House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(77)

Sara lifted her head as high as she could manage, her dark curls matted and bunched on one side. “No,” she called out in a reedy voice. “Don’t … Em … no…”

My chest was hurting so badly, not the ribs this time, but right around my heart. I had to help them. I had to save them.

I eyed Laous again. “If you don’t send them home, they’re going to die, and I will never help you. You can torture me until I’m dead. I will never reveal where this key location is, and I will fight you for my blood. I will fight you the entire time.” My threats were somewhat empty, because these guys could overpower me in a second. And I had no idea what this key was he talked about. My parents hadn’t been precious about any of their things; they didn’t care about stuff. Besides, if there had been anything, wouldn’t it have burned up in the fire? Still I had to try to convince him it was better to let the Finnegans go.

“If you release them,” I continued, my voice confident, “send them back to Earth, show me evidence of them safe, and then give your word that you will never touch them again, I will help you with whatever you need. I give my word, which is worth as much as yours.”

He observed me for a few long moments. I was practically holding my breath, praying he would accept my terms. Finally he nodded. “I agree to your stipulations. You provide me with the key, and in return I will not harm your guardians. They’ll go right back to Earth, free to go wherever they please.”

“No…”

I ignored Sara and Michael’s pleas. “Are you sending them back right now?”

His eyes flicked across to the Finnegans, coming back to rest on me. “I’m going to give you three a moment to catch up, a chance to say goodbye. I want you to remember how much they mean to you.”

Lexen’s face flashed through my mind. I was eternally grateful that it seemed like House of Imperial knew nothing about my fondness for the Darkens. This dickbag would no doubt threaten anyone I cared about.

I could protect them from this. All of them.

The line of guards parted and I realized I was allowed to go to Sara and Michael. I started to cry as I hurried toward their frail forms. Neither of them could do much besides hold their heads up off the ground. I had no idea how they were still alive. Panic was very much taking over my body as I worried it was already too late. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered over and over as I knelt between them.

There was no way this was just starvation. They’d only been missing for a bit over a week. Laous had done much more than just starve them.

“Em…” Sara’s low murmur caught my ear, and I leaned down so I was resting my head next to hers. Our eyes locked on each other.

“Escape. Can’t … gii-ve … the key.”

Every word was a struggle for her; her chest wheezed as air sucked in and out. Tears fell down my cheeks but I managed to hold my sobs inside, even though my throat ached like it was in a stranglehold.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered back, placing my hands on hers and Michael’s. “I love you both so much. You saved my life this year. This is just a small thing I can do to return the favor. When you get back to Daelight Crescent, go straight to the guard and tell them you need to speak with a Darken. Make them contact Roland or Lexen. They will protect you.”

I didn’t know where this key was, so I had to hope they could get to safety before Laous decided to go after them again. I was giving them a chance; it was the best I had. I heard footsteps coming closer. My time with them was up.

I pressed a kiss to Sara’s cheek first, and then to Michael’s. “Please don’t search for supernaturals any longer,” I added as I pulled back. “Promise me that once this is all over, you will go and live normal lives.”

Sara struggled, her eyes red as she sobbed. There were no tears, which probably meant she was too dehydrated to shed them.

I gave their hands one last squeeze before standing. “It’s going to be okay. I will fix this. I have allies. You don’t need to worry about me.”

The empty promises I made crashed to the ground, shattering around us. No one believed me, that was clear, but it felt like the right thing to at least try to settle their concerns. I had to turn away then, away from their frantic eyes, away from the anguish of knowing this might be the last time I saw them. Laous knew exactly what he was doing giving me these few moments with my guardians. Motivation to provide him with everything he wanted.

Some of the Imperial guards brushed past me; I heard a mild struggle before an echoing silence descended. The air changed after Sara and Michael were gone. Everything felt darker, more painful. I was alone again … always alone. But it was okay because I was keeping people I cared about safe. Sara and Michael. Lexen … all of the Darkens.

Laous was waiting where I’d left him, right near my egg prison. “I will not give you one thing until I see evidence of Sara and Michael, free and healthy,” I said, no inflection in my voice.

The healthy part was what had me most worried. Laous just nodded, a half-smirk on his face. I turned and marched myself into the egg. New walls immediately closed around me and I sank into the center, wrapping my arms across my legs. I felt sick, my stomach churning over and over until I felt like I would throw up. If I’d had anything to eat recently, it would definitely be making a reappearance. How could my parents not tell me I was the secret keeper? It was one thing to hide that information when it was about them, but if it was my burden to bear, then I really should have known about it. About Overworld and Daelighters. About everything.