Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
KYELLA
“And you’re positive they’ll stay in place?” I asked for the third time, trying to not melt under Elijah’s touch as he adjusted the leather straps around my right thigh.
I hadn’t understood what he was doing when he’d led me from his destroyed bedroom to a room filled with battle armor and other equipment, but now I did. He wanted me to have a place to keep my daggers on me.
The whirlwind of emotions and words that had passed between Elijah and me were still a bit mind-blowing.
When he stormed out of the room, I hadn’t heeded Kolvar or Dakath’s warning to let him have space, both of them shocked at his reaction.
Instead, I’d followed him to his room, and when I heard him wreaking absolute havoc inside, I decided to step in.
I had assumed his rage was directed towards Malakai—the threat to the empire—and I was prepared to apologize for bringing it here. But then he’d surprised the ever-living hell out of me. Elijah had been furious because Malakai sent an army to take me back—to take me away from him.
Any walls I’d built against Elijah during our constant conflict had melted away, and in that moment I felt like I completely understood the man, that I was seeing all of him. Even now there was a vulnerability to his gaze when he looked at me that hadn’t been there before.
I wanted to protect that.
It was amusing, the idea of me protecting someone as formidable as Elijah, but maybe he needed someone to protect his emotions. His heart. I could do that for him, if he let me.
“I have absolute faith in how secure they are,” he answered, a coy smile tugging at his lips. “The daggers will be easy to retrieve, even with heavy fabric of a dress or skirt, but the more you practice, the easier it will become,” he said as he showed me how to remove them.
I nodded, trying it once, loving the feel of the weapon in my hand, especially one that meant so much to Elijah. I could hardly believe everything we’d finally worked out between us, but even more so, I was shocked he’d given me such a sentimental gift.
“Here they are!” Kolvar’s booming voice had me smiling despite its tense tone.
A large, warm hand slid over my hip as I looked to Elijah, his face carefully blank. I wasn’t positive how he would act in front of them, but it reassured me that he was touching me as they approached.
“What the hell happened to your room?” Dakath demanded, his eyes boring into Elijah.
I suppose it did look particularly bad.
“Just got a bit upset. All better now,” Elijah said with ease, like he hadn’t been a raging lunatic mere minutes before.
He rested his chin on top of my head, and both men looked at him in confusion before Dakath’s gaze darted to my neck. I wasn’t sure if the bite had healed yet or not, but even if it had, there’d certainly be dried blood.
“Ah, now it makes sense,” Dakath mused. “Good to know you worked out your shit, Elijah.”
The man in question rumbled, and I tried to not laugh when Dakath smirked at me, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
“You okay?” Kolvar asked me softly.
This time, a feral sound left Elijah. It was violent, but oddly enough, it didn’t scare me. Instead it caused my body to break out into shivers.
“Don’t be angry at me for asking that,” Kolvar snapped. “I’ve never seen you that fucking worked up. If she’d been alone with me while I was in that state, you would’ve asked the same thing.”
Elijah relaxed just slightly, not saying anything but clearly offering him some type of expression of understanding because Kolvar nodded after a moment and then looked back down at me.
“I’m great,” I insisted, nibbling my lip in thought before adding, “I am worried about everything going on now that the war is official.”
Dakath and Kolvar both offered looks of understanding.
“The Empress is still holding a strategy meeting, which we need to go to. Kyella, you’re more than welcome to join us; I know she wouldn’t have a problem with that. Hell, she'd probably encourage it considering the situation,” Kolvar offered.
I wanted to, and I really didn’t want to leave their side, but something occurred to me at that moment. “Bailey and Rina! They’re probably terrified. I need to check on them.”
“I don’t want you leaving our side,” Elijah rumbled.
“Tristan should be in their suite as well. It will be safe for her there. We asked him to come to the meeting, but he wanted to be with his family,” Dakath pointed out to the others.
I didn’t argue the point because if that made them feel better, it was fine with me.
My only goal was to make sure that Rina and Bailey were okay and not petrified.
It was probably terrifying, the idea of having to face those we’d so recently managed to escape.
“Plus, I have daggers on me now,” I stated proudly, looking up at Elijah.
