Obsidian (Lux 1)

He nodded. “Whenever we use our powers, it’s like…losing a part of ourselves. It takes a bit to recharge. Once the sun comes up, I’ll be fine.” He paused, meeting my eyes. “I’m sorry you had to go through any of this.” I stopped in front of him. Sorry wasn’t something that was in his vocab often. Neither were his next words, I suspected.

“I didn’t say thank you,” he said, staring up at me. “You should’ve run, Kat. They would’ve…killed you without thinking twice. But you saved my life. Thank you.”

Words stalled on my breath. I stared at him. “Will you stay with me tonight?” I rubbed my arms. “I’m not coming on to you. You don’t have to, but—”

“I know.” He stood, his brow wrinkling. “Just let me check the house again, and I’ll be right back.”

I climbed into the bed, tugging the covers up to my chin while I stared at the ceiling. Closing my eyes, I counted silently until I heard Daemon’s footsteps. When I opened my eyes, he was standing in the doorway, watching me.

I’d scooted to the far edge of the bed, leaving him plenty of room. A strange thought ran through my brain as I watched him watching me. Had he ever been in a bed with a human girl? Seemed like such a stupid thing to even think about. Relationships with humans weren’t prohibited. They just make little sense. And after everything that had happened, why would I be thinking about that?

Daemon locked the door, checked the large bay windows, and then wordlessly settled into the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, much like mine. We lay there, staring up at the ceiling. And my heart was racing. It could’ve been everything that had happened or the fact that Daemon was here, so close and alive, but I was hyper-aware of everything. Of his slow, steady breaths. The heat radiating off of his body. And my own need to be enveloped in that warmth.

A strained silence descended as I ran my fingers over the edge of the blanket. Then, against my will, I looked at him. Daemon stared back, a lopsided grin on his face.

A laugh bubbled out of me. “This…this is so awkward.”

The skin around his eyes crinkled as his grin spread. “It is, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” I gasped for breath, giggling. It seemed wrong to laugh after everything that had happened, but I couldn’t help it. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I’d faced down a possible date ra**st and an alien horde hellbent on sucking up Daemon’s essence. Crazy sauce.

His laughter joined mine until tiny tears tracked down my cheeks. The sound of his laughter faded as he reached over, chasing the drops with his finger. I stilled, staring at him. His fingers left my cheek, but his gaze remained locked on me.

“What you did back there? It was sort of amazing,” he murmured.

A sweet thrill jolted me. “Right back atcha. Are you sure you’re not injured?”

Damon’s crooked grin returned. “No. I’m fine, thanks to you.” He shifted, turning off the lamp beside the bed before settling again.

I searched for something to say in the darkness. “Am I glowing?”

“Like a Christmas tree.”

“Not just the star?”

The bed moved a little, and I felt his hand brush my arm. “No. You’re super bright. It’s kind of like looking at the sun.”

Now that was odd. I held up my hand, faintly able to see the outline of it in the darkness. “It’s going to be hard for you to sleep then.”

“Actually, it’s kind of comforting. It reminds me of my own people.”

I turned my head, and he was lying on his side, watching me. A flutter formed in my chest. “The whole obsidian thing? You never told me about that.”

“I didn’t think it would be necessary. Or at least I’d hoped it wouldn’t be.”

“Can it hurt you?”

“No. And before you ask what can, we don’t make a habit of telling humans what can kill us,” he replied evenly. “Not even the DOD knows what’s deadly to us. But the obsidian negates the Arum’s strengths. Just like the beta quartz in the Rocks throws off a lot of the energy we put off, but with obsidian, all it takes is a piercing and…well, you know. It’s the whole light thing, the way obsidian fractures it.”

“Are all crystals harmful to the Arum?”

“No, just this type. I guess it has something to do with the heating and cooling. Matthew explained it to me once. Honestly, I wasn’t paying attention. I know it can kill them. We carry it on ourselves whenever we go out, usually hidden. Dee carries one in her purse.” I shuddered. “I can’t believe I killed someone.”

“You didn’t kill someone. You killed an alien—an evil that would’ve killed you without thinking twice. That was going to kill me,” he added as an afterthought, absently rubbing his chest. “You saved my life, Kitten.” Still, knowing that the guy had been evil didn’t change how it settled in my stomach.

“You were like Snowbird,” Daemon said finally.

His eyes were closed, face relaxed. It was possibly the first time I’d seen him so…open. “How do you figure?”

A small smile played across his lips. “You could’ve left me there and ran, like I said. But instead you came back and you helped me. You didn’t have to.”

“I…I couldn’t leave you there.” I averted my gaze. “It wouldn’t have been right. And I would’ve never been able to forgive myself.”

“I know. Get some sleep, Kitten.”