The Sorrow of Shadows (Crimson & Shadows #1)

Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

OPHELIA

“ S he won’t eat, Elijah.” What I’m telling him isn’t new information, but it’s been three days since Jade has had anything to eat, and she won’t leave her chambers. It’s like she’s shut down entirely.

She lost her twin, the other half of her heart. I can’t say I understand how she’s feeling exactly, but I do feel for her. If I lost Layne, I would probably react the same way. He was the only family I really cared for and that loved me. Though we weren’t twins, he was my best friend, and I would be heartbroken if he was gone. I don’t know how to reach her. I promised Breyla I would watch over Jade in her absence, but I am failing miserably.

“You just aren’t using the right tactic. You’re far too sweet, but tenderness will not motivate Jade to respond.”

“Then what will?” I ask, at my wit’s end.

“Anger, more than likely.”

“You want me to make her mad?” I ask in horror .

“Nah, doll. I want you to get me chocolate cake from the kitchen, then let me make her mad.”

We’ve been sitting in the castle library all morning, mostly reading to ourselves, just enjoying each other’s company. The castle has been quiet with Breyla and Aurelius gone, leaving very little for us to attend to.

“Why chocolate cake?”

“That’s Jade’s weakness. If she’ll break for anything, it’ll be that.”

“You know so much about your friends,” I observe.

“Of course I do. They’re my family.” He shrugs as if it’s obvious.

“Alright, chocolate cake it is. I’ll meet you at her room.”

It takes me no time at all to find the chocolate cake once I’m in the kitchen. The benefit of being ignored by most is they rarely care where you go or what you do. The kitchen and I were well acquainted as a result. Grabbing two pieces, because I couldn’t leave without one for myself, I exit the kitchen. Elijah is already by her door when I arrive, cake in hand.

“Two pieces?” He quirks a blonde brow at me.

“You expect me to say no to chocolate cake when it’s right there in front of me? Clearly, you know very little about females.”

His grin turns flirtatious as he says, “Oh, I know quite a bit more about females than you might expect.” The statement is full of innuendo, and my cheeks heat.

He opens the door without knocking and enters. I follow behind, setting a piece on the dresser and holding one in my hands.

“Jade, you smell like shit,” Elijah says bluntly.

All we receive in return is her middle finger thrown up in the air toward us.

“You know what Julian would say to you right now? ”

“Go away, Elijah.” Her voice is weak and hoarse from crying.

“Mmm, no. Julian never told me to go away. If anything, he was begging for me to come?—”

A pillow hits him square in the face, cutting off his current statement before it could get uncomfortable for us all. “Shut the fuck up, E. I’m not in the mood.”

“Not in the mood for what? Living? Yeah, sure seems that way.” He’s provoking her, and by gods, it’s actually working.

“Fuck you, Elijah. You have no idea what I’m feeling.” She spits the words at him.

“I’m not pretending to know how you feel, Jade. I can’t possibly fathom what it feels like to lose the other half of my soul. But I do know how it feels to lose my sometimes lover, my forever friend, and companion. You don’t think my heart is shattered, too?” A rogue tear streaks down Elijah’s cheek as his voice softens.

Jade’s shoulders sag, and her head hangs low. “I’m sorry, I didn’t?—”

“You don’t have to apologize, but you are disappointing him. You know he wouldn’t want to see you like this. You have to eat, you stubborn ass.” And just like that Elijah is back to pissing her off.

She snaps out of bed and storms toward him, her hands balling into fists. Just as her fist rears back to let a punch fly, Elijah catches it midair and stops her in her tracks.

“Ah ah ah,” Elijah tsks. “You can have one free shot once you eat.”

“Excuse me?” She’s as confused as I am at Elijah’s bargain.

“One punch for one meal. I brought your favorite, but you have to eat it first.” He pulls the chocolate cake from behind him and holds it right next to her face.

Her stomach rumbles loud enough that we all hear it. She rolls her eyes, grabs the plate, and gives into Elijah’s demand. She shovels the chocolate cake into her mouth, faster than should be possible. I wish we could have gotten her to eat something more substantial, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

“Happy?” Jade grumbles.

“Ecstatic,” Elijah says, grinning.

“Can I punch your dumb ass now?” Something sparkles in her eyes at the request.

“A deal’s a deal, just please not the nose.”

She strides across the room, a slight grin on her face. I hear a sick crunching sound as Jade’s fist meets the flesh of Elijah’s face. He lets out a low grunt but doesn’t resist or say anything else.

“Now get lost, both of you. I need to bathe.”

We both grin, knowing we got two wins out of this visit. Without needing to be told twice, we back out of her room to let her bathe in peace.

