Opposition (Lux 5)

“All right. Those cities are gone, but nowhere else so far. What if we can stop them?” Daemon said. “What if we can do the same thing without killing innocent people on both sides, and without destroying the cities to the point they’ll be unlivable?”

Nancy choked out a laugh as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Think about it,” Archer jumped in. “You’re going to have millions of Americans completely displaced in just those three cities, not counting L.A., and the more you do this, the more refugees you’re creating. The States would go under.”

A muscle flexed along General Eaton’s jaw. “Do you think this is not something we have thought about or have begun preparation for? Right as we speak, we’re planning for an even worse outcome than losing the major cities. We’re planning for a complete loss in case the EMPs fail in some manner.”

The general described the precautions they were taking, moving computers and other valuable electronic-based equipment into underground bunkers stocked with nonperishable items, and he droned on until I felt like I really was going to hurl.

If I thought the invading Luxen were bad, I’d had no idea. We truly were on the verge of a catastrophic disaster.

“We can get the Arum,” Archer said. “I know we can.”

My heart toppled over. Could we really get the Arum? I doubted it would be easy, and I almost couldn’t believe it when General Eaton said the magic words. “If you can get the Arum to fight, then we will hold off on neutralizing the force outside of the capital.”

“Thank you.” I almost jumped. I almost hugged the dude, and I was glad I didn’t, because that looked like it would be all kinds of awkward.

“But we don’t have a lot of time. We’ve got about six days, maybe seven, and then we have to go to the EMPs,” the general said. “I’ll need to make a lot of phone calls.”

“This is ridiculous.” Nancy stood, throwing her hands up. “I cannot believe you’re even thinking of allowing them to—”

“You forget your place, Husher. Like always,” snapped General Eaton. He drew himself up to his full height, pouring authority into the air. “I, just as the president of the United States, am willing to vet out different tactics.”

General Eaton continued to dress Nancy down, and I thought I’d be happier to see that happen, but I ended up experiencing a mad case of secondhand embarrassment and I seriously wished I wasn’t around to see it.

Daemon, on the other hand, looked positively gleeful as I moved to stand next to him while Nancy did the walk of shame.

Archer started talking about different ways the Arum could maim and kill the Luxen in less than five seconds flat, a conversation I never thought I’d hear Daemon taking part in so enthusiastically.

Eventually, Nancy left to probably go rock in the corner somewhere and plot her revenge, and General Eaton started making phone calls. It was then that my stomach decided to announce that it could use massive quantities of food.

Surprised that I could eat after seeing and hearing what I did, I pressed the heel of my palm against my belly and smiled sheepishly when the boys looked down at me. “Sorry?”

Daemon’s lips tipped up. “Hungry?”

“Maybe. A little.”

“There’s food in the mess hall near your rooms,” Archer said. “I thought I told you guys about that.”

“We didn’t have time . . .” I trailed off and started imagining dancing naked babies so I didn’t think about why we didn’t have time.

Archer’s brows rose. “The hell?”

Cheeks flaming, I turned to Daemon. I needed to get out of there before Archer got a peep show. “I think I’m going to go get something to eat.”

“Okay.” He brushed his lips over my forehead. “I’ll meet you back at the room.”

I didn’t look at Archer as I spun around. Leaving the boys in the control room, I hurried out into the hall. Not only did I need to get food in my tummy, I needed something else to do that felt normal. I considered visiting Dawson and Beth again as I climbed the empty stairwell and entered the wide corridor on the main level. As I rounded the corner, I stumbled to a surprised halt.

Luc stood up ahead, a few doors down from where Dawson and Beth were, but he wasn’t alone. A girl was with him, maybe around his age or a year younger. She was a tiny thing, and he all but dwarfed her. Ridiculously slender, her denim-clad legs were as thin as my arms. Her hair was like spun gold and she was stunningly pretty, with a heart-shaped face full of faint freckles and eyes that were a warm chocolate.

And I’d seen her before.

Back when Daemon and I had gone with . . . with Blake to meet Luc for the first time. She had been on the stage, as beautiful and fluid as a dancer, and then later, she’d poked her head into Luc’s office, and he’d gotten all frownie face about it.

But she looked different now.

A very pretty human girl, but there were dark smudges under her eyes, her cheekbones were sharp, face gaunt and pale, and her entire appearance was overly frail, as if it was taking everything in her to be upright on two feet.

She wasn’t really standing on her own, either. Luc’s hands were wrapped around her upper arms, almost as if he was supporting her weight. I didn’t need to be a doctor to know that she bled some serious illness into the air around her. Not a cold or flu, but something bad.

Something that reminded me of my father.

I bit down on my lip. Luc seemed unaware that I was there as he smoothed his hands up and down the girl’s arms. “It’s going to be okay now,” he said. “Just like I promised.”