Origin (Lux #4)(5)

Man, I had been such an ass to her, but she hadn’t backed down from me. Not for one second.

A light flipped on in my house. A second later, the front door opened, and Dawson stood there. The breeze carried his soft curse.

I had to say Dawson looked a thousand times better since I’d last seen him. The dark shadows that had been under his eyes were mostly gone. Some of the weight had returned. Like before the DOD and Daedalus had captured him, it would be nearly impossible to tell us apart with the exception of his longer, shaggier hair. Yeah, he looked like a million bucks. He had Bethany back.

I knew I sounded bitter, but I didn’t care.

The moment my feet touched the stairs, a shockwave erupted from me, cracking the cement of the steps and rattling the floorboards.

Blood drained from my brother’s face as he took a step back. A sick sense of satisfaction swelled in me. “Weren’t expecting me so soon?”

“Daemon.” Dawson’s back hit the front door. “I know you’re pissed.”

Another burst of energy left me, hitting the ceiling of the roof. Wood cracked. A fissure appeared, splitting down the center. My vision tinted as the Source filled me, turning the world white. “You have no idea, brother.”

“We wanted to keep you safe until we knew what to do—how to get Kat back. That’s all.”

I took a deep breath as I stepped up to Dawson, going eye to eye with him. “Did you think that locking me up in the community was the best answer?”

“We—”

“Did you think you could stop me?” Power shot from me, smacking into the door behind Dawson, blowing it off the hinges and into the house. “I’ll burn the world down to save her.”





Chapter 2


Katy


Soaking wet and chilled to the bone, I pulled myself off the floor. I had no idea how much time had passed since the first dose of onyx had been released and the last blast of icy water had knocked me flat on my back.

Giving in and letting them do what they wanted hadn’t seemed like an option in the beginning. At first the pain was worth it, because I’d be damned if I was going to make this easy for them. Once the onyx had been washed from my skin and I could move again, I rushed the door. I wasn’t making any progress, and by the fourth cycle of being doused with onyx and then drowned, I was done.

I was really, truly done.

Once I was able to stand without collapsing, I shuffled toward the cold table in slow, achy steps. I was pretty sure the table had a very thin layer of diamonds over the surface. The kind of money it must’ve taken to outfit a room, let alone a whole building, in diamonds had to be astronomical—and further explained the nation’s debt problem. And really, out of everything to be thinking about, that shouldn’t even make the list, but I think the onyx had shorted out my brain.

Sergeant Dasher had come and gone during the whole process, replaced by men in army fatigues. The berets they wore hid most of their faces, but from what I could see, they didn’t seem much older than me, maybe in their early twenties.

Two of them were in the room now, both with pistols strapped to their thighs. Part of me was surprised they hadn’t broken out the tranqs, but the onyx served its purpose. The one wearing a dark green beret stood near the controls, watching me, one hand on his pistol and the other on the button of pain. The other, face hidden by a khaki beret, guarded the door.

I placed my hands on the table. Through the wet ropes of my soaked hair, my fingers looked too white and pasty. I was cold and shivering so badly I wondered if I was actually experiencing a seizure. “I’m…I’m done,” I rasped out.

A muscle popped on Khaki Beret’s face.

I tried to lift myself onto the table, because I knew if I didn’t sit, I was going to fall, but the deep tremor in my muscles caused me to wobble to the side. The room whirled for a second. There just might be some permanent damage. I almost laughed, because what good would I be to Daedalus if they broke me?

Dr. Roth had remained the whole time, sitting in the corner of the room, looking weary, but now he stood, pressure cuff in hand. “Help her onto the table.”

Khaki Beret came toward me, determination locking his jaw. I backpedaled in a feeble attempt to put some distance between us. My heart pounded insanely fast. I didn’t want him touching me. I didn’t want any of them touching me.

Legs shaking, I took another step back, and my muscles just stopped working. I hit the floor hard on my butt, but I was so numb, the pain really didn’t register.

Khaki Beret stared down at me, and from my vantage point, I could see his entire face. He had the most startling blue eyes, and while he looked like he was so over this routine, there seemed to be some level of compassion to his stare.

Without saying a word, he bent down and scooped me up. He smelled of fresh detergent, the same kind my mom used, and tears welled in my eyes. Before I could put up a fight, which would’ve been pointless, he deposited me on the table. When he backed away, I gripped the edges of the table, feeling like I’d been here before.

And I had.

Another cup of water was given to me, which I accepted. The doctor sighed loudly. “Is fighting this out of your system now?”

I dropped the paper cup on the table and forced my tongue to move. It felt swollen and difficult to control. “I don’t want to be here.”