Free Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page A

just thought there might be something between you and Daemon.”
    “Oh, no, there’s nothing between us.” Besides a whacked-out alien bond and all our secrets. I cleared my throat. “Let’s not talk about your brother. What’s up with Adam?”
    Crimson swept across her pale cheeks. “Adam and I have been trying to spend more time together, you know? Everyone expects us to be together, and there is a part of me that likes him. The elders know that since we’re both eighteen already, we’re coming of age.”
    “Coming of age?”
    She nodded. “Once we reach eighteen, we’re old enough to be mated.”
    “What?” My eyes bugged. “Mated? Like, marrying and making babies?”
    “Yeah.” She sighed. “We usually wait until we’re done with school, but knowing that we’re getting close, Adam and I are trying to decide what we want to do.”
    I was still stuck on the whole mating thing. “Do the elders tell you who you can be with?”
    Dee frowned. “Not really. I mean, they want us with another Luxen and to reproduce as soon as possible. I know that sounds messed up, but our race is dying off.”
    “I get that, but what if you didn’t want to have kids? What if you fell in love with another boy or…a human?”
    “They would outcast us.” She faded and then was standing on the other side of the coffee table. “All of them would turn their backs on us. That’s what they would’ve done to Dawson if he…if he were still alive and with Bethany. And I know he would still be with her. Dawson loved Beth.”
    And her brother’s love had ultimately led to their deaths. I lowered my gaze, feeling for the remaining siblings. “Would they force you to leave or something?”
    She shook her head. “They’d make us want to leave, but we can’t, not without the DOD’s permission. It’s a lot of pressure.”
    No doubt. I had to worry about what college to pick. Not about getting knocked up as soon as possible. And Daemon really wanted to risk all of that to be with me? He had to be on crack. “What happened with you and Adam?”
    Stopping in front of the TV, she ran her hands through her curly hair. “We had sex.”
    “Come again?” Up until five seconds ago, I was positive Dee wasn’t even attracted to Adam.
    Dee’s small hands fluttered to her sides. “Yeah, shocking, huh?”
    I blinked. “Yeah, that’s shocking.”
    “I didn’t know how I felt about him. Like, I totally respect him, and he’s good looking.” She started pacing again. “But we’ve only been friends, really. Or at least, I’ve only let him be a friend to me. I don’t know, but anyway, I decided I wanted to see if we, you know, could even do it. So, I told him that we should try to have sex. And we did.”
    Wow, that sounded real romantic. “And how was it?”
    Her cheeks flushed again. “It was…it was good.”
    “Good?”
    Dee appeared beside me, sitting on the couch, hands twisting together. “It was more than just good. A little awkward at first—okay, a whole lot of awkward at first, but things…worked out.”
    I didn’t know if I should be happy for her or not. “So what does all of this mean?”
    “I don’t know. That’s the problem. I like him, but I don’t know if I like him because I’m supposed to or if it’s real.” She flopped onto her back, one arm hanging off the couch. “I don’t even know what love is. Like, I thought I loved him when we were doing it. But now? I don’t know.”
    “Damn, Dee, I don’t know what to say. I’m glad it was…good.”
    “It was great.” She sighed. “Want to know how great it was? I want to do it again.”
    I laughed.
    One jade-colored eye opened. “But now I have all these…knots in my tummy. I can’t stop thinking about him, wondering what he thinks.”
    “Have you tried talking to him?”
    “No. Should I?”
    “Uh, yeah, you just did it with him. You should probably call him.”
    Dee sat up, her eyes wide. “What if he doesn’t feel the same?”
    It