by Jaymin Eve
Lexen moved lower, paying close attention to every part of my bare skin, kissing and licking. My body was moving against him, an unraveling feeling inside taking over. “Lex,” I gasped, pulling him back up so I could taste him, feel his lips.
The rest of our clothing disappeared in the same magical way as the shirts, and for a moment I was shy, because I was not often naked around smoking-hot dudes. At the same time, it was Lexen, and I trusted him more than any other.
I lost all sense of time after that. It was just taste and touch, skin brushing across skin, spiraling sensations that took me to places I had never been before. Our bodies moved together, so in sync, almost as if we’d been designed to love each other exactly like this. The bond which had already been forming between our souls solidified. The love in my heart swelled.
As I arched off the bed, everything inside of me came apart. “I love you, Lex,” I breathed, unable to stop the words from escaping.
He captured my mouth, along with my heart and soul. “Love you, always.”
I shattered then, light exploding behind my eyes. Lexen followed me over the edge soon after.
A million years later, or maybe only a few minutes, my breathing started to slow down as I curled myself closer to Lexen. He shifted to remove the condom, which I was thankful he’d remembered. I might be on birth control, but doubling up never hurt anyone.
He wrapped me up in his arms, pulling me as close as he could. “You okay?” he said, his hands running up and down my arms. I was so relaxed I almost closed my eyes.
“Better than okay,” I murmured into his chest.
He chuckled, chest rumbling under my head. “Come on, baby girl … a quick shower before you fall asleep.”
The next thing I registered was warm water hitting me from multiple directions. Lexen, towering over me as he always did, adjusted the showerheads so the spray was softer, washing down over us.
“Thank you,” I said, tilting my head back so I could see him, almost groaning at the sight of the water slicing across him, sending his hair up in spiky tendrils, those long dark eyelashes framing obsidian eyes.
“For what?” he asked me.
I grinned and winked. “Mostly for kidnapping me.”
His laughter joined mine. “Now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go.”
“Goddamn Stockholm syndrome,” I moaned. Because I did not want him to let me go, not now, not ever.
The shower turned out to be one of the best of my life, although I did get dirty a few times before I got clean again. When my skin was nice and wrinkly, we dragged ourselves out. Lexen threw me one of his shirts to wear, along with a pair of boxers. I followed him downstairs again and we dumped some pre-prepared meals into the oven.
“Want to pick out a movie while we wait for the food?” he asked me.
I nodded, jumping down off the barstool, and followed him down the hall to a huge cinema room. There were a dozen chairs, a massive screen, and an entire library catalogue of movies. I flicked through them, jokingly suggesting a few romances, before finally settling on something with action and drama. Lexen didn’t seem to care. I didn’t really either, because the reality was I probably wouldn’t see half the movie.
“Did Jero, Marsil, and Star head home just to give us some privacy?” I asked as I settled myself into a lounger. My body ached a little as I sat, but I kind of enjoyed knowing that love was the reason. It made the pain feel a little different somehow.
Lexen joined me. “No, Father has some update for us, but he said it wasn’t so urgent that they couldn’t tell me when they returned.” The Daelighters had recently been trying to pass all pertinent information in person. They might be tracking Laous through the network, but he could do the same with them.
So far there had been no peep about Laous and what he was up to on Earth. Word from the council indicated that the second secret keeper family was still secret, for now. But they had requested more of my blood to try something new. My necklace would lead him to the second. We all knew it was only a matter of time. From there he would find them one by one, then the treaty would be void.
Our talk turned to things far less serious after that, and when our food was finished we curled up together and watched the movie. Despite the fast-paced storyline and heavy action, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
Lexen’s phone went off, startling me awake. He swiped the screen, read the message quickly, and then stood, pulling me with him.
“What’s up?” I asked, yawning, my mouth stretching wide open in what was no doubt a hugely attractive expression.
He pulled me out of the cinema room, toward the front door of his house. “Daniel, Xander, and Chase are here. They have some news.”
I glanced down at my clothes, thankful that Lexen’s shirt fell almost to my knees, covering me pretty well. As he pulled the front door open, three Daelighters filed in, filling the wide, open space and making it seem smaller.
I’d seen all of them at school over the past month, but since they never advertised this friendship between them, we’d done no more than exchange some nods and smiles. It was nice to have them here in a more relaxed environment. Lexen led everyone to his main living area, settling into a double couch, pulling me down with him. I covered a yawn with my hand, trying to wake myself up.
Pretty sure I was in a sex coma, if that was even possible. Duh, it was Lexen Darken – of course it was possible.
As soon as everyone was seated, Lexen leaned forward. “What have you learned?”
Daniel mimicked his pose, his hands clasped in front of him. “I’ve just been updated from the council. They have figured out a rough location of the second secret keeper. They want one of us to head there and pick her up before Laous figures it out.”
