We can now that you agree. I reached over and tweaked her nose, which earned me a dirty look. We need to get the hell out of here and quick.
I agree. She knocked my hand away when I went for her nose again. No offense, but I have no desire to be making any weird babies with you right now.
I choked on my laugh. You’d be blessed to have a child of mine. Admit it.
Her eyes rolled. Seriously, your ego knows no limit, no matter the situation.
Hey. I like to be consistent.
That you are, she said, voice dry in my thoughts.
As much as I love the idea of the whole process involved in making a baby with you, it’s not ever going to happen under these circumstances.
A pretty flush covered her cheeks. Glad we’re on the same page, buddy.
I laughed.
We need to get the LH-11 and somehow get in contact with Luc. That sounds impossible to me. Kat’s gaze wandered to the closed door. We don’t even know where it’s kept.
Nothing is truly impossible, I reminded her. But I think we do need another plan.
Any ideas? She tugged the elastic band out of her hair and untangled the mass of waves. Maybe we could set the origins loose in the compound. I bet that would cause enough of a distraction. Or maybe you could take on the form of one of the staff here…
They were good ideas, but there were problems: I bet Daedalus had defenses in place in case a Luxen morphed into someone else, and how would we get to the other building to let out a bunch of miniature super-soldiers?
Kat turned to me, biting on her lower lip as she reached out. Her fingers snaked through the light and touched my arm. My entire body jerked. In my true form, I was hypersensitive. They weren’t really good ideas, were they?
They were great ideas, but…
Not easily done. She slid her hand up my arm, her head tilting to the side as her gaze wandered over me. My light reflected off her cheeks, giving her a rosy glow. She was beautiful, and I was so, so desperately in love with her.
Her chin jerked up, and she sucked in a breath, eyes widening.
Okay, I may have actually thought that last bit at her.
You did. A small smile split her lips. I liked hearing it. A lot.
Kneeling down so I was eye level with her, I cupped her cheek. I promise you that this isn’t going to be our future, Kitten. I will give that to you—a normal life.
Her eyes glistened. I don’t expect a normal life. I just expect a life with you.
Yeah, that did crazy things to my heart. Like it stopped beating for a moment, and I was dead in front of her for a second. Sometimes I don’t think I…
What?
I gave a shake of my head. Never mind. I lowered my hand and backed up, breaking contact. Luc said he’d know once I got ahold of LH-11. Obviously who he has in here has to be close to us. Anyone you can think of who might be a friendly?
I don’t know. The only ones I’ve really been around are the doctor, the sergeant, and Archer. She paused, her nose wrinkling. It did that whenever she was concentrating. You know, I always thought Archer might be on Team Not Insane, but knowing that he’s one of them—an origin—I don’t know what to think of him.
I thought about that for a moment. He’s been good to you, hasn’t he?
Some of the color leeched from her cheeks. Yeah, he has been.
Counting to ten before I continued, I said, And the other ones really haven’t been?
She didn’t answer immediately. Talking about that stuff isn’t going to help us get out of here.
Most likely not, but—
“Daemon,” she said out loud, eyes narrowing. We need a plan to get out of here. That’s what I need. Not a therapy session.
I rose to my feet. I don’t know. Therapy might help that temper of yours, Kitten.
Whatever. She folded her arms, lips pursed. So, back to other options? Sounds like everything will be a Hail Mary. And anything we attempt, if we’re busted, we’re totally, irrevocably screwed.
Holding my breath, I slipped back into my human form, then shook my shoulders out. “Sounds about right,” I agreed.
…
Katy
Days passed, and while there weren’t any more origins running amuck through the compound, and no one was trying to coerce Daemon and me into making babies like there was no tomorrow, a general sense of unease had settled over me.
My stress tests had picked back up, but they didn’t involve any other hybrids. For some reason, I was kept away from the others, though I knew they were still there. During my tests, I was forced to use the Source for a really messed-up version of target practice.
Minus the guns and bullets.
It still blew my mind that they were actually training me, like I had been drafted into the army. A day or so ago, while we were in the bathroom, I had asked Daemon again about the other Luxen.
A look of surprise had flickered over his face. “What?”
Having a conversation while knowing that we were most likely being listened to was difficult. Very quickly and quietly, I had told him about Shawn and what Dasher had said.
“That’s insane.” He’d shaken his head. “I mean, I’m sure there are Luxen out there who hate humans, but an invasion? Thousands of Luxen turning on mankind? I don’t believe that.”
And I could see that he didn’t. I wanted to believe that, too. I didn’t think he had reason to lie to me, but Daedalus had so many sides to them. One of them had to be the truth.
All of this was so much bigger than Daemon and me. We wanted out of here, to have a future where we weren’t a freak science experiment or controlled by a secret organization, but what Daedalus was doing with the origins had far-reaching implications that went beyond what either of us could understand.