House of Leights (Secret Keepers series Book 3)

by Jaymin Eve

  “She’s right here somewhere,” Laous bellowed. “Spread out, start searching everywhere.” He waved a hand in my direction. “Throw her back in the van, cover her eyes, and tie her hands.”

  “No!” I screamed. “I won’t go anywhere with you!”

  I was short enough that I could easily punch tall guys in the balls. Which is exactly what I did to the first man who came at me. He let out a roar, swinging a fist in my direction. I’d been expecting it, though, and managed to duck in time.

  My gait was still clumsy from Fraizer, but I didn’t let that stop me from trying. Laous didn’t move, preferring to let the others do his dirty work. Only problem was he’d sent most of his people off in search of the fourth secret keeper, which gave me a clear run.

  The only one who could stop me was Rao. He reached out and snatched me up with far too much ease. I swung and kicked, my weak pathetic attempts glancing off him.

  “Good save, son,” Laous said, grinning at me with his disgusting face. “Throw her in the van.”

  Rao nodded, taking a step forward. Almost in slow motion, the huge man tripped and we both crashed into Laous. The three of us went down, and I felt a hand yank me back so I didn’t get squished. Laous, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. Rao slammed into him, knocking the stone out of his hand.

  This was my chance; I knew it, and I was going to do the only thing I could. On my feet, I grabbed up the chain and started to run. It was about fifteen feet to the cliff. I heard shouts all around me. Just before I launched myself off the cliff, I slipped the chain over my head.

  Then I screamed the entire way down.

  22

  Considering I hadn’t looked before leaping, I was lucky not to smash into rocks. The coastline around these cliffs could be deadly, especially landing in some spots with strong tides.

  I missed all the rocks, but as the cold water closed over my head, I knew I hadn’t been as lucky with the tides. I tried to kick my way to the surface, dislodging my shoes as I went because they were dragging me down. But I got slammed against an underwater shelf before I managed to make it up for air. I had a decent lung capacity, but if I didn’t get up in the next minute or so I was going to be in trouble.

  I let the water carry me along, twisting my body to avoid more rocks. I couldn’t avoid them all though, my arms scraping against the rough edges. I was bleeding. The sharks would be around soon; I had to get out of here. Something skimmed through the water and bit into my arm. I jerked, and more blood filled the water. Bastards. They were shooting at me. Apparently this necklace trumped my possible usefulness to Laous.

  Managing to struggle to the surface, just near the cliffs, I took one breath, ducking right back down again. Damn the crystal-clear water, I was a sitting duck. As I went under, more bullets rained around me and I hid beneath a rock formation, trying not to panic.

  A shimmer caught my eye, and I freaked out thinking it was the sun’s reflection off a shark.

  Only … it wasn’t a shark. It was a girl.

  We stared at each other, me trying not to drown, her looking very comfortable. She had long white or gray hair that sparkled unnaturally. She wore only a bikini, her body very toned.

  She seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see her. As more bullets rained around us, she shot a glare into the sky, and then zoomed through the water toward me.

  I’d never seen anyone swim like that, so fast and agile, darting through the water like it was a pool and not an ocean of deadly currents. As she reached me, I found my hand in hers, and then she was speeding both of us along. She knew exactly where to go, moving with the tides. Just when I was about to pass out, she surfaced briefly and we both took in deep breaths. I opened my mouth to ask who she was, but we were back down under the water before I could.

  This time we moved even faster and my head spun. Just when it seemed like the water started to calm, I passed out.

  When I regained consciousness, sprawled across the beach, sand all over me, my head was pounding. Pushing both hands under my body, I managed to lift myself up enough to brush the sand off my face. Everything hurt, like … a lot. My back screamed at me, cut up by the underwater rocks. My hands were also bleeding quite freely, and the salt and sand only increased the pain.

