“I didn’t like how he treated me in the office.” That was also the truth.
“You love him,” Sadi added, and the way she said it made it sound like loving someone was tantamount to walking in front of a bus.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “I do.”
“And do you think he loves you?” Rolland straightened his tie.
“I did, but . . .” I forced tears to my eyes, which wasn’t hard considering the way he’d acted before I knew what was going on. It still burned like a sting from a hornet. “But I don’t know anymore. The things he said and . . . and how he acted afterward.” I added in a shudder for show. Someone hand me an Oscar. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Rolland laughed deeply.
That wasn’t what I was expecting.
“You’re cute,” he said finally.
Uh.
He chuckled again. “You sit there, so demure and so small, but you made Sadi bleed a handful of hours ago.”
Sadi scowled, and her look promised retribution. My hands clenched in my lap, and I so wanted to scream bring it at her. Better yet, I wanted to launch myself across the space and wrap my hands around her thin neck.
“You stood before me and tapped into the Source so easily, and yet you sit across from me like a timid little creature,” he continued as he leaned back, stretching his legs out until his calf was pressed against mine.
I stiffened.
His smile spread. “I just wanted to point that out to you.”
The limo jarred over a pothole, jostling me against the silent Luxen. Right now, I felt like a mouse that was being stalked by a cat. A very large and very hungry cat. My heart pounded in my chest. Perhaps I shouldn’t be mentally writing my Oscar acceptance speech. “Okay.”
“I want to know more about the Origin who was with you in the store,” he ordered. “Who is he?”
I didn’t respond.
Shaking his head with a humored smile, he glanced at the Luxen beside me. Before I could take a breath, a hand encased my throat, fingers digging into my skin and cutting off air. A jolt of panic zipped up my sternum as my eyes widened. I’d taken my last breath before I’d even realized it.
Rolland leaned forward, placing both his hands on my knees. “I want this to be easy and not messy. All you have to do is answer my questions.”
I clawed at the Luxen’s hand, but he started to shift, and the heat seared my skin, the light blinding me.
“And if you want to keep Daemon alive, you better value your life,” he said in a tone that sounded like we were discussing what to have for dinner. “Okay?”
I nodded as best I could.
The Luxen let go and his light receded. Sitting back into the seat beside me, he readjusted his sleeves calmly. Rolland didn’t move. Still leaning forward, his hands curled around my knees, forcing a wave of disgust over me.
“Who was he?”
I hated what I was about to do, but it wasn’t just me I had to consider. Even though I was protecting Daemon by saving my own neck, I knew I could potentially be tossing Archer and Lord knows who else under the bus.
“His name is Archer. I don’t know his last name or if he even has one.” My skin crawled.
“And how did you come into contact with him?” Rolland asked. When he leaned back, Sadi shifted from the seat next to him to the one beside me.
Every muscle in my body locked up as her hand replaced his. “Don’t lie, Katy.” She leaned in, her mouth near my ear. “We know more than you think.”
“Because you’ve been here this whole time?” I asked.
She laughed softly. “Well, aren’t you the astute one?” Her sharp nails seemed to dig through the thin material of my pants. “Come on, don’t be shy.”
I drew in a short breath. “I met him in Daedalus.”
“And what would that be?” Rolland asked.
As much as I wanted to shift away from Sadi, I remained where I was sitting. “They are a group within the government that has worked at assimilating the Luxen. They watch over them, keep tabs on them—”
“Control them?”
“To some extent.” I sucked in a breath as Sadi extended an arm behind me and leaned in, getting all up in my personal space. “They’ve done experiments.” As I told them about Daedalus, I fought back the urge to sink my nails into her face.
Rolland listened as the limo rolled along. “Thank you for being so forthcoming, Katy. I would’ve been so disappointed if you’d lied.”
“And we would’ve known.” Sadi’s hand was somewhere around my navel. “You see, we know about their little weapons and the onyx. Those things may still affect us, but we know they are there. We will be prepared for them.”
Confused, I flicked my gaze from her to Rolland. He spread his arms out over the back of his seat, getting all kinds of comfy. “We’ve had help here. I’m pretty sure you’ve realized that by now.”
Pressure seized my chest as I got a real bad feeling about everything. “Someone like her?”
Her throaty laugh raised the hairs on my arms. “Yes, someone like me. Like your Archer. Oh. And who else haven’t you told us about?”
Air leaked out of my lungs.
Rolland tsked softly. “Are you keeping something or someone from us, Katy?”
“She is.” Sadi drew a finger up my arm. Tiny bumps chased the disturbing caress. “His name is Luc, I think.”
Oh God.
“But that’s not all.” Sadi looked over at Rolland.