Lorsan slumped down onto his throne chair. He suddenly looked exhausted.

“You are my right arm, Trik. You are correct when you say that I could not replace you, at least not with someone with your talent. But I need to know that you are going to be reliable. I can’t have you distracted. You might get yourself killed.”

“I have never let you down. I’m not going to start now. Please do not ask me to choose between you or her. You know that something in our dark nature seems to call deeper to our Chosen. I will give up everything for her. Even if she denies me, I will spend my existence making sure she is safe.”

“The reason that I summoned you is because I need you to finalize the deal with the humans. Go sign the documents for the land. Then set up a place for us to cross over there so that we can begin taking the soil that will be needed to grow the plants.”

Trik nodded. “I’ll check in with you once it’s ready.”

Lorsan nodded and left the throne room without another word.

Trik looked at the watch he wore that kept human time. He wasn’t sure what time Cassie finished with school for the day , but he imagined that it wasn’t before their lunchtime which for most of them seemed to be around 12:00 p.m. He pictured a window in her school and stepped up to the reflective wall that ran the length of the throne room. He walked through it and emerged on the other side, standing in the school once again. He was facing a long, empty corridor with the lockers that seemed to line every wall in the building. He began to walk, allowing the soul inside him to search out for its other half. It led him further down the hall and around a corner to a single door on the short hallway. She was behind that door. He knew it as sure as he knew his own name. He opened the door, knowing that everyone but Cassie would think the door was opening on its own. As he stepped through it, his eyes immediately found hers. He watched as she jumped to her feet. A grin crept up on his face as he cocked his head to the side waiting to see what she would do next.

It must have been the amused look and mischievous gleam in his eyes that snapped her back to the here and now. She looked around the room and saw that her classmates were staring at her. She blushed as she sat back down, but her eyes drifted once again to where he stood. Trik glided smoothly through the aisle, making his way towards her. One of the guys was staring at her attempting to get her attention. Trik felt an unfamiliar feeling rush through him, though he knew what it was—jealousy. He instantly loathed the boy looking at his Chosen. As he walked past, Trik swiped his hand across the boy’s desk, knocking his things into the floor. Cassie ducked her head to cover her embarrassment. Trik smirked as he watched him skitter to gather his now scattered possessions.

Cassie looked up at Trik as he reached her desk. He knelt down in front of her so that she didn’t look like she was staring up into empty air to her classmates. Once he was at eye level, he reached up and grazed her cheek with his fingertips. She fought the desire to close her eyes and lean into his touch.

“You left,” she whispered.

Trik nodded and his eyes pleaded for her understanding. “I didn’t have a choice.”

She figured that he must have seen the confusion on her face when he let out a frustrated sigh. Cassie didn’t feel like it was directed at her, but rather his situation. Cassie turned from him and raised her hand. Mr. Singleton motioned for her to speak.

“I need to step out for a moment.”

Cassie was glad that it was a male teacher that she was dealing with because they were more inclined to let the female students leave the class without an explanation, always fearful that they would unwittingly expose a ‘female issue’ to the rest of the class.

“That’s fine,” he told her.

Trik backed up so that she could stand and then followed her out of the room. Cassie stopped abruptly when Todd put his foot in the aisle to keep her from passing. She looked down at him as her eyebrows rose in question. He discretely handed her a folded piece of paper, a faint smile on his lips, but said nothing. When he moved his leg, Cassie continued forward, confused by his action and beginning to feel the stares of her fellow classmates. She turned back to look at him when she heard him curse and saw that once again his things were scattered on the floor. She glanced up at Trik who shrugged, acting like he had nothing to do with the mess. She shook her head with a small chuckle as she pushed the door of the classroom open.

“Okay,” Cassie started before he could speak. “What were the little stunts with Todd about?”

Trik sneered. “If you are speaking of the boy who was drooling over you, then I was simply distracting him from staring at what is mine.”

Cassie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Trik. “Yours?”

Trik nodded. “Of course. I told you already. You are mine and I am yours. Would you be okay with a female eyeing me?”

She huffed and dropped her arms. “Fine, point taken.”

“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice,” she finally asked as they began to walk again and rounded a corner where some water fountains were tucked away from view.

“When my King calls to me I can only resist for so long before he forces my presence.”

“Does he do this often?”

“No,” Trik shook his head. “In fact he’s never done it before.”

“So why now?” Cassie asked.

“I’ve never ignored his summons before.” Trik’s hair flowed like water, tracking his movements as he paced. Cassie wanted to reach out and touch the dark strands, but refrained.