Obsidian (Lux, #1)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“What are you? A vampire?” He rolled his eyes “Are you serious?” “What?” Frustration whipped through me. “You say you’re not human, and that limits the pool of what you can be! You stopped a truck without touching it.” “You read too much.” Daemon exhaled slowly. “We’re not werewolves or witches. Zombies or whatever.” “Well, I’m glad about the zombie thing. I like to think what’s left of my brains are safe,” I muttered. “And I don’t read too much. There’s no such thing as that. But there’s no such thing as aliens either.”

“This is crazy, but I’m not scared of you.” “You’re not?” “No.” I laughed, but it sounded a bit crazed—totally unconvincing. “You don’t look like an alien!” It seemed important to point that out. He arched a brow. “And what do aliens look like?” “Not…not like you,” I sputtered. “They aren’t gorgeous—” “You think I’m gorgeous?” He smiled. I shot him a dark look. “Shut up. Like you don’t know that everyone on this planet thinks you’re good-looking.” I grimaced, shocked to even be having this conversation. “Aliens—if they exist—are little green men with big eyes and spindly arms or…or giant insects or something like a lumpy little creature.” Daemon let out a loud laugh. “ET?” “Yes! Like ET, asshole. I’m so glad you find this funny. That you want to screw with my head more than you guys have already screwed with it. Maybe I hit my head or something.”

Out of all the paranormal books I’d read and reviewed, no one glowed like this. Some glittered in the light. Others had wings. No one was a freaking giant sun.

“So where are you from? Mars?” He laughed. “Not even close.”

Humans are weak. They bring us nothing but trouble.” My eyes narrowed. “We aren’t weak. And you’re on our planet. How about a little respect, buddy.”

Dee was like a sister to me. And Daemon was…well, he was whatever,

Well, it was sick he liked pissing me off. Even sicker was the fact I liked watching him get all pissy, too.

“Meet me on the rock.” He turned back to the lake and kicked off his shoes. “What? I’m not wearing a bathing suit.” “So?” He turned around, grinning. “You could almost strip down—” “Not going to happen.” I folded my arms. “Figured,” he replied. “Haven’t you ever gone swimming in your clothes before?”

“Why are you such an ass?” The words came out before I could think twice. “Everyone has to excel at something, right?” “Well, you’re doing a great job.”

“So, you guys are like us in other, uh, departments?” Daemon sat up, arching a brow. “Come again?” I felt my cheeks flush. “You know, like sex? I mean, you guys are all glowy and stuff. I don’t see how certain stuff would work.” Daemon’s lips curled into a half smile, and that was the only warning he gave. Moving unbelievably fast, I was on my back and he was above me in a flash. “Are you asking if I’m attracted to human girls?” he asked. Dark, wet waves of hair fell forward. Tiny droplets of water fell off the ends, splashing against my cheek. “Or are you asking if I’m attracted to you?” Using his hands, he lowered himself slowly. There wasn’t an inch of space between our bodies. Air fled my lungs at the contact of his body against mine. He was male and ripped in all the places I was soft. Being this close to him was startling, causing an array of sensations to zing through me. I shivered. Not from the cold, but from how warm and wonderful he felt. I could feel every breath he took, and when he shifted his hips, my eyes went wide and I gasped. Oh yeah, certain stuff was definitely working. Daemon rolled off me, onto his back beside me. “Next question?”

“My brother fell in love with a human…and now they’re both dead.”

“God! I think you like to do that to piss me off.” “Who? Me?” His eyes were wide with innocence. “What time is dinner?” “Six.” I stomped up the steps. “And you are not invited.” “Like I want to eat dinner with you,” he retorted.

“How long have you been standing there?” “Just long enough to see you give Daemon the middle finger.” “He deserved it,” I grumbled, dropping my backpack on the floor. “I’m going over there after dinner.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do I even want to know?” I sighed. “Not in a million years.”

“Do you think that we are somehow weaker than you because we’re human?” “It’s not that I think you’re weaker, I know you are.” He eyed me over his glass of milk. “I’m not trying to be obnoxious by saying that. You are weaker than us.” “Maybe physically but not mentally or…morally,”

“Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m a coward or unethical. I’d never do anything that would put Dee in danger. Why would my life be more valuable than hers? Now yours…debatable.

“At least I don’t look like a Christmas tree.” “You look like the star atop the tree.”

“Asshole,” I muttered. Daemon laughed. “You have such a mouth on you. Do you kiss boys with that thing?” My cheeks heated. “Do you kiss Ash with yours?” “Ash?” His smile disappeared and his eyes were suddenly hooded, less clear. “You would like to know that, wouldn’t you?” An unreasonable spark of jealousy flared in me, but I pushed it aside. I smirked. “No, thank you.”

“I have a strange idea that I should test this out.” “Test what?” My eyes dropped to his lips. I felt myself sway. “I think you would like to know.” He moved closer, his hand sliding up my arm and resting carefully at the nape of my neck. “You have beautiful hair.” “What?” “Nothing.” His fingers spread along the back of my neck, slowly weaving themselves through strands of loose hair. His deft fingers moved against the base of my skull. My lips parted, and I waited. He dropped his hand and reached out again as I stood there, eager—maybe too eager—to discover if he felt the same unexpected ache. If he was any bit as affected as I was. Instead, Daemon plucked up a bottled water off the counter. I slumped against the counter. What the holy hell. His eyes danced with laughter as he turned back to the table. “What was it that you were asking, Kitten?”

looked me up and down. Either he was a perv or an alien. Or both, which would be a winning combination.

