Jennifer L. Armentrout 14 страница

have one?”

Blake laughed. “No. They’re hard to get.”

Grabbing an abused pillow, I placed it under my head and closed my

eyes, snuggling against the arm of the couch. “Well, then I guess it’s

just me and sugar.”

There was a pause. “You did really well, though. You’re a fast

learner.”

“Ha! You weren’t saying that the first week of training.” I

yawned. “Maybe this won’t be so hard. I’ll get control of my

abilities…and everything will go back to normal.”

“Things won’t ever be normal, Katy. Once you step outside the

range of the beta quartz, the Arum will find you.” The couch dipped on

my side, but I was too tired to open my eyes. “But if you can really

control this, you’ll be able to defend yourself.”

And that’s what I wanted. To stand beside Daemon, not cower behind

him. “You’re such a bearer of great news. You know that?”

“I don’t mean to.”

The cushion under me shifted even more, and I felt Blake’s fingers

brushing my hair aside. My eyes snapped open, and I jerked up,

twisting around to face him. “Blake.”

He sat back, placing his hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t

mean to startle you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay over

there.”

Was that all? Or more? Oh, man, this was so awkward. “Things are

really complicated right now.”

“Understandable,” he said, sitting back. “You like him, don’t

you?”

I clutched the pillow to my chest, not sure what to say.

“Don’t lie.” He laughed when I frowned. “You always blush when you

lie.”

“I don’t know why people keep saying that. My cheeks are not a

human lie detector.” I toyed with a frayed thread, knowing we needed

to have that conversation, especially since we were working together.

“I’m sorry. Just right now-”

“Katy, it’s okay.” He placed his hand on mine, squeezing

reassuringly. “For real. I like you. I do. Obviously. But you have a

lot going on, and probably some of that was before I even came here.

So it’s okay. Really.”

The first real smile in two days turned up my lips. “Thanks for

being so…understanding.”

Blake pushed off the couch, running his hand through his hair.

“Well, I have the time to be patient. I’m not going anywhere.”

…

I sat in class, trying to focus on what Carissa and Lesa were

talking about. My skin was alternating between hot and cold flashes.

“So, Katy, you’ve been hanging out with surfer boy a lot.” Lesa

cocked an eyebrow. “Care to share the details on that?”

I shrank in my seat. “No. We’re just hanging out.”

“Just hanging out,” Lesa repeated slyly, “is like code for having

sex.”

Carissa’s mouth dropped open. “No, it’s not!”

“You obviously haven’t dated a lot of guys around here.” Lesa sat

back in her chair, pulling on a tight curl. “Actually, pretty much

everything with guys around here is code for sex.”

“I’m going to have to go with Carissa on this one. Hanging out

does not equal sex the last time I-”

Tingles shot across my neck and my heart rate spiked. I caught a

glimpse of Daemon coming through the doorway and I focused on Lesa’s

face as though she were my lifeline.

Daemon glided past my seat and took his behind me. I clenched the

edges of my notebook, hoping our teacher wouldn’t take his sweet time

getting to class.

A pen poked me in the back.

An unbelievably giddy rush swept through me. I turned slowly. I

couldn’t pick up anything from his guarded expression.

“I see you’ve been…busy,” he said, lashes lowered.

Sucky part about living next to Daemon was the fact he pretty much

saw everything I did. And that meant he knew I was still training with

Blake. “Yeah, kind of.”

Daemon’s elbows scooted over the desk as he cupped his chin in his

hands. “So what is Bobo doing?”

“It’s Blake,” I said, voice low. “And you know what we’ve been

doing. You’re more-”

“Not going to happen.” He then laughed under his breath, but there

was no humor to it as he inched a little closer. His irises deepened.

“I really wish you’d think about this.”

“And I wish you ’d think about this.”

Daemon didn’t respond. He pulled his elbows back toward him,

crossing his arms. Our conversation was obviously over. I twisted

around, feeling icky.

Morning classes dragged. Lesa was waiting for me outside of bio,

stopping me from going in. “Can I ask you a question?” she said,

glancing around.

