The scent of honeysuckle signalled Ena’s presence as of footsteps came towards him. Her long, dark hair billowed behind her as she came in, and her eyes glittered with excitement. He knew that look well. She enjoyed torture and seeing people in pain. Sadistic bitch! What had Edmund ever seen in her? Elijah pitied the man he had once thought of as a father. One mistake had cost Edmund everything.
“Well?” Elijah demanded as he met her dark gaze. “Come to torture me again? Get it over with, would you?”
She chuckled. “So eager for my touch again?” she asked. “I remember watching you sob and cry out Kaylan’s name as you lay on the floor, broken and bloody. All the others broke eventually, but not you. I thought it was because you’re a born shifter but no, I see now it’s your infatuation for her.”
He refused to flinch as the memories came flooding back. The familiar pain and burning as his body had been ripped apart. “Infatuation?” Elijah snorted. “What we have is real love. Something you’d never understand.”
He didn’t expect Ena to comprehend what he and Kaylan had. The kind of love she thought she had with Edmund hadn’t been love at all. Just desire and obsession. Nothing like what he had with Kaylan.
“Yet things are different, aren’t they?” Ena demanded. “You can barely touch her, can you? You’re afraid by being with her you’ll hurt her like you did to all the other victims I gave to you.”
He did look away then. How did this woman know so much about him? She hadn’t been part of their lives for over a decade, yet she seemed to know things that he wouldn’t even admit to himself. “I’d never hurt her,” Elijah vowed and gave her a tight smile. “Like you said, you tried to break me and failed.”
“This wasn’t just about you. It’s about Kaylan. The little bitch almost killed me and it’s taken all these years to restore my power. It’s her fault, you know. All of this is.”
Elijah let our harsh laugh. “How’s that?” he asked. “You killed Diamante because Edmund chose her over you, then you killed him because he’d never have you after that. And you killed your husband, Alex because he was collateral.”
“Don’t know everything, do you? Edmund loved me. Truly. After Kaylan caught us together, he turned me away.” Her fists clenched. “He chose to stay with his snivelling wife!”
He frowned. Kaylan had denied the affair, refused to believe it was even true. “She never mentioned that,” he murmured to himself.
Ena laughed. “Of course not. Edmund, being the sentimental fool he was, erased her memory of it,” she explained. “If Kaylan hadn’t interfered, Edmund and I would still be together. I would have been High Lady, but he wouldn’t talk to me again. Not even when I married his pathetic boy, Alex. Now I have my revenge. I took you from Kaylan. I’ll rebuild a new Order, and when I have the book, I’ll have my love by my side.”
Elijah stared at her. She was out of her mind, but he wondered if sanity had ever been there to begin with. She blamed Kaylan for Edmund’s rejection. Ten years of rage had been what had torn them apart.
“You haven’t won,” he said. “Despite your best efforts, Kaylan and I still love each other and we’ll find a way to make it work. Even if you find the book, we’ll stop you.”
Ena’s fit of giggles raked on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. “How? Freya – stupid girl she may be – is good at extracting lost memories. She is working on Kaylan as we speak. When I have the book, I won’t have a use for you anymore. I’ll fix the problems in my shifters’ life codes, kill Freya and Ormere will be mine. With the Order in ruins and the Amaranthine gone, there’s no one left to stop me.” She swept down the corridor, laughter echoing behind her.
Elijah pulled, yanked and tried to tear himself free but his bonds held him firmly in place. He doubted Ena had reason to keep him around for much longer. He had to break free and get to Kaylan.
Damn it to hell! The beast growled inside his mind, wanting release. That makes two of us, he thought. Come on. There must be a way out.
Elijah thought back to his original days of captivity. Most of it remained a blur of blood, pain and death. He didn’t remember how he’d escaped. Thought he’d attacked the guards, broken loose. He’d blocked out that time, but if remembering it meant the only way to see Kaylan again he’d give in.
