House of Imperial

by Jaymin Eve

  “Yes, let’s not forget that her mate turns into a dragon,” Star said with a choked laugh-grimace.

  I chuckled at the mental images of Lexen sprouting claws and shooting flames at any dudes caught staring at naked-Emma. It felt good to laugh. I’d been doing a lot of crying lately, so some happy relief was exactly what I needed. I did sober up when I remembered that Daniel was out doing God knows what, going up against Laous. He’d better be okay. I refused to consider any other possibility.

  I took a step closer to the water while Chase attempted to explain how this bathing thing worked. “The legreto here has extra-special properties. It will hide whatever you want hidden. You’ll see once you go in. Use those trunks there to remove your clothes and then once you’re in, you’ll understand.”

  He pointed toward a row of six trunks, which had a veil of leaves across the front of them. I stepped over with Emma; she kept her eyes narrowed suspiciously on the water behind us.

  The leafy part of the tree moved as soon as we were in front of the trunk. Behind it was a hollow space, about the size of a decent dressing room in a department store. When I stepped inside, the leaves closed off behind me. There was a bench running the full length of the trunk, so I quickly pulled off my clothes, grimacing as they stuck to me where I was still caked in goo. Dropping them in a pile, I turned around, prepared to step out in all of my naked glory. Chase might think the water was going to hide me, but we still had to walk from this trunk to get into the legreto. Just as I took a step forward, the floor groaned under me, then it opened right up. With a shriek, I dropped down.

  14

  As my feet hit the water, I managed to suck in one lungful of air before I went under. I wasn’t a strong swimmer. We’d never lived anywhere with a pool, and my mom didn’t care enough about me drowning to get lessons, so the most I got to do was splash at the beach when we lived near it.

  It took me a beat, but I finally figured out that I was in some sort of tube … a slide maybe. Super cool except I couldn’t breathe under water, so it was going to get a lot less fun in a few seconds. My feet hit a flimsy barrier, pushing it to the side, and then with a whoosh I was out in the open water. I landed against the smooth wooden base. Pushing hard off the bottom, I broke the top of the water, gasping in air.

  Blinking and wiping away the water from my eyes, I was distracted by how weird it was to be completely immersed in the legreto. Its increased denseness turned it almost into a suction as it clung to my body. I wish I knew more science to understand why that might be, but for now it was just a new fun thing to play with.

  “I did not see that coming,” Emma spluttered behind me, sounding like she was choking.

  Turning, I was mostly submerged, but she was standing up and I could see everything. Only, I also couldn’t. The water was draped across her breasts like an opaque swim suit. I stood as tall as I could then, glancing down to find I had the same thing happening on my body.

  “Okay, that’s pretty freaking cool,” I said, running my hand across my chest. The water swished with my fingers. I could feel my skin, but I remained covered.

  Emma flopped back then, her long hair trailing out behind her. “Some days it feels like I could live in Overworld forever,” she said wistfully. “Being born here, I believe there is a special connection between us and this world. That’s why it feels so much like home.”

  I rubbed my arms, making sure all of the goo was gone. “Imperial feels like that for me, too,” I admitted. “But I wonder if it’s because its energy keeps me alive … it helped tether my soul to Daniel.” As soon as I mentioned his name, I felt a pang of worry. “Do you think they’re okay?”

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” Marsil said, from where he was gliding around the large bathing bowl. “Laous is no match for all of the overlords.”

  Nodding a few times, I put on a brave face before ducking under the water and scrubbing vigorously at my hair. Worrying like this was a new concept to me. I wasn’t sure what to do to stop my mind from dwelling on it.

  As I popped my head up, it was just Emma and me again, the others having drifted off. Her expression was somber. “He was in a bad way when we found you.”

  I stilled, taking a step toward her. “When you found me in that memory-wiping liquid?”

