Page 14 of Legacy of the Heirs (The Lost Kingdom Saga #2)

Elisara

E lisara stared into the eyes of the man she had trusted, a man she could no longer deny her feelings for.

How could she when he inundated every thought in her mind?

He was everywhere. He was everything. Yet a part of her did not want him near, reminded by betrayal—not only his but the betrayal of her parents, particularly her mother, who not only had an affair with the king of Keres but conspired with him to set the explosion.

The revelations bombarded Elisara, as did her warped memories. Yet one constant remained. Him.

“I’ll spend my life proving myself to you, ange l.

” His voice softened. Angel . Elisara did not react to him comparing her to the creatures of beauty foretold in children’s stories, nor did she ask why he called her that, nor accept his declaration.

She did not melt at his feet like he probably expected.

Instead, a rush of emotions overwhelmed her, yet she focused on only one.

Rage. Rage at her mother, the late King Razik, the gods and their damned prophecy, and Kazaar for looking at her with such longing as if he would offer her the world on a platter.

Lightning struck outside the chambers. She did not recognise her whereabouts, but from the colours of the sheets and the mosaic on the floor, she assumed they were still in Keres, no longer trapped in the confines of her mind.

Elisara stared at her reflection in the darkness of his eyes, the white light ebbing within her own.

“Your power does not scare me, angel.” He raised his hand to stroke his thumb along her jaw, a flame flickering in response to the lightning she conjured.

She tried not to react to the flame’s white glow, retaining a neutral expression despite the comfort of the flame and the stirring within her at his new nickname.

“Do not fucking call me that,” she hissed.

Neither made any attempt to move from their position. Elisara remained on the bed, and from its scent, she knew it once belonged to him. And there he knelt, Kazaar Elharar, the man who bowed to no one yet was on his knees before her, stroking her jaw.

“What would you rather I call you?” He hummed.

“Angel?” He trailed his hand down her neck.

“Elisara?” His fingers danced through her hair until skimming her collarbone.

“My undoing?” he breathed, his thumb brushing against a spot that made her shiver.

“Because that is what you are, Elisara. Knowing I hurt you, seeing the emotion in your eyes when we fought, and the agonising wait while I watched your chest rise and fall, fearing it may stop at any second… You strip away all my pretences. My mind is coming undone at your hand, and I have never feared for someone else before you. How am I to command at your side and lead armies if everything that makes me feared by others can be undone with just one look from you? What do I call you when you make me feel all that?” Elisara pulled herself together, burying the tears welling at the tenderness and raw honesty in his words.

“How about my queen?” she sneered, pushing him away as she stood.

She stomped past him until pausing at the archway overlooking the Ashun Desert.

Her legs wavered as she gripped the stone railing, unprepared for her weakness upon waking.

Narrowing her eyes, she admired her power as lightning struck the sands.

For once, she cared only about wielding it.

Sensing his presence behind her, she felt the whisper of his scent floating to her on the Keres breeze.

She peered up at the stars and prayed to Vala—or any god—to instil her with the strength to either forgive or forget this man.

“I thought you were not mine to have?” he whispered in the shell of her ear, his hand hesitantly reaching towards her. Elisara swallowed and leaned back against him; her body betrayed her. Kazaar snaked his arm around her waist. It seemed the gods did not care for her wishes.

“I am not,” she whispered. Elisara felt her heart beating in tandem with his as Kazaar stroked her abdomen in silent reassurance.

“ You don’t sound certain.”

Elisara pulled away instantly, flattening her back against the pillar of the archway. Kazaar’s eyes were wide and mirrored hers, a confirmation she had not imagined his voice in her head.

“Was that in your—”

“ Mind.” His voice rang through her head.

“Get out of my head!” she screamed. Kazaar stepped back, raking his hands through his dishevelled hair.

