by Jaymin Eve
Xander Royale was definitely striking. And … he was a merman … caramina … which no doubt explained all of that golden skin on display. I didn’t know the other two men, and as Lexen stepped into the space left in their circle, keeping me close to his side, I took a second to observe them. All four of the Daelighters were around the same height, well over six foot – towering over me. Unnaturally tall. Unnaturally muscled. Unnaturally broody.
Not one cracked a smile. I sensed they were wondering why the hell there was an interloper in their midst. Small glances kept going my way but no one questioned Lexen. Xander just reached out and slapped his best friend on the shoulder, the two doing some sort of bro-hug. After this everyone seemed to relax.
The first thing I noticed was that all of them had symbols carved into their hair, just like Lexen, which meant they each were overlords. Minor or major, there was no way for me to tell at the moment. But I was literally standing in the midst of Daelighter royalty. When had this become my life?
I found my gaze lingering on the House of Leight’s overlord, fascinated by his beauty. He was slightly more slender than the other three – who were built like linebackers – his muscle was hard and lean, like a swimmer’s. His skin was dark, not quite as dark as his hair but the same tone. His hair was almost black, and most of it was short, especially where his symbols were marked. On the opposite side to those, he wore a few long braids, some of which fell to his thighs. Golden rope was threaded through those braids, glittering whenever he moved his head.
His shimmery green eyes met mine; their color was so light and intense that it was startling against his beautiful rich skin tone. Like Lexen and the other two, he was intensely beautiful. Hot dudes club, clearly.
Leights smiled and inclined his head toward me. I returned the nod, my smile genuine. There was something about him that immediately made me feel at ease. He oozed tranquility … and strength … and stability. Being a damaged human, I craved stability now. It drew me in.
“This is Emma,” Lexen said bluntly. “She’s under my protection. It’s safe to speak in front of her.”
He then went on to introduce the others to me. Xander of House of Royale, Chase of House of Leight, and Daniel of House of Imperial – overlord minors.
My head snapped up at that last name. I stared at the male who was from the house that had probably killed my parents. I wanted to hate him on sight. He even outdid Lexen in the badass vibe: bronze skin with a shaved head; his dark symbolic marks must have been actual tattoos. They peeked out of the neck of his dark, fitted shirt, before curving up along the back of his neck and into the side of his head. It seemed he had more marks than the other three. I wondered how many more were beneath his shirt.
He met my gaze without flinching, and I realized that despite my messy emotions there was no hate there. Daniel might have looked scary – gorgeous but scary – but his eyes, the color of cinnamon, rich and deep, with actual rings of gold in them – were sad. I recognized sad eyes. I’d stared at mine every time I looked in the mirror in the last eight months. His sad eyes, full lips, and almost-too-pretty-for-a-boy face offset the tattoos and shaved head enough to make him intriguing instead of scary.
“What’s so urgent that we needed to drop everything and get here?” Xander asked, relaxing his arms to his sides as he stared at Daniel.
I caught a glimpse of something strange across his stomach then – not the abnormal amount of abdominal muscles – but a flash of what looked like shiny scales. It disappeared quickly, but it had definitely been there. Fantasy world, Emma. I was in a damn fantasy world.
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 t
ransporter.
“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 naïve 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.
Lexen’s shoulders were so broad his bulk filled half the bed. He was clearly way too ripped to be a teenage boy. It was amazing no one had called him on it back on Earth.
“You’re thinking very loud,” he said with a low rumble in his voice. “Go to sleep.”
I rolled on my side to face him, but before I could bestow my very best glare on him, he murmured something and the light at his bedside turned off, leaving the room in semi darkness.
“You can control the dragon fire?” I accused. “Are you the one who dims the huge one above Silver City?”
He chuckled, the deep sound filling my head and sending trills of tingles down my spine. “Qenita controls that one. She’s asleep high in the caves. I could, technically, control it also. I’m the draygone lord. I was born at the exact same moment as Qenita. We bonded, despite the fact that we were nowhere near each other. I have … some similar abilities as the draygones. I can do much more than a regular Daelighter.”
There was an openness between us that had not been there before tonight. It lowered my guard and I found myself whispering, “Do you think my guardians are alive?” I’d been too afraid to voice this question before now, but I needed to prepare myself. Otherwise the reality might completely kill me.
He shifted closer, half rolling to face me. “I believe there are two options. Either your guardians were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, dug their nose into something they shouldn’t, and if that is the case, then yes, I think they will have been killed…”
My inhalation of breath was loud, cutting him off for a second. Breathing became harsh and ragged as I fought to contain my grief. After a few seconds Lexen continued, his voice low and gentle: “The second option is that they were specifically targeted for some reason. That they are being held hostage because the Imperials want something to do with them, or with…”
“Me,” I finished for him.
I felt him nod, close to my shoulder. “It’s a possibility. The pieces aren’t quite adding up, though, because your parents were the secret keepers, not you. But maybe there are some important facts that we’re missing.”
I quickly wiped away the few stray tears that had escaped. “I’m really praying for the second option. I don’t even care if they want something from me. I need Sara and Michael to be alive.”
