Opal

Chapter 10

In a daze, I stepped out of the demolished classroom and made it halfway through the hall before the stairwell door swung open and Daemon burst through.

His eyes were an incredibly bright green when his gaze landed on me, and he took about four ground-eating steps before he was in front of me, grasping my shoulders. Behind him were Matthew and a slightly-confused-looking Dawson, but Daemon…I’d never seen him so furious, and that was saying something.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said, jaw clenched.

Matthew appeared at our sides. “Did you see where he went? Blake?”

Like I needed the clarification. Then I realized they didn’t know I’d been with him. How much time had passed in that room? It felt like hours but could’ve only been minutes. And if Blake had frozen everyone outside the room, the other Luxen would’ve known, because it wouldn’t have affected them. So Blake must not have affected anything out of the room.

I swallowed, knowing Daemon’s reaction was going to be epic. “Yeah, he…wanted to talk.”

Daemon went rigid. “What?”

I glanced nervously at Matthew. His expression was serene compared to the rage boiling from Daemon’s gaze. “He’s been watching us. I don’t think he ever left.”

Daemon dropped his hands and backed off, thrusting his fingers through his hair. “I cannot believe he’s here. He has a death wish.”

Confusion slipped from Dawson’s expression, replaced by curiosity as he inched around his twin. “Why was he watching us?”

And here comes the kicker, I thought. “He wants us to help get Chris.”

Daemon whipped around so fast he would’ve pulled a muscle if he were human. “Come again?”

As quickly as I could, I told them what Blake had said, leaving out the part about turning Daemon and me over to Nancy. I figured that was something best communicated in private. Good call, because Daemon almost went full Luxen mode right there.

Matthew shook his head. “He…he can’t think we would trust him.”

“I don’t think he cares if we do,” I said, tucking my hair back. All I wanted to do was sit down and eat a box of sugar cookies, my hands beginning to shake from exhaustion.

“But does he really know where they are keeping Beth?” Dawson’s eyes were feverish.

“I don’t know.” I leaned against a locker. “There’s no telling with him.”

Dawson shot forward, suddenly in my face. “Did he say anything—anything we can use to find her?”

I blinked, surprised by his sudden animation. “No. Not really. I—”

“Think,” Dawson ordered, head lowered. “He had to have said something, Katy.”

Daemon clasped his brother’s shoulder, wheeling him away. “Back off, Dawson. I mean it.”

He shrugged Daemon’s hand away, body coiled tight. “If he knows—”

“Don’t go there,” Daemon interrupted him. “He was sent here by the DOD to determine if Kat was a viable subject. To do to her what they are doing to Beth. He killed Adam, Dawson. We are not working with—”

My legs had started to wobble, and I swayed a little to the left. I really couldn’t even begin to figure out how Daemon knew, but he spun toward me before I could straighten. Strong arms went around my waist, tucking me to his side.

Daemon’s brows were dark slashes above his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

My cheeks burned. “I’m okay. Really, I am.”

“You’re lying.” His voice dropped low, dangerous. “Did you fight him?” And then his voice went even lower and a chill ran down my spine. “Did he try to hurt you? Because I swear right now, I will tear through this state—”

“I’m okay.” I tried to wiggle free, but his arm was like a vise grip. “I used more of the attack first, ask questions later approach. I tired myself out, but he didn’t hurt me.”

Daemon didn’t look convinced, but he turned his attention back to his brother. “I know you want to believe that Blake can help us somehow, but he can’t be trusted.”

Dawson looked away, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Frustration rolled off him in waves.

“Daemon’s right.” Matthew planted his hands on his hips. At the end of the hall, the door opened and two teachers entered, carrying steaming cups and papers. “But this is not the place to discuss any of this. After school, your house.”

And with that, he spun in the other direction and stalked off.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Dawson said sharply. “I’m not going to do anything reckless. I promised both of you I wouldn’t and I’m keeping my end of the deal. You better keep yours.”

Daemon wasn’t relieved as he watched Dawson head in the opposite direction. “This isn’t good,” he said.

