Page 29 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

She needed to turn her head away from his penetrating stare; all it did was cause her to lose focus on everything she had planned out in her head before he came into the room.

“You lied to me,” he said, suddenly moving forward. He didn’t touch her that time, only placed his palms flush to the wall on each side of her head, boxing her in. He looked down, her eyes immediately flicking to his lips as he ran his tongue over them, making them glint with moisture in the soft light.

“Did I?” she said, looking back up to meet his stone-cold gaze.

He leaned in further, face still stony and unmoving, but his hips were pinning hers and slowly easing her legs wider around him. Their bodies were flush, every inch, creating some unexpected sensations. The most obvious one was something firm digging into the crease of her soft hip.

Is he really aroused right now? she thought.

“Please, Elijah,” she said, glancing down, “put that thing away.” She tried to make herself sound derisive and disinterested, but she was sure it came out more hitched and breathy.

Perhaps she was just a wilting princess after all.

For a moment, she thought about grabbing the watering can full of poison and throwing its contents in his smug face. That would render him helpless for once.

Elijah’s lips curled up as he slid his hand between them, his knuckles grazing over the sensitive crease at the top of her thigh as he grabbed hold and adjusted himself. He moved just slightly, leaning back until their hips were not quite touching.

“Sorry, darling. I had a beautiful, blue-haired fairy in my arms earlier tonight behind a tavern. The memory is proving to be distracting.”

Annabelle? she wondered.

Something sharp and hot rushed through her at the image. Jealousy? It couldn’t be. She hated the prick with every fiber of her being. Why should she care if he mounted some Fae over a pile of garbage before he came into the room?

Wait, did he fuck Annabelle to get her to confess? she then wondered.

“What did she tell you?” Janelle asked. Annabelle was her friend, but loyalties only go so far when your life is in the hands of a magical king.

“You know very well what she told me,” he said, but didn’t look angry. He looked sad, upset even.

“How did you know about Annabelle?” she asked.

Elijah smirked. “I don’t know why I didn’t connect the pieces right away. You lived in the Eastland Forest, and so did she. It wasn’t news that Annabelle had been a frequent visitor to the palace when I first became king. And to this day, she is the only woman I brought inside my bedroom. Annabelle knew the castle’s layout and exactly where I slept. She also knew her way around the underground tunnel that leads right to that tavern.” He bit his bottom lip, his nostrils flaring. For a moment, Janelle thought he would lash out at her.

“Two weeks you were in the city?” he started again. That time, his voice came out more controlled, even though she could tell he was fighting through his temper as his blue eyes darkened. “You were in Zemira for two fucking weeks.” He eased up, creating a small space between them. “I was right as to why I’ve lost so much sleep lately. That Newick gem was within reach, calling to me, right outside these palace walls as you studied the layout on how to reach me without being seen.”

He dropped his hands and stepped back. His face grew serious, all his previous playfulness drained from the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “Hybrids, Janelle? How is that even possible?”

“It was never impossible, Elijah. Our species has always been forbidden to mix bloodlines, but it was never impossible.”

“And you?” he said, his voice taking on a softer tone. “You’re going to be forced to create them with that man from your dream?”

She nodded.

No reason to hide it now, she thought.

“I knew if I told you or Aiden, he would get hurt. Elijah, I know what Aiden would do if he found out I would be forced to marry a man and bear his children. He would leave this place on a hero mission without thinking of the repercussions.”

Elijah shook his head. “I would never allow that to happen. I told you before, I will protect the both of you.”

A long silence stretched out between them.

“I don’t believe you care enough,” she said.

She waited for his response; her heart thumping so hard she felt it in her ears. She wanted him to care, but she didn’t believe he was capable of it.

Elijah didn’t answer, and she felt that his silence spoke volumes. She tried to shake the fog of strange arousal from her mind and focus on what was real. His steely gaze, his muscular chest and masculine scent, the feeling of being small and protected whenever he towered over her. Janelle reminded herself those were nothing but distractions—Elijah was still the enemy.

---