by Jaymin Eve
Chase finally turned his gaze from me and I managed to suck in some deep breaths.
“We have to walk a small distance, then we can drive to the next destination,” he said to my father.
That voice…
If Chase had been looking at me still, there would have been no way I could have hidden my reaction to his smooth, accented tone.
Seriously.
Seductive, sliding across my senses, filling my body with needs. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt this way, and since I’d never even talked to this guy…
“No worries. We just want to make sure Maya is safe,” my dad said as he reached out a hand to me. I didn’t want to take it. I didn’t want to get closer to these Daelighters. None of them.
Liar…
With reluctance, I stepped through the undergrowth, shuddering as a huge ferny-looking plant tried to attack me. Chase’s lips quirked as he watched me battle my plant-assailant, and eventually I made it to my father’s side.
“This is Maya Lewis,” he said. “She’s the third secret keeper, the one from House of Leights. She’s who we’re here to protect.”
His eyes were the greenest I’d ever seen, almost luminescent. “It’s nice to meet you, Maya,” he said, holding out a hand for me to take.
I didn’t want to. If his voice affected me to the level where I almost moaned out loud, then his touch would probably kill me. Before it got awkward though, the other men stepped forward, distracting everyone. Chase shot me a slow smile, lowered his hand, and introduced the other men. “This is Jordo, Luci, and Manita.” He pointed to each in turn. “They’re here just as a precaution. We’ve lost track of Laous’ movements, so we err on the side of safety.”
I heard what he was saying, but most of my focus was on breathing and trying to stay calm. We are not compatible species! I needed to get myself under control. I refused to be that girl. The one who fell for the drop-dead gorgeous guy without knowing a single thing about him. He might be the biggest asshole ever, with fifteen wives and a penchant for beating them up when he was drunk.
“Are you ready to leave?” my father asked, and I snapped out of my own head, stepping back to where Brad and my mom were standing.
Chase nodded. “Stay close,” he advised, then he moved forward into the trees. The other Daelighters fanned out around us, one going to the back, the other two to either side. Chase led us further into the trees, and I found myself watching him closely, for no other reason than the way he moved through this forest was unlike anything I’d ever seen. He was at home there, like he’d lived in the jungle his whole life. I could have sworn that trees and plants even got out of his way as he walked.
Got out of his way…
That was brilliant. I just needed to walk close to Chase and I should avoid all branches and leaves. I hurried so I was right behind him – and my dad, who was at his side. It felt slightly dangerous being this close to him, but since I was finally free from leaves and plants attacking me, I could deal.
As an added bonus, I also got to eavesdrop on the conversation he was having with my father.
“Did you have any trouble on the way?” Chase asked. “We heard that Laous and some of the resistance were in your area, which was why we moved with haste.”
My father’s rumbly drawl sounded coarse against the smooth accent of the Daelighters. “Yes, Maya was almost taken. She managed to escape … even though she’s not sure how. Luckily we got to the government facility before anyone found her again.”
I knew how … even though no one had believed me. There was no doubt in my mind that my escape was all to do with Chase. As if he’d heard my thoughts, I was suddenly staring into those green, pearlescent eyes. Not human. Those eyes were definitely not like any human’s.
Swallowing roughly, I reminded myself that breathing was not optional. “I’m glad Maya was not hurt,” Chase said, holding my gaze for another moment before he turned back to my father. “She’s very important.”
Those words were a splash of cold water to the face, reminding me that my life had literally just gone to hell, and that I was an idiot for lusting after an alien. These feelings had to be because of shock or something. That was the only thing that made sense.
Deciding it was better to brave the trees, I fell back to walk beside Brad. He leaned down close to me. “What’s going on with you and alien dude?”
He said it very softly, but for all we knew they had supersonic hearing. We really needed to find out more about them.
“What do you mean?” I muttered. God, please don’t let me have been obvious…
“I’ve never seen you stare at anything – except your mom’s cooking – like you’re staring at him.”
There was no way to stop the embarrassment I felt from flooding my face. Luckily, I tended to just get a little color in my cheeks when I blushed, not a full-on red, so it would not be hugely obvious. Except to Brad, who knew me very well.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I finally said stiffly. “I’m just fascinated … because they’re not human.”
He smirked, and it took all of my self-control not to smack him in the face. My mom followed Buddha’s teachings. She was all about peace and love. Meditation. Unfortunately, not a lot of her daily practices translated to me. I had a temper that took some time to appear, but when it did, I was like a crazy little ninja, throwing and kicking and breaking things.
Let’s just say I was working on it.
And Brad was pushing all of my buttons right now.
“Leave it,” I bit out when he opened his mouth to say something more.
His grin grew wider, and I sucked in deeply, trying to calm myself. I thought I might blow when he leaned down again. “Just so you know, he looks at you in the exact same way.” My stomach did that stupid flip-flopping motion again, and my chest felt like it might burst from all the feelings in there.
Brad tilted his head to the side, and I thought he looked a little sad. “Be careful of that one, Maiz. He’s not human.”
