Elijah: The Vampire King (The Hybrid Series) Book 8

Chapter 7: Coronation

Two Weeks Later

Jonx

I had just left a meeting with one of the Elders about choosing someone to give Elijah an heir, I wasn't happy but understood my King needed an heir. I was going to be coronated tomorrow and I was excited, my dreams over the years were finally coming true, and I was still in disbelief rubbing my fingers across his mark. The mark, my assigned maid told me, had his initials with a crown and the Vampora crest, I was their King Consort and nothing would change that. I will be his perfect loving companion like I was so many years before, I was in my quarters and we decided not to see each other until the coronation making our wedding night much more fun. I looked out the window and saw the gardens being prepared because of the amount of people that will be here, there will be a blood moon high in the sky, and the coronation will be at night so those that can't walk in the sun could also attend.

After I got rid of Sherice, it took a while to win Elijah over, he was mourning her and the baby, and he got very cold towards everyone. However, when he finally came to me, he cried in my arms and I comforted him letting him know I would never leave him and we became even closer. I even promised to help avenge his late Queen but he said to leave it to his men, he just wanted me safe from harm because he didn't know what he would do if he lost me. I remember his look of devotion towards me and I kept my distance pretending not to know what was happening around me. A few weeks back, however, I saw a servant girl by the forgotten well looking like she was waiting for someone and I could tell she was scared of me. That was a dead giveaway, she knew about me, my dark history, and probably the truth about the Queen's death and I couldn't take the chance of it getting out, not now, not ever.

I killed her and left without being seen and as I got further away from there, I turn to see it was Prince Piot that she was waiting on and I knew killing her was her damn fault, I made sure I was not losing Elijah since he is in my grasp. I lay in bed ready for the coronation to be over so I could be with Elijah forever, I was drifting off to sleep when I got a link from Elijah. He said, "Open the door, my love," and I jumped up running towards the door, he smiled before kissing me saying, "I can't wait for tomorrow night," feeling his hard-on and I moaned biting my lip. We ended up in bed making sweet love until we were both passed out from exhaustion. I woke up realizing I had slept most of the day but I was excitedly smelling Elijah's scent on my pillow, I had requested my things to move to the King's quarters as I would not sleep apart from him anymore.

*******

The Coronation

I could hear the cheers of the people on the grounds already celebrating and I was excited, the guards had increased on my floor because my King was not taking any chances. I dressed in my finest clothes and put the ceremonial robe on, I was escorted down to the throne room where I would be crowned King Consort. The doors opened as I was announced and the people bowed as I walked down the aisle to my King. He looked handsome with his crown on his head and he smiled at me, I couldn't wait to be with him as one. He held out his hand for me feeling the tingles of our newly formed bond and was led up to the stage where all could see us take our vows to rule the Kingdom at my King's side giving him the support that he needed to rule with love and respect as King Consort. There were butterflies in my stomach, I was nervous but excited, my family was in the back happy for me, and was finally making my family proud, especially my father, and I welcomed it.

The High Elder looked at me but there was something off about him as everyone got silent, he asked, "Are you ready, Lord Joniza Donbar? I wasn't surprised that he used my full name, it just felt weird how he said it but I blew it off as Elijah squeezed my hand to comfort me and I smiled replying, "As ready as I can be." He said, "Good, let us begin," and General Kolie came forward with the decree and I knew that he was about to ask me to accept Elijah. I waited for when I had to accept him but I was confused when he started reading the names of maidens who weren't here to attend the event, who were all killed including the Bear King's family. I felt Elijah squeeze my hand tighter and I flinched, he was hurting me and when I went to pull my hand away, he almost broke my wrist. I looked at him staring at the blood moon, feeling his heartbreaking, he was letting me feel it before he blocked me with tears in his eyes. Piot came forward with my bloody knife and clothes accusing me of killing the Late Queen and Elijah's heir.

I wanted to run, want to leave but the door and all exits had guards waiting on orders as the Elder found me guilty of killing the Late Queen. I looked at Elijah saying, "This is a lie, I never did those things, and I would never hurt you like this," until Piot said, "Explain the knife and the shirt," I said, "Anyone could have stolen my knife, I don't walk around with it and that shirt is not mine," Elijah said, "Yes, it is," with a cold voice, he continued to say, "The fabric that the shirt was made of, is expensive and I had spells place on your things so no one can steal them or wear them without me finding out. There are also your initials embedded with the Royal Companion mark at the edge of the fabric, partially burnt but there." I was shocked at his words when Koli handed Elijah his sword as the crowd gasped, I yelled, "Elijah, they are lying about me, can you not see that they don't want us together."

