They had laid out a simple blue dress for me. I had no idea why, since it was supposed to be fall in Virginia, and this tiny thing would be way too cold for this time of year. But I was about done with all the questions rolling around in my brain and filed that one in the “deal with that later” pile.

Deep down, I already knew we were no longer in the United States. But still, I wouldn’t let my mind go there.

Not yet.

They’d also given me a pair of white sneakers. Thank you to the boys who knew me so well, though I’d never admit it to their faces. A white sneaker to their face, maybe. Speaking of shoes, I hoped my red All-Stars were still somewhere around here.

My hair was still wet and my face flushed with worry as I sneaked out of the giant bathroom. Avital was right on my heels; apparently, she’d been on guard duty outside my door. She was still keeping up the cosplay act. I didn’t know why they’d decided to hire an actor to stalk me through this palace, but it was just pure overkill, really.

“Just follow me, my lady. We’re going to the common area.” Avital walked in front of me, and I scurried along like a lost puppy. We passed several huge doors on my left. On the right, everything was windows, with that to-die-for view of the flower garden and forest. I spotted waterfalls and hot springs. Strange birds with purple and white feathers flew through the garden. Was I in Costa Rica? South America, maybe? Did Jax or Kai have a retreat I didn’t know about?

She led me to what was supposed to be a living room, though with all the white and wood marble overlays, it looked like a living room for the ultra-rich. It was also built for giants. With my luck in the last few hours, I half-expected a giant to make an appearance in the next act.

Three huge white couches, full of pillows, surrounded a massive fireplace. The decor was modern with a colonial touch.

I knew Maddox had money, but damn, Daddy Skylar didn’t play.

Jax, Kai, the twins, a bunch of other green-skinned cosplayers in waitress outfits, and Jax’s dad stood near a marble side table holding a vase with spinning yellow sunflowers. Or was I just dizzy?

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a man and a woman off to the side whom I hadn’t noticed before. They looked middle-aged, both with dark, cropped hair and blue eyes. They looked like Kai, and suddenly I saw the resemblance—they had to be his parents. They didn’t look happy to see me, though. Judging by the expressions they were giving me, they’d woken up on the wrong side of a pile of something nasty.

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Maddox Skylar spoke first, in that posh accent he’d picked up from his London-born English teacher.

“Lux, my dear. Please, have a seat.” He motioned to the couch in front of him. I debated whether or not to follow his lead, but I’d always respected him, despite what his son had done to me years ago. I was also clearly in his house. I don’t know why I knew that, but everything here screamed Maddox.

So I silently walked over to where he was pointing and let the couch swallow me. I felt tiny and useless and fiddled with the hem of my blue dress to avoid all their eyes on me. It was like I was the only one not in on a secret everyone else knew. I was quite literally the elephant in the room.

Kai sat down to my right, Jax to my left, and everyone else took seats on the other two couches. I opened my mouth to speak, but Kai placed his hand on my knee to silence me. Jax looked at him intently from behind my shoulder. They were having one of those silent conversations again. When did this start happening? This was the third time I’d seen it in as many hours.

Maddox cleared his throat. “I just want you to know that none of us knew. We had no idea this was going to happen.”

I was still confused, but go on, Maddox.

“You are safe here with us. We will do our very best to keep it that way, Lux.”

I shrugged Kai’s hand off.

Safe? Why wouldn’t I be safe?

“Can someone please just tell me, without all the dancing around the giant pink elephant in the room?” I said, motioning toward myself. “What is happening here?”

Kai’s hand landed on my lower back again, and this guy just couldn’t take a hint. I shrugged him off once more.

Everyone exchanged glances, as if searching for words. Except for the possible future in-laws, who were too busy trying to kill me with evil glances.

Jax was the one who finally spoke, dropping his words like a bomb in true Jax Skylar fashion. Subtlety was not his style.

“Earth is gone.”

I blinked up at him, a laugh bubbling up until I realized he was dead serious. He wouldn’t joke about that. Or… would he? Then again, I didn’t really know him anymore, did I?

“W-what… gone how?” My voice cracked. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

“They destroyed it, Lux. They came and blew it all up… everything… everyone…” The sorrow was evident in Jax’s eyes. He’d lived on Earth for nearly twenty years too. I slapped my hands over my mouth, gasping. I knew he was telling the truth. I could feel it.

“Dad, Malin… what…?” Tears trickled down, and I couldn’t stop them. My body trembled.

“They saved some people,” Maddox said solemnly, as if the survival of a few would somehow make this easier.

“How many?” I croaked from behind my hands, still shaking. This couldn’t be real. Please, just put me in another nightmare with the Dark Stranger. Anything but this. I’d even face him in real life if it meant this wasn’t happening.

“About a thousand people were saved,” Maddox sighed deeply, “besides, of course, all the humans who’d already moved to Caros, to Terra, over the years.”

“In America?”

A long silence followed as they exchanged glances before Maddox finally answered.

“The world.”