Like I was going to forget that anytime soon. But it didn’t seem to matter to my hormones. They were on the Chase train, with no intention of getting off.
Chapter 6
I was pretty fit from gymnastics and cheerleading, but apparently I was not hiking-through-the-forest fit. After thirty minutes my thighs and calves began to ache, and after an hour I was pretty much ready to just hand myself over to Laous. Anything to end the torture.
I’d grown numb to finding bugs on me, the itchy arms from brushing across tree sap and whatever else was on their leaves, the stumbling over exposed roots. Brad was doing a lot better, and he helped me out on more than one occasion. I also managed not to stare at Chase too much. Which was a win.
Eventually the trees cleared and we ended up on a long road. There was a car waiting for us, black and huge, like one of those old army vehicles. I was pretty sure they didn’t make Hummers anymore, but this reminded me of that style of car a lot.
“It’s specially designed to keep you safe,” Chase told our group. “It’s bullet and bombproof. Along with being resistant to a variety of Daelighter energies.”
“What are Daelighter energies?” Brad asked, and I was grateful he did, so I didn’t have to show how interested I was in the answer to that.
Chase opened the doors for us first and we all climbed in, except the three Daelighters he’d been with. “They’ll walk the rest of the way,” he told me. “We don’t trust transport like this.”
Right. Walking was clearly their thing.
Once we were all buckled into the harnesses, Chase started the vehicle and with a rumbly roar we were off. He then answered Brad’s question from before.
“There are four houses on Overworld. All of us have different energies and abilities. House of Leights is mine. We have energy derived from the trees in our land. Our powers correspond to that.”
I could have guessed that by the way they moved through the forest. Another huge difference
between us: he was one with the trees; I was one with my air-conditioned house. Eventually I was going to convince my body that he was off limits. Way off limits.
“House of Darken is a land of beasts and magic. Their powers are to do with nature as well – storms. They can control the lightning and winds. Bring about thunderstorms.”
Beasts and magic? I really wanted to ask what sort of beasts they had. Every mythical creature I’d ever read about flashed through my mind, and I was more than a little intrigued to know more.
“House of Imperial is the keeper of the underworld. Volcanic in nature, their power controls fire. The cleanser of souls.”
Keeper of the underworld? I was so not touching that one. Brad swung his head in my direction, eyes really wide. I lifted my shoulders in a shrug.
“And finally, House of Royale,” Chase said. “They control water, or as we call it, legreto. The energy which runs through the currents of legreto is powerful. It can shape worlds.”
I knew he’d given us a basic, one-line description for powers that no doubt needed a ten-thousand-word essay, and I really wanted the essay, because that didn’t seem like enough. I wanted to know more.
“And I was born in House of Leights?” I confirmed, my voice barely a whisper. “In the … trees?”
I was in the back seat, on the opposite side to Chase, so he was able to turn his head and see me. “Yes, you were born in my sector of Overworld. My parents were there. I was also there as a … teenager.”
“You were there when I was born? Like in the same room?” Was that as weird as it felt to me?
Chase chuckled, and the sound was really nice. Too nice. Focus. “Not in the same room, but we were close by.”
“How old are you?” Brad asked. “You don’t seem that much older than us, but you said you were a teenager eighteen years ago.”
Right, he had said that. He didn’t look more than twenty.
Chase turned back to the road, even though it was still one long stretch of dirt. No obstacles to worry about. “Daelighters do not age as humans do. It’s not slow and gradual, more like random bursts of growth. I’d guess in human years I’m around fifty. But on my world, I’m young.”
Fifty!
“Daelighters also don’t die of old age,” my father cut in. “Not really. They age very slowly … so slowly that technically they could live forever.”
I had forgotten that my parents knew a lot about these aliens, having worked with them. My father’s family had been part of it as well. The family business I’d never known about.
“You don’t age?” My voice sounded a little raspy.
“Just very slowly, as your father said. But we can die from injury and there are a few diseases as well.”
I was having trouble wrapping my head around that, but even in my shock, I didn’t miss the exchange of a look between my father and Chase. My dad shook his head, answering whatever silent question had been asked, and I really wanted to know what it was. But I kind of felt like I might be at the end of my ability to process any new information right now.
I’d ask later.
After this I shut myself down and stared out the window, trying to ignore the consistent pull in my body to move closer to Chase. If I didn’t sort myself out soon, I was going to be labeled a stalker.
At one point we entered a small town, which seemed to pass by in a blink, and then we were back on a forest road. I was about to ask how much longer, when he turned off the main road and drove into the trees. Our ride got very bumpy as we left the cleared path, but Chase easily maneuvered the huge vehicle. I couldn’t believe the car fit, but somehow it got through.
Only … were the trees moving out of his way? I knew I hadn’t imagined that when we were walking. It was much more obvious now, because the car required a lot of room. Guess I was starting to understand the Leights powers.
