“Do not touch her again,” he spoke slowly and though he didn’t yell he knew his words were laced with the right amount of menace, “ever.” He finished and stepped back. His sudden release had Paul falling to the ground which caused his lips to twitch. He turned around to walk away and as Elora made her way to get closer to Paul he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

“Do not,” he warned her as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I don’t know what is going to happen. I don’t know what I feel for you. But what I do know is that any man I see touching you, or being touched by you, is in danger of dying by my hands. So please, do not go to him.”

Elora stilled at the cold hardness that wrapped around the warning in his voice. She tilted her head back so she could look up at him and saw that his blue grey eyes were so bright that they nearly glowed. His jaw was clenched with the effort that it was taking him to not act on whatever it was he was feeling.

“So you’re telling me that you don’t want me, but nobody else can have me either?” she asked him as she pushed out of his hold. She wouldn’t have been able to get free had he not allowed it, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that little detail.

Cush frowned at her and she nearly laughed. It was obvious that he didn’t like the way it sounded when she laid it out there for what it was.

“I don’t know what I want, Elora, but I do know that seeing another male touch you is making me more violent than usual.”

Elora’s brow rose. “More violent?” He didn’t say anything more. He simply took her hand and pulled her to the farthest piece of furniture in the room and pushed her into it. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but she stayed where he put her. “Keep treating me like a damn dog, Cush, and I’ll bite your…,”

“Elora!” Lisa snapped. Her voice was sharp, but when Elora looked up at her mother she saw the hint of humor behind the tone.

“I’m just giving him fair warning. Is Paul okay?”

Lisa nodded. “He’s just a little nervous now but he’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Oakley came and stood next to Lisa, arms folded across his chest. “Now that Legolas isn’t trying to kill my roommate anymore, are you two ready to tell me everything?”

Elora let out an exaggerated sigh. “Gah, if we have to…or we could order Chinese and play on your X-Box. Really that’s a no-brainer choice, Oak.” She looked up at him hopefully, but the stern glare he returned told her he wasn’t going for it. “Fine, pull up some carpet and cop a squat; this is going to take a while.” Elora slid down onto the floor with her back leaned up against the couch and got comfortable before she and Lisa began their story.

“It was a dark and stormy night,” Elora started. Oakley glared at her but she heard a snort come from Cush’s direction and that made her smile. Great, I’m smiling because I made my fantasy elf crush laugh. I’m lame, she thought.

Two hours later Oakley was once again up and pacing as Elora finished her explanation.

“So that’s how I ended up at your door. I guess this is where I wanted to be,” she said. “Mom followed me with,” she pointed to Cush and Rin, “those two. The sexy brooding one is Cush and the sexy non-brooding one is Rin.”

Cush didn’t acknowledge Oakley. He just continued to stare at Elora who gave him a wink and blew him a kiss. His lips twitched and she knew he was trying to hold back a smile.

“And Cassie is in the Elf realm?” he asked.

“Yes, with her mate, Trik,” Lisa answered.

“So what now?” Oakley stopped pacing and looked over to Cush and Rin.

“We need to get to the light-elf castle and see what the king has planned,” Cush said as he pushed away from the wall he was leaning on. He walked over to the large front window and then looked back over his shoulder at Elora. “We must go.”

Elora nodded and then stood. She looked back at Oakley and smiled. “Got to save the world.”

Oakley laughed. “If anybody can, it’s you and Cassie.”

Lisa hugged him and kissed his cheek. “We’ll be back. You stay safe.”

Oakley nodded and then watched as the group walked up to where Cush stood in front of the window.

“Picture the throne room in your mind. Lisa. You hold Elora’s hand and follow with her,” Cush instructed and then stepped into the window. His foot and head hit the glass at the same time. He probably wouldn’t have cracked it except that Elora ran into his back followed by her mother, which created a very painful Elora sandwich.

“What the…,” Elora said as she tried to right herself and back away from Cush, tripping over Lisa in the process.

Cush stared hard at the now cracked glass. His hand reached out slowly as if the glass would bite him.

“Something is wrong,” he said absently.

“What was your first clue? The inability to walk through the glass or the inability to walk through the glass?” Elora asked dryly. Lisa smacked her arm and glared at her. “What?” Elora growled. “I’m sorry, but I tend to get pissy when things don’t go the way they’re supposed to.”

“When are you not pissy?” Rin asked, breaking his long silence.

Elora gave him the single eyebrow stare. “Finally come out to play?”

Rin chuckled at her and then looked past her to the elf behind her. He shook his head. “I don’t have a death wish.”