Chapter 25
It had been twenty-four hours since The Order had been confronted by Harvey and Elijah had thought long and hard about the statement Harvey had made. “I needed to take something that only you possessed.” What was it that Harvey had wanted? The question had played over in his mind but for the life of him, he couldn’t work out what it was.
Harvey couldn’t have known he was the heir when he’d kept him in the cells all those years ago, or he wouldn’t have had to use Jasmine as bait. At least he’d managed to protect Jasmine from being taken. Not that she’d had needed any of their help. That power of hers had been impressive.
Music travelled from downstairs as Elijah lay on the bed watching Jasmine walk from the bathroom. Her hair trailed in wet curls down her exposed shoulders and he gazed at the towel she’d wrapped around her slim body. Her skin glowed from the hot shower and he watched her as she walked to the dresser and pick out pretty, satin underwear.
“Hmmm, that’s going to be enjoyable removing them later,” he said as she turned and dropped the towel to the floor, standing fully naked before him. She smiled.
Elijah growled as the sight of her body, soft and captivating. It made his cock harden instantly. He placed his hand on the bulge that felt tight in his pants, rubbing gently up and down, imagining it were her hands caressing his hard cock. She picked up the soft, satin underwear and drew them up her long, toned legs, pulling them high onto her hips. Elijah felt jealous of the fabric that hugged her slim waist as he watched her place her matching bra over the soft mounds of her breasts. It encased them tightly and he imagined his mouth nuzzling at the hard rosy buds held within them.
“I must thank Tobias for collecting my things from my apartment. It was lovely to wear your clothes but I feel much more comfortable in mine.” She giggled at the thought of wearing his much larger boxer shorts.
He had dressed in a pair of slim fitting, dark grey suit pants and a pale blue short-sleeved shirt that made his huge muscular arms bulge from the tight fit. He looked hot.
Elijah had not missed her intensely sensual glance. “I prefer you naked,” Elijah said as he growled at her with lust-filled passion.
Jasmine walked to the walk-in wardrobe, picking out a deep purple dress, and slid it gently over her head. Elijah watched as the smooth fabric slid down her slim body, falling in elegant waves on her thighs. She was so feminine. He sat up to get a better look at her long slim legs.
He loved how the dress hugged at her waist and how the beautiful sweetheart neckline accentuated the smooth skin of her neck.
Jasmine walked over to the dresser, brushed and dried her hair, and applied a small amount of mascara to her eyelashes. She’d never needed to wear much make-up. Luckily she’d always had radiant skin as she turned and sat on the bed beside Elijah.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said as he took her hand in his. He stood and walked to the dresser, pulling out a small, black satin box. Turning toward Jasmine, he opened the box and lifted out an elegant diamond ring. A huge crystal-cut pink diamond lay surrounded by an array of smaller diamonds. It was encased by small platinum clasps. Elijah took Jasmine’s left hand in his and gently slid the beautiful ring on her fourth finger.
Jasmine gasped at the beauty of his amazing gift. Her heart fluttered as she stared at the huge rock. It was spectacular. She stared at the sparkling reflections of the diamond as it glistened in the light.
She felt tears begin to form in her eyes. He had chosen a beautiful symbol to show their mating and she was impressed that the gift was made in her most favourite colour. She grabbed him around the shoulders and hugged him passionately. “I love it. Thank you so much, Elijah, it’s beautiful.”
“A beautiful Queen deserves a beautiful ring,” Elijah said as he held her tightly. “The mating ceremony happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to get you a ring beforehand. Mating you before my father was more than I could ever have dreamed of and I will love you for all eternity.”
He bent down and placed a tender kiss on her pretty, soft lips and she responded, showing him how much she loved him, too. As he slowly released her, he smiled. “We do have to go downstairs though and join in the party otherwise the males will come in here and get us.”
Jasmine giggled. She stood and pulled on her matching purple shoes and took Elijah’s hand in hers and walked out of the bedroom. It was time they joined the celebrations. Jasmine and Elijah walked down the spiral staircase toward the pumping tune that resonated throughout the house. Elijah squeezed her hand as they walked into the living area and saw Jenson dancing around, singing loudly.
Jasmine smiled at him as he waved her into the room to join him. She glanced at Elijah, who nodded. As Jasmine walked over and began to dance with Jenson, Elijah walked over to Jonah and Carrick, who stood by the large French-style windows. They were enjoying cool beers and chatting loudly over the music.
“I’ve been thinking about my father and the Lords,” Elijah said. “I think that Harvey is actually Havier, the original Lord that wanted to destroy them. He was able to mist, therefore he’s an original and must have been the one who killed my father.” Elijah felt nothing but hatred toward Harvey.
“I agree. We need to find him and destroy him before he gets another chance to try and capture you or the Queen,” Jonah replied.
“What do you think of James?” Elijah asked Carrick, knowing his importance to Jasmine meant that he needed to consider her brother in his plan. He’d not had a chance to speak to James at length but had trusted Jonah’s decision to make him a member of The Order. Elijah wanted to know Carrick’s feelings on the male.