*****

Earlier before the Coronation

Elijah

After a passionate night last night, I was excited about the coronation so we could move forward, I knew Kolie and Piot had news about who was doing the killings in my Kingdom. I promised to deal with it after my honeymoon but he said it was important so I kissed my sleeping mate on his forehead and left the room. He was exhausted and I knew he would sleep most of the day anyway, I took a bath before going to Kolie's office where Piot and the High Elder were waiting on me. I knew it was bad from the look on their faces so I told them, "Just give it to me," and I stood there listening to them calling my mate a killer. I was angry and wanted them to shut up, I loved this man more than anything. I didn't want to believe it at first but I knew Kolie and Piot, they wouldn't come to me with this unless they were sure and I calmed down letting them show me the proof of their findings.

Their proof was undeniable, I was in a trance thinking about how I brought this on Sherice and my unborn child. I didn't protect them from the true monster within these walls and I felt so much rage at the betrayal. I was sleeping with a monster in a true sense, he almost caused a civil war, I looked at Elder Juni knowing that I would have to execute him, execute the man that I had loved for so many years for all the murders, it dawned on me that I was sleeping with the enemy. I was numb and we all decided to do a public execution instead of a coronation, we kept it to ourselves and I eventually told my mother about what would happen. No one else knew to keep it a secret, Piot made sure guards would be at all entrances and exits including windows, most importantly in th hallways leading to the throne room, he was not leaving alive. I walked back to my quarters a shell of myself because I didn't see what was right in front of me, I could have spared so many young maiden's lives over the years.

It was finally time for the Coronation/Execution and I put on my happy face but deep down, I was dying inside, and my mother hugged me. She said, "Kill that son-of-a-b***h," and walked out of my quarters to take her place at my side during the execution, she was always supporting me and I was grateful for her. I didn't know what to expect as I saw all the happy people congratulating me and I had to hide my disappointment from the Kingdom again but they would understand in due time. I saw Jonx walking towards me and my heart skipped a beat, he was so handsome, he pretending to be everything that he was not and I loved him with everything in me, he put me in an impossible position and there was no going back. I felt the power of the blood moon and I knew it was time, I listened to Kolie and Piot tell him about his crimes, and I didn't even realize that I was crying until he touched my face trying to get me to listen to more of his lies. The look on his face when I mentioned that there was no other explanation about the clothes and knife, finally dawned on him that this was his end.

He kept going trying to convince me otherwise until Piot brought out the prisoner, the lucky warlock who gave him the potions and told us everything, every little detail over the years, even f*****g him on many occasions when it was forbidden to do with a companion or mistress, Jonx paid him handsomely from his allowance so he didn't care. I had blocked him from feeling my heartbreak and I linked Kolie to hand me my sword. Piot came forward and held him as I backed away from him, he was crying and yelling about how much he loved me and to spare his life, I listened because maybe he did love me but I was not sparing him. And then as his screams turned to anger, he let it slip that he did it for us, killing his mate for us, and all the women because he thought I would choose them over him as the crowd gasped, he admitted to hating Sherice because she took me away from him and I saw the true evil that he was, I felt the love I had for him, die instantly.

I walked to him with tears in my eyes because I had him in my bed all these years as these young women died and said, "I loved you so much, and because of you, I will never love or trust another like this, I hope you rot for eternity," I raised my sword as he begged for mercy cutting his head off in one swipe, I then pulled his heart out before his body started to burn with such force that the crowd went silent, I look at his father who had tears in his eyes before he walked out. I told the men to get rid of his remains, I walked to the balcony linking to the Kingdom about how I had failed them but I will be more vigilant in the future. I wanted to step back for a while but they knelt and bowed to follow me always, I gave Piot Jonx's heart and said, "Give it to the Bear King, let him know that his family was avenged," I ordered the crowd to celebrate still and pay their respects for those who died because of a traitor, I heard my mother inside my head trying to comfort me. I smiled knowing I would be gone for a while and as I hardened my heart to love, I looked up at the sky and for the first time in a long time, I spread my wings and flew away.