House of Leights (Secret Keepers, #3)(73)

“Actually, no, it wasn’t. I didn’t lie. I do disagree with Laous and everything he represents. But … I just learned I have another brother. He deserves to be freed from the life he’s in, and to help him out, I’m going to need a ticket in. That happened to be you. I’m sorry.”

My head hit the glass again, and this time I lost a few minutes of time. When I finally opened my eyes, the car was slowing. I could see the fenced section of what I assumed was the sanctuary. There wasn’t anyone around who looked like they could save me from this situation, so I’d have to save myself. Which should be simple – I had so many survival skills, like … uh…

Yeah, I was so dead.

Fraizer dragged me out of the car, and I tried to fight him, but just lifting my limbs felt like a mammoth task. He moved fast, dragging me as he started to run. He jumped over the fence, clearing the four feet with me in his arms no problem. The landscape flashed in black and white, my vision not working properly. Fraizer dragged me toward a group standing near their white kidnapper-special vans. And I recognized the guy at the center.

Laous.

Fraizer did not stop until he was standing right before the very man I had grown to both fear and hate. “This is an unexpected surprise,” Laous said, grinning at us. “For some reason, nephew, I thought for sure you had betrayed me.”

Fraizer sounded robotic. “I would never do that. They’re after her. You need to get going immediately.”

Laous moved toward me, but when he was about a foot away, Fraizer yanked me back and pressed a blade to my throat. What in the…?

“What are you doing?” Laous asked him, tilting his head in a curious manner.

“I want Rao first,” Fraizer demanded. “I will swap her for him, otherwise I’m going to spill her precious blood right here. Maybe you don’t need it to find the starslight stone, but what if you do?”

A very tall man stepped forward. I hadn’t noticed him until then. He’d been hidden in the shadows. His face had some serious burns on it, the scars extending down under his shirt. “Why do you want me?” he asked slowly, sounding confused.

Fraizer snarled. “Because you’re my brother. They’ve been lying to us from the very beginning. They told me you died!”

Rao’s face took on a similar confused mask, before he twisted toward Laous. “What is he saying? You’re Fraizer’s father, too?”

“No,” Fraizer screamed, but before he could say another thing, one of the men nearby took advantage of his distraction and shot him in the chest.

Fraizer jerked, the knife he held at my throat breaking the skin, but I managed to slip free before he could do too much damage. I landed at a heap near Laous’ feet, and before I could fight or kick or scream – or turn to see if Fraizer was dead – dark material was pulled over my head, and I was tossed hard into what I guessed was the van.

The engine started and any sliver of hope I had of being rescued disappeared in an instant. Everything ached as I lay on the cold, hard floor, feeling the bond in my center stretch further and further as the distance between Chase and I extended.

If there was a worse feeling in the world, I hadn’t experienced it yet.

Laous was loud, barking orders from his seat, which was way too close to mine for comfort.

“Stop!” he shouted. “She’s close by. Get the girl up. Fresh blood will be the best.”

The van screeched to a halt. I was hauled up off the floor, the bag ripped off my head. Laous’ face was right before mine. “Didn’t want you to communicate with your mate. I know some of you can see through the other’s eyes.”

I had no idea how he knew Chase was my mate, and it really didn’t matter.

“Lucky for you,” Laous added conversationally, “you’re already cut, so I won’t have to hurt you more. For now.”

He lifted a long chain up from under his shirt. “Collect some blood,” he ordered one of his followers.

They looked human to me, and I wondered if this was the military group. It would certainly explain their use of guns, which I’d never seen the Daelighters do. Rao was back to standing in the shadows, his features pinched. He was shooting some angry side-eyes at Laous. Fraizer’s declaration had stirred something in the scarred Daelighter.

Maybe seeing his brother killed would be enough for Rao to turn on Laous. That might be my shot. It wasn’t hard for me to bring tears to my eyes, mostly because I was freaking the hell out. I winced as someone wiped a rough hand across my throat, collecting blood for Laous. I tried to fight them off, but my arms were being held tightly, and I had barely any strength left. At least it did feel like whatever Fraizer hit me with was wearing off.

Laous lifted the chain over his head and I stared at the starslight stone. This was what he’d been using to find the secret keepers. My blood was wiped across it, and then one of Laous’ guys pulled out a map.

“You don’t have to stress,” Laous said, watching me closely, the stone held in his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. I need you four. I know how humans and Daelighters work. There will be another obstacle that stands between me and the stone.”

I glared as hard as I could. “You’re going to destroy Earth and Overworld. You’re completely insane.”

Whatever calm he’d been possessing disappeared. He took a step closer to me, ignoring the map. “Let me tell you a little something about insanity. My father … now he was insane. He kept me locked up from my first metamorphosis aging until I was in my last. I got fed once a day, beaten five times a day, and molested three. I had not an ounce of power. I was at his mercy day and night.”