by Jaymin Eve
“You should eat, Maya.” Chase leaned onto his forearms, the fitted white shirt he wore, stretching across his biceps. “You need to build up your energy again after the events of last night.”
Resisting the urge to fan my face, because it felt really hot in here all of a sudden, I leaned forward as well, and managed to look away from Chase long enough to examine the food-filled platter. It was piled with bread, cheese, and dips. Fruit of all colors were sliced and beautifully displayed. There was also a range of granola and pastries.
Not a piece of meat in sight, though, which would probably annoy Brad to no end. Except, for once, his focus was not on food. Star, the football tamer, had all of his attention.
I filled my plate, and as I bit into my first strawberry, followed by another, and then more of the fruit, I wondered if maybe this was alien food. Because it tasted so good. Like my senses were firing, and I was enjoying this meal more than any I’d had in a long time.
“So, are we planning on leaving today for Overworld?” Callie asked, having finished her breakfast already. “I think we should try to find the last secret keeper as soon as possible. Laous is going to be coming after Maya; he probably already knows where she is.”
Daniel reached out, draping his arm across the back of her chair, pulling her closer. “We’re waiting for the council to get back to us. Last time we talked to them, they advised us to stay put for another day. They think they have a lead on Laous again.”
Emma snorted, before shaking her head. “The last lead went nowhere. Actually, it almost got us all killed, and it…” She broke off, before clearing her throat. “It did get Marsil killed. I don’t think the council has our best interests at heart.”
Lexen’s face shuttered then; his brother’s death was clearly too raw for him to even think about. But he did take the time to comfort his mate, holding her close to his chest, letting her bury her face against him. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Brad reach out and take Star’s hand. He gave it a quick squeeze before letting go, and I actually thought that a little of the despair lining Star’s features lessened. Her eyes were still drowning in sadness, though.
“We’ll leave at first light tomorrow,” Daniel decided. “The council has that long to deal with their sources. Not a moment more.”
No one else argued, and I was relieved to think that we’d be moving on to the next part of the plan tomorrow. Even if it did mean I would soon be taking a trip to another world.
The rest of the day was way more relaxing than I would have expected from a group being pursued by a homicidal maniac. For most of it, Emma was on the porch daybed, multiple novels spread out around her. After breakfast, I spent a few hours talking fantasy worlds with her. Callie joined in as well, and we switched it up to include favorite television shows and movies. Turned out all of us were into romance and fantasy – we had quite a lot in common.
After lunch, Emma started helping Callie with her reading, and because I didn’t want to be a distraction, I decided to do a little exploring. I wasn’t supposed to go far, but I felt an urge to step off the porch and move toward a pocket of trees close by. When no one called out to stop me, I grew braver, moving under the heavy canopy.
My eyes adjusted almost immediately, and this time, as I stepped between the giants, I let my hands brush across the rough bark and foliage. For once there was no fear of bugs. The normal discomfort I felt in nature was being eclipsed by a soul-deep peace.
When I was completely surrounded by wide trunks, my stomach started to flip and twirl. I slowed, only my head moving as I turned to find Chase.
“Up here.”
His low voice drifted through the trees, and I tilted my head to find him sprawled across on a thick branch, his back against the truck. “Whoa,” I murmured, blinking at how high up he was. He was like thirty feet in the air. “How are you going to get down from there?”
Without warning, he straightened and pushed off from the tree. A scream got caught in my throat as he dropped, my pulse pounding like a jackhammer in my veins. Chase landed with ease, barely making a sound as he straightened. “Not human, remember,” he said with a wink.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm myself down. “I thought you were going to break your neck.”
Chase laughed, throwing his head back just slightly, giving me a glimpse of the dark skin at the base of his throat. My fingers twitched then, like they were going to just reach out and touch him. No! My damn body had a mind of its own at the moment.
