House of Imperial
Page 22
“And ferret out all the resistance.”
Daniel brushed some water from my cheeks. “Fraizer isn’t the only one to disappear. I’ve already had fifty or more Imperials fall off the radar in the past two days. It’s definitely time now for me to get my house in order. I have let them drift along for too long without a solid leader. It ends now.”
Determination straightened my spine. I was no doubt channeling that from Daniel, from the sense of team and kinship I felt. “I will support whatever needs to happen,” I told him.
He lifted my hand and pressed his lips to it. “You will be at my side. We lead together.”
I had no idea if I was even remotely capable of such a feat, but somehow, staring into my love’s determined features, I kind of felt like we could do anything. Together.
Epilogue
Chase
Planting my feet, I let the haze of power wash over me. As my mind switched to the other sight, the one that connected to the network, I focused on the crisscrossing streams of power. They were pretty far away, because I was in House of Leights, but I could still connect. I could still fill my body with strength.
Drawing the inner power, my limbs lengthened; my body grew wide and sturdier. The world looked different through the eyes of my other form, hybrid of the Galinta and Daelighter.
“Chase, please, we don’t know anything more.”
I ignored the pleas of those secured to the wise old Galinta across from me. These were betrayers of Leights. Of my House. Usually I was slow to anger, but when it grew and grew, like it had the last few days, I ended up in a state all should fear. Like nature in itself, I could be calm, or I could bring the wrath of the world down.
“For your sins, you will all die,” I told them, my voice much deeper than it was usually.
“What if we told you where the next secret keeper was?”
I paused, my roped hands whipping out to capture the female’s head. The council had dropped my defectors off, telling us they got very little information from them. It was up to their overlord on how they would be punished. Father let me deal with them. I was the one they tried to kill. I was there when they killed Marsil.
This was my battle to wage.
“Speak now, or you will not speak again,” I said, the branch I was on vibrating as my anger flared once more.
Her long auburn hair was matted and filled with tangles, her face smeared with dirt and blood from whatever the council had done. She was terrified, but her voice did not waver.
“Laous mentioned this just very briefly, but he said he was heading to Washington to find her. Apparently her parents are important diplomats. They actually work for the coalition which handles Daelighter and human relations … the secret government branch that initiated the entire treaty.”
“Does the council know this?” I asked, trying to keep my dread from showing. This was so much worse than we’d originally thought. Kidnappi … abducting – as Callie would say – the daughter of two treaty diplomats. Laous was going to send us to war before he even found the stone.
The female shook her head. “No. I tell you only so that you might consider some leniency for us. You have the final punishment rights.”
She flinched as my ropelike arms tightened across her face.
“Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?” My whisper sounded menacing even to me.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, opening and closing her mouth. “I … um … he said she had a stupid grubber name.” She paused, swallowed again, and then said, “Maya Anne Lewis.”
Maya. I rolled the name over in my mind – the secret keeper from house of Leights.
A sense of purpose started to build within me. I withdrew my vines from her. “Thank you. I wish I could save you from your fate,” I told each of them, because it was true. They were my people, which made the betrayal so much harder to bear. “But you made your decision and now you must live with the consequences.”
I turned away, not watching what the Galinta did with those they held in their embrace. It was time for me to go to Washington. I was going to save Maya before Laous got to her.
He had hurt his last secret keeper.
House of Leights - Secret Keepers#3
Release July 30th 2018
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DCQM83W/
Acknowledgments
For my review team. Thank you for being part of my book family. For being part of my worlds. One day I’m going to figure out how to have a huge party that we can all be at. #bookfamily
About the Author
Jaymin Eve is the USA Today Bestselling author of 25+ YA and NA fantasy/romance novels. She lives in Australia with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and a couple of crazy pets. Since 2013 she has sold over a million ebooks, and has no plans to stop writing anytime in the next 30-50 years.
Also by Jaymin Eve
Secret Keepers Series
Book One: House of Darken
Book Two: House of Imperial (1st July 2018)
Book Three: House of Leights (1st August 2018)
Book Four: House of Royale (1st September 2018)
Storm Princess Saga
Book One: The Princess Must Die (September 2018)
Book Two: The Princess Must Strike (October 2018)
Book Three: The Princess Must Reign (November 2018)
Curse of the Gods Series (Reverse Harem Fantasy)
Book One: Trickery
Book Two: Persuasion
Book Three: Seduction
Book Four: Strength (2018)
NYC Mecca Series (Complete - UF series)
Book One: Queen Heir
Book Two: Queen Alpha
Book Three: Queen Fae
Book Four: Queen Mecca
A Walker Saga (Complete - YA Fantasy)
Book One: First World
Book Two: Spurn
Book Three: Crais
Book Four: Regali
Book Five: Nephilius
Book Six: Dronish
Book Seven: Earth
Supernatural Prison Trilogy (Complete - UF series)
Book One: Dragon Marked
Book Two: Dragon Mystics
Book Three: Dragon Mated
Supernatural Prison Stories
Broken Compass
Magical Compass
Louis (late 2018)
Hive Trilogy (Complete UF/PNR series)
Book One: Ash
Book Two: Anarchy
Book Three: Annihilate
Sinclair Stories (Standalone Contemporary Romance)
Songbird