“You have no idea.” I glanced up at him and waited for the teachers to disappear into their classrooms. “Trusting Blake may be a moot point.”

His eyes narrowed as he turned, angling his body as if he was shielding me. “What are you saying?”

I prayed he didn’t lose it. “Blake confirmed what Will had said. The DOD and Daedalus believe my mutation wore off. Good news, right? But he’s desperate—more so than we realized. If we don’t agree to help him, he plans to turn us over.”

Daemon’s reaction was as expected. There was now a fist-sized indent in the locker beside us, and I grabbed his arm, dragging him into the nearby stairwell before teachers started inspecting the source of the noise.

Helpless anger seeped into the air and settled over him like a blanket. He knew what I wasn’t willing to say yet. Like with Will, we’d been blackmailed—trapped again, and what could we do? Refuse to go along with Blake and be turned over? Or trust someone who had already proven he wasn’t worthy of such a thing?

God, we were screwed to the tenth degree.

I could tell Daemon wanted to ditch school and search the entire county, but he also didn’t want to leave me alone…no matter how hard I worked to convince him that, of all places, I was the safest at school. Because apparently I wasn’t, not when Blake was back, acting like a normal student. And Blake knew that as long as he stayed around people, there was nothing we could do.

Throughout the rest of the day, I expected to see Blake again, but I didn’t. When the final bell rang, I wasn’t surprised when Daemon met me at my locker. “I’m riding home with you,” he said.

“Sure.” No point in arguing over this. “But how is Dolly getting home?”

He cracked a grin, loving it when I called his car by its stupid name. “I rode in with Dee this morning. Andrew and Ash are riding with her home.”

I let that sink in, wondering when Dee had become so close with them. She had never been a big fan of theirs and their human-hating tendencies. So much had changed, and I knew I hadn’t even seen the full spectrum yet.

“Do you think he’d really turn us over?” I asked once we were inside my little sedan. Outside, the bare trees surrounding the parking lot rattled like a thousand dry bones.

“He’s obviously desperate.” Daemon tried to stretch out his long legs, grumbling. “Blake killed already to protect his friend, and the only way for Blake to keep him safe is either by turning you over, as he was originally sent to do, or for us to help him. So, yeah, I believe he’d still do it.”

I gripped the steering wheel, welcoming the lava-like anger suffusing my skin. We’d let Blake go, giving him a chance to get as far away as he could, and he came back to manipulate us. How ungrateful was that?

I glanced at Daemon. “What are we going to do?”

His jaw worked. “We have two options: work with him or kill him.”

My eyes popped. “And you’d be the one to do that? Not right. It shouldn’t always be you. You’re not the only Luxen who can fight.”

“I know, but I can’t expect someone else to carry that burden.” He looked at me.

“And I’m not trying to start another argument over whether or not you’d make a good Wonder Woman, but I’d never expect you or my siblings to do that, either. I know you would have done it to…defend yourself and us, Kat, but I don’t want that kind of guilt on your shoulders. Okay?”

I nodded. Imagining what I felt already, just magnified, twisted my insides. “I could handle it…if I had to.”

A heartbeat passed, and I felt his hand on my cheek. I took my eyes off the road for a second. He smiled a little. “You burn bright, to me at least, and I know you could handle it, but the last thing I want is your light to be tainted by something so dark.”

Stupid girlie tears burned my eyes and the road became a bit blurry. I couldn’t let them fall, because crying over him saying something sweet really didn’t help the “I’m A Badass” case. But I gave him a watery smile, and I think he understood.

I pulled into my driveway before the rest of the crew got there. Filled with nervous energy, I followed Daemon into his house and grabbed a bottle of water, then returned to the living room. Before I could begin the agitated wearing of the carpet, Daemon caught my hand and tugged me toward him as he sat, pulling me onto his lap.

Arms wrapped around me, he buried his face in my neck. “You know what we have to do,” he said softly.

Dropping the bottle next to us, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Kill Blake.”