It had been a week, and still everyone considered me the food ninja.

“I know he likes you,” she’d said once while we were supposed to be studying. “I see the way he looks at you. He gets uptight if I even bring you up.” I’d sighed and closed my notebook. “Dee, I think the reason why he stares at me is because he’s planning on ways to kill me and hide my body.” “That is so not the look he gives you.” “Then what’s the look, Dee?” She knocked her book off the bed and climbed to her knees, placing her hands over her chest. “It’s the ‘I hate you but I want you’ look.” I giggled. “That was terrible.”

“You like Simon?” His chin jerked up, anger flashing in his emerald eyes. “You can’t possibly like him.” I hesitated. “Are you jealous?” Daemon looked away. And I seized the opportunity to finally have one thing to rub in his face and stepped forward. He didn’t move or breathe. “You’re jealous of Simon?” I lowered my voice. “Of a human? For shame, Daemon.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m not jealous. All I’m trying to do is help you out. Guys like Simon want to get between your legs.” My cheeks flushed as I stared at him. “Why? You think that’s the only reason why a guy might like me?” Daemon smiled knowingly as he slowly backed up. “Just saying.”

“I didn’t tell you this because I’m sure you would’ve changed your mind about the dress.” “What?” I frowned. “Does it make my butt look big?” She laughed. “No. You looked stunning in it.” “Then what’s the deal?” Her smile turned downright mischievous. “Oh, you know, just that the color red is Daemon’s favorite.”

“Are you having a good time with…Ash?” “Are you having a good time with Happy Hands?” I bit down on my lip. “Such a constant smartass.”

“You…you look beautiful, by the way. Really too good to be with that idiot.” A blush stole over my skin, and I lowered my gaze. “Are you high?” “Unfortunately, no I’m not. Though, I am curious why you would ask.” “You never say anything nice to me.” “Good point,” he sighed.

“Remind me,” he paused, drawing in a stuttered gasp, “to never piss you off again. Christ, are you secretly a ninja?”

I won’t let anything happen to you. My chest swelled. His touch seared me. Those words filled me with a longing that was overwhelming, unexpected. And it felt good being next to him. My body relaxed. Seconds, maybe minutes later, I drifted off to sleep beside the one boy I couldn’t stand.

“You gave her the blade when you could’ve used it?” Ash sounded stunned. “Why?” Her eyes darted to me. “You don’t even like her.” “That may be the case, but I wasn’t going to let her die because I don’t like her.”

“The Arum will end up killing him.” Her tone didn’t change one bit. It remained flat, emotionless. “Because of you, little human. He will get himself killed protecting you.”

“We could always have sex. I hear that uses up a lot of energy.” My mouth dropped open. Part of me wanted to laugh in his face. There was a part of me offended that he would suggest something so ridiculous, but there was another part that liked the idea. Which was so, so wrong it wasn’t even funny. Daemon waited. “That will never happen in a million years, buddy.” I took a step forward, raising my pointer finger at him. “Not even if you were the last—wait, I can’t even say last human on the face of this Earth.” “Kitten,” he murmured lazily. A clear warning in his eyes. I ignored it. “Not even if you were the last thing that looked like a human on the face of this Earth. Got that? Capiche?”

“I’m not even attracted to you.” Lie. Ding! Ding! Lie. “Not even a little bit. You’re—” Daemon was in front of me in a flash, not an inch from my face. “I’m what?” “Ignorant,” I said, taking a step back. “And?” He matched my step. “Arrogant. Controlling.” I took another step back, but he was still in my personal space and then some. “And you’re…you’re a jerk.” “Oh, I’m sure you can do better than that, Kitten.”

“Because I seriously doubt you’re not attracted to me.” I forced a laugh. “I’m totally not attracted to you.” Another step forward on Daemon’s side, and my back was against the wall. “You’re lying.” “And you’re overconfident.”

“Every time you lie, your cheeks turn red.” “Nuh-uh.” Not the most eloquent thing I’d ever said, but it was the best I could come up with. His hands slid down the wall, stopping beside my hips. “I bet you think about me all the time. Nonstop.” “You’re insane.” I pressed back against the wall, breathless. “You probably even dream about me.” His gaze lowered to my mouth. I felt my lips part. “I bet you even write my name in your notebooks, over and over again, with a little heart drawn around it.”

“I don’t know. I mean we haven’t talked about it. He literally left afterward, and all he’s done since then is poke me with his pen.” “Probably because he wants to poke you with something else,” she said dryly. My eyes bugged. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“I swear on every star in the sky, I’m going to strangle you when I get my hands on you.” Daemon paused, his breath heavy on the phone. “Where are you?”

“I have something for you.” Not what I was expecting. “Is it going to blow up in my face?”

“I do believe you protest too much with the whole liking me part.” A wry grin twisted his lips. “Someone sounds like they are trying to convince themselves.”