by Jaymin Eve
I could already tell the odds of that happening were slim to never. Lexen was not going to bend rules for me, even if they would make his sister happy.
“I have to go out tonight.” Lexen’s rapid subject change didn’t seem to surprise anyone but me. He pointed a finger in my direction. “Which means you’re coming with me.”
I clicked my heels together and gave him an exaggerated salute. “Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir.”
Clearly I had a death wish. Maybe I’d had one since my parents burned alive, but right in this moment I didn’t give a shit that these four could probably disintegrate me with a mere thought. I was done with the elites’ superior bullshit.
Lexen blinked a few times at me. I swear there was a flicker of confusion on his face. Then it disappeared and he just looked pissed. “Follow me,” he ordered. He strode away and I hurried after him. I felt someone at my back and swiveled my head to find Jero there.
“Are you coming too?” I asked, surprised.
He nodded. “Yes, I watch Lexen’s back.” He winked at me. “And yours too of course, honey.”
“I’m on to you, buddy. You’re the suave one. Marsil is the nice one. Lexen is the—”
“Asshole,” the man in question interrupted me. I hadn’t even realized he had stopped and was waiting for us by the front door. “I’m the asshole.”
He held the door open. I watched him with suspicion before I stepped out. We crossed to the front of the house, where his car must have been left by Jero. No doubt there was a garage around somewhere. I knew they had a bunch of cars. Which meant this had been left out deliberately.
“Do you four have parents here? Do you live in this house alone?”
Star had mentioned a father, but it sounded like he was far away. Felt weird thinking of them all alone in this huge house. Even though I was often on my own, I still always knew there were adults around somewhere to do most of the adulting. I might be turning eighteen soon, but I wasn’t ready to hand in my irresponsible kid card yet.
“Stop asking questions,” was Lexen’s hugely helpful reply.
He had definitely been correct before. He was the asshole.
The powerful, low-slung sports car was even more impressive up close. The purple paint shimmered in the dull lights from the house. It had suicide doors, which opened silently.
Lexen stepped aside, gesturing me forward. “Get in the back.”
I resisted the urge to salute him again. I tried to crawl my way into the low car without scraping my heels across the leather, or flashing my goods to the world in this short dress.
“You can have the front,” Jero finally said, a smirk tilting up his lips. “For all of our sanities.”
He reached down and plucked me out of the car – I’d only managed to get half in anyway, my skirt almost over my head. He then sprawled himself out across the narrow backseat, having to angle his long legs to the side. I sort of fell, somewhat gracefully, into the wide wraparound bucket seat in the passenger side. I waited for Lexen to complain, or order me to the back again, but he just slid into the seat beside me and started the car.
The powerful engine thrummed to life. I felt the vibrations go right through my butt and up into my chest. Somehow it was smooth and also rugged at the same time.
“Seatbelt,” Lexen said gruffly, and I had only seconds to click it into place before he changed gears and took off down the driveway.
No one stopped us at the front gate. In fact the gate was already open by the time we sped through. “No abuse of power there,” I muttered to myself. I could feel dark eyes on me, but I didn’t turn to look at him. I would not give that sanctimonious dick the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under my skin.
It was very dark. No doubt another storm was brewing just off the coast to come inland and smash this little town. Still, I couldn’t help but strain to see where we were going. The only thing I knew for sure was that we weren’t heading into the main town of Astoria. Lexen seemed to take a bunch of back roads, curving and winding into a thick forested area.
Jero, who had been surprisingly quiet in the back, leaned forward between the seats and asked me: “Are you warm enough? You have to remind us of things like that. We forget.”
“You don’t get cold?” I shot back, somewhat astonished. They still looked and acted like humans, clearly had blood pumping through their veins if the warmth they emitted and healthy flush to their bronzed cheeks meant anything. They also ate, because they had their own food in the cafeteria. I was still rocking the advanced human angle, so maybe one of their advancements was that they completely controlled their body temperatures.
My curiosity about what they were continued to grow. I was almost certain vampires were out, as they didn’t fit any of the lore I knew. They could be werewolves, because they were huge and angry a lot. Well, Lexen was huge and angry a lot. Maybe they were something weird and obscure? I hadn’t exactly had a chance to research. My theories were so far all formed from movies and television.
Jero chuckled. “We get cold. Just not … at these temperatures. And you’re not wearing a lot of clothes.” There was definitely a low rumble in his chest now.
Without thought I slapped his arm. “No! Sit back there and be a good little sleaze.”
From my peripherals I caught his wide eyes and slightly open mouth. “Did you just … hit me?”
He lost it then, laughing hard enough that I swear the car rocked from side to side. “You have brass ones, girl. I’m kind of glad you decided to friendly-stalk us tonight.”
He was just so much like a teenage boy in that moment. Like a human. I turned fully in my seat, watching him, trying to unravel the mystery. I learned nothing from his cocky grin, so I let out a sigh and faced forward again. Staring out as the trees flashed by, Lexen remained silent, which was a blessing. He didn’t speak again until the car started to slow. Leaning forward, peering through the front, all I could see were trees, spookily lit up by the play of lights from the car. There was maybe a small clearing up ahead, but it was hard to tell.
