House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(40)



Jero didn’t say anything, and from the corner of my eye it looked like he was glaring, ferocity carving his face into hard lines. Gone was the relaxed playboy; in its place was a being who was actually a little scary.

“You know we have to be here, House of Imperial,” Marsil said, his voice neutral. “There is no petitioning against an order from the entire council.”

I should have guessed these were the enemies. They certainly had an “enemy” attitude going on.

The white-blond girl stepped forward then. “We’ve heard whispers that the council is looking into the Darken House.” She popped her lip out in a fake pout. I was pretty sure that was supposed to be a sad face, but done by someone who was unsure how that emotion worked. I was instantly reminded of The Princess Bride, “I do not think it means what you think it means.” Classic movie, I needed to get another copy one day. I would eventually replace my collec—

My thoughts dried up as the Imperial chick locked eyes on me. I hurried to school my face back into a neutral expression. I didn’t have to bother though, because in the same instant Marsil and Jero both shifted their bulk to block me. All I could see were the tense lines of their backs.

“Don’t be worrying about our business,” I heard Jero say. “You have more than enough trouble in your own house.”

There were a few more words, but so low that I missed most of them. By the time I pushed my way through the barrier of Darkens, the Imperials had disappeared. I reached out and grabbed onto both of the guys’ forearms, yanking them closer to me. “I think you all need to explain to me exactly what is going on here. How many of you elites are in this school?”

If I was to navigate this new world I found myself in, I needed to know what I was dealing with. There was a lot going on here. A lot of history. So much I didn’t know, and nothing I was going to be able to infer from terse exchanges.

Marsil leaned in close to me. “We will tell you what we can, but the council has final say on what information we are allowed to release to a human.”

“Sometimes ignorance is the best, especially when you’re trying to stay under the radar,” Jero added.

“Like … the council might kill me if I know too much?” I said slowly.

They both shrugged, but neither disagreed. I shut my mouth, swallowing roughly to try to clear the ball of nerves in my throat.

“What happened?” Lexen’s voice had us all spinning around; he was standing there with Star at his side, staring above my head at his brothers, but it felt like some of his attention was also on me. A few times his eyes flicked to mine.

“The Imperials. Laous’ side of the family,” Jero told him.

Lexen’s expression morphed from concern into something I couldn’t read. Maybe annoyance. Possibly anger. Definitely a sliver of worry.

“So they saw Emma?”

All of us nodded, and his jaw clenched. “Nothing has changed,” he finally said. “They’re no match for us. We continue to do our job and protect Emma. The council will tell us what step to take next.”

Star, who was quiet and somber for once, stepped to my side and wrapped her arms around me. I patted her back a few times, not hating the close contact as much as I used to.

She pulled back. “What happens if the council tells us to forget about Emma?” she asked her brothers. “The Imperials have seen her now. They’re going to try and find out why she’s with us. They might hurt her.”

Well, none of that sounded good.

Lexen stopped his sister’s half hysterical rant by grabbing her hand. “It’s going to be okay, Star. I won’t let your first Earthside friend be murdered by our enemies, even if the council washes their hands of her.”

Excellent news. Best news I had heard all day. Wait a minute … I soooo wasn’t ready to hear them admit they weren’t from Earth – I was definitely ignoring that Earthside comment.

The bell rang before I could push for more information. My first class today was AP English, and I wondered which of my new group of protectors was with me.

“I’ve got Emma for this class,” Lexen answered my unspoken question. “Star, you’re with Jero and Marsil in chemistry.”

I shuddered, and she jerked her head back. “What? Is chemistry … bad?”

Another shudder rocked me. “The worst. Just … good luck.”

She blinked her wide pretty eyes at me and I couldn’t stop the smile any longer. “I’m kidding … kinda. I’m pretty good at science and math, but chem is not my favorite.”

Star brightened then. “I’m really good with numbers. This is exciting.”

She linked her arms through her brother’s, and started chatting loudly as they moved over to jump on a moving path. I found myself staring after them. I was a little enchanted by the sweetness of Star. She somehow made the world seem a little brighter than usual. Her innocent joy in simple things was … nice. I was going to try to learn from her example.

“Ready to go?” Lexen’s low voice sent a brush of tingles down my spine. I took a second to calm my rapid heartbeat.

“Ready when you are,” I said.

He started to walk and I fell in step beside him. When we reached the door, I waited for him to step through, but he hesitated.

“I need to speak with someone,” he said, before he peered inside the classroom. “You should be safe for a minute. I’m only going to be right there.” He pointed across to the far wall, where a few students were lingering.

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