I swallowed hard, trying to work down the lump in my throat.
“She’s in New Orleans,” he said.
I was on my feet in a flash; the sense of kinship I felt for this person was second to none. They were just like me. Human, born on Overworld. And they were in danger – their family was in danger. We had to help them.
All eyes turned to me. “We have to get to NOLA now, before he finds her.”
Daniel also stood. “Since the second was born in House of Imperial, this is my responsibility. I’m going to head down there tonight. I have some friends in the area, allies if you will, and I think that one of us going has a better chance of staying under the radar.”
No one argued with him, but I thought it was a terrible idea. These four shouldn’t split up. An idiot could tell that they were stronger together, as a team.
Daniel must have noticed my agitation. “I promise to call as soon as I find them. I won’t try and take Laous on alone.”
Knowing there was no real choice, I nodded.
“Are you heading out right now?” Lexen asked, all of us moving toward the door.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, I’m going to have to fly out. A transporter is too easily traceable.”
“The council is holding off on sending anyone,” Chase added, his braids twinkling in the lights above. “But we don’t have long. They’re dying to take Laous out before humans even know there is a problem.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Daniel added. Then he surprised me with a quick hug before he left. “Glad to see you looking healthy and whole, badass.”
I shrugged. “What can I say, life with Lexen suits me.”
He appraised me for an extended moment, then nodded. “So it does.”
Once he and the others were gone, I leaned heavily against the closed door. Lexen interrupted me before I could make a suggestion: “I think we should pick this up in the morning.” I had been about to propose some research time. Somehow he always knew.
“Bed sounds pretty good, actually.”
I conceded defeat for now, secure in the knowledge that Daniel was on his way to New Orleans and that he would keep us updated. Once we were in the room, I barely managed to crawl my way across the bed before co
llapsing face-down on it. Lexen pulled the covers over us both.
“I need to brush my teeth,” I mumbled.
There was a rustling and then Lexen was back with a new toothbrush still in the package, toothpaste, and a glass of water. “That’s very thoughtful,” I said, smiling around the brush.
I made quick work brushing and rinsing my mouth out, finally surrendering to the super soft bed. My eyes were closed by the time Lexen rejoined me, once again pulling the covers over us, spooning his body behind me.
“I’m not going another month without you in my arms, in my bed,” he said into my hair. “My draygone was impossible to control. I almost climbed through your window.”
“When?” I asked, twisting around so I could see him. Only the faintest light shone through his nearby window, but it was enough to make out his features.
“Every night.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I let myself relax against him, and as he captured my lips in the most gentle of kisses, I decided that Lexen was right. As usual.
No more time apart. We were a team. We would figure out whatever battle was coming for us and we would not be defeated, because we would fight together. Always.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my amazing readers. Five years strong; I almost can’t believe that this is my life. It’s truly a dream job. I am so grateful for you all.
Thanks to my release team. You all rock!! The support means the world to me, and without your enthusiasm for my books, I would not have half the motivation to get them out fast. Hugs.
Thanks to my Nerd Herd. You guys are so much fun! I love reading the posts, I love all the book recommendations, I flat out love the lot of you. Don’t change.
Huge, extra special thanks to my PA extraordinaire, Heather. Girl, I could not do everything I do without you. Peanut butter to my jelly. Or as I like to say, Timtams to my milk.
As always, thank you to my family for putting up with having an author in their lives. We’re not alway the easiest to live with, I may be slightly high strung at times (prove it, I dare you), but there is nothing in the world I adore more than you all. Love you, always.
Thanks to L.C Hibbett, you make this world a little less serious. And a lot more sarcastic. #irishtwin. Thanks also to Everly Frost, Kelly St Clare, Amber Lynn Natusch, Heather Renee, Teresa, and Mary for beta reading this series. You all rock!
Lastly thanks to Leia Stone for being the best bestfriend a person could have, for offering advice on all 45367 versions of the blurb, and for actually reading this book even though it was over 100k words. I heart you.
House of Imperial
Secret Keepers Series
Book Two
Jaymin Eve
Copyright
House of Imperial: Secret Keepers Series #2
Copyright © Jaymin Eve 2018
All rights reserved
First published in 2018
Eve, Jaymin
House of Imperial: Secret Keepers series #2
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. All characters in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Editing: Lee from Oceans Edge Editing
Proofed: Jamie from HolmesEdits
ISBN-978-1-925876-04-8
Chapter 1
The French Quarter was a place I wanted to tell my children about – not that kids or family were an actual possibility in my life – but this city … it was a world worthy to be passed on, to be spoken about in stories and song. There was something special here. I had felt it the first moment we arrived.
