Secret Keepers: The Complete Series

by Jaymin Eve

  Ah, well, that explained the supermodel good looks and familiarity. Now that she’d mentioned her family, I could see she had the same shaped eyes and nose as her broody brother. But she was definitely not of the broody variety. If anything, she seemed unnaturally nice and friendly.

  Emma quickly pulled me toward the sinks. “We need to hurry. As I said, our guys aren’t going to leave us alone for long. Until Laous is caught, we’re under strict guard.” She really didn’t sound too upset by that. “But I figured you wouldn’t have any makeup or the essentials, being stuck in Imperial with Daniel, so Star and I brought you some supplies.”

  For a moment I wondered if I’d heard right. Star pulled a small purple bag out of her expensive leather satchel and handed it to me. It was a half-moon shape, with a zipper right across the top. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I opened it. Whoa. They had packed in a veritable beauty shop, enough makeup and supplies to last me months. Or years. I had very little experience with beauty products, except when I’d managed to steal some of my mom’s.

  Blinking rapidly, I stared down at the bag longer than was really necessary in an attempt to get my emotions under control. Finally, I was able to say without my voice breaking: “Thank you, this was really thoughtful of you both.”

  “You really don’t need much makeup,” Star said, and my head shot up to find her examining me closely.

  It was clear that she was very into this sort of thing. Her eyes were lined, sparkly shadow above her gorgeous blue irises. She wore the uniform, but it was all fancied up, with a scarf, and pins, and a ton of other adjustments.

  “But every girl likes a little battle armor, right?” she said.

  Emma grimaced. “I don’t wear much either, but ever since Lexen and I started hanging out in school, it’s been nasty-bitch central around here. So now I always put mascara and eyeliner on. Stupidly enough, they make me feel more confident.” She met my gaze and said, “They will try and undermine your confidence. Don’t let them get in your head.”

  Looking between the two of them, my heart felt like it was about to literally burst from my chest. This feeling … the warmth and kindness and caring, I wasn’t sure I knew how to process it.

  “I’m pretty good with keeping my fight-face on,” I replied huskily. “But thanks for the warning. If you two get into any trouble, let me know. I’ve got your back.”

  My tiny, secluded world was suddenly filled with so many people. I was going to have to work triple time to make sure they were all safe. They both beamed smiles at me, and I wondered if maybe I could actually do this friend thing. Like … it seemed easy enough – be nice, care about them, and don’t treat them the way my mom treated me. Simple rules worked best for me. I didn’t like to complicate life with too much else.

  I wasn’t an idiot. I knew we all had human feelings … except for Star, but from what I’d seen, Daelighter emotions worked similarly. Emotions did confuse things, but if I stuck to my core three rules, then everything should be okay.

  The bell rang then, and I wondered how we’d managed to keep this bathroom to ourselves for so long. Quickly rifling through the makeup bag, I pulled out mascara and eyeliner, as well as a pale pink lip gloss and some pressed powder.

  “My mom loved makeup,” I said, placing those items on the sink. “I have never owned my own, but I would sneak hers on occasion. Most of my attempts resembled a clown face.”

  “Do you need some help?” Star asked.

  Gripping the sink with my free hand, I nodded jerkily. “Yes, thank you.”

  In an instant my face was being held in one of her hands, the eyeliner in the other. I just closed my eyes and let her do her thing; it really didn’t matter what I looked like. No one here cared. In what felt like thirty seconds, she was done.

  “Perfect,” Emma exclaimed, clapping her hands.

  Turning to the mirror, I tilted my head to the side and assessed the face staring back. “I have eyelash envy,” Emma admitted, fluttering her own dark lashes at me.

  My lashes did look insanely long and thick with the mascara. The gray of my eyes was stormy against the thin line of kohl, and my lips were all shiny. Whatever blemishes my skin might have had were gone now, covered in a thin sheen of powder. It was all subtle enough that it wasn’t even obvious I wore makeup; I just looked more polished.

  It made me feel … not like me, but I understood this battle armor thing, so I would just suck it up and enjoy the pampering.

