House of Imperial

by Jaymin Eve

  Her eyes widened. “Me neither. I think it’s because we were born in Overworld.”

  Hmmm, that would make sense; we’d definitely taken on other traits from that world.

  When it was my turn to walk down the line, I started to scoop food onto my plate. A creamy sundried tomato pasta, pumpkin and spice salad, fruit cup, and to finish it off, mashed potatoes with a creamy mushroom sauce.

  I skipped most of the next dishes; my plate was pretty much full anyway, but right near the end I hesitated over the vegetarian pizza. Daniel, who was behind me in the line, laughed when I pouted. “You can come back if you finish what you have and want more. We’ll stay here until you’ve had enough.”

  I blasted him with my brightest smile. It actually hurt my cheeks and made me realize how rarely I used to smile. I needed to work on that, finding the joy in the small things – once we dealt with Laous, and I found my mom. My smile faded away, and I wondered if I’d ever be able to just feel happy without guilt. I supposed that was pretty much life; happiness and guilt often went hand in hand.

  Daniel and I were the first to finish filling our plates and took a seat at a large round table right in the center of the room. I had no idea who usually sat there, since territories were very clearly designated. The moment Lexen, Star, and Emma joined us, the entire floor went deadly silent. We ignored this, continuing to talk normally while eating the mouthwatering food.

  It took a while, but eventually ninety percent of the Daelighters surrounding us went back to their conversations as well. A few of the Darkens even threw smiles in our direction and gave slow head nods to Lexen. The Imperials had the most attitude, especially when Xander and Chase joined us, but no one said anything outright.

  “Well … that went okay,” Emma said after about twenty minutes. She looked between the four overlords. “Right?”

  Xander, who had one eye on the blonds over in Royale’s corner, shifted his body back toward her. “They’re actually taking it quite well.”

  Daniel, who had hardly touched his food, more focused on the Daelighters around us, crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair. “Only time will tell,” he said. “If there is any fallout, we won’t know about it for some time. But at least this is a step in the right direction.”

  I agreed with him. It was time for this change. I just hoped their people were able to deal with it. I only had the potato mash left, having finished everything else on my plate. Scooping up a mouthful, it slid across my tongue and I let out a low groan. “Holy sweet heaven above … this is amazing.”

  Amused expressions were directed at me, but I didn’t care. They could laugh all they wanted; this was me enjoying the little things. When the bell rang fifteen minutes later, I could barely move, dreams of a food-nap playing in my head.

  I perked up a little when Emma started to whine. “Seriously, why is gym class mandatory? Why? And right after lunch … surely they could give us some time to digest our food.”

  Lexen, clearly used to her hatred of gym, just pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “We have a study period first. You’ll have plenty of time to digest.”

  “Besides,” Star piped up, “today is self-defense classes. You keep saying you want to learn how to defend yourself...”

  Hell, yeah. “I love training in self-defense. Is there an advanced class?”

  Star nodded at me. “Yep, advance students mix between defense and fight training. I think the teacher said it was a M-style of fighting or something.”

  Oh, fingers crossed it was MMA. I adored mixed martial arts.

  Emma picked up on my excitement and let out a choked sound. “God, no, you’re athletic, aren’t you? And we had such a beautiful friendship going.”

  A snort of laughter escaped me. Her dry wit was perfect; it matched my own sarcastic tendencies. “I do enjoy pushing my body to its limits. I’ve been fight training most of my life. It was the only activity outside of the home that my mom allowed me to do.”

  It was the only thing I had to stay sane.

  Sympathy and revulsion warred in Emma’s dark blue eyes. “Sorry about your mom, but nothing you say will convince me that exercise is good for you. Scientists are wrong. Doctors are wrong. Everyone is wrong.”

  “What if I can prove you wrong?” I said to her. I had no idea where those words had come from, but they were out now, and I couldn’t take them back.

  She gave me a suspicious look, one eyebrow raised in my direction. “Listening…” she replied.