I sighed. “Sure.”

She pulled me against an unoccupied locker. “What’s going on? You

kissed Daemon before Halloween, went out with Blake once, and now you

went out with him again, but you and Daemon undeniably have something

going on.”

I made a face. “Gee, it sounds like I’m a ho-bag or something.”

Lesa made a face. “I’m so not the one who’s going to slut shame.

Trust me. I’m just curious. Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

One of the reasons I liked Lesa? She didn’t beat around the bush.

She spoke what she thought, and because of that, I was more open with

her than anyone. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, I do. I’m not…dating

Blake. And I’m not dating Daemon.”

“You’re not?”

I leaned against the cool steel and sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Can’t be that complicated,” she said. “Who do you like?”

Closing my eyes, I finally put voice to it. “Daemon.”

“Ah-ha!” She bumped me with her hip. “Wait. How is it complicated?

Daemon’s got it for you big time. Everyone can see that, even when you

guys are at each other’s throats. And you like him. What’s the deal?”

How could I explain how messed up everything was? “It’s just

really complicated. Trust me.”

Lesa frowned. “I’m going to have to take your word for it, because

Blake is coming down the hall.” She whipped around so quickly it was

like she’d been caught peeping down my shirt.

Bio was uneventful. Blake typically acted like we weren’t mutants

or anything while we were in school, and I appreciated him for that.

Here, I could be normal, as odd as that was.

I discovered they were serving cold lasagna and salad that smelled

funny for lunch. Yum. I slopped some on my plate while craving a

strawberry smoothie. Doubtful I’d get that delivered today. Daemon had

stopped bringing me treats about the time training had started. I

missed it. I missed him.

Dee and Adam were joined at the mouth when I sat down. I glanced

at Carissa. She rolled her eyes, but I smiled. My sucky love life

aside, I was still on Team Love Rocks. The only thing I honestly

couldn’t deal with was my mom and Will making out, which I’d gotten an

eyeful of yesterday before she left for work. Ew.

“You going to eat that salad?” Dee asked.

“It’s cute how you stopped kissing for food.” I laughed, pushing

my tray toward her. “Hey, Adam.”

His cheeks were flushed. “Hey, Katy.”

“Sorry. I worked up an appetite.” Dee grinned.

“And I lost mine,” Carissa muttered.

Blake never arrived at the cafeteria, but Daemon had. He’d taken

his seat beside Andrew and Ash. Against my will, I watched him. Daemon

glanced up, holding a smoothie. He smirked.

Bastard.

I shifted my gaze to Dee. “How can you eat that? I swear the edges

of the lettuce are brown. It’s gross.”

Adam laughed. “Dee can eat anything.”

“So can you.” She offered him the tomato on her fork. “Want some?”

“Okay.” I sat back. “If you feed him, I’m going to have to find a

new table.”

“I second that,” Carissa added.

Dee rolled her eyes but relented. “I like to share. What’s wrong

with that?” Then she looked at me, her expression hopeful. “I’m glad

you’re eating with us…alone today.”

Uncomfortable, I nodded and focused on pulling apart my lasagna. I

hated layered food, unless those layers involved chocolate and peanut

butter.

Lunch and the afternoon classes finally ended, and I swung by the

post office to pick up the mail before Blake came over.

As I was placing the junk and packages on the backseat, I caught

sight of one of the black Expeditions parked at the edge of the

parking lot, as if they’d pulled over abruptly and left the engine

running.

It could be any Expedition, I told myself as I closed the door,

but a shiver danced down my spine and all the tiny hairs rose on my

arms. Maybe I’d developed some kind of wicked sixth sense along with

my alien mojo?

Going to the driver’s side, I kept an eye on the Expedition. Smoke

plumed out of the muffler, choking the air.

Suddenly, the passenger door jerked open and I saw two people.

Brian Vaughn, the DOD officer who owned the creepiest laugh ever, was

leaning over the passenger, grabbing for the door. His mouth was a

thin, angry slash as he groped for the door with one hand while his

arm braced a girl against the seat.