  “Is it okay?” Star sounded unsure, her gaze flicking to Emma for a moment. I wondered then if maybe she was really new to this whole friend thing too.

  “It’s perfect,” I said, placing my hand on hers. “Thank you so much.”

  Emma straightened, helping me throw all of my makeup back in the bag, which she then stashed in her backpack.

  ”I’ll give it to you later to take home,” she said, before turning to leave the room. “Come on,” she called, “I can feel Lexen pacing outside.” There was laughter in her voice; she clearly knew her guy well.

  When she pulled the door open, we were met with a wall of muscles. Literally. Two broad backs covered the doorway and I now understood how we’d managed to hog the entire bathroom. Lexen and Daniel had stood guard, stopping anyone from entering.

  Looking at the pair of them – tougher and more menacing than any human men I’d ever seen – I doubted they’d had much trouble from the locals. They used pure intimidation to get what they wanted, no need for words.

  As we stepped out, Lexen only had eyes for Emma. She smiled cheekily at him. “Thanks, babe. Appreciate the assist.”

  He shook his head. “One game of basketball and suddenly you’re a sports expert.”

  Emma huffed. “One game where I didn’t fall down or injure myself. Pretty sure that makes me an expert. In anyone’s definition.”

  She threw me an annoyed look. “I’m completely athletically challenged. Lexen keeps making me run, and throw stupid things—”

  “Like a ball,” he interrupted drily.

  She snorted. “Right, like his balls.”

  Star let out a groan, and everyone else just shook their heads. Me, on the other hand, I was loving it. They were couple goals. The realization that I wanted what they had hit me hard. I’d never thought that love and family and children were in my future. I expected my life would be empty, but I’d always held out a secret hope for more. That’s the reason I stopped the casual sex. I was tired of being empty.

  My cup runneth over. I prayed then, harder than I ever had before, that I would never go back to my old life. That if … when … we found my mom safe and sound, she would be happy to let me go. Both of us free, finally.

  My eyes shifted to Daniel before I could stop them. He was staring at me in a way that made it difficult for me to breathe. I wondered what he thought about my makeup. I hoped he didn’t think I’d “prettied myself up” for him. If I ever found myself in a position like Lexen and Emma, I would want to be loved for my natural self. With all of my flaws. I mean, he could love me in makeup, too, but the natural thing was non-negotiable. It would be way too tiring to try to look perfect every single day.

  So the makeup was not for Daniel, it was for me. Because Star was right, sometimes a girl just needed some battle armor.

  “Looks like Star got to you.” He sounded amused.

  I shrugged. “Apparently school is akin to a warzone. You have to go in with your camo on or you’ll be shot dead instantly.”

  He just shook his head. “You looked just as beautiful before you walked into the bathroom.”

  My brain stopped working when he called me beautiful, so if he said anything else it was just a jumble. The bell rang again, startling me. I quickly brushed down my uniform and tried to mentally prepare. It was time for class.

  “Come on, you’re in math with me and Lexen this morning,” Emma said, reaching out to link our arms together. “These guys don’t use books or anything. They’re already old and smart enough. But you ca
n share mine, because there’s no time for you to stop by your locker.”

  I tilted my head toward Daniel. “Do I have a locker?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “But you can just use mine. It’s easier to access and there’s nothing in there anyway.”

  I narrowed my eyes on him. “Bitch face in the office put me in the furthest locker she could find, didn’t she?”

  Emma snorted. “Blond and mean, right? Bitch face is the perfect description.”

  I turned to see her grimacing expression. “Oh yeah, cougar-bitch. She appears to have a thing for Dae—”

  Star cut me off with a squeak when she tripped, which was probably a good thing. I’d almost – stupidly – said Daelighters out loud. Lexen moved super-fast, catching his sister before she hit the ground. There was a scuffle behind, and when I spun around I found Daniel holding another guy up against the wall, his forearm lodged in the stranger’s throat.

