by Jaymin Eve
“Do you want to see your mom?” he asked me. “I can take you to her. We’ve made our home here in the afterworld. You can stay with us…”
Yes! I screamed loudly in my head. Yes, God, please. I want them back.
My feet were moving, stepping toward him, closer and closer. Snow mingling with tears was a weird sensation. Especially without the cold that would normally chill the water on my face. My dad waved me on, a brilliant smile lighting up his face.
“Just a few more steps, sweetheart.”
I hesitated, something bothering me. “What’s wrong?” Dad asked.
“I … don’t know. Just … where did you say Mom was?”
She was always with Dad. They were nauseatingly in love, one of those couples where you had to leave the room when they were in it together. Especially when you were their kid. It was gross, for sure, but it also made me believe strongly in love. In finding the one.
They had been each others’ ones. So why was Dad standing here alone?
“Where … is Mom?” I repeated slowly.
That benign smile slowly faded away; his eyes took on a slanted groove of disapproval. I gasped as light swirled across his skin, and then the rich caramel skin tone, dark hair, and blue eyes faded away too. Standing there now was Laous, dressed head to toe in black. “Almost had you,” he said jovially. “The land of desires is a difficult one for Daelighters to resist, and impossible for humans. Apparently since you are something between the two, you can fight the pull of desire.”
I turned tail and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction. “Lexen! Daniel!” I screamed.
For a brief moment I’d forgotten about them. Seeing my dad again … it was a torture I would wish on no one. It had been amazing and absolutely devastating. My heart was crushing in my chest as I tried to run and breathe through all the snot and tears I had going on. The branch piercing my shoulder felt like a pinprick of pain compared to the sledgehammer to the chest I just got.
“Help,” I cried out, coughing as my tears overwhelmed me. In the same moment I tripped, plunging forward to the hard ground. White might have coated the surface, but it was not soft like fresh snow. Kind of felt like I’d just face-planted onto an asphalt road, and I didn’t even care.
Rough hands flipped me onto my back and I stared up into a face so dark with anger that it almost wasn’t recognizable as Laous.
“Tell me what I need to know!” he screamed in my face. “Tell me where the key is or I will kill your family, your friends – every single person you have ever cared about in your life.”
I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck, but there was no time to worry about what it was. Laous wasn’t kidding, that much was clear, but it was impossible to reveal something I didn’t know. “You have the wrong person,” I snarled at him. “I don’t have any idea what the key is.”
I was starting to get the feeling that my blood was never able to lead him to the key. It sounded like he needed me to give it to him all along. Otherwise why would he waste so much time trying to get me to tell him?
Laous let out a roar, and then in a flash slammed his fist down close to the side of my face. I flinched at the thud.
Tilting my head back, I gritted my teeth. “Maybe you shouldn’t have killed the only people who would have been able to help you.”
“You know, grubber. There is no way you don’t know, and you have pushed my patience too far.”
He might not have been able to kill me because he needed this information I apparently possessed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt me. His arm drew back again, his other hand wrapping around my throat. He hit me and agony exploded behind my cheek. My face went numb on that side immediately. He drew back and hit me again, same cheek, same blinding pain.
I tasted blood in my mouth as he swung for a third strike. Before it could land, something crashed into the side of him, sending him flying across the white land. I wriggled to the side, trying to put some distance between me and Laous.
Huge black wings caught my attention and I let out a low cry. Lexen. He was okay, and he had somehow found me. Daniel appeared at my side. “Emma, fuck, I am so sorry. My brother … died in the cascades … this is my fault.”
I tried to answer him, but it was difficult to make my jaw work. So I simply shook my head multiple times. Not your fault, I told him with my eyes. This was all on Laous, that … fucker.
Daniel fitted both of his hands under my arms, lifting me to my feet. The moment I was standing, blood rushed to my pounding head; everything went dark around the edges and I swayed on my feet.
“Rough day?” Daniel tried to joke, whilst carrying me in the opposite direction of where Lexen and Laous were now trading blows. The Darken overlord was much larger than the Imperial, his blows seeming to inflict a crap-ton of damage whenever he landed one. But Lexen was also very drained of energy, so I had no idea how long he could keep this up.
“No,” I garbled out. “Stay … Lex.”
Daniel ignored me, picking me up and dragging me further away. I started to fight him, before nausea had me gagging and almost vomiting right down his shirt. Which would have served him right.
No matter how hard I fought, Daniel didn’t move an inch. “Lexen is going to be fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “He could destroy Laous with his eyes closed, two hands tied behind his back, and one foot removed. Lexen could take out all four overlords and not even break a sweat. He’s the only one the four houses fear. He’s the draygone lord.”
“I d-d-don’t … care.”
Goddammit, this was not the time for my face to be beaten in and swelling rapidly. I really needed my words right now. The ground started to shake as Daniel moved me further away. We were almost to the edge of the field. I could only just make out Lexen in the distance. All of a sudden we stopped. Daniel let out a low curse.
“He wouldn’t,” I heard him say, disbelief in his voice. “Laous has lost his goddamn mind.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, until I noticed that the white snow was changing again, this time to a black substance. Some landed on my arm, leaving behind an ashy smudge.
