House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(27)

She started to plead with him in a low voice. I caught bits and pieces before Jero finally threw his hands up. “Okay, fine. I’m sure Emma won’t try anything.” He faced me. “We’re very protective of our sister. Keep that in mind.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “I’m not going to attack an innocent girl. You three, on the other hand, I don’t care so much for.”

One side of his lips quirked up. “I like you,” he stated, before turning to Star. “Straight to your room and back, no detours. You better be in this living area before Lexen returns.”

She nodded, not commenting on his asshatty way of speaking to her. Maybe I was lucky never having any siblings. I wasn’t big on being bossed around. Star linked her arm through mine and began to drag me away, chatting like we were the best of friends.

“This is my first time visiting this house, but it seems to be set out similarly to back home, so I shouldn’t have a problem finding my room.”

My brain could only handle so many revelations that upset the very fabric of my world, so for now “back home” was a small supernatural community somewhere in the middle of Alaska – still on Earth. It made perfect sense, really. They’d no doubt want to live away from the general population. The Sahara would work too, if they preferred heat.

On Earth. Heat on Earth because they were definitely from Earth. Just like … evolved humans. God, I hoped they weren’t vampires.

Star led me to a staircase off the side of the entrance. It was tucked away, only visible when you got close. I tripped once going up the stairs, my lack of grace and nerves getting to me, but somehow managed to make it to the top unscathed. The first floor had a hallway with a lot of closed doors, so I couldn’t see inside, but something told me there were mostly bedrooms on this level.

“This one!” Star declared, halting in front of a white door, identical to a dozen or more white doors we had already passed. I was pretty darn cold, so hopefully she knew what she was talking about. The door swung open without a sound and we were inside in a heartbeat. Thick white carpet squished under my shoes and I ground to a halt.

“Wait, I need to take my shoes off. They’re going to make your carpet dirty.” I’d never seen carpet so pure, so untouched. It was the sort of flooring that should not be walked on.

Star just waved my concerns off. “Don’t stress about it. It’s just the floor.”

With reluctance I continued into the room, wincing at the trail of black streaks I was leaving behind me. The main part of the bedroom was huge, as big as our entire shack across the street. On top of the pristine carpet was a large bed with a dark purple, velvet and ornate material bedhead. It was huge, rising up and curving inwards at the top. The bed was dressed in whites and lilacs, lace throw pillows giving it a very fairytale finish.

“This is a beautiful room,” I said sincerely. It was so light and open, everything feminine but not overly girly.

Star looked around as if only just noticing the room. “Oh, yes, they did a great job making this feel like home. I’m very lucky to have my brothers.”

One way to look at it.

“Do they always boss you around like that?”

She smiled at me, seeming unoffended by my question. “The men in my family are very protective. It’s part of who they are. I try to only fight the important battles – let them think they win some. I usually get my own way. I just have to be smarter about it.”

Dammit. I really didn’t want to like Star. She was the sister of my kidnappers. Most probably some sort of non-human being, but … she was also nice. And smart.

We walked into her closet and I suddenly hated her again. It. Was. Amazing. Like the best thing I had ever seen in my life; I could happily live in this room forever. Some people had all the luck.

“I know it’s a little small.” Star’s brow wrinkled as she looked around. “But we should be able to find something to wear.”

A little small? It was official, this chick was insane. The room was the size of a shop, so many clothes I couldn’t even take them all in. There was even a white, round, cushioned bench in the center where one could sit and ponder all the delights surrounding them. Above this bench was an intricate crystal chandelier that cast soft light.

She seemed to be waiting for an answer, so I nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be difficult, but we’ll make do.”

Star gave a resolute head bop, like she was preparing herself for battle, then she wandered farther into the room of wonders. I followed, slower, running my hands across everything. It had been a long time since I thought about clothes. I remembered how much I loved putting an outfit together. I might be a bookwormy, indoors, knit-a-scarf sort of girl, but clothes had always been one of my frivolous loves. After the fire I’d told myself I didn’t care anymore, that two pairs of jeans and a handful of shirts were all one needed. My butt was covered, and that was the most important thing. But right now my chest was aching in a way I couldn’t explain, a similar but far less potent version of the ache I got when I thought about my parents. Like I’d lost something important, a part of myself I was never getting back.

“This is perfect!” Star’s exclamation broke me out of my melancholy, and I hurried over to her. She was holding out a dark navy dress. It had long sleeves, a rounded, low-cut neckline, pinched-in waist, and slightly flared skirt. In her other hand was a pair of short black boots. They had a reasonably high heel, which didn’t bother me. Don’t ever ask me to run, but walking in heels … I was practically an expert.