I startled as Lexen reached out and took my hand. I expected a quick squeeze, but he held it, silently supporting me. His thumb was even doing this slow glide up and down, unhurried and smooth. It was so ver…
I didn’t recall one moment of my sleep for the rest of the night. No more nightmares, no tossing and turning in restless slumber. I simply passed out and did not wake until the dragon fire in the mountain was burning brightly. A cool breeze brushed across my face and I struggled to get my eyes open. When I finally did, I was amazed to see that there was a panel of doors along the back wall of Lexen’s room. All of them had been pushed back to leave an entire wall open, showcasing the city and the stunning stone that made up this mountain.
I lay there for many moments, snuggled and warm under the thick covers, just breathing it all in. It was so peaceful. I knew Lexen wasn’t in the bed any longer. He emitted so much heat that it was immediately obvious when he was close. I was just wondering where he’d gotten to when another whoosh of cold air hit me. I bolted upright as a dragon appeared in that open wall. Qenita’s huge white head wiggled inside and a gust of breath left her, sending icy particles through the room to slap me in the face.
“Um, hi,” I squeaked, holding the covers up to my chest as I wiped the icicles off my face. “Lexen is not here, sorry. Please don’t eat me, I’ll probably taste terrible. I’ve literally been living on Fruit Loops for months.”
Who was I kidding? Fruit Loops were delicious. She was going to love chomping down on me.
We silently stared at each other from across the room, and I wondered if she understood English. I also wondered where the freak Lexen was. It was his job to stop Qenita from eating me. As if she’d heard that thought, the dragon let out another snort of air. This time I ducked before more ice could hit me. A soft thud had me flinging my head up again in time to see Lexen walk across her back and drop down into the room.
He looked wild and forbidden in that moment, his hair tousled, eyes lit up with so much white light it was almost eclipsing the dark. My mouth suddenly went dry as a desert, my body doing that thing again where it ached for him. Traitor. My body was a freaking traitor.
“She’s not going to eat you, and what the hell is a Fruit Loop?”
His words returned some of my clarity, and I focused on how amazing it must be to fly on a dragon. Sure, I’d gone on the magic carpet thing, but that wasn’t the same. To ride on the back of such a powerful beast as it ducked and dived between the mountains … I couldn’t even imagine.
Lexen ran a hand through his sexy disarray of hair, pushing the longer side over, leaving the symbols standing out starkly. Despite the chill in the air, and the chill from his dragon, he wore only a black fitted shirt and black pants with heavy boots. As I stared, he tilted his head to the side, observing me much closer than usual.
“Would you like to meet her?” he asked, holding his hand out to me again.
Without a thought of hesitation, I placed my palm in his, already moving before he could help me.
“Slow down,” he warned me. “Qenita might seem domesticated, but I assure you she’s anything but. The draygones are wild, magnificent beasts. I’m honored to call her a friend.” He started leading me closer to where Qenita had her head resting. Most of her massive body was out of the room, her wings slowly flapping to keep her from dropping lower.
Lexen stopped near her right eye. “This is Emma,” he said, placing his free hand onto her snout. “She’s my friend.”
He eyed me and I chuckled, low, so as not to startle Qenita and get eaten by accident. “Bet you never thought you’d say that about a human,” I murmured, leaning in close to him.
Before he could voice whatever smartass reply was coming, Qenita sent out a ring of icy moisture; it swirled in the air, crashing against my chest. The sudden blast of cold filled my veins and I gasped a few times.
Lexen laughed. “She likes you.”
I rubbed my hand across my collarbone, trying to bring some warmth back. “Hate to see what she does if she doesn’t like someone,” I grumbled.
“Usually she smashes them with her tail,” was his prompt reply.
I almost took a step back, but I didn’t want either of them to realize how much of a scaredy human I was right now. Being this close to a dragon, it was the way I felt when I wen
t to the zoo and stared into the eyes of the lions and tigers. There was something so predatory in their gazes; the lazy way they watched told me they knew exactly what I was doing, cataloguing every one of my movements, waiting for the right moment to attack. Yep, it was that feeling, just times a thousand.
With Lexen at my back, Qenita didn’t feel like a threat, but I also wasn’t going to be comfortable in her presence anytime soon. I was relieved and disappointed when Lexen released my hand, pressing both of his palms into her long snout and leaning in close to whisper to her. As the breezes picked up around us, we backed away and she flapped harder, wiggling out of the room. Lexen and I watched as her huge body gracefully soared away.
Everything in my body was thrumming. I felt alive in a way I could never remember feeling.
A real dragon.
I opened and closed my mouth, blurting out, “Most human guys have a dog, maybe two. A snake if they are particularly daredevil. You have a dragon as a … a friend.” I could never call Qenita a pet. She was about as far from a pet as any being could be.
“I’m not human, Emma Walters. Do you need a demonstration?”
Before I could tell him I definitely didn’t need a demonstration, twin balls of fire rose from his hands. The heat was immediate and intense and I took a step back, ending up on the small balcony area. A balcony without a railing, because it was clearly used as landing pad for a dragon.
The fire winked out in an instant and Lexen reached out for me before I could fall to my death. He hauled me inside and left me to stand there like a clumsy idiot while he shut those sliding doors.
“Guess I know why you like your showers so hot,” I said. “You’re like fire … and Qenita is ice?”
He nodded just as there was a hard knock on the door, followed by another almost immediately. The door was then slammed open and a harried-looking Jero rushed inside. “Emma is not in her roo—”