  “I will not tolerate that bullshit in my house any longer,” Daniel snarled, and it almost looked like the marks on his head had started to glow, swirling red.

  It was also getting really hot in the hall.

  “What happened?” I whispered to Emma.

  She tightened her hold on me. “That’s a member of Daniel’s house.” I guessed as much from his shaved head and attitude problem. “I think he pushed Star. Imperial and Darken do not get along, not at all.”

  And yet Lexen and Daniel were best of friends. I was really glad that was the case, because I already thought of Emma and Star as friends. The guy against the wall was starting to turn purple. A pretty color, except it probably meant he was dying. Pulling away from Emma, I crossed to Daniel, moving cautiously when I got close. He was giving me “wild beast” vibes.

  “Dan,” I said slowly, hoping to draw his attention.

  Lexen moved to stand on the opposite side to me, close enough to intervene if he needed to. He seemed content to let this play out, though. Clearly it wasn’t a done thing to step in on another overlord while he was dealing with his people. But I didn’t want Daniel to kill anyone today.

  “Daniel,” I said more firmly.

  His head snapped to the side and swirling eyes locked on me. “This is not exactly discreet,” I murmured. “You’ve made your point. Can’t you deal with him back home … later?”

  The word home slipped out before I could stop it, and even though it was stupid for me to think of a place I’d only spent a few sporadic days in as home, it was the truth. I had bonded to the land of Imperial. To Daniel. My body had adjusted to that fact long before my mind.

  With a final rumble of anger, Daniel jerked his arm down, letting the Imperial fall in a heap to the floor. He scrambled up quickly, letting out a groan as he wrapped his hand across his throat. Hatred burned from dark eyes as he snarled at Daniel. “You won’t have followers for long. Laous knew what was right – he would never have tied a human to our world.”

  The hatred was directed at me, but I didn’t flinch. No need to be scared when I had an Imperial and Darken bodyguard on either side of me.

  “And on top of that, now you’re hanging around the Darkens?” This time the accusation was said in a shout. “No one will stand for this! You’re not going to be the overlord for much longer.”

  He stormed away then, pushing through crowds of students, scattering them across the hall.

  Calming myself using my favorite breathing techniques, I waited for someone to speak.

  Lexen finally did: “We knew there was going to be fallout from this, but I still believe the time is right for us to show unity between our houses. They will get used to it.”

  Daniel didn’t disagree, but his hard gaze remained on the end of the hall where the angry Imperial Daelighter had disappeared.

  “Xander and Chase are supposed to meet us at lunch,” Emma said, sounding unsure. “Should we maybe take it slower than that? I don’t want to be at war by last class.”

  Lexen wrapped her up in his arms. “It’s going to be fine. This is the best course for the future. Daniel’s house was always going to be the hardest. Laous left him a real mess.”

  “Lexen’s right.” Daniel words were clipped. “I have let this go on too long. Imperial will fall into line or I will make them.” Before I could blink, his arm wrapped around me and I was pulled closer to his side. “You’re with me this morning. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to try and punish me by hurting you.”

  I shook his arm off, needing to maintain my independence. “I accept that I’m batting out of my league here, but you don’t have to throw me around like a caveman.”

  Emma laughed. It was such an unexpected sound that whatever tension was riding our group dissipated. A semblance of a smile even quirked up the edges of Daniel’s lips.

  “I adore you already,” Emma said, between chuckles. “Let’s hope the last two secret keepers fit in just as well.”

  Lexen cupped her face, his lips pressing to hers. “I love your happiness,” I heard him murmur, “but I don’t want you to be disappointed if the four secret keepers don’t end up as one big happy family.”

  Emma looked a little drunk when he stepped back. Lexen’s hands slowly left her face, sliding down her body to capture her hands.