“Well, that was an interesting but effective tactic,” I muse once outside her room.

“I’ve known Jade for a long time. I’m rather good at getting under her skin when I want to.”

“Am I going to have to let her punch me each time I want her to eat?” I ask, my eyes comically wide.

Elijah lets out a loud, boisterous laugh. “If you keep having issues, just come get me, doll. I’m happy to oblige. She’s too weak from not eating to really hurt me right now, anyway.”

“Oh, thank the gods.” I sigh in relief.

We’re back in the library, Elijah lounging on a cushioned bench, as I’m bent over, inspecting the purple bruise spreading under his left eye. My fingers trace the edges of the bruised skin tenderly .

“Need a closer look, doll?” His voice is flirtatious, and the next second his hands are on my hips, pulling me into his lap.

I’m straddling him, his arm banded around my lower back, holding me close.

He grins at me. “If I tell you it hurts, will you nurse me back to health, Ophelia?”

I still at his words; there’s no way he could know about my abilities.

He senses my hesitancy, and his lips drop. “I was only joking, Ophelia. Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“N-no, it’s not that.” I lay my hand on his cheek. I make an impulsive, probably reckless decision. “Put up a sound shield.”

He does as I ask, then cants his head in question at me.

I take a deep breath before speaking. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“Can’t tell anyone what?” he asks, but I’m already pushing my healing power into his skin.

The prickling sensation passes from my fingers into the skin of his face, and his jaw drops. Tentative fingers prod at the space beneath his eye that was bruised and swollen just moments ago.

“Did you just—” His words cut off like he can’t believe what just happened.

“Heal you? Yes,” I say softly.

“That’s...that’s amazing.” His voice is full of awe.

“Only a few know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” he promises with a smile. “But I have questions.”

I playfully roll my eyes. “Of course you do.”

“I guess the first is a bit of a confession.” He looks at me sheepishly. “I’ve known about your Gift since the day I ran into you in the hall...I wasn’t wearing gloves and I accidentally read your memories. I saw you heal Lyla.”

My jaw drops, and I stare at him. “You’ve known for weeks?”

He nods in confirmation, looking almost nervous .

“And you haven’t told anyone. Not even Breyla?” My mind races at this revelation. Breyla knew about my Gift, but that’s because I had saved her life with it. I was sure she didn’t know about it prior.

“I just figured there was a reason you hadn’t told anyone, and it wasn’t my place to say anything. Selfishly, I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me yourself.” His large brown eyes stare up into mine, begging me to believe him.

“I trust you, Elijah,” I whisper, and he smiles at me. “You said you had questions?”

“First, why do you keep this a secret? Your power is amazing and easily makes you one of the most powerful in the kingdom. There are so few healers—none even in the capital. The ones Rimor has are treated like royalty.”

I don’t bother to correct him that I’m not technically a healer; I’m something different, something more. “Because my father would find some way to use it to his benefit; he always finds a way to use me.”

“Your father is a piece of shit,” Elijah spits.

“Well aware,” I say, sighing.

“Next question—why did you decide to tell me?”

I smile shyly, my cheeks flushing. “Like I said—I trust you, Elijah. I don’t have many people I can trust, but you have always treated me as an equal even when you thought I had no power.”

His face falls, and I’m left momentarily confused before he speaks. “That’s because you are an equal, Ophelia. Hell, you’re better than most people, and it has nothing to do with you having power or not. You are worthy despite your Gift, not because of it.”

“No male, except for maybe Layne, has ever spoken to me this way,” I say as my lip quivers.

Elijah growls low in his throat, “Then you weren’t talking to males; you were talking to boys.”

“How do you keep saying all the exact right things? ”

“Oh, I can say plenty of wrong things.” I don’t miss the slight heat in his words.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like I know right now is the exact wrong time for this,” he starts, leaning in and hovering his lips just inches from my own, “but I’m going to kiss you now, Ophelia.”

Shivers run down my back, and my breath hitches. I whisper, “No, that’s still the exact right thing.”

His lips are on mine, soft and tender, not like the first kiss we shared several nights ago. It’s patient and slow, warm and sensual. He doesn’t push me any further, letting me set the pace. I tentatively run my tongue along his bottom lip, begging for him to open to me. He obliges, letting his tongue meet mine and tangle together.

One of his hands threads through the black strands hanging down my back and cups my head reverently. I repeat the gesture and tangle my fingers in the dark blond waves at the base of his neck. My fingers tug gently, trying to bring him even closer to me, and he lets out a small groan into my mouth.

“Fuck, Ophelia. What are you doing to me?”

