House of Royale (Secret Keepers #4)(53)



It felt like a vise was squeezing my heart. Fate might have brought us together, but that didn’t mean we’d be able to stay together. Before I could reply, he was reaching out for one of the light strands, then we were on our way to Earth. With our friends right behind us.

The moment we stepped through the light at the end, every ounce of charm and cheer disappeared from Xander. In its place was a soldier. He planted himself in front of me and did a slow sweep of the area. Luckily, he’d allowed us to move a few feet from the ball of light, because people started pouring through after that.

“You were supposed to let some of the others go through first,” Tristall said, shaking his head at his son. “You are an overlord minor. You cannot risk yourself.”

Xander ignored his father, speaking directly to Lexen. “It’s all clear,” he said. “At least in this section.”

Tristall just threw his hands up and moved to stand with Lettie. The pair of them speaking in hurried words. They weren’t handling the new Xander very well, and I couldn’t blame them. If you’re used to controlling your child as much as they clearly were, his sudden streak of I-don’t-give-a-fuck was probably very disturbing. Another thing for his mother to hate on me about.

Lexen gestured for us to move closer. He was already pulling out a cell phone. “I’m plugging in the coordinates,” he said as we started hurrying along the rose-covered path.

By the time we were out on the main street, followed by an actual army, Lexen had found the spot. “Colombia,” he said. “Right on the border between Colombia and Ecuador.”

“Well, those are some safe countries to just be strolling in around digging holes,” Maya said, with a decent level of sarcasm.

Chase laughed. “You questioning my skills, Maya Anne? I can protect you.”

She shook her head at him. “Against an army of drug lords? Actually … you’re probably right. They’d think they were high on their own product if you shifted into a tree.”

“How are we going to get there?” Callie said. “Your private planes need a decent airstrip to land on, and a helicopter is very noisy and could bring us unwanted attention. We need … something between the two, with a lot of stealth.”

Colita popped up behind us, and as I turned I blinked at the sheer number of Daelighters there. “The human government and Daelighter council have been combining our technology,” she said in rushed whispers. “You might have noticed that the helicopter ride you took to Oregon, Maya, was over much faster than normal. Well, that was because we have a few little secrets up our sleeves.”

Maya’s eyes went very wide. “I’d never been on a helicopter before, but now that I think about it, it did move very fast. And I didn’t get scared like I normally would, because it was so smooth and airy.”

“You have an aircraft we can use?” Daniel cut in, impatience in his voice. “Where do we find it?”

A cell phone rang and Colita lifted the one she held, pressing it to her ear. “Yes. We’re in place … okay … yes, I will tell them.”

She hung up then and said, “We have an aircraft. It’s ready and waiting for you at the airfield nearby, where your private planes are. Some of our warriors and the council will follow behind in a second aircraft. Not close enough to be detected, but close enough to help you once you find the stone.” She let out a low breath. “Now you just need to convince Laous that you’re willing to trade the stone for the freedom of all Astoria’s people.”

She backed up a little, her eyes clouded with worry. “Good luck.”





18





The overlord majors remained close to us as we ventured toward the large main gates that blocked off the street. The rest of the warriors stayed back. We didn’t want to act like this was straight-out war yet. We had to get word to Laous first. As we got near the gates, I noticed a rippling in the air in front—the barrier Roland had erected to stop them from entering.

We paused for five minutes so Emma could check on her guardians, who were safely inside their house, then we continued on. “Are we just going to shout over the fence and hope Laous hears?” Callie asked when we were a dozen feet away from the shimmering barrier visible above the high wood fence.

“Someone will hear and get in contact with him,” Roland replied. “He definitely has his army stationed close to our street. There has been strain on my field.”

I loved how calm and confident Lexen’s father was. His confidence boosted my own, and God knew I needed all the boosting I could get.

Xander startled me when he took my arm and pulled me back. I wondered what was happening for a moment, until I noticed the white lights around Lexen. His body started to change, literally. It grew larger, those lights crisscrossing all over it, and I almost stumbled when wings sprang out of his back and scales appeared across his much larger face and body.

“Holy shit,” I breathed, blinking, and then blinking some more as I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing. “He’s a … a … dragon.”

So much for me playing it cool. No doubt Lettie was giving me a scathing stupid-human look, but … dragon.

Lexen turned and winked at me. “Brace yourself, Ava, you’re about to see a Draygo in action.”

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