“Well, that explains a few things. I’m starving, anyone want something to eat?” Jenson said, always the one to try and lighten up a tense moment.
Jonah glared at him. This was not the time to be thinking about his stomach but that was Jenson all over.
“I don’t think its best we stand out here. This Harvey person could be here any moment and we’ll be sitting ducks if we stand out here any longer,” Lucian stated.
Elijah nodded and carried Jasmine inside. She was calm now that Carrick had eased her emotions as she stared up at him through her long, beautiful eyelashes.
Elijah had understood James’s revelation and it had shocked him but he was still not convinced that the position as King lay with him. He had always felt responsible for his males in The Order and from the moment he had met Jasmine, her, too. He knew he had been different from them, the powers he possessed greater than theirs, but had never imagined that it would lead to him being their King. Didn’t one have to be a royal descendant to become a King? He had never really known his parents. He had been young when they’d disappeared and never really knew who he was. Doubt still played within him. Was he the King or would another try and claim Jasmine. The thought tore at him, to think that another would take her from him.
Elijah placed Jasmine down as the other males walked into the cabin and stood on either side of the couch.
“I need a drink,” Jasmine stated as she walked toward the kitchen. “A large glass of wine. Do we have any alcohol in this place?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Elijah said as he followed her.
“A large coffee will have to do then.” Jasmine walked to the cabinet, took out a cup, and poured in a large spoonful of coffee. After boiling the kettle, she filled the cup to the top and took a large gulp of the hot, dark liquid. “God, I needed that.”
Elijah didn’t know what to say. Was she angry? Was she upset? He couldn’t tell as he stood leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Well, I have a brother I didn’t know about and now I have a King. That’s a lot to take in one go,” Jasmine said.
“There’s no guarantee that I am the King,” Elijah stated.
“You came to Swane and found me. Doesn’t that tell you something?” Jasmine stared at the frown that had formed above his eyes.
“Yes but…”
“You can disappear and reappear. The others can’t and you are an original are you not?”
“Yes but—”
“No buts. If you are the King then you have a duty to protect your males and rebuild The Mist. That is your destiny.”
“But what if it’s not me who was supposed to claim you? What if it’s another who you are supposed to be mated to? I couldn’t live knowing another had you as their own.” Elijah stared at her. She was the most beautiful person inside and out, which he had ever known. He felt pain course through him at the thought of losing her.
“Elijah, you claimed me the moment you saw me, and I you. There is nothing that could ever separate us. How can I assure you that I will never leave your side?” Jasmine wanted him to know the depth of her love and devotion to him.
“Mate me!” Elijah said as his heart lifted at the thought of her being with him forever.
Jasmine stared at him. Electricity soured through every fibre of her body as his words played over and over in her mind. His mate. She had been told the life she had grown up in had been a façade, that she now had a brother, and that she was actually a member of The Mist. Nothing about her past had ever been in her control but she was damned sure she would control her future. Jasmine placed her cup on the side, walked across the kitchen, and stood in front of Elijah.
“If it means I can prove to you that I will be by your side every step of the way, yes, I will be your mate.”
Elijah grabbed Jasmine and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers as love poured from every muscle of his body. She felt his hunger for her as she took every inch of his mouth deep into hers, telling him that she belonged to him. She loved him unconditionally. Even if it she would be thrown into the world of royalty, with him to guide her she would love and support him always. Nothing would ever separate them, not even the threat that wanted to take her. Elijah would protect her and she knew that no matter what happened, she had found her true soul mate.
Jonah’s voice broke their passion as he called from the living area. His tone was sharp as Elijah pulled away from Jasmine’s delicious mouth.
“Elijah. You best come in here,” Jonah stated.
Elijah frowned at Jasmine. He didn’t like the way Jonah had sounded. The concern in his voice had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He took Jasmine’s hand and walked back into the living area. As they entered, they both froze, unable to take their gazes from the sight that stood before them.
Thirteen huge males, glimmering like shadows in the moonlight, stood directly in front of them. All of them were dressed in long cloaks and each had bright vibrant eyes that bore directly into shocked members of The Order. The tallest of the shadows moved forward so gently it looked as if it had floated rather than walked. The shadow bowed as Elijah and Jasmine moved forward to stand directly in front of the small table between the couches. The shadow smiled, his face lighting up as he saw Elijah.
“Who are you?” Elijah asked, his voice no more than a whisper.
“Hello, Elijah, my name is Andreas and I’m your father.” The shadow spoke with a kind, gentle voice as he looked to Jasmine and back to Elijah.
“My father?” Elijah asked, his breathing coming in short gasps as he stared at the shadow.
“Yes, Elijah. You are my son. I have watched over you for many years,” the shadow replied.
Elijah stole a glimpse at the other males and saw the shock on their faces. His heart pounded in his chest. He had thought about his father many times over the years and had tried to imagine what he would have looked like.
“I am the original King and these are the twelve original Lords. We come to warn you.”
Elijah had so many questions but found it difficult to speak. The shock of seeing his father standing before him had his mind racing as he tried to calm his pounding heart.
