by Jaymin Eve
“You’re insane if you think our parents are going to let us unite the houses like that,” Xander said, his voice flat, but the mild undertones of disbelief were there. “Sitting together at lunch is one thing, but you’re talking about trying to overcome decades of hate and prejudice.”
Daniel cut in. “No one said it would be easy, but there has been too much dissension in our world. The fact that Laous managed to recruit members of all four houses to his cause should tell us that we can all work together.”
“It’d be nice if we all worked together for a cause to better our people,” Callie said. “Not one that could kill everyone.”
From my position, Xander looked to be staring out into the wall opposite where we sat, his expression unreadable. He finally said, “I think that you’re all looking at this from a naïve, simple perspective. Hundreds of years of hatred and rivalry is not going to be undone just because the four of us are best friends. Or because the three of you have found your mates. But I will go with the majority … I’m willing to try.”
He got up then and walked away, and I almost went after him. Mostly because I wanted to yell at him. I really loved the dynamics of this group. For the first time in months I didn’t feel alone, and he was making things awkward and uncomfortable—even if I did think that he made some decent points.
“My mom always said that the first step to any change is simple … just take a step in the direction you want to go,” Maya said in her soft voice. “Be the change you want to see. We can talk about hoping and wishing for a difference all we want, but we’re the only ones in a position to actually do something about it. I think seeing the four overlords, major and minor, coming together, is that change that your people need to start seeing.”
“Our people,” Chase reminded her.
She shot him a rueful smile. “Right, still wrapping my head around that.”
“I know I can get my parents in,” Lexen said.
“Same,” Chase added.
Daniel chuckled. “I’m already overlord major, so you know I’m in.”
There was a beat of silence and we were all thinking the same thing. Xander said he would go with the majority, so hopefully he’d convince his parents as well.
“We can’t do anything until we figure out the map and find the stone, though, right?” I asked.
For some reason, knowing that this map was contained within me, I really needed to figure out how to do that part first.
“Right,” Lexen said, getting to his feet with Emma somehow still in his arms. He dropped her gently down and they remained close together. “First thing is to figure out where the stone is and prevent a war and the possible destruction of two worlds. Then we can figure out the best way to move our world forward. As a team. The fates didn’t bring us all together for nothing.”
Speaking of fate in a literal manner gave me chills. I wasn’t religious, but I believed in powers bigger than me. I communed with Mother Nature a lot. You couldn’t surf the massive swell, feel the power of the ocean, and not believe that there was a greater power out there.
Everyone else got to their feet then and the three overlords quickly discussed their next steps.
“We need to inform our people here about what is happening now,” Chase said. “I think most of them should return to Overworld. We’ll keep a few here for backup security.”
“I agree,” Lexen said, then turned to me. “We’ll make sure your friend is safe.”
I nodded gratefully. “Thank you. Doc is a good man who’s already been through a lot of tragedy. Nothing can happen to him.”
“It won’t,” Emma promised. “The Daelighters are strong. They will protect him if needed.”
Lexen nodded. “Okay, so it’s late afternoon now, and we have to be at the helicopter by 3:00 A.M. Might be best if everyone rests now.”
I was tired, for no other reason than my entire world had been turned upside down today.
“Aliens are real,” I murmured, chuckling to myself.
“Insane, right?” Maya chuckled with me. “When my parents first told me, I seriously wondered if I’d heard them correctly or if maybe I was losing my mind.”
Emma, who was midway through a yawn, rubbed at her eyes. “I was pretty sure it was a dream. That maybe I’d died in the fire with my parents and everything after that was some weird afterlife.” Lexen’s face went scary when she mentioned dying, and it was very clear he did not want to even think about that possibility.
Callie broke the heavy air of Emma’s sad confession. “I’ve known since I was small. It was lucky my mom didn’t let me go anywhere except fight class, because it wasn’t until I was like ten that I learned that not everyone was aware of the aliens walking amongst us. I’d have probably started blabbing about it to anyone who would listen if I’d been in school.”
I waved my hand at her. “All little kids believe in aliens and ghosts and monsters. No one would have thought anything of it.”
She shook her head. “I find that so weird. It shows how little I know about kids and friendships. I never had any friends until I met Daniel. He’s my first best friend, and now there are all the rest of you guys as well. It’s helping me understand human nature a lot more.”
She probably didn’t know then that a true friendship, unconditional in its love and loyalty, was one of the rarest things to find. And the most precious.
My room consisted of a bed, two side tables, and two lamps. The lamps were nice, with pale blue covers and dangling gems all around, but otherwise there was nothing distinct or interesting to look at. I was supposed to be sleeping. The early morning start would be here before I knew it. But I couldn’t shut my mind off. No matter what I tried, there was no way to stop thinking about everything I’d learned today.
Especially Xander.
He was like me. I had finally found another person—alien—who felt the same way about the water that I did. His people actually lived under there. I expected envy to hit me hard, bitterness that I wasn’t Royale enough to be able to live under the water. But there was only overwhelming gratitude. Because of Daelighters, I got to be more than human, experience more than regular humans could dream of. I’d always loved my differences.