Squinting, I took another look at the girl when I should’ve been

climbing into my car and getting the hell out of there. The last thing

I needed was for Vaughn to catch me peeping at him, but…I knew this

girl.

I’d seen her face on a flyer, taped on the glass windows of

FOOLAND. Her brown hair was pulled back tightly from her pale, elfin

face. Her eyes weren’t dancing with laughter when she turned to the

door, watching Vaughn pull it shut, closing her in…closing me out.

Her eyes were empty.

But it was her.

It was Bethany.

Armentrout, Jennifer L.

Onyx (A Lux Novel)

Chapter 22

Bethany-Dawson’s girlfriend-was alive. And she was with the DOD.

It sounded insane, and I went through every stage of denial as I made

my way home, but it was her. That face had been burned into my

memory. I paced the house until Blake showed up, stunned by what this

could mean.

He took one look at me and frowned. “You look like you’ve seen a

ghost.”

“I think I have.” My hands opened and closed at my sides. “I think

I saw Bethany today with this guy from the DOD.”

Blake frowned. “Who’s Bethany?”

It felt wrong telling Blake about this, but I needed to tell

someone. “Bethany was Dawson’s girlfriend. And Dawson was Daemon and

Dee’s brother. They were supposedly attacked by an Arum and killed,

but their bodies were taken away by the DOD before Daemon or Dee could

see them.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Man, I was curious. Every Luxen

comes in threes.”

I nodded. “But if it’s really her-and I’m pretty sure it’s

her-what does that mean?”

Blake sat on the arm of the recliner, turning the TV remote over

and over above his hands…without touching it. “How close were Dawson

and Bethany?”

Then it hit me. It all seemed so clear. The walls tilted a little

as panic punched a hole in my chest. “Oh my God, Dawson had healed

Bethany. That’s what everyone thinks. That she got hurt somehow and he

healed her. And he could’ve changed-mutated-her, right?”

Blake nodded. “Oh, man…”

“And I bet Bethany is a nickname for Elizabeth and… And what did

that girl look like-the one who told you about the DOD named Liz?”

His brows rose. “She had brown hair, a little darker than yours.

Kind of sharp features, but really pretty.”

It all started to click together. “This is insane. How would the

DOD have known about her? She and Dawson disappeared just a couple of

days after whatever happened between them, unless…unless someone who

suspected that Bethany had been healed told the DOD.” My stomach

tumbled over as I pulled my hair back into a messy twist. “Who would

do that? One of the Luxen?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put it past the DOD to have Luxen who

are the eyes and ears for them,” he said, rubbing his brow. “Man, that

sucks.”

Suck didn’t even cover it. That meant someone close to the Blacks

had most likely betrayed them in the worst way. Anger whipped through

me. I turned just as the curtains billowed out as if a rush of air had

entered the room. A small cyclone of books and magazines moved through

the living room, spinning and spinning.

“Whoa, simmer down, Storm.”

I blinked and the cyclone fell apart. Sighing, I picked up the

books and magazines now scattered around the room. My pulse thrummed

in my ears as my mind raced through what I’d discovered. “If the DOD

has Beth, then what did they do with Dawson? Do you think he’s still

alive?”

Hope sparked with that idea. If Dawson was alive, that would… It

would be like my father still being alive. My life would change.

Daemon’s and Dee’s lives would change for the better. They’d be a

family again…

Blake grasped my arm gently, turning me toward him. “I know what

you’re thinking. How wonderful it would be for him to still be alive,

but Katy, the DOD doesn’t want Dawson. They wanted Bethany. And they’d

do anything to get control of mutated humans. If the DOD told his

family he was dead…”

“But you don’t know if they told the truth,” I protested.

“Why would they keep him alive, Katy? If that really is

Liz-Beth-then they have what they want. Dawson would be dead.”

I couldn’t believe that. There was a chance he was alive, and

there was no way I could live with myself without telling Daemon and

Dee.

“Katy, he can’t be alive. They are ruthless,” he persisted, and

his grip tightened on my arm. “You do understand that, right?” He

shook my arm. Hard. “Do you?”

