by Quinn Loftis
“Sleep alright?” Sylvia asked.
“Yep. Hey Elora called and she wants to hang out. Is that alright?”
Sylvia lifted the cup of coffee as she answered. “That’s fine.” She took a sip and then pinned Cassie with the stare. “So when are we going to get to meet Trik again?”
Cassie’s head whipped around to see if her dad was paying attention. He wasn’t.
“Have you told dad about him?” Cassie’s eyes were wide.
Sylvia grinned mischievously. “Why don’t you ask him?”
Cassie groaned. “Come on, you know how he is. He will drill Trik for an hour and want to know everything right down to his blood type.”
“Well that could be important information. What if you needed blood and he was the only donor and your dad was the only person who was there to tell the doctors his blood type?” Her m om gestured to her. “See, then you would be glad that your dad was so thorough.”
“Seriously, mom?” Cassie threw her hands in the air and marched into the dining room.
“So dad,” she fidgeted with her shirt. “I met this guy, and we’ve sort of been seeing each other and I really like him.”
Her dad smiled up at her and it was a smile that said the cat has caught the canary.
“By all means, invite him for dinner. I would love to meet him.”
“Dad, promise you won’t make him fill out a form with all his information like you did with Cory.”
“That information was important. I needed to know his parents’ names and numbers. What if you two had been in an accident and we found out first?”
“You asked him his sexual orientation and if he had ever been sexually active,” Cassie folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot.
Her dad frowned. “I still say he was lying.”
“What, like it’s impossible for a seventeen year old guy to be a virgin?”
“I believed that part. I was talking about the sexual orientation,” he told her. “I didn’t think I had anything to worry about with him.”
“Promise me.” Cassie stomped her foot. Her dad started laughing and when her face continued to stay contorted in anger he held his hands up in surrender.
“Okay, okay, I won’t make him fill out a form.”
“Or give him any what if scenarios .”
“Those are important, he needs to be prepared.”
“Dad,” Cassie groaned. “You asked the last guy what he would do if he was intimate with me and realized he didn’t have a condom.”
“And he got it wrong. The correct answer was I wouldn’t be intimate with your daughter, sir. The dummy said, uh, not go any further.”
“Dad,” Cassie growled.
“Fine, no scenarios,” he finally relented.
Cassie stared at him for another minute. A knock at the door finally had her turning away.
She opened the door to Elora’s scowling face.
“Hi sunshine!” Cassie plastered a huge smile on her face.
Elora stomped past her. “Stuff it.”
“Oookay then,” Cassie muttered as she closed the door.
“So where is lover boy?” Elora asked as Cassie closed her bedroom door.
Before Cassie could answer, Trik stepped out of her bedroom mirror.
He walked straight over to Cassie not even bothering to look at Elora.
“Well hello to you too,” she smirked at him.
But Trik’s eyes were on his Chosen.
“Everything okay?” She asked him when he was standing inches from her.
He smiled, but Cassie noticed it didn’t meet his eyes.
“Everything’s fine.” He stood there staring at her. He didn’t try to kiss her or touch her and Cassie was suddenly unsure if she should touch him.
Elora clearing her throat finally breaking through their senses.
Cassie turned to look at her friend. She stepped away from Trik and for the first time he didn’t attempt to keep her close to him.
“Elora has agreed to be my reason for leaving today. I’m going to leave with her and meet you somewhere,” Cassie explained.
Trik nodded, “I’ll meet you at the park downtown.” He stepped up to her and kissed her on the forehead and then he was gone, moving quickly through her window and away from her.
“Did something seem off to you?” Elora asked her.
Cassie nodded. “Maybe Lorsan took it harder than he thought.” Cassie said as way of explanation but not believing a word of it.
Chapter 10
“I’ve given you my heart; I’ve given you my soul. What else can I give? I’m asking you to stay with me. I’m asking you to pick us. I see in you the man you don’t think you can be, but I know you can. The man who has held me in his arms like I was the most precious thing in his world, that man cares, that man is who I need, who we all need. I’ve given you everything, what are you willing to give me?” ~Diary of Cassie Tate
Trik watched from the shadows as Cassie climbed out of Elora’s car. She waved at her friend and made her way into the park. Elora’s car didn’t budge and he knew that she wouldn’t leave until she saw him with Cassie. He watched as she looked around for him. The words for him ricocheted off his mind. She was here for him . He took a deep breath and let it out. He wanted this day with her. He wanted to show her what he could give her.
He stepped out of the darkness moving quietly towards her. He could have made his entire approach silent, she would have never known he was there until he touched her, but he didn’t want to scare her so he purposely snapped a twig with his foot. She turned at the sound and her eyes locked with his. He saw the apprehension there, the insecurity because of the distance he had kept between them in her room. His heart ached because he had put that look in her eyes.
“Hey,” she said in a small voice.
He shook his head as he reached her. “Don’t.”