  “I’ll do some fight and self-defense training with you, and once you learn how to take control of your own body … own your power … kick Lexen’s ass when he needs it … I bet you’ll love it. Once your body is strong, you’ll feel stronger in all ways.”

  The raised eyebrow wasn’t going anywhere, but I knew she was thinking about it. Finally, she nodded. “You know what, I am going to take you up on that offer. I know I’ll always be weaker than most Daelighters, physically at least, but it doesn’t hurt to arm myself as much as I can. A few skills might have come in handy when Laous kidnapped me the first time.”

  As we all turned the corner then, heading toward study hall, I really should have known my world was about to go to shit. The karmic scale only allowed so much happiness before yanking it away.

  It started with a whisper of my name.

  At first I thought I was hearing things, but as I turned to follow the sound, I locked eyes with a set of familiar dark ones.

  “Mom…” I said slowly, swallowing hard as I took a step in her direction. She was thirty feet away from me, just visible at the end of the hall. Her long mousy-brown hair hung in matted strands, her too-thin body swaying visibly as she tried to remain standing. She was much shorter than me, about five-foot-four, and right now she seemed even smaller.

  Melony Channing was in her late thirties, having had me young, but she looked like she was sixty, her face haggard and lined, head drooping forward as she gripped the side rail.

  “Mom,” I whispered again, with more urgency. I lurched forward, ready to take off in her direction, but before I could, Daniel reached out and captured my hand.

  “Wait,” he said, murmuring in my ear. “This is probably a trap. We need to move cautiously. Laous is no doubt somewhere close by.”

  Of course it was a trap, but that didn’t mean I was not going to help her. Daniel had a minute to come up with a plan or I was taking my chances. Turning from me, he said something to the group and Lexen immediately moved Emma and Star back. The four overlords changed positions, so they were surrounding us protectively.

  “I need to go to her,” I bit out, at the end of my already limited patience.

  A hand landed on my shoulder and some of the tension inside of me eased. I waited for him to order me to stay. That’s what I was expecting. In my head I was already formulating an argument.

  “Go slow,” he warned, surprising the hell out of me. “We’re right with you. Laous will not get his hands on you or Emma again. I promise.”

  Thank you, I mouthed at him, grateful that he was acting like we were a team. Doing this together.

  As I took the first step toward my mom, all of the food I’d just eaten swirled in my stomach, threatening to come up. “Callie, I’m so sorry,” my mom said as she took a step forward. One of her arms had been crossed over her chest, and she let it fall forward now, billowing out her sweater.

  That’s when I noticed the device strapped to her chest. My feet halted. I blinked and blinked, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my mom was standing there, her chest covered in wires and metal.

  “I think it’s a bomb,” I said, my voice low and wavering.

  I heard curses from behind, and my hand was suddenly in Emma’s, who gripped it tightly, and I squeezed back, grateful for the support. “We need to get everyone out of the school,” she choked out in a panicked wheeze.

  “What do you want, Mom?” I called out. She almost fell as she stumbled another step forward. We were about te
n feet apart now. “Why are you here? What does Laous want?”

  I’d never seen her look this weak; it made me sad in a way I didn’t expect. This was a woman who had never loved me … never hugged or comforted me … who did nothing except lecture, and hurt, and belittle me … but I couldn’t stop the tears from silently tracking down my cheeks. Inside there was a young girl who just wanted her mom to love her, who had no one else in the world and needed someone in her corner.

  “He needs you, Callie.” Her voice was thin and reedy. She sounded nothing like her normal self. “Your blood was tainted last time. The floor must have had a substance on it which degraded the blood. He promises that if you come with me now, he will not hurt anyone in the school.”

  We were starting to attract a lot of attention. Students milling in the hall realized something was going on, and when someone noticed the bomb, screams rang out. Bedlam erupted as students started running and pushing, everyone panicking as they tried to escape.

