He sent more heat along my body. “The network does cross into Earth, thanks to the permanent transporter. But we’re much weaker here. In fact, most Daelighters have no power on Earth at all. Overlord families carry a lot of their own energy inside. As long as we connect with the network on occasion to recharge, we’re always pretty strong.”
“Does everyone in your house have the same fire power?”
“A small measure of it,” Daniel told me. “But it’s nothing compared to the energy I control. Each of the houses has a specialty, something which ties them closer to a certain part of the network. Darken can control electricity and storms, like lightning. Royale has control over legreto; the water is theirs to call and shape. Leights are all about nature. They have a hybrid side that they share with the trees – which is a formidable weapon…” I was trying to picture how they could “hybrid” with the trees, but I had no idea what he meant. Hopefully one day I’d get to see it in person. “And Imperial is all about the fire. As you’ve seen.”
“So, overlords are very strong, but the rest of your house has only small amounts of power…”
He nodded. “Pretty much.” His hand lifted to run across his marks. “These symbols give us extra power. They allow us to channel much more of the network without being overwhelmed.”
That explained the strength and lethality that Daniel exuded. Before I could ask anything more, he steered me further down the street, picking up our pace.
“We should stop at my house and grab you a coat,” he said, his fingers wrapping around my forearm, branding more heat into me. “Keep you warm until you get a uniform.”
I nodded, even though I was feeling quite heated all of a sudden.
My coffee was long gone, but I still held the cup in the hope it would be refilled at some point. We continued along the most picturesque street I had ever seen – rose bushes, chirping birds, pruned hedges, huge mansions with gates and landscaped gardens.
“This is Daelight Crescent,” Daniel told me. “This is the spot where humans and Daelighters coexist. It’s actually the location which is closest between our two worlds. That’s why the permanent transporter is here.”
As I opened my mouth to ask which mansions were occupied by humans, I noticed the tiny rundown shacks. They were grouped together, starting about halfway down the street, on the opposite side to the mansions.
I jerked to a halt; his hand released me. “Please don’t tell me that you make the humans livethere?” I said, pointing, anger giving my words a ragged sound.
His gaze flashed across there for a beat, before it came back to me. “Yes, it’s not something I agreed with, but this was all put in place long before I was part of the world. As you’ve already discovered, it’s not in the best interest of humans to interact with Daelighters. It’s dangerous, but part of the treaty states that we must mingle our two people. This was the compromise. We rent to those who will not ask too many questions, who will obey the rules, rules which are in place to keep them safe. We’ve never had an issue with this until Emma moved in. She’s not a fan of rules.”
Something else I had in common with my fellow secret keeper.
“You’re trying to tell me that part of the reason you treat humans like shit is because you’re protecting them…?”
Daniel shrugged. “Sounds bad when you put it like that.”
I snorted, amused despite my irritation. “It’s bad, whatever way you put it. But…” Now it was my turn to choose my words carefully. “But … I do sort of understand. Most of the time, I feel like I’m way out of my league, living in a dream world. Once you get a taste for that sort of life, it’s hard to walk away.”
Daniel acknowledged this with a nod. “There have been cases of addiction,” he confirmed. “The energy within us is attractive to humans. Some of my fellow Imperials have had to be reprimanded about overstepping boundaries with human girls. Obsession can get ugly fast.”
He wasn’t kidding. “Would that happen to me?” I asked, suddenly wondering if that might explain mythingwith Daniel.
“No,” he said without pause. “You’re not a normal human. You can hold your own with us.”
Well … relief on one hand, but on the other … still feeling a little obsessed and no explanation for it. Turning back to the mansion side, I had to shake my head at the sheer opulence. Did these aliens understand the meaning of overkill?
“Are you all rich?” I asked with a sigh. Logically, I knew money wasn’t everything, but did they have to have money, amazing looks, height, intelligence, cool light transporters, everlasting life…? Come on, share the gifts, people … aliens.
“In terms of human currency, then yes, all Daelighters have millions. The overlord families have billions. We could literally buy the human world, which is something your leaders do not realize. We have investments and interests in almost every industry. We hide them within shell corporations.”
I blinked a few times at him. Not only did he just saybillions,which was a number too big for me to contemplate, he was also sharing the sort of information that Daelighters would no doubt kill to keep.
“You trust me?” I blurted. For the first time, I wondered if this pull I felt to Daniel went two ways. Did he think of me as more than just a burden he’d been stuck with? A forced friend?
Daniel captured my hand, pulling me to a stop. I stumbled into him, our bodies pressing close, and I almost closed my eyes at the delicious warmth seeping into me. When I realized he was speaking, I forced myself to pay attention.
“I do trust you. I can feel your intentions through our bond.”Say what?I didn’t know he could do that; I certainly didn’t feel his intentions or emotions coming back. But maybe that was a good thing. I was pretty new to this “feelings” thing and was barely handling my own.
“I won’t lie to you about anything,” he continued. “I hope that even when we’ve reached the point of being able to be separated for long periods of time, you’ll still always rely on me … come to me when you need someone in your corner. We’re going to be tied together forever.” He paused, and I held my breath waiting for his next words. I needed to hear them. “We’re still getting to know each other, but … I’ve been alone most of my life, never able to rely on another Daelighter. It feels a lot like fate thatthisbond fell in my lap.”
My chest was really tight; we had grown up so similarly. Always alone. Always searching for something. “You can rely on me, Daniel. You can trust me.”
As soon as the words left my lips, I felt the real truth behind them. Daniel had done everything to prove he was an honorable being, and I would make sure I lived up to that in my actions with him. His thumb brushed my cheek and my body trembled. He broke contact with me, almost roughly, before he turned to walk again. But he kept hold of my hand.