“Stay in the car,” he said as he opened the door. I didn’t know if he was speaking to Jero or me, and it really didn’t matter. No way was I getting out in the spooky forest.
A sliver of unease wrapped itself around me and wouldn’t let go. For some reason I wanted to reach out and pull Lexen back into the car. I didn’t like him going out into the dark either. Which was a really weird thing to feel.
What is wrong with you, Emma?
“You’re wasting your worry, sweetheart,” Jero said softly. He had moved forward again. “Lex is the predator in this situation.”
I let out a low huff, crossing my arms over my chest. “He’s holding me hostage. I don’t care if he gets eaten by bears.”
“And yet you haven’t fought that hard to get free. Why is that?”
Jero was starting to annoy me. I let out another huff. “Because I want answers. Because your council seems to know about my guardians. I followed you to figure out what was going on. I still don’t know, therefore I will be staying until someone tells me what I need to know.”
“Uh huh,” he said, sounding not at all convinced. “Don’t put your heart in Lexen’s hands, honey. Trust me, he’s not for you.”
I didn’t bother to reply again; more protest would only make it worse. I remained silent, my eyes locked on the figure visible in the headlights of the car. Actually, make that figures. Lexen had been joined by three other tall men, all of them pretty much equal to his giant height, all of them broad shouldered and throwing off an aura of menace I could somehow feel from the car.
Jero, losing his relaxed attitude, focused on them as well, his body tense beside me as we stared. Despite the lights from the car, I couldn’t really make out the features of the other three. One was very blond; another looked to have a shaved head. The last was hidden in the shadows.
“Who are they?” I asked, not expecting Jero would answer. He just leaned even farther forwa
rd, pushing me to the side with his bulk. His scar was shining in the dimly-lit interior, and I looked closer – this was the first time I’d been in close proximity.
“How did you get your scar?” I tried, pausing when I realized how rude it might be to ask that. I was on edge; my brain and mouth were working independently it seemed.
Thankfully Jero just winked at me. “Chicks dig scars, right? Lexen gave it to me when we were younger. He lost control of his … temper. He says it was an accident, but since I had been annoying him at the time, I wonder if there wasn’t a little intention behind it.”
Jero didn’t seem torn up about it, and he was kind of right. The scar gave a rakish look to his handsome face. It didn’t detract at all. “Lexen is a bastard, but … your scar is pretty cool. I wouldn’t go around thanking him for it, though. He could have taken your eye out.”
He laughed, tugging annoyingly on a few strands of my long hair. “It takes a lot to scar us. We heal … fast. Lexen lost control. It happens.”
Movement outside the window caught both of our attentions. I forgot what I was about to ask, focusing again on the group of four. My eyes sought out Lexen, feeling some relief that he was okay. I shouldn’t be this tense. Seriously, it was weird. Because he was a stranger, a dangerous, scary, supernatural stranger.
I tried to relax. The only thing I should be worried about was this situation getting out of hand and someone attacking me. I did not care about my kidnappers.
Screw you, Stockholm. Screw. You.
Before I could beat myself up any further about my apparently overly huge heart, the little clandestine meeting broke up. The four dispersed off into the shadows. Well, three did, the other bad boy made his way back to our car.
Jero relaxed back, and by the time Lexen opened his door to slide inside, you would never have known that his brother had been worried at all. It was a silent drive back to Daelight Crescent. I bit back multiple questions. I hated mysteries. Even in books it was a genre I avoided, and if I did happen to find one where there was a huge mystery involved, I was sometimes guilty of reading the last page when I was only halfway through.
I made no apologies for that. People should just be straight up.
“How did you end up on Daelight Crescent?” Lexen’s question took me completely by surprise. I left an awkwardly long period of time before I answered.
“As you know, Sara and Michael … my guardians,” I added quickly, “search for supernatural happenings around the world. They picked up a lot of signs in Astoria, and packed us up to move here. Apparently a shack in Daelight Crescent was the only rental in Astoria we could afford.”
I was really hoping that if I was honest he would be honest, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
“That’s impossible,” Jero said. I turned to find him shaking his head.
“Which part?”
“The supernatural signs part. We don’t have signs. There are no signs. You won’t find a damn sign for a mile…”
“I think she gets the point,” Lexen drawled.
I looked between the two of them. “Well, they did tell me that the signs appeared all of a sudden, despite them having run the same checks multiple times in this area over the years.”
Lexen’s jaw was rigid. “Someone lured your family to Astoria.”
That was the theory I was starting to run with. “Why do you have rentals for humans on your street anyway? Especially if you’re trying to stay under the radar. And why would anyone lure us here?”
A secret fear I was hiding inside was that we’d been lured here because someone didn’t want my guardians poking around in their business any longer, that they brought them here to get rid of them. I was hoping Lexen would have a different theory, one which resulted in them both still being alive.
“We rent to humans because there’s a treaty between our kind and yours. It requires a certain level of mingling between us. We chose those who won’t cause us much trouble.”