  When I finally got to my feet, I was surprised to see I was on the edge of the main tourist beach here, hidden behind some rocks. Thank you, God. I knew exactly how to get to Xander’s from here. Despite my injuries, I managed to stay on my feet as I stumbled around to the main beach.

  Half a dozen families were playing and sunbaking, and when I came into sight I heard shouting. An older man rushed up to me. “Are you okay? Were you caught in a rip?”

  He went with the most logical explanation, but still sounded confused. Mostly because I was wearing jeans and a shirt, not a swimsuit.

  “You should sit down,” he advised, as I wobbled on my feet. “I’m an EMT, and I can tell you need to be seen by a medical professional. If you wait here, I’ll get the local one for you.”

  I nodded, because I wanted him to leave me alone. I wasn’t that far from the private beach of Xander’s. I just needed to keep going. I pretended to sit, and the nice man ran up the beach, heading toward the lifeguard station. Meanwhile, I picked up the pace and started to stumble-run across the sand. Eyes followed me, but I ignored them, and eventually I moved beyond that main break.

  I had no idea how I managed to stay upright until I made it back to Xander’s place, but I somehow found the strength. I collapsed near the pool area and Tommy found me quite fast.

  “What happened?” he asked, when he dragged me up to the pool house. “Where are the others?”

  “Laous,” I murmured. “Girl. Almost drowned.”

  That was the last of my words before I leaned over and vomited everywhere on the pristine white tiled floors. Tommy, to his credit, didn’t freak out. He just lifted me from the mess, placed me on another long lounger, and ran a cool washcloth over my face.

  He disappeared for a few minutes, reappearing with a phone in his hand.

  “They’re on their way back, and I’ve called in backup in case Gonzo retaliates.”

  “Are you human?” I asked, unsure if he was or not. He held himself like military, but there was also something other about him.

  Tommy regarded me, wiping the cloth across my face and down over my neck. “I am human. I’ve known the Royales for a long time. Since I was a young boy. We lost touch when I joined the Air Force, but once I was done with my tours I retired, and Tristall, the overlord, offered me a position heading up his defense contracts here in Hawaii. I had nothing else to occupy my life, so over I came.”

  “And you stay with Xander when he’s here?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I look after Xander when he visits. Which has been a lot in the last year or so, but before that was very rare.” He held out a cup to me. I almost dove on the glass of water. I greedily gulped it down, water spilling all over me. When the glass was empty, Tommy handed it off to one of the men nearby.

  I hadn’t noticed, but we were surrounded by armed men and women. At least a dozen or more were spanning out from the perimeter. One of them spoke into an earpiece; I heard them say “They’re here,” and I almost panicked until I felt the familiar flip of my stomach and twang of the bond at my center.

  Chase stormed through and it almost looked as if dark clouds followed him. The trees that lined the pool area moved, crowding closer, as if offering their support. I was up and in his arms in a heartbeat, his face carved into lines of absolute fury, his skin swirling with gold, lighting the dark tone. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what would help. Chase was so beyond human right then, almost god-like, and it was making me unsure.

  He turned, holding me close, and strode toward the house. We passed Emma and Lexen – she gave me a wave, her face blotchy like she’d been crying. Inside, cool air washed over us.

  Chase seemed to know where he was going, climbing up a set of s
tairs and entering a nearby bedroom. He didn’t stop there, though, moving us into the bathroom, where he placed me gently on the bench near the sink. Then, with a ragged breath, he took a step back.

  His eyes, when I finally met them, were the sea during a storm, dark green and gray, swirling and churning, jaw so rigid I could have probably cut myself on the edges if I touched them. Before I could say a word, he reached out and hit the lever to turn the water on in the sink, letting it run while he grabbed a fluffy white towel, which had been neatly folded in an open set of shelves.

  He tested the water a few times, finally soaking one side of the towel in it, before reaching out and rubbing the warm end across my skin. He did this over and over, rinsing off the blood. It felt so good, and at the same time so painful, and I could see Chase cataloguing each wound as he came across it. This was making him even angrier, and I was starting to hate the silence between us.

