Opposition (Lux, #5)(36)

“Good,” I growled, hoisting Kat to where Dawson waited just inside. He pulled her toward him as I leaped in, crowding Nancy. The woman backed up, dropping down onto a bench as she met my stare. “But this time will end differently.”

“Will it?”

I got all up in her face and lowered my voice so that only she could hear as the chopper propellers blocked out my words to anyone else. “Yeah, because this time, I will make sure you’re dead.”

Nancy stiffened as I drew back and reached for Kat. My brother handed her to me, and Nancy said nothing. Instead, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. The woman had bigger balls than I did, all things considered.

I tucked Kat against me as Dawson sat on her other side. Two of the soldiers jumped in, taking the seats beside Nancy. One leaned back, motioning with his arm to the pilot to take us up.

The moment the bird left the ground, Kat squeezed her eyes shut. A shudder rocked her as she balled her fist into my shirt. Her heart was pounding too fast. She wasn’t a huge fan of flying, so being in a copter probably had her one step from full freak-out mode.

Keeping my eyes trained on Nancy and her little minions, I lifted Kat up and sat her in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her, curling one hand against the back of her head, positioning her so that her heart rested against mine.

One of the soldiers propped his gun between his legs and reached up, pulling off his helmet. Shoving a hand through his sandy-brown hair, he worked out a kink in his neck as he opened his eyes.

Amethyst.

Freaking Origin.

Obviously one of Nancy’s successful products, like Archer and Luc. I couldn’t pick up jack shit from the guy, but I hadn’t picked up anything from Archer before he revealed what he was. The same with Luc. I always knew there was something off about the kid but could never put my finger on it. And Sadi had felt like a Luxen to me.

Another Origin talent, I assumed, seamlessly blending into something that they weren’t. There was a lot about them I didn’t know, and right now, didn’t give a crap about.

Lowering my head, I kept a steady watch on the three across from me as I spoke into Kat’s ear. I talked absolute nonsense. The last Ghost Hunters show I’d seen and how I wanted to check out the abandoned asylum one day. I told her about the time I’d convinced Adam that I’d seen the Mothman one night when I’d been out scouting for Arum. Then, I reminded her that with Halloween only a month or so away, we needed to find us Gizmo and gremlin outfits. I talked to her about anything, trying to keep her mind off the fact that we were winging through the air, heading to God knows where. It worked to an extent. Her heart rate slowed a little and she loosened her death grip some.

No one talked during the ride except what I was saying to Kat. Wasn’t like you could really hear anything unless you were right up on someone. The drone of the helicopter traveled through our bodies, making it feel like we were in a steel drum.

I had no idea how long we were in the air. Maybe an hour or so before the copter started to tilt to the side, and I was almost positive Kat started praying under her breath. Any other time I would’ve laughed, but wariness settled into every cell.

What were we about to face now? Being locked up? As I watched Nancy open her eyes and smooth her hands across her black pants, I doubted she wanted to keep us alive. Her obsession with breeding Luxen and hybrids to create the perfect race could only go so far. She had a huge bone to pick with us. After all, we’d broken out, taking down a lot of soldiers; had a hand in destroying an entire city; and had exposed what we were before the Luxen came.

Hell, what we did might’ve had something to do with why the others chose this time to arrive.

Then again, if she wanted us dead, it would’ve been an easy feat to carry out on the road outside of Coeur d’Alene, so I had no clue what she was up to.

The helicopter landed, and the doors were drawn open immediately. As Kat leaned away, I got my first glimpse of the outside. All I saw was a tall chain-link fence, and beyond that, a gray mountain in the distance. Maybe the Rockies?

One soldier climbed down, motioning us out. Dawson went and then Kat. We kept her between us, and the moment my feet hit the ground, I grabbed her hand. Getting a better look around, I didn’t like what I was seeing.

It was obvious we were at a military base, a huge one that spread as far as I could see. Row after row of bunkers and planes and tanks and other major inconveniences when it came to forming an escape plan. Up ahead, there was a wide and tall U-shaped building.

And a whole crapload of soldiers.

Some dressed in fatigues. Others wearing black like the soldiers on the road. I had a feeling they were extra special.

“Welcome to Malmstrom Air Force Base,” Nancy said, stalking past us. As we passed the lines of soldiers, I expected them to salute Nancy. They didn’t. “The whole base is under lockdown. No one gets in or out, including the Luxen.”

My eyes narrowed on her back.

God, that woman had a bull’s-eye on her head. Not just for what she did to Kat, but also for my brother, for Beth, and for every other life her twisted hands had touched.

I didn’t get off on the idea of snuffing out someone’s life, even someone like her. But damn if I wasn’t looking forward to the moment when I paid her back tenfold for everything.

“Why did you bring us here?” Dawson demanded.

Nancy kept walking at a rapid clip. “You’ll find that the base is wired to deal with your kind.”