Page 90 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

“Men and women,” Elijah corrected. “Fight because you’re strong enough to do it. Using just their power will only kill them, and then all those years of forced breeding will have been for nothing.” He shot Kieran an accusatory glare. “If you want a plan on how to kill it, use Aiden, for fuck’s sake. Use him, not because you can control him, but because he’s the greatest warrior you’ll ever have at your side.”

The room had gone silent, and Elijah watched his friend’s troubled gaze morph into something more distant. Aiden’s eyes slid to a redheaded woman who had entered the dining hall and stood by the door. He couldn’t quite decipher if Aiden was pleased or annoyed to see her. The woman gave him a sharp look and turned her head, breaking their locked gaze.

Kieran’s voice muffled in the distance as Elijah shut him out again.

“Care to explain who she is to you?” Elijah asked Aiden.

Aiden turned his attention to him and shrugged. “Tegan. A one-night fuck. She means nothing.”

Elijah raised a brow. “Interesting. Because I’ve never seen you look at a woman like that since we met. And you’re most certainly not someone who would screw a woman and walk away.” He waited for Aiden to respond as he topped off his wine and took a long sip.

“We all know women are only good for one thing,” Aiden said with a wicked grin. “Like I said. She means nothing.”

Hearing Aiden talk about a woman like that shook Elijah to his core. He never spoke that cruelly about anyone. His mother taught him respect and honor above all else when regarding women.

Is he really gone? Elijah wondered.

Tegan’s troubled stare told Elijah one thing: she disagreed with what Kieran was doing. If anything, she looked scared to be there.

I can use that, Elijah thought. He needed more allies.

“She’s a hybrid,” Kieran shouted that time, loud enough that Elijah could no longer pretend he didn’t hear him. Kieran pointed to the redheaded woman, trying desperately to melt herself into the wall. “Tegan, here, is our first and finest hybrid to come into the coven. She’ll be on the frontline with her kind when we attack the creature.”

Elijah lowered his brow. “But she’s—?”

“Looks forty years old? Yes,” Kieran said. “True, we started breeding them only two decades ago, but they grow fast. She’s a beautiful, strong woman now.” He sipped his drink. “It’s quite extraordinary. Isn’t it? She possesses incredibly rare magic that can trap that shadow.”

Extraordinary and soon to become another asset of mine in this fight, Elijah thought.

“Quite,” Elijah said, giving his friend one last glance. Aiden suddenly lost interest in the woman and turned his attention back to his food.

Elijah dabbed his lips with a napkin before throwing it down on the table and standing, placing both hands on the surface.

“I think I’ll turn in for the night,” Elijah added before pushing back his chair. He turned to Kora. “Goodnight, Kora.” She bowed her head with a smile, and he left without finishing his meal, no longer acknowledging Kieran. Elijah couldn’t stand another moment without checking on Janelle. She was all he could think about since they had taken her away, and he didn’t look back as he left the dining hall.

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ELIJAH HUNTED FORthe room down the main hall, spotting a red-painted door frame lit up by a black, enchanted protection border. No one guarded it, but it didn’t matter—it was bound by magic.

Elijah sat down and placed his palm and ear flush on the door.

“Janelle,” he called, waiting for movement on the other end.

Quiet shuffles moved along the carpet before the sound of her feet stopped. He closed his eyes and listened to the shuffling sound of her sitting on the other end, and the burning sensation of her magic coming through the door reached his skin. He drew in a breath and waited for the peace of her magic to fill his entire body, helping him relax.

Janelle severed the connection to her powers, but he still felt her presence against the door.

“What now?” she asked.

He dropped his hand and turned, leaning the back of his head to the door.

“I’m going to use the Voleric to reach both Lincoln and Liam, informing them of the plan. We’ll do everything Kieran wants because it’s the only way to keep you and my people safe. The crew will stay out in the water until morning, then hand over the Kroneon without a fight.”

She sighed heavily. “And then what?”

He shrugged, even though she couldn’t see it. “By tomorrow night, we will gather on the field and wait for that creature to come to attack us. Kieran has agreed to come for you once I line my army at the gates for us to make the trade—your life for them. Janelle, we have no choice but to fight alongside Kieran and his fighters. But mark my words, the moment that shadow monster is dead, I will be certain to end Kieran and save as many hybrids as possible.” Elijah drew in a breath. “As far as the weapon, it doesn’t matter what they do with the Kroneon. It never belonged to me or anyone on that ship. They made it for the royal sea folk. Nola gave up the crown, so it goes back to the Newick coven . . . unless Ara stakes her claim to it, which she didn’t.”

“Elijah—”

“It’s not ours, Janelle. Kieran was right to blame me. As much as I hate that man, what I did was foolish, and he’s the only one who can destroy it. What the pirates did was catastrophic.” He drew in another exhausted breath. “Using the Voleric, I’ll instruct Liam to lead the Zemiran army to the city and then wait for my order. The hybrids will line the shore and draw the creature to the docks. Once it’s there, they’ll drop their magic before it reaches them. Then the hybrids’ leader, Tegan, will use her power to trap and kill it. The hybrids will only use their light until Tegan has conjured enough of her magic to be the creature’s primary target.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Just thinking about the plan was giving him a headache. “Between the pirates coming in from the water with Nola’s power and the two armies fighting as one, we can force the Shadow Creature to solidify along the field. At least enough for Tegan to plunge a sword through its chest.”

Janelle let out a heavy sigh. “Except now they’ll be led by someone who doesn’t care if they live or die if the plan fails. If a few hybrids fall, Kieran will feel nothing.”

Elijah wanted to tell her more. He wanted to share with her that there was more to his plan that didn’t include sacrificing anyone’s life, but it was too dangerous. It was better she be left in the dark.

“Stay alive,” he said, rising to his feet. “Please, Janelle. All I ask is for you to stay alive.”

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