“Warn us from what?” Elijah asked, squeezing Jasmine’s hand. He knew that Carrick was using his power to keep the other males calm.
“There are more of you that you must find. A great evil wants to destroy you as he did us. The only way to protect and rebuild our kind is for you to take your place as the rightful heir.” The shadow moved forward and held his hand out toward Elijah and Jasmine. “My son, you have grown and become the male I always knew you could be. Your mother and I are proud of the way you have dealt with everything you have suffered.”
Elijah held his breath. His mother. He had often thought of her, been jealous as a child of others who had the love and affection of their parents. Emotion flooded through him as his heart hurt for the female he had never known.
“What was she like, my mother?” Elijah asked.
“She was beautiful. She had long dark hair, as dark as yours, Elijah, that hung in beautiful curls. You remind me of her so much, your eyes the same vibrant blue. She was brave but died inside the day we had to send you away. It was the only way to protect the future. I am so sorry we had to leave you but the evil that hunts you came for us. There was no other way.” The shadow‘s eyes held such sadness.
“Who is it that comes for us?” Elijah asked.
“His name was Havier. He was one of my Lords but he turned against us. He wanted power for himself and hunted us down one by one. Many lives were slain.”
“How do we fight him if he’s so powerful?” Elijah needed to know the enemy that he was to face.
“By taking your place as the rightful King and rebuilding The Kingdom, your strength will grow. But first, my son, in order to become King you must mate with your female. It is the only way to secure the bloodli
ne.”
The shadow looked at Jasmine. She smiled at him. She would never have imagined that both Elijah’s life and her own would have been so similar, both taken from parents they did not know. Her empathy for Elijah overwhelmed her as she squeezed his hand tightly.
“Do you love my son?” the shadow asked Jasmine.
“I love him with all my heart and I have agreed to be his mate,” she replied with conviction that made Elijah smile.
The shadow smiled at her. “Do you take her as your mate, Elijah?”
“I do, now and forever,” Elijah replied, his heart exploding with love at her declaration.
“You must take the ribbon and wrap it around the wrists of your clasped hands,” the shadow instructed as Elijah turned and took Jasmine’s right hand into his.
The males stood there watching, the shadows silent as Jonah lifted the red satin ribbon that had wrapped the scripture and placed it gently around Elijah’s and Jasmine’s clasped hands. As the ribbon wound, it gently tightened, glowing a deep crimson colour, and Jasmine gasped as the sensation of warmth spread through her arm and filled her heart.
Elijah stared into Jasmine’s dazzling auburn eyes. “I take you as my mate and will love and protect you forever. You are beautiful, kind, and caring and I will treat you with honour as my Queen. You are my world, my life, and I will never leave your side. I will love and protect our young and serve as King to our race. This I vow to you.”
Jasmine’s smile lit her face. She had never considered having children but her heart filled with joy at the thought of bearing his child. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. “I take you as my mate, too, and will love you always. I will always be at your side and support you as your Queen. You are a worthy King and I promise to always do what I believe is right to protect our race. I will protect our children with my life. You are my world, my life, now and forever.”
Elijah bent down and kissed Jasmine as each male in the room knelt, bowing their heads. Jasmine flinched as she felt a burning sensation in her wrist. Heat soared through her hand as Elijah pulled back. The ribbon connecting their clasped hands gently released and fell slowly to the floor as both Jasmine and Elijah looked down at their still grasped hands. Each stared at the elaborate mark left on their wrists. A red S lay entwined in an elaborate swirl pattern on each wrist. A mirror image of each other.
“The marking of a mated pair has been born into your skin to show others of your pairing,” the shadow spoke.
The males in the room stood and smiled in Elijah’s direction.
“So where’s the party then?” Jenson laughed as he winked at Jasmine. She smiled back at him.
Elijah smiled at Jenson. He felt like sharing his elation at mating Jasmine formally with everyone.
“When we get back to Genesis I’ll let you organise one,” Elijah said as he placed his arm around Jasmine’s waist and pulled her tight to him. Elijah turned to face his father.
Andreas smiled. “Elijah, we must leave now. Remember there are others out there you must find. Havier will come for you. Protect your Queen, and the race. Be safe, my son.” The shadow bowed as he misted and disappeared. The twelve originals followed, leaving only the sight of the long wooden walls.
Chapter 22
Elijah bent and lifted Jasmine into his arms and turned toward the stairs. As she curled her arms around his strong shoulders, he stared at her, feeling humbled at how she’d believed in him when he’d doubted his true identity. She had declared her love for him to his father and made a promise to support him and protect their race, making his heart swell with pride. He placed his lips against her cheek as he inhaled her captivating scent, sending bolts of hot, passionate lust directly to his hardening cock. Wanting his mate naked, he climbed the stairs hastily and carried her toward the bedroom, entering and slamming the door shut behind him.
Elijah’s stare held such love and intensity it made her heart cry out for him. Jasmine knew exactly what he wanted and so had the other males in the living area as he’d carried her upstairs. It had made her blush as she’d glanced over his shoulder at James, smiling at him as she’d thought about how her life had irrevocably changed. The life she’d known was over, but the future she was going to have with Elijah was more than she could ever have dreamed of.
