably cold without his warmth. I saw Dawson do the same and move toward his sister. The three of them stepped forward, separated from us.
“Daemon,” I called out, but he didn’t hear me.
He didn’t respond.
Suddenly Archer was beside me and Luc was near Beth. We were backing up, but I didn’t feel my feet moving or my muscles working. My eyes were trained on Daemon until the others of his kind swallowed his light.
Fear coated the inside of my mouth and turned the blood into slush in my veins. In that instant I couldn’t help but think of what Dasher had said about what would happen when the Luxen came—and whether Daemon would stand with his own kind or with mine.
I wasn’t sure Daemon even had a choice.
I wasn’t sure I did, either.
Acknowledgments
I have to give my family and friends major props for putting up with my nonstop writing and for being so understandable.
There are many people I’d like to thank who were an integral part in the creation of the Lux series and Origin. Major kudos to the team at Entangled: Karen Grove, Liz Pelletier, and Heather Riccio. Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead also was a big help. Not sure why, but I think he and his cut-off shirt look good in my acknowledgments. Thank you to Kevan Lyon, the agent of awesome, for knowing when to go to bat for me and when to pat me on the head. Much appreciation to Stacey Morgan for listening to me ramble on about what Daemon and Kat are doing and insisting that there be more kissing. And cowbell. And country music. The last two things did not make it into the books. Cannot forget Marie Romero for helping shape Origin into something readable! I’m pretty sure I’d be nowhere without Honey Boo Boo and Supernanny. Another thing I’m not sure why, but why not? Thank you to Lesa Kidwiler for doing things I probably shouldn’t ask her to do. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. Thank you to Wendy Higgins for allowing me to borrow from her wonderful books.
I also want to thank some people who have always been huge supporters of my writing and the Lux series: Stacey O’Neale, Valerie from Stuck in Books, the YA Sisterhood, Good Choice Reading, Mundie Moms, Vee Nguyen, the Luxen Army chicks, Amanda from Canada (because that’s how I know you), Kayleigh from England (because that’s how I know you), Laura Kaye and Sophia Jordan (two awesome ladies I can talk to forever), Gaby, Books Complete Me ladies, Book Addict, Momo, and I am forgetting a ton of other people, so please don’t stone me, but it’s sort of late as I’m writing this, and my brain stops functioning around this time, and all I can think about is when is The Walking Dead coming back on?
The biggest and most important thank-you is to you—the person reading this right now. If it weren’t for you, Daemon Black wouldn’t be much of anything. You are the reason why I write these books, and I can never say thank you enough.
Read on for a sneak peek at Renee Collins’s magical and romantic
RELIC
Available in stores and online now!
After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to pr
otect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries.
Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Álvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Álvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late.
Relic is a thrilling adventure set in a wholly unique world, and a spell-binding story of love, trust, and the power of good.
Chapter One
We were home alone the night that Haydenville burned. Mama and Papa had gone to a political meeting and left me in charge. I was sixteen, old enough to keep an eye on my younger brother and sister. Or so my folks figured. They had no way of knowing how I would be tested.
The evening started off so calm. Crickets were singing in the sagebrush, and the oppressive heat of daytime had been swept away by a velvety breeze, which drifted in through the open windows. Ella was playing with Sassy’s new litter of kittens up in the loft, and Jeb sat by the fire, polishing the brand-new gun he’d gotten for his fourteenth birthday the week before. I was scraping a broom over the floor of our little one-room house, trying my best to banish the red-orange sand that seemed our constant companion. But my mind soon drifted from my chores.
I stood in the doorway, in the warm twilight, gazing at the vast desert beyond. It stretched endlessly in either direction, with nothing but sage and rocks and the occasional rabbitbrush to break the monotony. The dark smudge of Haydenville sat on the horizon, a small spit of a town, not much more interesting than the cactus. It always made me feel lonesome to stare out at the stillness around us.
As I leaned my head against the doorframe and watched the first star pierce through the indigo sky, a reckless wish burned in my heart. I gazed up and let myself envision a sleek dragon diving out of the scrape of clouds, a creature long extinct, returned to breathe life back into this barren place. I pictured the ancient animal curling around the moon and soaring over the red-rock cliffs beyond our house. But as it swept downward, a strange glow on the horizon caught my attention.
I straightened, squinting in the direction of the wavering light. It was a wide line of orange spreading across the dark landscape in the distance, painting the night sky a deep amber. The breeze that drifted past my cheek carried the distinct scent of smoke. This was no figment of my imagination. This was fire.
And it was coming from Haydenville.
The broom slid out of my fingers and clattered to the floor.
“Maggie?”
I met my brother’s gaze, and his brow furrowed. “What is it?” he asked, tightening his grip on the rifle as he stood. “A rock devil?”
“Fire.” I pointed, my heart beating fast. “In the town.”
Jeb raced to my side and gripped the doorframe. “God Almighty,” he breathed. “The whole street’s burning.” Then he gave me a sharp look. “Mama and Papa.”
“I’m sure they’re okay,” I said, more confidently than I felt. “They would have seen the fire before it spread. They’re probably on their way back right now.”
Jeb squinted at the horizon, now rippling in the heat. “Someone is coming. A whole bunch of people…”
A row of separate flames undulated in the twilight. Torches. They moved across the desert toward us with a speed that could only mean they were carried on horseback.
