Trik’s head fell forward and he felt his soul screaming for its mate. Did he love her? He knew that he cared deeply for her, he knew he couldn’t lose her, and that he would be nothing without her. Is that love? Whatever it was, Cassie was his, his Chosen and he had waited too long to give her up now.

It was for those reasons that he had to bide his time with Lorsan. He prayed to the Forest Lords that Cassie would understand.

~

Elora sat in her mom’s store flipping through a book she had found while helping her mom clean the storeroom. It was a book about the elves.

“Where’d you get this?” Elora asked as she turned another page.

Lisa stopped in mid-step as she saw what Elora was holding. Her eyes widened slightly but she schooled her expression quickly.

“Just a book that Syndra loaned me.”

“Syndra loaned you a book that holds the history of their race?” Elora raised a brow at her mom.

Lisa shrugged. “She said she trusts me.”

“Uh-huh,” Elora grunted as she watched Lisa’s tense, jerky movements.

“We really should put that away. Syndra doesn’t want others knowing that it’s here.”

Elora closed the book and handed it to her mother’s outstretched hand.

“Lisa, are you okay?” Elora asked, “You have been weird ever since the elves let themselves out.”

Lisa took a deep breath and seemed to gather herself. “I know we don’t talk about your father very much.”

Elora interrupted. “He died, what more is there to say?”

Lisa chuckled. “You are a lot like him. He was so matter of fact about everything.”

“So why the sudden nostalgia?”

“Because, to—” she choked on her words as she tried to hold back the tears, “tomorrow is the anniversary of his death.”

Elora’s face fell and she regretted having been so uncompassionate. She knew that her mom had loved her father immensely. Elora didn’t remember him. He died before she could even walk.

“He adored you. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that.” Lisa looked at Elora and her eyes seemed to glaze over as she remembered a time long ago. “He used to sing to you and you would laugh and smile. He thought you were the most incredible blessing. I know you don’t remember him and you don’t feel much towards him, but I just want you to know that you were his world.”

Elora tried to discreetly wipe the tear from her eye before it made its appearance on her face. She didn’t like to cry. She didn’t like to feel something for someone she’d never known or would ever know.

“Thanks,” she whispered not trusting her voice to not waver.

Lisa smiled. “It’s getting late. You ready to call it a night and get something to eat?”

Elora nodded. She followed her mom out of the store and waited while she locked up. Elora pulled her phone out of her pocket to see if Cassie had responded to any of her texts. She hadn’t. She was very tempted to go over and check on her but what explanation would she give Cassie’s parents? Hi, just checking on Cassie because she has a dark elf quiver carrying assassin in her room. Yeah, that would not go over very well.

She climbed into the car and looked out into the dark night. She let her thoughts take over as she replayed her mother’s words about her dad. She thought it odd that her mom had never said that the man was Oakley’s dad, but she had never asked why and neither had Oakley.

~

Cassie felt her bed dip down as she tried to clear her head from the deep sleep that had claimed her. She tried to turn over but an arm, or what she figured was an arm, snaked around her and pulled her close.

“Shh, beautiful, it’s just me.” She felt Trik’s lips on her neck before he whispered again. “Go back to sleep. I will stay with you.”

Cassie woke up Sunday morning feeling light and refreshed. She turned to find Trik sound asleep. She took the opportunity to study him. He was so handsome, from his shiny, dark hair, to his silver eyes that saw into her soul, to his strong jaw and straight nose. He was perfect, and he was hers.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open as they met hers. A wide grin spread across his lips.

“So, I’m yours?”

Cassie’s face turned bright red as she hadn’t even realized that she had reached out to touch him while she took him and all his glory in. He had seen that thought in her mind.

He pulled her down next to him and pressed her head to his chest.

“Do you hear that?” His fingers ran through her hair as he spoke. “My heart beats only for you. I may be yours, but you are every bit mine. So do not be embarrassed to feel that way. I like knowing that you are possessive of me.” He sounded so smug.

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Could your ego get any larger?”

“Maybe. Want to try stroking it?”

Though Cassie heard the playfulness in his voice she choked as she tried to swallow a laugh with her embarrassed gasp.

He clucked his tongue at her. “I was talking about my ego, Cassandra. Teenage minds always jump to the wrong conclusion.”

“You knew what you were saying and how it would sound.”

Though she couldn’t see his face, she knew that he had a smile plastered across it and his eyes danced with mischief.

“Maybe, maybe I’m as innocent as freshly fallen snow.”

“Well that’s not very innocent because by the time snow has fallen it’s full of all the crap that is floating around in the air from our pollution.”