Lucian, Luca, and Carrick left the living area to scout the woods leaving Jonah and James eyeing each other cautiously. As Jenson made his way to the kitchen in search of something to fill his groaning stomach, Tobias followed him.
“I hope Luca got some steaks in, I’m famished,” Jenson said as he opened the door to the fridge.
“God, do you never stop eating?” Tobias laughed.
“It’s all right for loverboy upstairs. He’s going to enjoy his feast. I’m wasting away here!” Jenson said as he searched the fridge. “What’s Luca think we all are? Rabbits! There’s nothing but bloody salad in here!” Jenson said, disgusted at Luca’s eating habits as he pulled out a big plate of roast beef.
“Maybe he thinks we all need to keep trim and healthy.” Tobias sniggered.
“I’m a red-blooded male and need my protein. I can’t survive on a limp lettuce leaf!”
Tobias laughed at his friend. He totally agreed with him, though. Luca was not to be trusted when it came to feeding the males as he walked over and helped Jenson prepare the food.
“That was quite something in there, wasn’t it?” Tobias stated as he piled mounds of beef on the bread that Jenson had quite clearly been unable to cut straight.
“Never expected Elijah to turn out to be the King but he’s definitely the male for the Job.” Jenson had always respected his leader. He’d always led them with courage and honour and, he understood now why he’d always shown such great strength when it came to protecting The Order.
Tobias nodded. “His Queen is quite lovely, don’t you think?”
“She’s a perfect match for him and quite fit, too. I had a little running competition with her back at the compound. Thought she could take me on but I thrashed her. It was quite cute really to see her try and beat me.” Jenson had liked her immediately when he had met her. Her smile lit her face and he knew that Elijah was deeply in love with her.
“Do you think she will make a good Queen?” Tobias asked.
“She is strong and Elijah loves her. That’s good enough for me,” Jenson replied as he picked up the plate of food and walked toward the living area.
Jonah and James stood, either side of the couches, still staring at each other.
“Anyone got a knife to cut the atmosphere in here?” Jenson asked, winking at Jonah as he placed the plate on the table and proceeded to shove a huge bite of a sandwich into his mouth.
Jonah sighed, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief. Jenson never took anything seriously.
“So, tell me everything you know about this Harvey,” Jonah said to James.
“I met him when I was on duty back in my army days. He is one mean son of a bitch. We have to be careful when we fight against him. He is powerful and strong.” James replied.
“How did you come to work for him?”
“I met him one day when I returned from a mission to scout for mines in Afghanistan. He had been sent to take over the group of soldiers I was working with and decided that I would be his second-in-command. I sensed that there was something different about him. He was cold when it came to dealing with the men, severe in his punishments if they messed up, and never spent any social time with them. When I was discharged, he contacted me and asked if I would be interested in a security detail within his business. I worked for him for a while and then one day he called me to his offices at his Headquarters.
He handed me the tracker, giving me details of the female he wanted and where I was to find her. I knew it was Jasmine from her description and the fact that I knew he was one of our kind.”
James had sensed on one of his visits to Harvey, that he was a member of The Mist. Harvey wanted power and he suspected tha
t one day Harvey would try and go after the King. Knowing his sister was to be the King’s mate, he’d decided to remain in Harvey’s employment so he could ensure that when the time came, he could hopefully reach her and warn her. He’d gained Harvey’s trust, intent on finding information about her whereabouts, and had almost lost his control when Harvey had given him the tracker with instruction to take her. Harvey must have made the connection, giving him no other option than to contact Elijah to ensure she would be kept safe.
He hadn’t counted on Tyler, though. The guy was a complete shit and had almost ruined his plan to protect her. He smiled, knowing that now she had mated the King and taken her place as Queen, she had the entire Order to protect her and a brother that would lay down his own life to keep her safe.
Jonah’s eyes widened in surprise. “You knew he was a Mist?”
“Yes, I have an ability to sense one of our kind. I’d never come across any before I met him,” James replied.
“Did you not sense him when you were in the Army together?” Jonah asked.
“I have to be fairly close to someone to be able to determine if they are one of us. He always kept his distance from me. It was as if he knew I could sense who he was and never put himself close enough for me to find out.” James knew that his power was limited but it had come in useful as he’d searched for Jasmine.
“How did you find out he was a Mist then?” Jonah was curious to know how his powers worked. They would come in useful when it came to finding the others the shadows had mentioned.
“A little while after I started to work for him at the Headquarters, I went to his office. I was close enough to him then to be able to sense who he really was. I made sure that I never gave away who I was, though. I wanted to use his connection to The Mist to try and locate Jasmine.”
“Where did he come from?” Jonah asked as he sat down on the couch, taking a sandwich from the plate.
“I don’t know, he never revealed any details about himself. He was always very evasive when I asked him about his past. It’s like he never existed before I met him.”
Carlisle, Abbie - Elijah's Vow [The Order of the Mist] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 14