Closing his eyes, Elijah focused on the day of freedom. He remembered the feel of cold air on his face, the sweet taste of freedom, the sounds and smells overwhelming his fragile senses. Retreating underground had been the only way for him to cope with it all. To keep his beast from hurting anyone else.
Elijah found himself in the tunnels, the drip, drip, drip of water falling from the ceiling, the groan of traffic above and smell of salt from the river. It had felt so good to be outside, running free again. Warm rays of sunshine burnt his bruised flesh. Elijah had knelt down half-naked in the dirt and sobbed. He’d never thought he’d lay eyes on the sun again. He’d lain there, not caring if it burned him raw. He just wanted to enjoy it and forget all the horror. Scavenging what food he could, then night came, and so had the nightmare. Being forced to witness his body changing into a hideous creature again, he’d tried to fight it, but the pain had only grown worse.
Heading out to the bridge, narrowly escaping the Glistans hunting him, Elijah wanted to end it all. To give in. Death would bring oblivion. Release from this hell. Living didn’t matter anymore. How could he live like this with this thing inside him? He’d never be in control of his own mind or body again.
Staring down into the murky depths of the river, he thought of Kaylan. Her dark eyes, her smile. He’d asked her to marry him here and they’d planned to have their wedding here too. The others had laughed at the idea, but this was their place.
Kaylan. He hadn’t seen her in weeks. On that dirty floor, covered in blood and filth, feeling death’s icy presence at the edge of his mind, Elijah knew he needed to say goodbye to her.
When the guards brought him another poor soul to devour, the need to see her had grown stronger. He’d asked the thing inside him to give him the strength to help him see the woman he loved one last time.
Elijah blinked as the memories faded. Giving in and accepting the beast had saved him. It wasn’t a thing. It was a part of himself he’d never acknowledged. Treating it as a separate entity had given it a life of its own. But no. He was born a shifter. The wolf was just another form he could change into. They were part of each other. We are one, he realised. I’m a shifter.
Power rippled across his skin as fur covered his flesh. The wolf and the man and beast were just two of the forms he could take on. Part of him. That thought no longer scared him as he shifted into the wolf, breaking through his bonds. With one leap, Elijah broke down the door and knocked the guards aside. He stampeded down the corridor. Kaylan was close. He could feel her. He bypassed any guards the going his way, following the call of his mate.
A scream felt like a knife to his heart as he shifted back into the man.
Elijah kicked the door down as Kaylan sat strapped to a chair. Freya had her hands around her sister’s head. Rage burned red in front of his eyes.
In a flash, he had Freya by the throat, cutting off her cry for help. He wanted to choke her, watch the life drain out of her but instead punched her in the face. She fell to the floor, unconscious as he pulled Kaylan free.
“Kaylan, wake up. I’m here now.” He brushed the hair off her face, but she didn’t respond.
Gathering her up in his arms, she slumped against him. He called on his speed, and the house blurred by as he rushed off into the night.
Chapter 8
Kaylan groaned as bright cracks of yellow light stung her eyes, making her head pound harder. She felt like she had a bad hangover, but didn’t remember drinking anything. Memories flashed through her mind of things Freya had forced her to remember. Kaylan opened her eyes, blinked in surprise when she saw Elijah lying next to her. She missed waking up next to him, so she snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around him.
To her relief, he didn’t flinch or pull away, but instead drew her closer. It felt good just to be held again.
When she brushed her lips against his, he groaned and pulled her closer.
The sound of banging echoed through the room, making them both pull apart.
Kaylan felt a rush of frustration and the sound of knocking came again.
“Kay? You awake?” Sierra called.
She and Elijah pulled away from each other. “I am now.” She sighed and staggered over to the door. “What’s wrong?”
“Wow, you look like hell!” her friend exclaimed.
“Yeah, well, my sister is better at torture than you’d think. Did you want something?” She wrapped a dressing gown around herself.