“Maybe most people in the town got out,” I said, but my voice faded away.
Jeb stared hard at the fast-moving torches. “I don’t think so, Maggie.”
We looked at each other, and the same thought came to us.
“Ella,” I whispered.
I scrambled up the loft ladder, struggling to stay calm. I had to keep it together until Mama and Papa got home. I just wished they’d hurry.
Ella was lying on her back, holding a squirming kitten over her chest. “Look at this little orange one, Mags,” she said. “Isn’t she the sweetest thing you…”
As her large brown eyes fixed on me, the smile dropped from her face. “What’s wrong?”
She was only seven, but she had a real knack for reading people’s faces.
“You need to come down,” I said, reaching for the kitten.
Ella pulled it out of my grasp. “Hey! I was holding her.”
“You can have her back in a minute. Right now, we need to talk.”
She held her pet close, scowling at me. I clenched my jaw. Sometimes that girl tried my patience like none other. “You come right now, or Mama’s gonna hear about this.” I grabbed the kitten and set it on the mattress.
“I want Jeb,” she said, sitting up angrily.
Jeb was her favorite. Ever since she could walk, she’d followed him like a shadow. I wrapped my hand around her wrist. “You can talk to him when you come down. Now move it.”
We climbed down the ladder steps swiftly. Jeb was standing in the doorway, watching the fire, his rifle poised. Ella ran up to him, hugging his pant leg. He stroked her hair absently but kept his gaze on the flames. I came up behind him, looking at the burning desert beyond us. Staring back at me was the undeniable reality: Mama and Papa weren’t going to reach home before those torches did. Our safety now rested in my hands alone.
“We gotta get out of here,” I said under my breath to Jeb.
“And go where?”
“To the hiding spot, just like we always talked about.”
Jeb grimaced. “We don’t need to do that. I can protect us here.”
“Don’t be a fool. You barely know how to use that gun.”
“I do, too!”
“It doesn’t matter. Mama and Papa put me in charge, and I’m sayin’ we go to the hiding place.”
Ella pulled on Jeb’s arm. “What’s goin’ on?”
He hoisted her up against his hip. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, baby girl.”
It surprised me how calmly he spoke the lie. My anxiety was surely written all over my face.
I turned away from them, trying to mask my fear as busyness. “Help your brother grab some coats and blankets,” I said. My gaze fell to the floor beneath Mama’s and Papa’s bed. “And some water…”
I bent down and lifted up the quilt. After feeling around a moment, I located the loose floorboard and, beneath it, the small jewelry box. My heart quickened as I set the box on my lap. Our family’s single relic lay inside on dark velvet. Kraken.
At first glance, it was little more than an almond-sized piece of bone, oval cut, which was one of the more popular styles. It had been polished a clouded blue-green color. Only exceedingly rare types were diamond clear. Papa had it set in a silver necklace, another common choice for relic wearing. My breath trembled as I lifted it into my palm. I’d dreamed of the day I would be allowed to use it for the first time. This remnant of the ancient world, live with magic.
“What are you taking that for?” Jeb asked, looking over my shoulder. “It’s too small. That thing doesn’t have enough magic to ward off a vampire scorpion, let alone whoever’s coming.”
“You got any better ideas?”
It was true that the relic wouldn’t help much if those people with the torches meant to cause trouble. Kraken bone fossils possessed only water magic, and a pebble-sized piece like we had could barely contract or expand water as needed. Papa had spent our savings on it to help keep our animals and ourselves alive, should we ever have another drought like the one that had nearly killed us three years before.
I knew Jeb, like me,
was wishing right now that Papa had bought a dragon claw or phoenix piece, or any of the other fire relics I’d read about. Not that we could ever even dream of affording such rare, potent ones, but still, I wished it. So many nights, I’d lie in my bed, turning the worn pages of Papa’s relic almanac by candlelight. The more I learned about all the fierce and wonderful relics out there, the more keenly I felt that the day might come when we’d need something better.
And now, we were face-to-face with that day.
I clutched the kraken piece to my chest. “It’s all we have.”
Ella pulled the fabric of my worn calico skirt. “Someone’s gotta tell me what’s happening.”
“Everything’s going to be fine. Looks like there was some trouble in the town, that’s all. We need to head to our hiding spot and wait for Mama and Papa.”
“The hiding place?” Her expression went from shock to resolute fear. “No. I’m not goin’. There’s rock devils up there!”
Every settler knew to stay away from the red-rock cliffs that cast their huge shadow over our little town. The rock devils, horse-sized lizards with endless teeth and claws like hunting knives, lived in the shadowed nooks and caves. Though not magical like their ancient relative, the dragon, rock devils were the most dangerous creature to haunt our desert lands. And with rattlers, vampire scorpions, and ghost coyotes behind every sagebrush, that was really saying something. But that was exactly why Papa said we should hide in the cliffs in case of trouble. Because no one would dare come after us.
“We don’t have a choice,” I told Ella. “We gotta go.”
She ran into Jeb’s arms. He held her and looked at me, his jaw clenched. I gave him my firmest look, and he sighed. “Fine. But I’m bringing my gun.”
The three of us rushed into the warm night. The minute we were out, though, Ella slammed her little heels into the ground.
“The kittens!” She gasped. “We forgot Sassy and the kittens!”
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