  She nodded. “Daniel saved my life not long ago, and I have grown to care a lot for him. Lexen considers him a brother, and I’m starting to feel the same way. It was damn hard seeing him like that.” She looked like she was searching for the right words. “His eyes, Cal, they’re so sad. Every time I look into them, I want to hug the crap out of him.”

  I chuckled, my heavy emotions giving it a strangled sound. She’d given me a nickname. I’d never had one of those. “I love his eyes,” I admitted. “I’ve never seen a color so rich and deep. And the gold through them … amazing.”

  She was right, though. Daniel had sad eyes, and I understood why. He’d lost so much in his life. His older brother, mother, father, younger brother. On top of that, he had Laous constantly trying to kill him in those days before he became overlord. If anyone needed love and a safe haven, it was my Daniel. I wasn’t sure fate had chosen the best candidate for him. I was almost as damaged as he was, but maybe together we could be each other’s salvation.

  “When we arrived at that warehouse, he took off,” Emma continued. “He knew which tank you were in, even though it was nowhere near the door. When we finally reached him, he was just standing … staring at you.” Her voice broke and I also had a huge lump in my throat, trying to claw its way out. “I’ve never seen someone so broken. I’m not sure he would have survived losing you.”

  The tears were coming now, no stopping them. “How do you do it?” I asked her, sucking down the sobs. “I keep alternating between never wanting to leave Daniel’s side and wanting to run as far and fast as I can. Because I understand how he felt when he found me like that – losing him is not something I would recover from. I’ve had so little in my life, nothing really. To now finally have so much … I’m petrified to lose it all.”

  I sensed she wanted to hug me, but since we were actually naked – although disguised as such – she just reached out and took my hand. “I understand better than you’d think. When the fire killed my parents, I lost a huge part of my heart and soul. I was devastated to the point I wasn’t sure I would ever be happy again.” Her focus shifted out into the trees surrounding us. “Then Lexen came along,” she whispered. “He made me feel so much, and at first it was angry emotions – I mostly wanted to throat-punch him – but once we got over our animosity, we realized there was a bond between us. A true bond.” She met my gaze again. “Am I afraid now that I might lose the best thing to ever happen to me…?” She nodded. “Hells yes … freaking terrified. But even if he died tomorrow, I would never give up the time I’ve had with him. Never. It’s worth every ounce of future heartache.”

  I got that. I truly understood what she was saying. But I wondered if she would say the same thing if Lexen were gone. Maybe she just didn’t know how bad the heartache would be because it hadn’t happened yet.

  She shrugged, a wiry smile crossing her face. “At least they are really hard to kill,” she joked. “Unlike Earth men, our guys are made extra tough.”

  That definitely was a huge bonus. “I wish you didn’t have to lose your parents.” My heart ached for her. “It’s not fair.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed, opening and closing her mouth. Finally, she rasped, “Life is a bitch at times, but I know they want me to be happy, so I’m going to do my very best.”

  Fuck it. I reached out and hugged her. It was just boobs, we both had them, no big deal. Emma gave me an extra tight squeeze and then we pulled away. Things got lighter after that. Chase, Marsil, and Star eventually made their way over to us and we talked and relaxed in the water. The pool constantly rose and fell as the trees took and filtered the water, returning it to the pool. Children, and even a few adult Leights, joined us, but for
the most part, we were alone.

  When we were clean and ready to get out, the tube slid us back up into the change sections. New clothing was waiting inside, neatly folded in a small pile. My uniform was gone, taken away to hopefully be burned. Dressed, I stepped out with wet hair and a lighter heart. The shirt and shorts I wore were simple, a lightweight material, the same shade as sand. The underwear was built in, which was surprisingly comfortable.

  When we were all dressed, it was time for food, my stomach doing flip flops in delight. I was ready to eat all the things. Chase was at my side as we crossed the wooden path again, back to that huge round area designated for food and gatherings. “It’s really peaceful here,” I found myself saying.