He choked on his laugh. “No, Kitten. We’re not going to kill him.”

I was surprised. “We’re not?”

He pulled back, meeting my questioning stare. “We’re going to have to do what he wants.”

Okay, I was more than surprised. More like dumbstruck. “But…but…but…”

A grin teased his lips. “Use your words, Kitten.”

I snapped out of my stupor. “But we can’t trust him. This is most likely a trap!”

“We’re kind of damned if we do and damned if we don’t.” He shifted, sliding his hands along my lower back. “But I’ve given it some thought.”

“What? The whole ten minutes it took us to get home?”

“I think it’s cute that you call my house home.” His grin spread to his eyes, deepening their lustrous hue. “By the way, it is my house. My name is on the deed.”

“Daemon,” I said, sighing. “Nice to know, but it’s not important right now.”

“True, but it’s good knowledge to have. Anyway, since you went totally off topic there—”

“What?” How did he figure that? “You’re the one—”

“I know my brother. Dawson’s going to go to Blake if we don’t agree.” All his humor was gone in an instant. “It’s what I would do if our positions were reversed. And we know Blake better than he does.”

“I don’t know about this, Daemon.”

He shrugged. “I’m not going to let him turn you over.”

I frowned. “He’ll turn you over, too, and what about your family? Bringing Blake into the fold is going to be dangerous…and stupid.”

“The risk outweighs the possible consequences.”

“I’m shocked,” I admitted, disentangling my arms. “You didn’t want me training with Blake because you didn’t trust him and that was before we knew he was a killer.”

“But now we’re both going into this knowing what he’s capable of. Our eyes are open.”

“That makes no sense.” At the sound of car doors shutting, I glanced out the window. “The only reason you’re going to work with him is for Dawson and me. That’s probably not the wisest decision you’ve made.”

“Maybe not.” He shifted quickly, clasping my cheeks and laying a deep one on me, and then he unceremoniously dumped me on the cushion beside him. “But my mind’s made up. Be prepared. This meeting isn’t going to go well.”

Half sprawled across the couch, I gaped at him. Damn straight this wasn’t going to go well. I dug the water bottle out from underneath my thigh and sat up as the alien pit crew made their way in.

Dee immediately took up pacing in front of the TV. Her long, wavy black hair streamed behind her. An unfamiliar, feverish glint lit her green eyes. “So Blake is back?”

“Yes.” Daemon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching his sister.

She glanced at me and then quickly looked away. “Of course he would talk to her like nothing happened. They were BFFs.”

What the hell was up with the BFF statement? Anger stirred inside me, but I pushed it down. “It wasn’t a particularly friendly conversation.”

“Then what do we do?” Ash asked. Her cap of blond hair was slicked back into a tiny ponytail. On anyone else it would’ve looked too severe, but she pulled it off like a model going on a go-see.

“Kill him,” Dee said, stopping in front of the coffee table.

At first, I thought she was kidding, because this was Dee. Over the summer, I’d once seen her scoop up a pile of dirt full of ants and move them out of the flowerbed so they wouldn’t be suffocated under the mulch. But as I stared at her—as the whole room stared at her—I came to realize she was serious.

My mouth dropped open. “Dee…?”

Her shoulders squared. “Don’t tell me. You’re against killing him? I already know that. You convinced my brother to let him live.”

“She didn’t convince me,” Daemon said, fingers curling under his chin.

I jumped in before he could continue. It wasn’t his job to always rush to my defense. “I didn’t convince him to do anything, Dee. We both agreed that enough people had died that night. We didn’t think he’d come back.”

“It’s more than that,” Matthew said. “He’s also connected to another Luxen. He dies, his friend dies. We aren’t just killing him. We’re killing an innocent person.”

“Like Katy and Daemon?” Ash asked, her voice lacking the usual venom. Her bitchiness must’ve transferred to Dee at some point.

