“Those.” I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Because when we get shown something absolutely messed up, which I’m sure we’re going to, I’m so going to start focusing on those plans and lifting up your wedding gown and getting down on my knees.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, and when I pulled back with a chuckle, her cheeks were bright red. “You’re . . . you’re . . .”
“What?”
She shook her head and swallowed. “A lot to handle.”
I smirked as I opened the door. “After you, Kitten.”
As she walked through, I landed a nice swat on her behind that caused her to jump and spin around. Kat shot me a dirty look, and I grinned, totally unrepentant. It was the little things in life that kept me happy.
Archer ignored that, which meant he must value certain parts of his body. We followed him down the hall and then down a stairwell and into another corridor. Up ahead was a set of glass double doors and what looked like a NASA-level command center inside.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“What you think it is.” Archer’s smile didn’t reach his odd eyes when I glared at him. “It’s the base’s command center. They’re hooked up to satellites, missiles, and all kinds of fun things in here.”
Kat scrunched her nose but remained quiet.
Archer opened the door, and I wasn’t surprised to see Luc sitting in a chair at the front, legs kicked up on a white ledge, crossed at the ankles. He had a fruit punch box in his hands.
I shook my head.
Nancy was near the front, arms crossed over her narrow chest, her face tight, like she was sucking on something sour. A man stood next to her in full military regalia with enough shiny buttons and badges to tell me he might be a problem.
The room was staffed with military folk all wearing headsets and wired in to whatever the hell they were doing on the monitors in front of them. A few looked our way when we walked in. None of them seemed surprised. There was a huge monitor on the wall in front of Luc.
I turned my gaze back to the man with steely gray eyes and short, light brown hair. “Who’s this douche?”
Kat’s eyes widened, and it sounded like Luc choked on his laugh as he spun around to face us. “God, I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
“Yay,” I muttered.
Nancy did not look amused as the man faced us, his shoulders squared. “This is General Jonathan Eaton, the highest-ranking officer in the United States Air Force,” Nancy said, her words clipped and like little punches. “Perhaps you could show some respect.”
I arched a brow. “Sure.”
I had to give it to General Whatever His Name Was. There wasn’t a single flicker of any smidgen of annoyance as his gray eyes settled on me. “I know you don’t have a very . . . high opinion of members of the government,” he said. “But I can assure you, right now, we are not your enemy.”
“I reserve the right to decide that,” I said, glancing up at the screen. From what it looked like, it was a distant aerial view of a major city. I could pick out the tops of skyscrapers and a blue blob that might be an ocean.
“That’s understandable,” he replied, drawing my attention. “Let it be known, I’ve never had any problems with your kind.”
“I never had a problem with yours,” I said. “Not until you basically kidnapped us, started doing horrific experiments on us, ripped my family apart, and became a general pain in our asses.”
A slight flush of pain stained Nancy’s cheeks, but she remained quiet.
The general, however, did not. “Many of us were not fully aware of what Daedalus was carrying out or how they were acquiring the Luxen and hybrids. There will be a lot of changes in the future.”
“He’s one of the big guys who put the smackdown on Daedalus.” Luc folded his arms behind his head, and I had no idea where his fruit box had gone. His slippery gaze slid over to Nancy, and a chilling grin tilted his lips. “I think he’s kind of cool.”
“That means a lot to me,” the general replied drily, and Archer’s cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “We may not see eye to eye or think along the same lines,” he said to me, “and I will never be able to say anything that will make up for what was done to your family or to those you care for.” With that, he passed a stern look in Nancy’s direction. “Those who were responsible for the more unsavory aspects of Daedalus will be punished accordingly.”
Kat gaped at him.
“Wait.” I moved closer to her—not that I was far away in the first place. Now I was practically standing on top of her. “That’s all great that you love yourself some Luxen, but why in the hell would you trust any of us right now? Why would we trust you?”
The general tilted up his chin. “I know you don’t think you and your brother are the only Luxen to ever mutate a human you care deeply for. Matter of fact, I think you also realize that there are many Luxen out there who would do anything to protect the human or humans they care for. I know that bond is stronger than the influence of those who have recently arrived. I know that for a fact.”
“How?” Kat asked.
“Because my daughter and her husband are here on the base,” he said, looking at me. “And yes, he is a Luxen.”
I could feel Kat’s eyes on me as I watched the general. For some screwed-up reason, out of everything, that had to be the most shocking shit I’d heard. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Your daughter is married to a Luxen?”
Nancy’s lips pursed, and I thought her cheeks might cave in.
“They’ve been married for five years,” he said, and as he folded his arms, the dark blue uniform stretched over his shoulders.
“Your daughter is married to a Luxen, and you’re okay with what Nancy was doing to them? To us?” Anger flashed across Kat’s face.
A long look of chagrin settled in his eyes. “As I said, there were things we were unaware of.”
“That’s not an excuse,” she said, and damn, I knew she was about to get a wee bit feisty.
His lips twitched as if he wished to smile. “You remind me of my daughter.”
Nancy turned her cheek, and I swore her eyes rolled.
“I know there is nothing I can do to change what has been done in the past other than ensuring it will never happen again. And I will.” He drew in a breath. “But right now, we have an unprecedented global disaster on our hands. That is all I can focus on.”
“Global disaster.” Luc arched a brow. “That sounds so incredibly dramatic and like there’s—” A muted beep cut him off. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
Luc dropped his sneakers onto the floor, his expression stark as he shot to his feet. “Got something I need to take care of.”
He headed for the door without a backward glance, his free hand curling into a fist, and warnings fired off, one at a time. I’d never seen Luc look so . . . so unsettled.
It’s okay. Archer’s voice filtered through my thoughts. What he has going on right now has nothing to do with any of this.
Call me paranoid if that doesn’t mean shit to me, I sent back at him.
The general is legit, Archer replied, his gaze locking with mine. And like I said, what Luc is dealing with has nothing to do with it.
I still wasn’t 100 percent on board, so I draped my arm around Kat’s shoulders just in case. My gaze flickered over the general and Nancy. I wasn’t sure what was really going on there. “Where’s the other one?” I asked. “Sergeant Dasher?”
Nancy turned to me. “He’s dead.”
Against my side, Kat stiffened. “How?” she asked.
“In a fight with the Luxen just outside of Vegas.” Nancy’s dark eyes narrowed on us. “That should make both of you happy.”