“Elisara, I have as little understanding as you do of what in the gods name is happening here.” He locked his hands behind his head and paced the room.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded, flinching as pain pierced her chest, reflecting the pain in his expression. “The last thing I remember is—”

“ The essence of our power merging.” The silkiness of his voice caressed her mind.

“Stop doing that!” she shouted again. Lightning flashed behind her, and ice crawled from her feet.

“I cannot stop thinking , Elisara!” Kazaar snapped and stopped his pacing.

She narrowed her eyes at him, channelling the thought as a shout. “ Try!”

He returned her glare. “ Do you wish for a screaming match in our heads?”

Elisara stormed towards him, yet with what intent she did not know. She halted after glimpsing his collarbone beneath his shirt. She only now noticed that it was undone, revealing his muscular chest and abdomen.

“What is that?” She grabbed his collar and pulled him to her for a closer examination of the raised mark on his collarbone.

She felt drawn to it, tracing the raised sun gently with her fingers.

Kazaar shivered and clenched his mouth shut as he looked down at her.

She recalled her earlier reaction to his touch and stepped back immediately, turning to the tall mirror propped in the corner of the room.

Elisara analysed her skin while trailing the moon’s outline on her chest. Draping the gold chains of her dress to one side, she flipped her hair to the other, too mesmerised by the mark to acknowledge Kazaar’s presence behind her.

His hands delicately moved to hold the chain, allowing her to inspect the mark more closely.

She glanced up at him, noting the sun on his skin and its stark difference from the dark inkings covering the rest of his body.

“ What is happening to us?” Elisara asked silently, blinking rapidly as she glanced between the two marks. She balled her fists into her skirts to dampen her rising panic and quickening breaths.

“I do not know, angel.”

Elisara closed her eyes momentarily and jumped as Kazaar’s hand returned to her waist, holding her still against him.

She tried not to think about the melding of their bodies as tendrils of shadow and silvery white pooled at their feet and kissed her bare legs.

At his touch, power hummed under her skin, reminding Elisara of their moment in the alcove.

“ They did not hurt you last time .” While unusual in her mind, she found comfort in the closeness of Kazaar’s voice.

Elisara watched his eyes in the mirror, trained on the shadows.

She believed him. Nothing felt dangerous about the tendrils twisting around her body.

In fact, it felt as though they called to her.

“Last time?”

“While you were sleeping.”

The tendrils tickled at her elbow, and she lifted her hand from where it had gravitated to Kazaar’s. Twisting her arm before her, wisps of light and dark twisted until encircling her arm like an intricately woven piece of fabric, warming her.

“What does it mean?” she asked aloud this time .

“Nyzaia read something,” he said cautiously. “About celestial ties.”

Elisara frowned and gripped his wrist as the tendrils climbed higher around them while he traced soothing circles on her waist. “Apparently, these markings signify a shared destiny between us, tying us together.”

Elisara scoffed. “And why should we believe that?”

Kazaar locked eyes with her in the mirror, pursing his lips.

“ It also said it allowed the two people access into one another's mind.”

“Tied?”

“Together,” Kazaar confirmed.

How can I possibly live while tied to a man who has lied to me from the moment we met? Elisara stepped forward, breaking contact with him. The shadows and light ebbed, replaced with a sudden coldness.

“How many times must I apologise until you forgive me?” Kazaar asked as Elisara began pacing, creating further distance between them.

Now and then, she glanced at him and changed direction.

Kazaar lied to Elisara about the truth of his powers, despite knowing the pain she experienced from previous betrayals.

Elisara covered her eyes, rubbed her face, and switched direction, the tiles cold beneath her feet.

His only justification was not wishing to hurt her.

Elisara swallowed the frustrated scream rising in her throat.

She was in two minds, wanting to hurt him for the secrets he had kept while also wishing to collapse into his arms and believe all the sweet things he said.

“I did not lie to you, angel. I just did not tell you.”

“That is the same thing,” Elisara snapped, spinning to face him. With a wave of her hand, icicles formed midair and launched in Kazaar’s direction. He flourished his own hand, and they parted around him, shattering against the wall.

