Page 25 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

“I saw a little taste of that power of yours. You could have used your magic. But you didn’t.”

“My magic is unpredictable,” she said quickly as she took a slow, steady step backward.

It was the truth. Janelle’s powers were not a toy she played with whenever she wanted, unlike Elijah, who used his magic as if he needed it to breathe.

Elijah’s handsome stare as he stepped forward into her space caused her stomach to flip. She was a warrior, always poised and ready to fight. Elijah seemed to excel at making her feel wrong-footed, and it was beginning to wear on her.

Is he trying to provoke me? she questioned.

“I mean . . . if you say so,” he replied. “I guess I’m only curious about what your teacher taught you. Aiden shared that he trained you well with the sword as a child, but what else can you do?”

Elijah was mere inches from her now. He seemed to curve himself to match her stance. She didn’t miss the way he tilted his head down to look her in the eyes, or the warm feeling of his breath as it danced over her skin. The twisting in her stomach moved up until she almost felt too strangled to speak. Janelle blinked a few times, willing herself to focus.

“Why are you asking me this?”

Elijah sighed, reaching one hand up to run one finger loosely through a stray curl of her hair. “Janelle, I’m grateful you shared with me what you did, though I gave you no other choice in the matter. But I have little patience for those who harm my people, including the guards you so heartlessly killed in my courtyard.”

His touch was still featherlight, a counterpoint to the steel in his voice and the tightly controlled fury on his face.

Of course, he shows this other side of him again, she thought. Now that Aiden is not here to protect me.

Truthfully, the memory of the lives she took felt like a stab to the chest. At the time, it felt justified, as her mission was to kill the king at any cost, but it still didn’t sit well with her. Janelle took no pleasure in killing innocent people.

“I said I was sorry,” she tried to control the tremble in her voice and ignore the hot prick of tears behind her eyes. “I can’t take back what I did, but I had no—”

“Choice?” he interrupted, spitting the word out with disgust. “Yeah, you keep saying that. You have a choice now, though, right? I’m doing my best to keep this kingdom safe, including those who give their lives to protect me within these walls. Because you failed, Kieran may come for you, and more blood will be shed on my grounds. I want to see how you can fight because if anyone else steps foot inside those gates, I may not be able to protect you. You have made it very clear how easy it is to get inside.” He leaned into the small space between them, the movement menacing and enticing at the same time. “How did you get inside, by the way?” His voice was a low growl, barely loud enough for her to hear. “I’ve been turning it over in my head, but I cannot figure it out. The front gate was locked, secured by guards, and each of them were stabbed in the back.”

Janelle leaned away from him, ignoring the pull she felt to close the rest of the distance between them. She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, hiding in the familiar stance and letting his question go unanswered. No one else would be punished for her choices, and there was no way she would reveal her accomplice to the king.

“Why do you care if I live or die?” she asked.

“Because,” he said, “you are the little sister of my closest friend.”

She raised a brow and frowned at Elijah’s answer and the sincerity in his voice. Yes, Aiden worked for him, but she had never thought how close they might be. Not just allies, but friends. Close friends. The thought of it made something in her shift with discomfort.

Elijah stepped back from her abruptly, creating a large gap between them. She shivered at the cold air that rushed in to fill the space. His voice was back to its normal level, and she knew that the strange moment between them was over.

“Pick a weapon,” he said, pulling his tunic up to expose a small dagger and a sword in their sheaths, “and then show me how you’ll defend yourself with it!”

Janelle felt hot and cold, tugging in every direction with the constant game he seemed to take so much pleasure in. It irked her, and she found herself wanting to give him nothing she did not absolutely have to. She turned around, ignoring him entirely and placing both hands on the windowsill.

“No,” she said. “I’m not going to fight you.”

She felt the air ripple as the dagger flew toward her, and her instincts kicked in before she had any choice in the matter. She whirled around, her hand coming out to catch the dagger before it pierced the back of her skull. The tip of the blade was inches from between her eyes, with her hand clutched on the hilt, holding it steady.

“You bastard,” she said, dropping the dagger on the floor at her feet with a clatter. “What if I was too slow?”

Elijah smirked and sauntered across the room, bent his knees, and picked up the dagger, swirling the sharp blade in circles on his palm.

“But you weren’t,” he said casually. “I must say, I’m quite impressed. Aiden is the only one I have seen use such precision and speed, aside from myself.”

She felt her nostrils flare as thinly suppressed anger coursed through her. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

Elijah chuckled. “I’ve been told.”

He placed the dagger back in the sheath.

“I’ll send Ella up here to bring you some tea to help you sleep,” he said before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

What was that all about? she wondered, realizing she was a prisoner once again as she heard the lock of the door click.

All Janelle desired was to lie down on the soft silk pillows and erase everything that had happened in the last week. Her heart still pounded in her chest, and she felt a slight tremble in her hands. The constant, sudden surges of adrenaline made her feel worn thin. Elijah hadn’t intended to kill her; she knew that. With one threat down, the fear of death was still an ever-present part of her existence.

The only safety she had left was Aiden. She had to convince him to escape with her, to flee from Zemira and the Newick people. She failed her mission, which meant Kieran would come to collect her and she would pay the price with her own life. The Shadow Creature wasn’t the world’s only threat. Kieran would undoubtedly come for the Zemiran soldiers himself. He would kill more men than she had to, to get inside, and she wasn’t going to be waiting for him when he did.

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