The Burning Shadow

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  My brows pinched. “What? Mind-numbing good looks?”

  Daemon’s response was a slow curl of the lips that hinted at deep dimples.

  Wait. I said that out loud?

  I sort of wanted to smack myself. Hard.

  “Well, we do have that in common, but that’s not what I was thinking,” he replied smoothly. His grin faded. “Can I give you some unasked-for advice?”

  “Sure,” I said, curious. Probably had to do with my driving since I almost ran him over once before. Totally not my fault, though. He had appeared directly in front of my car without warning.

  Daemon was quiet for a long moment. “Luc and I would do anything to protect the people we love.”

  I stilled, unable to take more than a shallow breath as I stared at the male Luxen. I didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “I would beg, plead, barter, and kill to protect Kat,” he continued, voice low, but every word struck me like thunder. “Nothing in this world would stop me, and there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do—and it’s the same for Luc when it comes to you.”

  The next breath I took got caught in my throat as a brightness whirled through my veins. An undefinable amount of joy became a balloon in the center of my sternum, filling me up. I felt like I could float right up to the ceiling. To be loved like that? I’d seen that kind of all-consuming powerful love whenever Emery looked at my friend Heidi, so I knew that was real, and to know that Luc felt—

  Luc felt that way about Nadia, though.

  The reminder popped that whole balloon and sent me whizzing back to reality.

  Things between Luc and me were complicated, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was a human and he was an Origin, and everything to do with who I used to be.

  A girl Luc had loved and lost—a girl he still loved.

  A girl who used to be me.

  A girl I couldn’t remember no matter how hard I tried.

  “Luc loves Nadia, and I’m not her,” I said, sliding my suddenly damp hands over my jeans. “I may have been her once upon a time and I might look like her, but we’re not the same person.”

  Daemon fell quiet as he studied me. “You might not have those memories, but that doesn’t mean you’re not her and that Luc doesn’t feel the same about you as he did when he knew you as Nadia. And he was a kid then, Evie, and he already was willing to sacrifice everyone around him to save you.”

  Something about that tugged at the fringes of my memories. There was a flash of familiarity, but it was gone before I could grasp it. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  I wasn’t so sure, but I nodded. “Yes.”

  He sat back, looking toward the television as he rested his ankle on his knee. “Do you know that Kat was captured by the Daedalus?” The Daedalus had been a secret division of the Department of Defense that had been responsible for assimilating Luxen into the human populace long before they’d invaded, and then for an atrocious series of horrific experiments with both Luxen and humans. “How it all went down?”

  I shook my head.

  “We were trying to free my brother’s girlfriend, and we did so going off information Luc provided us even though he knew one of us would get caught and that the other would do anything to free them. The whole time, he was planning for it. He needed one of us on the inside, one of us who’d be exposed to all the different serums, especially the new ones that were developing. In a way, he set us up.”

  I thought I knew where this was heading, and I also thought I might be sick.

  “Luc sent us in there to get the last serum that he knew the Daedalus had created, in an attempt to heal you. It was called the Prometheus serum,” Daemon went on. “That serum was for you. Kat and I could’ve died. We didn’t, but people did die, Evie, and I’m telling you right now, he’d do it all again knowing how it ends.”

  “Who died?” I whispered, chilled to the bone.

  “A lot of people. A lot of good people died in the process of it all.”

  A name came to mind. “Paris?”

  “He was one of them.”

  I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe it. Paris had died because of Luc.

  Because of me.

  As much as Luc talked about Paris, he never mentioned this. Not once.

  “If Luc was the mastermind behind you all getting captured by the Daedalus and for people dying, then how are you friends with him?” I asked.

  “Friends with Luc?” Daemon chuckled, and it was admittedly a nice sound even though I wasn’t sure what was so funny. “I think you mean, how can I look past the fact that he almost got Kat and me killed? Easy. Because I would do the same thing if those shoes were on my feet.”

  “Really?” I gaped at him.

  “Damn straight. If it were Kat who was dying and there were a chance I could save her, I’d throw everyone in this building under the bus, including you.” He lifted a shoulder as I blinked at him. “Luc and I have an understanding.”

  “That’s an … interesting understanding.” Pushing a strand of hair out of my face, I glanced at the television as I chose my next words. “He did those things for Nadia, because he loved her—I think he’s still in love with Nadia, and she’s basically dead, Daemon. She and I couldn’t be any more different.”

  He leaned toward me, bright green eyes meeting mine. “If Kat lost all her memories tomorrow and she didn’t know who she was or who I was, it wouldn’t change a damn thing about how I feel for her. I would still love her just as much as I did the day before.”

  I swallowed hard. “That’s not really the same thing. You two have been together. It’s not like she disappeared for years and then resurfaced with no recollection of her life before.”

  His eyes flashed with something dark. “Kat has disappeared on me before. Nothing like what happened to you and Luc, but time apart doesn’t make that kind of love lessen. Just makes you more protective of it and makes you willing to do things others won’t to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

  Tearing my gaze from his, I stared down at my checkered socks with little white ghosts all over them. I didn’t doubt for one second that what he was saying about his feelings for Kat was 100 percent true, but things were different between Luc and me.

