The Cursed Pharaoh's Bride

Chapter XIX

Carolina

“So you had fun with him,” Elijah growls. “Fun doing what exactly?”

Elijah is pacing in front of me back and forth in agitation. Charles has joined us shortly after Elijah barged into the living room and is currently lounging on my couch, no doubt enjoying my attempts at calming Elijah down. 

“I went to the movies with him and his friends,“ I defend. “I’d hope I’m allowed to hang out with friends. And please stop moving around! I still have to heal your wound, which you feel the need to ignore for whatever reason!” 

I press my hands on Elijah’s chest and get him to stop moving for a second. My eyes travel to the blood stained patch near Elijah’s lower abdomen. I lift his shirt slightly and gasp when I see there’s absolutely no injury. There isn’t even a mark. I brush my fingertips across his healed skin and Elijah shivers underneath me. He quickly grips my hand, moving it away from his exposed skin. 

“I have the ability to heal through regeneration when struck by most mortal magic and mortal weapons,” he explains. He grips both of my shoulders and peels me away from him. His eyes find mine and he gives me a stern look. “Now, don’t change the subject. What were you doing with that boy? I don’t need someone else trying to take what’s mine.”

I shoot him an unamused look. “How many times do I have to say it? He’s just a friend who has no feelings for me. Not that it matters because I don’t remember agreeing to be yours. And why do you keep calling him a boy? He might not be as tall or muscular as you but he’s a man,” I protest. Elijah just scoffs. 

“You’re not jealous, are you?” I ask with a smirk. Elijah’s scowl deepens. “Well, now you know how it feels,” I tease. 

“How what feels? You said you don’t care what I do with other women,” he bites back. 

“Well when I see you do nothing as my roommate all but throws herself at you, it becomes kind of hard to ignore,” I retort. 

We stop our bickering for a second when we hear Charles awkwardly clear his throat. “Sorry to interrupt this couple’s quarrel,” he says, “But I’d like to redirect the discussion back to the situation at hand. How are we going to protect Carolina?”

“That’s simple. It seems like she has more than enough incentive to wear the ring now, which will protect her,” Elijah says as if I’m not in the room. “But to be safe, you are to continue protecting her from afar.” 

“Hey, I’m right here,” I snap. “Don’t I get a say in all this?”

Elijah growls. “The last time you had a say in it, you refused to wear the ring which left you open to an attack!” 

I know he’s right. But I don’t like how in my face he’s being about it. It feels like he’s throwing a tantrum. There’s nothing I can say to prove him wrong at this point, though. I then turn my gaze towards Charles. “And you,” I say to him, “You’re one of Elijah’s followers? And what does he mean by continue to guard me? Were you the one following me at the movie theater?”

He gives me a stoic nod. “I’m a member of the Order of the Eye, a group that follows Horus,” he says and shows me his wrist, which has that falcon tattoo. “And yes, I had followed you into the theater. I knew Cohen would try to follow you the second he recognized you back at the school. But I couldn’t pin him down before he could attack. He was cloaking himself.” 

“So you’re just some under cover body guard warrior?” I ask skeptically. 

“The preferred term is covert operant,” he says with an eye roll. “I’m part of a special group of elite warriors known as the Black Scorpions. We’re trained in an advanced form of combat that allows us to keep up with magic users. His highness specifically requested that I act as your body guard.” 

Charles then turns to Elijah. “I apologize for my failure to detect Cohen sooner. He was using advanced cloaking magic,” he says while bowing his head slightly. Elijah seems unfazed while my mouth is hanging in shock. I never thought I’d ever see Charles not act arrogantly. 

“You did your job well. We couldn’t have foreseen my queen’s stubbornness even in a dangerous situation,” Elijah says, annoyance evident in his voice. 

“I refuse to be chastised like a child for wanting to save an innocent person!” I yell. Elijah just says nothing and avoids my vicious glare. 

“If it eases any worries you might have, I can confirm that Carolina was with a group of friends when in the presence of the male. It wasn’t a date. The only time he was alone with her was when he was walking her through the park. Had Carolina walked to the train alone, Cohen would have struck her sooner and potentially with more force,” Charles says. 

I send Elijah a smug look. “See. There’s nothing wrong with being in Jay’s company,” I say. His deep scowl doesn’t lighten up one bit. 

“I wouldn’t say that he doesn’t like you more than a friend. He seems to be pretty attracted to you from what I can tell,” Charles adds. My smug look falls and Elijah growls in anger. I didn’t think he could look more mad but I am proven wrong. 

“Charles, can you give Carolina and I a moment to ourselves,” Elijah says stiffly. Charles nods and walks out of the apartment leaving the two of us alone. The silence doesn’t help the thick tension that currently exists between us. It feels almost suffocating. 

“Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why can’t you just listen?” Elijah mutters under his breath. I clench my jaw in frustration. I stomp towards him with the intention of getting in his face and speaking my mind. But that changes when I see his defeated expression. 

