House of Leights (Secret Keepers, #3)(35)

“He’s working with humans?” Emma snorted. “His entire aim was to separate Daelighters from the ‘grubbers,’ wasn’t it?”

Grubbers. Got to love a good old-fashioned insult.

“He’ll use any means to ensure he finds the damn stone,” Daniel said darkly. “My uncle is desperate, and deadly when cornered. He wants the power of the stone, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. He’s already killed my father to put his entire plan into motion.”

No doubt I was gaping at him, at least for a beat before I managed to pull myself together. Laous was his uncle and he’d killed his father? The guy was a freaking lunatic. Poor Daniel.

“We have to move now,” Lexen said. He was out on the porch, face turned toward the fading thrum of a helicopter. “Take only what you need. The rest we’ll figure out when we get back home. It’s time to get back to House of Darken and see if we can find this fourth secret keeper before Laous. We have to make sure that stone is moved, and she’s hidden where no one will ever find her.”

No one argued. We all hurried back inside. As we moved toward the stairs, my father wrapped one arm around me. I could feel his worry in the extra tight squeeze. “I will fix this for you,” he promised me. “Now, go and wake Brad. You know he could sleep through an earthquake. I’ll get your mother.”

He went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I was about to follow when my stomach did some flip-flops. I spun to find Chase standing at the base of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” His low, accented words sent trills of energy over my body. I was a puppet to this alien. It was like he held every string I possessed and could move me to his will.

Nope. All the nopes. I refused to puppet myself for a man. I needed to get this under control.

Crossing my arms, I took a step back. Chase’s eyes followed me, but he didn’t move, allowing me to keep my newfound need for personal space. “I’m … I have no idea. I’m definitely not fine, but I’ve had about forty-eight hours to adjust to this life. In that time I’ve been chased, almost kidnapped, took an elevator to a secret government agency, found out my parents work with aliens, found out that there were aliens period, flown in a helicopter…” I trailed off breathlessly.

The intensity in his glittery green gaze was too much. I wanted to squeeze my eyes closed, but instead I settled for dropping my gaze.

“You don’t have to pretend,” Chase said, and my head swung up, because for a second, I thought he was talking about me “faking” my disinterest. “It’s okay to say that you need a minute to wrap your head around it.” Okay, phew, he wasn’t talking about that. “Lexen and Daniel, they’re my best friends – have been since we were young – but if you let them, they will bulldoze you over. They push when it’s not always needed.”

There was a snort of amusement from behind us, and I turned to find Lexen in the doorway, bag slung over his shoulder. “We all have our strengths and weaknesses.” He raised an eyebrow. “Chase keeps too much inside. He’s not the easiest of Daelighters to read, but he’s solid. He will always have your back, and it’s impossible to bulldoze him over. So don’t let him talk shit like we’ve ever been able to force him into anything.”

I didn’t need Lexen to tell me that. There was something innately strong about Chase, as immovable as nature itself. Just like the trees, he would remain long after everything else was gone. I felt safer with him than I had with anyone in my life, and considering the short time I’d known him, that had to be magic.

“I’m really glad you’re all on my side in this war,” I told them both. “I’m looking forward to seeing the four of you together … whenever the last one shows up.”

I’d learned there were four of these muscled, gorgeous, overbearing overlords. The fourth, from House of Royale, was going to meet us in Overworld.

“Xander is like Chase,” Lexen said with a smirk. “You think they’re the laidback ones in the group, and for the most part they are, but if you rile them up, their wrath is the thing of legends.”

I was torn between wanting to see that and knowing it would probably scare the crap out of me. “Well, I better go and grab my things,” I finally said, reluctant to leave.

I forced myself not to look back as I walked up the stairs. Even though I could feel eyes burning a hole in my back. At the top of the landing I practically ran to the room I’d shared with Brad, slamming the door open. It hit the wall with a bang, but Brad just snored a few times, rolling over. I threw myself onto his bed, body-slamming him as hard as I could.

“Seriously, how could you sleep through that?” I asked, half across him, which was not always the best thing to do to a guy first thing in the morning. I quickly scurried off before he woke up fully.

“Piss off, Maiz,” he mumbled, throwing a pillow at me.

Standing beside his bed, I reached down and shook him. “Get your lazy ass up right now, we have a situation. The psycho Daelighter who’s trying to end the treaty was outside. I was face to face with him, so now we have to bail.”

To his credit, he managed to pull himself half up in the bed, blankets pooling around his lap. “What? He was here?” A few more rapid blinks and the dots connected in his brain. His gaze grew more focused. “Are you okay?”