The Brightest Night (Origin #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,44

I for one second believe that you will endanger anyone here, I don’t care what I owe Luc, I will not hold my silence.”

Heart pounding, I lifted my chin. “That is more than understandable. I wouldn’t expect you to.”

I thought I saw respect and maybe even a little bit of relief flicker across her face, but her words were still a blade when she spoke. “For your sake and the sake of all others, I do hope we don’t end up regretting our hospitality and generosity.”

9

Cradling the jar of peanut butter I’d discovered in the pantry, I paced the living room, spoon in hand.

The restless energy was back, making it nearly impossible for me to sit. I had tried that already, having rooted around in the bookcases until I found an ancient copy of A Dance with Dragons, but I couldn’t focus. Maybe it was the quiet? That was a part of my inability to concentrate, but it was also the warning Cekiah had rightfully given me before we’d parted ways and that Luc still hadn’t returned. Maybe Daemon was pushing back, not wanting to stay quiet like Cekiah, and Luc was having to convince him.

I hoped they weren’t trying to kill each other.

All of that probably explained why I felt like the Energizer Bunny on crack, but I was starving like I hadn’t indulged in gluttony only a few hours ago.

I glanced at the door for the fiftieth time as if I could will Luc forward, which was kind of sad, but I was bored and I couldn’t sit still and I already ate half a jar of peanut butter and I was …

Lonely.

The only person I really knew here was Zoe—Grayson didn’t count—and she had gone to catch up with Cekiah, and I missed Heidi and James. I had no idea how James was doing back at home with all of us gone. What would happen to him if the Daedalus did end up releasing the flu on a wide scale? Had he gotten vaccinated? I couldn’t remember, and there was no way to reach out to warn him.

With that thought, I scooped out another spoonful of peanut butter smoothness and shoved it into my mouth.

Wait. How old was this peanut butter anyway?

It tasted fine, but if it belonged to the previous owners, I didn’t think it had a four-year shelf life. Maybe it had been picked up on one of the supply runs. Frowning, I lifted the jar until I found the stamped “best by” date was over a year ago.

I glanced from the jar to the half-full spoon, shrugged, and then thrust that spoon right back in my mouth.

I ate only one more spoonful before I felt I should possibly leave some for Luc. Forcing myself to put the peanut butter down, I was about to investigate the closed-up spare bedrooms when I felt the weird tingle of awareness along the back of my neck. Frowning, I turned toward the front door. Not even two heartbeats later, someone knocked on it.

Zoe would’ve just walked right in, and Luc had no reason to knock, so I was full of curiosity as I all but bum-rushed the door, throwing it open.

Dee Black stood there, her long black hair tucked up in a bun that would rival Zoe’s in terms of neatness.

Her blue jeans were splattered with something brown.

Dee’s emerald-green eyes followed my gaze, and she laughed. “I look a mess. I know. I was trying to melt chocolate chips with my hands.” She waved them. “Microwave hands courtesy of extraterrestrial awesomeness.”

I blinked slowly. “You can do that? Cook food with the Source?”

“Well, pretty much anyone except me can. Every time I try to do anything outside of boiling eggs, it goes south fast, evident in the fact I’m covered in dried chocolate. I heated it too fast, and it sort of exploded,” she explained. “No matter what, do not let Luc or anyone else try to convince you that Source-cooked meat tastes good.”

“It doesn’t?” I heard myself ask as I tried not to gawk at her so openly … and failed.

“Oh no. No. It tastes like meat cooked with charged air, and while that doesn’t sound all that bad, it is. There’s no amount of seasonings that can cover that burned ozone taste.”

“Okay.” I felt myself nodding.

“Anyway.” She smiled brightly. “I was sent over here to retrieve you. Kat wants to talk to you.”

“She does?”

Dee nodded. “Yes. And she’s super-pregnant, as you already know, and you don’t tell