by Jaymin Eve
A ricochet of energy rocked him for a moment. We turned to find Callie and Daniel at the huge fire pit, flames dancing high above them, and a glint of crystal at the top of the flames.
“They found the Imperial crystal,” I said.
Xander did not let me go, wading us back toward the land. When we stepped up, I pulled my hand back. We held the crystal together.
“The fact you want to fight for us means everything to me,” I told him honestly. “If it doesn’t work out, if this is all I get with you, I don’t regret our short time together. Or this bond. I’m honored that fate decided to put you in my life.”
My voice cracked. I bit my lip to keep the tears from falling. “I’m pretty sure I’ve half loved you from the first time you arrogantly ordered me out of the water. You make me … feel.” The damp heat in my eyes was too much. I felt the moisture slide down my cheeks.
Xander finally let me down so he could cup my face with both hands. “You are perfect,” he told me. “I will fix this.”
Someone shouted before I could reply. We turned to find everyone near the wall of symbols, three crystals visible in their hands.
“We found them all,” Emma said.
“Now get my damn stone,” Laous roared from behind the group. Flames burst up, visible over Lexen’s head. “I have waited long enough. Find the starslight stone, and just know, I’m taking the crystals as well. Extra payment for keeping me waiting so long.”
“He’s losing it,” Xander murmured. “We don’t have a lot of mental illness in Overworld. The network keeps us all in balance, but for those who do travel down that path, it can be very dangerous. Especially for someone in the overlord bloodlines. The power inside of us becomes unpredictable. We can’t control it.”
That sounded scary. Didn’t we already have enough scary going on right now?
Focused again on our task, no one argued with Laous. We didn’t plan on letting him have any of the stones, but he didn’t need to know that. The eight of us moved toward the wall, each of us holding our crystals.
Flames erupted to the side of us and we swung around to find Laous completely on fire, his people on either side of him standing as close as they could get without burning. “Find my stone,” he said. There was no inflection in his voice at all, which made it scarier.
I exchanged a look with Xander. “Any idea what we do now?”
Callie, still watching Laous’s out of control fire closely, said, “Maybe something to do with the symbols?”
We were already near the wall, so I reached out and put my hand against it. Xander placed his next to mine. The others followed our actions. “We should touch as well,” Chase suggested, shuffling in closer from the side. Everyone moved so that our arms and bodies touched while our hands remained against the wall.
Energy, like we’d felt the first time the secret keepers had connected, flared to life between the eight of us. “Holy shite,” Maya gasped. “It’s strong.”
The stone in Xander’s hand started to vibrate. It sent out a low-pitched sound that appeared to be making the ground we stood on vibrate as well.
“The wall is changing,” Emma said in a rush.
Focusing all of my attention on the symbols, I noticed five small indents in the wall now, between our symbols, deep enough for us to insert our crystals. Xander and I didn’t wait. Laous’s fire was even bigger than before; he had run out of patience.
Lifting our joined hands we shoved our crystal into the rock, and even though the hole hadn’t looked that deep, the entire crystal disappeared completely. I tried not to freak out, hoping we’d just done the right thing.
The moment the Royale symbols started to swirl, the others hurried to do the same with their crystals.
“What’s the fifth hole for?” Callie asked, peering into it like it was a peephole.
No one said anything, all of us wondering what we’d missed, until Emma moved forward. Her hand reaching for the neckline of her shirt. She lifted out a chain with a stone on the end.
“You think…?” Callie asked, trailing off as Emma undid her chain and slipped the stone off. A wistful expression crossed her face as she placed this last piece of stone in the center of the others, and it too disappeared into the rock.
“That’s a piece of starslight,” Xander told me. “A piece from the very stone we’re looking for.”
“My parents gave it to me,” Emma added sadly.
The moment her stone disappeared, the ground rumbled strongly, and we all took a step back. Except for Laous, who was apparently beyond rational thought at this stage; even his minions were stepping back. I couldn’t even see Rao. Hopefully he had taken this chance to escape.
“Yes!” Laous shouted, and I turned to find the wall opening before us. Literally.
The gap was about two people wide. It extended all the way to the very top of the cliff face. Laous rushed forward, but he was slammed back at the entrance, almost like there was an invisible net over it.
Springing to his feet, he swung around on us. “More layers of security. I would really like to kill that Draygo now.”
“Looks like you need the secret keepers again,” Callie drawled. “Bet you’re glad you didn’t manage to kill me.” She shot him a sardonic grin. “You owe Daniel some flowers.”
Laous regarded her with his dead, hooded eyes. “Get me my stone and I’ll send you an entire garden.”
Callie narrowed her eyes on him but didn’t choose to engage again.
“Let’s do this,” I said in a rush, moving forward. I was ready for it all to be over.
Xander wouldn’t let me go first, of course, and we had a silent argument. Finally, I conceded, because he was a stubborn bastard. “Don’t get used to it, though,” I hissed as he gently moved me back. “We do this shit together.”
He just grinned at me, happy to have gotten his own way, only to find that he bounced right out of the entrance as well. I snorted with laughter, and his grin turned into a furrowed brow. “Let me try,” I suggested.