“His emotions are genuine, Elijah. I feel his commitment to you and his love for Jasmine,” Carrick answered.
Elijah nodded.
James and Lucian entered the living area and walked toward Jenson and Jasmine.
“We cannot sit and wait for Harvey to come to us. My father said there were many more of our kind and we will need James’s power to help us locate them. I know that he worked for Harvey but I think he did so in the best interest of protecting his sister.” Elijah turned and watched as James walked over to his sister and hug her. She loved him. Even though they had only known each other for a few days, he could see how she had accepted him wholeheartedly into her heart.
He knew that he had made the right decision when he’d allowed James to approach the cabin and defend himself. It had taken great courage to face The Order alone and he would be eternally grateful for the call he’d made asking for her protection. That call had changed his life forever.
Elijah turned, walked toward the music system, and turned down the volume as Luca and Tobias joined them. He turned and faced all the males and smiled as Jasmine walked across the room.
She stood next to him, taking his hand in hers.
He had great respect for every male that stood before him. They had each proven their worth over the years. Jonah’s strength had kept him alive through the tough times after they’d escaped. Jenson’s ability to read the scriptures had led him to his true love. Lucian’s speed had saved his life more times than he could remember. He glanced from one male to the other as he thought about how Luca’s power had saved Jasmine’s life and how Carrick had helped control everyone’s emotions when they’d faced Harvey. He finally rested his gaze on Tobias, the male that had bought Jasmine’s brother to her. He knew their loyalty was something that would secure the race’s survival and that his decision was the right one.
“You all stand before me with honour and pride as we face a threat that intends to destroy us. I’ve thought long and hard about how we can ensure the safety and protection of our race. As destined, I have been honoured with the position as your leader and King but I cannot do this alone. Our Mist of the past were protected by their King and his Lords and we must lead with the same valour and dignity. I therefore bestow the positions of Lords of the Mist upon each male here. I will be honoured to fight alongside each and everyone o
ne of you to protect our kind and secure a future where we and our children can live happily and free from fear. This I vow to you all.”
Jasmine held her breath as pride for her mate flooded through her. He was truly an honourable King and she loved and respected him. She squeezed his hand in approval of his decision.
Every pair of eyes stared at Elijah in shock, totally stunned at the impact of Elijah’s words. They turned and looked each other. As Jonah bent down onto one knee and bowed his head, each male followed until all the males were bowed before the King.
“We are honoured, your highness, and I think I can speak on behalf of all the males here in accepting the positions as Lords of the Mist. We will fight along with you to protect our race with all the strength and power we possess.” Jonah looked up and saw the smile that spread across Elijah’s face.
Elijah moved forward and placed his hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “Stand. I am your King but I am first your brother. We are a family and will care and protect each other whilst we fight to protect our race. It is time to celebrate, don’t you think?”
Jonah stood and placed his hand in Elijah’s and nodded as each male stood to shake Elijah’s hand. Jasmine smiled at Elijah and watched as the males stood together as one. She knew that whilst the future was unknown, they would all serve to ensure that their race survived. She walked toward Elijah as he turned toward her and took her in his arms.
The future may be filled with danger, but having Jasmine and his Lords by his side gave him the strength he needed to lead them. He had faced pain, terror, and death. Had survived and had waited what seemed like an eternity for Jasmine. Now, as she stood before him, his life felt complete.
“I love you, sweetheart,” he said as she smiled.
“I love you, too, Elijah,” she replied as she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.
The males turned toward them, raised their glasses, and toasted.
“To the King and Queen!”
Epilogue
As the party continued in full swing, James, Lucian, and Jonah walked into the dining room in search of something to eat. The table was laid with plates full of sandwiches and cakes that Tobias had ordered in especially for the celebrations.
The events that had transpired in the living area had shocked them as they each considered the impact of Elijah’s decision. They felt honoured that Elijah had thought them worthy of taking the places as Lords of their race and knew this was the beginning of a war between themselves and Harvey that would only finish when they had destroyed him.
Jonah stood and thought about the time he and Elijah had spent in the cells. He remembered the beatings and abuse they had received from the guards and how he had overpowered his attackers and escaped. He had rescuing Elijah and they had fled for their lives. Time had given him the chance to think about who had been responsible for their suffering. In the beginning, he had driven himself mad trying to work out who was behind their captivity. He had never been able to find out any information, never had any leads, and now he knew.
What he didn’t know was why. Why had they been taken? Why had there been constant beatings and blood test? The answers lay with Harvey. He knew that whatever it took, the male had to be taken alive so he could find out why he had wanted them.
James had worked for Harvey for many years and had information that would be useful to help them find him. Jonah turned and sat down in one of the high-backed chairs.
“What can you tell us about the security at the Headquarters James?” Jonah asked.
