The Brightest Night (Origin #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,171

I saw that Emery had Heidi behind her. The female Luxen’s pupils were diamond bright. “They were vetted. The Luxen is Chris Strom,” Jeremy answered. “The hybrid’s name is Blake Saunders.”

Neither name meant a thing to me, but they did to Grayson and Emery.

“Holy Christ,” whispered Emery.

“That can’t be right.” The Source flared around Grayson. “I know that name. Blake Saunders is dead.”

The hybrid said nothing, but the Luxen did. “It’s true. His name is Blake, and I’m sure a lot of people believe him to be dead, but he didn’t die. We’re not lying. We not here to cause any problems. If we’d known that Luc was here, we wouldn’t have come—”

“Why would it cause problems?” I demanded. “Who are you two?”

The hybrid’s gaze shot to me.

“Don’t look at her,” Grayson warned. “Jeremy, I need you to get Hunter. Now. He’ll be able to confirm exactly who these two are. And I need you to get him fast,” Grayson instructed. “Don’t talk to anyone else about this.”

“On it,” Jeremy said, and he then rushed from the room.

“Everyone should leave. Sorry, Georgie. I know this is your house, but I want you and Doris nowhere near here,” Grayson instructed. “Take Emery and Heidi to Cekiah. She’s at the old library. Tell her what is going down. Make sure it stays quiet. There are others here that don’t need to learn of this.”

“Others?” Chris asked, still frozen where I held him, his chest moving and falling rapidly. “Who else is here?”

His question was ignored as Grayson dropped the hybrid. He fell back against the counter, eyes flying open. His shirt was torn around his collar. He said nothing, keeping his gaze trained on Grayson.

“Evie,” Grayson said as Emery took ahold of Heidi’s arm and joined Georgie at the door. “Go with them.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t care where you go, but you’re going somewhere that’s not here.”

“No, I’m not.”

Keeping one hand planted on the center of the hybrid’s chest, he spared me a brief glance. “I’m not asking.”

“Good,” I shot back. “Because even if you were, I’m still not listening. If you want me to leave, you’re going to have to make me, and that is something I’d like to see.”

The Source flared violently around him, and for a moment, I thought he was going to try, but then he gave me a tight-lipped smile. “It’s your world, isn’t it?” Then he turned back to the hybrid. “Sit. I want both of you to sit.”

The room had emptied by that point, and there was a part of me that wanted to go after Heidi. There was so much I needed to tell her, and I wanted to hug her again, but instinct was going off left and right, telling me that I needed to stay here.

The hybrid slowly lowered himself to the floor, sitting with one leg drawn up, the other stretched out.

“That means you, too.” Grayson looked at the Luxen.

“I can’t,” he replied. “I can’t move.”

“That’s me.” Pulling the Source back, I let the Luxen go.

Jerking as if he were attached to a string and it was pulled, the Luxen swung his head toward me as he sat a few feet from the hybrid. “How did you do that?”

I didn’t answer, because I wasn’t sure what I should admit in front of him.

“The Daedalus is how she did that,” the hybrid answered. “The Andromeda serum, right?”

I shifted toward him. “I want to know how you know me.”

“No,” the hybrid said, his jaw hardening. “You don’t.”

Tiny knots filled my stomach as I started toward him.

“If you insist on staying, the least you can do is to stay away from them.” Grayson’s arm blocked me. “If they are who they claim to be, Luc wouldn’t want you in the same zip code.”

Those knots grew. Neither seemed very threatening at the moment. The Luxen appeared seconds from breaking down. Then again, all of this could be an act.

I didn’t know them even though the hybrid seemed to know me. “Who are they?” I asked Grayson.

“Who are they claiming to be?” Grayson pulled a Blow Pop out of his pocket. “Two people who should definitely be dead.”

“That tells me nothing.”

“I never met you.” The hybrid eyed Grayson from where he sat.

“No, you haven’t.” Grayson unwrapped the sucker. “But if you are who you say you are, I’ve heard the stories.”

“From Luc?” he asked.

Grayson didn’t answer.

One side of the hybrid’s lips twitched upward as if he tried to smile. “If you didn’t