Page 24 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

Ten

JANELLE LAID CALMLYon the bed in the Garden Room, staring up at the ceiling. She had plotted every scenario on how to escape. When she was strapped to that chair, Janelle felt helpless; she wasn’t the same after Elijah had used magic to invade her mind. As much as she tried to push him out of her dream state, he was stronger. He trapped her mind and memories in a cage she so desperately attempted to claw herself out of. He had seen some of her innermost secrets.

Was it enough? she wondered. Was it enough for him to stop asking questions?

She reminded herself her silence was to protect her brother and her future.

Janelle also knew that she had nowhere to go. If she went back to Kieran, she would lose her freedom again, but to a man who would hurt her. One thing was certain about Elijah; he was nothing like the monster she was told about. The coven warned her that Elijah would beat, rape, and bind her to a life of pain if she were to get caught. But he hadn’t. He wasn’t gentle by any means, but he never hurt her. Not like that.

She ran her hand down her face and looked out the window to the sea. The cold air seeped through the glass and the iron bars; she could taste forbidden freedom—a life she would never have again. Behind the closed doors of Elijah’s palace or in the bed of her enemy, she was still a prisoner. One who could run from her fate to gain her freedom, but by doing that, she would risk Aiden’s life—the only family she had left.

Janelle sat bolt upright as the bedroom door swung open. Elijah stood under the door frame, leaning against the wooden siding with his arms folded across his chest.

“What is it?” she asked, a little agitation in her tone. She had given Elijah the answers he wanted, but the asshole still locked her up.

Elijah stood silent, staring at her with that unnerving gaze, making something twist in her gut.

“The crew will be here tomorrow night,” he said in a low, calming voice. “Once the Kroneon is in my hands, we will be in more danger than we already are. It will only be a matter of time before the sorcerers come for it here.”

“What are we supposed to do with it then?” she asked. “We can’t keep the weapon, Elijah. It belongs to the coven. Not—”

“I know,” Elijah said, cutting her off. He shifted on his heel and leaned back against the wall. “There is a heavy storm coming through, which can buy us some time. We need to prepare my kingdom, but we cannot venture outside our land to bring it to Kieran. Not yet.”

She nodded.

“The crew will stay here for a few days, and then we can orchestrate a plan to get this weapon back to him without them killing us first.”

She nodded again. It was the right thing to do. It didn’t belong to the crew or the Zemiran king. If anyone could send that creature back, it was Kieran. But Kieran still wanted Elijah dead and to take claim over his military. They had to think like Kieran to pull off any plan they used against him.

“I need you to be safe, Janelle,” he said. Her lips parted, wondering why he even cared about her safety. “You won’t be returning to that man.”

She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find her words.

“Janelle,” he said, stepping toward her. “Were you really going to kill me?”

What a stupid question, she thought.

“Elijah, I’m pretty good at what I do; I was just a little distracted.” She cleared her throat. “Of course, I was going to kill you.”

A small smile edged his lips. “Why were you distracted?”

I am not going to answer that and feed his ego, she thought. She knew what he was doing.

“If you’re fishing for a compliment, you will not get one from me. Your magic was more powerful than what they had warned me about, that’s all. It caught me off guard.” Her chin turned up, trying to appear braver than she felt. “The Newick gem was my only hope of taking you down, but—”

“But you gave up?”

She turned fully around and scowled at him. “Gave up?”

Now he was agitating her even further.

“Well,” he said, raising a brow. “You didn’t seem to put up much of a fight once I was on top of you.” He gave her a cocky smile. “Grinding my hips into yours.”

Her jaw dropped in shock, but she snapped it shut immediately.

“Are you saying I don’t know how to defend myself?”

Elijah smiled again and moved away from the door frame, moving into the room with slow, easy steps. His body was loose as if daring her to try something.

---