House of Royale (Secret Keepers #4)(43)

I didn’t like it.

He looked at her the same way my old roommate had looked at me.

My skin crawled at the thought of him touching me, but I didn’t want to cause a fuss. Hopefully I was a fast enough swimmer to not need help.

Donovan flicked his tail, heading for Dawn, only to veer off at the last second toward me. His mouth opened and bubbles emerged—he was saying something. Xander had not connected him to our channels though, so I couldn’t hear anything.

My self-protective instincts roared to life as he got even closer, my hands lifting to a defensive position by the time he reached me. Xander cut him off with one arm thrust between us.

“No!” It was a snap of command from the overlord that had Donovan’s very dark eyes flashing.

He said something again, bubbles flying around the water, and Xander, who was wedging his way between us, driving Donovan back, said with a growl, “Avalon is mine. You’re not even supposed to be here. We don’t need your kind of help.”

Donovan’s calm expression faltered for a moment, the monster inside peeking out. I really wished we weren’t getting the one-sided conversation. I wanted to know what he was saying to rile Xander up so much. “You’re no hero to me,” Xander said shortly, before he turned his back. “My family owes you nothing more. You will do well to remember that.”

“Leave it,” Dawn cried, and when I turned to her, my jaw clenched. She looked … broken, like she just couldn’t give anything more. “We made the deal. Now we must honor it.”

Xander squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a moment. “I have been honoring it,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve done nothing but honor it, which is why he’s still alive. But … I have my hard limits, Dawn. You’re one of those. I won’t let him hurt you any longer.”

She crumbled, and I could hear her soft sobs. “If it stops the beast,” she whispered, head still down, “then I can endure it. For our people.”

Xander let out a roar so guttural that both fear and concern hit me simultaneously. Donovan crossed his arms, leaning back casually. Xander pointed a finger at him. “Leave now, or I will risk the beast. Don’t believe me … fucking try it.”

Donovan just smiled, like he already knew he’d won. But he was close enough to me that I could see his eyes, and they held a new emotion, buried under his cockiness. Xander scared him.

He turned, mouthing something over his shoulder before he disappeared into the waters around us. “We need to hurry,” Dawn said when he was gone. “He’s giving me an hour to get back to our pod, so let’s get your friends home.”

Xander’s fists were opening and closing, over and over, and my craving to comfort him was strong. But … I was not his mate. He did not want that role filled by me, and I would have to respect his wishes on that.

Lexen moved closer, one of his hands gliding through the water to land on his best friend’s shoulder. They had some kind of silent communication—I heard nothing, but their eyes were definitely talking—and Xander calmed slightly. He turned then, capturing my gaze. I tried the same silent conversation … Are you okay?

He gritted his teeth, shaking his head once. I hated that I couldn’t ask him more without everyone else knowing. I’d just have to try again later. He got back to business quickly.

“Okay, let’s group up. One Royale to two non-caramina. Avalon should be able to keep up on her own.”

Xander linked arms with Emma and Lexen. Dawn took Maya and Chase. Burton ended up with Callie and Daniel. I noticed that bubbles were surrounding Xander’s legs as they morphed into his tail, and I prepared myself for some speed. Finally.

When they took off, I released my inner water child, following close behind. My blood bubbled, my soul soared, my heart felt lighter as we dashed through the water. Sea creatures joined us in the same way they always did back home, and I marveled at how many were similar. There were gorgeous animals that moved like dolphins, long and sleek. They had very short rostrums and were a bright turquoise in color, blending into the water around them.

A few others were of the scary variety, but I noticed Xander keeping an eye on things, sending out little blasts of red-tinged water if any got too close. We passed by a few more smaller towns as we went, filled with pods and coral gardens. It even looked like there were playgrounds for the young, built from a multitude of materials. It was literally like we’d stumbled into the set of a fantasy movie.

But it was very real.

When the next giant pod came into view, I noticed a definite increase in guards. They lined the entrance, which was again barred with huge gates.

“Home,” Xander said simply as half a dozen weapon-wielding Royales rushed to open the gates for us.

Once we were inside that perimeter, our pace slowed down. I was almost disappointed to slow, exhilarated from the race across the waters of Royale. The density should have made it harder to move forward at speed, but I’d adjusted easily. I would even go so far as to say I moved even faster here than back in Hawaii. Home. The whisper of that word just wouldn’t leave me alone. I would always be torn between two worlds.

On the bright side though, two homes wasn’t the worst thing to have in one’s life. No home would always win that prize for me.





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