  “I’m okay,” I finally said, stupidly.

  His hand stilled, the one that had been washing sand off my arm. Straightening, he dropped the towel, brushing some of my hair back, pushing it behind my ear. “What happened?” His voice was hoarse. “I need to know everything.”

  My head was finally clear now. I had no trouble telling him as quickly as possible everything that had happened, finishing up with the girl in the water. I gasped then when I remembered something. With frantic movements, I scrambled to feel around my neck. In my dazed state, I’d completely forgotten that I got the stone from Laous.

  As my fingers brushed across the metal I actually smiled, lifting it over my head. The stone that had been lodged between my breasts sprang free. Chase shot his attention to it.

  “I got the starslight,” I said with a huge grin. “You need to take it to Lexen or whoever, so they can see if they can find the girl.”

  Noise from the doorway had me realizing that everyone else had been waiting for me in the bedroom. “My necklace,” Emma said, her eyes watery. “How did you get it back?”

  Chase leveled hard eyes on Lexen, who shrugged. “This was the longest I could keep her away. She needed to make sure Maya was okay.”

  Emma wiggled her way forward, wrapping her arms around me. I shushed Chase’s protests. He kept trying to tell her I was injured and to be careful. “I’m fine,” I said. “It could have been so much worse if that girl with the shimmery hair didn’t find me.”

  Xander, who was near the back of the group, stepped forward. “Shimmery how?” he asked, and I thought his intensity was kind of weird, until he turned on the shower in the stall nearby and dropped his blond hair under. My eyes went very wide as that same iridescent sheen moved through his hair.

  It all made sense now. She was the fourth secret keeper. “Laous said she was nearby,” I murmured. “She must have been in the water the entire time.”

  Xander nodded. “And clearly she got more than a little of the Royale energy when she was born. That hair thing is unique to my house.”

  She definitely got more than a little. “She’s amazing in the water, too. Held her breath for, like, ever, and was strong enough to power both of us through the waves.”

  My mind kept flashing back to the girl. She was beautiful, and I had a feeling on dry land she would be breathtaking. Xander was in so much trouble.

  Tommy appeared in the doorway. “We’re surrounded by Gonzo troops. The helicopter is ready and waiting on the roof. We need to get to a safe house.”

  No one argued. They all fell into formation, like this was a normal event. “Why don’t you just stay and defend your territory?” Callie asked. “If they’re humans, they don’t stand a chance against the power of four overlords.”

  Daniel swept an arm around her, trying to hurry her along. “We don’t know what Laous might have set them up with, weapon-wise. I won’t risk you. Any of you.”

  “He doesn’t have the stone now, at least,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “One good thing came from Fraizer and his stupid plan.”

  “Are you sure he’s dead?” Daniel asked me. “There was no body when we got to the sanctuary.”

  Turning in his direction, I tried not to let my sympathy show. “I don’t know for sure. I saw him get shot, and he fell, but then I was dragged away, so I don’t actually know if he got back up.” There was an extended pause, and I decided to add, “I think Rao saved me. He was definitely thrown off by Fraizer telling him that he was his brother, and then he tripped really obviously, which gave me a chance to escape.”

  Daniel’s eyes, which were the lightest of browns with gold rings, had so much sadness in them that I almost burst into tears. I felt the heat and pressure behind my eyes but managed to keep it together while we moved into the hall and took an elevator up to the top floor. Chase stayed at my side the entire time. I couldn’t help but touch him over and over, to reassure myself that I was back with him.

  “You should tell them what Laous told you,” Chase urged, when we were close to the helicopter. “About his father.”

  Even though it disgusted me, I quickly relayed the details to the group. Daniel, again, was the one to react. “That must have been what he did with my father,” he said slowly. “When he killed him, he absorbed his energy, and that allowed the network to find him worthy to be overlord.”

