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 natural 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.