by Jaymin Eve
“He needed a key,” Lexen informed them. “He was trying to get Emma to tell him where it was.”
The councilman’s eyes shifted to me then. “Did you divulge the location to him?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea where the key is. My parents never told me.”
“Did they ever give you something of value? Something from this world perhaps?” another woman on the council asked, pushing back her long ringlets of ashy blond hair.
I stilled. “Like … a piece of starslight stone?” Holy shit I was slow. Was my stone the key? I’d been so focused on a literal key, something metal and long which could open a lock, that I forgot about the stone I wore. I’d never even considered the possibility, but it made sense.
“I had a necklace … that possibly had a piece of starslight stone on it,” I said slowly. “It disappeared in the justices. I’m not sure exactly when, but it could have been when I was fighting with Laous.”
The blond man let out a huff. “So now he will be heading for the next secret keeper, the one born in House of Imperial.”
Well, shit. “We need to find them first!” I demanded, on my feet as my chair screeched across the floor.
“We’re working on it,” the council informed us. “It is extremely difficult to find these humans without the piece of stone you had. That stone was a sliver from the original piece gifted in the treaty.”
Saywhatnow? I’d been wearing something that important for years and had no idea. My parents really should have told me, but knowing them as well as I did, they no doubt wanted to protect me for as long as they could.
“What will the necklace do? How is it a key?” I asked.
A small woman with silver hair stepped forward. She had been hovering at the back of the council group, not sitting. The moment she pushed to the front, all conversation died and everyone turned to her. She was definitely someone important.
Her silver hair threw me off at first, but her face was unlined, her eyes almost as dark as Lexen’s.
“Did you bleed on the stone, at all?”
Her question took me completely by surprise, and I was a little slow to reply. “Uh, yeah, I probably did.” I touched my now healed shoulder. “I got stabbed by a tree. I had blood all over me.”
The woman gave a single nod. “That sliver of stone is the key to finding the original stone. It can be used as a scrying tool, when activated with the right blood. Your blood on it will lead to the second secret keeper, the Imperial born human. Then it needs to be dipped in the blood of the second secret keeper to track the third, and so on.”
That was why Laous reset the justices. He wasn’t trying to make sure any of us got to safety. He had found my necklace and knew he had what he needed. So he’d tried to kill us all.
“What is our next step?” Marsil asked. As he stood tall, decked out in all black, with shit-kicker boots on and a heavy expression, he totally looked like a warrior.
“With Emma’s permission, we’d like to take a little of her blood and see if we can track the second secret keeper ourselves.” She looked directly at me, and I nodded without hesitation. I would do anything to make sure Laous didn’t get his hands on him or her.
She continued: “While we do that, everyone else will return to their normal lives. The treaty is not under any direct threat.”
Ambra stood. Her graceful form seemed frailer than the last time I’d seen her. “Will the overlord families return to Astoria? To Starslight Prep?”
Everyone on the council nodded this time. “Oh yes, they must finish their school year,” the silver-haired woman answered. “Laous might have initiated it for the wrong reasons, but the human government is loving this sign of ‘trust.’ It’s important to keep up appearances, especially now.”
School, right, totally forgot we still had that thing going on. Ambra joined her sons in looking unhappy, all except Lexen, who was watching me with an amused expression.
The entire council stood. Each lowered their head into a half bow toward Roland and Ambra.
“We will be in touch when we have any information,” silver-haired lady told the Darkens. She then turned to me. “Do you mind?” she asked, holding her hand out. Rising to my feet, I took a step toward her, and she reached out and placed her hand in the crook of my elbow.
A brief prickling sensation followed, and when she pulled back there was a thin trace of red following her fingertips. “That should be enough. Thank you,” she said, lowering her head slightly to me. Much easier than a blood test, that was for sure.
She faced Lexen. “I’m really glad you and your draygone mate are okay.”
Dead silence filled the room. I wiggled a little on the spot, immediately uncomfortable.
Lexen was the only one to still look relaxed. In fact the asshole laughed, like she’d just amused him immensely. My mouth dropped open as he crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder, dwarfing the tiny female. “Colita, I never could keep anything from you.”
My stunned face must have tipped him off to my astonishment, because he released Colita and stepped over to me. “She’s my drenita, or as humans would call it, godmother. She’s also a powerful seer, able to scry visions of the future in the sacred legreto.”
“The same sacred waters I was born in?” I asked, my eyes flicking between him and Colita.
She nodded. “The very same. And you’ll be happy to know, that having been born in those sacred waters, you – and the other three secret keepers – have the longevity of life that is part of all Daelighters. Even though you are almost completely human, in your blood runs some of our energy.”
Jero laughed. “Are you telling me that pretty girl here is hooked into the network? That’s fuc … damn awesome.”
Roland, who seemed to find Jero amusing – had to be the only one who did – let out a chuckle. “We can show her how to plug in – one day, when she isn’t due back at school.”
That sounded like a good idea. I was full up on new experiences at the moment.
