by Quinn Loftis
The woman who answered Cassie’s front door hardly resembled the one Elora knew as Cassie’s mom. She was thin, even more than she used to be. Her hair hung limp on her head as if all the life had been sucked out of it. Her eyes, once happy and shining with mirth, were now as dull and lifeless as her hair. She looked tired and lost.
“Mrs. Tate,” Elora said her name almost as a question because she was beginning to wonder if this woman before her would even recognize her as Cassie’s best friend. “Can we come in?”
Mrs. Tate gave a brief nod and then stepped back to allow the group to enter. Elora went in first and the others followed as they filed into the living room. She looked around the familiar room, which somehow without Cassie now seemed foreign. Nothing had changed that she could tell, but despite there being no visible change, Cassie’s home was very different than it had been two months ago.
Elora stiffened as Cush stepped up beside her and leaned down so that his mouth was near her ear. “Magic has been worked here; I can feel it.”
Elora’s head snapped up nearly colliding with his face and her eyes widened. “What kind of magic?” she whispered back. Before he could answer her, both their attentions switched to where Sylvia Tate had Lisa’s wrist in her hand and a look on her face worthy of a pissed-off grizzly.
“STOP SAYING THAT!” Sylvia yelled. Elora saw her mom’s face grimace in pain and hurried over to the pair—to do what, she had no clue.
“I don’t have a daughter, Lisa!” Sylvia snapped out.
Elora looked over her shoulder at Cush and he mouthed the word ‘magic’ to her. She nearly shouted a big fat duh at him but decided that that would be less than helpful.
“Mrs. Tate, let’s just talk about this for a minute,” Elora said attempting to placate the obviously irate woman. “Can you let go of my mom? I think you’re hurting her.”
Like oxygen being sucked from a fire, her fury died down at Elora’s words and she dropped Lisa’s wrist. She appeared horrified and she looked at her hand as though it were the culprit and acting of its own accord and then back up to Lisa.
“I’m so sorry, Lisa,” she stuttered. “I-I-I don’t kn-n-ow what came over me.”
Lisa smiled her gentle smile and patted Sylvia’s arm. “Maybe work has been a little stressful?” she asked expertly steering away from the topic that had set her off.
Sylvia nodded absently and then motioned to the couch and chairs. “Please, you’re welcome to sit down.”
Elora looked at her mom as they both headed toward the couch. Lisa’s lips were set in a tight line as she shrugged her shoulders, letting Elora know she was just as clueless. Everyone but the two elves sat and the awkward silence that followed made Elora want to growl, which was a disturbing thought because she was usually not so easily ruffled.
“So, how have you been, Mrs. Tate?” Elora finally asked. “Have you had any strange visitors?” Elora grunted when her mom elbowed her. “What? How else are we going to figure anything out?” she whispered to her.
“I’m tired,” Sylvia answered and seemed confused by her own candidness.
“I can relate,” Elora agreed with a small smile.
“I’m sorry, um, not to be rude,” Sylvia told them as she looked over where Cush and Rin stood, looking less than approachable in their warrior get-up. “But why are you in the company of Navy Seal men?”
Elora tried to hold back her laugh but it just wasn’t happening. She threw her head back and just let it roll through her. It might not have really been that funny, but things were starting to get to her, and this was the form in which she was dealing with it.
“Not Navy Seals, Mrs. Tate,” Elora assured her as she wiped the tears from her laughter from her eyes. “They’re friends of Oakley’s.”
Oakley’s head snapped around as he glared at her. Elora’s return glare made it clear he was to play along. “Yeah, they’re friends of mine.” He coughed and turned in his chair so only Elora heard him mutter, “I met them while I was going through my underground fighting phase.”
Elora snorted and tried to cover the laugh up with a cough.
“Oakley’s friends,” Sylvia said almost absently.
Elora continued to watch her best friend’s mom who she’d known all her life. Elora was convinced she was staring at a stranger or at someone who had high-jacked Mrs. Tate’s body. It was creepy, and frankly she was ready to bolt out of the house to someplace that didn’t feel so lifeless.
“Okay, well we’re going to be on our way now,” she said suddenly as she stood up and began backing towards the door. She kicked her mom’s leg as she backed up and gave her a, what she hoped said, Get your butt up. It’s creepy in here, and I’m really ready to not be here look. It must have been written in English on her mug because her mom was up and saying her goodbyes as well.
“Does anyone else feel like we just walked out of the twilight zone?” Oakley asked as he started the engine.
“Hello ladies and gentlemen, please be advised that you are now exiting Creepville,” Elora said in her best flight attendant voice.
“Are you seriously telling me that you think she was weirder than you two?” Rin spoke up. Lisa clapped her hand over her mouth to cover her laughter.
Oakley looked in the rear view mirror at the light-elf warrior and frowned.
“So says the light elf from another realm who looks like a GI Joe with Rainbow Bright hair.” Elora laughed and after a moment’s thought added. “Don’t forget the quiver. You know the dude has got to carry a quiver.”
Cush chuckled and looked over at his longtime friend. “I should have warned you that the humans these days aren’t quite like you remember them.”
