Secret Keepers: The Complete Series

by Jaymin Eve

  “What’s your first class?” Star asked, pulling a folder from her backpack.

  Emma didn’t even have to look at hers; she already had it memorized. “We’re all in AP Calculus. Lexen made sure that we’re all in the same classes, except for Maya, who had some special requests.”

  The rest of us were just here for the social aspect. We were exempt from tests and assignments. Somehow the overlords worked that out. Probably helped that we were the mates of the founding fathers of this entire school and half the town.

  A bell rang and more students rushed past. We were drawing attention, but no one seemed game to stop until a blond girl skidded to a halt and let out a scream. Emma immediately shrieked as well, and the pair rushed together, hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  “I can’t believe you’re back,” the girl said, pulling away, her bright green eyes filled with tears. “When they said you had a huge family emergency, I thought for sure I’d never see you again.” She swallowed roughly, her eyes holding a fresh look of horror. “Then when those men came … well, I was glad you didn’t have to go through that.”

  Emma’s face crumpled, and she hugged her friend tightly again. “I wish I’d been here with you all. The worry that they’d hurt you was far worse than not being here.”

  They remained in a tight hug for an extended moment, and when they pulled back both wiped at their eyes. Emma reached out and grabbed the other girl’s hand. “Come on, let me introduce you to the other members of my family.”

  The girl looked both apprehensive and excited as she was dragged our way. “Guys, this is Cara,” Emma said happily. “She was my first friend in Astoria.”

  She then went around and introduced each of us to Cara. “And that’s Ava,” she finished. “Xander’s girlfriend.”

  By this time Cara had her mouth wide open, staring between all of us. “Are you telling me,” she finally said, “that you four are all dating the guys from the elite families? OMG! I should have known, though. You’re all so stunning. Like a group of freaking supermodels.” She dropped her eyes to Maya. “Petite supermodel for you.”

  Everyone laughed, but she just kept gaping at us. “I have to tell everyone,” she said suddenly. “All of these thirsty bitches in this school need to know to get their hands and eyes off your men.” She nodded decisively. “I’ve got your backs, don’t you all worry about a thing.”

  With one last hug for Emma, she was gone in a flash. I laughed. “I like her. She’s much nicer than most of the chicks in my old school.”

  Emma pressed her lips together, eyes still watery. “I can’t believe Laous almost murdered an entire town. Those Gonzo were bad news, and he just left everyone with them, knowing he never planned on coming back with the stone.”

  Five people had died in the hostage situation. Emma hadn’t known any of them personally, but that didn’t make it any better. Not to mention there had been more than one rape reported as well. “Cara never got….” I trailed off, but she knew what I meant.

  “No, thankfully. Her father got them into their underground bunker. He’s a bit paranoid, monitoring police radio and stuff like that.”

  Paranoid or not, it had paid off if it kept his family safe. I was probably going to be one of those crazy mothers … if I was ever blessed with children. Just the thought of little Xanders running around had my heart pretty much a puddle of mush in my chest. Kids were not in my short-term plans, but I really did want to start a family. I was the only one among the girls who did, though. Emma, Callie, and Maya were all about being irresponsible humans for as long as they could.

  A hush washed over the hall. I thought maybe it was because the second and last bell was about to ring and everyone was in class. I turned to double-check and realized that nope, it was nothing to do with the bell at all.

  “It’s almost too much.” Emma sighed, stepping forward. “Seeing the four of them together.”

  It was too much. The overlords stepped in through the main entrance, the four of them wearing the uniform in an attempt to fit in with the humans. No ties for them though; they had open collars, their dress shirts fitted across broad shoulders and muscled chests. They also had about half a foot or more height on most of the school. So yeah, they really didn’t fit in at all.

  I wiped at my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling.

  “We owe fate some flowers,” Maya said seriously. “Like bunches of flowers.”

  “And chocolate,” Emma added.

  “Wine!” Callie and I said together.

  Despite the crowd starting to gather around them, the guys found us immediately. As they started to move toward us, the students parted, hushed whispers following them.

  “They’re back….”

  “Holy shit, they’re all together.”

  “… died and gone to orgasm heaven.”

  I chuckled at the last one. That girl had not even bothered to whisper as she gushed to her friends. As Xander stepped closer, I forgot about the noise and students. I didn’t hear any of the words or murmurs. All I saw was him. His blond hair was a little longer than usual, falling in a mess of waves across his forehead. His eyes were intense, devouring me as he prowled toward me. He was lethal and sexy, and his appeal only increased every moment I was with him.

  When he reached my side, he swept his arms around me. “I missed you,” I said, and the air fled my lungs as his lips pressed to mine.

  By the time he let me go, teachers had arrived to usher everyone to class and I was completely disoriented. “I missed you too,” Xander said, still holding me close. “And I just realized something.”

  “What’s that?” I said breathlessly.

  His smile was tender. “I’ve never loved you more than I do right in this moment. My love for you … it grows every single day.”

