by Jaymin Eve
“We just wanted to check in on you,” Marsil said, distracting me from my ogling. “Do you have everything you need?”
Warmth filled my chest. It had been a long time since anyone had checked in on me like this. I was finding I could grow quite accustomed to the caring this family showed me.
“Thanks, I’m all good. Uh…” I flicked my head back toward the bed. “Someone left what looks like a knitting kit on my bed, and some books.” Truly the perfect things to keep me occupied.
The brothers exchanged a look, returning their gaze to me. “Wasn’t us,” Jero said. “And Star didn’t mention that when she said she was bringing you clothes and bathroom stuff.”
Which left only one other Daelighter, one who no doubt knew I was going to struggle to sleep tonight and had provided me with something to occupy my mind. Damn Lexen. Damn him being so thoughtful. The asshole box that I had been stubbornly keeping him in was slipping away. No longer could I hold on to those feelings of animosity toward him. But I needed to … I couldn’t fall for him. We were from different worlds. He was going to be the leader of his house. He was an entire universe out of my league.
“Well, well, well, looks like Lexen might just be on team human now,” Jero said, amusement crinkling his eyes. He had deduced the same thing as me. Lexen was the only one who could have left that basket.
“It can’t work, and … and I don’t even care.” The words slipped out, my thoughts unable to be contained any longer.
A blush stole across my cheeks. I could feel the heat, and as my embarrassment grew, so did Marsil and Jero’s grins.
“Shut up,” I snarled, sticking my tongue out at them and stepping back to firmly shut the door. I dropped my head against the wood panel as their laughter echoed through to me. I stayed like that until I felt the warmth leave my cheeks, then I slowly made my way back to the bed. I crawled up onto it, the thick pillow-top of the mattress cushioning me fully.
I was going to struggle to stay awake, but the thought of my dreams … of reliving the smell and feel of the fire … of reliving my parents’ death … I couldn’t go through that tonight. I just couldn’t.
Hooking a hand into a handle on the basket, I dragged it closer. Inside were a few different knitting needles. They had a slight curve to both ends, but I was pretty sure with a little practice I could use them. The wool was … not wool, but seemed to knit similarly. I didn’t have any great plan in mind, I just wanted to keep occupied, so I started with a square pattern.
There was no way for me to tell time here. I couldn’t see anything that resembled a clock in the room – no doubt they used something different to measure their days anyway – so I guessed I’d been knitting for an hour when I ran out of the blue thread.
Needing a break, I dropped my half-finished project into the basket, picking up the three paperbacks that were in there too. I didn’t recognize any of the stories, so I chose the one with the cover that appealed to me the most. I was a bit of a cover snob; the “not judging a book by its cover” thing was not something I’d ever been good at.
I chose a fantasy story, with bright imagery of dragons, fire, and waterfalls.
Laying my head back, I got comfortable and started to read. I was five chapters in before I realized it, and when that fact registered I took a second to be grateful for books. They were a magic that could not be replicated, even when I was actually in a fantasy world. The escape they offered, it was priceless. It had saved me so many times, and I knew I wasn’t the only one. When my parents died, most of my friends handed me suicide-crisis-line numbers. The rest ignored me, preferring not to deal with it. Not one had told me to pick up a book. That should have been their first piece of advice.
I managed to make it another few chapters before my heavy eyes won, and…
It’s so hot. I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breathe? The smoke chokes me. Slithering into every part of my body until I feel like I’m dying. I crawled with desperation, unable to see, unable to breathe. Searching for them. Hissing as embers bit into my exposed flesh. As smoke and heat charred my throat and lungs.
I rolled across my bedroom floor, crying out again as more flickers of fire bubbled my skin. Coughs rocked through me, my lungs screaming for air. I dragged myself, busting through the door to my room, ending up in the hallway of the upper level.
The sound of a fight registered in my hazy mind. I was only just aware enough to know that the sobs belonged to my mother. She always gasped like that when she was devastated.
Dad! Something must have happened to Dad. But who was she arguing with?
My crawl slowed, then a scream ripped through the air, jolting me, and I found myself screaming with it. That scream had been my mom, a call of pain, a cry of death.
I jolted upright, my own screams dying on my lips as tears relentlessly fell down my cheeks. I attempted to lift my hands to scrub at my face and throat, trying to dispel the smoke that always seemed to linger. But I couldn’t move them. I was being held in someone’s arms, and as soon as I felt that firm hand stroking up and down my spine, I relaxed into him.
“The fire again?” Lexen said, his voice low and rough.
I pressed my face harder into his chest, trying to stem the tears and calm my heart.
“Yes,” I mumbled. “But there was more this time. It’s like … an extra memory unlocked. My mom, she was crying and arguing with someone. Then she screamed.” I pulled back to stare up into his dark eyes. “I was on the top floor. The building was completely ablaze. There was no way I could have survived without help. No way.”
His grip tightened on me, that hand on my spine pulling me closer.
My chest heaved and I fought against the nausea rising within me. I really didn’t want to vomit on Lexen. “Someone murdered them. The fire … it wasn’t natural. Which of the houses can control fire?”