“And what would you have done if I had told you the truth the moment I arrived in Vala?” he asked, stepping towards her.

His shirt blew open further in the breeze.

“Would you have trusted me then?” Elisara made a disgruntled noise as he continued towards her.

“Tell me, my queen, when would have been the correct time to tell you? When would you have reacted in a more positive manner than this?” His voice adopted a taunting lilt, prompting Elisara to cross her arms. “Exactly, you do not know! I wanted to tell you, angel, but I was waiting until we were—”

“Were what?” she asked, scanning his gaze.

“Friends.” He gritted his teeth.

“That’s what you wish to be?” she asked. Something inside Elisara flickered with disappointment as he took a final step and tilted her chin to look at him. “Friends?”

“I will be whatever you wish,” he murmured. “As long as I am something.”

“You are something,” she said, her eyes watering.

A realisation hit her then. She could not forget this man, that she would be forced to forgive him.

Slowly, he pulled her to him, offering an opportunity for Elisara to pull back.

A contented sigh sounded from his lips when she did not.

As his arms wrapped around her, Elisara nestled her head against his shoulder.

“I meant what I said. I will spend my entire life proving myself to you, angel.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “I will do whatever you ask—whatever you wish or need from me.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” she asked.

“Because that is how you looked when you laid there with this celestial tie binding us together. You looked like an angel: serene, beautiful, powerful.” He smiled, and the memory flashed in her mind.

“Then what does that make you?” She instinctively reached for his arm to trail her fingers along his inkings.

“Perhaps your demon.”

“That sounds like you would taint me,” she said, as images of herself in the alcove flashed through her mind— Kazaar’s memories .

“I could certainly taint you for any other,” he whispered, gliding his hands up her bare back.

The door to the chambers slammed open, and Vlad rushed in with Nyzaia, Helena, Vigor, and Talia in tow.

“She’s awake then,” said Nyzaia, glancing between Elisara and Kazaar with a straight face. The pair quickly parted.

“Eli!” Vlad rushed forward, laughing, and pulled Elisara into an embrace. When the temperature in the room plummeted, Vlad pulled back. “Are you okay?”

Elisara gave a tight nod and glanced in Kazaar’s direction. She had not been the one to lower the temperature.

I might have to pull rank if he touches you again . Elisara ignored the protective edge to his voice and the shiver his words traced up her spine. She turned her back on him.

“I’m fine,” she said to Vlad, though he clearly did not believe her. She cocooned her arms around herself. For a moment, nobody spoke.

“ They all wonder what happened.”

“I know.” She glared at Kazaar, and Nyzaia narrowed her eyes, glancing between them. Elisara avoided her gaze.

“Stay out of my head,” she warned him.

“Worried about what I might see?” Elisara blushed as every memory of them together invaded her senses. Could he really see those? The darkening of his eyes answered her question.

Nyzaia cleared her throat. “I assume I was right,” she said.

“Right about what?” Helena stepped around Nyzaia, her white-blonde hair a stark opposite to the Keres queen.

Vigor rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and laid a leather case on the table, opening it to reveal rows of vials.

That was why Kazaar had summoned them, in case she did not wake.

Talia leaned against the wall behind Nyzaia.

Unlike Helena, the pair were rather similar in looks.

Talia picked her leg up and rested one of her feet on the wall behind her, giving Kazaar a once-over.

Elisara refrained from rolling her eyes. She was always so distrustful.

“It’s a long story.” Elisara embraced Helena, and over her shoulder, she watched Talia approach.

“Your guard dog could have given us more details. We were worried,” Talia said, giving Elisara a briefer hug before Vigor took over.

“What happened?” He guided Elisara back to Kazaar’s bed while her mind wondered about how many other women had laid there.

“ None.”

She glanced sideways at Kazaar and then faced the room with a sigh.

“Where should I begin?” she said.