Guilt dug in with barb-tipped fingers the second that thought finished and I squirmed, picking at a worn section on my jeans. That wasn’t fair. Dee and Adam had a long history—a history spent ignoring what had probably always existed between them. Love and affection. And they’d only gotten to know each other on that level right before he was snatched away from her.

Ash glanced at Dawson. “And like you and Beth?” When the two boys nodded, Ash sat back and glanced at a silent Matthew. “We can’t kill Blake knowing it’s going to kill an innocent Luxen. That’s like killing Katy and it taking out Daemon.”

I arched a brow, which earned me a knee nudge from Daemon.

“I’m not suggesting we kill Katy or Beth,” Dee reminded everyone. “We don’t know who this other Luxen is. For all we know, he could be working with the DOD or whatever that other group is. Blake… He killed Adam, Ash.”

“I know that,” she snapped, eyes flashing a brilliant blue. “I was his sister.”

Dee’s spine straightened as she drew herself up. “And I was his girlfriend.”

Holy smokes… It was like opposite day or something. I shook my head, stunned. “The group is called Daedalus.”

Yeah, Dee couldn’t care less what the group was called. She turned to Matthew. “We have to do something before someone else gets hurt.”

Matthew looked just as shocked. “Dee, we’re not—”

“Killers?” Her face flushed red and then paled. “We have killed before to protect ourselves! We kill Arum all the time. Daemon has killed DOD officers!”

Daemon flinched, and I immediately took offense to this. He may not show how much killing bothered him, but I knew it did. “Dee,” I said, and surprisingly, she looked at me. “I know you’re hurting right now, but this… This isn’t you.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and behind her the TV flickered on and off. “You don’t know me. And you don’t know shit. That…that human freak—whatever he is—was here because of what my brother did to you. In theory, if you never came here, none of this would’ve happened. Adam…” Her voice caught. “Adam would still be alive.”

Daemon stiffened beside me. “That’s enough, Dee. It wasn’t her fault.”

“It’s okay.” I sat back against the cushion, feeling as if the walls had shifted closer. Andrew had said the same thing days before and even though hearing him say it sucked, coming from Dee’s mouth gave it a wasp-sting-like quality. Part of me almost couldn’t believe Dee had said it. Not hyper and cute like Tinker Bell Dee. Not the girl who whipped into my life during the summer, feeling just as lonely as I had. This wasn’t my best friend.

And then it hit me.

Dee wasn’t my best friend anymore.

God, realizing that seemed more important than anything else that was going on. Yeah, that was stupid when the big picture was called into play, but Dee was important to me, and I had failed her.

Beside me, Dawson shifted forward. “If Katy hadn’t come here, I would never have been freed. The world works in messed-up ways.”

Dee looked like she hadn’t even considered that. She pivoted around, playing with a strand of her hair—a nervous habit of hers. Her arm faded out for a few seconds, and then she sat on the coffee table, her back to us.

From the arm of the recliner, Andrew sighed. Every time I looked at him, he’d had his gaze fixed on Dee. “Guys, whether we like the idea of killing someone or not, we have to do something.”

“We do,” Daemon agreed. He glanced at me quickly before facing the group. “Arguing about what to do with Blake is a waste of time. If we don’t help him free Chris and in turn get Beth back, he’s going to turn Kat and me over.”

“Wow,” Matthew muttered, thrusting his fingers through his hair. And then he did something unheard of, for him at least. He swore.

Dee stood again, her movement abrupt and jerky. “He said that?”

“I don’t doubt he’s serious,” I said, hating that all of them were put in this position because of me. If I had only listened to Daemon in the beginning… So many would’ve, could’ve moments. “He’s incredibly desperate to free Chris.”

“Then it’s done,” Dawson said, seeming relieved. “We help him, and he helps us.”

Dee whirled. “You guys are freaking insane! We cannot help Adam’s murderer!”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Matthew asked. “Let him turn your brother and Katy over?”

Her eyes rolled. “No. Like I said, we kill him. That will stop him from doing anything.”