Stepping toward the entrance, I held my breath, waiting for my face to smash into whatever invisible barrier was there. Except I sailed right through, into the narrow and dark cave beyond.
“Secret keepers only,” I said as I spun around. My brow furrowed as I looked at the worried expressions of the overlords. I wasn’t sure why they were so stressed. It was far worse knowing we were leaving them out here with Laous, who I was still sure was up to something.
Emma, Callie, and Maya started forward and I held my hand up to them. “Wait! Why don’t I just go and get the stone by myself. No need to risk all of us.”
Xander growled loud enough that a bunch of birds lifted from nearby trees. “Get your ass out of there, Avalon. You have no power to defend yourself.”
Before I could say anything, Callie shook Daniel off and took the leap across the entrance, standing with me. “I have power,” she said. “I will keep both of us safe.”
Emma and Maya rushed forward as well, and neither Lexen nor Chase stopped them. Lexen even stepped up to Xander’s side, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “This is something the girls have to do alone,” he said. “Our mates are strong and capable. They would not be fit to rule at our sides if they weren’t. We have to trust them.”
Xander relaxed minutely, even though his chest was still heaving. “In and out,” he said to me. “Do not waste any time in there. For all we know the cave could collapse the moment the stone is taken.”
I nodded, my eyes drinking him in like it might be the last time I ever saw him. Then, with a deep breath, I turned and stepped into the cave.
My girls right by my side.
It was time to end this.
Chapter 22
Callie’s hand slipped into mine and I held on tightly. Only two of us could move through the cave at the same time, and I was glad that she’d taken the initiative.
“I’m grateful that you’re all here with me,” Emma said, from close behind. “This feel
s right. A fitting ending to this last four months of my life.”
Maya coughed. “Please don’t say ending. I’m not ready for it to be an ending yet. I still haven’t done one tenth of the things I want to do. I still haven’t had sex, for freak’s sake.”
I chuckled. “Well, you definitely have to do that before you die. Especially since Chase is sooo damn fine.”
She laughed with me, and I was glad she didn’t get jealous. It wasn’t like it was a secret. All the overlords were superhot, but Xander was the only one I wanted. He was mine.
“He is gorgeous,” she said with a sigh. “Sometimes he catches me just staring at him like a complete sap.”
“It’s weird that we’re all eighteen and basically married, right?” Emma snorted that out. “Like, when Lexen first explained the mating thing to me, I kind of freaked out on the inside, but I never thought for one second I didn’t want it.”
I felt Callie shrug next to me. “When you know, you know. I don’t think age is really that big a factor. And … life is short, relatively speaking. I say embrace whatever good comes your way and worry about the future when it arrives.”
Their confidence in their mates and the future of their relationships, was enviable. For the first time since meeting Xander, I had hope for the same thing. And sometimes hope was all that got me through.
The cave opened wider as we crept deeper, and thankfully the light remained consistent, despite the doorway no longer being visible behind us. “No sign of the stone yet,” I said, my eyes locked on whatever was coming up ahead.
“So what happened with you and Xander in the water?” Callie asked out of nowhere. “Did he say you bonded?”
My throat tightened. “Yes, the stone bonded us … like a Royale marriage.” I pressed my free hand to my chest. “I can feel him in here. But … I still don’t know about the future. In Royale, overlords choose the mates of their children. His mother already has a caramina picked out for him. If he goes against them, he might have to step away from his entire family and responsibilities. I’m worried he will eventually come to resent me if that’s what happens.”
“He loves you,” Maya declared. “Anyone can see that. I don’t know Xander well, but the side of him we all know is sort of arrogant and self-centered. But he’s not like that with you. He’s softer … kind. He shows that he cares, and not just about you. About all of us.”
Xander had pretty much said the same thing. “Sometimes love isn’t enough,” I said sadly. “I mean, if we were no longer welcome in Royale, where would we live? What would Xander do? He’s used to being a leader … he would be unhappy if that was gone.”
Before any more of this depressing conversation could happen, I caught sight of a gleaming reflection ahead. Slowing, I pulled Callie back.
“Did you see it?” I whispered, shifting my head to the side to find the glimmer again. “There’s something back there.”
With more caution, and staying quiet now, we shuffled forward. The cave widened considerably, and I reached out for Maya’s hand so that the four of us were linked—she was already holding Emma’s.
Warmth and energy filled me, and with that came a sense of calm. “Just in case we’re about to die,” Emma said, slight amusement in her tone. “I just want to say that I love you all. I’m grateful that we met.”
“Love you all too,” Maya added.
Callie sniffled. “Yes, same for me.”
Overwhelmed, I choked out, “Meeting you guys and Xander is the best thing that has happened to me.”
It hit me very poignantly then that a true friendship wasn’t always about the length of time you’d known another person. Sometimes it was the people who came into your life in the right moment and stayed for the tough stuff. We were new friends in some ways, but our souls had known each other for our entire lives.
