Tony folded his arms across his chest—his very broad chest, Elora admitted to herself—and looked from Rin to Cush. “You don’t get it. You’re an elf. I don’t care if you’re light, dark, or somewhere in the middle. You are only concerned with your own people. I’ve been dealing with your kind for far too long; I know exactly what you are capable of and what kind of power you wield. Those who have power always wind up wanting more.”

“You have been dealing with the wrong kind of elves if those have been your only experiences with my race. Do you not have evil humans? Do you not have people who have killed their own? Would you condemn the entire human race because of those black sheep?” Cush spoke calmly, his words measured and even.

Tony rubbed his face, clearly exhausted, before finally responding. “Look, why don’t we just talk about why you are here. Who sent you?”

“Triktapic, King of the Elves,” Cush told him.

“Sort of,” Elora added as she stepped closer to Cush.

Tony’s brow rose at her words. “What do you mean sort of?”

“He actually thought we would be meeting back up with him and his woman at the light-elf castle, but that plan got jacked up.”

“Is Trik alright?” Tony asked, the alarm in his voice also evident on his face.

Cush cocked his head to the side and eyed the human. “How do you know Trik?”

“He’s a friend,” Tony said vaguely.

“How good a friend?” Elora asked as she stepped up beside Cush. She took his hand in hers and his warmth seeped into her immediately.

“A very good friend,” Tony bit out.

Elora smiled. “You’re that friend Cassie told me about.”

“You know Trik’s Chosen?” Tony asked.

“You could say that,” Elora said coolly.

“Are you alright?” Cush asked her as she squeezed his hand.

“Yes, just feeling a little restless. Touching you helps.” Elora looked up at him and hated that she was causing him to be concerned, but the energy rushing through her was getting worse. She shifted from foot to foot and bit her bottom lip. She imagined she probably looked like someone who badly needed to use the restroom. She froze in mid–shift as she realized that everyone was staring at her.

“What?” she asked looking from face to face.

“Is your Chosen human?” Tony asked Cush.

Elora snorted. “Dude, I’m right here. You can ask me.”

“Why do you ask?” Cush asked, his voice deep and low. No one missed the threat it contained.

“Because she’s twitching like a dark elf who hasn’t nurtured their dark side in a while.”

Chapter 8

“I can’t even begin to describe how old I am, how much I have seen and done and experienced. And yet with all of that, still she amazes me. She is as pure as freshly fallen snow, as hopeful as new life in the spring, and she loves me. How can I ever be worthy of that?” ~Trik

“It’s sort of creepy to wake up and have silver, glowing eyes staring so intently at me,” Cassie said as she yawned and stretched her stiff limbs. Trik sat in a chair next to her bed. His arms were resting on his legs as he leaned towards her.

A small smile played on his lips. “Get used to it, Beautiful, because I plan to watch you sleep whenever I can.”

“Your comment just upped the creepy factor several points,” she told him as she sat up and swung her legs over to dangle off the side of the bed. Trik eased out of the chair until he was kneeling before her with his hands on her waist and their faces level with each other, a rare occurrence since he was so much taller than she.

“You knew I was creepy when you took me as your own, Cassie,” he pointed out as he ran his nose along her jaw.

Cassie let her head fall to the side giving him access to her neck and she grinned when his deep chuckled sent a warm puff of air across her flesh.

“I suppose that is true,” she conceded, her voice taking on a dreamy quality as she let herself surrender to his touch. His hands ran up her back until one was holding her neck and the other buried in her blonde locks. Trik maneuvered his body between her thighs and pulled her against

him. Cassie felt the lips that had been at her ear press firmly against her own and she was suddenly ravenous for him. She deepened the kiss, grabbing a hold of his powerful shoulders and pulling him closer. She felt her soul rising from deep inside of her, as if it was bubbling up from the tips of her toes. She felt it reach up to meet his and just when she thought the emotions inside of her couldn’t grow any more powerful they seemed to explode inside of her.

She heard his gasp as his fingers dug into her flesh. She welcomed the minute amount of pain that it brought because it proved to her that this was real, that she really was in the arms of the man she loved. It proved that she had survived her brief stent in hell, addicted to Rapture, parading herself in front of dark elves and begging for her next fix. His teeth tugged at her bottom lip and she smiled at his playfulness and when she would have pressed him further, he began to pull away. Their breathing was rapid, chests rising and falling quickly, lips swollen and wet. She was sure they were a sight to behold.

“I will never tire of you, never cease to be amazed by you, and I will never get enough of you,” he told her as he stared into her face in awe. Cassie wanted to balk at the way he looked at her. Who was she to have someone like Trik looking at her as if she invented indoor plumbing? This powerful being knelt before her, touching her reverently, as if she were the most precious thing in his world.