Page 49 of Elias

Hayley knew how bitterly he regretted running from the princess and abandoning her. She’d seen the shame in his eyes when he’d told her what had happened. Hayley had reacted badly and understood now why he’d done it. She’d have done the same if a lover had tried to take a chunk out of her during sex.

After waiting ten minutes, her nervous energy growing by the second, she heard footsteps in the corridor. They continued past her door, and she heard a faint whirring sound. That had to be the ramp sliding back into place.

Hayley inched open the door and looked along the corridor. She headed in the direction the guard had come from, trying every door she came to.

The rooms were mainly storage rooms or restrooms. They were all decked out opulently with silks and lots of shimmering materials. It looked like Princess Isolt spared no expense on her ship.

Hayley came to a locked door at the end of the corridor. She tried to unlock it, but it wouldn’t respond. Tentatively, she knocked on the door.

She heard shuffling sounds from the other side but then nothing. She pressed her ear against the door, hoping she hadn’t just roused a troop of Retar guards from their sleep.

She knocked again and checked either end of the corridor before speaking. “Elias, it’s Hayley. Are you in there?”

The shuffling came again, and she heard his muffled voice. “Hayley! What are you doing here?”

“I had to find you. I heard what happened.”

“You should go. It’s not safe.”

“It’s not safe for you either. How do I get the door open? The lock won’t operate.” She looked at the red light next to the door.

“The guard has a swipe card.”

“What if I break the lock?”

“With what?”

Hayley thought back to the rooms she’d looked in. She’d seen weapons in one of them. If she used a laser on the lock, she could break it open.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She raced along the corridor, grabbed a palm-sized laser from a rack, and hurried back.

She set the laser to its minimum setting before blasting the door. The sound ricocheted along the corridor and made her ears ring.

After a second, the red light died, and the door slid open.

Elias stared at her, his eyes wide. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

Hayley checked along the corridor one more time before stepping into the room. “If anyone else was on the ship, they’d have heard the noise. We’re alone.”

His concerned gaze ran over her. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for you! I overheard two Retar guards talking. I know what Princess Isolt has planned for you.”

Elias grimaced. “As do I. You still shouldn’t have risked coming here.”

She frowned. “I wasn’t going to leave you to be eaten.”

He turned away from her, his shoulders tight. “There’s nowhere to go. I have to answer for what I did.”

“No! You don’t understand. Princess Isolt wants to finish what she started. The guards said she’s going to tie you down and... fuck you and then kill you.”

His shoulders sagged, and he let out a sigh. “That’s what I should have let her do to me the first time. I’ve avoided the inevitable for as long as I can.”

Hayley rounded on him and grabbed hold of his shoulders, hating to see Elias so defeated. “This is wrong. You have to fight this.”

When his gaze met hers, Hayley’s heart stuttered. She hadn’t realized how fond she’d grown of Elias. She couldn’t see him die.

His hand cupped her face. “Why did you come here, Hayley?”