House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(67)
Somehow my childhood wish had come true and I’d stumbled into a fantasy book world. I told my parents all that reading was going to come in handy one day.
Look how prepared I was for this situation…
“Laous is up to something,” Daniel started without preamble, his voice a low, rich rumble. The voice of a whiskey-drinking singer; that low tenor sent shivers down my spine. “He was the one to suggest to the council it was time for a meeting, and that all four houses needed to be in attendance. Watch your backs, and your families tomorrow.”
His eyes rested on me again, and I fought the urge to give him a hug. It might have been a strange urge, but sad eyes did that to me every single time.
“I heard talk of an Earthling,” he added. “One who interests House of Imperial, and then you show up here.” I swallowed roughly. “Don’t let her out of your sight, Lex.” Daniel lifted his gaze to the male standing next to me.
I’m not sure Lexen even realized he did it, but as soon as Daniel finished he angled his body to partially block me from sight. Shielding me. He then lifted his right arm, wrapping it around my shoulders, pulling me closer into his side.
Everyone was staring at me now, fully staring, and I was amazed by the shock in their wide eyes. Did Lexen not usually act like this? Or was there something else surprising them? Was it because I was a human?
With a rumble of annoyance, Lexen pulled me even further behind him. “Emma is here because her family has something to do with the treaty. Keep an ear out for me. Let me know if you hear anything more which might affect her.”
I pushed Lexen to the side, glaring at him when he looked in my direction. I wasn’t a doll he could put on a shelf to keep me safe. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I knew I was way out of my league here, and would not be rushing out to play the hero. But it went against my nature not to stand up for myself. I had a quiet confidence, as was confirmed by multiple teachers over the years. I did not seek out conflict, but I never backed down.
When I nudged the huge Darken to the side again, stepping out from under his arm, I heard a chuckle. I swung around to find Chase laughing, his braids swinging wildly. Even Daniel had a smile on his face.
“Nice to see someone can put Lex in his place,” Xander joked. “I think I like you already, Emma.”
He winked at me and I set my best scowl on him. Unfortunately my scowl only made him laugh harder, and he looked like he was going to ruffle my hair, but his eyes flicked to Lexen for a moment and he dropped his hand. I didn’t even want to turn and see what Lexen had done over my head. Not worth my time.
Daniel straightened. “I’ve got to get back now. I don’t want Laous to be suspicious. Whatever game he’s been playing since he killed my father … he’s moving into the next phase, but if you stay on guard you should be fine.” He looked toward the transporter. “Time to ensure the daily assassination attempts are thwarted. See you all tomorrow.”
The four exchanged farewells and then the other three disappeared back to their lands. When it was just Lexen and me remaining, I turned to him. “Why are you guys hiding your friendship?” It was the only thing that made sense to me. All these secret meetings. Not wanting to use their network.
Lexen shook his head. “The four houses have been enemies forever. Even with the current peace, old tensions always remain. For some reason though, the four of us have been best friends since we were very young. Overlord families do spend a lot of time together while our parents are working.”
“You care about them,” I said, watching the play of emotions on his face.
He didn’t even try and deny it. “They’re annoying as hell, but they’re my family. My brothers. We formed an alliance in our youth and we have stuck together ever since. But if Laous found out about this friendship he would up his game trying to kill Daniel. Even my father wouldn’t really approve.”
I guessed he even kept it a secret from Jero and Marsil, since neither of them were that excited about the last meeting.
“How did they communicate with you for this meeting?” I asked, remembering his weird freezing thing in the bedroom.
“We can’t talk to each other through the network, but it’s easy to send signals. Over the years we’ve worked out a basic code. We try never to divulge sensitive information through any of our networks. It’s too easy to be overheard.”
He started leading me toward the transporter.
“So the four of you keep each other updated about the overlord majors’ actions in the houses, and one day you’ll all be the rulers?” I surmised.
He nodded, reaching out to take my hand. “Yes, for now we bide our time. One day we will rule and the houses will no longer be divided. It’s time to change. Old prejudices will no longer be welcome in Overworld.”
My mind was a frenzy as we caught the golden strand back to Lexen’s home. I felt young and na?ve thinking about the responsibilities on the four overlord minors’ shoulders. Especially Daniel. Assassination attempts, seriously. Laous needed to be stopped.
I barely noticed the trip back to Lexen’s room, and before I knew it I was crawling into his bed and snuggling down under the covers. For some reason my nerves from before about sharing his bed were gone, possibly because I was too tired now to care.
It was chilly still, but I had to sit up and take the sweater off. I couldn’t sleep in a lot of clothes; I got claustrophobic when they wrapped around me. When I was comfortable again, I took a moment to marvel about the dragon fire high up in this mountain. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but I’d noticed through Lexen’s window that it was dark outside. It was like they had an artificial sun under this mountain that they could dim and brighten. It was literally the power of a god – both amazing and scary.