As I strolled along the colorful street that led into Jackson Square, I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d been born here. I mean, not right here on this somewhat grimy pavement, but in New Orleans. Maybe I would be reading tarot cards like the woman on my right, set up at her small white table, long dark curls spilling out from under the jeweled headpiece adorning her forehead, purple nails flashing as she placed cards down for an eager tourist.
Or maybe I’d paint. That always looked like a fun way to tell a story. Street artists were everywhere, expressing their creativity in a way that I couldn't imagine doing. I’d never held a paintbrush, not even as a child. Circumstances from before my birth dictated that my life would never be my own.
Something I’d grown numb to over the years.
As if to prove me wrong, a haunting saxophone tune started up from a jazz musician leaning close to the wall of a café; the low reverberations hit me deep in my soul, in the place that had been cold and dormant for a long time. I basked in that feeling for a moment, closing my eyes and letting the music take me away.
I probably looked like a crazy person, standing in the middle of the Quarter, face lifted to the sky, shoulder-length ash-blond hair sticking out in a million directions. Okay, so it was NOLA, I no doubt fit in perfectly, but for someone who had always tried to blend, being in public like this was making me uneasy. It was just that for the first time in a long time I felt alive. I wasn’t sure if letting myself feel things was a good idea, but I couldn’t seem to stay away. I kept coming back here, to experience this world filled with life and vibrancy, watching the tourists as they took their spooky tours and filled their bags with fancy masks, religious trinkets, and hot sauce. I envied their laughter, and ability to afford copious amounts of beignets. Those puffy balls of magic were everything. I'd had one my first day and since then I must have thought about their deliciousness at least seven times a week. I was addicted … and totally okay with it.
Mostly, I envied them their happy moments and families. That existence was not for me, but at least by being here I got to experience a small sliver of that life. Glancing at my watch, I stifled my groan: 3:50 P.M. I’d already been gone for two hours, wandering the streets.
It was Wednesday. I was supposed to be at the farmers market on Peters Street. My mom allowed me to make this once-a-week trip from our tiny condo in the Marginy to gather some groceries. I’d be punished for taking my time today. We had strict rules in my family – my mom and me – and one of the most important was that I never put us at risk of exposure. We were to always stick to the shadows and live like ghosts.
Most days I felt about as substantial as a ghost, so she had achieved one of her goals.
With reluctance, I turned away from the square and started my trek back toward the market area. It was only a few blocks, but in this million-percent humidity it would feel longer. Heat didn’t usually bother me, but I hadn’t quite understood the true scope of “sweating like a pig” until we moved here.
As I walked, I let my eyes roam across the streets, waiting for the next new and crazy sight. One literally never knew what was going to happen here. We’d only lived in New Orleans for a few months. To the locals I’d always be a tourist, but I was okay with that. I would take that title in exchange for getting to experience this world. I was fascinated with it all. This city was hard to truly describe, a place like no other, and considering I’d moved two to three times a year since I was born, that was really saying something. Its French influences, not only in architecture but food and culture … I loved them all.
I’d started hoping each night, before I went to sleep, that nothing would spook my mom into running again. We should still have at least another two months here, if she kept to her normal timeline.
I was not giving up one second of NOLA – not without a fight.
Far too quickly I arrived at the market, hurrying about to finish my shopping before it closed. The walk back to our condo would take forty minutes, but I’d brought some bags with cold packs for anyt
hing that could spoil in this hot weather. As I left the market, a group of kids pushed past me. They’d probably just finished school for the day, coming straight here with their parents.
I’d been homeschooled. Sort of. I wasn’t sure there was an actual name for what my mom did, which was teach me the basics, lecture me incessantly about the dangers in our lives, and fill my young mind with the sort of scary stories that not even adults should hear. I was probably one of the few kids who had wished to go to school, instead of being stuck inside a small house ninety percent of my life.
My mom literally never left our home; never worked. She told me that neither of us could leave a paper trail, which included social security numbers and tax declarations. We lived off a large settlement payout from my father’s death. He was killed when my mom was pregnant with me. It had been a big deal, something to do with a workplace accident. Whatever the cause, I lost a parent, one who might have actually loved me, and in exchange, we got enough money to live like nomads.
The money was almost gone now. Eighteen years of being on the run was pretty expensive, even if we did live in rundown, no-names-asked rentals.
“Callie!”
The shout had me spinning on the spot, heavy bags swinging against my legs. There were only two people in this town who knew my name. One was my mom, the other was a pain in my butt.
Turning away again, I yelled over my shoulder. “Not in the mood, Michaels. I have to get home.”
Jason Michaels was a persistent bastard, I’d give him that, but even after he’d challenged me and I’d kicked his ass in the gym, he still hadn’t given up. What his endgame was, I had no idea. He never asked me out, or even implied that he wanted to go on a date. He just … asked too many questions and was always around. If my mom got any hint of his consistent presence in my life, my one other piece of freedom would be yanked away from me.