I shook my head, stunned by the ferocity in her voice. I also believed Blake probably had to die, because why should he live when Adam hadn’t, but hearing Dee like this cut through me with a dull knife.

Daemon stood, drawing in a long breath. “We are not going to kill Blake.”

His sister’s hands balled into fists. “Your call. Not mine.”

“We are going to help him and we’re going to keep an eye on him,” Daemon continued sternly. “And none of us are going to kill him.”

“Bullshit,” she hissed.

On his feet, Andrew took a step forward. “Dee, I think you need to sit down and think about this. You’ve never killed before. Not even an Arum.”

She folded her slender arms and her chin went up a notch. “There’s always a first time.”

Ash’s eyes widened as she slid a look at me that said, Holy crap. I wished I knew what to do or say, but there was nothing.

Quickly losing patience, Daemon mirrored his sister’s stance. “This isn’t up for discussion, Dee.”

A faint glimmer of white light shaded the outline of her trembling body. “You’re right. There’s nothing you can say that will convince me that his life should be spared.”

“We don’t have a choice. Blake has it set up that if anything happens to him, Nancy will be notified about Katy and me. We can’t kill him.”

She was undeterred. “Then we find out who he’s talked to or working with and take care of them!”

Daemon’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yes!”

He turned away, seconds from losing it. My stomach rolled. This whole situation was all wrong.

Beside me, Dawson leaned forward, taking on the same position that Daemon had earlier. “Is your need for vengeance more important than finding and stopping what they’re doing to Beth?”

She didn’t look away, but her lips pressed into a grim line.

All eyes were on Dawson. “Because, little sister, let me tell you that what Adam went through pales in comparison to what she’s experiencing. The things I’ve seen…” He trailed off and his gaze lowered. “If you doubt what I say, then ask Katy. She’s had a taste of some of their methods and she can still barely talk from screaming.”

Dee blanched. We hadn’t spoken, not really, since New Year’s Eve. I had no idea what she knew about my brief capture or the methods Will had used to subdue me. Her gaze flickered to mine, and she looked away all too quickly.

“You ask a lot,” she said hoarsely, lower lip trembling. But then her shoulders slumped, and she turned, walking to the front door. Without saying a word, she left.

Andrew was already behind her, shooting Daemon a look. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thank you,” he said, rubbing his palm along his jaw. “Well, that went wonderfully.”

“Did you really expect her or any of us to be okay with it?” Ash asked.

Daemon snorted. “No, but I have a problem with my sister so willing to kill.”

“I can’t…” I couldn’t even finish. Going into this, I knew it wasn’t going to be good, but Ash and Andrew were the ones I expected to want to go all serial killer—never Dee.

Matthew directed the conversation back to the present. “How do we contact Blake? It’s not something I can or wish to discuss with him in class.”

Everyone looked at me…everyone except Daemon. “What?”

“You have his number, don’t you?” Ash said, glancing at her naked nails. “Text. Call him. Whatever. And tell him we’re ridiculously stupid and plan to help him.”

I made a face but reached for my bag and dug out my cell. Sending Blake a quick text, I sighed. A second later he responded. Knots formed in my stomach. “Tomorrow evening—Saturday.” My voice sounded weak. “He wants to meet tomorrow evening in a public spot—Smoke Hole.”

Daemon gave a quick jerk of his chin.

My fingers wanted to rebel, but I typed out a quick okay and then tossed my phone back in the pack like it was a bomb about to go off in my hands. “It’s done.”

No one looked relieved. Not even Dawson. There was a very good chance that this was going to blow up in our faces like there was no tomorrow. But our choices were limited. Like Daemon had said, Dawson would go to Blake whether or not we did. And working with the enemy we knew was better than the one we didn’t.

But something cold and icky opened up in my chest.

Not because we were going to go down this road with Blake and not because Dee wanted Blake to die. But because deep down, underneath the layers of skin, muscle, and bone, hidden away from everyone, even Daemon, I also wanted Blake dead. Innocent Luxen or not… My moral code wasn’t at all offended by it. And there was something very, very wrong with that.