It’s the first time I get a good look at Elijah’s face since he saved me. He has worry lines on his forehead and his eyes are dull. He has dark circles under his eyes as if he didn’t get any sleep at all these past three days. His cheeks and chin are littered with a light layer of stubble. I wonder if he’s been neglecting himself. Overall, Elijah looks completely exhausted and miserable. 

I avert my eyes away from his. I’ve been so busy trying to fight him. How is it that just when I think I’m winning against him, I feel like I’m losing? “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should have listened to you. I should have trusted you. I not only put myself in danger but an innocent person, too.” I can feel the tears starting to cloud my vision and I bring my hands to cover my face so he won’t see. 

I feel Elijah’s large hand cup the back of my head and it gently pushes me to rest my head against his broad chest. His other arm snakes around my waist as he pulls my body closer to his. I revel in his warmth as I feel his jagged breathing calm down. “You’re safe now,” he says, “And that’s all that matters.” He brushes his lips over the top of my head which causes electrical currents to surge through my body. 

“What do we do now?” I ask. I pull away from him a bit so I can look up at him. Elijah takes the opportunity to wipe away a few stray tears from my face. 

“We’re going to have to lay low for a bit. Trying to hold a wedding ceremony will be complicated since Set’s followers will be expecting that to be our next move. I can’t risk the ceremony getting interrupted and you getting hurt in the process,” he says. He must have also caught my grim expression at the mention of the wedding because he adds, “Plus, we might not be ready for that just yet.” 

“What about my magic?” I ask. “I don’t even know if I can do that again.” 

“There’s no doubt in my mind that you can,” he replies. “There are a number of magic users who are part of the Eye. We even have a few healers. I can find someone to properly teach you how to use your magic.” 

We stay standing in the middle of my living room in each other’s arms, just enjoying feeling each other’s warmth. I feel Elijah let out a deep sigh. “I wish we could have this more often,” I hear him mutter. 

“Maybe we can,” I say. Elijah gives me a look of confusion before the corners of his lips start to twitch upward. “Okay, okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You and I are both busy during the week. But I don’t see why we can’t meet up sometimes. I mean, after all, you did offer to take me out for a drive once you got your license.” 

A broad smile spreads across Elijah’s face. He leans his forehead against mine. The feeling of his hot breath fanning my face makes my heart skip a beat. “Thank you,” he whispers. His lips brush against mine and it ignites a deep feeling of lust within me. I let out a soft moan when he doesn’t press further. His lips are still hovering teasingly over mine. 

“Tell me to stop,” he whispers. A small part of me feels like I should tell him to stop. We’re not ready for this. I’m not ready for this. Yet another part of me wants him to kiss me already, to wrap his arms around me, to pick me up and carry me to my bedroom. 

“Don’t stop,” I say. He doesn’t need to be told twice as his lips attack mine. He all but sears his lips into mine. His hands find their way to my hips and my hands are buried in his soft hair. The heat in the pit of my stomach swirls further until I find myself aching for more of him. I feel my toes curl at the feeling of his soft lips on mine. Just as I let out another soft moan, Elijah suddenly pulls away. We’re both panting heavily. 

I feel dazed and my legs are wobbly. My face burns slightly from the feeling of his facial hair leaving light scratches on my cheeks. Elijah seems to notice my dazed state as he wraps his arms securely around my waist to stop me from falling down. “You’re exhausted, love. I think it’s time for you to get some rest,” he says before scooping my small body up in his arms bridal style. 

He brings me to my bedroom and gently places me on my bed. He pulls my shoes off before removing my light jacket and my glasses. “You don’t have to do this for me,” I say as I watch him place my glasses on my nightstand. He pulls the covers over me before placing a tender kiss on my forehead. 

“I wanted to,” he says. He tucks one of my curls behind my ear. “Get some rest. You need it.” Just as he turns away, I grab the end of his leather jacket. 

“You need some rest, too,” I say as I tug him towards the bed. “Stay with me.”

“It’s not a good idea, love,” he protests softly. I continue to tug him until he’s sitting stiffly on my bed. 

“Can you at least stay until I fall asleep?” I ask with a pout. Elijah’s eyes linger on my lips before giving me a nod. He rests his warm hand on my leg. 

“You can lie down if you’re uncomfortable,” I say while lying back down. Elijah shakes his head. 

“I’m fine,” he says stiffly. “Just rest. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.” He leans over and places a soft kiss on my head before pulling away, staying seated at the edge of my bed. 

It’s not long before I find myself drifting to sleep. At first, I just black out from pure exhaustion. Then, I start to experience a dream for the first time in a while. There’s no clear vision of what’s actually happening. I can feel a warm body pressed again mine. He runs his large hands along every inch of me, setting my skin on fire. His lips leave a blazing trail from my lips, down my neck, to the valley of my breasts. 

Elijah. That’s the only thing that crosses my mind as I feel his warmth put me in a state of bliss. 

“My queen,” his deep voice whispers.