“And dumb,” Paris muttered under his breath.
Daemon nodded as he settled back against the seat. He glanced at me and lifted the arm closest to me. I didn’t hesitate. Heart aching something fierce, I scooted over and pressed against his side. His arm came around me, his fingers digging into my arm.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to him. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh,” he murmured. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
There was a lot to be sorry for. Things I couldn’t really even wrap my head around as we peeled out of the driveway. And the other things, like the fact that Daedalus was most likely en route right now? Yeah, I couldn’t think about that. Panic was already simmering inside, wanting to sink its claws in me. I’d be useless freaking out.
The gate up ahead wasn’t opening. Daemon held on tight as Paris didn’t break. He plowed through the metal gate.
“Good thing we’re in a Hummer,” Luc said.
Daemon reached for the seat belt. “You really should be wearing this.”
“What about you?” I let him buckle me in the middle seat.
“I’m harder to kill.”
“Actually…” Luc drawled the word out. “I’m probably the hardest thing to kill.”
“Special snowflake syndrome strikes again,” Daemon muttered.
Luc snorted as Paris hit breakneck speed on the narrow road, Archer close behind us. “Did Daedalus ever show you their neatest weapon?”
“They showed us a lot of things,” I said, lurching sideways as Paris hit a curve.
“How about that special gun of theirs?” Luc put a foot up on the dashboard, and I hoped the airbag didn’t deploy anytime soon. “The one that can take out a Luxen with one shot—the PEP? Pure Energy Projectile.”
“What?” My stomach dipped as I glanced back and forth between Luc and Daemon. “What kind of weapon is that?”
“It’s some kind of energy pulse that disrupts light waves—high tech. Kind of like onyx, but much worse.” Daemon’s brows lowered. “I didn’t see it, but Nancy told me about it.”
“It’s an electromagnetic weapon,” Luc explained. “And it’s very dangerous to anything around it. If they break it out, they aren’t messing around. The damn thing will disrupt signals and can even hurt humans since the brains, lungs, and heart are all controlled by low-voltage electricity. The Pulse Energy Projectile isn’t fatal for humans in a low frequency, but it is catastrophic to our kind at any frequency.”
Ice drenched me. “One shot?”
“One shot,” Luc repeated gravely. “You two probably have nothing to worry about, since they want you alive, but you need to realize that if they bring out the big guns, people are going to die.”
I froze, unable to drag in a breath. More people would die. “We can’t let that happen.” I twisted toward Daemon, going as far as the seat belt let me. “We can’t let people die because—”
“I know.” Daemon’s jaw set with determination. “We can’t go back, either. We just have to get out of here before we need to worry about anything like that.”
My heart pounded in my chest as I glanced at Luc. He didn’t look so convinced. I knew Daemon was trying to reassure me. I appreciated that, but guilt piled on top of the terror. If anyone died…
“Don’t,” Daemon said quietly. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t.”
“How can I not think about that?”
Daemon didn’t have an answer. The creeping terror was like an endless hole, growing in size as we neared the teeming city at dusk. The red and blue neon lights of the billboards and flashing lights were harsh instead of welcoming.
Traffic had ground to a halt south of the Boulevard, an endless stream of vehicles that was more parking lot than road.
“Well, shoot.” Paris smacked his hands on the steering wheel. “This is inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient? Understatement of the year.” Daemon gripped the back of his seat. “We need to get out of traffic. We’re sitting ducks here.”
Paris snorted. “Unless you have a hovercraft in your back pocket, I don’t see how I’m supposed to get us out of here. There are side roads we can take, but they’re farther down this road.”
With shaky fingers, I unbuckled the seat belt and scooted forward until my knees pressed against the center console. A quick glance back confirmed that Archer was there. “Why isn’t the traffic moving at all? Look.” I pointed. The line of cars heading out of the city stretched all the way from the Caesar’s Palace sign and down. “It’s completely stopped.”
“There’s no need to panic yet,” Paris said. A cheerful smile crossed his face. “It’s probably just an accident or a naked person running through traffic. It happens. We’re in Vegas, after all.”
Someone outside laid on a horn. “Or the more likely scenario is that they have the traffic blocked at the interstate exit. I’m just saying,” I said.
“I think he’s trying to look on the bright and stupid side of things, Kitten. Who are we to bring a dose of reality into the mix?”
Running my sweaty palms over my thighs, I started to respond when a hushed sound caught my attention. Leaning back, I peered out the passenger window. “Oh, crap.”
A black helicopter flew over the city, incredibly low. It looked like the whirling blades would clip a building at any second. It could be any helicopter, but I had a sinking feeling that it was Daedalus.