“What’s he doing?” I asked, panic allowing me to fight through the pain and speak semi-clearly.
“He’s going to purge the justices,” Daniel bit out. “Which means every being on it will be wiped out. Like a fresh start … a reset, if you will.”
“We have to help Lexen,” I yelled, flinching at the sharp stabbing in my face.
Daniel shook his head. “The reset is an ultimate power. Overlord power. There is nothing I can do to stop it. We would not make it to Lexen in time.”
“What happens to all the beings in the purge?”
“They are reborn, back to the incubation level. They will have no memories of their previous life.”
I knew my eyes were so wide that my eyeballs could have fallen right out with no resistance. “We can’t leave!” I screamed at him.
“I’m sorry, badass. Lexen would want me to get you out. We’re close enough to make it.”
“Daniel, I will never forgive you. We cannot leave Lexen!” I tried, pleading, with just a hint of bite. “I mean, are you even sure? Why would Laous reset himself?”
He lifted me with ease and sprinted. The ash was falling faster, swirling around us, and just like the snowy blizzard from before, almost all visibility was cut off. “Overlord majors are never reset,” Daniel shouted.
I screamed and kicked out, flailing my arms at the same time. I refused to do this. Laous would not reset me if he needed whatever information he thought I held. Which meant he knew Daniel was close enough to get me to safety.
This was all about Lexen, about taking him out of the equation. Daniel moved so fast my head was literally smacking into his shoulder as he ran. The darkness increased until it was all I could see. Then we were flying. I’d done this enough times recently to know that Daniel had just jumped off the edge of the last justice. We were heading towar
d redemption, and I was wishing with all of my heart that I could somehow go back the way I’d just come.
Our landing was soft, barely a jolt compared to the way he’d been smacking me around when he ran. I’d had my eyes closed for the drop, but opened them as soon as we hit the ground. The falling ash was gone; now it was all bright lights, warmth, fields of green, oceans in the distance, stunning little homes nestled in the hills.
“Redemption is pretty,” I said flatly.
Daniel took an extra look around, coming back to me. “Yes, if you make it this far, you will have peace.”
I felt like I was a thousand years old. I had been through a lot, too much, and I wasn’t sure I was going to survive losing Lexen too. Peace was not possible for me, not even if I lived here forever.
Daniel tilted his head back, staring up the edge toward the level of desires. For a second, hope sprang to life within me. I thought he was waiting for Lexen, but then there was an explosion. Dark ash burst across the sky in a puff of black, before it dissipated out into nothing.
“No!” I cried, hoarse and desperate. I grabbed Daniel’s shirt, digging my fingers into his skin as I pulled him toward me. “Lexen will be okay, right?”
There was no answer. I appreciated that he wasn’t going to lie to me, but as that sliver of hope disappeared I died a little more inside. Drawing on everything I had learned in the last eight months, I tucked the agony deep inside, pushing it down so far down I could no longer feel anything at all.
“So, what do we do now?” I sounded detached, which was exactly how I felt.
Daniel was watching me closely, those sad eyes dissecting me. I didn’t care. He could stare all he wanted; there was nothing more for him to see. I had been a mess for eight months, a mess who had started to see the light at the end of the tunnel of darkness. Only to now be right back to that same dark place.
“I’ll get us out of here. Stay close.” Daniel was as emotionless as me, and through my own desensitized brain I realized that he had just lost one of his best friends. Daniel might have had fewer people in the world than me to care about, and he’d just lost one of them.
A part of my heart thawed just enough so I could step forward and wrap my arms around him, taking both of us by surprise if his tense body was any indication. “I’m so goddamn sorry,” I whispered, choking up on the last word.
He remained tense, and I was just about to pull away, because awkward, when his arms came around me and he returned the hug with force. I was level with his chest, and I could hear the rapid race of his heart as he clutched me closer. His body shuddered a few times, as if he was fighting against the emotions consuming him.
Consuming us both. Overwhelming grief.
“Five minutes. I’ve been gone for five minutes and you’re already moving in on my girl.”
It took longer than it should for the voice I was hearing to register. Daniel and I pulled apart and a hoarse cry left me. Lexen was shirtless, his upper body looking like it was carved by the gods themselves, all rippling muscles and bronze skin. His wings were out, curving down around him.
“Lexen…” The disbelief in my voice was strong. I wasn’t sure if this world was creating him, or if he was really standing before me.
“How?” Daniel asked, taking a step toward his friend. “How the fuck are you alive?”
Lexen shrugged, his face turning haunted for a second, before wiping clean. “Apparently dragon lords cannot be reset. The moment Laous realized that, he took off, and I came after you two.” His wings and scales faded away in a brief lightshow, then he was back to regular Lexen. Minus a shirt still.
I ran for him as fast as my clumsy legs would carry me. I wasn’t even that close when I leapt at him, but luckily he had all the skills I lacked, stepping forward and scooping me up, pressing me close to his chest.
“I thought you were dead,” I sobbed, smacking him on the chest. “I thought you had left me … alone.”