“Let’s go,” he finally relented, the group filing into the hallway. The Empress’s private library was on this floor, but as we reached the stairs, they hesitated on whether to walk me up or not.
“Just tell me where it is from here and I’ll go right to it,” I promised. “You guys are needed in there, and the faster we figure out what to do, the faster the threat will disappear. Plus, it’s a single ship that is still out at sea. We aren’t currently in battle.”
Dakath examined my expression before stepping into my space and kissing me in a hard possessive kiss. “Up two flights of stairs and a direct left. It’s the third door, bright blue—can’t miss it.”
I nodded as he stepped back, and I looked up into Elijah’s face, his expression one of true worry. “It’s only two floors away,” I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. “I’ll be totally fine.”
“Stay up there until we come and get you, okay? Tell Tristan that all of you need to stay in the suite, and don’t let anyone in until then. I don’t like that we didn’t see them coming,” Elijah murmured.
“I promise I’ll stay put.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips as well and then stepped away, leaving me to look at Kolvar. He didn’t hesitate to sweep me up and press a kiss to my forehead, whispering to be safe before putting me down.
I gave all of them a positive smile before turning and going up the stairs. I knew they were worried, but I also knew they were needed to help plan. I quickened my pace up the stairs, only slowing when I was out of sight, hoping it would encourage them to go to their meeting.
As I walked past a window with a view of the Cursed Divide, my jaw clenched in frustration.
I would be damned if Malakai ruined everything now that my life was finally becoming beautiful, with a level of peace I never expected.
With men that were loving and cared about me; who weren’t interested only in what I could give to them, the value I brought by being a dhampyr.
I had never truly believed I would be anything but a Thrall. I hadn’t given up hope, but I still had never imagined…this.
I wouldn’t let Malakai take another good thing from me.
As I came to the landing of the third floor, I looked around, realizing that this part of the castle was unusually quiet.
Or maybe it was quiet in comparison to the chaos I’d experienced following the warning horns.
Still, an uncomfortable sense of apprehension hit me, so I quickly made my way towards the third door.
Out of nowhere, I was yanked back hard, giving me whiplash.
I cried out, but a cloth came over my mouth before the sound could carry, and a hand tightened around my throat, causing me to feel dizzy and off-balance.
It didn’t stop me from fighting though. My instincts kicked in, and I yanked as hard as I could against the assailant’s grasp, stumbling forward as I managed to gain some level of mobility, the cloth falling from my lips.
A hand grabbed my ankle and tugged, my chin smacking against the floor. My brain rattled in my skull from the harsh impact as I cried out in pain.
The blood drained from my face at the sound of a door opening. No! I couldn’t let them be taken too.
I tried to call out a warning, not wanting them to come out here, but as I turned my head, Tristan appeared in the doorway, looking furious and shocked.
He shouted, but that wasn’t the noise that stood out to me.
It was the sound of a ‘whoosh’ through the air as a silver dagger flew towards the vampyre within seconds of him appearing.
My vision blurred, a foot coming down on the back of my neck as I heard the thud of the dagger hitting its target. My surroundings went dark to the distant sounds of Rina’s crying and Bailey’s screams.
This was my worst nightmare come to life—the people I cared about being hurt because of me. I’d led this assailant here. If Tristan fell, his death would be on me.
***
I wasn’t sure how long I was unconscious, but the thing that pulled me into wakefulness was a rocking motion—back and forth.
Back and forth.
I didn’t fully understand what was happening until all my senses kicked back into gear, the scent of brine feeling like a slap to the face.
My heavy eyelids slowly blinked open as water dripped onto my face from above.
I swallowed, trying to get my bearings as I looked around the dark room.
Not only a dark room, but a damp one made of moldy wooden beams, creatures scuttling along the floorboards.
There was one beam of light that shone through a warped board above, hopefully keeping most of the creatures away.
I swallowed, my head thudding in pain, the back of my neck aching as I tried to move. Only then did I realize I had ropes around my wrists, securing them behind me.
They’d kidnapped me from the castle and taken me to their fucking boat. How they’d managed to reach the castle so quickly when the ship had only just been spotted, and how they’d gotten in without alerting the hundreds of guards, was beyond me.
It seemed impossible when I thought of it. It didn’t add up.