  “And here’s where my unsolicited advice comes into play. Whether you believe Luc is still in love with who you used to be or who you are now, it doesn’t matter. He will do anything to make sure you’re healthy and whole, and that means you need to be careful.”

  It took me a hot second to formulate a response to that. “Why would I need to be careful?”

  “People like Luc and me? We aren’t the bad guys, Evie, but we aren’t the good guys, either. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Not really.”

  Daemon’s gaze slid back to mine. “You have power over him and his actions, and because you don’t even realize it, that makes him very dangerous.”

  I cast a skeptical look at him. “I don’t see how I have any power over him, how that would make him dangerous, or how what he does or doesn’t do is my responsibility.”

  “I’m not saying it’s your responsibility. It’s not. What Luc does is all on him. What I’m saying is you need to be aware of what he’s capable of.”

  “I’m aware. I’ve seen it firsthand.”

  “You’ve seen a little of what he’s capable of. So have I, and I like to think I’m a badass. My legion of fans would agree.” A quick smile appeared, flashing deep dimples. “But he could take this whole block down with a snap of his fingers.”

  My eyes widened as my stomach dropped. I’d seen Luc uproot trees as tall as skyscrapers, but take down a whole block? “You’re being a little overdramatic, right?”

  Shaking his head, he turned to the television. “My sister.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “My sister is on TV.”

  The volume turned up without anyone tou
ching it, and I figured that was courtesy of Daemon and his nifty alien talents. I twisted toward the TV.

  I recognized the man. Senator Freeman appeared on half of the screen along with the skyline of New York City. He was the senator of one of the midwestern states. Oklahoma? Missouri? I didn’t know, but the man was extremely anti-Luxen and in favor of tightening the ARP—Alien Registration Program—policies that President McHugh was trying to get passed through Congress, along with repealing the Twenty-Eighth Amendment, which afforded Luxen the same basic rights as humans.

  He wasn’t alone on the screen. There was a girl, a stunningly beautiful young woman who was the feminine mirror image of Daemon.

  “Dee?” I said, pulling the name out of the recesses of my memory.

  “Yeah, that’s Dee.”

  “What’s she doing on TV?” I was assuming that she was like her brother, unregistered.

  “Doing God’s work,” he said, and then smirked.

  The female Luxen was absolutely poised, her midnight hair pulled back from her face and her emerald-green eyes shockingly bright. I couldn’t tell where she was. The background was just a plain white wall.

  Senator Freeman was worked up over something, his cheeks ruddy and lips thin. “You keep saying that your kind aren’t dangerous, that you can be trusted, yet there has been a steady increase of Luxen-on-human violence.”

  “There is no evidence that the unfortunate acts of violence against humans have been at the hands of the Luxen, only speculation—”

  “An entire family in Charleston were found just this morning, burned from the inside out,” Senator Freeman viciously interrupted, his tan cheeks deepening in color. “Are you saying that one of your people didn’t do that?”

  There wasn’t so much as a flicker of response on Dee’s face as she calmly stated, “There are many things that could explain their deaths other than an altercation with a Luxen—”

  “Like being struck by lightning?” He scoffed.

  Dee ignored the comment. “None of these senseless deaths have been officially linked to any Luxen, but there is staggering evidence of violence against Luxen—”

  “Oh really?”

  She nodded. “Videos of beatings loaded onto the internet—”

  “Videos of United States citizens defending themselves.”

  “God, will he let her get one full sentence out?” I muttered. “How can anyone have a conversation with this dude?”

  “He interrupts because he doesn’t want to hear what she’s saying,” Daemon said, one hand tapping off his bent knee. “He doesn’t want anyone else to hear it, either.”

  “I don’t know how she doesn’t lose her mind and flip a table.”

  “You’ve met me, right? She’s had twenty-two years of practice dealing with someone who continuously interrupts her.”

  I grinned. “You must’ve prepared her well.”

  “Looks like it.”

  Dee wasn’t flustered in the least as the senator slipped into another tirade about how Luxen were committing wholesale genocide against humans, which was an exaggeration even if a Luxen or a group of them had been responsible for the recent murders—even the recent murders Micah had been responsible for. He claimed he had nothing to do with them, but we knew better.

  “She’s so young.” I brushed my hair out of my face. “I’m surprised that she’s the one doing these interviews.” Her youth was another thing I could tell irritated the senator, simply based on the way he spoke down to her. He was the definition of condescending and patronizing, and I had a feeling he probably spoke to all women like that.

  “There are not many older Luxen left,” Daemon said. “Most were killed during the invasion and the fallout afterward. Dee’s kind of become our unofficial spokesperson.”

  “That’s brave of her.”

  “It is. Most unregistered Luxen want to lie low, not wanting people to know their face. She’s well protected, but most importantly, she’s fearless.”

  “Archer?” I asked. “You?”

  “All of us.” His gaze flicked to me. “An entire community protects her.”

