Page 87 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

Elijah looked down and moved the dagger around in his hand. His stomach flipped; his heart pounded frantically in his chest. He had to do it. After one steady breath, he ran the dagger along his palm, slicing at the center until he drew blood. Then, he squeezed his fist tightly over the cup until his blood dripped, mixing with Kieran’s.

Black smoke rose from the cup while the two men chanted their oath. Their sacrifice. As King of Zemira, Elijah swore to hand over his soldiers. In return, Kieran would release Janelle from becoming his bride.

The oath was binding, and death would take either of them if they chose to break it.

Janelle looked at Elijah with horror in her eyes. “Why did you do that?” she asked. “Why would you do that for me?”

Elijah couldn’t answer her question. How could he? She would fight him no matter what he said.

“Do I not have a say in any of this?” she fired back. Kieran wiped his hand with a cloth and tossed it on the floor.

Elijah swallowed hard before answering, “No. You have no say in any of this.” His gaze locked on Janelle, causing his heart to falter a little. He didn’t find joy in ordering her around. At that moment, he’d do anything to protect her, no matter how hard she tried to stop him; he had to.

“Where’s Kora?” Kieran said, looking around. One of his men took the bloodied cup and shrugged.

“I’ll go look for her,” the blond man said.

“Wait,” Kieran called before he walked away. “Please escort Janelle to her room and lock it behind you. Enchant the door while you’re at it.”

Elijah’s teeth gnashed, pushing Janelle back behind him. “We made a deal in blood! She’s no longer under your control!” he said as magic spilled from his fingertips.

Kieran replied with a lopsided grin, “And I’ve not broken it. But until your army arrives and swears their allegiance to me, she’ll be locked in her room!”

Janelle stepped further back as the blond man reached out to take her arm.

“Don’t touch me, Erik,” she warned.

Erik’s shoulder slumped, and he turned to look at Kieran as if waiting for what he should do.

Pain clutched Elijah’s chest as he turned, giving her a pleading look to comply. He was afraid Kieran would order Erik to kill her if she didn’t. Kieran may no longer have had possession of her life, but killing Janelle wouldn’t break the treaty. He gave her up as his future wife, but it didn’t mean he’d not take her life if she disobeyed.

“Wait!” She stepped forward. “Where’s my brother, Kieran?” she asked. “Is Aiden even here?”

Kieran’s lip turned up. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. While you were on your little journey, he and I made a deal ourselves.”

Elijah’s attention snapped to Kieran when he heard Janelle let out a heavy gasp.

“What did you do?” Elijah asked, already feeling his magic pulse wildly at the tips of his fingers.

“Well, we didn’t make an oath like you and me, but Aiden has become quite useful, I must say.” He snapped his fingers at the guards by the door.

They swung it open, and Aiden came in, dressed in heavy armor. A smile flitted across his lips as he strode across the living room to stand next to Janelle.

“Sir,” he addressed Kieran, bowing his head slightly. “It’s good to see you, Nelle.”

Her eyes grew wide, and she stepped back. “You son of a bitch!” she said, turning to Kieran, then back to her brother. “Oh, Aiden. I’m so sorry.”

“What the fuck did you do, Aiden!?” Elijah shouted, feeling like cold ice was dripping down his spine.

Aiden moved closer to Elijah and cocked his head. “I didn’t do anything, Elijah. But Kieran did. He gave me more power,” he said with a wry smile across his lips. “He made me feel more alive now than I’ve ever felt in my entire existence.”

Elijah narrowed his eyes on Aiden’s irises. The color was the same, but the movement inside looked like blue liquid swirling around erratically. Aiden cocked his head to the right, and his eyes flashed black for a split second.

The darkness, Elijah said in his mind. Kieran released the darkness inside Aiden, suppressing his Elven light!

Elijah slowly turned his head and glared at Kieran. “Release him from that power,” he ordered. “Now.”

Elijah may have been able to control the darkness inside his own body and mind, but Aiden wasn’t made for that kind of magic. That darkness wasn’t power alone; it was also an entity the Newick coven made a deal with centuries ago to mix with their own magic. If they did its bidding, it gave them more power. If the darkness was inside Aiden, it wouldn’t only destroy his free will, but it would also consume his light until there was nothing left.

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