House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(60)

I rushed to the poor overlord’s defense. “Oh no, it is nothing to do with that. My parents were … they … I…” My breathing got rapid I tried to choke out the words. It was going to be one of those days where I could not talk about it, could not even think about it without the intensity of the pain threatening to rip me apart.

“Her family was killed in a house fire,” Lexen finished, his voice rumbling in a low octave. Somehow he knew my story without me even telling him it all. “Her file was quite extensive.”

Okay, then, bastard read my school file. I glared as hard as I could at him, unable to speak still, but thankful the anger was washing away the pain.

“She wears a piece of starslight,” he continued in a matter of fact tone. “Now her guardians are missing after being called to Astoria through suspicious means. Emma is more involved in our world than any of us realized.”

Roland dropped his half-eaten green-apple-looking-fruit on the table. He didn’t seem surprised by Lexen’s revelation, and I leaned closer, my breath catching as I waited for him to speak.

“The council told me that Emma was a very important person in an investigation they’re doing,” he said, kind eyes locked on me. “Secret keepers are supposed to check in every two hundred and forty-four Earth days. The first family missed the last one.”

No, please, God, no. “They think my parents were the ones who missed the check-in?” I asked, my voice flat. Panic and dread unfurled deep inside of my chest, like an insidious smoke filling my body and choking the breath from me. I knew I should probably ask what exactly a secret keeper was – or what secret it was they kept – but right now I could think of nothing but this new revelation.

Roland gave me a sad sort of smile. “Yes, they believe it was. Somehow they were tracked down, and we believe killed by a Daelighter who is trying to break the treaty between our worlds.”

“How … how did I survive?” I choked out. “The fire, I ended up outside somehow.”

He shook his head. “If I had to guess … possibly your life was what was threatened to reveal their secret.” His eyes darted between his four children. “I know I would do a lot to protect my family.”

My heart shattered, exploding in my chest like a glass-filled balloon. Sharp slivers sliced through me, ripping apart my insides. I caved forward, wrapping my arms around myself to try to stop the blood from pouring out. I mean, I knew there was no literal blood, but it felt like there should be. It felt like I should be bleeding from a thousand wounds.

“Enough,” Lexen said sharply to his father. I hadn’t even realized Roland was still talking. I’d missed whatever he’d said next.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I jumped to my feet, sending my chair flying out behind me. I didn’t know where to go, so I hurried back the way we’d just come, down the stairs and through those front doors. When I was outside, that warm draygone light shining down on me, I took a sharp left into the nearest garden. My mind was desperately searching for something to distract me from the fact that the fire wasn’t just a random bad accident. It wasn’t bad luck.

It was murder.

My parents – who had apparently been lying to me my entire life – were cold-bloodedly murdered. I survived because they protected me, like they had always done. I might not have known everything about them, like their connection to this world, but I always knew they loved me. They proved that with the ultimate sacrifice. A sacrifice I would never have asked from them.

“Why?” I cried, falling to my knees, my legs unable to hold me up any longer. “Why did you save me? I would have preferred to go with you.”

Sobs shook my entire frame, hands covering my face as I mourned all over again. I had no idea how long I cried, but eventually strong arms picked me up and set me on my feet. Just like the time in his room, Lexen did nothing more than hold me while I fell apart on him.

“Why did they save me?” I was still murmuring, unable to stop the tears, unable to stem the pain.

His hand went to my spine, rubbing up and down slowly. This was becoming his signature move, and there was no denying it: Lexen Darken was an amazing comforter, despite his normal attitude problem.

“They saved you because you were singularly the most important thing in their world, Emma Walters. Your life is their gift, and they would be so proud of how strong you are.”

Surprise had me pulling back as I wiped away my tears. “You think I’m strong? Even though I cry on you all the time?”

His dark eyes flashed, that sprinkle of light almost mesmerizing as it moved about his irises. “You have fought me from the first moment we met. You have fought for your guardians. You’re fierce and annoyingly stubborn. I don’t know you that well yet, but … I sense you’re worthy to wear the starslight stone.”

Did that just happen? Did Lexen just pay me a compliment? Me … a human.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice hoarse. “It just hit me hard, hearing the truth about their sacrifice. I didn’t know about this huge part of their life … what exactly is a secret keeper?”

I got the general concept, but not how it specifically referred to my parents and Overworld.

Lexen remained close, although we weren’t touching anymore. “When the treaty was formed,” he started slowly, “the human government was worried that one day we would decide to take our stone back. They knew we were more powerful, if it came down to a war, so they wanted some reassurance. In the treaty, it was stated that a Draygo would be the one to bury the stone, but there would also be a secret sect of humans that would know the location also.