It was too late.
No! Please! No! he roared, his voice cracking in a way Id never heard before. Kat!
The voices and sounds of pounding feet were drawing closer, and so was the bone-chilling coldness of the Arum. I felt them along my back, but I couldnt look away from Daemon.
Our eyes locked, and I would never, ever forget the terror in his, the look of pure helplessness. Everything felt surreal on my end, like I really wasnt here. I tried to smile for him, but Im not sure I managed one.
Itll be okay, I whispered as tears filled my eyes. The doors were coming out of the ceiling and the floor. Itll be all right.
Daemons green eyes held a glassy sheen. His arm reached out, fingers splayed. They never reached the laser or the door. I love you, Katy. Always have. Always will, he said, voice thick and hoarse with panic. I will come back for you. I will-
The emergency doors sealed shut with a soft thud . I love you, I said, but Daemon
Daemon was gone. Gone on the other side of the doors and I was trapped-with the Arum and Daedalus. For a moment I couldnt think, couldnt breathe. I opened my mouth to scream, but terror poured into me, cutting off the sound.
I turned around slowly, lifting my head as a tear rolled down my cheek. An Arum stood there, head tilted to the side. I couldnt see his eyes behind the sunglasses, and I was glad I couldnt.
He knelt, and beyond him and the other Arums, I could see men in black uniforms. The Arum reached out, trailing an icy finger down my cheek, chasing the tear, and I recoiled away, pressing against the emergency doors.
This is going to hurt, the Arum said. He leaned in, his face inches from mine and his breath cold against my mouth.
Oh God, I whispered.
A burst of pain encompassed every cell in my body, and the air flew out of my lungs. Suspended there, I couldnt move away. My arms didnt work. Someone grabbed me from the side, but I couldnt feel. It felt like I was still screaming, but there was no sound.
There was no Daemon.
Armentrout, Jennifer L.
Opal ( A Lux Novel)
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the wonderful team at Entangled Teen-Liz Pelletier, Stacy Abrams, Stacey ONeale, and Rebecca Mancini. And to my agent, Kevan Lyon, you rock as always. If it werent for my friends and family, Im sure Id be a hermit living in a writing cave by now, so thank you for putting up with me when I go on a writing binge. A special thanks to Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz for being awesome cover models and joining us on our Daemon Invasion tours.
None of this would be possible if it werent for the readers. I love you guys. I wish I could hug every one of you, but I suck at hugs, and it would just be all kinds of awkward. So trust me, this thank you is better than a hug. I promise.
Armentrout, Jennifer L.
Opal ( A Lux Novel)
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Other books by Jennifer L. Armentrout:
The Lux Series:
Obsidian: A Lux Novel, Book One
Onyx: A Lux Novel, Book Two
Opaclass="underline" A Lux Novel, Book Three
The Covenant Series:
Daimon
Half-Blood
Pure
Deity
Apollyon
Single Titles:
Cursed