House of Royale (Secret Keepers Series Book 4)

by Jaymin Eve

  Royale was great, and the fact that I’d finally got to sleep under the water in our pod was all kinds of awesome, but this was my home. It didn’t help that his mother still hadn’t really warmed to me. But the Dawn situation was looking up. I finally convinced Xander to tell his parents and they went ballistic. They had her back in their pod straight away, under the excuse that she was needed for official overlord business.

  Then they sent their warriors to search for the creature. So far no one had found anything, and everyone was half convinced that Donovan had already done away with it. Whether it was alive or not, there was no way any of her family was letting her go back to him, especially not now they knew she was pregnant. Something Donovan did not know. House of Royale was a world of water and drama; living amongst them was like being in a soap opera.

  Which only made the peace and quiet here that much sweeter.

  I was so enthralled with my ocean that I didn’t even hear Xander enter the water. It wasn’t until his arms wrapped around me, pulling us close together, that I realized he was there. “I’ve missed this place,” he said.

  I nodded. “Me too. So much. I’m not sure we can ever leave.”

  He laughed. “I’m good with that, especially since I have a surprise for you.”

  Spinning in his arms, I smiled up at him. “Another surprise? Seriously, you don’t have to keep giving me things.”

  “There are not enough things in the world for me to give you that would equal what you’ve given me,” he said seriously.

  I kissed him, wrapping my legs around his waist, and realized he was wearing board shorts and held my bikini in his hands. Normally we’d swim naked, so that was a little odd.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him.

  “Ava!” That familiar shout from Emma sent bubbles of excitement through me.

  “They’re here?” I asked breathlessly, already reaching for the bikini.

  He nodded, a broad smile crossing his face. “They left a few hours after us because Daniel had some duties, but we’re all together for this vacation. One month of sun, surf, and food.”

  By the time I got my swimsuit on, the pool was filled with my family, most of them dressed in their travel clothes, but they didn’t care.

  Emma, Callie, Maya, and I hugged for the longest time. “I’m so happy to see you all,” I cried, pulling them in again.

  “Careful,” Chase said with a laugh, reaching down to haul his mate up out of the water. “She’s a shorty and can’t touch bottom here.”

  We all laughed, and Maya flipped him off. “I was perfectly fine.”

  Chase kissed her cheek, and then let her go back to us. He returned to the guys, who were lounged back on the wide step.

  “So, tell me everything,” I said as I leaned against the edge of the pool and lifted my face. The sun was almost fully up now. I loved the warmth across my skin.

  “My safe house is up and running,” Maya started. “Chase helped me set everything up. My old nanny is managing it for me. She’s already whipped them all into line, creating a safe and warm environment for the women and children. The initial launch went so well that we’re talking about branching out to a few other cities.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” Emma said, kicking her legs slowly. “You’re going to change the lives of so many women impacted by domestic violence.”

  Maya’s smile was filled with genuine happiness. “It helps that my mate is a billionaire, and that he is so supportive. I never could have done this without him.”

  “Those assholes really are the best things that ever happened to us,” Emma said, staring at Lexen.

  “I wonder if they’d say the same thing about us?” Callie mused, shooting a half grin at Daniel. “Hey, Dan!” He turned. “What’s the best thing that ever happened to you?”

  He didn’t hesitate for a moment. “You are.”

  She blew him a kiss.

  Xander dived under the water then and was at my side in about a second, his arms around me as he shot up, taking both of us out of the water. He caught me as we came down again, water splashing across everyone. I couldn’t stop laughing, while everyone else wiped at their faces.

  That was the start of water wars. We splashed and played for hours, Xander’s staff bringing us food and drinks throughout the day.

  “This was a perfect day,” I said later that afternoon, all of us sprawled on loungers, soaking up the last rays of the sun.

  “Except for the fact that I’m going to be redder than a lobster,” Emma said, “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Rolling over, I reached out to Xander, capturing his hand. “I vote we stay here forever,” I whispered sleepily.

  “Seconded,” Callie chimed in immediately.

  “All in favor?” Maya asked.

  There was not even a second’s pause before a chorus of ayes rang out.

  We all knew there were too many responsibilities on Overworld for us to stay here forever, but in that moment we were all happy and content.

  And most importantly, we were together.

  We were home.

  Bonus Scene

  Avalon

  I sucked in a deep breath, smoothing the skirt down, wishing I was back in my denim cutoff shorts. “Are you sure this is really necessary?” I complained to Emma, who stood on my right, wearing an exact replica of my outfit.

  She flashed me a grin, her ponytail bobbing as she nodded. “Oh yeah, you need this high school experience. All of us do. It’s only a few weeks until graduation.”

  “I’m only agreeing to this because Emma needs to graduate,” Callie cut in from the other side of her. The four of us were standing in a line beside a water fountain in front of Starslight Prep.

  Maya cleared her throat. “I need to graduate as well, even if I’m not sure about college or my future … outside of Chase of course.”

  With another breath, I reached out and linked my arm through Emma’s. “Okay, let’s do it, then. I’m sure I can handle a few more weeks of school if it means I get to hang with you all.”

