With every pull from his hand, her body lit up, letting out a bright light of power.

“You need to stop, Janelle. It will sense your magic,” the man said, touching her face as if to calm her, but she yanked away from him. She was afraid of the blue-eyed man whose possessive hold drove Elijah to explode with rage inside his mind.

“Janelle, stop!” he cried again as the sun around them dimmed, and a shadow covered the land. The shadow moved, but not with any objects. It moved as an entity of its own.

“Elijah, get us out of here!” she cried, her fingers prying at the man’s hold.

The shadow screeched, moving quickly through the field before it manifested into a solid form. The eyes turned red, and a mouth opened wide. As Janelle’s white light pulled from her body, the earth vibrated under their feet. The creature sucked it out of her and into its mouth, growing in size as the light magic was consumed and flickered into darkness.

“Elijah! Please, get us out!” she cried again; her voice wracked with desperation.

Elijah quickly dropped the pendant, their eyes both opening back to the cell he locked her in.

He gently wiped away the tears that poured down her damp cheeks. Hurt sparkled within her eyes at what he had done to her. Even if he fought it with all his might, his gaze could not leave hers.

Elijah stood and stepped back, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just witnessed.

“Janelle,” he said, and she looked up, “there’s something that you and I need to discuss.”