It grew darker once we were under the canopy. I found myself pressing my face to the window, so I didn’t miss anything. For the first time in a long time, there was a low level of excitement thrumming in my center. I was invested; I wanted to know everything. Despite the initial dangers I had faced, I couldn’t be angry this was happening to me. It felt like my world had opened up so much, and it had only been a few hours.
Even with my vigilance in staring out the window, I totally missed the cabin until the car slowed and we pulled up in front of it. It blended into the environment in a way that was pretty darn impressive.
“It’s protected by the land,” Chase told us as he opened my door. “House of Leights’ power is weaker on Earth, but I still have some pull here.”
Yeah, I think we’d all noticed that. No doubt it was this power he’d used when he saved me and Brad in the alley. As everyone exited the vehicle, I struggled to unbuckle the complicated harness, and just when I was about to declare that the car was really nice and I might stay in here forever, Chase leaned in through the door – bending himself in half to fit – and in two swift movements had me free from my restraints.
He hadn’t been this close to me before. I could feel energy running across his skin … as crazy as that sounded. It was bringing every hair on my body to attention. Goosebumps broke out over my arms and a scent of pine and mint invaded my senses. Just like the leaf I’d found at the party. That very fresh smell of nature, mixed with man, created a heady sensation.
My chest heaved as he stepped back, lips parting to suck in air faster. He held out a hand to help me out, but I still couldn’t bring myself to touch him. If I touched him, I was pretty sure everything inside of me would cease working, and I needed to retain some bodily function.
“Thank you,” I said, deftly ignoring his outstretched hand to slide out on my own. “I appreciate your help.”
A flash of white teeth; he grinned in the same lazy way he had in the forest, like he knew exactly why I was avoiding him. These aliens did not lack confidence, but he wore his without an ounce of arrogance, and that was so seductive.
Chase released me from his magnetic pull by turning away. I sank back against the car for a moment, and Brad, who had just crossed around from the other side, winked and grinned at me. He was silently saying “Told you so.” I bared my teeth at him in return, silently telling him “Shut your face or I will break it.”
I might be small, but I’d never let that get in my way before.
My parents fell in on either side of me as we made our way toward the stairs that led up to the log style cabin. It looked small and cozy. Front porch, with three rustic, wooden railings, and the walls were layered logs.
As we stopped in front of the large inviting door to remove our shoes, my mom squeezed my hand. “How are you handling it all?” she asked, her face serious.
I shrugged. “Too soon to tell. I’m going to schedule some time for a breakdown soon, though.”
My dad chuckled, his loud infectious laughter reminding me of home, of days before worry, of days before aliens. Sure, apparently the aliens had always been there, but I’d been in the dark about it … and the saying “ignorance is bliss” had come from somewhere.
“That’s my girl.” My dad ruffled my hair gently. “I’m so very proud of how you’re handling yourself. I promise that we will figure this out soon. You won’t be a prisoner forever.”
Fingers crossed. I was not ready to be caged, that was for sure.
Once our shoes were removed – a tradition my mother instilled in us – we stepped inside. The wood theme continued in here, the floor dark polished. From the entrance it seemed the long planks of wood ran all the way across the entire room.
My father shut the door behind us and I took in the enchanting scene. My favorite interior design style would never change – modern, minimalistic, with white and cream base, and colorful accessories – but there was something completely captivating about this little cottage in the woods.
It was light and open, high windows spanning across the entire living, dining, and kitchen area. The furniture and accessorie
s were cream-colored, and they’d gone for those squishy, comfy styles. I especially liked the way there were no walls at all to separate rooms, just furniture used to create individual and unique spaces.
The couches surrounded a massive fireplace. The hearth was at least six feet wide, the stone of the flue running right up to the ceiling. Its accent, which was dark gray mixed with light creams, was a beautiful contrast to all the wood on the walls.
“Come in. Please, make yourself at home.”
I startled, turning to find a Daelighter close to us – a woman. I studied her closely. It was easy to tell she wasn’t human. She had the same otherworldly, supermodel look about her. Her skin glowed and eyes shimmered.
“My name is Star,” she said, holding her hand out to me, shaking back her long dark hair. “From House of Darken.”
I recalled Chase’s very fast lesson on their world – Darken was the house with the power to control weather and beasts.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I returned, gingerly taking her hand. I wasn’t sure what I expected to happen, but thankfully there was nothing out of the ordinary when we touched.
“Emma and Callie will be down soon,” she said, releasing her hold on me. “They’re just freshening up after their training.”
My eyes flicked to my father’s and I wondered if I was supposed to know who these two women were.
“Secret keeper number one and two, in that order,” he informed me. “They arrived at the safe house a few days ago. Oh, and just so you know, we won’t be staying here long. We’ll keep moving between safe zones until Laous is dealt with.”
Because he could apparently track me no matter where I went. I guess they were just hoping it would take him a little time to find me again.
Star nodded, her smile fading away as a look of sadness entered her eyes. “Yes, we need to make sure he’s brought to justice.”
Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. I’d seen that look before. She’d lost someone recently.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I murmured.
