by Jaymin Eve
Colita shook her head. “After my dream, I’m pretty sure Rao is not sharing anything with Laous. The entire emotion I felt in that vision was regret, pain, and an overwhelming sense of guilt.”
“We should vote on this new plan,” a tall, very blond councilwoman suggested. “Majority rules.”
Lettie straightened as well, opening her mouth as if to protest, but Colita got in first. “Yes, in times of war, majority rules is the fallback. All those in favor of a fake alliance with Laous. We will lead him to the stone, and then take him out somewhere along the way.”
One by one, the eight of us raised our hands. Roland followed, along with Chase’s parents, who had been quietly observing until this point. The council had a quick discussion amongst themselves, but in the end, all of them raised their hands as well. Lettie and Tristall were the last two, and for a moment I thought they were going to stubbornly refuse, even though majority ruled. Then with a single nod in my direction, Lettie raised her hand.
My stomach went all fuzzy at that point, because it had been my idea, and my immediate reaction was to freak out about it failing. But the thought of innocents dying was even worse. We had to try something.
“It’s settled,” a council member declared. “We will discuss a treaty with Laous, allow him to accompany the group to the stone. You will lead him to the country where the stone is located, and all of us will follow shortly afterwards.”
Roland cleared his throat. “And while he’s with the secret keepers, we can have our warriors sneak into Astoria and start retrieving the humans,” he said in a voice filled with fire. “They will be stashed in Daelight Crescent for safety.”
“I’ve informed the human army,” Colita cut in, and I realized she’d been doing a faraway stare thing a second before. Could they literally go in their heads and inform the humans of things? A question to ask later. “They agreed that if Daelighters can focus on retrieving the humans, they will crush the Gonzo. If we work together, in a single coordinated move, hopefully we’ll take them by surprise and have minimal casualties.”
“What if someone informs Laous of what is happening? And he retaliates?” Callie asked. “I mean, surely he’s given his people a way to contact him, even if we take him away.”
“I can create an electrical storm that will take out all human communications,” Roland said. “And hopefully if our attack is swift, there will be no time for anyone to tell him.”
Xander explained that to me. “The network is quite weak on Earth, so we use human technology most of the time to travel and communicate.”
That was a good thing, then, because human technology was not that hard to disrupt. Hell, cell phones worked only half the time on my island back home, which was why I gave up on having one years ago.
“We should go,” Daniel said, staring toward the transporter. “I’m ready for this bullshit to all be over. I have a house to run. My people are starting to fall apart without a leader.”
One of the council members dropped a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll have your initiation ceremony as soon as the stone is in the hands of the humans again. Once you are fully connected, you’ll be able to bring your house together.”
Daniel nodded once, his jaw hard. Callie reached out and wrapped her hand around his, and the slightest of dimples appeared in the overlord’s cheeks. She was a very calming influence on him.
Chase’s parents stepped forward. “More of our warriors are on the way, but we’re running out of room on the platform,” his father said. “The Galinta tell us they will guard the land here, so if any with violence in their hearts cross back this way, the trees will respond.”
That gave me a moment’s pause. The trees will respond? I turned to where they towered far above our heads, on the edge of House of Leights. “The trees can respond?” I asked, unsure about what that meant.
“Oh yes,” Maya told me. “The trees here are sentient. They could even move if they wanted to. Which makes me feel a hell of a lot better knowing my parents and Brad are back in Darken. I’d hate to think that they could be attacked while we are gone with most of the warriors.”
“Our people share an energy with the Galinta,” Chase’s mom said, her voice somehow gentle and booming in energy. “We can change our shape to be more like theirs, giving us increased strength and power. The Galinta are our home … our family.”
I shook my head. “That’s incredible. As someone who loves nature more than anything, I completely understand what you’re saying.”
The ocean had always been my family, and to see it filled with rubbish and pollution … it killed me. A lot of humans—not all of them, thankfully—took our natural beauties on Earth for granted. It made me furious when they threw their trash and chemicals into the oceans. Or the forests. Or anywhere it should not go.
Another group appeared in the transporter then, shuffling off into the very limited free space now. “We must start crossing to Earth,” Lettie stated, her tone suggesting this activity was akin to wading through a sewerage pipe. “Our warriors can congregate in Daelight Crescent.”
Everyone nodded, and the council dispersed, running off to talk with the different members of the houses. “The council is supposed to be a neutral, overseeing group,” Xander told me as we watched them move about. “Our houses have rarely had reason to come together like this, so it’s good to have them here to coordinate it all.”
“How can you handle being … a leader … having to make decisions like that … having the responsibility and happiness of your people rest with you? I’m not sure I could handle it. I just like to swim.”
Xander grinned. “All Royales like to swim, so as long as you make that a priority, you’ll find happiness is easy to achieve.”
I shook my head at him. “You know what I mean.”
He shrugged then, his expression sobering. “I’ve never known anything different. I won’t lie and say it’s not scary thinking about my mother handing the mantle over to me one day, when she’s had enough of her role. But … I guess I’ll just handle it how I do everything, one day at a time, work my ass off, and learn from those older and with far more knowledge than me.”