  “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.” His voice had this amazing ability to paint pictures just with the beautiful cadence of his tone. “I’m really happy that Daniel found you,” he said, changing the subject. “For too long he has been alone.”

  I forced myself not to think about Daniel, because there was no way I could shed more tears. It was turning into a joke. “You seem to be very … alone, in a way. People have waved and bowed and acknowledged you. I can see they respect and care for you as their leader, but they are distant.” I had no real excuse for being so blunt and forward. In my need to not think about Daniel, I also forgot to think about Chase’s feelings. “I’m sor—” I started, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.

  “You’re right,” he acknowledged. “The Leights are very big on respect, and the overlord and his family always stand slightly apart from the rest of the villagers.”

  “Probably doesn’t help that you move constantly, never settling in one place, never having a true sense of community.”

  He nodded, his long, thick lashes framing his eyes as he blinked. “I’m used to it by now.” I heard the resignation in his voice. He might be used to it, but he didn’t particularly like it.

  “You, Lexen, Xander, and Daniel … that makes sense to me now.”

  He stilled. “What do you mean?”

  I shrugged. “I understand how you all came to be so close, to mean so much to each other. You understand the others, because you each bear the burden of being a leader in your world. It’s a lonely job at the top. No one else could truly understand.”

  Chase sighed, rubbing a hand across the shorter parts of his hair, moving the braids around so they clinked together. “I would have been lost without them. There is no denying it. I just wish we saw each other more.”

  No doubt running different sections of Overworld kept them all busy. “At least you can sit together at school now.”

  His smile was breathtaking. I had to blink a few times to clear my head. He was lethal to women everywhere, that was for sure. I also admired his strength and tranquil demeanor. But my heart was already spoken for, so he only rocked me a little. Whatever woman fell in love with him, she would probably forget her own name whenever he spoke.

  With a bit of luck, I’d be around to see that.

  A lot of Leights from this village were already seated. Apparently, it was food time for everyone. Just when we were about to drop into a spare corner of the rock area, a Leights ran up to Chase. He looked young, with very dark eyes and hair. He held out a hand and in it was a yellowed piece of parchment.

  Chase took a moment to read it. My gaze immediately went to Emma. She was so still, staring at him, no doubt mentally urging him to hurry up. I switched my focus back to the Leights overlord, holding my breath as I waited to hear the news. Was this about Daniel and the others? Or completely unrelated news?

  “Come on,” Star said with urgency. “Tell us, are they okay?”

  Chase waited a few more beats, before he snapped to attention. “The network is hard to connect with here, but they got a message through. We need to head back to the central transporter. Lexen wants us to return there immediately.”

  Emma leapt forward, clutching his arm tightly. “He’s okay, right? Tell me that he’s not hurt.”

  Chase patted her shoulder and she shuddered like she was trying to keep herself together. “He seems fine. It sounds urgent, but not life-threatening.”

  Emma sagged forward, and he caught her. I heard her murmuring Thank God over and over. I was just opening my mouth to ask about Daniel when Chase caught my eye. “According to this message, everyone appears to be okay at the moment, but we should move now.”

  He straightened, wearing his calm warrior face. There was something so reassuring about him, just like Daniel. The four overlord minors were so confident that it felt like they could handle anything that was thrown at them.

  “Are you sure?” Marsil didn’t seem quite as sure. “What if it’s a trap?”

  Chase nodded. “We have to consider the possibility that it might be. We’ll be cautious. No one will leave the protective embrace of the Galinta until we know for sure this is a true message.”

  We all agreed to this plan, and as excitement bubbled up inside of me, I had to acknowledge that it was seeing Daniel again that had me in this state.

  “You’re a goner,” Emma said with a laugh. “I recognize that expression. And literally, the only reason you could get me to walk through the trees again today was if Lexen was waiting for me at the end. That’s love, my friend.”

  We fist bumped it out, because the girl was so right. We were goners.