Cassie looked confused. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t look at me like you are unsure of how I feel for you.”
Cassie looked down at the ground not wanting to meet his eyes.
He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head. He waited until her eyes finally met his.
“You are mine, my everything. Never doubt that or the fact that I want you, I will always want you.”
He wanted to tell her he loved her, it was on the tip of his tongue, but he held himself back. He felt the struggle inside him. His soul demanded he give her everything, but the darkness demanded as well and he had been doing what the darkness commanded for a very long time. Regardless of his soul’s cry he didn’t feel he had the right to say those words to her; not until he had dealt with Lorsan.
He stared into her eyes a minute longer. When he was satisfied that she had heard him he took her hand and began leading her to the small building that housed the park bathrooms. They slipped into the door marked for families and Trik walked straight at the mirror pulling Cassie with him.
Cassie’s breath caught as they emerged through another mirror, this one led into a small cabin.
“Is this your place?” She asked as she spun around looking at the small but clean space. There was a small kitchen with a sink, refrigerator and stove. A small table with two chairs stood in the center of the kitchen. Just past it was a living area with a fire place against the back wall and just past the fireplace was a door that she assumed led to the bedroom.
“It’s one of the places I like to come to when I need a break,” he told her.
“It’s cozy.”
Trik laughed “That’s your way of saying it’s small.”
Cassie smiled, relieved to see this side of Trik. This is the Trik she knew, the one no one else saw.
“Come on,” he tugged on her hand and pulled her to the front door.
They stepped out onto a small porch and then walked down the steps into the most beautiful forest that Cassie had ever seen.
Trik smiled at the look on his Chosen’s face. Though he had been
there recently without her, and though it was peaceful, it was nothing compared to the peace he found with her standing in his place with him, where she belonged.
“It’s beautiful, Trik,” her words were breathy as she took in the tall trees, deep green grass, and beautiful flowers.
“I’ve never brought anyone here.” He didn’t know why he told her that, but he felt it was important that she know.
“Never?” She asked without looking at him.
He stepped up behind her and brushed her hair from her neck. He leaned down and kissed her neck before whispering. “Never.”
Cassie stopped breathing as she felt his lips on her skin. She closed her eyes and soaked up the sensation, the feeling of having him close. She felt him slip his hand into hers and she opened her eyes.
“I want to show you something,” he told her with a grin.
She loved that grin.
She let him tug her forward and enjoyed the carefree way he moved. Usually he was deliberate in his every move, co nstantly watching for an attack. But here, here he was relaxed and open. Suddenly the trees cleared and opened up to a river and a beautiful high water fall. Her mouth dropped open at the site. The light of the sun shined off the water cascading towards the river. A rainbow reached out from the spray of the water fall, dazzling the surrounding trees. It was picture perfect. She was sure she had never seen anything so breathtaking.
“What do you think?” Trik smiled at her.
“It’s amazing,” Cassie didn’t try to hide the awe she felt.
Trik walked over to a large rock that sat over the river. He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him. Cassie followed suit. She looked up into the sky and saw a sun, bright and warm on her skin.
“You have a sun?” She asked.
Trik chuckled. “Of course we have a sun. Our realm isn’t much different than yours.”
“Is it all like this?”
“For the most part. There are some dark forests that few will go into.”
“Why, what’s in them?” She asked as she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.
“The Forest Lords,” he said with narrowed eyes.
“I thought they were good guys.”
“It’s not because they are bad that no one goes into the forest. It’s because being in their presence is,” Trik paused trying to find the right word, “unsettling. They can see inside you. They know what is to come and what has already been.”
Cassie shuddered at the thought of someone knowing her future, knowing her past, and knowing what was deep inside her.
“Those are the Forest Lords that Tamsin and Syndra want you to see?”
“Yep,” Trik tells her, popping the P.
“Are you going to?” Cassie looked out over the water as she waited for his answer.
Trik didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t want to go to the Forest Lords for fear of what they would tell him. But at the same time, he wanted to go because he needed to know what they would tell him.
So he was honest. “I don’t know.”
They sat in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Cassie was careful not to touch Trik because she didn’t want him to see the worry or fear in her. No matter how he tried to act, she could tell he was pulling away.
Trik watched Cassie out of the corner of his eye. She was incredible sitting there with sun shining on her blonde hair and smooth skin. He had never been so attracted to someone and it was all he could do to keep from pulling her into his arms and kissing that worried look off her face. He wanted to see her smile, to see the sparkle in her eyes. He stood up and reached for her hand. She looked up at him , the confusion of his actions written clearly on her face.
“I have a surprise for you.” He smiled at her as he waited for her to put her hand in his.
Finally she did and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She followed him through the lush forest, her eyes constantly roving over the life that was so apparent. A cool breeze blew across her face and raised the tendrils of hair that fell from her bun onto her neck. Trik stopped just before a small clearing appeared.