  Perfect. He’s perfect.

  “Do you think it will ever stop growing?” I whispered, pressing closer. “How many years before you reach maximum love?”

  Xander shook his head, wearing the smallest of smiles. “There is no end point, Avalon. Love has no limit. I for one can’t wait to see what a thousand years of love feels like.”

  I felt exactly the same as Xander did. I loved him more with every second he was in my life. I loved him more in this moment than I had yesterday. And the day before.

  “Love has no limits,” I repeated, burying my face in his chest. “And I can’t wait either.”

  Love. Family. Home.

  Forever.

  After - Callie

  School was still the same: stressful. But I no longer felt like I might have heart palpitations if the teacher called on me to answer a question. I was actually finding that despite my difficulties in reading, I was pretty well-educated. Plus, it was almost the end of the year and the teachers were past giving a shit.

  So that made school stressful and … fun. Who would have thought it?

  “Hey.”

  His low voice had every muscle in my stomach clenching. As I turned to find those soulful eyes on me, I had to touch him. “Hey, Overlord,” I said with a wink. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  I was at the bottom of the stairs that led up to our eating area. It would be empty up there. Most Daelighter students were gone now, back to Overworld or off to their next adventure. But Emma and Maya wanted to finish out their high school journeys, and we all stuck together. It was kind of nice to have the entire space to ourselves.

  I still wasn’t used to the intense scrutiny we were under. The humans in this place were fascinated with the overlord kings of the school. If only they knew they were an alien race with powers that could decimate them in seconds. Who was I kidding, they wouldn’t care. That would only make the guys hotter.

  Daniel wrapped me up in his arms and everything inside me sighed with happiness. Between our soul bond and my intense love for him, being held like this was singularly the best feeling I’d ever had in my life.

  Well, that and sex. Which drove me absolutely
crazy. I was thinking I had a problem. Might even need a support group.

  “You need to stop thinking that, Callie,” Daniel murmured, pulling me even closer. “We’re in the middle of school.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “You can’t read my mind, so how do you always know when I’m thinking about sex?”

  His grin was lethal; those damn dimples. “Because your eyes darken and you chew on the corner of your lips.” He rubbed his thumb across my lip. “And because I feel the emotions swell inside of you, and I know that’s exactly how I feel when I think about touching you.”

  My breathing was ragged. I tried to control it, because he was correct: this was definitely not the right place for this sort of intensity. But, my God, he was going to kill me.

  I got a breather when the rest of our friends arrived. The eight of us wandered up to the next level with its amazing array of food that we basically had to ourselves.

  “Should we … maybe share this?” I asked. Despite my love of the privacy, it still felt wrong.

  Lexen chuckled and Emma shot him a look. “I told you it was shitty of us to have all the best food up here,” she told him, “and not share it.”

  Lexen leaned toward her, doing the same thing Daniel did so well, loving her with just one look. “I know, Em. Which is why….” He trailed off with a sweep of his hand.

  It took them a second to show their heads, creeping up the stairs. A dozen or more students made it to our level, and they were the last humans I ever expected to see up here. The scholarship kids.

  Emma legitimately had tears in her eyes when she turned back to her mate. “I love you!” she all but squealed. “Thank you.”

  Lexen shook his head; he brushed a kiss across her lips. “You should know by now,” he told her in a low voice, “there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

  I’d have swooned and been jealous as hell, except I had my own. He showed me multiple times a day how much he would do for me.

  Right after the incident with Rao, I was broken. I never knew my heart could hurt so much and me not die because of that pain. And the guilt. Oh, God, the guilt had eaten me alive. It helped when I saw him in the justices, but it didn’t completely erase what I had done. Whether Rao was happy or not, he was still dead because of me. He never got a chance at happiness, and that wasn’t fair.

  Daniel had been so patient with me, just holding me, letting me cry and scream and rage. When some of that calmed, we went to New Orleans and stayed there for weeks. It was the best time of my life. I even said goodbye to my mother, despite not knowing the exact location of her cremation. But I knew she was somewhere in that area.

  I loved him so much.

  “I love you, too,” he said, pressing a kiss to the spot just below my ear. Somehow he always knew what I was thinking. He cared enough to learn my tells, my facial expressions. It made me feel loved and cherished.

  I was blessed in more ways than I thought I deserved.

  After - Maya

  This school was the best! Seriously. Not only were the teachers cool, letting us call them by their first names, and basically giving us zero assignments outside of the necessities, but there was an entire level in the cafeteria with three-star Michelin-rated food.

  “Why did we not go to school here our entire lives?” I asked Brad, who had been late coming to lunch but was still managing to eat more than all of us combined. Okay, not more than the overlords, but he was holding his own with them. Which was impressive.

  “I know,” he said as he swallowed. “Their football team looks amazing. They were complaining about losing Lexen and his brothers halfway through the season, but they still managed to win most of their games.”

  I blinked at him, shaking my head. He grinned. “Right, I know. You don’t care about football. How’s it looking for graduation?”