Our bond thrumming between us, we took a step forward, and another, the far wall closing in on us. It was the end of the line. The last part of this cave. A round space opened up from the tunnel we’d been in, and I noted how different the rock in this round section looked. It was smooth and refined, almost manmade.
As the four of us stepped over the threshold into the circle, we all stumbled. It was only the combined grip we had on each other that kept me on my feet.
“Holy fuck,” Callie exclaimed. “The power….”
She sounded as breathless as I felt. My chest heaved up and down as I tried to suck air in. It felt like the energy in here was so thick the oxygen couldn’t fit.
“We need to find the stone.” I coughed, hunching forward.
All of us sucked in whatever air was left in the room, filling our lungs. With determination, we stepped forward.
“We can do it,” Maya chanted over and over.
I joined her, and then so did Callie and Emma. Our voices got louder and louder as we pushed through the power. It was only at the last second, when one of us put on the brakes, that we managed to stop before hitting the back wall. I didn’t think. I lifted both of my hands that were joined to my friends and slammed the bottom of our palms against the wall. The others followed; a ringing, like the ding of a bell, sounded around the cave.
Then the room fell silent.
The energy died away.
The rock before us slid across, like it was an automatic door, and light burst in from this new entrance. When my eyes finally adjusted, I was able to clearly see the stone rising from the floor.
“He literally buried it right at the equator,” I said, shaking my head. The stone would have been almost impossible to find had Laous not pushed us into this situation.
The four of us stumbled forward, crossing closer to the stone. It was huge, about the size of a loaf of bread in width, and two loaves in length. The color was next to impossible to determine, sort of opaque and opal, with shifting galaxies of stars inside it.
“We should pick it up together,” I suggested, hoping like hell the energy wasn’t going to rip us apart.
Callie cleared her throat, and I jerked in surprise when she removed her hand from mine in one quick tug.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, stepping back as she let out a flare of strong heat.
She shook her head a few times, her short hair falling forward across her forehead. “I … I don’t kno—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her flames burst to life. Emma, Maya, and I slammed ourselves back against the closest wall, barely escaping an agonizing death by flames.
“Callie!” Emma shouted, the roar of the fire was noisy inside the cavern. “What are you doing?”
Callie slowly lifted her head then, and I gasped loudly. Her eyes were glowing … and they were empty of all recognition as they brushed over us, looking right through us like we weren’t even there. She stepped forward and picked up the stone.
It felt like I might be in a little shock, because I just stood there openmouthed and stared at her. “What is happening?” Maya cried, clutching my arm.
I shook my head, refusing to believe what I was seeing. “This is not her,” I told them, completely sure. “This is not our Callie. Something is happening to her.”
Laous. This had to be him.
Callie started to walk toward the new opening. “Callie!” Emma screamed, straightening to go after her.
We followed, but there was no way for us to get close. Her flames were hotter than I’d ever felt before, the rocks on the walls around her turning red as she passed.
“We need the guys,” Maya said. “You two follow her, keep trying to get through to her. I’ll go get them—they’re going to be waiting for us to come back the same way we entered. They need to know about this new exit.”
I hated separating, but she was right. We needed help with this. Only Lexen and Daniel could touch Callie when she was burning like this, so we had to get them here now.
“Be safe,” I told her. “If you get to the front entrance and no one is there, do not step outside. We have no idea what Laous migh
t have done.”
I knew that bastard had been up to something. Whatever was happening to Callie, it had to do with him.
Maya nodded, hugging us both and sprinting back the way we’d just walked.
Emma and I wasted no time hurrying after Callie, who was just about to step out of the cave and into the morning light beyond.
“Come on,” I said, gripping Emma’s hand, picking up the pace so we could catch up.
Luckily we did, because the moment the stone left the round room, the entrance started to close. We had to dive through to avoid being crushed, and I felt the burn of stone right across my arm as I leapt.
“What is happening to her?” I asked, trying to piece it together in my head. “How is Laous controlling her like this?”
Emma’s face went pinched. “It has to be the … the Soulstealer goo.”
The what now?
“Callie was taken by him and placed in this tank of goo,” Emma explained. “It’s a weapon, designed to wipe away the enemy’s mind and make them more compliant to suggestion. Laous wanted to use it to control her … all the secret keepers. We thought Callie had fought it, that her bond with Daniel kept her mind safe. But what if…?”
“He’s still managed to control a small part of her,” I finished.
Emma nodded. “Yes, it must have been dormant, just lying in wait until he could use her.”
She tripped over a stick and I caught her before she faceplanted. We were pretty close to Callie now, who had also started running.
“Come on,” I said, “we can’t lose her now.”
The fields were catching fire behind our fireball of a friend, which definitely made the chase more difficult as we dodged flames that were starting to spread across the dead grass and scrub. The sound of a helicopter grew louder in the distance, a few miles away across the open area. When it appeared, I let out a relieved sigh—it was the craft we had taken here. But then as it landed and the first figures appeared on the steps, I knew we were in big trouble. Laous, the bitch, and the dude who never said anything had somehow commandeered the aircraft and were now waiting for their prize to run to them.