  “There’s nothing to fear from a Luxen,” Dee was saying for what had to be the millionth time. “We are no more dangerous than humans—no more evil or innocent. We are not monolithic, Senator Freeman, just like the human race isn’t. If we were to judge the entire human race based on the rather extraordinary number of serial killers, mass murderers, rapists, racists, and so forth, how would that make you feel?”

  “Oh, good question.” I glanced back at Daemon. His head was tipped back, exposing his neck. “Bet he totally ignores that.”

  “I would not be willing to take that bet.”

  “If there’s nothing to fear from a Luxen, then why aren’t we having this conversation face-to-face?” Senator Freeman asked with a well-practiced smirk, ignoring Dee’s point like I knew he would. “Instead, you’re squirreled away in some undisclosed location.”

  Dee’s steely green gaze fixed on the camera. “Because no one needs to be afraid of us, but we can’t say the same thing about you. About humans.”

  5

  I have a surprise for you.

  Staring at the text message Luc sent while I was in history class, I volleyed back and forth between excitement and trepidation.

  He had a surprise?

  I glanced up at Mr. Barker. He stood in front of the chalkboard, green smoothie in one hand like always, a piece of chalk in the other. Whatever he drank every day was something that would never, ever get close to my mouth. I liked meat and carbs and sugar, and that stuff looked like a garden threw up in his cup.

  The screen on my phone flashed again from where it was hidden under my desk, signaling another text.

  Meet me at your car.

  The corners of my lips turned down as I quickly typed back now with about five dozen question marks, along with .

  A second later, I got a response. ASAP. The surprise is in a box. And it could suffocate.

  I nearly knocked my phone out of my lap as I quickly typed WHAT? Then I followed it up with a reminder that I was in the middle of the class.

  Come out as soon as you can, then.

  As soon as I could? Like I could just come and go from school as I pleased? This was a problem when you were friends with someone who obviously had no structured education and followed absolutely no rules.

  It had been two days since Officer Bromberg had shown up at Foretoken, demanding to see Luc. I had no idea what the officer had really wanted. When Luc returned and after Daemon left, Luc had brushed off my questions, claiming that the officer’s visits were rather routine. I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not. Part of me suspected he wasn’t telling me the whole truth because he didn’t want me to worry.

  Which was annoying.

  Straightening in my seat, I glanced over my shoulder at Zoe. She was staring at Mr. Barker, a dreamy smile plastered across her deep brown cheeks while she tugged one tight honey-colored curl straight and then let it bounce back.

  Zoe had a bit of a crush on Mr. Barker. So did half the school. Mainly because he did have an amazing smile.

  My gaze traveled over the class. Most of my classmates looked half-awake, including Coop, who kept blinking to keep his eyes open. His blond head rested on a fist while the other hand hung limply off the desk. Considering how much the guy liked to party, it wasn’t entirely surprising to see him like that. I didn’t know Coop well, but I wondered how he was doing after Andy’s body was found outside his parents’ home, where he’d been hosting the party. Did Coop also know Ryan?

  News of Ryan’s untimely death had been all that anyone was talking about this morning, but by the time lunch rolled around, it was like everyone had accepted it.

  Until someone sneezed.

  And then there were looks of fear, as if every sneeze was spraying a flu virus that had possibly killed a teenage boy. When I’d talked to Mom about it, she’d told me that the flu could kill, especially if so
meone had underlying health conditions, and that sadly most people didn’t even realize they did until they got sick.

  The phone vibrated against my thigh again, and I looked down.

  I’m vaguely afraid of pandas, just so you know.

  Pandas? What in the world? I grinned. The bubble appeared, showing that another text was coming. Mr. Barker was droning on about conquistadors or something, and I got another text.

  Pandas are like one of the most misleading creatures in the entire animal kingdom. They’re fluffy and cute, so you think they want to hug you, but in reality, they’ll rip you limb from limb.

  I had no idea how to respond to that.

  Wait. I think that’s koala bears. Those things are evil bastards.

  And I had no idea how to respond to that, either, so I texted back I’ll be out in twenty minutes.

  That’s a long time.

  What will I do for twenty minutes?

  Someone might try to take me.

  I am that needed.

  And wanted.

  It’s hard being me.

  So

  Hard

  Oh my God, Luc was a mess.

  Shaking my head, I dropped my phone into the front pocket of my bag and tried to focus on the rest of the class, but there was a strange flutter in my stomach and an even stronger one in my chest. Like I was buzzing. I’d never felt that way with my ex, Brandon, or any random dude I’d harbored a crush on. I didn’t know what to make of the feeling, but it felt like a first of something major.

  The next twenty minutes were the longest minutes of my seventeen years of life. When the bell rang, I popped out of my seat like I had springs attached to my feet.

  “You’re in a hurry,” Zoe pointed out as she shoved her history textbook into her bag.

  “Yeah, Luc’s been texting me.” I kept my voice down. “He said he had a surprise for me in a box, and he’s worried it’s going to suffocate or something.”

  “Oh God.” Her eyes widened. “That literally could be anything he has in that box. Seriously, Evie. Anything.”

  “I know. That’s why I need to hurry.” I slung my book bag over my shoulder.

  “You need to text me later and tell me what he has,” she ordered.