“I don’t know, Elijah. You’re the only male I’ve ever kissed.” I feel my cheeks flame at the admission.

Elijah throws his head back and lets out a loud groan this time. “You absolutely cannot say things like that, especially while I have you on my lap.”

“W-why? What’s wrong?” Uncertainty fills me.

“Absolutely nothing, doll. You’re fucking perfect. But it’s taking every ounce of willpower to resist your specific flavor of temptation. Now you’re telling me I’m the only one that’s kissed you? Heard those beautiful noises you make? It’s too much and not enough all at once. I want every piece of you.”

I reach out my hand, dragging his face back to mine, and kiss him deeply. Breaking it, I offer, “Then take every piece of me, Elijah. I want to know what that feels like. ”

The next thing I know, the library door is slamming shut and locking. He flips our position so I’m pinned between his hard body and the bench seat below us.

“Don’t say things like that unless you mean it, doll.” He is hovering his lips above mine, so close I can feel his breath on my lips.

My response is only to roll my hips into him, rubbing against his erection pressing against my core. Holy hell, how big is it?

He chuckles, “I’ll make it not only fit, I’ll make it feel so good you scream for me.”

Oh crap, I must have said that thought out loud.

“Now lay back and let me worship you, Ophelia.”

I drop my head, my ebony locks cascading over the edge of the bench like a waterfall of midnight. His lips trail my jaw up to my ear, and I gasp as he nips at the lobe. He sucks it into his mouth as his hands trail up each side of my ribcage, stopping just below my breasts.

His fingers brush over my nipple and it hardens. The sensitive buds ache to be touched, and I thrust my chest forward, chasing more of him.

“So eager and responsive,” he hums against my skin, moving his kisses down my neck. He alternates bites and kisses in a blend of pain and pleasure, sharp and tender that leave me hot.

One of Elijah’s hands moves from my breast down to my hips, stopping just short of the apex of my thighs.

He stops his assault on my neck to ask, “Tell me, Ophelia. Have you ever touched yourself here?”

My neck flushes at his words, the heat creeping up my face. I shake my head, and he grins.

“Such a good girl. You won’t stay that way once I’ve had you. I need you to be absolutely certain you understand what you’re agreeing to. I’ll break you in the best ways, my sinful little doll.”

I don’t hesitate before nodding my understanding.

“I need your words, Ophelia.”

“I understand, Elijah.” My voice doesn’t waver as I give him my consent.

Fire sparks in his brown eyes, and he captures my lips in a passionate kiss. He wastes no time pushing his tongue into my mouth and meeting mine, deepening the kiss with every push and pull of his lips.

The hand that was hovering above my center is now pushing up the skirts of my dress, baring my legs to him. He quickly finds my undergarments and runs a finger along the edge, dipping one finger just barely inside them.

The teasing sensation has me shivering in anticipation, driving me to pull at the bottom of his tunic, lifting it over his head.

As we break our kiss to remove his shirt, I get the chance to admire the body beneath. My mouth might be watering, staring at the hard lines and ridges of each defined muscle along his arms, chest, and abdomen. I’m pretty sure the gods sculpted this male, because there’s no way they can look that good.

He has that delicious vee that leads down to his pelvis, and I find myself wanting to run my tongue along it. I’ve seen plenty of males train shirtless, but Elijah is something else entirely. I will never understand how someone of his build ended up as an advisor to the king. You can’t even compare most males to him.

He is the perfect opposite to my petite frame, and I love the way he dwarfs me, yet I feel like I fit perfectly against him.

“You done staring, darling?” he teases.

“Never,” I reply, biting my lip.

He leans down and pulls my bottom lip from between my teeth into his own, biting softly.

I let out a soft moan, the sudden sting soon soothed by the lapping of his tongue. He runs a knuckle down my center over my undergarments. I’m surprised by how sensitive it is, even through a layer of fabric.

He resumes our kiss, letting himself explore every inch of my mouth. His fingers continue their motion against my center, and I feel myself moaning every time he drags a knuckle over that sensitive bud at the top of my sex.

After a few minutes of his torturous pace, I start rolling my hips against his hand, desperate for him to touch more. I need to feel more.

“When I remove these, am I going to find you wet for me?” he asks against my lips, his fingers teasing the edge of my undergarments.

“I-I don’t know,” I say honestly. This is all new territory to me.

“Let’s find out, shall we?” He winks and hooks a thumb through them, pulling them down my thighs.

He works them off me easily and brings them up to his nose, breathing in deeply. The dirty act is oddly erotic. He moans at the scent, then tucks them in his pants pocket.