  She recovered enough to say, “I might read a lot of fantasy books, but I know how to live in reality as well. My hopes aren’t that high.” She paused and tilted her head to the side. “Still … it’s hard to deny that there’s something fate-like at play here. For the first time in your history, we have four overlords who are friends. Best friends. Brothers in arms from a young age. The four secret keepers are tied to each other as well, and to each of the houses they were born in, and therefore tying themselves to the overlords. Your dragon soul…” Her voice got very low. “Chose me as a mate. Daniel tied his soul to Callie’s without even knowing her, just because he couldn’t let her die. We’re all soulmates or soul bound, whatever you want to call it. The council said the last two secret keepers are female, and I also believe that somehow Xander and Chase will end up … connected … to the girls born in their houses. It’s fate.”

  I expected Daniel and Lexen to laugh and dismiss this perfect world she was painting, but the pair exchanged a glance and I was startled by the fact that they seemed to be seriously considering her theory. Was she on to something? Was there any possibility that I had been tied to Daniel long before Laous’ attempt to kill me? Was that why I’d just accepted this bond so readily? I’d thought it was because I craved the feeling of having someone in my life, someone at my back. But could it go even deeper than that?

  “And,” Star chimed in, “don’t forget that this is the first time in a long time that the overlord minors are all male.” Her voice had the same awestruck quality as Emma’s. “It’s very fate-like.”

  Emma gasped. “Exactly. This is just how I would play it if I were fate. How better to protect secret keepers than to tie them to powerful overlords.” She clapped her hands together like it was all settled. When Lexen shook his head at her, she wrinkled her nose in his direction. “You’ll see, I’m rarely wrong about these things. I’ve read too many books.”

  It sounded like he let out a low grumble then, and in a flash, his arms were around her. My heart skipped a beat as his lips crashed into Emma’s, kissing her like he couldn’t help himself.

  I had to turn away, because one, it felt weird watching them, and two, I was a little envious of their perfect relationship. Emma didn’t seem to care that her bond to Lexen might have been set up by fate. I guess she went with the theory that our path was predetermined, and that meant Lexen was always hers. Did that mean Daniel was mine?

  I was fast coming to the realization that I would be more than okay if that was the truth.

  Emma was very flushed when she finally removed herself from Lexen. The hallway was completely empty now. We were officially beyond late for class.

  “I think we should all stick together today,” Star said, and her suggestion
seemed to return focus to the group.

  No one disagreed, and I fell into a spot between Star and Emma. They led us to a moving walkway – which seemed weird for a school, but what did I know? When we reached the classroom door, Lexen made us stop, so he could go through first.

  Daniel remained behind us, protecting the back.

  “Overkill much?” I muttered, sort of wanting to laugh.

  Emma groaned, pink still high in her cheeks. “This is nothing. We’re literally going to have Daelighters all up in our business until this shit is resolved.”

  I gave her a side eye. “Seems to me you aren’t averse to one particular Daelighter ‘all up in your business.’” One side of her mouth pulled into a quirk as the pink darkened.

  “You have no idea, Callie,” she said quietly. “There’s nothing in either world which could compare to being loved by Lexen.”

  I had no doubt. I’d seen it with my own two eyes.

  As we filed in as a group, the teacher’s expression didn’t change, remaining somewhat pleasant. Lexen started toward a back corner, but Emma stopped him with a hand on his forearm. She gestured toward a blond girl and lanky, curly-haired guy, who were waving to her from the front row.

  “I’m going to sit with Cara and Ben.” I heard her murmur. “I haven’t spent any time with them lately.”

  It looked like Lexen wanted to argue, but he just sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, it’s better that we don’t act out of character right now. Just … don’t leave the room without us, okay?”

  He phrased it like a question, but I was pretty sure it was a command.

  She returned his nod. “I promise.”

  “Do you want to meet my friends?” she asked me quietly as the other Daelighters started to move.

  I hesitated before deciding I’d rather stay with Daniel. “Thanks, but I’ll just stick with our group.”

  She squeezed my hand, before turning and hurrying over to the front where her friends were holding a desk for her. The rest of us took our seats, and I kept waiting for some sort of reprimand from the teacher, but she didn’t say a word. Once we were all sitting, she just picked her lesson back up and continued on, like there had not been an interruption at all. Well, okay, then.