The Brightest Night (Origin #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,153

make a quick exit,” Zoe said. “Like when you’re at a party and there’s someone annoying there.”

“Or when I’m asked to help with training,” Grayson commented.

“Or when Grayson walks into the room,” I added.

“That’s not nice,” Grayson said from somewhere in the darkness.

I grinned.

The darkness suddenly stirred in front of me, thickening. I narrowed my eyes, sensing that Hunter had moved closer to me.

“You can beat that back,” Luc advised. “That trick should only momentarily blind you. You let it go any longer than that, you’ve lost the upper hand.”

Beat it back? Hmm. Summoning the Source, I felt it rippling through my veins. White and black light surrounded my palm, and I pictured it growing until the whole room was awash in light, but I didn’t want to harm anyone. I just wanted to see.

The churning glow erupted, spitting half a dozen mini balls into space. Each one went off like a firecracker, showering the room in glittering bright light that fell onto the thick shadows, eating away at them like acid and then evaporating before they hit the floor. Within seconds, the darkness was gone and Hunter had moved closer.

“Cute,” he said, having returned to his human form. “Now that is a party trick.”

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone in here.” I paused. “Or you. I could’ve just taken you out and the shadows would’ve gone away.”

Over Hunter’s shoulder, I saw Luc’s smug smile as Grayson leaned against the desk. “That’s my girl,” Luc said.

I beamed and then refocused on Hunter. “How did you make the shadows do that?”

“Most likely the same way you’d make it brighter.” He walked over to the desk and picked up the apple he’d brought with him. “Minus the fireworks.”

I glanced at Zoe, and she raised her brows. I started to ask for more detail, but from what I’d learned, using the Source came down to what you willed it to do, what you wanted from it. There was no reason to overthink it.

No reason at all, came Luc’s voice.

Nodding, I lifted my hands and summoned the Source once more. This time, the balls of energy around my hands were more dark than light. I pictured them growing and expanding, and the energy pulsed, licking out from my palms and dripping into the air. Deep, intense shadows blossomed as the skin of my arms broke out with glittering black spots. The Source roared around me like a storm, rapidly seeping over the windows, blocking out the daylight. I smiled as all the light was sucked out of the room, but I could still see. Luc was sitting on the desk, staring up at the ceiling. Grayson was beside him, looking about as approachable as an angry warthog. To my left, Zoe had her hands clutched under her chin while her eyes were wide. Hunter stood in front of the desk, watching me.

All of them were in shades of gray.

“Can you see me?” I asked the Arum.

He shook his head. “No, but you can see us.”

“I can,” I answered, and Luc’s chin snapped down. “Everything is kind of gray-washed, but I can see.”

“All these shadows, as you call them, are a part of you, almost like an extension. They wouldn’t hinder you,” Hunter explained.

“Huh. That’s pretty cool.”

“It is.” He crossed his arms. “Just remember that if you can do this, other Trojans will be able to do the same thing.”

That took away a little of the coolness factor.

“How do I look gray?” Luc asked. “Still extraordinarily beautiful, I’m sure.”

Rolling my eyes, I laughed. “You look okay.”

“Lies,” he said.

Zoe’s wide-eyed gaze darted around. “I bet I look weird.”

“No—”

Unfolding her arms, she wiggled them like limp noodles as she lifted her knees, hobbling from one foot to the next like a bizarre marionette.

“Yes,” I corrected myself. “Yes, you definitely look weird right now. And creepy.”

She grinned as she emitted a high-pitched giggle.

“Do I even want to know what she’s doing?” Grayson asked.

“Nope.” I watched Zoe puff up her cheeks.

“You want to be careful with this,” Hunter interjected, drawing my attention back to him. “The shadows have a weight to them. You could seal up an entire room with it, and when you do that, you stop oxygen from getting in. You know that smell of burned ozone that often accompanies use of the Source?”

I nodded.

“It’s the Source basically eating up the molecules that make up oxygen. In this case, you’re not just blocking the light, you’re virtually sucking the oxygen out of it faster than anyone can