The voice of hope inside of me would not shut up. You can fit in with them. Whatever had happened when the four of us secret keepers touched was cemented deep inside of me. The connection. The bond.
I must have drifted off at some point, my sleep solid but short. The clock read 1:30 A.M. when I opened my eyes again, and I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep anytime soon.
Since I needed to pee, I got out of bed and silently moved about the quiet house, using the closest bathroom. When I was done, I wandered into the “surveillance” area. No one else was awake yet, and I decided it would be easiest to just wait for everyone here. Settling back, I watched the different images flash by. It was hard to make things out clearly with the dark and grainy night vision of the cameras, but I just searched until I found one near the beach. Seeing my water would have to be enough for now.
“What are you doing up?”
I jumped at least a foot, landing rather ungracefully in the chair and spinning around to Xander. “Couldn’t sleep,” I said, pressing a hand to my chest. I could feel my heart beating against it. “Why are you up?”
I hadn’t turned any lights on, and it was only when he stepped closer and the illumination of the screens washed over him that I realized he was wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts. “Need to swim,” he said, sounding less like his usual belligerent self. “Too long out of the water and I start to go a little stir-crazy.”
Oh yeah, I got that.
He turned then, like he was just going to walk out, and I tried hard to ignore the bereft feeling inside of me.
He paused, his voice gruff as he said, “Do you want to swim as well?”
I was up and at his side so quickly that my head actually spun. “Yes, thank you,” I said somewhat breathles
sly. “I need to swim.”
His face was mysterious, shadows washing over the hard planes. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it felt like there was less animosity between us. It was almost comfortable standing here with him. Not waiting for him to change his mind, I ditched the sweats he’d lent me, draping them over a nearby chair, and then clad just in the underwear and midriff shirt again, followed him out of the room and into the elevator.
When we got outside, Xander took a few moments checking around the front of the house before he’d let me leave, and I waited, hopping from foot to foot. When we finally started to move, the low, warm breeze brought the scent of salt and water, and whatever tension I’d been holding inside eased as soon as my feet hit the sand.
“We don’t have sand in Overworld,” Xander said quietly, both of us staring out across the dark water. “It’s one of my favorite human things.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. It was one of my favorite human things as well, which no doubt would only annoy him. I chose to stay silent. The water called us down, and I let out a low breath as it swirled around my feet. It was a few degrees cooler than the air; the perfect temperature in my opinion.
“Stay close to me,” Xander said when I was shoulder deep. “Laous is still out there. It’s a huge risk having you exposed like this.”
“I promise,” I said. “Unless we see a shark. It’s the one thing which has me wary in the ocean, and I usually bail.”
Xander’s eyes flicked down to my hand, which was curled in slightly at my side, the scar tissue tight tonight.
“You don’t have to worry about anything in the water while you’re with me. I’ll keep you safe.”
Then his face shuttered and he dived below before I could reply. As I followed, I really wished I knew what he was thinking, because for a moment there it almost looked like he cared.
7
The moment the water closed over my head, waves pushing me back toward the shore, my night vision kicked in. Out of the water I saw maybe five percent better than most people, but under the water … everything was clear.
Spikes of moonlight lit up the landscape below. Xander took off, going deeper, and I followed as close as I could. Actually, I was pretty sure he was pacing himself, because I would never have been able to keep up with him at full speed. He’d already proven that by chasing me down yesterday.
The further we got out, the more marine life was around and the lighter my heart felt. As my body relaxed, I started to swim more freely. I didn’t call for the dolphins—they wouldn’t hear me from this distance anyway. I sent out my love for them though, hoping they’d sense the vibrations in the water. Water carried emotions and messages. I truly believed that.
A water bubble smashed into my face unexpectedly, and I would have screamed except I recognized the sensation from yesterday. This was one of Xander’s communication bubbles. The exprendo channel.
“Don’t be alarmed,” his deep voice echoed across the space around my head. “But there is a shark close by. Two, actually.”
The moment someone told me to “not be alarmed” was the exact moment I usually freaked out. A firm hand gripped my scarred one, and because I’d been expecting a shark attack, I let out a shriek and yanked myself free. In doing so, I broke the exprendo channel around my head.
Since I needed to breathe, I used the moment to power up to the surface, sucking in a deep breath before diving back below. My legs dangling while sharks patrolled underneath was one of my only irrational fears. Sharks did not usually attack humans; it was really rare actually, but ... I couldn’t help myself.
As soon as I was below again, I scanned the water, searching for the predator of the ocean, and saw nothing except a few butterfly fish, which I took as a good sign. They wouldn’t be hanging around if a great white was close by, so either the sharks were one of the less dangerous species, or they weren’t close anymore.
After another minute I calmed completely and started searching for Xander. He’d told me not to leave his side, and only ten minutes into the swim I’d already lost him.
