by Quinn Loftis
Cassie’s eyes narrowed at Syndra. “Who are you?”
Syndra smiled slyly. “I’ve known Lisa and Elora for the span of their lives and neither has ever really seen me. What do you see Cassie, Chosen of Triktapic?”
The short purple of Syndra’s hair faded to dazzling white as it grew, falling past her shoulders to her waist. The green in her eyes flared to life and her pale skin began to glow. Cassie watched as Syndra tucked her long hair behind her ear and that’s when Cassie noticed the ear was indeed pointed. She noticed too that a long white robe tied around the waist had replaced the jeans and white shirt she wore. She felt power emanating from the she-elf, a power that kept her on her knees.
“You’re old and powerful,” Cassie muttered.
Syndra smiled and bowed. “I am Syndra, Queen of the Light Elves, Chosen of Tamsin, the Light Elf King.”
“Well what do ya know,” Elora said dryly.
Lisa’s jaw had dropped open and her eyes were wide with childlike wonder.
Cassie looked from Lisa to Elora and then back to Syndra. The question must have been written on her face.
“No, they do not see what you see,” Syndra answered the unasked question.
“You see her in her true form?” Lisa asked Cassie.
Cassie nodded.
“She can see me because she is a Chosen,” Syndra explained. “Tamsin had told me that a human had seen us in our true form. He has given orders to hunt you. Now that I know you are a Chosen and that is why you were able to see them that night, he will retract the orders on your life.”
“So you all were really going to kill me? Even though you are supposed to be the good guys?” Cassie asked as another jolt of pain erupted. She gasped and tried to steady her breathing.
“We have laws, just as you do. We must protect ourselves. But times have changed in the human realm, and maybe it’s time for us to change as well. I will tell you , though , people who have lived for centuries and millennia don’t typically take change very well.” Syndra watched her closely as Cassie tried to hold herself together.
“You must call him, Cassie. This won’t get any better.” Syndra told her.
“How did you know?”
“Word travels fast when one of the strongest elves out of dark or light, looks like he has been beaten within an inch of his life. Trik showed up in Sanctuary. I’ll let him explain what that is, and word of his appearance spread like wild fire.”
“Why did you come?”
Syndra smiled and Cassie could see the genuine concern in her eyes.
“Honestly, I was curious. I sought Trik out and all it took was a light brush against his arm as I walked by to get the information I needed. Normally he would have never allowed such contact, but he’s even worse off than you are.”
“So you can do the whole touch thing and read minds too?” Cassie asked.
Syndra began to answer, but stopped herself. She turned to look at Lisa.
“You know that nothing said here can leave this room right?”
Lisa nodded. “Of course. I would never share what you say, nor would Elora.”
Elora nodded her agreement when the Light Elf Queen turned to look at her. Seemingly satisfied with Lisa’s answer, she continued.
“Typically it is something that only occurs between two Chosen, but sometimes we elves gain special gifts as we age. One of my abilities is the power to see into the mind of someone with which I come into physical contact.
The room was quiet after Syndra’s response. Lisa continued to stare at the she-elf whom she had called friend for so long, amazed that she was a Queen and Lisa had never known.
Elora watched her best friend struggle to breathe through the pain that she was enduring. Sometimes she didn’t understand why Cassie was so stubborn.
“Just say his name already,” she whispered fiercely. “There’s no reason for you to go through this.”
Cassie shook her head. “My mom will be home any minute; he can’t be here.”
Syndra waved off Cassie’s worry. “He can veil himself from humans. You don’t need to worry about that. What you need to worry about is your mother seeing you like this. She’s going to hall your pathetic looking self to see one of those healers you humans use.”
“A doctor,” Lisa offered up. She narrowed her eyes at Syndra. “You sure don’t sound like a Queen most of the time.”
Syndra laughed. “I’ve had a lot of practice blending in, primarily from hanging out with you and Elora.”
“Oh yes, the purple hair totally blends,” Elora rolled her eyes.
Syndra smiled at her. “It’s less disturbing than the pointy ears I assure you.”
Cassie listened to the women around her talk but they were beginning to sound far away, like they were speaking through a tunnel. It was after she nearly passed out that she gave in.
“Trik,” she whispered.
She had barely spoken his name when she heard gasps around her and felt strong arms picking her up.
“Leave us.” Trik’s voice was tight and anger and pain radiated through his words.
“We will talk soon, Triktapic.” Syndra narrowed her eyes at the dark elf assassin.
Trik ignored her and the other two humans in the room. He held Cassie tight against his chest as he sat on her bed. He felt the pain subsiding from him and could finally breathe again. He rubbed his face into her hair literally breathing her in.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. “I’m so sorry. I should have warned you that this m ight happen. I shouldn’t have left.”
“I asked you to,” Cassie’s voice wavered, but continued to grow stronger as her pain too began to fade. Her face was buried in his chest and once again she felt something inside her reaching for him.
“Do you feel that?” She whispered.
Trik placed a finger under her chin, lifting it so that he could look into her eyes.
“What you feel is our souls reaching for each other.”