He dropped his forehead down on mine. “I thought I was dead too. Your face was the last thing I saw. The Draygo in me has decided. I can’t let you go. It might be selfish as hell, but if you want to give this a shot with me, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and I have our chance.”
I kissed him, cutting off whatever he had been about to say next. The pain from my bruises hurt for a beat, but the moment he took control, the moment his tongue stroked mine, mouth moving over my lips with a skill and precision that had my body turning to jelly, I forgot all about my injuries. His hands cupped under my butt as he hauled me further up his body, my legs wrapping around his waist as I pressed into him.
Lexen captured the moan that escaped from me with his mouth. The kiss was just getting to the point where I felt like I was about to self-combust when he pulled back. I huffed, breathing embarrassingly deep, meeting his star-lit eyes. “Realllyyy glad you didn’t die.”
Lexen dropped his head back slightly, laughter bursting from him. “Me too, little human. Me too.”
Daniel’s drawl distracted us. “Why is it that I always feel envious and slightly awkward when I’m around you two?”
Lexen set me on my feet, tucking me in close to his side, before holding out his other arm to Daniel. The pair did some sort of fist bump, half-hug bro thing.
“Thanks for getting her to safety,” Lexen said, turning serious.
“Thanks for not dying. That would have sucked.”
Daniel was the overlord of understatement too, apparently.
Happiness lifted me up. I had to press a hand to my chest because it felt like my heart might actually beat right out of it. As I rubbed the heel of my hand across my sternum, I paused at the lack of bump there. Not the normal chest bumps, my boobs were still very much in their normal position, but there was something missing.
My necklace.
I rubbed the back of my neck and felt the sting. I must have lost it on the desire level, when Laous attacked me.
Lexen noticed my expression. “What?” he asked, his voice rumbling out as he stepped in front of me, surveying our surroundings.
I wrapped my hand around his left wrist. “It’s nothing. I just noticed that I lost my necklace.” The last thing I had from my parents.
Lexen brushed back my hair, sliding his thumb across my cheek. “We’ll find it. Once this reset is cleared, I’m going to figure out a way to search the justices. It is somewhere, Em.”
I smiled at him. “It’s okay. Apparently I’m dating a guy who can get his hands on a ton of starslight stone.”
Lexen’s eyes darkened, which meant they were pitch black in that moment. “I’ve got mountains of it. I can literally shower you with starslight stone. It’s just … none of it will be from your mom, and I know how much that one piece meant to you.”
It had meant a lot to me, but I would always have my memories of my parents. I would always have them in my heart. Losing the necklace wouldn’t take that away from me.
“I saw my dad in the desire level,” I told Lexen, my voice cracking. “Walking away from him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But … I knew it wasn’t real. Laous didn’t understand how I could resist, but I think it was because there is a bond already between us, Lex. You, me, and your draygone soul. The bond gave me the clarity I needed.”
I was hauled up and into his arms in a flash, his lips pressing delicious kisses along my jaw and to my lips. “What do humans call it?” he murmured, as he continued to torture me with kisses. “Ride or die? You’re my ride or die, Emma Walters.”
Finally his lips found mine and I went completely mindless, lost in the sensations of kissing this guy.
Eventually Daniel called out to us. “Come on, you two. Enough with that … we need to hitch a ride on the next transporter out of here.”
I let out a breathy sigh as I collapsed against Lexen’s chest. “Not sure I can walk. Might need a moment.”
He laughed, hooking an arm around my waist and half carrying me to where Daniel stood, bemused
expression on his face.
Despite the beauty of the redemption world, none of us looked back. There was nothing for me here, no reason to want to stay. I was ready to move forward, with Lexen, with the rest of my life.
And I was ready for some answers.
20
A multitude of faces stared back at me. The council seemed to be stuck between explaining what had happened and trying to dissect me with their eyes. At least a healer had somewhat dealt with my face and wounds, so now I was no longer in pain while I waited for them to get to the point.
“Get to the damn point!” Lexen snarled, reading my mind. His hands clenched on the table as he glared at each of them.
As soon as we had taken the secret transporter out of the level of redemption, Lexen had summoned the council. We were in House of Darken, in a room with a table large enough to hold everyone, which included Lexen’s parents, Star, Marsil, and Jero, all of whom had greeted me with hugs and shouts. They’d truly been worried about me, and their delight at seeing I was back safely – Lexen too – was enough to mend a few of the broken pieces of my soul.
A female council member stood. Like almost every other Daelighter on the council, she looked to be in her early thirties. She had straight dark hair and large reddish-brown eyes.
“Laous has disappeared, and based on your testimony of his recent actions, he will never rule House of Imperial again. Daniel will be stepping in as overlord for the interim, until he can be initiated into the position.”
Her speech was interrupted by Roland. “If Laous is going after the second secret keeper, how are we going to figure out where he is to stop him?”
Another council member, a blond male who was probably from Royale, let out a breathy sigh. “It appears that Laous has been planning this for a long time. We really should have seen it sooner, but he was always very uninterested in the treaty whenever we discussed it. He never showed any sign of wanting to destroy it.”