Surprised by his doggedness, I lifted my chin. My eyes met his,

and there was something wrong in his, a quality that was slightly off

and scary, like when he’d smiled and threw the knife at my head. Ice

trickled through my veins.

“Yeah, I understand. It probably wasn’t even her.” I swallowed,

forcing a smile. “Blake, can you let go of my arm? You’re hurting me.”

He blinked and then seemed to realize he’d been squeezing my arm.

He let go and choked out a laugh. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you

getting your hopes up and being let down. Or doing something crazy.”

“No, my hopes aren’t up.” Rubbing my arm, I backed up. “And what

could I do, anyway? I’d never tell Daemon or Dee if I wasn’t sure.”

Relieved, he smiled. “Good. Let’s start training.”

Nodding, I dropped the subject and hoped Blake forgot about it.

Our training consisted of freezing things, and as soon as he left, I

rushed to grab my cell. It was near midnight, but I texted Daemon

anyway.

Can u come over?

I waited ten minutes before I texted him again.

This is important!!!

Another ten minutes went by, and I was starting to feel like I was

one of those psychotic girlfriends who texted the crap out of guys

until they responded. Damn him. Cursing, I sent him one more text.

Its abt Dawson.

Not even a minute later, I felt the rush of warmth on my neck.

Stomach tumbling and twisting, I answered the door. “Daemon…” My words

died off and my eyes widened. I must’ve woken him up, because…

No shirt. Again.

It had to be below thirty degrees outside, but he was standing in

front of me in flannel pajama bottoms and nothing else but glorious,

perfectly formed skin stretched taut over hard muscle. I hadn’t

forgotten what he’d looked like shirtless, but my memory had not

served him one bit of justice.

Daemon stepped inside, eyes wide and luminous. “What about

Dawson?”

I shut the door, heart racing. What if telling him was a mistake?

What if Dawson was dead? I’d just be screwing up Daemon’s life even

more. Maybe I should’ve listened to Blake.

“Kat,” Daemon snapped, impatient.

“Sorry.” I moved past him, careful not to touch any of his exposed

skin, and went into the living room. Popping in front of me, he

planted his hands on his hips. I took a deep breath. “I saw Bethany

today.”

Daemon’s head jerked to the side and he blinked once, then twice.

“What?”

“Dawson’s girl-”

“I know what you said,” he interrupted me, dragging both hands

through his tousled hair. For a moment I was a bit distracted by the

way the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippled. Focus. “How can

you be sure it was her, Kat? You’ve never seen her.”

“I’ve seen her missing person’s flyer. It’s a face I can’t

forget.” I sat down, rubbing my hands over my knees. “It was her.”

“Holy shit...” Daemon sat beside me on the couch, dropping his

hands between his legs. “Where did you see her?”

I watched the confusion lining his face and I wanted nothing more

than to comfort him somehow. “At the post office after school.”

“And you waited until now to tell me?” Before I could answer, he

laughed under his breath. “Because you were training with Bilbo

Baggins and you had to wait until he left to talk to me?”

Squeezing my knees, I jerked my chin. Daemon should’ve been the

first person I went to. Being shocked by what I saw and the training

sessions weren’t nearly as important or a good enough excuse. “I’m

sorry, but I’m telling you now.”

He nodded curtly and returned to staring at the Christmas tree. It

seemed like forever ago that we’d put it up. “Man, I don’t…I don’t

even know what to say. Beth’s alive?”

I nodded, pressing my lips together. “Daemon, I saw her with Brian

Vaughn. She’s with the DOD. They’d pulled over on the side of the road

and the car door had opened. That’s how I saw them. He was closing the

door and he looked angry.”

Daemon slowly twisted his head toward me, and our gazes locked.

Time stretched. An array of emotions went through his eyes, turning

them from a bright green to a dark, stormy color. I saw the moment he

knew what I was getting at-the second that his entire world came

crumbling down and was rebuilt within seconds.