Chase took a step closer to me, his laughter dying off to be replaced by an intense look, those green eyes mesmerizing. “Why did you come into the forest?” he asked, still watching me closely. “Yesterday you seemed almost … afraid of the trees.”
It was hard to put into words why I was in here, mostly because I didn’t really understand it myself. “I … don’t really know,” I said. “Ever since you showed me the essence of nature, I’ve been drawn here. It feels right.”
Just like standing with him did.
“It’s getting harder to fight,” I whispered, unsure if I was talking about the trees or Chase this time. Both, really.
He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, a shout rang loudly through the trees. “Maya!”
Startled, I stumbled forward, tripping over an exposed root just in front of my shoes. Chase caught me with ease, holding on for an extended moment before righting me again. The moment our bare skins touched, ripples of energy crossed my skin, bringing all of the hairs to attention on my arms.
Another shout distracted us both. “Maya Anne Lewis, where are you?”
My father seriously had the worst timing known to human and alien.
“I better go to him before he brings in the full force of the American government to search for me,” I murmured, wishing I could just stay in the darkness with Chase.
I forced myself to turn away then, stomping my way back through the trees. I hadn’t realized how far in we were, and by the time I reached the porch where my dad waited, most of my annoyance at his interruption had died off.
“Sorry,” I said immediately, cutting him off. “I didn’t realize I was so far away.”
He just shook his head at me, before folding an arm around me. “Come on, your mom has prepared some food for everyone. Then it’s straight to bed. We have an early start in the morning.”
“Before dawn,” Lexen confirmed as he came around the side of the cabin. “I’m not taking any chances of a Laous ambush.”
Avoiding a Laous ambush was very high on my list of priorities, too.
That night, I ended up eating dinner with just Brad and my parents. The others were patrolling and packing. It was a quiet sort of meal, all of us wondering what tomorrow would bring. I went straight to bed after that, and despite the early hour, I fell asleep in an instant. With dreams of trees and the beautiful gods that walked among them keeping me company.
Chapter 10
When I awoke, the room was still dark. My brain came online almost instantly, and even though I sensed it was too early for our departure, I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep. Not knowing we were heading to Overworld today. Soft breathing from the other bed told me that Brad was still sound asleep, and not wanting to wake him, I slid out of the bed and tiptoed across to the door. I pulled it back and waited for the creak – this was an old cabin, there had to be a creak, right? – but it swung in silently.
I closed it behind me and walked more freely along the hall. As I moved down the spiraling staircase, I wasn’t sure what my plan was, but maybe a glass of water would help.
The light in the kitchen had been left on, and the clock on the wall read … 3:56 A.M. Which meant it actually was pretty close to departure time. At that thought, I realized I was starving– it felt like a really bad idea to run for your life on an empty stomach.
The fridge was a huge, white, two-doored piece. Modern and sleek, it didn’t really go with the dark wood kitchen, but i
t was one of my favorite pieces in here. Although the old wood burning oven, with freestanding legs, was a pretty cool second.
Opening up the fridge, cold air washed over me. There was fruit, some pre-made Greek salads, and a tray of sandwiches inside. I grabbed a salad sandwich and a bottle of water. I didn’t have a plate, because there was no way I was opening cupboards to search for one, so I ate over the bench to catch any crumbs, sipping on my water in between bites. Just when I was about to shove the last piece in, a shuffling noise drew my attention. I froze, only my eyes moving as I stared toward one of the large bay windows near the front door. Curtains were across them, but as I continued to watch I could have sworn that a shadow darted across in front of it.
Just a flash of movement, then nothing else happened, but my unease did not disappear, my heart beating fast enough that I could hear the thundering in my ears. Swallowing, I slowly straightened, trying to decide if I would investigate or run back to my room to hide. Come on, Maya, you can’t let everyone be murdered.
If there was something bad or dangerous out there, I needed to warn the people in this cabin. It was a no-brainer. Stepping forward, I ducked down and took an indirect route across the open floor, in case someone was peering through the curtain gaps. When there were only a few feet to go, I crawled, pressing myself to the wall below the front window.