“Wait,” I called, halting the council just as they were leaving. “If secret keepers live forever, what happened to the ones before us?” I knew that all four had to be born in the same year, so I assumed the other three with me were all around my age. But the treaty had been active for over a hundred years.
Colita answered: “There was only one set of four before you. One of the men was hit by a car and killed. Luckily his wife was pregnant at the time. His daughter became one of the secret keepers in your four.”
“So if one dies, you have to replace the entire four?” I wondered out loud.
Her smile was kind. “Yes, because the bond is broken.”
They left then before I could think up any more questions. I had probably learned enough that day to keep my mind busy for a lifetime anyway. As soon as the door closed, Star burst up from her chair and threw her arms around me again.
“I can’t believe you were in the land of Imperial. You were in the justices. You could have been reset!”
She’d been saying this over and over since we all got back, her arms strangling me like she was worried that if she let me go I would disappear. The only time she had stopped was when the council arrived.
Untangling her arms, I sucked in some deep breaths. “I’m fine,” I reassured her again. “Lexen and Daniel were with me almost the entire time.”
I turned my attention to the overlord major. “Are the Finnegans still okay?”
“Yes,” Roland answered immediately. “As soon as they got word to me, I stationed guards on them. They’re keeping Daelight Crescent locked down. The Finnegans have been informed that you are safe. They can’t wait for you to return home to them.”
I swallowed the rough lump in my throat. Ace had really come through for my family. Apparently he had been in on the big secret. All of the security was. And he had a means to get a message to Overworld.
“Will I be able to return to Overworld?” I asked, needing to know while also dr
eading the answer.
Lexen let out a rumbling growl that sounded very animalistic. Some of his dragon soul was making an appearance. “You’re one of the few humans who will always be able to wander between the worlds. Once you learn the network, you can use the transporters just as we do.”
He tore his gaze from mine to meet each of his family’s. “Colita was correct, my draygone soul has chosen Emma. We’re going to take it slow, but if I have anything to do with it, my little human is going to be around a lot.”
The guy had smooth moves, that was for sure. I couldn’t disagree, because in my heart there was nothing I wanted more than to stay here in Darken. In this house filled with a family I adored. With the man I more than adored. It was bittersweet, learning the truth of my parents’ deaths, and my true purpose as a secret keeper. But there was also some hope. Hope that I might eventually find happiness and a home again.
Roland and Ambra both walked over to stand before me and Lexen and I waited to hear their response. How would they feel about a human and their future overlord together? I knew from Lexen it had never happened before…
Ambra’s hug took me completely by surprise as she squeezed me so tightly all the air exited my lungs in one big oomph. “Welcome to the family,” she cried. “I couldn’t have chosen someone better for Lexen. You have a strong heart and soul. You’re a survivor.”
Do. Not. Cry. Do not cry!
“We’re going to be sisters!” Star squealed.
I snorted, swallowing down my emotions. “Hold up, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I only just turned eighteen.”
I was so tuned into Lexen that I noticed immediately when he stilled. “We missed your birthday?” he asked me.
I smiled, shaking my head at him. “Not a big deal, seriously. It’s just another day.”
“We don’t celebrate birthdays here,” Jero said. “But we know they are a big deal on Earth. We’ve seen all the squealing teens when they turn the big one-eight. You should have told us.”
I shrugged, aware that Lexen still looked upset. “I didn’t even know. It was only when Lexen told me the date in the justices that I realized my birthday was yesterday.”
“You spent your birthday being held captive? Hurt?” Lexen was pissed, and before I could answer he swept me up in his arms and was marching out the door.
Laughter sounded behind us, Jero calling out a few suggestive things, which no doubt had my face turning an interesting shade of pink.
“Put me down!” I struggled against him, wanting to walk.
Lexen ignored me, his march losing no speed even as I struggled. “My draygone soul does not like that we missed a special day for you, Em, so please let me make this up to you.”
His voice was gruff, but not quite as rumbly as before. Conceding defeat, I relaxed back into his arms. “Fine, but I am warning you, if you continue to use your strength to push me around, I’m going to fight back. And I fight dirty.”
The hard rigidness to his jaw relaxed a little. “Is that right? Well, rest assured, I will never use my strength to do anything other than protect you. Your body. Your heart. Your soul.”
As lines went, that one was pretty freaking stellar. My friends back home would have said it was cheesy, but I never understood why someone expressing a strong level of caring for someone was deemed corny. I found it sweet.
“I’m not sure I understand this dragon thing,” I said quietly. “But I’m really glad your soul found a mate in mine.”
He growled, pulling me closer and burying his head into the space between my head and neck. As he pressed his lips to my bare skin, I tried not to breathe embarrassingly loud.
“I’m a mess,” I whispered, biting my lip to stop from saying anything else.
Lexen lifted his head, his lips tilted enticingly in a half-smile. “You’re about as far from a mess as is possible. Even if you were, where we are going it won’t matter.
Okay, then. I was two parts relieved and one part seriously disappointed when Lexen finally set me on my feet. A girl could get used to being carried, but mostly this girl liked to stand on her own two feet. Let’s say ninety percent of the time.