“The news stream just announced Freya’s inauguration date. It’s three days from now,” Sierra told them. “Do you think that means they already have the book?”
“How could they?” Elijah said as he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of trousers. “If they did, we’d know it.”
“Ena must have something big planned, or they wouldn’t have announced the date,” Kaylan said. “Give us a few minutes to get showered and changed, then we’ll come down and talk about what happened last night.”
Kaylan and Elijah rejoined Geth and Sierra in the living room and told them what had happened to them the night before.
“You should’ve called us for help,” Geth exclaimed.
“You were needed elsewhere,” Kaylan replied.
“I’m sorry, Kay.” Sierra squeezed her hand. “About your father.”
“Never mind that now. We know what Freya is planning and we may have only three days to find the book.”
“They need Edmund’s body to complete the ritual,” Elijah remarked. “I don’t think Silas will give away that secret so easily.”
“We’ll need to keep him safe. I wouldn’t put it past Ena to go after him,” Kaylan said.
“Do you remember anything useful that might give us a lead on the book?” asked Geth.
“Maybe. My memories kept going back to my father’s study. I think he kept it there,” she said. “That’s the place we need to go to.”
“Great, you can bet the place will be crawling with shifters.” Sierra groaned.
“Can you get us in?” Geth asked her. “And get past the shifters?”
She rolled her eyes. “Guess we’d better get to work.”
It should alarm Kaylan how much time they’d spent breaking into the High Lord’s mansion over the past few days, but this was where the answers and the danger lay. Worse still, was now they were trying to get in during broad daylight. They didn’t have the luxury of waiting until nightfall. Every minute they wasted was a minute Freya and Ena had of getting to the book before they did. Kaylan crouched low on the tree trunk, scanning each of the windows for a possible way in.
“You all owe me big time for this,” Sierra told them. “This is the stupidest thing we’ve ever done – even more stupid than when Geth stole flowers to impress his ‘soul mate’.”
“You can do this,” Elijah told her.
Sierra muttered a curse as Kaylan watched Geth by the back door.
“Okay, three, two, one.” Sierra counted down.
Light flashed as the ward turned off. Kaylan pulled the door open. She, Sierra, Geth and Elijah hurried inside, the door closing behind them as the ward turned back on.
“Phew!” Sierra breezed. “Now what?”
“This way.” Kaylan motioned for them to follow.
The four of them hurried down the corridor, staying on alert as they headed towards the study. The door creaked open as she peered inside, seeing no one. “Clear,” she murmured.
“What does the book look like?” Geth asked.
“It’s dark blue, leather-bound. Has a gold amaranth on the cover,” Kaylan said. “It won’t just be lying out in the open.”
Sierra turned on the console on the desk as she tapped into the security feed. “Nice tech they’ve got here.”
Kaylan, Geth and Elijah pulled down books and other objects as they searched for the Amaranthine Chronicles. Every book she touched incited no reaction. The Chronicles was different than any other tome.
“Perimeter is clear,” Sierra said. “We’ve got five minutes before the next guard change.”
Kaylan pulled back as she searched through her fragmented memories. She’d seen the book more than one since her first time as a child. Edmund had always brushed off her questions, even as an adult he hadn’t entrusted her with its secret. Or had he? She knew her memories were fragmented after Elijah had told them about his conversation with Ena. If someone had erased her knowledge of his affair, what else could he have done?
Kaylan tried using her new heightened senses, but it did nothing.
“Uh oh,” Sierra exclaimed. “Freya is in the great hall. There’s a spell circle’s out there. What if the news stream was just a trick?”
“Let them get on with it. The ritual can be performed without the book or my father’s body.”
“Keep an eye on them,” Elijah said, tossing more books onto the floor.
“Red, are you sure this is the right place?” asked Geth.
Kaylan ignored their questions as she searched through the barrage of memories of Freya had forced her to relive. Each image flashed by.