“What do you mean by that?” Elora asked.
“Rin has been away a very long time from the human realm; he’s kept up his knowledge on the times, but that isn’t the same as actual human interaction. He isn’t accustomed to how outspoken the female population has become.”
Elora’s brow rose as she looked over the seat at Rin. “You like your woman silent, huh?”
A wicked grin spread across Rin’s face. “I like my woman anyway she comes to me.”
Elora closed her eyes and shook her head. “I totally just walked right up into that one, didn’t I?”
“It was almost too perfect,” Rin agreed.
“Okay, okay you think we’re weird. But you have to admit that there is something wrong with Sylvia,” Elora told them. “The Sylvia I know was full of life, and she was always up doing something, and she was smart and savvy and that…,” she pointed towards the house, “that person is none of those things.”
Elora didn’t miss the look Cush gave Rin. “What? What was that look you just gave him?”
“Might as well tell her. It’s not like she isn’t going to be your woman eventually and be privy to all our secrets,” Rin said as he sunk back into the seat with his arms folded across his chest.
Elora wanted to snicker at the jab Rin just gave Cush, but she had decided to be mature―for now.
“I told you when we were in there that I felt the presence of magic, or more like the leftover, or residue of it.” Elora nodded, encouraging him to continue. “She hasn’t seen her daughter in months. She didn’t say anything about it. Based upon that, I would say that someone has done some stealing.”
“Stealing?” Elora said taken a back. She sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes widened. “You mean someone stole her memories?”
“Are we talking like Harry Potter type stealing?” Oakley asked from the driver’s seat.
“Not exactly,” Cush answered, much to Elora’s surprise. He looked at her and shrugged. “I like Harry Potter.”
Elora just stared at him for a minute as if she were seeing him for the first time. Then she forced herself to deal with the matter at hand. “Okay, that’s a topic for later. So what you’re saying is someone, and by someone we all know it was one of Lorsan’s cronies, came and stole her memories—and probably Mr. Tat
e’s for that matter. What do they do with them? Are they on a shelf somewhere just chilling out with the other stolen memories?”
Rin chuckled.
“What?” Elora snapped. “It’s a valid question.”
“They are in the care of the one who stole them,” Cush answered in his maddeningly vague manner.
“Just tell me this; are they carrying them around in a jar?”
“No,” Cush answered blandly. “They carry them in their mind.”
“Crap,” Elora huffed as she sank down into the seat, careful not to touch Cush sitting next to her. “Okay, I’ve got to eat before we get started saving everyone and putting the world back on its axis.”
“I could eat.” “Food would be good.” Cush and Rin spoke at the same time.
“No comments on saving the world, huh?” Elora asked sarcastically.
“I think it goes without saying that I and my sword are capable of saving the world,” Cush answered.
Elora was struck mute by the sheer confidence he exuded. She was trying really hard to not want him, and if he wasn’t so self-assured, handsome, calm under pressure, and funny—in a totally unexpected way—she’d be doing alright. But he was all of those things and he kept saying things that threw her off balance. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Bad move genius, she told herself. Rule number one; do not look at the hotness. Okay, maybe this could work if she could just set up some ground rules for herself. She could call them: Rules to stay un-elfed. She mentally smiled at her made up title and then mentally kicked herself for basically have a conversation with herself, complete with laughing at her own jokes. She settled down into her seat without responding to his sharp, witty, and admittedly hilarious comment.
“Wake me when we get to the restaurant,” Elora said to no one in particular.
“Elora, it will take all of five minutes to get to a place to eat,” Lisa pointed out.
What Elora wanted to say was, that’s five minutes too many to be stuck in this ride with the only guy she had ever met that made her want to bat her eye lashes and giggle like a moron, but what she actually said was, “Five minutes of sleep is better than none.” Witty? No. Drama free? At least on the outside she was.
Chapter 4
“I feel like I’m sitting on the precipice of something great and potentially terrible. I don’t know what that something is, and for all I know I’m going to be shoved off of the edge, but I know that something is coming—something big. And for the first time, I have something worth losing. I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t scared because the truth is, I’m terrified. I’m terrified that I will let her down and her life will be the price.” ~Trik
“I know for a fact that Syndra gave you your own room, Trik,” Cassie teased as she came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and looking much too innocent to be with the likes of him.
He smiled suggestively as he lay sprawled across her bed, for her viewing pleasure of course. “Yes, but your room is so much nicer,” he teased back. She stopped just out of reach for him to grab her, which he was sure was her intent, and crossed her arms.
“How is my room any nicer than yours?” She frowned at him and even her blasted frown was sexy.
“Baby, I would think that would be obvious,” he paused and nearly laughed when she gave him an impatient huff. “Your room has you, while my room has a decidedly lack of you.” He watched as her cheeks flooded with heat and she fought her obvious desire to come to him.
“Cassie, love, come here. I’ve always been a perfect gentlemen in the past, have I not?”
She tilted her head to the side and considered him. Finally, and with him almost shouting in victory, she shrugged and closed the remaining distance and climbed up on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to his body. He pushed his power out into the room, blowing out all of the candles.