  We started to move together, all of us dressed in the uniform that set this fancy school far apart from the public schools I’d gone to. I didn’t really have plans for the future either. College kind of seemed like a waste of time when I was going to be spending most of my life under the water with Xander. But Emma, and possibly Maya, were still planning on attending college, so they had to suck it up and finish the year.

  “I have no idea how you both managed to catch up on the schoolwork in such a short time,” Callie said, her face paler than usual. “It would have taken me five years to read through all of those assignments.”

  Emma shook her head. “No way! You can do anything, Cal. You saved us all. You read those words in your head that helped you release the stone. Laous was trying to play on what he perceived as a weakness, and you went boss-lady on his ass.”

  Callie shook her head, but she did smile, and some of the color returned to her face. “Thanks to you,” she murmured, hugging one arm around Emma. “If you hadn’t helped me so much, I’m not sure I would have had a shot at reading in my panicked state.”

  Emma moved to return the hug and I released her arm so she wasn’t being pulled in two directions. “Not a doubt in my mind that you’d have killed it without any help from me,” she said softly to Callie.

  The rest of our conversation was cut off when we entered the main building. I paused just over the threshold, staring around and trying to figure out how this was a school.

  “Let me guess,” I said with a snort of laughter. “This was … designed by our other friends.”

  The girls just nodded and laughed with me. “Yeah, they really need to work on their blending abilities.” Maya snort-laughed.

  Students were pushing through the doors as it got closer to being time for the first bell. I was surprised to see so many of them staring at our group, especially Emma and Callie. They didn’t know Maya and me, but we still got a fair share of star
es.

  “I was invisible in my high school,” I said, fighting the urge to duck my head. This was when my height was a pain in the ass. “Guessing that’s not going to be the case here.”

  Emma actually laughed so hard she had to rest her hands on her knees while she tried to suck in deep breaths. “Oh, God. You just wait, Ava. Our guys are part of an elite world here in Astoria, and they are worshipped.”

  Which explained why there were so many dirty looks tied in with all the curious ones coming our way. Clearly no one liked Emma and Callie stealing their gods. “Speaking of,” I said, “weren’t they supposed to meet us here this morning?”

  All four had been called into a last-minute overlord meeting, and had reluctantly agreed that we could go on ahead to the school early. With Callie among us, there wasn’t much humans could do to hurt us.

  A shout rang out before anyone could answer. “Hey!” Star was waving as she rushed toward us, an amused Brad following close behind.

  Maya greeted her best friend with a hug. Emma greeted her sister-in-law the same way. I watched it all with a warm happy feeling in my chest. I hadn’t had a chance to get to know Brad or Star that well yet, but they were both extremely nice. And extremely in love.

  Lucky Roland and Ambra were all about their children’s happiness first and duty second, because I imagined it might have been difficult for Star to tell them that she loved a human dude. Emma was at least special in their world. Brad was only a bystander caught up in it all.

  “What’s your first class?” Star asked, pulling a folder from her backpack.

  Emma didn’t even have to look at hers; she already had it memorized. “We’re all in AP Calculus. Lexen made sure that we’re all in the same classes, except for Maya, who had some special requests.”

  The rest of us were just here for the social aspect. We were exempt from tests and assignments. Somehow the overlords worked that out. Probably helped that we were the mates of the founding fathers of this entire school and half the town.

  A bell rang and more students rushed past. We were drawing attention, but no one seemed game to stop until a blond girl skidded to a halt and let out a scream. Emma immediately shrieked as well, and the pair rushed together, hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  “I can’t believe you’re back,” the girl said, pulling away, her bright green eyes filled with tears. “When they said you had a huge family emergency, I thought for sure I’d never see you again.” She swallowed roughly, her eyes holding a fresh look of horror. “Then when those men came … well, I was glad you didn’t have to go through that.”

  Emma’s face crumpled, and she hugged her friend tightly again. “I wish I’d been here with you all. The worry that they’d hurt you was far worse than not being here.”

  They remained in a tight hug for an extended moment, and when they pulled back both wiped at their eyes. Emma reached out and grabbed the other girl’s hand. “Come on, let me introduce you to the other members of my family.”

  The girl looked both apprehensive and excited as she was dragged our way. “Guys, this is Cara,” Emma said happily. “She was my first friend in Astoria.”

  She then went around and introduced each of us to Cara. “And that’s Ava,” she finished. “Xander’s girlfriend.”

  By this time Cara had her mouth wide open, staring between all of us. “Are you telling me,” she finally said, “that you four are all dating the guys from the elite families? OMG! I should have known, though. You’re all so stunning. Like a group of freaking supermodels.” She dropped her eyes to Maya. “Petite supermodel for you.”

  Everyone laughed, but she just kept gaping at us. “I have to tell everyone,” she said suddenly. “All of these thirsty bitches in this school need to know to get their hands and eyes off your men.” She nodded decisively. “I’ve got your backs, don’t you all worry about a thing.”

  With one last hug for Emma, she was gone in a flash. I laughed. “I like her. She’s much nicer than most of the chicks in my old school.”