“I don’t understand; how can I feel it? It shouldn’t be possible.”
“Maybe not, but it is. I won’t ever let you go, Cassie. I won’t ever let you endure such pain again.”
“I’m scared, Trik.” Cassie held his gaze as she spoke. She needed him to understand what she was feeling.
“I see inside you, A'maelamin. I feel your fear,” Trik told her as he brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m afraid as well.”
Cassie’s eyes widened in surprise. “You? What could you possibly be afraid of?”
Trik leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes. Suddenly images flooded Cassie’s mind and emotions pulsed through her like a wild storm. Her breath caught as she realized Trik was sharing his mind with her. Once she realized what was happening, she began to pay closer attention. Her arms wrapped around him and she pressed herself closer as she watched the most dangerous assassin of his kind reveal his deepest fears.
What she saw broke her heart. He was afraid that she couldn’t love him knowing what and who he was. He was afraid of losing her and the joy she had brought him, joy that he never imagined could exist. She felt rage unfurl as he pictured her with another guy, felt the pain that quickly followed on the heels of that rage. She saw his existence and the emptiness of it through his eyes and it broke her heart. He also showed her the darkest part of himself. She could tell he didn’t want to, but he refused to be less than honest with her. Cassie felt a tear slide down her cheek as she saw the hopelessness in him because he would not stop being what he was, couldn’t stop. He was a dark elf; he was an assassin, and that would never change.
Cassie pulled her forehead from his, breaking the connection. She kept her eyes closed as she tried to process all that he had shown her and allowed her to feel. It was so overwhelming, so intimate and all consuming.
“Cassie,” her name on his lips was a plea.
She let out a deep breath and opened her eyes. He sat before her in his na
tural form. She hadn’t even paid attention to the fact that he had looked human when he first arrived.
“One day at a time, Trik,” she told him softly. “I can only do this one day at a time right now. I don’t understand it, but I know that the thought of you leaving and never seeing you again is unacceptable.”
Trik moved so quickly that she didn’t have a chance. His lips were pressed firmly against hers. She felt the desperation in the kiss and it hurt to know that she had made him feel that way.
He pulled back just enough to speak. “No A'maelamin, do not blame yourself. You have handled this better than I could have ever dreamed.
They sat that way, lips nearly touching, breathing in each other’s breaths, holding on to the comfort they found in the other’s presence. Cassie jumped when she heard the front door open and close.
“My mom,” she told him.
Trik nodded but made no motion to move. She started to stand but he held her firm.
“I’m not leaving,” his eyes flashed as he dared her to contradict him.
Cassie nearly grinned as she saw the confidence he wore like a second skin slide back in place, all traces of fear gone.
“Syndra said you could keep her from seeing you,” Cassie told him.
“That is correct.” His head tilted slightly as his eyes narrowed. “I’m curious to know what else the Queen told you.”
Cassie raised a single eyebrow at him. “What, you didn’t pick that up while channel surfing my mind?”
Trik chuckled. “It wasn’t something I was looking for at the moment.”
She went to stand again and this time he let her go.
“I have to go down and talk to her. Is it going to hurt when I leave the room?” Cassie shuddered remembering the pain.
Trik stood, closing the distance between them. He gently caressed her cheek and smiled when she leaned into his touch.
“No, Arwenamin, as long as our separating is mutual and not of ill will then there will not be pain. I won’t allow that ever again.”
Cassie rolled her eyes at his overbearing words, but breathed out in relief at knowing she wouldn’t hurt once she left her room.
She left him standing in her room, watching her as she closed the door behind her. Cassie walked slowly down the stairs trying to collect herself before she saw her mom. She didn’t think she could hold it together if her mom saw something in her and asked if she was okay. She was still raw from the pain and from the things that Trik had shared with her.
She rounded the bottom step and saw her mom going through a stack of mail at the kitchen table.
“Hey,” Cassie said as she stopped beside her.
“Hey,” her mom smiled. Sylvia Tate was a beautiful woman and always happy, which only made her more beautiful. There were times that Cassie felt like she walked in the shadow of her mother’s beauty, but she held no jealousy. Her mom didn’t have a clue just how attractive she was.
“Everything going alright tonight?” Sylvia absently flipped through the mail, pausing sporadically to gaze at one envelope or another.
Cassie let out a deep breath, making sure her voice didn’t waiver when she answered. No matter how tough she wanted to think she was, she never wanted to go through the pain she had so recently endured.
“I’m good. Tired, so I’m getting ready to call it a night.”
Sylvia looked up, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Cassie’s face. Cassie decided that she must have hid her anxiety well because her mom smiled and gave her a hug.
“Okay then, sleep well,” Sylvia told her.
Cassie made her way back up the stairs, trying to gather her thoughts as she prepared to once again face the inhuman beauty in her room.
Chapter 5
“In the very rare instance that a human becomes the Chosen of an Elfin there is only one way that human can be allowed a continued existence. It is a choice not made lightly especially by those of the Elfin race. A bond must be made, unbreakable, eternal and is only possible between a male and his Chosen.” ~Laws of the Elfin, Lost Book
“Are you not a teensy bit shocked by everything going on?” Elora asked her mother as they sat at their kitchen table. Lisa had made a pot of herbal tea when they arrived home. Now they both sat, sipping their tea, their minds still struggling to wrap themselves around the events of the evening.
