House of Royale (Secret Keepers #4)(46)

It sounded like a weak excuse, but no one called him out on it.

“If it’s okay with Ava, it’s okay with us,” Emma said, smiling in her friendly way.

Maya nodded. Callie just tightened her crossed arms.

“It’s fine,” I said, promising myself that I’d just take this one last moment with him.

Xander captured my hand pulling me closer. “We’ll be back in about ten minutes, if anyone asks,” he said over his shoulder as we walked away.

I expected him to lead me back the way we entered, because that’s where the other pods were. But he didn’t. He veered to the right, wrapping an arm around me as he dragged me into a nearby room. The door whooshed closed behind us, and when my head stopped spinning, I let out a gasp. The entire far wall of this particular room looked to be made of glass. Just the thinnest of barriers separated us from the water outside.

“This pod,” I said, breathless. “I want one just like this.”

I pressed my hand against the glass, lost as I stared out at the water world. After some time I realized Xander had remained back near the door, one leg propped up against it. “Weren’t we supposed to be looking at pods?” I reminded him.

He straightened, and my stupid heart skipped a beat. “You lied to me outside,” he said, voice low and rumbly. “I need you to tell me exactly what’s wrong. I can’t fix the problem if I don’t know what it is.”

“Why do you even care?” I shot back, and for a moment it almost looked like that hurt him.

“Just tell me what it is, Avalon,” he said, ignoring my childish jibe.

I swallowed hard. “I’m … I don’t think we should continue our agreement. It just feels…. We’re already in really close proximity and it’s going to get messy.”

Half of me expected him to flip out. Or, more truthfully, hoped he would because that would mean he cared. Instead he looked contemplative, taking a step closer to me. “Why do you want to end it so quickly? I’m free for many more years. We don’t have to put a short expiration date on it.”

Years. The thought of having Xander for years was like a dream come true.

“What if I care more than you?” I murmured. “I’m not sure I have enough Royale in me to let go, even after a few years. And the longer it goes on, the more it will hurt me when we separate. I just can’t do pain anymore.”

His hand wrapped around the back of my head and he applied pressure, pulling me forward until our bodies were touching. “I won’t hurt you,” he said seriously. “I will treat you right.”

“But you don’t want me forever.”

The moment the words were out, I wished I could take them back. Xander stilled, the heat flaring in his eyes, slowly morphing into something dark. “I can’t.” His expression was heavy. “And you shouldn’t want to be in my world.” His hand fell back to his side. “My life is ruled by politics. My sister … she’s a prisoner to a piece of shit caramina because of politics.”

“Why?” I asked.

Xander ran a hand through his hair, stepping around me, finally moving closer to the glass. “There’s a monster that lurks in the deep, one of the only beasts in our water that does not respond to the command of the overlord. We can’t control it. Donovan, he grew up in the same waters, and he keeps it under control for us. In return…”

“He got Dawn as a mate.”

Xander slammed his hand against the glass, shaking it. “Yes. And he’s a domineering, violent bastard. I found out recently that he hits her when she won’t do what he wants. She kept it from me because if I kill him, the beast will come and attack us all.”

He swung his head to meet my gaze. “I’m almost ready to take our chances with it.”

Donovan’s vibe made a lot of sense now. Assholes always had to asshole. It was in their DNA. “We have to help her.” Just the thought of his gentle sister being hurt was enough to have my hands clenching.

Xander let out another frustrated sound. “I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do. I literally found out right before we left to find you. There’s been no time, but he’s hurting her.”

“Tell your parents,” I suggested.

Xander let out a bitter laugh. “Dawn made me promise I wouldn’t, because she knows there is nothing they can do. Politics tie their hands. Politics rules our world. Forced to go to school on Earth. Forced to mate. This is the life of overlord children.”

It all made sense then. Every single thing clicked into place and I understood.

Xander had always confused me, because he’d said one thing, but the way he touched me suggested another. “You’ve been warning me off because your mother would never allow our bond, right? You’re not free to choose your own mate.”

Xander closed his eyes for a brief moment, and I had my answer.

“I’m betrothed to a caramina already, one from a very influential family. They control the shell mines to the north seas. This is where we get a lot of our structural material for the pods.”

Somehow I managed to control my reactions to his answer, even though the thought of him being with another woman, touching her the way he had me, made me want to go out and find her so I could rip every strand of hair from her head while repeatedly punching her in the face.