Darkness fell like a heavy sheen across his face. “Darken – but not all of us. I’m the only one at the moment who can control draygone fire, and I promise you it wasn’t me. Not to mention that sort of flame would have incinerated your house instantly.” Before I could assure him that I’d never suspected his family – they were far too nice – he continued, “The other house with ties to fire is Imperial. They control the land beneath. The underworld. Their domain is the land of death, and they can control the eternal fire.”
I blinked a few times, wrinkling my nose. “The underworld? Like hell?”
Lexen shook his head, the slightest of smiles curving his full lips, although he didn’t exactly look happy. “It’s not as you’re probably imagining. This is a land of judgment. Your soul will be judged at death, and depending on what is found, you can be reborn, or you go into the Cascading Justices. Where you end up after that is up to you.”
“How do the living go there?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around this place he was describing. My family was not religious, but I still understood the concept of heaven and hell. This underworld business was a little more outside of my knowledge base.
“Think of the Greek underworld,” Lexen started to explain. “River Styx and the ferryman. House of Imperial are the ferrymen. They hold the key to entering, and they can do so without having to die. They control the gates and the transporter. They use these powers to keep the souls from doing what they are not supposed to. Going where they are not allowed. From—”
“Escaping?” I supplied.
He nodded. “Yes, there are some who know they’re not going to fare well in the justices, so they try to escape.”
My body brushed against his and I realized how close we were lying together on the bed. Lexen had a shirt on, but I could still feel every one of his rigid chest muscles pressing into my chest. My nipples, which were only secured in this thin sleep shirt, were saluting the world and letting all of us know they were happy with their current position.
I couldn’t bring myself to pull away, choosing to remain wrapped all cozy-like in the darkness. “I was afraid to go to sleep.�
� My voice was a low whisper. “I knew the dream would—” All that emerged after that was a croak, so I swallowed roughly.
Lexen surprised me when he brushed one of my long strands of hair out of my face. “I tried to wake you.” The low rumble of his voice had my disloyal body reacting even further. “But there was no way to bring you out of the dream. You only calmed down when I climbed in and held you.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I was worried you would hurt yourself. You were thrashing around a lot.”
Rational thought dropped away and instinct took over. I wrapped my arms around him, needing to show how grateful I was. “Thank you. I don’t know why you’re the one who keeps getting stuck with me during these moments, but I promise I’m not normally this broken.” I pulled away before things got uncomfortable. “It’s just been a long week. I’m not handling it very well.”
He pressed his hand into my spine one more time, sending flashes of heat low in my body. I almost rocked forward to try and relieve the pressure building inside of me. I managed to stop myself only because he released me and swung his long legs over the side of the bed. I watched, unable to look away. When he was standing, he met my gaze. “You’re handling it better than most humans,” he said, sounding much more serious than he had before. “You’re actually making a pretty compelling case for the treaty at this point in time. Your government should thank you.”
I swallowed roughly, knowing he was going to leave, but unable to think of anything to say that might keep him here. “Well,” I began awkwardly, “thanks again. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He held out a hand and I stared at it stupidly, wondering what he wanted me to do. He didn’t move, standing there hand out before him. I tentatively reached out, placing my palm against his. When his fingers wrapped around mine, I was pulled up and off the bed in a flash, Lexen catching me when I would have fallen, before he set me on my feet.
He wrapped one arm around me. “Come on, I need sleep. I have to be overlord minor tomorrow. You’re coming with me. I can keep a closer eye on you if we’re in the same room.”
My rapid blinking probably made it look like I was having a seizure, but I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying. “You have another bed in your room here too?” I wheezed out.
Lexen shook his head, starting to walk and half dragging me along with him. “No, we’re going to have to share. I’ll figure something out for tomorrow night.”
“Share!” I tried to ground to a halt, but he was much stronger than me. When he realized I wasn’t walking, he let me go. We faced each other in the hallway.
“Yes, we’re going to share. I don’t bite or snore. Even better, I don’t have dreams to scare the shit out of you, dragging you from a deep sleep.”
Ah, there he was, my … the arrogant alien. “Apologies, Overlord Minor, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
He laughed, confusing me with his mood. Was he upset or happy that my screaming woke him?
“Overlord minor is my official title, and I hate it. I’ll be the overlord major one day, when my father is ready to step down. It’s not a position I want. It’s not one I asked for. But there’s very little choice in the matter for me.”
“Do Jero, Marsil, and Star have titles?” It was fascinating learning of this new form of monarchy.
He gave me a little nudge and my feet automatically started moving, following him along the hall again.
He answered me as we walked: “Marsil is next in line after me. He’s admiral major. Jero is admiral minor. Both of these positions have official duties, mostly to do with the warriors and the war between the houses. We’ve had peace for only just over a hundred years – since the treaty. It was part of the reason we formed a bond with Earth.
“Star is the youngest, so she doesn’t have an official title. Fourth in line has no title, but if she had been first in line, born with the marks, she would be the overlord minor. It has nothing to do with male and female here, and everything to do with order of birth.” I was extra glad to hear that. “Mother is the matriarch. An overlord rules with his matriarch. Together. A true partnership.”