  “Did you know your uncle suffered like that?” Callie asked. “When he was a child?”

  Daniel shook his head with force. “I had no idea. It would have been before I was born, and I knew my dad and Laous were never close, but I had no idea of his past.”

  He looked both disturbed and upset, and I wondered what was worrying him the most. Fraizer? Rao? Or the possibility that Laous had suffered worse than any of us?

  Before any more could be said, we were filing into the helicopter. Tommy handed Chase a familiar red kit. I knew my guy wouldn’t be able to relax until he had patched me up.

  “Buckle in,” Tommy said. He was manning the chopper as well. He was very useful in these situations. “They have some manpower.”

  Lexen, who was near the open door, leaned out and said, “I’m going to make it a little harder for them.”

  Dark clouds burst across the sky, drifting in from way out at sea. It took him seconds, maybe less, to fill the air around us. As Tommy lifted the chopper up, blades loud, we took off with the dark clouds around us. Bullets fired, but thankfully none of them hit their mark, except one that lodged in a side panel.

  Chase wasted no time disinfecting and bandaging me up, and by the time we arrived at the safe house, I was a walking mummy. The new place was not on Lanai, but instead on the bigger island of … O’ahu, I was pretty sure. Tommy set the helicopter down on a basketball court, which was at the back of an estate of about twenty beach shacks. When we all filed out, he took off into the air again.

  “He’ll stash it somewhere so we can’t be easily traced,” Xander told us as he strode toward one of the generic white Hamptons homes. I expected him to lead us to the front door, but instead, he moved to some bushes off to the side and pried open a double door that led down into a basement.

  It was dark inside. Really dark. And as the doors closed behind Daniel, who was the last through, I could barely see anything. Chase kept a steadying hand on me as we made our way down the stairs. When we reached the ground level, Daniel lit a flame in his hand and a room came into view. “Come on,” Xander said, waving a hand. “This is just the decoy.”

  “How do you have houses like this everywhere?” Emma sounded as confused as I felt. “I mean, you four have only been on Earth for a year.”

  Lexen answered: “Our families have been here for years, and we have safe houses for Daelighters scattered around. This is a Royale one. They tend to dominate the island areas.”

  We came to what looked like a wall, until Xander pressed a button and it swung out. Stepping inside, we were suddenly in a very high-tech looking elevator. The wall shut again, and then we were moving. I’d expected it to move down, but instead it went sideways. When i
t finally stopped, Xander was the first out, and I followed him into what looked like a state of the art control center. Wow. I had not expected that.

  “This is where we are going to rest tonight,” Xander said, taking a seat in front of a set of twelve or more monitors. “Tomorrow, we’re going to find that girl and end this all.” He flicked a switch and images appeared across all of them. Many different images.

  “This is how we’ll keep an eye on Laous and his army,” Daniel said, sitting next to Xander. “We’re hooked into the most powerful government satellites. It can’t track Daelighters, but it can track those armed assholes Laous has teamed up with.”

  Emma held up the necklace, which she had not let go of. “And this is how we’ll find our last secret keeper and join the four of our energies together.”

  As Chase wrapped his arm around me, and I sank back into his warm embrace, I realized I was ready for this. Having the starslight stone back put us in the dominant position to end this war. Laous picked the wrong humans to go up against. The clock was counting down now, and he was about to find out his days were numbered.

  House of Royale

  Don’t miss out on the stunning conclusion to the Secret Keepers Series. House of Royale. Out the 1st September 2018.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to every single person who has ever taken a chance on my books. I write for you. Always.

  Thanks to Alerim for the amazing cover. You captured my vision perfectly. Thanks to Tamara, who makes graphic design look effortless, and is so talented that I have a little envy. Thanks to Lee, from Ocean’s edge Editing, for always polishing my story and making it shine. Thanks to Jamie Holmes, from Holmes Edits, for proofing the story so quickly for me.

  Finally, thank you to my review team for the final touches you add.