“Neat trick,” she giggled.
“This is where you belong,” he whispered to her. He felt her body gradually begin to relax and then her small hands covered his.
“I’m ready for all of this to be over, for things to…,” she paused.
“To what?” Trik prompted.
“Well, I was going to say for them to go back to normal,” a small laugh escaped her. “But things will never really be normal again will they?”
“You could look at it as a new normal. Is it a bad change? Me, my world?” He wanted the answer, and at the same time, he was terrified of it.
She didn’t answer right away and he didn’t go seeking out her answer in her mind. He wouldn’t invade her privacy without her permission, no matter how tempting it was.
“No,” she finally answered. “It’s not a bad change. It is, however, a big change. I mean, I’m missing school right now that I know I’m going to have to make up. My parents are…well…crap, I don’t know how they are but I miss them.”
Trik propped himself up on an elbow so that he could look down at her. He pulled his hand out from under hers and reached up to trace her jaw line. “I know you do, and I will fix this, Cassie. You will be able to do whatever it is that you want to do. I will make it right.” He wanted to give her the world. He wanted to make her safe and happy but he had a feeling there would be much pain and strife before that happened.
“You have the weight of a people on your shoulders and yet you are worrying about me?” Cassie asked as she stared up at him in the dark room. Light from the moon shone through the windows and cast a soft glow on her face.
“You’re mine, Cassie, my Chosen. I cannot do what it is I have to do without you.” He felt emotions that seemed to have been building all day begin to rush through him and he was nearly overwhelmed. He cupped her face and leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. He shouldn’t be lying here with the most incredibly sweet woman he’d ever met. He didn’t deserve her, and yet, he wouldn’t let her go, not ever.
Cassie moaned as Trik kissed her. If there was one thing her assassin could do, it was kiss. His lips worked a spell over her as she parted her lips for him. The taste of him rushed into her and she pushed closer to him, needing to feel him against her—needing to know that she was safe and that Trik wouldn’t let anything happen to her. His arms wrapped around her and he rolled them so that she was on top of him. She laughed into their kiss at the quick motion, and when she opened her eyes, she saw his silver ones staring back at her.
“You’re so beautiful, A’maelamin,” he whispered to her.
She felt his hands run down her back and stop at the lowest point of the small of her back. She would like to say that she was feeling virtuous, but that would be a big, fat lie. She wiggled against him and Trik groaned and gripped her hips suddenly, holding her still.
“You know what they say about those who play with fire?” Trik asked her in a dangerously low and utterly seductive voice.
Cassie leaned down until her mouth was next to his ear. “That they’re begging to be burned?”
Trik smacked her on the bottom–not too hard, but hard enough to get his point across.
“You have no idea how appealing you are even without trying, but then when you put some effort into it, damn woman, you are dangerous.” Trik nearly growled at her. She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. She knew she shouldn’t be pleased with herself, but she was because Trik still wanted her.
“What was that?” Trik’s brow drew together. “I promise, Cassie, I wasn’t listening but that was a really strong emotion, and you basically just screamed it at me. You thought I might not want you?”
Cassie tried to lay her forehead against his shoulder but he rolled her again until they were both on their sides and then raised her chin to look at him.
“The way I acted while on Rapture, Trik, it was awful and it’s so embarrassing. The way I danced. Crap, I didn’t even know I had those moves in me.”
“Wanna show me?” Trik asked with a wink.
She laughed. “I’m being serious.”
“A’ma
elamin, listen to me,” he waited until she was once again looking at his eyes. “Did you sleep with multiple men, together, or individually?”
Cassie gasped, repulsed by what he was suggesting. “What? NO! Nothing like that.”
“Okay, so let me put it like this, even if you had, I would still want you. But all you’re telling me you did was some sexy dancing.”
She stared at him, searching for any little crack in his armor of nonchalance. “So you’re not disgusted with me?”
Trik laughed. “Baby, I could roll you in tar and cover you in feathers and then drizzle slime all over you and still I would not be disgusted with you.”
“Okay, that’s a little disturbing.” She smiled at his description.
“I never claimed to be anything less.”
She laughed and for that brief moment she felt a tiny amount of peace. “Thank you, Trik,” she told him seriously.
“Awe, beautiful Cassie, there is nothing to thank me for. In fact, you should probably skewer me because even in your vulnerable state, I still desire to corrupt you in the most delicious of ways.”
She blushed and when he pressed his palm to her cheek and closed his eyes she was confused. Suddenly her mind was filled with thoughts and she gasped as she realized that these were definitely not her thoughts.
The desire she felt for Trik was not even a spark compared to the yearning that he had for her. She felt her body heat from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and she wondered how he could walk around with that much going on inside of him. Finally, he pulled his hand away and he was breathing hard and Cassie realized, much to her surprise, so was she.
“Whoa,” she murmured.
Trik’s lips quirked up in a crooked smile. “I would say that was worthy of more than a whoa.”
“How? I mean, whoa,” Cassie stumbled and tried to keep her words and voice steady.
Trik chuckled. “Let’s go to sleep, love. We can talk more about all of that after we are married, which needs to happen very, very soon.”