  Except for the Daelighters. Members of the four houses started to gather, some behind my mom, others to my left and right. For once, none of them were segregating themselves. The four houses were mingling, forming an alien barrier.

  “All of the houses have minor powers,” Emma murmured, reiterating what Daniel had told me this morning. “Each is different, and they’re pretty weak this far from their network, except if you’re an overlord. But they might be able to help contain the blast if Laous does detonate.”

  That was not going to happen, if I could help it. “Why don’t I just give you more blood to take to him,” I suggested to my mom.

  She shook her head. “My orders are to bring you to him … alive.” She stumbled, almost falling. “He won’t wait much longer.”

  As she held her hand out, I centered myself, reaching deep for composure. “Okay, Mom, I will come with you.”

  I tried to take a step forward, but Daniel wrapped an arm around me, lifting me off the ground and into his body. “I will not let you go with her,” he said, voice no more than a growl of fury. “Not on your own. We’re a team.” His eyes bored into mine. “You don’t have to sacrifice yourself. We can contain the blast.”

  Freeing one hand, I lifted it up to press against his face. This might be the last time I saw him, and I needed to touch him. “You know I have to do this. I can’t risk all of the humans. I won’t risk them. Please don’t ask me to.”

  His jaw clenched, and I could tell he was having trouble speaking through his rage. Finally he said, “Okay, here is the plan … because I can feel your energy, I think I might be able to track you. You’re going to lead her out of the school, and then stall as long as you can until I get to you.”

  He was working with me. He truly meant it when he said we were a team. “I can do that, or try at least. If Laous is there, this might be our best chance at taking him down once and for all.”

  He dropped his forehead down to gently rest against mine, and that action had my insides rolling. “Don’t freak out on me,” he said softly, “but I need to tell you something … I believe Emma’s theories. You and me, this is about something so much bigger than even our souls being bonded. You captured me from the first moment I saw you. I can’t … I won’t let you go now.”

  My heart just about beat out of my chest in that moment. I could barely breathe, but I had to tell him how I felt. “You’re the first family I’ve ever had,” I said with conviction. “Now that I’ve found a home with you, I won’t give it up without a fight.”

  I lifted my face and pressed my lips to his. If this was my last moment – again – I didn’t want to miss out on kissing Daniel. I needed to know how it was, at least once.

  He parted his lips, and before I could react, he took control of the kiss, his tongue stroking mine as our mouths moved together. The life and death situation faded from my mind and I lost track of everything but this moment.

  Was there a way I could kiss Daniel forever?

  With a growl, he pulled away and I had to fight back tears again. It had been short and fast, not a classically “perfect” first kiss. It was so much better than perfect. It was real.

  “Do not antagonize him,” Daniel warned as he lowered me back to the ground. “Stall him as long as you can. I will be right behind you.”

  He pressed his lips to my forehead one more time and then released me. I shuddered, taking one last look at his face before turning to my fate. A tearful Emma and Star caught my eye.

  “Stay strong,” Emma whispered. “Laous is going down this time.”

  I liked her confidence, but we all knew there was a huge chance Daniel’s ability to track me would fail. Laous seemed to be multiple steps ahead of us at all times; he probably knew a way to block our connection. But I had to try. I had to hope.

  As I took a step forward, there was a blast of heat at my back but I didn’t turn around. It was only as I reached my mom’s side, when a rumble shook the ground, that I looked back. Lexen, Xander, and Chase were all holding Daniel, who appeared to be fighting his resolve, trying to come after me. He was actually gaining ground, even against his three powerful friends. His marks were swirling; flames danced across his skin. I let out a gasp as he shook his friends off and fire rippled up his body. Lucky the humans had all taken off earlier, because no doubt someone would be filming him right now.

  Before I could say anything or go back to him, which is what my instincts were urging me to do, my mom wrapped her bony fingers around my wrist, and then, moving at unnatural speed, had me outside in a blink.

  How … what … how in the hell did she just do that?

