“You okay?” she whispered to me.
I gave a quick head shake, but when she opened her mouth to ask more, I shook my head again. It was too soon for me to talk about it. I just wanted to focus on the plan.
“We’re heading out now,” Lexen said, stepping away from the Royale overlords. “Tristall tells me that the stream we’re searching for is just beyond this village. Overlords live closest to the energy. That stream is their connection to the network.”
“Great,” I told him. “Let’s get this show on the road. I have a life to get back to.”
Fuck. I was being a bitch because my heart ached. My soul hurt. My mind was tired.
I was tired.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Just impatient to figure out where this stone is.”
“We understand,” Emma soothed.
They definitely understood, only they were all waiting to enjoy their eternity of being all loved up with their mates. I was just waiting to be alone in my waters again. But, before that happened, I was ready to take Laous down. I might not be getting the fairy-tale ending, but I would make sure all my friends did. I’d be satisfied if that happened.
Xander was somber when he joined us, and it hurt me to see the pain in his expression. At least I would still have my freedom after this, while his life would forever be one of duty. I hated that for him. We both deserved more.
“My father is opening the portal for us,” he said, his right hand casually sliding into his pocket. “Are you all ready to dive back into the legreto?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let’s go, then.” Xander turned, striding away without looking back. I fell in behind the others, following them out of the huge living area and into another long hallway. This one was darker.
“Where did Dawn go?” I whispered to Maya, who was just in front of me.
Her long dark hair whipped around as she tilted her head toward me. “She had to go home. To Donovan.”
My teeth clinked together and I ground them. She’d said she only had an hour, and from what Xander told me, any disobedience….
I refused to even think about it. Unfortunately, Xander’s sister didn’t have the same option.
There had to be a way to help her, I might not be able to fix my situation, but someone had to fix hers. Surely having parents as powerful as hers….It was better if they knew. Maybe this one time, politics would not win.
I would have told them right then and there, but I was scared that I might make the situation even worse for her. But I would not forget her need. Sooner or later, something had to change for her.
“Avalon….”
The way he said my name brought me back to reality. I stumbled forward, realizing everyone else had gone. Xander had come back for me. “I need to put the breathing chamber around your face again,” he said, watching me closely.
“Oh, right.” I stepped closer to him. “I was just thinking … about Dawn.”
That fire flared in his eyes again. “She’s never far from my mind lately. I’m going to exhaust every political channel I can to help her, and if all of that fails, well … I might just have to take my chances with the beast.”
“Your parents have to be able to do something!”
Xander shook his head. “Dawn thinks she’s strong enough to handle it and has made it very clear to me that she doesn’t want anyone choosing between protecting her and protecting our people. The only reason I know is because I randomly stopped by her pod. She thought I was on Earth.”
“Please tell me you smacked him in the mouth,” I said harshly.
A wry grin tipped up one corner of Xander’s lips. “Broke his nose and fractured his jaw in three places. He couldn’t eat or speak for weeks, even with accelerated healing.” Xander let out a dark laugh. “I was worried at first that he’d take it out on Dawn, but she said he barely even cared. Violence means nothing to him, it’s just a normal way of life. He believes that his strength gives him the right to control my sister, to use that against her. And because Dawn is refusing my help, I’m in a shitty position. I don’t want to be as bad as him, taking her choices away from her—she’s one of the strongest caraminas I know—but she shouldn’t have to handle this on her own.”
“I’ll help you.” The words burst from me, filled with fire and conviction. Just like Xander, I couldn’t let this go. “Let’s deal with the secret keeper stuff first, then we’ll figure out what to do for Dawn.”
Xander captured my hand. “It’s nice to have someone other than my brothers at my back.”
I knew he meant the overlords. They were so important to Xander, and it was nice to be grouped with them. Even though I wanted to be so much more.