In other words, poor people who were just happy to have somewhere to stay.
“And in regards to your guardians,” Lexen continued, “they either stuck their noses into the wrong house’s business and were lured here to be disposed of … or there is something more going on, which is what the council is looking into.”
Yep, that didn’t make me feel better at all.
The car ate up the miles home with ease, and before I knew we were through the huge front gates and pulling into the driveway.
As Lexen opened the door, I reached out and grabbed his arm. I felt a spark under my palm and immediately removed my hand. His eyes met mine, and I realized he was waiting for me to fill him in on why I’d grabbed him. “Oh, I just wanted to say, again, that I can stay at my own house tonight. I won’t run or tell anyone. I want answers too. I think sticking with you four is the best way for me to get them.”
His gaze felt heavy, his focus completely on me, which was more than a little unnerving. I was barely breathing at this point as I waited for his reply. I wasn’t sure if I would be disappointed or not if he agreed to let me leave.
“The council will not be happy if you disappear. It’s … safer for you here.”
Then he was gone.
I sucked in a ragged breath, pleased to find my equilibrium returning. His presence was more than a little unnerving.
“Come on, sweets. Time to call it a night. We have school in the morning.”
Jero sounded amused, and I was guessing a bedtime because of school was not something he was used to.
I angled my face close to his. “You can’t remember my name, right? That’s why you call me honey and sweetheart.” I was already getting used to his pet names, but I still had a suspicion about why he used them.
Jero laughed again. “I knew you had a viper tongue after you schooled me in history class, but I didn’t expect you to be funny.”
I shrugged. “Not my fault you spend no time learning about humans except how to subjugate and exploit us.”
His smile didn’t fade. If anything it grew wider. We were both out of the car now. He led me through the garage and into a small alcove near the kitchen. Star was sitting at the wide island bench, eating from a small tub of yogurt. Lexen was propped against a wall nearby, keeping an eye on the scene.
“You’re back!” Star exclaimed. A genuine smile crossed her face. “I’ve been waiting up to make sure you were okay.” She turned to her brother. “I really think Emma should stay in my room. She would be more comfortable.”
Lexen shook his head. “You all need to stop acting like she’s part of the family. We don’t know a thing about her. We only found her tonight.”
I glared. “I’m not a stray friggin’ dog. You didn’t find me. You kidnapped me and are now holding me against my will.”
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. Shock almost knocked me over. He … he should never … no smiling. He should never smile because it was way too attractive, and I needed his outside to get less gorgeous. I needed them to match his inner shithead.
Lifting himself off the wall, he closed in on me. For some stupid reason my heart rate picked up as he said, “Weren’t you just telling me that you’re sticking with us? Doesn’t sound like kidnapping to me.”
His smile was gone; he gave me a single hand wave, a clear signal to follow him. When he was near the base of their stairs, he even let out a low whistle, no doubt in reference to my stray dog comment.
“Lexen is not going to hurt you,” Marsil said. He had just stepped into the kitchen, his phone in his hand like he’d been on it. “He might not like this situation, but he’s honorable.”
Star nodded her head in rapid bobs. “Yes, the House of Darken is not one you need to fear.”
Sounded like some of the other houses weren’t so wonderful. Could one of them have taken my guardians?
8
Lexen was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest, stretching the fitted long-sleeved shirt across his mus
cles. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen an eighteen year old guy fill out a shirt like that, which only cemented the not-human thing for me. As soon as I was on the first floor, he started to walk along the long hall. We went past his sister’s room, and a billion others.
For real? No one needed this many rooms.
I kept waiting for him to stop at one of the doors, but we just continued on. And on. And on.
Like, seriously, this house didn’t seem to have an actual ending. Just when I was about to suggest a short rest, because long distance walking was not a favorite pastime of mine, we reached another set of stairs. I traipsed up, exhausted from my long day. School, then stalking, then kidnapping. It had been a lot. And I was hungry. Again.
“Always hungry” should be my new motto.
I’d been so caught up in my thoughts that it took me a few moments to register my new surroundings. The second floor was a single level, not as big as the floor below, but still huge. “This is your bedroom?” I breathed, trying to take it all in.
It was as if Lexen had his own apartment sitting on top of the house. He was watching me, no expression on his face. I moved around him to stare out the windows. Like the living room downstairs, Lexen’s windows stared out into the cliffs and crashing ocean beyond. I don’t belong here. Whatever Lexen was, there was no denying he was way out of my league. Beautiful, rich, and supernatural.
I pulled my gaze from the view to stare at the massive bed that dominated the room. It was piled high with a thick blanket and mounds of pillows. I knew immediately this was Lexen’s bed, and it looked so inviting, I almost ran right for it. I didn’t, though, because I wanted to stay alive, and I sensed pissing off Lexen too badly was not a way to stay topside.
I followed him as he strode to a door in the back corner of his room. “This is the spare room,” he said, opening it up. “You’ll stay in here.”
Inside there was a king-size bed and a small desk. That was all. It was an odd sort of space, but maybe he had friends or family that crashed in here on occasion. Or maybe he kidnapped people regularly? I was banking on the latter.