“I’ve known that Syndra was an elf my whole life, and had no idea that she was royalty. I don’t think my mother knew. So yeah, I’m just a tad shocked.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means just what Syndra said. We keep our traps shut. We aren’t supposed to know about their kind and we sure as heck aren’t supposed to know that she is a Royal.” Lisa took a sip of her tea as she looked over the rim of her mug at her daughter.
“She said that even knowing who Trik is was dangerous,” Elora reminded her mom.
Lisa nodded. “Maybe he’ll be honest with her now that he knows Syndra has been in touch with her.”
“Yeah, and let’s hope that Syndra can talk her elf husband out of trying to significantly shorten Cassie’s life span,” Elora added.
Lisa snorted. “Knowing how closely they protect their secrets, with our luck they’ll probably try hauling her off to Elf land.”
“Not funny, Lisa.” Elora rolled her eyes at her mother’s dark sense of humor, not even realizing how honestly she came by her own pessimistic personality.
~
Syndra sat while her mate, Tamsin, King of the Light Elves, paced back and forth across their bedroom. She waited while he considered her words and the implications that came with them.
“So you are telling me, Triktapic, famous assassin and continual thorn in my side, has a Chosen and she is human?” Tamsin eyed his Chosen with raised brows.
Syndra gave a slow nod and continued to let him work through the details. She knew how her mate’s mind worked and knew that it was best to make subtle suggestions but ultimately let him come up with the decision.
“So she is essentially untouchable,” Tamsin thought out loud. “How is it that someone as dark as Trik would possibly be given one so innocent, not to mention young.”
“She is young, but not as young as you think. She has what the humans call an old soul. She has an inner strength that I don’t even think she is aware of.”
Tamsin looked over at his Chosen and wryly smiled. “What of her innocence, my lover?”
Syndra stood and walked slowly to him. She stood inches from him as she looked up into his shimmering eyes. Eyes that never ceased to draw her in and remind her of the love he held for her.
“Trik has held our people, as well as his own, in fear for centuries,” said Syndra. “He is Lorsan’s pet, but I don’t think Lorsan really has control over him, at least not any more. Something is changing; the balance is being tilted in our favor.” She brushed a loose hair out of his face and smiled encouragingly. “Whatever Lorsan has planned, it must be something especially evil—evil enough that the Forest Lords are watching. They only take note if either of our sides are doing something that affects the humans. It is my belief that they have chosen Trik to be the instrument of Lorsan’s downfall. He is not lost, not yet. His Chosen, this Cassie Tate, already holds a deep place in his heart. She will draw him from the dark.”
“And what if he draws her from the light instead?” Tamsin challenged, ever the analytical tactician.
“Then we must beg the Forest Lord’s help,” she responded. You know that our realm cannot survive without the humans. If Lorsan destroys them, he destroys us all.”
Tamsin nodded in acknowledgment. “We must also hope that he does not realize the importance of Cassie’s role. If he suspects that she represents a threat to his power, then he will kill her, regardless of whether she is Trik’s Chosen.”
Tamsin pulled Syndra into his arms pressing his forehead to hers. His love flowed into her. Even after a millennia together his desire and love for her had only grown. He wasn’t ready
to end their long life ; he wasn’t ready to give up any time with his Chosen, especially not for a Dark Elf King’s selfish desires.
~
Trik sat surrounded by the darkness of Cassie’s room. He smiled as he thought about the appalled look on her face when he suggested that she let him sleep next to her…for her protection of course. Protection from what? She had asked. He had grinned his sly smile and told her protection from any who would take his place in her dreams. She had rolled her eyes at him and he had agreed to sleep on the floor. He had never needed much sleep so he had taken up a seat in the corner of her room, on the chair that had sat in front of her desk.
It had taken Cassie a while to fall asleep. She kept telling him to stop staring at her. But she didn’t understand. She didn’t understand that when Trik looked at her, he wasn’t just looking at her physical beauty. He was seeing all the beauty that she brought into his world , all the beauty that he had never known existed. Cassie held his attention as sure as the sun held the devotion of a flower, seeking out her life-giving rays. Even in the dark , he had seen the blush that had stained her beautiful skin. But eventually, exhaustion had taken over. His thoughts drifted back to the pain they had both felt when they had been separated. He had heard of such a thing happening between Chosen pairs, but never had he ever imagined it would feel like that. It made him sick to think that Cassie had endured such pain. It angered him that he could have prevented it if he had denied her request. He should have stayed and forced her to hear him out. Then again , he didn’t imagine his Chosen could be forced to do much.
Trik heard Cassie whimpering softly in her sleep. He went to her and kneeled by her bedside, putting his face level with hers. He gently brushed back the hair that fell like a veil in front of her face. As his fingers brushed her skin she leaned into his touch and she settled. Even in sleep , she knew him.