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Elijah stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Fire burst to light in his palm, his magic battling the darkness. His sharp features were highlighted as the flame flickered and made him seem even more intense than usual.
“Was anyone out there?” Liam asked. “Thought you checked the guards’ schedule.”
“I did check the schedule. It was a cleanup crew.”
No wonder the interrogation rooms were stained with blood but had no body parts.
“Where are the guys meeting us?” Liam asked.
The guys were involved? Were they coming along as well, or just helping us escape? Either way, it meant even more people would be dragged down with me.
Enough was enough! I couldn’t take that risk without knowing a little bit of the details. I felt reasonably safe in this room to ask my questions.
I lifted my chin defiantly, looking at Elijah. My arms were crossed tight across my chest, my legs wide, and my feet planted like I was braced for a fight. Which I was.
“Elijah, would leaving really be better than staying? Where are we even going to go? I could be just as unsafe out there as in here. And you’re all risking everything.”
Elijah stepped into me, leaving little room between us. My mouth parted as I felt sparks in his proximity I hadn’t felt from anyone else. Truthfully, not even Liam. When he was angry, the sparks seemed to burn even hotter.
To calm my racing heart, I reached for Mother's necklace out of habit, and then I ran my hand over my forearm when it wasn’t there, trying to shake off this feeling. It consumed me, as it usually did, until Elijah’s husky tenor broke the silence. His voice frequently put out all of the sparks.
“Goddess, do you have such little faith in me that you think I wouldn’t protect you?” Elijah stepped closer. He was nearly in my face. “You need to hurry and follow us! Now!” Seeing my hesitation, he reacted with Ash-holeness. “Or do you prefer more torture over accepting my help?”
Arrghh, I hated that man with a passion!
“That’s not the case at all, you pompous Ash-hole. This isn’t all about you. The king demanded I not be hurt more. So, why risk everything?” I held up a finger to stop his reply. “Let me speak, Elijah. I don’t just mean whatI’mrisking. All of you guys are risking everything, too. My situation sucks, but it’s not forever. I’m not looking forward to Victor’s proposition, but it has to be better than being on the run. Now, I can still claim my innocence. If I leave, that will confirm my guilt. And everyone else’s, too.”
Elijah snarled and pushed in closer so that I was sandwiched between both brothers. His voice went dangerously low, his dark eyes intent on mine as they glowed in the firelight.
“Fuck Victor's Keeper!” he roared loudly in the quiet space, his hard breaths hitting my face with every word. “Kaia,” he drew in a breath and continued in a calmer tone. “You’re risking our lives right now by standing around talking about this. If we don’t move, then we’ll be discovered for sure. We have a plan and can handle whatever nonsense you’re worried about later. Now, let’s go.”
I rose on my tiptoes, trying to get in his face. It didn’t work. Elijah was too tall, but it did help me whisper-scream better.
“Listen, Ash-hat. I don’t take orders from you. I’m not on your team. You need to tell me what the fuck is going on. Right now. I don’t know where we’re going. Don’t know if we’ll be safe. I am not prone to trust you. Is Ezra coming too?”
Without realizing it, I had somehow moved closer to Elijah during my verbal onslaught, as close as I had ever been. Our chests brushed with every one of my heaving breaths, and my fists had moved to tightly grip his starched uniform lapels.
He wasn’t moving, solid as a statue, with his stern eyes locked on mine.
My breath caught. My heart raced. I looked into Elijah's face, wide-eyed.
Our faces were close. Like, really, really close. On my tiptoes, my mouth was only inches from his, and I could feel his warm breath on my lips. All I could smell was him. Chocolate and smoke make me a bit dizzy. Time slowed; only a moment passed, but each second stretched out.
My heart was practically jumping out of my chest. Elijah could probably hear the dang thing. But it wasn’t to be helped.
Elijah's eyes hardened, and he took a few jerky steps back. My hands dropped with the movement, and left me cold, even with Liam still pressed against my back and his arm around my waist.
“Ash-hat? Really, Kaia? Grow up.” No longer looking at me, Elijah dragged his hands down his face, the scratch against his stubble loud in the quiet hall.
“Elijah, you expect me to ruin all of our lives, but you won’t tell me anything.” I wrapped my arms around myself to regain some of the heat I’d lost when he stepped away.
Elijah breathed out a breath, regaining some composure, and continued with hostility in his tone.
“Listen, Kaia. Your life is already ruined. There is so much going on that you don’t know about, and I cannot get into it all that right now. Don’t worry about us. The guys know the stakes. They’ve all known the risks.” His eyes held mine. “Kaia, I promise we will explain everything later, but we must go. Right now. If we hurry, we can leave here without anyone even noticing. There’s a secret way out, so we shouldn’t encounter anyone. We have a plan once we’re out of the castle walls. Trust us, Kaia. Please. Trust... me. I will get you out of here. And I will protect you.”
He extended a hand towards me in an invitation, begging me to listen, his eyes holding mine, and I couldn’t look away. I stared at him unabashedly for a few seconds, warring with myself. He looked so darn sincere and worried. Worried for me.
My life was indeed already ruined. What did I have to look forward to in the castle? One of Victor's old slimy friends? And my lack of magic was a problem either way. Trusting the guys with my secret couldn’t be worse than relying upon my unknown keeper.