I was so caught up in learning about his world that I didn’t even notice that we’d left the hallway and were now standing in his room. Beside his bed. Which was even larger and more comfortable looking than mine. The ivory blanket was rumpled from where Lexen had no doubt jumped up when I screamed. He dropped down onto his side and I remained standing there, staring down at the wide expanse he had left for me.
“Get in the bed, Emma,” he all but growled. “Don’t make me throw you in here.”
I snorted, glad his normal attitude was back. It helped me move past the nerves of sleeping next to a guy. I’d never slept in the same bed as anyone before, except my parents when I was a young child.
He might not snore, but I had no idea if I did. Shit. With my luck … I definitely snored.
“Emma…” he growled again.
Straightening my shoulders, I was about to gingerly slide into the bed when Lexen froze, his body going unnaturally rigid, eyes focusing on something behind me. I wasn’t sure whether I should say something or not – I quickly glanced behind to make sure there were no bugs – and thankfully he snapped out of it before I had to decide what to do. Leaping from the bed, he quickly crossed toward a nearby door, and when he opened it I got a glimpse of rows of clothing. He disappeared inside. Meanwhile, I was still in my position at the side of his bed, wondering what the hell had just happened.
Just as quickly as he’d disappeared into his huge cupboard, he reemerged fully dressed in worn, dark-denim jeans, and what looked like a ribbed, black, fitted Henley-style shirt. He also wore boots.
“Uh, going somewhere?” I asked, my forehead wrinkling as I took in his fully clothed form.
He had a thick dark garment in his hands, and when he tossed it my way I managed to catch it.
“Put that on, we have to go out for a bit,” he said, running a hand through his hair, leaving it in a messy disarray on top, sexy and tousled without even trying. Mine probably looked like someone had dragged me backwards through a hedge.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice muffled as I pulled the thick sweater down over my head. It was miles too big for me, hanging almost to mid-thigh, and it smelled delicious, like the combination of whatever they washed their clothes in here, and Lexen.
No answer, and by the time I had vision of the room again I realized I was alone. Lexen’s door was open. Did he just leave me? What the hell was the point of the sweater, then?
Just as my temper started to make itself known, along with some worry because whatever was going on was random and had taken him by surprise, he reappeared in his doorway, my tennis shoes in his hands. Every ounce of annoyance inside of me disappeared and I felt like an idiot.
But seriously, that was way more thoughtful than I’d expected.
“Thank you,” I murmured when he handed them to me. “Now can you tell me where we’re going? Remember the dog conversation…?”
The starlight in his eyes glowed as he said, “I just got a message from friends of mine. I need to meet them, and I don’t want to leave you alone here.”
I paused, halfway through pulling a shoe on. “Is everything okay?”
Lexen nodded. “Yeah, we just have to be careful with our communications. Better to meet in person.”
All very cloak and dagger in the world of the Daelighters. I was intrigued, and glad he wasn’t going to leave me behind.
Lexen led me out the bedroom door and along the hallway. We ended up going down multiple flights of stairs, until we ended up in a small basement-style room. It was freezing down here, and I snuggled into the sweater, keeping my hands in the wool-lined pockets.
“This is one of the older transporters,” Lexen explained as he closed the door, turning me toward the flickering ball of light near the back, a duplicate of the one we had taken from Earth to Overworld. “We don’t have many permanent transporters
left, just this one and the one on the main platform between the four lands. Generally, if we need to travel, we just engage the network for a temporary transport. I only use these permanent ones when I need to hide my movements, since tapping into the network leaves a trace behind.”
I blinked a few times as I said, “Twelve percent of what you just said made sense to me. But do whatever you need to.”
He stared at me for an extended moment, the light of the nearby transporter flickering over his face. Then he stepped into me; all breath halted in my chest, rattling around in there, unable to be released because my lungs weren’t functioning.
“You ready?” he murmured, those dark as sin eyes burning through me.
I managed to nod. He took my hand, reaching out for one of the glowing strands of light. Just like last time, we were sucked through, hurtling along time and space … or whatever. I still had to close my eyes at the end, almost definitely sure this time I was going to end up dead by slamming into a wall.
We survived, and the moment my eyelids popped open I sucked in a breath. We were back on the platform, the one we had arrived on earlier this day. The sky was now lit in a twilight glow, bright enough to still see the three large shadows waiting off to the side for us. As Lexen released my hand, he leaned down. “Stay by my side,” he murmured in my ear. “This should be a quick meeting.”
A sense of déjà vu struck me as we walked closer, and it didn’t take me long to figure out where it came from. The entire scene here reminded me of my first night with the Darkens, when Lexen had had his clandestine meeting with three hulking, shadowy dudes. A spike of fear hit me as my mind went back to that night. It was still odd that I’d been so worried about my kidnapper, but Lexen had been under my skin even then.
He was relaxed at the moment, so I took a cue from him and pushed my unease to the side. I was interested to see who he’d been meeting with. As we got closer I recognized the blond-headed male standing with his arms crossed. His very impressive arms, muscles bulging out. He rivaled Lexen in size, and I could see every one of his muscles because he wore no clothes except a pair of soft looking shorts.