  Emma pressed her lips together, eyes still watery. “I can’t believe Laous almost murdered an entire town. Those Gonzo were bad news, and he just left everyone with them, knowing he never planned on coming back with the stone.”

  Five people had died in the hostage situation. Emma hadn’t known any of them personally, but that didn’t make it any better. Not to mention there had been more than one rape reported as well. “Cara never got….” I trailed off, but she knew what I meant.

  “No, thankfully. Her father got them into their underground bunker. He’s a bit paranoid, monitoring police radio and stuff like that.”

  Paranoid or not, it had paid off if it kept his family safe. I was probably going to be one of those crazy mothers … if I was ever blessed with children. Just the thought of little Xanders running around had my heart pretty much a puddle of mush in my chest. Kids were not in my short-term plans, but I really did want to start a family. I was the only one among the girls who did, though. Emma, Callie, and Maya were all about being irresponsible humans for as long as they could.

  A hush washed over the hall. I thought maybe it was because the second and last bell was about to ring and everyone was in class. I turned to double-check and realized that nope, it was nothing to do with the bell at all.

  “It’s almost too much.” Emma sighed, stepping forward. “Seeing the four of them together.”

  It was too much. The overlords stepped in through the main entrance, the four of them wearing the uniform in an attempt to fit in with the humans. No ties for them though; they had open collars, their dress shirts fitted across broad shoulders and muscled chests. They also had about half a foot or more height on most of the school. So yeah, they really didn’t fit in at all.

  I wiped at my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling.

  “We owe fate some flowers,” Maya said seriously. “Like bunches of flowers.”

  “And chocolate,” Emma added.

  “Wine!” Callie and I said together.

  Despite the crowd starting to gather around them, the guys found us immediately. As they started to move toward us, the students parted, hushed whispers following them.

  “They’re back….”

  “Holy shit, they’re all together.”

  “… died and gone to orgasm heaven.”

  I chuckled at the last one. That girl had not even bothered to whisper as she gushed to her friends. As Xander stepped closer, I forgot about the noise and students. I didn’t hear any of the words or murmurs. All I saw was him. His blond hair was a little longer than usual, falling in a mess of waves across his forehead. His eyes were intense, devouring me as he prowled toward me. He was lethal and sexy, and his appeal only increased every moment I was with him.

  When he reached my side, he swept his arms around me. “I missed you,” I said, and the air fled my lungs as his lips pressed to mine.

  By the time he let me go, teachers had arrived to usher everyone to class and I was completely disoriented. “I missed you too,” Xander said, still holding me close. “And I just realized something.”

  “What’s that?” I said breathlessly.

  His smile was tender. “I’ve never loved you more than I do right in this moment. My love for you … it grows every single day.”

  Perfect. He’s perfect.

  “Do you think it will ever stop growing?” I whispered, pressing closer. “How many years before you reach maximum love?”

  Xander shook his head, wearing the smallest of smiles. “There is no end point, Avalon. Love has no limit. I for one can’t wait to see what a thousand years of love feels like.”

  I felt exactly the same as Xander did. I loved him more with every second he was in my life. I loved him more in this moment than I had yesterday. And the day before.

  “Love has no limits,” I repeated, burying my face in his chest. “And I can’t wait either.”

  Love. Family. Home.

  Forever.
/>   Bonus Scene

  Callie

  School was still the same: stressful. But I no longer felt like I might have heart palpitations if the teacher called on me to answer a question. I was actually finding that despite my difficulties in reading, I was pretty well-educated. Plus, it was almost the end of the year and the teachers were past giving a shit.

  So that made school stressful and … fun. Who would have thought it?

  “Hey.”

  His low voice had every muscle in my stomach clenching. As I turned to find those soulful eyes on me, I had to touch him. “Hey, Overlord,” I said with a wink. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  I was at the bottom of the stairs that led up to our eating area. It would be empty up there. Most Daelighter students were gone now, back to Overworld or off to their next adventure. But Emma and Maya wanted to finish out their high school journeys, and we all stuck together. It was kind of nice to have the entire space to ourselves.

  I still wasn’t used to the intense scrutiny we were under. The humans in this place were fascinated with the overlord kings of the school. If only they knew they were an alien race with powers that could decimate them in seconds. Who was I kidding, they wouldn’t care. That would only make the guys hotter.

  Daniel wrapped me up in his arms and everything inside me sighed with happiness. Between our soul bond and my intense love for him, being held like this was singularly the best feeling I’d ever had in my life.

  Well, that and sex. Which drove me absolutely crazy. I was thinking I had a problem. Might even need a support group.

  “You need to stop thinking that, Callie,” Daniel murmured, pulling me even closer. “We’re in the middle of school.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “You can’t read my mind, so how do you always know when I’m thinking about sex?”

  His grin was lethal; those damn dimples. “Because your eyes darken and you chew on the corner of your lips.” He rubbed his thumb across my lip. “And because I feel the emotions swell inside of you, and I know that’s exactly how I feel when I think about touching you.”