“There was a time when I let our people have their way, Cassie. They became divided as half of them decided that self was all that mattered, and the other half believed that sacrifice was all that mattered. They wanted different things, they didn’t want to have peace with one another, and they didn’t want to listen to their king so I gave up. It was a cowardly thing to do and I regret it. But I will not be that king again. This time our people will listen and they will obey or they will suffer the consequences. If the dark elves will not submit and turn from their ways, just as I have committed to do, then the consequence is death and I must be the one to deal it out. I know you are scared that I will begin to enjoy killing, but you are forgetting something,” he paused.

“What?” she finally asked when he didn’t immediately continue.

“You are my light.” He took a step towards her and this time she didn’t stop him. “You chase away the darkness. You make me want to be better than I was. I can’t give in to the darkness because darkness cannot survive where light lives. Are you planning on leaving me here to do this alone?”

“No,” she answered quickly, somewhat irritated that he even asked.

He grinned at her and her heart stuttered. “Then you don’t need to worry that I will give in. I have a second chance, Cassandra, and I’m not about to blow that, not when it means I could lose you.”

He was standing directly in front of her by the time he was done talking, and she was enthralled by his silver eyes and deep voice. Trik had that effect on her and she didn’t want that to ever change. She blinked several times in an attempt to clear her mind of the lust induced fog.

“Okay,” she said slowly, “so you truly believe you will be alright if you kill these men?”

“If I’m doing it for the right reasons, which I am,” he explained, “then yes, I will be fine.”

Cassie let out a deep breath and looked up at him. “Alright.”

Trik tilted his head and his confused look nearly had her laughing. “Alright?” he asked. “That’s it? No screaming, foot stomping, or fit throwing?”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t stomp my feet or throw fits.”

A single brow rose on his forehead.

“Unless it’s warranted,” she relented with a laugh.

“So are we good?” he asked.

Cassie heard the huskiness in his voice and felt goose bumps crawl up her arms. She felt her skin begin to warm under the blush she knew was rising as she watched his eyes roam over her. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that Trik was her husband and she was his wife.

“Ooooh dear,” she wheezed out as she struggled to catch her breath. All of a sudden she felt as if she had just finished running a marathon at a dead sprint. She had gotten married today. Sure she was an adult, but she hadn’t even thought about asking her parents or even worried that they might just blow a gasket or twenty once they found out. She took a breath in and felt her throat getting tight. Her chest felt as though a hundred pounds had been laid upon it and then a few dozen elephants decided to stand there as well. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, just breathing, because everything else was just too much.

“Cassie.”

His voice broke through her panic and she opened her eyes to see him standing so close. The soft glow of candlelight danced off his skin. She frowned and leaned to look around him. All of the lights were off and candles hung in the air suspended as if from wires surrounding the large bed. Her mouth dropped open. When had that happened, she thought to herself.

“Magic,” Trik whispered next to her ear causing a shiver to dance down her spine.

His hand was gliding up and down her arm, slowly, gently. She straightened back up and looked up at him. His long pitch black hair shone like black onyx, and his silver eyes searched her face, patient, waiting. She looked down at the simple night gown she wore and huffed out a laugh. “Guess I could have picked something a little nicer.”

He lifted her chin with a finger and smiled, causing her stomach to drop clear past her toes. “You look lovely, and besides,” he let his eyes rove down her body, “it won’t be on long, anyways.”

“You can’t say stuff like that if you don’t want me to pass out from a panic attack,” she finally admitted. “Look, I’m nervous, Trik. I’m…I’ve…this,” her words were just stuttering out in incoherent jibber jabber and she wished that he would just do something so she’d shut up.

“As you wish,” he murmured just before his lips touched hers.

She wanted to be annoyed that he was listening to her thoughts as he so artfully brushed his fingertips along her exposed shoulder, but now his lips were on hers, and the passion that only Trik could ignite was beginning to build, so she didn’t have room to be annoyed. She simply wanted to feel. She wanted to feel him, and she wanted to enjoy the sensations that only he gave her. As his lips left hers and trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck to her collarbone, she let her head fall back and he chuckled.

“Relax, Beautiful, I’ll take care of you,” his whispered words eased something inside of her, and when she felt him slide one strap of her night gown off her shoulder, she didn’t freak out like she thought she would. Instead she became the shameless hussy Elora always told her she knew she was deep down inside and helped him remove the other strap. Trik’s eyes lit up as she let the gown fall. Cassie figured that maybe she should be embarrassed but she couldn’t be, not when her love was looking at her as though he was going to devour her like a three course meal and then come back for seconds.