Page 94 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

His hands couldn’t reach her, though. All he had was his magic.

“I—” He paused, trying to string his words together. “Lie down, darling,” he ordered, but his tone was gentle. “I want to try something.”

It was quiet for a moment before he heard movement.

“Lying down, Your Highness,” she said.

Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the Voleric pendant.

“I want you to picture a ship,” he said quietly. “The deck of the Sybil Curse is beneath your feet, rocked gently by the waves. Feel the damp wood pressed on your heels. Focus on the rocking back and forth from the water below. Do you see it? Do you smell the ocean?”

Janelle let out a breath. “Yes.”

Elijah closed his eyes, seeing the ship manifest around them, sinking deeper into Janelle’s dream through the stone’s power.

Janelle smiled when she spotted him walking toward her. Elijah was stunned by her beauty, even inside her dreams.

“It’s so quiet on the ship,” Janelle said as she walked to the balustrade, keeping her balance on deck as the waves crashed against the side. “It feels so real.”

Janelle placed her hands over the ship’s rail, curling her delicate, long fingers over the wooden railing.

Elijah watched her white hair dancing in the wind as if trying to reach out for him. To tease him toward her. He couldn’t resist the urge to let his eyes roam over the curves of her body, wrapped in her leather corset. Elijah had taken many women in his life, but they had only ever been something convenient. A warm body to share the bed for the night; a wet mouth to share some pleasure with. Never had he felt something like what he had with Janelle. He had never wanted so desperately to keep someone safe or been so willing to risk everything in the process.

While Janelle continued to look out over the water and through the city in her dream, she manifested warriors gathering in preparation for the shadow creature’s attack. Elijah stepped onto the deck, sauntering over to her. His hips felt loose, and his movements were easy.

Before, he had never been shy around women, but something about Janelle made him feel completely unrestrained. He wanted to bury himself in her and never come out, even if only in a dream. Janelle turned as she noticed him, unconsciously tilting her face up toward him, flicking out her tongue to leave her lips shining slightly in the moonlight. She let out a deep breath, leaning against him as soon as he stepped in behind her. He wrapped his hands around her shoulders, pulled her back tightly to his muscular chest, and buried his face in her hair to place a soft kiss there.

He inhaled deeply, letting her sweet scent curl through his lungs. It felt like they were melting into each other, and it caused something unidentifiable to tighten in his chest.

“Is the crew safe?” she asked.

He leaned back, tugging her with him to keep her body pressed flush to his chest. He let his arms slide down around her waist to squeeze her tight and raised his chin enough that she could tuck the back of her head into his neck. It felt like she belonged there.

“Lincoln and Nola went back to the ship with Anaru. The crew is ready; for now, they are safe. We might have some leverage if we can spot the creature before it reaches the field.” His voice was low as he spoke, just a rumble in the dream’s night air.

She turned her head, looking over her shoulder.

“Is Tegan safe?”

He nodded. “For now, but Kieran keeps a watchful eye on everyone. I’ll do everything I can to protect her and the rest of the hybrids. I promise you.”

“She’s going to try to fight, Elijah. It is in her nature to use her powers to protect others. I’m . . . I’m afraid for her. I’m afraid for Aiden.”

Elijah nodded. He knew that feeling in his very core.

“Aiden might be controlled by darkness, but he’s not lost to it. I can feel his light. It’s dim, but it’s there,” he said. “In the end, I believe he’ll do the right thing and fight with us. Tegan plans to attempt to reach him at least.”

Janelle nodded and looked back to the sea. There was a hint of a haunted look in her eye, and he felt powerless being unable to make it disappear. He leaned down, nuzzling at the smooth curve of her neck until he placed a kiss right beneath her ear. It was a light, gentle thing, but it felt electric. His skin tingled everywhere he touched her, and she moaned into that touch. He kept her pressed tight as she arched her back, rolling her body against him. He knew she could feel the thickening of his cock against her as she slowly, deliberately rubbed against it.

Something primal and unconscious within him surged, and a growl tore its way out of his throat.

“I can feel you as if you are actually touching me,” she said.

“I am,” he whispered as he dragged his lips over the warm skin of her neck. “Our thoughts are just as strong as any physical sense when using magic. Hold on to that feeling for as long as we are here.”

Her hand reached back to touch him, grazing her fingers over his thigh, moving closer until she cupped his erection with a tender grip. Even the light contact made him throb, and he felt the heat begin to curl, low in his belly. His body screamed at him to claim her. Elijah growled again as his hands fell to her hips, gripping her tight and pushing her body into the balustrade. He wanted to wrap every part of himself around her and hold her close.

“I want you,” she purred into the night air. “Elijah, I want you to take me right here.”

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