Demon Bound: The Camelot Archive - Book One, R Nicole [top romance novels .TXT] 📗

sent had evicted him from Ben Nevis. Even so, the Balan would be back but not any time soon. A small win, but I would take whatever I could get.

I sat, the pain in my leg subsiding to a dull throb and picked up my arondight blade. More questions and even fewer answers. Elijah could wield my sword, yet he wasn’t a Natural. That only left one thing he could be, but even if I asked, he’d never admit to it. His people had left after the cataclysm over eight hundred years ago and none remained. If I was right, it also meant he’d walked the Earth for far longer than any creature, besides the immortal greater demons.

He could avoid my questioning all he wanted, but I would continue to believe that Elijah was once a Druid.

What that meant for his cure now that he’d given up his soul was anyone’s guess.

When I rose, it surprised me to find he was right about my body’s accelerated healing. Apart from the blood and the tear in my jeggings, it was as if I had never broken my leg.

Yet another mystery.

I stood before him, knowing his demon side was in control. His lip curved upwards and I knew I was about to cop a mouthful of curse-laden sass. The sweet Elijah who’d given me my first kiss and tried to convince me to run away with him was dormant. The longer I studied the silver eyes staring down at me, the more I understood that I might not see that part of him again.

“Ikakantor?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“Names have power,” he replied with a smirk. “If you know a demon’s true name, you can bring it to its knees.” I had to remember that for when he came back.

“I assume Elijah isn’t yours anymore.”

“Elijah’s still here,” he told me, fostering a small spark of hope. “And we have the same agenda…for now.”

“And that is?”

“Freedom,” he replied simply. “What’s the one thing stopping the Dark from regaining a foothold in this world?”

I stared at him, dread rising in my gut. “The Twin Flames.”

Elijah nodded and looked towards Camelot. “I don’t know what they’re looking for, but now we know for sure it’s in the city. Warn them if you can.”

“If they take me back.”

“Of course, they will. After what you did for them, they’d be stupid not to.”

“You mean after what you did.”

Elijah grinned and winked. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

I reached out and took his hand. Maybe I could bring him back…

“That won’t work anymore,” he told me.

“It was worth a try.”

“You’ve seen too much, you know.”

“If I could rub bleach into my eyes to get the stain out, I would,” I said with a snort. “Meat closets, self-mutilation, and bug-eyed zombies are enough to turn anyone off. Besides, killing me won’t help you.”

“I’m not sure I can kill you.”

“That too.”

“You’re like me,” he said as he fingered a strand of my hair. “But you’re also like them.”

“I could go either way, you know.”

“You feel too much to become Dark,” he told me. “No… I think your truth isn’t as clear as that.”

I felt the ghost of his kiss on my lips, his assessment revealing the reality of his choice. “You can’t love anymore, can you?”

He shrugged, indifferent. “I have a human-ish heart. What I can do with it remains to be seen.”

I lowered my gaze, feeling the loss of our bond deeper than I thought I would.

“Don’t be disappointed. He did this for you,” he told me.

“Knowing doesn’t make it any easier. I would’ve liked to have you with me for this next part. I’ll have to go down that hill and explain myself.”

Elijah studied me, his gaze cold. If I didn’t know the truth of what he was, I would have pulled away…but I didn’t.

“Who do you choose, Madeleine?” His voice was hushed, though the wind carried it towards me.

“This goes beyond good and evil—Light and Dark,” I replied. “I choose neither. I’m declaring for life.”

His lips curved into a lopsided grin. “Pretty Spectre.”

“Did you just make that up?”

“Clever, aren’t I?”

“Careful, your demon is showing.”

Elijah laughed and turned towards Camelot. He and I knew this was just the beginning of something far greater than he and I had already faced.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you find your cure,” I said softly.

“It’s okay,” he told me. “I made peace with who I’d become a long time ago.”

“And now you’re leaving.”

“I have to. After all…I’m the enemy.”

“Dammit, and I was just beginning to like you,” I said, tilting my head to the side.

His lips quirked. “Don’t lie. We both know you liked me from the beginning.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Every time you thought about me—”

“You felt a little tug.” I smirked and shook my head. “Men are all the same.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Are they?” He tucked my hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing against my cheek.

My heart did a backflip. “Will I ever see you again?”

“Maybe,” he replied. “You walk in both worlds now.”

“Can you stay a while longer?”

His lips curved and he nodded. “Maybe just for a moment.”

Together, we watched the sun rise over the ruined parapets of Camelot, the cusp of a new future laid before us. After last night, the world had changed irrevocably. The cataclysm, the eight hundred year war, the Dark Night, the final battle to close the rift…all of it had led to this moment. Now the Dark’s last stand was upon us.

I just hoped I had the strength to face it.

20

Dawn still hadn’t reached within Camelot’s walls by the time I made it back to the city.

The Naturals had made their way back to base camp, shuffling through the after-effects of their zombified states. No one noticed me as I walked through the tents, searching for a familiar and friendly face. They were all too dazed to notice a wanted fugitive.

I spotted Trent and Maisy by the bonfire. They were covered with dirt and grime and