Suspecting that Dawson had healed Bethany, and then jumping to

Dawson and Bethany disappearing because of the DOD rather than the

Arum wasn’t a hard leap to make. Not after discovering that by healing

me, Daemon had also changed me. Then you throw Blake into the mix,

plus everything he’d told us about the DOD and their search for

mutated humans.

Daemon was smart.

He shot to his feet and within seconds, he was out of his human

form and blinding me. His light flared a shade of red-white as he

pinged across the room. Wind picked up, stirring the bulbs on the

Christmas tree. She was with the DOD? His voice whispered to me, tight

with fury. The DOD is responsible for this?

Hearing Daemon’s voice in my head always took me a few seconds to

get accustomed to, and out of habit I answered verbally. “I don’t

know, Daemon, but that’s not the worst part of this. How would the DOD

know what happened between Dawson and Bethany unless…?”

Unless someone told them? His light pulsed and a blast of heat

filled the room. But Dawson didn’t even tell me he’d healed her or

that anything happened. How would anyone know? Unless someone had seen

them other than me, suspected what happened, and betrayed us…

I nodded, not even sure if he was looking at me or not. All I

could see was his form, no features, no eyes. “That’s what I’ve been

thinking. It had to be someone who knew, and that probably really

limits the pool of suspects.”

Several moments passed and the temperature in the room continued

to rise. I need to know who betrayed us. Then I’ll make them wish

they’d never landed on this planet.

Eyes wide, I stood and pushed up the sleeves of my sweater.

Swallowing, I took a chance. Daemon?

His light flickered. I hear you.

More proof that our connection hadn’t gone anywhere. I know you’re

hell-bent on revenge, but most importantly, what if Dawson is still

alive?

Daemon drifted over to me, and tiny beads of sweat broke out on my

forehead. Then I don’t know if I should be happy or sad. He’d be

alive, but where? The DOD has him, and if that’s the case, what kind

of life has he had? For two years? His next words sounded choked, even

within my mind. What have they been doing to him?

Tears filled my eyes, blurring his light. I’m sorry, Daemon. I’m

really sorry. But if he’s alive, then he’s alive. I reached out,

placing my hand through the light, touching his chest. The light

pulsed erratically then calmed. My fingers hummed. That’s got to mean

something, right?

Yes, yes it does. Then he stepped back, and a second later he was

in his human form. “I need to find out if my brother is alive-and if

he’s not…” He looked away, jaw working. “I need to know how and why he

died. It’s obvious why they would want Beth, but my brother?”

I sat back down, wiping my palm over my forehead. “I don’t know-”

Daemon grasped my hand so quickly, I gasped. “What are you doing?”

He turned my hand over, his brows furrowing. “What is this?”

“Huh?” I glanced down, and my heart stuttered. A deep, purplish

bruise circled my wrist, right where Blake had grabbed me earlier.

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “I banged my arm into the counter

earlier.”

His eyes lifted, piercing mine. “Are you sure that’s what

happened, because I swear if it’s not, you tell me and that problem

will be solved.”

I forced a laugh and an eye roll for extra benefit. There was no

doubt in my mind that Daemon would do something terrible to Blake even

though it was an accident. There were no shades of gray with him.

“Yes, Daemon, that’s all that happened. Geez.”

Studying me, he backed up and sat on the couch. Several moments

passed. “Don’t tell Dee about this, okay? Not until we get some leads

or something. I don’t want her knowing anything until we know for

sure.”

Great. One more lie, but I could understand why. “How are you

going to get leads?”

“You said you saw Bethany with Vaughn, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, I happen to know where he lives. And he probably knows

where Beth is and what happened to Dawson.”

“How do you know where he lives?”

He smiled, a bit evilly. “I have my ways.”

A new panic dug in with icy fingers. “Wait. Oh no, you can’t go

after him. That’s insane and dangerous!”

Daemon arched a coal-black brow. “As if you care what happens to

me, Kitten.”

My mouth dropped open. “I do care, jerk-face! Promise me you won’t

do anything stupid.”

Watching me a few seconds, his smile turned sad. “I won’t make

promises I know I’ll break.”

“Argh! You’re so freaking frustrating. I didn’t tell you so you’d

go off and do something stupid.”