Pausing for another mental pep talk, I prepared to stand, not even close to being ready for what I might see on the other side. Eventually, I convinced myself that if something was out there, sitting on the floor was not going to get rid of it. I eased up slowly, using the frame to stabilize myself. When I was standing right on the edge of the window, I flicked the side of the curtain an inch. Before it fell back into place, darkness was the only thing I saw. So I did it again.
Nothing…
Frustration pawed at me, so I sucked in a deep breath for courage, gave myself one final mental pep-talk, and then wrenched the curtain completely aside. I should have known better than to try to see into the darkness outside, especially with the backlight from the kitchen. The first thing I saw was my own reflection and I just managed to hold a scream back. Laughter bubbled up inside of me. My own reflection had almost caused me to pee myself.
That laughter died off as my night vision adjusted and I saw the second set of eyes … and a face that was masculine, and scary, and creepy. He smiled, and even through the glass I heard the word “Gotcha.” This time, there was no holding back my screams, and it felt like three seconds later I was surrounded by half-naked men. In any other circumstance I would be thanking my lucky stars and searching for dollar bills to shove into their shorts…
This wasn’t the time for that, though.
“What happened, Maya?” Lexen had me by the shoulders, spinning me around and pulling me from the window. I was out of his hands in seconds, and I knew exactly who held me now.
Chase. My stomach was flipping all over the place. “There’s a man outside,” I gasped out. My body felt cold as shock kicked in.
Lexen and Daniel were out of the cabin in a flash. Chase didn’t leave me. Shivers were rocking through me, and they weren’t all about fear. I tried not to think about the way his arms were wrapped around me … bare skin pressing against mine … tingles racing across my skin.
Crazy guy. Creepy window peeper.
Those words should have been a distraction, along with the icy wind sweeping in through the now-open front door. But all I could see and smell and feel was Chase.
“What happened?” Emma’s frantic voice was enough to bring me back to the reality of our situation.
With more reluctance than I would like to admit to, I pulled away from Chase and turned to the two pajama-clad females standing across from me. Emma’s hair was wild, curls and frizz springing out in a million directions. Her eyes were only half-open despite the clarity and fear in her tone, and I knew she’d been pulled right from a dead sleep.
Callie, on the other hand, looked very put together, hair straight and brushed, eyes alert, expression hard.
“I came down for a snack, and while I was eating a shadow moved across the window,” I said in a rush. “I couldn’t let you all be murdered in your sleep, so I crept over and peeked out.” His face flashed across my mind and I almost let out a small whimper. “It was the creepiest face, just standing on the other side, peering in. He … he said ‘gotcha’ when he saw me.”
Chase’s expression turned stormy as he crossed his arms, and I tried really hard not to notice all of the muscles standing out. He wore a pair of shorts only, and the cold didn’t seem to be bothering him. Meanwhile I was covered in goosebumps – which had a little to do with the chill and a lot to do with him.
I mean … how did someone that tall build so much muscle? Brad would be jealous as anything. It took serious effort and dedication for him to keep his muscle mass up, and he wasn’t even as tall as Chase.
The fact that Laous was probably outside preparing to kidnap and kill us all, and I was in here obsessing over muscles, was a little worrying. Maybe it was the shock.
Yeah, that made sense.
Emma moved close to me, face drawn. “You were so brave! Thanks for giving us the heads-up. It has to be Laous … or one of his minions.”
“This was why I was so worried yesterday. I knew he’d find us fast,” Callie bit out. She looked pretty relaxed and casual, but I noticed her clenched fists. She was not as calm as she was portraying.
“What does Laous look like?” I asked.
“He’s built like a barrel, round middle, scrawny arms and legs,” Emma said with a snort of laughter.
