by Quinn Loftis
Chapter 2
“Light elves have one mate—their Chosen. They love that one with totality and unquestioning faithfulness. For all the darkness that lives inside a dark elf, for all the evil that is innately born in them, they too have but one mate. And whatever the reason, the ferocity and intensity they love their Chosen with is neither lessened by their evil, nor sacrificed because of who and what they are.” ~Myrin, Advisor to Lorsan
Trik stood leaning up against a large tree in the deserted park, the lateness of the night having driven the humans to the perceived safety of their homes. He debated whether to go and report back to Lorsan or wait until he had his emotions under better control. He didn’t want to get into what had happened with the beautiful girl, Cassie. He had plucked her name from her mind when he had touched her. As soon as his skin had made contact with hers, it was evident to him that her beauty wasn’t just skin–deep. She was beautiful down to the deepest part of her soul, and that should be enough to make him stay away. But he knew he wouldn’t, especially since she had seen the light elves in their true form. For all the good in the light elves, they still lived according to their laws and a human who had seen them in their true form had forfeited their life—whether it was their fault or not. As soon as she had walked into the room where he had been spying on the light elves and turned to look at him, she owned him. There was no way that he would let Tamsin and his band of goody-two-shoes touch a single hair on her head.
He shook his head and chuckled as he remembered the look in her eyes when he had told her that he was hers. What he hadn’t said, and what would have probably sent her running straight into the arms of the ones searching for her, was that not only was he hers, but she was his. And that was why he couldn’t go see his King right then.
He pushed away from the tree and decided to head for one of the many businesses that his people owned. It would do him good to surround himself with some good old-fashioned greed to remind him of who and what he was. Like the light elves, the dark elves had many businesses in the human realm. It was a good way for the elves to justify coming here to keep tabs on the various other species that had decided to make this realm their home. But where the light elves businesses had to do with the wellbeing of the earth, the dark elves’ businesses had everything to do with self-indulgence, feeding off of the baser needs of humans and the potential for darkness and evil deep in their hearts.
Deciding he needed a distraction from the beautiful human, Trik headed in the direction of the stores just beyond the park. He found what he was looking for in a large glass front window where he could see his reflection. Elves could travel from realm to realm as well as to other cities using mirrors, or glass as long as there was a reflection of themselves in it. They needed only to think of where they wanted to go and then step into the glass. He pictured the lights of Vegas in his mind and took a step forward, his leg slipping easily through the glass followed by the rest of his body. On the other side, he stood in front of Iniquity, one of the many casinos in Las Vegas that his people owned. The bright lights flashed across his face; the city noise and chatter of humans was music to his ears. He could feel the greed, the lust, and the depression that swirled around the city in a thick fog. He inhaled a deep breath, smiling as he thought to himself; this is where I belong, not drooling over some human girl. Yet even as the thought passed through his mind, he knew he would see her again. He headed into the casino looking to find one of the few humans he dared to call a friend and hopefully a good card game.