The Brightest Night (Origin #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,178

exactly what he knows—”

“That’s the point. Blake could be a gold mine.”

“But will that be worth causing your friends even more pain?” I asked, hands shaking at my side. “Because I can tell you that for me, it won’t be worth knowing that I’m that root cause.”

“You’re not the cause.” Shock splashed across Luc’s expression. He all but blinked out of existence, appearing directly in front of me. “You did not cause anyone pain.”

I know. I met his stare. But you did, because of me. You’re not a monster who doesn’t care for others. I know that, because I couldn’t have fallen in love with you twice if you were. His face paled, and it killed me to see that. “I will not be the reason again.”

Luc looked away, jaw clenched, and then his gaze swung back to mine. “I didn’t want them to get hurt. I never wanted any of them to be hurt, but I had to.” Stepping back, he turned to Daemon, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “She is the only thing in my entire life I ever needed—the only person I’ve ever loved, and she was slipping through my fingers. I was watching her die day after day, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t heal her. No one could. And I was going to lose her. I was losing her. Can you even begin to imagine what that feels like?”

Daemon closed his eyes. “No,” he said roughly. “I can’t. I don’t want to.”

“I hope you never have to. I know I did that to her.” His voice cracked. “But I would not let her die. I couldn’t.”

“You didn’t cause what the Daedalus did to me.” I stepped toward him, but Luc moved out of my reach. I swallowed hard. “You had no idea. You cannot blame yourself for that, and you can’t blame him for that, either,” I said to Daemon.

“That was low,” Dawson murmured, arms folded. “Lower than I’ve seen you go.”

“I know.” Daemon let his head fall back. Sensing that Daemon might not hit Luc again, I freed him from my hold. He didn’t seem to notice. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Luc said nothing.

“So,” Hunter asked. “Are we going to kill this guy or not?”

“No one is killing anyone,” Cekiah announced, startling me. I’d been so caught up in everything, I hadn’t even felt her or Zouhour’s presence, but both were standing in the driveway. “Despite what Luc did to the man who shot Evie, that’s not what we do here, no matter what.”

Daemon turned to them. “He cannot be left alive.”

“He does not die,” Zouhour said. “At least not tonight.”

* * *

The argument about Blake’s future had moved inside, and thankfully no one was throwing punches at this point. Although it looked like Kat was ready to start breaking things. Dawson had retrieved her, and baby Adam had been placed with Beth.

Hunter looked half-asleep on the couch, and Grayson lurked in a corner, not really adding anything other than his presence to what was happening—which was pretty much the only value I was currently adding. The only reason why I was still here was because Luc was. Emery and Heidi had left with Zoe, and Georgie and his wife had already bid everyone good night, wanting nothing to do with this conversation.

Kat paced the living room, her husband’s eyes tracking her every move. “I cannot believe this is a conversation that needs to even take place.”

“You think discussing killing someone isn’t necessary?” Zouhour challenged from where she stood behind Cekiah.

“Not when it has to do with Blake.” She made another pass along the frayed throw rug. “You guys have no idea who you have locked up right now.”

“He was forced to work for the Daedalus,” Cekiah answered. “They held Chris as leverage. Yes, he told us.”

“And did he tell you what he did when he worked for them?” Kat demanded.

“He told us that he gained your trust and then betrayed you, subsequently causing the death of a friend and then your capture.” Cekiah stared up at Kat. “He told us that you were made to fight him, and you were led to believe you’d killed him.”

She stopped, hands curling into fists. “I know I killed him. I saw his body—” Her voice caught, and Daemon reached out, snagging her hand. He pulled her into his lap. A moment passed, and when she spoke, her voice was steady. “I saw what I did to him. No one bleeds