“You know what’s going to happen to them.”
“Who?” he asked innocently.
His lips thinned as he neared the desk. The money flew off the floor and he caught the stack. Dropping it on the desk, he then folded his arms. “You know who I’m talking about. There is no way that girl and Daemon are going to make it out of Mount Weather.”
Luc knocked a strand of brown hair out of his face. “I know.”
The disappointment increased as he stared at Luc. “You have to stop this. You have—”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Those amethyst eyes sharpened.
Paris unfolded his arms and raised his hands. “You know what I mean.”
“And you know why I have to do this. Why I need them to get inside Daedalus.”
Struggling to not let his frustration show, Paris motioned a chair toward the desk. He sat in it once it settled on all four legs. “You have the serum, Luc. You tried it. It didn’t work.”
A muscle spasmed along Luc’s jaw. “The old serum didn’t work. I want the serum they gave to that girl that was just in here. That serum could work.”
“Luc—”
“Don’t,” he warned, his eyes flashing. “Don’t tell me this is a lost cause. Nothing is a lost cause.”
“That trip inside Mount Weather sure as hell is a lost cause,” Paris shot back.
“For them, yes. Not for me.” Luc shrugged, causing the edges of his hair to sway. “They get captured, they’ll get back out, with what I want.”
For a moment, all Paris could do was stare at Luc. There was no guarantee that if those two teenagers were captured, they’d survive long enough to get what Luc wanted, but Luc knew that. Luc was just willing to risk their lives.
Luc would risk everyone’s life, including Paris’s, to get what he wanted.
He sighed as his gaze flickered to the closed door behind the desk. “And what if it doesn’t work, Luc? What if the newest serum doesn’t heal Nadine?”
A flicker of emotion crawled across Luc’s normally impassive expression, tightening the corners of his almond-shaped eyes. “Then I will make sure Sergeant Dasher and Nancy Husher pay for what they’ve done to her.” Paris didn’t respond to that, because what could he say? Killing was bad? Revenge got you nowhere? And what Dasher and those at Daedalus had done to Nadine, what they had done to so many innocent people and Luxen, weren’t actions easily forgivable.
Leaning forward, Luc tossed what he held onto the desk. It was a photograph. Paris immediately recognized the man. It was Sergeant Dasher in full uniform standing next to a shorter woman with sleek ash-colored hair. In front of them was a young blonde girl. She smiled at the camera so broadly that her full cheeks looked like she had a mouthful of cotton. A cute little thing—a cute little human thing.
An icy chill powered down Paris’s spine as he lifted his gaze and looked at Luc.
“You know who that man is,” Luc said, laughing softly. “That’s his wife, Sylvia. She’s what men with small…well, you-know-whats, like to call a trophy wife. And that big-cheeked girl is his daughter, Evelyn. We all know what Husher loves most in this world and that isn’t her. I will take them. And that girl there?” He paused. “That’s his pride and joy.”
Paris had no idea how Luc got a hold of the family picture, but then again, Luc could get almost whatever he wanted.
“I will destroy him and Nancy, and everything they cherish in this world,” Luc said calmly, as if he were discussing inviting them over for dinner.
“Even the girl?” he murmured. “Seriously?”
His purplish gaze was flat. “Even her.”
Those two words rocked Paris. He jerked in his seat. Sometimes he forgot that there were very few things in this world more frightening than what Luc was and what he was capable of.
And then there were moments like this when Luc, oh so kindly reminded him that he was the furthest thing from human and that he would do anything, risk anyone, to get what he wanted.
Paris’s gaze fell to the photo lying next to the cash. He didn’t look at the sergeant or his wife. His gaze lingered on the smiling face of the girl only a year or two younger than Luc.
Evelyn Dasher.
Paris knew, and maybe even a small part of Luc realized, that what had been done to Nadine could never be undone, no matter what Luc got his hands on.
Evelyn Dasher was as good as dead.
Want more Lux? Collect the entire series by #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout
Obsidian
There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot…until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he lights me up with a big fat bull’s-eye. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.
Onyx
Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro alien connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?
Opal
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different…and I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing alien hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Origin
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back. After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?
Opposition
The world changed the night the Luxen came, and now Daemon will do anything to save Katy…even if that means betrayal. For Katy, the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy them all. As it becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world crumbles around them, they may lose everything—even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind. War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.
Shadows
The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life-form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.