“The place is surrounded by high electrical fencing and there are security camera’s covering the whole property. The security gate is manned by two guards and can be remotely accessed from the Headquarters. I used to walk past the security room and it was heavily guarded, sometimes by two or three guards. Harvey is highly financed and has the most up-to-date tracking systems. That’s what he used to track Jasmine.”
“What kind of work does he do?” Jonah asked.
“As far as I’m aware he’s mainly into importing and exporting security systems. I also know he’s into mercenary work, making people disappear, that kind of thing.” James had often been given jobs to locate targets and report back with information and location details but beyond that he had not been involved in any other business dealings Harvey had.
“How many people does he have working for him?” Lucian asked as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Jonah.
“I guess he has around twenty or so working at the Headquarters in various departments, sales, accounts, etc. I had three males working for me but I don’t know if there are more security details out in the field. There may be more but I never saw others at the Headquarters,” James replied.
“We can assume that piece of garbage that shot at the Queen has returned to Harvey and the other two you had working for you. We need to find them, see if they have any information about Harvey’s plans,” Lucian stated.
“I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on Tyler. I’ll make him pay for what he did to Jasmine.” James wanted revenge on the bastard. It was a shame he hadn’t shot him when he’d had the gun pointed directly at his head back at the boathouse. He felt guilty that he’d sent him back to Harvey as that had allowed for him to track Jasmine. She had gotten hurt because he had not taken care of the bastard himself.
“We need to get into the Headquarters. If we could access the security system then we may have a chance bypassing the cameras and gaining entry without alerting the guards.” Lucian turned toward Jonah. “Is there any way you can access the system remotely from here?”
“I’ll try and find out if there’s any way to bypass the firewall. By the sounds of it, it’s going to be highly secured so it may take some time. We may have to upload a back door directly from a terminal in the Headquarters.” Jonah was good but some systems were impenetrable.
“Do you know anyone there that you think we may be able to help us get inside? Someone you could trust?” Lucian asked James, knowing it was a long shot.
“I never talked to anyone directly. I only ever spoke to people on the phone. There was this one girl, though. She seemed quite helpful whenever I called to pass on messages for Harvey,” James replied.
“Who is she?” Jonah asked.
“I never met her. Her name is Alana and I only ever spoke to her once or twice. She was always friendly, but I don’t know where she worked. It may have been in one of the offices at the Headquarters. She may help us.” James had enjoyed talking with her on those occasions. Her voice was soft and gentle.
“See if you can contact her, but be discreet. We don’t want Harvey getting any idea that we are in contact with anyone in his employment. It would be extremely dangerous for her if he found out. It may even cost her life,” Lucian stated.
“In the meantime we must ensure that the security around Genesis is secure. We have to guard the King and Queen and I’ll create a rota so that there are always males at the house. We need to protect them, should we be attacked,” Jonah said as both males nodded.
“We also need to get back into training. We must ensure that our powers are focussed and I have missed our little sparring sessions.” Lucian smiled at Jonah.
The last time they had gone head to head, Jonah had lost. He’d taken great offence to being knocked on his arse and had warned that he would get his revenge the next time they fought. Lucian had laughed. It took a lot to take down the strongest male and he’d quite enjoyed it.
Jonah raised his eyebrows at Lucian. There was no way Lucian was going to get a second chance at flooring him. It had been a lucky shot that had allowed Lucian to win. He’d taken his legs out from under him and landed on him with his full weight, winding him. It was never going to happen again, ever. Next time Jonah was going to wipe the floor with him.
“You’ll lose, I promise you that.” Jonah stood and nodded to James as he walked back toward the living area, leaving Lucian laughing and James wondering what he’d missed.
As Jonah walked into the room, he stood and stared at Elijah and Jasmine. They sat on the couch, his arm wrapped around her shoulders whilst they chatted. She laughed at something he’d said as Jonah though of how his friend had found someone to make him truly happy. Things had been so different the first time they had met. He was paler and thinner, almost starving to death, when Jonah had gone into his cell and rescued him. His bright vibrant eyes had been so dim they had looked almost grey, but now he was big and strong and his eyes shone brightly with love for his mate. He had come a long way and had proved the worthiness of his bloodline, and Jonah admired his strength and loyalty. His Queen was beautiful and strong and had a special gift of her own which he thought would one day save his kind as it had saved her mate’s life at the cabin. He was a lucky man to have such a loving, caring female by his side.
A strange feeling eased through the centre of Jonah’s chest as he stared around the room at the other males talking and drinking long, slow gulps from their beers. Jonah leant against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He watched Jenson as he continued to shake his body to the beat of the music.
Jonah had never experienced such a pull to his heart as confusion clouded his mind. Alana. Why had her name suddenly come to him? Jonah frowned. He had never thought about having a female in his life. Had lost too much over the years to ever consider allowing his heart to open up to someone. Yet here and now his heart was searching for a connection.
Carlisle, Abbie - Elijah's Vow [The Order of the Mist] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 17