  Two minutes earlier she had barely been able to stand, and now she was moving like a … Daelighter. My head hit something hard as I was shoved into a car, and in the next breath we were screeching away. Shit. So much for stalling them. We’d expected a human to be taking me out, and instead I got…

  Light rippled across my mom’s skin; it started to jiggle … like Jell-O, before it split, tears spreading across all the surfaces I could see. I almost vomited as she literally shed her skin, ripping it off in large chunks and throwing it out the window, all the while managing to keep the car on the road.

  Within thirty seconds, my mom was gone and another woman was in her place.

  Still not the weirdest thing to have happened to me in the last week.

  “Who are you?” I asked, trying to place the shaved-headed woman before me. She was clearly a Daelighter … House of Imperial probably. Heavily muscled, with thin lips that were pressed together as she glared at me.

  She tilted her head in my direction, expression almost bored. “I’m no one of concern.”

  The bomb was gone now, too. It must have been part of her illusion. Dammit. She tricked me … I’d thought for a second my mom was alive. I’d thought I could still save her. All of that hope crashed down. I bit my lip to stop a whimper escaping.

  “Get back in your seat,” the woman snapped. “Laous wants you in one piece, and I’m going to be driving fast.”

  Reaching out, I snagged the belt and yanked it down just as she pressed her foot to the floor. Whatever car we were in, it was heavily modified, moving at racecar speed. “Where is my mom?” I asked, fearing the answer.

  Imperial bitch just laughed. “Stupid, grubber. Your mother is dead, she’s been dead since the first time Laous grabbed her. Heart gave out and she died before we could get anything useful from her. I shaved off some skin, so we could use her cells to build a skinsuit, because Laous knew we might need her as incentive, but other than that … she was left down in Louisiana. I believe she was cremated as a Jane Doe.”

  Everything inside of me went cold and numb, like I’d just been sliced with a blade, but the pain hadn’t kicked in yet. I’d toyed with the idea that my mom was dead, but I guess I never truly believed it. Because I couldn’t believe it. She was my mom.

  God, Mom, I am so sorry. There was some comfort in knowing she didn’t die horribly in an alien torture chamber.
That had been one of my greatest fears. Thinking of her suffering had been killing me. And maybe later, when I came to terms with what happened, I’d be able to smile at her getting one up on the aliens. Dying before they could touch her.

  Laous still managed to use her, though, even in death. He really didn’t have to bother. It could have been anyone wearing that bomb and I would have left. I didn’t walk out of that school just to save my mom. I walked out to save everyone. All of the Daelighters, the innocent humans. Every single person in there.

  I didn’t ask any more questions. I stared out the window and tried my best to track our path, all the while praying Daniel was behind us somewhere. I didn’t recognize any landmarks, but it looked like we were heading out of the town. It was all trees.

  Daniel’s face remained a burning beacon in my mind, the memory of our kiss strong. Being away from him was making me feel weak and clammy, my heart beating far too rapidly as beads of sweat formed on my forehead and along my hairline. My stomach growled, and I couldn’t tell if it was hunger or unease, but whatever was happening, I was all out of whack.

  I was going to be at a very real risk of fading away if I didn’t get back to Daniel or House of Imperial soon. The bond was too new for this sort of distance. Before I could freak out further, the bitch wrenched the steering wheel, did something with the clutch and gearstick, and let the car spin in a one-eighty degree turn before coming to a halt on the edge of the forest.

  “Get out,” she growled, not looking at me.

  Unclipping myself, I stumbled out of the car and she was gone in a flash, tires kicking up gravel. Okay, then. I turned to look around, trying to determine the reason she’d dumped me here, but before I could do more than catch a glimpse of approximately a million trees, a swirl of light appeared before me and Laous stepped out of it. Dressed all in black, there was no expression on his face.

  When he crooked his finger at me, I remembered I was supposed to be stalling.

  “Why did you bring me here?” I asked, allowing the fear I felt to creep in my voice. No doubt this loser loved the sight of other’s fear, and I wanted him happy and relaxed.