My back bows off the bench when he finally drags his finger from my entrance to that bundle of nerves. His touch is like ecstasy, and I find myself craving more of it.

“I love your reactions. I can’t wait to see what others I can create,” he says before rubbing circles around that magical spot, then running his fingers down around my entrance. He alternates the motions, driving me to the point of insanity.

“Please, Elijah,” I whimper. I don’t even know what I’m asking for at this point. I just know it’s not enough.

“Please, what?” He grins at me.

“Please...” I start, not sure how to finish the request. “Put your fingers, um...”

“Put my fingers where, Ophelia? I need to know where you want them.” He’s enjoying making me squirm entirely too much.

“Inside my um...” I start but hesitate with what to call it. So, I go for the safe, “Inside me.”

He traces from the bundle of nerves down to my entrance, then further down to the puckered hole, and chuckles. My eyes flare wide at the sensation. “There’s more than one place I can fuck you with my fingers. You’ll need to clarify.”

He’s really going to make me say this, isn’t he? I sigh in frustration, “Please put your fingers in my p-p-pu—” I still struggle to get the last word out, feeling horrified at the way the dirty word feels on my tongue.

“Say it with me, beautiful: Elijah, please put your fingers in my pussy. ” He smirks, letting the word roll off his tongue.

“Elijah, please put your fingers in my pussy,” I say as quickly as possible.

“I’d be happy to,” he says, pushing the tip of one finger in my tight channel. I already feel so full, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to fit more. There’s a slight burn as he moves the finger all the way in.

“I’m going to need you to relax. You’re so fucking tight, Ophelia.” Elijah groans, then uses his thumb to rub circles around my clit. The pleasure erupting from that motion is enough to distract me, and I let the muscles of my inner walls relax.

“I promise to make you feel good, but you’ll have to trust me,” Elijah reassures me, his finger pumping in and out of me in slow strokes. After a few minutes, I find myself rolling my hips, chasing the pleasure his fingers provide.

“I’m going to give you more, now. Let me know if it ever gets to be too much.” His words are full of concern, and it touches me that he would care so much.

A second finger teases my entrance, but he doesn’t push it in. Instead, he moves down my body, leaving tender kisses along the way.

When he finally reaches my hips, he lays a soft kiss on my clit, before running the pad of his tongue from entrance to clit. I let out a loud sound I didn’t know I could even make.

This is enough affirmation for Elijah to continue using his mouth to lick every last inch of me. I cry out at the sensation of him flicking his tongue over my clit quickly. Finally, he slides in a second finger and uses both along with his mouth to continue pleasuring me.

“Fuck, Elijah.” I writhe under his touch, a tightness building low in my belly. It’s a foreign feeling of pressure unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I chase it, letting my hips rock against his hand and mouth.

“That’s it, doll. Fuck my face. You’re so close, I can feel it in the way you grip my fingers.” He continues pumping them into me, increasing his pace. “I can’t wait to feel you grip my dick like this,” he says between licks up and down my pussy.

“There’s so much pressure,” I whine, unable to handle the tightness building in me for much longer.

“I know, sweetheart. Just let go, and it’ll feel so good.” I feel his tongue swirl around my clit again, then he sucks it into his mouth and nips it lightly. It’s enough to send me hurtling over the edge, and a world-shattering wave of pleasure consumes me as I scream his name.

The pleasure goes on, rippling across my body in waves of ecstasy. I’m panting hard by the time he raises his head from between my legs and smiles at me.

“You’re welcome,” he says, full of cockiness.

“For what?” I quirk a brow at him.

“Your first orgasm,” he replies, winking at me.

I flush at his words, then ask, “Can we do it again?”

He throws his head back in laughter. “Anytime you like, sweetheart. Right now, though, I think you need a nap.”

“Nonsense, I want all of it, Elijah.” I yawn as I say this, proving his point.

“You’ll get all of it, but we might need to work up to full-blown fucking. You just had your first orgasm, and you can barely keep your eyes open.”

I wave him off like he’s crazy.

“You’re going to need to build stamina before I can fuck you properly. Don’t worry, I have no problem helping you with that.” He nips at my inner thigh, and I giggle deliriously.

“Fine, but you better not keep me waiting long, Elijah.” I do my best to give him a serious look.

“Oh, don’t you fret, Ophelia. I’ll be fucking you very soon, ” he says seductively.

He leans back and pulls my dress down to cover me. My eyes flutter as I fight sleep, and he lifts me from the bench. He scoops me up and carries me bridal style out of the library. I think he takes me to my chambers, but I don’t know for sure because sleep claims me before we make it there.