“It’ll be a long time before you have to worry about that, son,” Lettie said, an almost joking tone in her voice. “I’ve still got plenty of good years left in me.” Her eyes flashed to me for a moment and grew slightly chillier. “I’ll make sure you have a good match. Someone to help with the burden. So don’t stress about it.”
Ouch. Point received, mermaid bitch.
Xander sidled between me and his mother like he thought a chick fight was about to break out. “I’ve told you multiple times, it would be much easier if I arranged my own mateship based on what I think is the perfect match for me.”
The weariness in his voice told me this was an old argument.
Lettie’s expression softened. “I promise you, this is the best way. It’s tradition. And it’s tradition for a reason, because the most secure matches are ones made with your head, not your heart.”
“We did away with the old ways years ago,” Roland said from the side. Apparently everyone was listening in now. “Our children are capable of making decisions like this on their own.”
Tristall stepped up to stand shoulder to shoulder with his mate. “Royales have always done mateship differently, mostly because it’s not in our nature to be in long-term bonds. It works for overlords because of the energy we’ve absorbed from the network. But … there is less fighting … less controversy, when the bond is chosen based on mutual benefits to the two families.”
“Less love. Less passion,” I added bluntly. “Is it really necessary to accentuate our close ties to fish? Maybe we should try and be more like our Daelighter side.”
Lettie sneered at me. “You’re neither Daelighter nor fish. You are a human, one who cannot even breathe under the legreto. You get no say here.”
Her words cut, just a little … a deep paper cut. Still, I had challenged their w
ay of life, so it would be expected that she’d retaliate.
“Watch your tone, Mother,” Xander said, and I noticed how tense his back muscles were. “Avalon makes some very good points. I see the flaws in our mateship arrangements. I have told you often of those flaws. I have told you about the time I spend in the Darken home, and how it’s warm and light and affection is given freely. If I ever have young, that is the life I want them raised in. I also think we should be encouraging our people to change their way of bonding and raising families. A lot of them are not happy about our way of doing things.”
“How do you know this?” Tristall asked. “No one has mentioned anything to us.”
I edged around Xander so I could see his face. “I talk to them,” he said, some of the anger fading from his voice. “They miss their children. They want to know who their children are. Some of them have been in long-term bondings for many years, but they hide it for the shame of not changing partners often. You’re not putting the people first. If traditions are failing, we need to readdress them.”
“Enough,” Lettie barked her command. “This is personal Royale business. Now is not the time. We will pick this conversation up later.”
Xander reached out then, wrapping his arm around me, drawing me closer to his body. “That’s fine. But you need to apologize to Avalon.”
Lettie inhaled sharply. “I’ll do no such thing. I spoke only the truth.”
Tristall placed a hand on his mate’s arm. He didn’t say anything, like he knew better than to question her, but that simple gesture seemed to calm Lettie anyway. She pursed her lips, meeting my eye. “I’m sorry if my words offended you.”
I tried not to laugh, because I was sure she wouldn’t appreciate me telling her that was the worst apology ever. “Your opinion doesn’t really matter to me,” I replied honestly, since she apparently respected truthfulness. “I’m not hurt or offended.”
Her mouth dropped open and Xander let out a low rumble of laughter. With a brief nod, he turned his back on his family and half carried me to the transporter. “No one ever questions my mom,” he said, amusement lacing his words. “I should send fate some damn chocolates for bringing you into my life.”
It felt like a vise was squeezing my heart. Fate might have brought us together, but that didn’t mean we’d be able to stay together. Before I could reply, he was reaching out for one of the light strands, then we were on our way to Earth. With our friends right behind us.
The moment we stepped through the light at the end, every ounce of charm and cheer disappeared from Xander. In its place was a soldier. He planted himself in front of me and did a slow sweep of the area. Luckily, he’d allowed us to move a few feet from the ball of light, because people started pouring through after that.
“You were supposed to let some of the others go through first,” Tristall said, shaking his head at his son. “You are an overlord minor. You cannot risk yourself.”
Xander ignored his father, speaking directly to Lexen. “It’s all clear,” he said. “At least in this section.”
Tristall just threw his hands up and moved to stand with Lettie. The pair of them speaking in hurried words. They weren’t handling the new Xander very well, and I couldn’t blame them. If you’re used to controlling your child as much as they clearly were, his sudden streak of I-don’t-give-a-fuck was probably very disturbing. Another thing for his mother to hate on me about.
Lexen gestured for us to move closer. He was already pulling out a cell phone. “I’m plugging in the coordinates,” he said as we started hurrying along the rose-covered path.
By the time we were out on the main street, followed by an actual army, Lexen had found the spot. “Colombia,” he said. “Right on the border between Colombia and Ecuador.”
“Well, those are some safe countries to just be strolling in around digging holes,” Maya said, with a decent level of sarcasm.
Chase laughed. “You questioning my skills, Maya Anne? I can protect you.”