“I’m not going to do anything stupid. And even if what I plan is

risky and insane, it’s a well-thought-out level of stupidity.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s reassuring. Anyway, how do you know

where he lives?”

“Since we’re surrounded by people who potentially want to do my

family harm, I tend to keep tabs on them like they keep tabs on me.”

He leaned back, stretched his arms until his back bowed. Good God, I

had to look away. But not before I caught the gleam of satisfaction in

his eyes. “He’s been staying at a rental in Moorefield, but I’m not

sure which one it is.”

I shifted on the couch, yawning. “What are you going to do? Stake

out his block?”

“Yes.”

“What? Do you have a James Bond fetish?”

“Possibly,” he replied. “I just need a car not easily

recognizable. Does your mom work tomorrow?”

My brows rose. “No, she’s off in the evening and will probably be

sleeping, but-”

“Her car would be perfect.” He shifted his weight on the couch and

was now so close, his bare arm pressed into mine. “Even if Vaughn has

seen her car, he won’t suspect it belongs to her.”

I scooted over. “I’m not letting you take my mom’s car.”

“Why not?” He inched over, grinning. A charming smile-the same

he’d used on my mom the first time they’d met. “I’m a good driver.”

“That’s not the point.” I moved against the arm of the couch. “I

can’t just let you take her car without me.”

He frowned. “You’re not getting involved in this.”

But I wanted to be involved in this, because it did involve me. I

shook my head. “You want my mom’s car, then you get me along with it.

It’s a two-for-one special.”

Daemon tipped his chin now, peering up through thick lashes. “Get

you? Now that sounds way more interesting of a deal.”

My cheeks flushed. Daemon already had me, but he just didn’t know.

“As in a partnership, Daemon.”

“Hmm.” Daemon flickered to the door. “Be ready after school

tomorrow. Ditch Bartholomew by any means necessary. And do not speak a

word of this to him. You and I will be playing spy alone.”

Armentrout, Jennifer L.

Onyx (A Lux Novel)

Chapter 23

Making up some lame excuse about having to spend time with my mom,

I successfully ditched a very pouty Blake. Getting the keys from my

mom wasn’t too difficult, either. She’d crashed from a double shift as

soon as she got home, and I knew she wouldn’t be awake to notice her

car was gone. We’d waited until darkness fell, which clocked in around

five thirty.

Daemon met me outside and tried to take the keys. “Nope. My mom’s

car means I’m driving.”

He glared at me but got into the passenger seat. His long legs

were no match for the cramped seating. He looked like he’d outgrown

the car. I laughed. Daemon scowled.

I turned on a rock station, and he changed it to an oldies

station. Moorefield was only fifteen minutes away, but it would be the

longest damn drive of my life.

“So how did you drop Butter-face?” he asked before we even pulled

out of the driveway.

I shot him a dirty look. “I told him I have plans with my mom.

It’s not like I spend every waking minute with Blake.”

Daemon snorted.

“What?” I glanced at him. He stared out the window, one hand on

the oh-shit handle. As if my driving was that bad. “What?” I repeated.

“You know what I’m doing with him. It’s not like we’re hanging out and

watching movies.”

“Do I really know what you’re doing with him?” he asked softly.

My hands tightened on the wheel. “Yes.”

The muscle worked in his jaw, and then he turned, angling his body

toward me the best he could given the limited space. “You know, your

whole life doesn’t have to involve training with Bradley. You can take

time off.”

“You could also join us. I liked it…when you helped out, when you

were there,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks burn.

There was a pause. “You know my stance on that, but you need to

stop avoiding Dee. She misses you. And that’s just messed up.”

Guilt chewed at me with small, razor-sharp teeth. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” he said. “What for? For being a crappy friend?”

In a second, anger flashed through me, wild and hot like a

fireball. “I’m not trying to be a crappy friend, Daemon. You know what

I’m doing. You’re the one who told me to keep her out of this. Just

tell Dee I’m sorry, okay?”

The familiar challenge was in his voice. “No.”

“Can we not talk?”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-13