I expected to be led to the basement with the transporter, so I was astonished when we ended up in Lexen’s room. He opened the glass doors. Qenita’s giant white head popped in almost immediately and I managed not to scream or pee myself.
“Do you trust me?” Lexen asked, holding his hand out for me.
I didn’t even hesitate. “With my life.”
He helped me up onto the back of the massive dragon, her hard, cold scales scraping across my bare skin. The dress was pretty much done, and I was really looking forward to getting out of it.
Lexen settled in behind me, his warmth chasing away the chill of Qenita’s hide. I was extra grateful for his support when Qenita’s huge wings started flapping on either side of us, and then far more gracefully than I had expected, we were up and soaring across the sky.
Nerves had me tense at first, but her gliding was so smooth that I soon settled back against Lexen. He wrapped his arms around me and I could have died right then a happy human.
Qenita rose higher and higher, flying in a zigzag pattern through the underground. The heat and brightness increased as we got closer to the dragon fire that filled the top of the cavern. I was just about to ask if Lexen was taking me to a fiery death when Qenita veered off to the left, toward a huge opening in the side of the mountain, five times the size of the one we’d used in the lower sections to enter.
Like her own special dragon entrance.
Once we were out in the open, soaring in the cloudless sky, I lifted myself up so I could see absolutely everything. “It’s so beautiful,” I said with a sigh. “Mountains and snow and the brisk air. I’ve always loved this. I literally begged my parents every year to take me to Big Bear during the winter.”
I twisted so I could see him. “If this was where I was born, why do you think we lived so far from the mountains?”
“Probably because they were trying to stay hidden. Be in the last place that would be expected.”
Made sense, like someone from Royale hiding in the desert. The less water, the less obvious their location. Or was it more obvious … because somehow Laous had still found us. The council had said he used the energy of the four overlord minors, as I’d suspected. Still, it kind of felt like he would have needed more than that. Did someone betray the secret keepers? Tell Laous where to start looking?
Qenita banked to the right, distracting me from those heavy thoughts. I let out a low gasp as she glided down toward a range of mountains, three or four all closely linked. Unlike a lot of the ranges here, these had flat tops. I leaned over to see the sparkling aquamarine-filled craters atop them.
“These are not the sacred springs,” Lexen started to explain. “It’s forbidden to use them recreationally, but this is a sister spring to them, fed from the same underground reserve. Blessed by the dragons.”
As Qenita came to land, I pretty much sprang off her, and would have fallen flat on my face if she didn’t catch me with her wing. Damn my lack of athleticism.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, rubbing my hand across the rigid spines which lined those majestic wings.
She blew a ring of cold into my chest and I knew it was all good.
Lexen joined me, far more gracefully, and we crossed to the first of the pools. Steam rose up across the lot of them, the twinkling water even more enticing from close range. “Can we just jump right in?” I asked, already preparing myself for Lexen to see my body. Weirdly enough, I wasn’t that worried about it. He’d seen me in various states of undress anyway, and I had underwear on.
“Yep, jump in, the pools all feed into each other, so you can explore as far as you want.”
Amazing. The water literally ran for miles … on top of a mountain. Each pool broke into sections through natural rock formations, and there were even a few waterfalls in the distance. I didn’t wait a moment
longer, stripping off the rag that used to be a designer gown.
“This legrato has healing properties,” Lexen said, his eyes filled with fire as he watched me. “It will help with the last of your injuries.”
I still had the bandage on my shoulder. There’d been no time to remove it, so I lifted my arm and tried to reach the end of the white gauze. But, of course, Daniel was an overachiever in bandaging, and it was too tight for me to budge.
“Let me help you.” Lexen appeared at my side, shirtless now, wearing a pair of shorts that fitted his body far too well. I was probably going to touch him because I couldn’t help myself.
His hands were gentle as he worked the end free, fingers brushing against bare skin as he unwrapped it over and over. He then dropped down lower and removed the bandages still on my legs. One at a time. Torturously teasing me as he dragged his finger across my body.
“There you go.” His voice sounded a little rougher than usual, his eyes telling me that he was definitely feeling the burn between us.
Neither of us moved as steam rose up around our half-naked bodies. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that, little human,” Lexen growled. “I only have so much restraint, and … we’re taking it slow.”
As much as I wanted to disagree with him, I also knew there was no need to rush our relationship. Apparently we had forever to figure it out. Sucking in a shaky breath, I turned around and jumped straight into the warm pool. I went under completely; it was deeper than I expected. The sensation of the water caressing my skin, cleaning away the remnants of the battle I’d been through, felt like the second best thing to happen today.
The first was the kiss, of course.
Lexen joined me, and together we rose to the surface, kicking our legs to stay afloat in the hot springs. Swimming over to the edge, there were seats that seemed to be naturally formed in the rocks. Lexen and I both settled back into them. I let my legs float up in front of me, moving them slowly through the water. I waited for the cuts and grazes that littered my body to sting, but instead they felt soothed, especially the one on my shoulder.