“What is the book for?” Kaylan stood by the desk, watching Edmund stare out the window. “You need to tell me.”
“I will. When you’re ready.”
“Come on, Dad. I’m twenty now. I’m training to be one of the Amaranthine.” The very order that had once openly protected the city and was now forced to work underground.
She stared at the desk, seeing the book sitting there. “When are you ever going to trust me enough with your secrets?” she demanded. “I agreed to keep your affair from Mum. Now Ena’s shacked up with Alex. What are you going to do about it?”
“Alex loves her.”
Kaylan snorted. “Yes, but she’s only here to be close to you,” she snapped. “I’m afraid something terrible is going to happen. I want Ena gone.”
“Don’t worry, Kaylan. Everything will be fine.”
“You’re a fool.” She turned and stormed out. It was the last conversation she remembered having with him until he lay dying in her arms.
“The book will only come to you when you choose to see it,” he muttered.
Kaylan let out a frustrated sigh as the memory faded and noticed the strange look on Elijah’s face. He looked dazed. Elijah? Are you okay?
But he ignored her as he headed out of the room.
Chapter 9
Elijah smelt the heavy scent of dark magic in the air as he fumbled with the study door. A strange feeling came over him, telling him he needed to be somewhere.
“Elijah, where are you going?” Geth called.
They need to get up to the great hall felt more urgent the more he tried to ignore it.
“Elijah?” Kaylan repeated as he stalked down the hall.
Geth shook his head and muttered. “No idea.”
Elijah heard the conversation, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting up to the hall and following the silent call. Everything in him demanded that he answer it.
“Geth, has the beast taken control again?” Kaylan murmured as she hurried alongside him.
“I don’t think so. This is different, and he hasn’t changed.”
He ignored them as he charged down the corridor. The footsteps of his friends followed as they tried to hurry after him.
“Elijah, where are you going?” Kaylan demanded. “Listen to me!”
He pushed the heavy doors open. Bright light flashed around them as Kaylan grabbed his arm.
Elijah hit the floor, hard. The impact jolted him back to reality as bright sunlight beamed down on them.
Glancing around, he saw he was now outside. “Ow!” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, surprised at the sudden sharp pain.
&
nbsp; Had something hit him? He didn’t think so. Yet the urgency to get to the hall had faded.
“Come on, I didn’t hit you that hard,” said a voice.
A young man with long, black hair and a boyish grin loomed over him, holding out a hand.
Elijah took the hand and was pulled up. It took him a moment to place the face. “Alex?” he murmured. “How – what are you doing here?”
Alex chuckled. “Wow, I must have hit you harder than I thought.”
This wasn’t possible. Alex Avilion had died the same night as Kaylan’s parents.
“Are you boys having fun?” A figure appeared Alex’s side. It was Ena, dressed in a short blue floral dress.
Elijah glared at her, reached for his inner beast and raised his hand. As he did so, he looked down and realised he couldn’t feel it anymore. Yes, he’d changed since he’d finally accepted what he was but now the beast had vanished.
“What’s wrong, Elijah?” Ena asked.
He grabbed her by the throat. “What did you do?” he demanded.
She gasped, eyes wide with shock. “You’re hurting me.”
“Elijah!” Alex grabbed his arm. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Where is Kaylan?” Elijah snapped. “I know this is some kind of trick for you to find the…”
“Elijah!” At the sound of Kaylan’s voice, he turned to see her running towards him. Dressed in a red blouse and skirt, she looked very different from the Kaylan he knew.
“Elijah, let her go,” she told him.
It was the pleading look in her eyes that made him shove the other sorceress away.
“What do you think you were doing, hurting my wife like that?” Alex wrapped an arm around Ena’s shoulders, scowled.
“I’m sure he was just confused.” To Elijah’s surprise, Kaylan hugged him tightly. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” she whispered in his ear.
The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle Page 11
