The Brightest Night (Origin #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,182

said, and then I grinned.

Only the corners of his lips curved up, but it was something. “You’d better hurry.”

* * *

I found Luc less than two minutes later, having run as fast as I could to the old library. He’d been on the first floor, speaking to Cekiah as I all but burst through the front doors.

“Yes, I promise I’m only going to talk to him,” Luc was saying as I skidded to a halt, a sheet of hair falling across half of my face. He glanced over at me, an eyebrow arched as I shoved the hair back from my face.

Our gazes connected, and for one heart-stopping moment, I thought he was going to ignore me. That he’d pretend that I wasn’t there, and I didn’t know what I’d do. Actually, I did. I would be pissed. I’d probably make a scene, and then I’d go hide and cry like a mature person.

“Correction.” He turned back to Cekiah. “We will not hurt a single hair on Blake’s head. We just want to talk to him.”

A rough breath punched out of my lungs.

Cekiah glanced at me, lips pursed. What felt like a whole minute passed before she said, “You guys have half an hour. That’s it. You know where to find him.”

I watched Cekiah walk back through open double doors that led to the main part of the library. From where I stood, I could see rows of books. Slowly, I shifted my gaze to Luc. He looked the same as he had when I’d seen him walk up the driveway, the same as he’d been before he’d left. The intriguing and stunning lines and planes of his face were all familiar, as was the breadth of his shoulders and the lean tautness of his body. Those eyes were still shockingly beautiful, a shade so bright that it looked like jewels has been placed there.

Something was different, though, as he stared back at me.

“I’m guessing someone alerted you to what I was doing.”

“I’ll never tell,” I tried to tease, but it fell as flat as a board in the space between us. I wanted to talk to him about what I knew was bothering him, but now was not the time. “We didn’t talk this morning like you’d said we would.”

Luc said nothing.

I took a shallow breath. “You’re going to talk to Blake.”

He nodded.

“Did you think that maybe I would want to be here?” I asked, fully realizing that my voice was nowhere near as level as I wanted it to sound.

“I did.”

My brows lifted. “And?”

“And I figured since God only knows what Blake is going to say, I decided it probably wasn’t a good idea for you to be there.”

Irritation rose. “Well, good thing you don’t get to make decisions for me.”

An emotion flickered across his features, gone too fast for me to track what it was. His expression smoothed out. “Come on.”

Ignoring the tickle of unease and the ravaging flood of uncertainty, I followed him down the hall and toward the windowless door situated at the end, tucked beside an alcove that featured a glass case I imagined once showcased books. The hallway was dark and cramped, and even my new special alien eyes couldn’t make out a step from the darkness, but that didn’t last long. The glow of the Source spilled out around Luc’s hand, lighting the way. He started down the steps.

Telling myself yet again that now wasn’t the time to talk to him, I opened my mouth and blurted out, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” came his answer, and I knew it was lie.

“You sure?” I asked as we rounded the corner. “I’m worried.”

He was quiet for several moments, stopping when he reached the next landing. He faced me, the glow softening his features. “If you’re going to come in here and talk to Blake, you can’t be worried about me. I’ll know when he’s lying, but you won’t, and I might not be able to say anything before the damage is done. And then there is the truth,” he said. “You have to be present in what we’re doing. You understand?”

My heart turned over, but I nodded. “I do.”

His gaze searched mine, and then I sent him the message again. I do.

“Okay.” Luc turned, and the door creaked open.

Lanterns lined the walls of the basement, casting enough light that we didn’t need to use Luc’s hand like a flashlight. We walked past packed goods, boxed and labeled. I wasn’t paying attention to any of it