Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Lily

Elijah stood where the door had once been. His chest heaved with exertion, but his grey eyes blazed as they met Lily’s. A thousand words were spoken in that one, singular gaze.

Smoke coiled between them, wafts of it twirling like dancer’s dressers before it dissipated into nothing. Lily breathed deep, watching Elijah through the fading barrier. Forgiveness did not come easy to her, but she stepped into the space between them and knew, as his eyes widened, as his throat bobbed, that she wanted to forgive him. And she hoped that he forgave her, too.

“Hi,” she said, her voice croaky and rough-edged. He smiled at the sound of it, his shoulders losing their tension.

“Hi.” His lips twitched.

“You came for me,” Lily whispered, taking another timid step towards him. He was her every dream made manifest, from the basil-and-citrus smell of him to the gentleness in his gaze and the curve of his sensual upper lip. Despite the fire there was no anger there. He was not the brute she’d feared the fire could have made him be.

His eyebrows drew together. “Of course I did.”

“I…” Lily swallowed hard and felt his eyes on her lips before they took the rest of her in, worry pooling in his dark gaze.

“You’re hurt.” His voice was sharp, clipped.

“Not today.” She bit her lip. Her blood was roaring in her ears; there was no way she could feel any of her cuts and bruises when Elijah was looking at her like that. Her core melted, liquid heat simmering within her.

“Can I…” He trailed off, but Lily knew what he wanted. What he needed. She needed it, too.

“Please, Eli,” she breathed, closing the last of the distance between them. “Just hold me.”

He choked back a sob as he pulled her into his arms. “I thought I’d lost you. Of course I came for you. Of course I did.”

“I know.” Her voice was a quiet, broken thing. “But after…” She gulped in a lungful of air, his familiar scent winding around her in an echo of his embrace. “After the way we left things…” She looked up at him, tears clouding her vision and gliding onto her lashes. “I didn’t mean to go. I just needed space to think about it.”

“I know. Well… I hoped.” His smile was so sad that her heart broke for him all over again.

“I’m so sorry, Elijah.”

He squeezed her, his fingers splaying across her waist before winding around her back, holding her flush against him. “I’m sorry. I should have told you from the start. I should have known it wouldn’t change things between us.”

“I was scared,” she admitted quietly. “But I know you. And I’ve had a lot of time to think over these past weeks.” She leant her forehead against his chest; he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

“Wait,” he breathed, pulling back and cupping her cheeks between his palms. His eyes darkened, intensifying as they held hers. “These past weeks?”

“Or months.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure how long it’s been, exactly. It’s hard to keep time in here.” She wrinkled her nose at the cell wall over his shoulder.

“Time works differently here.” His eyes widened. “I’m so sorry – I should have found you sooner, I should have thought about their magic.” He shook his head, distraught. “No wonder you thought I wasn’t coming.”

“You’re here now.” She pulled him close against, needing the contact of his body to soothe away everything that had happened.

“How heart warming,” interjected Efaffion. Lily had forgotten he’d existed the moment Elijah had stepped into view. Her back stiffened, and she turned to him with a glare as he started to slow clap.

He’d taken the form of her father again while Elijah had been distracted. He smoothed a hand over his short, dark hair and waggled his eyebrows at her, her father’s brown-gold eyes lit with a mischief she’d never seen in his true face.

Before Elijah could draw any of his own conclusions, Lily rolled her eyes at him. “Show him your true form, Efaffion.”

“Efaffion?” His eyes darkened. “The eleve?”

“We’re best friends now, Alpha Wolf. Although that’s not all you are, is it?” Efaffion purred, moving over to them. As he walked his discarded Maveln’s appearance, letting his ruby eyes glitter and his red hair slip over white shoulder.

“Come on, Lily.” Elijah caught her arm. “Let’s go.”

She sighed again. “We can’t leave him here.”

“The door is burnt through anyway,” Efaffion shrugged. “I think I can manage walking out of this cell now there’s no door to lock.”

“We made a deal.” Lily jutted her chin out stubbornly. “You’re coming with us. When you’re free, though, I never want to see you again.”

Efaffion’s lips twitched beneath his whiskers. “That sounds fair.”

“Lily, he – he tried to kill you!”

“Don’t be too jealous, Alpha Wolf.” Efaffion smirked. “You’ll have her to yourself soon enough.”

Elijah growled, low and rumbling in the back of his throat. Lily pressed onto her toes and kissed his stubbly cheek.

“Fine,” he snarled, linking his fingers through hers and towing her to the smouldering doorway.

“Wait.” She paused, her freedom so close she could almost taste it. But there was something else she had to do before she could run. “We need to free the witch. That’s where their power comes from, Eli.”

“We can’t risk it,” he said. “We’ve delayed too long already.”

“We can’t just leave her here!”

“I still think we should kill her,” Efaffion suggested from behind them.

“Out of the question,” said Lily flatly. “We have to save her. The way they treat her, Eli? It makes our stay here look like a luxurious holiday.”

“Their wolves will be on to us already.” Elijah gestured broadly at the smoking cell. “Every second we linger here gives them more time to realise something is wrong and look for you.”

“Then – then you go,” said Lily, desperation making her voice shrill. “We’ll wait here. She’s in one of the cells close to ours. Look in through the windows and then get her out the way you broke the veil over our door.”

“The veil?” Elijah asked, but Lily shook her head.

“Later. Her name is Eryne. She’s got yellow eyes and long black hair. Her clothes will be tattered and she’s thin, frail really.”

“Do I have a say in this?”

Lily smiled, her victory clear. “No. Now go – and meet us back here as soon as you can. I – I love you, Eli.”

His smile was like the first sun of spring after months of winter. “I love you, too. Here,” he started to slide her mother’s ring off his finger.

“You found it,” Lily breathed.

“Keep it with you. In case – in case something goes wrong. You should have it.”

She shook her head. “It won’t go wrong,” she said firmly. “Go.”

And then, with one last, lingering look, he left.