  The journey back seemed faster. I got a good rhythm going with the branches, although I still had nothing on Chase. He was a ninja, silently moving through the trees. Star was fine; she didn’t even seem remotely tired. Marsil was practically carrying Emma by the time we reached the end, which was barred off by a bunch of leaves and branches. Through a few gaps I caught sight of the metal platform and the glowing transporter, but it was hard to see much else through the tiny spaces of the Galinta. It was getting late in the night as well, so it was only the light of the transporter illuminating the area.

  Chase and Marsil were tall enough to see over the top of Emma and me, so we were all huddled closer together. Star stood back.

  “I can’t see anyone,” I whispered, tilting my head to a new angle to see near the Royale area. Nothing there either.

  Marsil shifted around. “I can connect better to the network here. Leights have very limited access. Let me see if there is anything obvious happening.”

  He didn’t close his eyes, or touch anything, he just went very still and I could see that he was far away. His gaze unfocused … shifting off to the side of my head. After about two minutes of tense silence, he jolted minutely and then blinked. “I can’t see anything amiss. There are no signs of unauthorized travel. No other messages waiting for me.”

  Chase squared his broad shoulders. “I’m going out to check the area. You all wait here.”

  Marsil raised one eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “We can go together.”

  Chase shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He turned to us. “Are you okay with staying here? I don’t mean to treat you as weak or less. Women are warriors as well, but in this case Emma and Callie are very important, so more caution must be taken.”

  I hugged him; he was good people. He returned my hug, a burst of warmth branding me before I pulled away.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I can only speak for myself, but I’m okay with this. You know this world better than me.”

  I might have powers now, but I was still a newbie in Overworld.

  “Cool with me, too,” Emma said with a smile. “I’m deathly afraid of dying a gruesome death.”

  Star laughed. “What an odd fear to have.”

  Emma shrugged. “That’s me, irrationally afraid of things. Gruesome deaths, clowns, jogging, centipedes, and whatever the hell a mothball is.”

  My face actually hurt I was smiling so hard. “I hate dolls,” I admitted. “Those creepy eyes always feel like they’re watching me.”

  “Yes!” Emma cried. “Holy shit, yes, dolls are creepy as freak.”

  We stop
ped joking around when Chase reached out and touched the branches – they parted for him. “We’ll be right back,” he said, stepping forward.

  Star and Emma hugged Marsil, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough with him to do that. Chase – and Lexen – felt like the next best thing to Daniel. As Emma said, they were brother figures … family. Marsil was different, but I did pat his arm.

  “Good luck. Don’t die.”

  Chase winked, and Marsil just shook his head. As they stepped out, I scanned across the metal area again; there was absolutely nothing out of place. Not a single Daelighter in sight. Once the guys were out of the trees, the leaves closed back across in front of us. The three of us pushed forward, all trying to find a gap to see through.

  “I have a bad feeling,” Star whispered. “It’s too quiet out there. I mean, someone is always coming and going through the transporter, but…”

  “Should we call them back?” I asked with urgency. Daniel, where are you? He had to be okay. He had to be.

  “Just keep an eye out,” Emma said. “If they need our help, we’re going to have to figure out how to get out of these trees.”

  I had a feeling they wouldn’t let us go easily, and none of us had any idea how to speak with them. For some time, we kept a vigilant watch on Chase and Marsil. They walked the perimeter of the large area. I lost sight of them once or twice when they moved out of the range of my peephole and the light, but they appeared again quickly enough and nothing attacked them.

  Eventually they made their way back to where we were waiting. The branches parted under Chase’s command and Emma stepped out first. Star and I followed.

  “Do you think the message was wrong?” I asked Chase.

  His brow furrowed as he answered. “It’s possible. I didn’t recognize the Leights who handed it to me, but that doesn’t mean anything. One of the very outer villages is visiting for a festival, so there are a lot of different Daelighters about.”