She started to speak but stopped when he raised a finger to his lips. Trik cupped his hands around his face and made a sound that Cassie could only describe as a cat growling. She cocked her head to the side as she watched him.
“Just wait,” he whispered as he pointed in the direction of the clearing.
Cassie tried to breathe as quietly as possible, but felt like the harder she tried to be quiet, the louder she became. After several minutes she began to see the leaves and grass on the other side of the clearing move. Her breathing stopped as she waited in rapt attention to see what was going to emerge from the lush foliage.
She let out a gasp and clamped her hand over her mouth as she watched two large white tigers walk smoothly into the clearing. They were looking around as if they were expecting someone. Without any word to her, Trik stood up and began to walk towards them. The tigers tensed. When Trik came into their view, they relaxed. Her mouth dropped open when one of the tigers playfully bounded up to him as if it were only a ten pound kitten rather than a two hundred pound tiger. Trik reached his hand out and the beast rubbed his head against it. Trik turned back to where she still knelt watching him. He motioned for her to come over.
She stood slowly and began moving forward, when the two tigers’ eyes finally noticed her she froze.
“They won’t hurt you, Cassie,” Trik told her.
After a moment’s hesitation she got her feet to continue on towards Trik and the beautiful cats. When they had first walked into the clearing, Cassie had thought their stripes were white, but the closer she came, the more she realized that their stripes were actually dark silver; and slightly shimmered when they moved. Their eyes were large, gold and lined in black as if they were wearing eye liner. She stopped when she made it to Trik’s side. The tigers where less than three feet from her and she stilled, waiting for what would happen next.
“Tyndril,” Trik spoke to the tiger closest to her, “come say hello.”
The tiger he had called Tyndril took slow steps towards Cassie, as if she understood her fear. She sat down on her haunches directly in front of Cassie and stared at her. Cassie reached her hand out and couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face as the large cat pressed her head into it. She looked over at Trik who was smiling at her.
“What are they?”
“They are called tiriths . They are the equivalent of your tiger species, only they are a little special.”
“Special how?” Cassie asked as Tyndril moved closer so she could rub her body against Cassie’s. She laughed as the large cat nearly pushed her over trying to snuggle closer.
“For one, they understand us.”
Cassie’s eyes snapped up. “What do you mean they understand us?”
“I mean they have a superior intellect and understand our language, and I have taught these two English.”
Cassie looked at Tyndril closely. “Can you understand me?” The large cat nodded its large head. Cassie’s eyes widened and her grin grew impossibly large.
“That is so cool!”
Trik laughed at her enthusiasm.
“This affectionate girl is Tyndril, and this guy is Tao.”
“They are beautiful,” Cassie walked around Tyndril towards Tao and reached her hand out to him. He stepped forward and bowed to her before pressing his head into her hand.
“What else makes them special?”
“They have a healing ability which makes them dangerous in battle. Their wounds restore almost instantly.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Their noses are about four times stronger than that of your tigers and once they have your scent it’s committed to memory, they will never forget you and would be able to track you to the ends of any realm.”
“They are really amazing. Thank you so much for introducing me to them.”
“Tyndril,
Tao,” Trik addressed them and the two large tigers both looked at him. “What do you think of my Chosen.” He gestured to Cassie.
Cassie didn’t know what to expect but when both tigers stood, placed one leg out in front of them and bowed their heads to her, she knew that was not it.
Cassie looked up at Trik, her eyes wide in question.
“They honor you and are pleased that the Forest Lords have chosen you to be mine. It also means that they will always protect you against any threat.”
Cassie bowed her head in return. “Thank you. I treasure your friendship.”
Trik watched as the woman who held the other half of his soul, the woman not of his realm, accepted a part of his world. She took joy in the two cats. He hadn’t expected to be so affected by her presence in his realm, or by her reaction to it.
They spent the day walking through the forest, sometimes talking, sometimes not. Tyndril and Tao, their constant sentries, were never far away. They finally ended up back in front of Trik’s small cabin and he pulled her to a halt before she could reach the door. Cassie turned to look up at him and her breath caught in her throat at the emotion that shone through his silver eyes. His hair blew gently in the breeze and his full lips caught her attention.
Trik reached out and pulled her to him. One hand at the base of her neck the other gripped her hip. He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.
“This has been the best day of my life,” he whispered to her.
Cassie smiled. “I can’t decide if I should be flattered or feel sad that hanging out with a girl in a field is the highlight of your thousand plus years.”
Trik chuckled. His fingers traced up her arm and across her neck to her jaw line.
“What’s sad is that I’ve been waiting a thousand years for you, and now I no longer deserve you—if I ever did.”
Cassie heard the sadness in his voice and it broke her heart.
“It doesn’t matter what’s in the past, or what’s in the future, Trik. What matters is this moment, now, and what we choose to do with it.” Cassie opened her mind to him as his fingers traced her collarbone. She wanted him to see exactly how much she meant those words. She didn’t care about his past, and all the ugly things. All she cared about was now.