Something grabbed my injured hand again, but this time I didn’t freak. There was no pain, and I recognized the feel of skin.
Xander.
He held my hand tightly, seemingly not put off by the scars and marks that defined the underside of my palm and wrist. I’d only dated a few times in my life, but more than once I’d had guys deliberately maneuver themselves so they were on the side to hold my “good” hand. I’d even had one say during dinner that I was “really hot, but the hand wigged him out.” His implication was that if I just got it fixed, I’d be perfect, and then he’d be interested.
I kicked his ass to the curb. My hand was not a goddamn flaw, it was a battle scar. I had to believe that, otherwise whatever shaky confidence I’d built would be lost and I’d succumb to the soul-sucking pressure humans felt to always look perfect.
I was not perfect. And that was okay.
Bubbles wrapped around my face again and the water drained out quickly. “I scared them away,” Xander told me, his husky voice bringing my body to attention in more ways than one. He might be a bastard, but he was a damn sexy bastard. Who clearly didn’t care about holding my hand. Because he still was.
“We should head back soon,” he added. “The others will be waiting for us.”
I wanted to protest. I wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of my ocean. Of my Hawaii.
I didn’t say that though, I just murmured, “Yeah, okay. Let’s head back.”
He hesitated, just briefly, then he pulled me a little closer, his features still distorted by the exprendo channels. “I promise I’ll take you swimming in the legreto of House of Royale. You’ll feel right at home. And … when this is all over, you can have one of my houses in Hawaii. You can come back here and live in your own place.”
That was so unexpected that I kind of gasped before slamming my lips together. “Why would you do that?” I choked out. “You don’t even like me.”
Xander pulled me closer again, our bodies only inches apart, drifting in the water together. “You’re part of our team,” he finally said. “I have more houses than I need. And … House of Royale looks after their members. You are one of us.”
A small sliver of disappointment hit me, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. Xander had just offered me everything I’d ever wanted. My own place in Hawaii, freedom to surf and swim and live in my ocean, and yet … his reasoning bothered me.
“Thank you,” I told him, trying not to let that emotion into my words. “That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said or done for me, but I wouldn’t feel right taking it from you.”
I pulled my hand from his, and turning around, broke my bubble and took off for the shore. We’d gone out further than I thought, and I had to surface twice for air before I made it back to the sandy beach. It was still very dark, but the air had the slight crispness to it that only came when nearing dawn.
I dragged myself up the sand, resting against it for a beat. I always did this, centering myself before returning to walking on legs. It was a hard transition. A warm body landed next to me and I turned my head to Xander, amazed to see the bubbles of water around his legs dissipate. He leaned back on the sand, his broad shoulders nudging against mine as he stretched. I felt energy trickle across his skin and into mine. The last of the bubbles faded away—
“Wait,” I whispered. “Your legs….”
They were joined, a fine webbing across the top, binding them all the way down to the feet.
“We’re like your merpeople,” he said, leaning up so he was sitting, or more like resting his weight back on both hands behind him. “I can switch between a ‘tail’ and legs.” I sensed the air quotes around the word tail and realized they probably didn’t call it that.
Before I could stop myself, I reached out to touch it. The bubbles were completely gone now, so I could see everything clearly. Just before I made contact, I rea
lized what I was about to do, and jerked my hand back.
Xander actually chuckled, the sound low and heady, sliding across my senses. “You can touch me.”
Those words shot heat through every part of my body. His laughter cut off then and I wondered if he sensed my need—I was goddamn turned on right now and it was pissing me off, because he was an asshole. I was not one of those girls who thought she could change a man. That was too big a job for me. I preferred not to raise a man-child to try to turn him into a decent human.
Still….
A mermaid tail. It was my dream to be able to live in the ocean, and he was six and a half feet of sexy merman. Of course this would be an aphrodisiac for me.
Xander also seemed to have recovered from whatever softer emotions he’d been experiencing after our swim, and with his tail completely gone, and board shorts somehow back in place, he was on his feet and moving.
I reached his side pretty fast and he shot me a dark look—like he was pissed I’d caught him so quickly. I shrugged. “I have long legs, sue me.”
His gaze dragged up the length of my bare legs, his eyes darkening along with his expression.
“I have no idea what you’re babbling about, human.”
And we were back to the human thing. Before he could say another word, I reached out and wrapped my hand around his wrist, yanking as hard as I could. That move was about as effective as trying to stop a truck with my hands, but it did get his attention. He halted, swiveling around to face me.
Before he could spit out whatever angry tirade was on the tip of his tongue, I poked him in the chest. He blinked a few times, looking down to where I’d poked. The look of pure astonishment on his face was almost comical. Clearly no one had ever jabbed him like that before.
“Firstly, I don’t babble,” I told him with barely contained loathing. “Secondly, you were glaring at me because I caught up to you so quickly. For whatever reason, you don’t like me. Which is fine.” I pulled my finger back, crossing my arms over my chest. “Not everyone likes everyone else, but you don’t have to be such a fucking asshole about it.”