  A happy feeling fluttered into my chest. “Great, actually. With a little help from Chase, and being able to add my charity to my résumé, it looks like I have early acceptance into my top three schools. I’m still not sure about college next year, but it’s nice to know I got in.”

  For someone who had been actively hoping to avoid the college decision, this was quite the change for me. But Chase had been the empty part of my soul, the part always searching. Now that he’d filled my life, I felt freer to plan a future.

  “What about you?” I asked him, having to wait while he shoveled more pasta in his mouth.

  “Pribsfljsf agot got—”

  “Whoa…” I held up a hand to interrupt him. “No. Just because Star is not here doesn’t mean you can act like a heathen. Swallow before you talk, dude. How many times have we had this convo?”

  Brad winked at me. “You love my heathen side,” he said with an empty mouth this time. “And what I was saying … I’m not sure I want to go to college next year. Roland has a role for me in Darken, if I want to take it. And … since that’s where Star is going to be … I want it.”

  I would never have imagined my player of a best friend would fall so hard and fast, but Star had him completely consumed. “I’m really happy for you,” I said, reaching out to grab his hand. He returned my squeeze, his face softening.

  “I’m happy for you too, Maiz.”

  He went back to his food and I let him be; the bell was going to ring soon. I found Chase leaned back in his chair, silently watching the table.

  And me.

  Our bond tingled within me; I could feel him in my chest.

  “You know,” he said, reaching out to drag my chair closer to him. “If you want to go to college, I will support you all the way. I will be at college with you, and we will have all of the human experiences.”

  I tilted my head up to him, desperate to kiss him. He said the sweetest, most considerate things. “I’m not sure it’s the right path,” I admitted. “Part of me wants the experience, but a larger part of me will miss our home. The Galinta. The other Leights. I think that returning to…” I lowered my voice considerably because some students were up here with us now. “Overworld … is the right thing for our future. Besides, I don’t age. I can go to college in fifty years if I feel like it.”

  Chase captured my lips, giving me exactly what I wanted. “I love you so much, sayana. Thank you for my life.”

  I could never find the right words to tell him how much I loved him. But I was determined to spend the rest of my life showing him. The same way he showed me every single day.

  After - Emma

  Why in the hell had I suggested we finish up the final weeks of school?

  “Come on, you need to run faster than that. This is just the warm-up.”

  I glared at the coach as I huffed past. If looks could kill, he’d be so close to death right now. “Exercise is not right,” I spluttered, shaking my head as my wobbly knees almost gave out. “It’s not natural.”

  I finally lost the fight with my balance, but before I could hit the deck, strong familiar arms swept around my waist and held me up. “I got you, baby girl,” Lexen drawled, laughter in his voice.

  I glared at him too, but only strong enough for a slight injury. “You still haven’t developed the ability to maim with your eyes,” he said, lips tilting up at the corners. “But I love your persistency.”

  Dammit. Another unfair thing. Callie got a cool power. Why not me?

  With a sigh, I admitted, “I’d probably only abuse it anyway. It’s for the best.”

  Lexen actually laughed out loud. It was still my favorite sound in the world. I felt like I had achieved something great when I made him laugh. He must have noticed the way I was looking at him, because the amusement on his face faded away, to be replaced with an expression I knew very well. Fire started low in my body, and I was wondering if maybe I did have some sort of energy in there. How else could Lexen make me burn like this?

  We had stopped running now. The rest of the class had gone on ahead with their torture, and the coach knew better than to question Lexen. So no one bothered us.
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  “Are you happy?” he asked me, hitting me from the left with that random question.

  I swallowed hard, unsure if I should be upset. “Um … why are you asking me that?” I finally said. “Do I seem unhappy?”

  Lexen shook his head. “No, not at all. But I was reading this book, and they said that you should always check in with those you love. That sometimes … sometimes humans put on a brave face.”

  My lips twitched and I tried really hard not to smile. Lexen was a tough guy, scary, but there was this spot deep down that was so caring. I almost couldn’t believe some of the things he had done for me. He showed me that he loved me in a million ways. Reading psychology books on humans to try to understand me better was just one of the latest.

  I stepped into him, the tips of our shoes bumping. Tilting my head back, I let all the love I had for him pour out of me. “I am happier than I ever thought I could be. Despite the losses, which still hurt, I am not broken, and that is because of you. You keep me together. You make me.”

  It was a very un-modern thing to say, and I didn’t mean that I needed Lexen to be a better woman. Or that I needed Lexen to make me feel okay. I meant that we were two halves of the same whole. I would not be the Emma I was today without him.

  “You make me as well,” he said. And that was the part that made it okay.

  Together we were whole.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you! Thank you to every single one of you that took a chance on my secret keepers. These characters have completely captured my heart, and I can’t imagine not living in their worlds now. You might have noticed that I left a few side storylines vague and unfinished … this is because I want the option to come back one day and write about them again.

  Because something tells me that they’re going to call to me if I don’t.