House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(46)

Dammit. I started to run. Ten steps in and my chest started to hurt, my breathing already heavy and erratic. This couldn’t be good for you! I didn’t care what anyone said.

Lexen fell in at my side, jogging easily. Actually, he seemed to be mostly walking really fast to keep pace with me. His legs were like twice the size of mine, so … I wasn’t slow. When I was halfway around the first loop, I wrapped an arm around my side to ease the stitch that had already started to dully thud there.

“I think we need to work on your fitness.” Lexen sounded amused.

I, on the other hand, was not amused. And if I’d had even an extra eighth of a breath in my lungs, I would have yelled at him.

I settled for flipping him off.

He blinked at my middle finger a few times, shaking his head. Turning forward, he ignored me and I went back to focusing on not dying. By the time I hit the second lap I was walking. Lexen went on ahead, but I could feel his eyes on me, always keeping watch.

Someone fell into step beside me and I turned to find Kotar there.

“You need to back off the Darkens,” she said without preamble.

Oh, goodie, I had been waiting for the cliché mean girl warning.

“I don’t know you,” she continued. “And while I don’t care if you warm all three of their beds and then move on to Star in the morning, you’d better never forget that you’re not one of us. You’ll never be one of us. If you don’t learn your place, someone is going to teach you.”

I tilted my head to the side. “What house are you from?”

She turned her nose up at me like I was a fly that had flown a little too close. “I’m a Darken. And trust me, I’m not even in Lexen’s league.”

I was confused. “You’re a Darken? So … you’re related to Lexen.”

She smirked, shaking her head. “We aren’t all blood related. When they say House of Darken, they literally meant that. Like a banner title. I am not related to any of the Darkens that you’ve been hanging around, but they’re my house. My clan. I protect what is mine.”

I. Was. So. Confused.

“Look, I’m not going to be a problem,” I told her. “I’ll be out of the Darkens' lives as soon as we solve a little issue which involves my family. Your warning is not needed.”

Bitch, I silently added.

Her dark eyes narrowed on me, like she’d heard that last part.

“I’ll be watching you, human,” she finally spat, before she picked up the pace, jogging away, flaunting her ability to run and breathe.

“I’d listen to her.” The smug voice sent a chill down my spine.

I stopped my lame attempt at power walking and turned to find an Imperial glaring at me, one of the blond, pixie-haired females.

“You’re in way above your head,” she continued. “I have no love for humans, but you should get out now while you still can. You should get out…” She leaned in closer, her weird smoky scent washing over me. “Before you get hurt.”

“Back off.” Lexen’s voice was like a whip, and I felt his heat at my back. Without thought, I stepped back into his chest. His protection. I was usually all about fighting my own battles, but I knew this was above my grade. And not because I was female and Lexen was male – hell no – I didn’t play ball with that kind of bullshit. It was because I was not a supernatural, and I was not stupid. No point throwing myself into a fight I couldn’t win.

Lexen let me rest against him.

“She’s human … and under my protection,” he added, voice deceptively calm. “Walk away now before you violate our treaty and start something your house can’t win.”

Her joking demeanor disappeared. “I’m really going to enjoy wiping your house out of both worlds. You think you have all the control … you just wait. Change is coming, and no power is going to be able to stop the decimation of your people.”

Part of me wanted to grab some popcorn, pull up a squishy arm chair, and watch the drama. This was better than the Spanish soap operas I occasionally caught on television. She left before I could get too involved, and as she walked away I remembered that there were lives at stake. Many lives. My family’s lives.

I spun around, only realizing just how close I was to Lexen when I brushed his chest. I knew I should step away, but in my panic I couldn’t. I just tilted my head up to see his expression better. “Could the Imperials have Sara and Michael?”

If they were the bad guys, and I was already painting them with that brush in my story, then it made sense.

“I don’t know.” He sounded frustrated. “I can’t think of a reason for them to orchestrate the situation to get your family here. But … they’re up to something. They’ve only recently come into new leadership, and Laous is not someone I trust. I’ll talk to Father about investigating him.”

Vulnerability rocked through me. It was on the tip of my tongue to admit I was scared, but I couldn’t say the words. I refused to let the fear win. I had made it through bad things before. I was still alive, still functioning. I could beat this too.

Lexen’s phone made a chirping noise from his pocket. He took a small step away from me, pulling his phone out. As he lifted it, I heard a few other chirping sounds in the class and I turned to find the Imperial chick and Kotar both lifting their cells.