Page 20

19

ELIJAH

The events from last night kept replaying in my mind, circling around like a broken record.

Arch’s displeasure with the situation is evident, while Kai couldn’t be more delighted.

She fucking stabbed me. Saying that I’m not proud of her would be a lie.

She’s always been a wildcat.

Independant and fearless.

Or at least, that’s the facade she presents to others.

As I ascend the hill, the darkness envelops me, with only the distant city lights casting an eerie glow in the sky.

I walk further, and my eyes are drawn to a silhouette seated at the brink of the hill, creating a distinct shadow.

“If you’re here to kill me, you tried once, and you failed.” She tilts her head to the side. “How did you find me?

I sit next to her, feeling a slight breeze as my feet dangle into the empty space.

This is our neutral territory. No one will kill anyone.

“I knew you’d find a way to escape. And how did I find you? You said in the video surveillance, ‘You know where to find me.’ It’s your spot.”

She turns her head completely to look at me. “You fucking buried me alive, Elijah! What the fuck?”

A chuckle escapes me. “Did you learn your lesson?”

“Fuck off.” She stands up and starts to storm off, but I grab her arm.

“Wait.”

“What do you want? Because if you don’t see it, I’m clearly pissed at you.”

“White flag?” I sigh.

“Yeah, I pass. Thanks.”

“Iris,” I groan. “Can you stop being fucking stubborn for a minute?”

Her smirk deepens when she catches me touching the wound she inflicted.

Fucking brat.

“You lied to them.” She tilts her head. “Why?”

“Why are you still connected to our cameras?”

“Hmm, because you thought you killed me and didn’t think of cutting me off, duh. But that’s not the question here. You lied to them. You told them you never met me before. Why?”

As I lean in closer to her, my fingers curl around her chin, eliciting a shiver from her. “Because you are mine to protect. Do you understand that?”

“Brother, you literally buried me alive. Weird way to protect me.”

A grin curls on my lips. I wouldn’t have taken that risk if I wasn’t completely certain she would be able to escape.

“And you stabbed me. We’re even.”

A devious laugh escapes her lips. “Not even close.” She moves from my grip and sighs. “You know I still have the order to kill you, right? This is neutral territory, but once we’re out of here…”

“You need to live with us.”

She scoffs. “I beg your finest pardon? How in the world are we transitioning from ‘I need to kill you’ to ‘live with us’? What the fuck is wrong with you? Oh my God. Did I break something when I stabbed you? Did it damage a nerve or some shit like that? Or did I?—”

“We have a mission as well.”

“Oh?”

I sigh. “They want Lily.”

Her face instantly loses colour and she shakes her head in disbelief. “No. They can’t have her. What… What? Eli?”

“I know.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m trying to understand who gave the command.”

“Is this why you asked me who put the target on The Order?”

Her gaze lingers on me, and I respond with a nod while she keeps shaking her head.

“No. Nuh-uh. There is no connection or correlation between the two kills.”

“The outcome is the same. Your order is to eliminate The Order, while ours is to eliminate Lily. The longer we take, the more their impatience will escalate. I can’t protect Lily unless I have all the answers at my fingertips.”

I breathe through my nose. Iris has a stubborn streak, and she takes a while to digest things, but unfortunately, time is not on our side.

“Take the night to think about it, okay? If you change your mind, well, you know where the house is.”

“Fucking hell.”

“Listen to me.” I lean my forehead against hers. “If Stephen knows–”

“He’ll be dead before he even has a chance to twitch.” She groans.

“I’m working on his demise. Don’t forget who he’s working for. Killing him would raise a lot of suspicions.”

“Hey,” she slaps my chest. “I know a lot of ways to kill people without getting noticed.”

“You do, indeed, but wouldn’t it be more satisfying to witness the crumbling of an entire empire instead of just one individual? I made you a promise a while back that I would always keep you safe, no matter what. He’ll never touch even a single strand of your hair. Do you hear me?”

With a perplexed expression, she nods and shakes her head at the same time, torn between two conflicting thoughts. “Since when do you do sentimental shit?”

“Neutral territory, remember?”

“Oh, so you’ll be back to being an asshole once we leave. Phew, I was worried you’d fart rainbows and unicorns.”

She’s so full of shit.

“You’re a pain, you know that?”

“Yup. I wouldn’t trade myself for anything in the world.”

Yeah, I wouldn’t either.

She leans closer and whispers in my ear. “Tell them the truth.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see Kale’s face when you’ll tell him you’re a better fuck than any of them and how pretty I looked crawling to you with a leash around my neck.”

She does look fucking good with my collar and my leash around her neck.

She would look prettier with Arch and Kai taking her both at the same time while Theo thrusts into her mouth.

But she’s not ready to meet Theo, yet.

She kisses the corner of my lips before leaving.

Just as she’s about to disappear from my sight, I shout, “Think about it!” Her hand gives me one last shove before she’s gone.