House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)

Lexen joined us then, seeming more relaxed now that he wasn’t wearing his leader hat. “We don’t know the timeframe yet,” he reminded his sister. He stood taller, looking right at home among the opulence of this world.

I would never have guessed from what I saw of him on Earth, but here it was abundantly clear: Lexen was trained and groomed to lead. The way he took charge, carried himself, spoke to the other Darken members…

I kind of missed his bastard side. He had been real. Here … I got the mask. I wasn’t sure I liked it. Nothing to do with you, my inner voice tried to remind me, but it didn’t change my feelings.

Our group was silent as we continued through the town. A lot of inhabitants were scurrying around, still surprising me with how similar our species were. The Daelighters were like Hollywood-spec humans, tall and beautiful.

I got a few glances from the locals, but my companions were the ones receiving the majority of attention. Also salutes – or a version similar enough that I was going with it. Lexen got bowed to. A lot. The Daelighters who crossed his path would place both of their palms flat on their forehead, one hand overlapping the other, and then they would bow very low to him.

Lexen would return the gesture with a simple head nod.

This process continued on and on. I was so fascinated that I missed the rest of the town. By the time I noticed my surroundings again we had reached their home. Well, the large gates outside it, carved from a different material, one which looked more like the outside of this mountain: a smoky, opal-colored crystal.

Lexen pressed his hand to the gate – the entire property was fenced – and said something in their language. The barrier opened immediately and we all stepped inside. I was surprised by the lack of security, especially after the overkill in Astoria.

“Does everyone speak English here?” I asked as we stepped inside, the crystal barrier silently closing behind us.

“Ever since the first signing of the treaty,” Lexen said, disarming me with his full attention again.

“Does anyone on Earth know … your language?” How intertwined were our worlds? How could no one know about this?

“Dray,” Lexen filled in the blank. “All houses use the original language of the Draygo people. There are a few representatives on Earth that understand it, but since, for the most part, we’re not known about by humans, there’s no reason for them to learn.”

I kind of wanted to learn it, but no doubt my mouth and vocal cords would struggle to form the melodic Dray words. I couldn’t sing for crap, and it sounded musical to me.

Lexen was the first to walk again, leading us along a path toward a white building.

Okay, building was a vast understatement. It was more like a resort, widely spread, square-shaped, with towering wings and lots of windows. The details were hazy from this distance, so I focused instead on the gardens surrounding us on either side. There were so many plants, huge trees, flower-filled garden beds. It could have been cluttered, having so much crammed in, but it just seemed cozy and tranquil. The scents … they were almost overwhelming, their sweet natural perfume filling the air.

It seemed a miracle to see an area so lush and natural on the inside of a mountain, but considering I flew here on a dragon carpet, anything was possible. The energy of the dragons kept things powered here. The warmth and light from that burning dragon fire, so high above us, did have a sun feel to it.

It took a long time to reach their home. Unlike a lot of the other structures under here, it was not made of the silver-diamond stone. It looked like … I reached for my necklace, pulling it free from where it had been tucked in my shirt. I rarely took it off, not even for tortu … gym class.

“What is this stone?” I asked, my voice low. “The one your house is made of?”

Star’s hand zipped out and grabbed my pendant, bringing it closer and almost strangling me in the process. “How do you have starslight stone? It’s a rare mineral which falls from our sky—”

She looked to her brothers for help.

“Like a meteorite, falling from space,” Marsil filled in for her. “This stone is not natural to our land, but we collect it every time it falls from above. It has a strong natural energy and can be used to power many things.”

“Like the stone in the treaty with Earth?” I confirmed what Lexen had told me earlier. The others looked surprised, but recovered quickly.

“Yes,” Star exclaimed, as she finally released me. “The exact same one.”

I shook my head, trying to piece all the information together. “How would my mother possess a necklace made from this stone?” Could it have fallen to Earth as well? Even if it did, why would my parents have it? They were definitely not into anything space-like.

Part of me was freaking out at what possible answers I was going to get. I adored my parents more than anything else in the world. Could I handle having their memories tainted by learning they had kept some huge truth from me.

Jero, uncharacteristically somber, reached out and lifted the chain too, gentler than his sister had. “This rock has never landed on Earth. I can tell you that for a fact. The only piece there is the one gifted as part of our treaty. It’s extra special. It has a literal beating heart which calms your world.”

“What did you say your parents did again?” Lexen interrupted.

“Accountant and school teacher,” I replied without hesitation.

“Did you ever go to their work?” Lexen pressed. “See them do these jobs?”

My reply died on my tongue as I thought about his question. I hadn’t actually ever gone to their work, but Mom had shown me tests from her class, and pictures of students.

“They did not lie to me,” I finally said. “They wouldn’t lie to me about something as huge as that.”

A darkness flittered across Lexen’s face. I couldn’t pull my gaze from his, locked on to the intensity. “Humans lie all the time, Emma. It is something we noticed from our very first interactions. They lie for a multitude of reasons, mostly to protect themselves, or to protect others.”

My breathing was harsh as I tried to calm my racing pulse. “Are you saying my family was involved in this treaty? That they hid everything from me in a bid to protect me? And that your world might have something to do with why they died?” My rushed words were just below a shout by the time I finished, chest heaving.

Star stepped forward and I could finally look away from the harsh planes of Lexen’s face. “I’m so sorry, Emma. I promise we’ll find out everything we can,” she said, her usual hug coming my way.

I squeezed my eyes as tightly as I could, not wanting to break down. I had been holding it together, but the moment her arms wrapped me up so firmly, the sympathy in her words cracked through my control.

“Star, let her go,” Lexen said, softer than he usually spoke.

I was released a beat later. Star’s eyes were glassy as if she’d been trying not to cry too. I was waiting for Lexen to pretend that my emotional breakdown wasn’t happening, but he surprised me. “Star is right, I will find out what happened to your family. There’s a reason the council is so interested in keeping you safe. A reason they’ve let you into our world – insisted on it actually. We’ll find out exactly what’s going on.”

I swallowed roughly, my throat seizing up. “Thank you,” I managed to get out. “Nothing can bring my parents back, I know that, but I’ve been struggling with closure. Acceptance. Maybe more information will help.”

I had never been able to let it rest, the fire continuing to haunt me. I figured it was a timing thing, as in I needed more time to heal, but maybe there was something more.

“My babies!”

We all turned toward the large, white, double doors we had been standing a few feet from. They were half open and a tall, slender brunette woman was dashing through them. Her face was lit up and I felt the love pouring from her as she threw her arms around Lexen. He hugged her back tightly, looking younger and more relaxed than usual.