Callie added some more description. “Creepy dark eyes and slicked-back dark hair. Has the same marks on his head as Daniel, but his are fake, of course.”
There had been a flash of red I’d seen on his head. I was pretty sure. Ah, crapfuckshit.
“I think it was him.” Real fear crept into my voice. “He found me in less than twenty-four hours. With that stone, he’s going to be able to find me no matter where I go. I can’t put you all in danger. I need to separate from you.”
“No!” Emma gasped, holding onto my forearm. “We’re a team, we’ll figure this out together. It’s not just you he wants, it’s all of us. He seems to think that we might still be needed for something in the end, something required to find or unlock the stone.”
Callie shook her head as well. “You don’t have to deal with this alone. Just because you’re next in line doesn’t mean this is your problem. Emma is right, we’re a team.”
I could feel Chase’s gaze on me. I wanted so badly to turn to him, but I didn’t. When the girls said we were a team, they meant the three of us. They might have their soul mates, but as of right now I did not.
“It feels as if I’ve known you two forever,” I said, my usual filters gone. “This entire situation is insane, but I believe what you’re saying. We’re a team. I feel a bond to you both, stronger than any I’ve ever had, even with friends I’ve known my entire life.”
Except for Brad.
“If you think about it, we’ve known each other since before we were born.” Callie’s eyes were very shiny. “I’ve never had a family, but from the moment I saw Emma … and now you, Maya, I’ve felt like I was home. I’m not letting go of it for anything.”
Emma nodded, her eyes also sprinkled with tears. “Sisters from another mister. The four of us are bonded. It’s a simple fact.”
Sometimes the simplest of facts are the ones that can change a life.
Lexen and Daniel returned to their very worried girlfriends, both of them looking windswept and pissed off. “Nothing,” Lexen growled. “He managed to give us the slip, but there was definitely an energy trail.”
Daniel nodded. “House of Imperial is easy for me to pick up, but then it just cut off. Like he managed to disappear into thin air.”
A sound broke through the early morning silence then, a weird whomping noise, and as it moved closer it grew more familia
r. It wasn’t until my father rushed down the stairs, dressing gown flapping open over his sleep clothes, shouting: “Helicopter!” that I realized what it was.
Really should have clued in quicker, since we’d flown in one recently.
The Daelighter men and my dad all moved toward the front door. Emma and Callie pressed close to Lexen and Daniel. I hung back. Chase stayed near my side, but we didn’t touch.
“How the fuck did he get a helicopter?” Daniel was growling, his arms winding protectively around Callie.
“Your council said some members of our government are compromised,” my dad bit out. “Which means he’ll have access to all sorts of our technology. The breach is not in my immediate division, or it doesn’t seem to be. But there’s no doubt that branches of Daelighter relations have gone rogue.”
“He’s working with humans?” Emma snorted. “His entire aim was to separate Daelighters from the ‘grubbers,’ wasn’t it?”
Grubbers. Got to love a good old-fashioned insult.
“He’ll use any means to ensure he finds the damn stone,” Daniel said darkly. “My uncle is desperate, and deadly when cornered. He wants the power of the stone, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. He’s already killed my father to put his entire plan into motion.”
No doubt I was gaping at him, at least for a beat before I managed to pull myself together. Laous was his uncle and he’d killed his father? The guy was a freaking lunatic. Poor Daniel.
“We have to move now,” Lexen said. He was out on the porch, face turned toward the fading thrum of a helicopter. “Take only what you need. The rest we’ll figure out when we get back home. It’s time to get back to House of Darken and see if we can find this fourth secret keeper before Laous. We have to make sure that stone is moved, and she’s hidden where no one will ever find her.”
No one argued. We all hurried back inside. As we moved toward the stairs, my father wrapped one arm around me. I could feel his worry in the extra tight squeeze. “I will fix this for you,” he promised me. “Now, go and wake Brad. You know he could sleep through an earthquake. I’ll get your mother.”
