House of Leights (Secret Keepers #3)(59)

Xander’s eyes widened, then he let out a series of colorful curses. “You have got to be shitting me.” I wasn’t the only one staring wide-eyed at the Royale overlord. “I don’t like this. It’s bullshit that we’re having our choices and freedoms stripped from us.”

I didn’t want to flinch, but tall, muscled, angry men hit all of my wary nerves. I’d never physically match someone like Xander, so I usually chose to retreat. Even though it was annoying that I had to.

Chase’s arm tightened, stopping me from moving. “Calm down,” he said to his friend, bite in his tone. “You’re scaring Maya, and I’m about five seconds from teaching you some respect.”

Xander’s face was awash in fury, blue eyes darkening to something very stormy. “You’ve all been brainwashed,” he declared. “Especially you, Chase. Seriously, you’ve always been content with your life. You turned down all of those possible matches when your parents suggested them between some of the other Leights. Now you’re telling me you’re just going to fall for the first pretty piece of ass—”

He was cut off by a fist to the face. Chase had released me, moving me back a few inches before he slammed his fist into Xander’s jaw. The punch knocked the Royale overlord back a decent six feet. He straightened, shaking himself off.

Chase did not hit him again, but he moved in front of me, his body changing. He was at least six inches taller than usual, which meant I was basically staring at his butt.

Short girl problems, I tell ya.

I peeked around to see Xander glaring and rubbing his jaw. “You know I’m right.” He sounded resigned. “Within a matter of months, the three of you have all bonded to a human. Doesn’t that sound a little coincidental?”

Lexen and Daniel moved behind Xander so that he was now surrounded by his best friends. “Fate designed it this way,” Daniel told him, turning so he could see Callie. “My life was shit before I met her. I would not give up my bond with Cal for anything in either world. I consider myself blessed.”

“It’s the same for me,” Lexen added.

“And me,” Chase finished. “I could search my entire life for a woman like Maya and I would never find one. Not even close. How do I know this? Because I have searched for fifty years already, and no one has stirred even one percent of the emotion inside of me that she did from the first second I heard her name.”

Holy gods. I was going to cry, seriously. I stepped up and pressed myself to his back. His body was back to normal size now, so my face wasn’t pressed into his butt. Was I disappointed or relieved about that? Hard to tell.

My skin was tight and flushed from all the energy and adrenalin, so I just breathed in the fresh, outdoorsy scent of Chase, and let myself calm down. His hands wrapped over mine.

Xander pushed his hair back in agitation. “I … fuck – sorry for being an asshole. I’ve had a hell of a week, which I know is nothing compared to what everyone else is dealing with. I don’t begrudge any of you this new happiness in your lives. Just … don’t expect the same from me. I’m never going to be the Daelighter for the fourth secret keeper. It’s better that everyone knows it from the start.”

No one argued with him, and I started to breathe easier as the palpable tension faded out of the group. “You’ve always been free to make your own choices,” Lexen said. “You do what’s right for you.”

Sounded to me like Xander did that anyway, but again, who was I to judge? I didn’t know what went on in his life. Maybe Xander was trying not to bring anyone into a mess of a world.

I’d give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Lexen and Daniel went straight for their girls, needing to touch them. I understood that need. Xander’s rant had left a sour taste in my mouth, tainting some of the happiness I had been feeling. But the moment Chase turned around, his arms scooping under me so he could hug me properly, the world felt right again.

“None of what he said is true, not for me,” he told me, very seriously.

Using all of my strength, I pulled him closer to me. “I know, I’ve never doubted that for a second. What you said … that was beautiful. Thank you.” He squeezed me extra tight, and then set me back on my feet.

We moved into the main group, and I did my best not to stand near Xander, because he was kind of on my shit list right now.

“Okay, so the council used the network to find Callie and Maya,” Lexen explained. “But they don’t believe it can be done with the fourth. There are securities that make it nearly impossible to find the fourth without the stone.”

Okay, so why were we here, then?

“But they don’t know what we do, that together the eight of us are a very strong, powerful unit,” Daniel added. “A unit which is missing one part, and we believe that together our power will search for her.”

Xander crossed his arms, staring out into the mountains beyond. Moody bastard.

“So what do we have to do?” Emma asked, her hands clasped in front of her; she looked nervous. “I get the concept of the network, but the thought of trying to connect to it … I’m not sure I can do it.”

“Same,” Callie piped up.

Same, I mentally added.

“We’ll show you the way we learned as children,” Lexen told her. “Our parents take us in the first time, and then after that, the pathway becomes more instinctive and natural.”