She shook her head at him. “Against an army of drug lords? Actually … you’re probably right. They’d think they were high on their own product if you shifted into a tree.”
“How are we going to get there?” Callie said. “Your private planes need a decent airstrip to land on, and a helicopter is very noisy and could bring us unwanted attention. We need … something between the two, with a lot of stealth.”
Colita popped up behind us, and as I turned I blinked at the sheer number of Daelighters there. “The human government and Daelighter council have been combining our technology,” she said in rushed whispers. “You might have noticed that the helicopter ride you took to Oregon, Maya, was over much faster than normal. Well, that was because we have a few little secrets up our sleeves.”
Maya’s eyes went very wide. “I’d never been on a helicopter before, but now that I think about it, it did move very fast. And I didn’t get scared like I normally would, because it was so smooth and airy.”
“You have an aircraft we can use?” Daniel cut in, impatience in his voice. “Where do we find it?”
A cell phone rang and Colita lifted the one she held, pressing it to her ear. “Yes. We’re in place … okay … yes, I will tell them.”
She hung up then and said, “We have an aircraft. It’s ready and waiting for you at the airfield nearby, where your private planes are. Some of our warriors and the council will follow behind in a second aircraft. Not close enough to be detected, but close enough to help you once you find the stone.” She let out a low breath. “Now you just need to convince Laous that you’re willing to trade the stone for the freedom of all Astoria’s people.”
She backed up a little, her eyes clouded with worry. “Good luck.”
18
The overlord majors remained close to us as we ventured toward the large main gates that blocked off the street. The rest of the warriors stayed back. We didn’t want to act like this was straight-out war yet. We had to get word to Laous first. As we got near the gates, I noticed a rippling in the air in front—the barrier Roland had erected to stop them from entering.
We paused for five minutes so Emma could check on her guardians, who were safely inside their house, then we continued on. “Are we just going to shout over the fence and hope Laous hears?” Callie asked when we were a dozen feet away from the shimmering barrier visible above the high wood fence.
“Someone will hear and get in contact with him,” Roland replied. “He definitely has his army stationed close to our street. There has been strain on my field.”
I loved how calm and confident Lexen’s father was. His confidence boosted my own, and God knew I needed all the boosting I could get.
Xander startled me when he took my arm and pulled me back. I wondered what was happening for a moment, until I noticed the white lights around Lexen. His body started to change, literally. It grew larger, those lights crisscrossing all over it, and I almost stumbled when wings sprang out of his back and scales appeared across his much larger face and body.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, blinking, and then blinking some more as I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing. “He’s a … a … dragon.”
So much for me playing it cool. No doubt Lettie was giving me a scathing stupid-human look, but … dragon.
Lexen turned and winked at me. “Brace yourself, Ava, you’re about to see a Draygo in action.”
Emma rolled her eyes at him, shooting me a wry grin. Lexen grinned as well, then his wings shot out and started to flap, lifting him into the air with ease.
When he was hovering just above us, he shouted out in a deep rumbling voice. “Laous!”
Storm clouds rolled in, lightning and thunder echoing across the sky that had been blue not one minute earlier. “Is Lexen doing that?” I whispered to Emma.
She shrugged. “Probably. He’s pretty good with the storm power. But it could just be Astoria. This place has the most random weather ever. It can be sunny and hot one second, and then freeze-y
our-butt-off cold ten minutes later.”
The thunder got louder, and I was pretty sure we were all thinking this was Lexen now. Scary-dragon-shifter Lexen. I couldn’t take my eyes from him, his powerful presence drawing all attention.
“Laous!”
I shivered as another blast of icy wind rushed along the street. I was still in just a shirt and shorts, and this felt like winter weather. Especially for someone used to Hawaii’s warmth.
A warm arm draped over my shoulders and I almost moaned out loud. “Daelighters run a little hotter than humans,” Xander said, settling me in close to his side.
Truer words had never been spoken. Just about everyone I’d met from their world—especially in the overlord bloodlines—was hot to the extreme, and that had nothing to do with their temperature.
The wind started really howling, Lexen’s face fiercer than I’d ever seen before. He looked like he was getting mighty pissed. “We have a treaty to discuss with you, Laous.” His words echoed out into Astoria. “Show your face before I come and find you.”
The gates slowly started to open then and I almost panicked, thinking that we were about to be charged. The barrier remained though, so hopefully this was not an attack.
Lexen lowered to the ground, his mammoth wings flapping lazily as he glided to stand at the front of the group. He shifted back into his human-looking form the moment his feet hit the pavement.
We all crowded closer, and when the gate opened further, I swallowed hard. On the other side was a large group, as large as the one we had behind us. At the forefront was a Daelighter. I knew that because of the marks on his head. He looked stouter than I’d expected, with an unmemorable face. If this was Laous, I was going to guess that this all started because he was pissed about being the ugliest duckling in his world.
“You called for me, Lexen,” he said, spreading his arms wide. Fire burst to life on either side of his body, racing up into the air in an impressive show. “Here I am, waiting for my stone to be returned to me.”