He shook his head and chuckled as he remembered the look in her eyes when he had told her that he was hers. What he hadn’t said, and what would have probably sent her running straight into the arms of the ones searching for her, was that not only was he hers, but she was his. And that was why he couldn’t go see his King right then.

He pushed away from the tree and decided to head for one of the many businesses that his people owned. It would do him good to surround himself with some good old-fashioned greed to remind him of who and what he was. Like the light elves, the dark elves had many businesses in the human realm. It was a good way for the elves to justify coming here to keep tabs on the various other species that had decided to make this realm their home. But where the light elves businesses had to do with the wellbeing of the earth, the dark elves’ businesses had everything to do with self-indulgence, feeding off of the baser needs of humans and the potential for darkness and evil deep in their hearts.

Deciding he needed a distraction from the beautiful human, Trik headed in the direction of the stores just beyond the park. He found what he was looking for in a large glass front window where he could see his reflection. Elves could travel from realm to realm as well as to other cities using mirrors, or glass as long as there was a reflection of themselves in it. They needed only to think of where they wanted to go and then step into the glass. He pictured the lights of Vegas in his mind and took a step forward, his leg slipping easily through the glass followed by the rest of his body. On the other side , he stood in front of Iniquity, one of the many casinos in Las Vegas that his people owned. The bright lights flashed across his face; the city noise and chatter of humans was music to his ears. He could feel the greed, the lust , and the depression that swirled around the city in a thick fog. He inhaled a deep breath, smiling as he thought to himself; this is where I belong, not drooling over some human girl . Yet even as the thought passed through his mind, he knew he would see her again. He headed into the casino looking to find one of the few humans he dared to call a friend and hopefully a good card game.

~

“So why exactly were you hiding in that conference room?” Cassie’s father asked as they walked out to the parking lot after having locked up his office.

Cassie had been trying to figure out what to tell her father. She didn’t want to freak him out, nor did she want to sound like she was off her rocker, but she didn’t want to lie to him either.

“Are there any unusual people who work in your building?” She asked carefully.

“What do you mean by unusual?” He asked as they arrived at her car.

“Like long, shiny hair, unusual colored eyes, and pointy ears unusual?” Cassie cringed as she said the last part. She knew how it sounded, and the look on her father’s face just confirmed the sanity, or lack thereof, in her statement.

He thought for a moment before he replied. “The owners of our company are a little odd looking.”

Cassie jumped on that statement. “Odd, how?”

Her dad scrunched up his face as he tried to describe them. Of course, a man trying to describe anyone in any amount of useful detail was a little bit of a stretch.

“Well, they don’t have long hair, or pointy ears, but they are…” he scratched his forehead and searched for the words, “well, for lack of a better term, beautiful.”

Cassie’s mouth dropped open and her mind jumped to the tall, incredibly handsome, and yes, beautiful , guy who called himself Trik. She remembered how his appearance had seemed to shift before her very eyes, though both forms were unbelievably beautiful.

“They don’t have long shiny hair?” She asked.

Once again her father looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

“No. No long shiny hair. Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked her cautiously.

Cassie thought for a moment before she answered her father. “I’m alright,” she nodded, “maybe they were just dressed in their Halloween costumes or something.” The tone of her voice made it very clear that she didn’t believe her own words.

“Maybe you need to get more sleep,” her dad offered.

Cassie nodded in agreement, though she knew that what she had seen had nothing to do with sleep. She climbed into her car telling her dad that she would meet him at home.

“Be careful,” he told her as he always did when she was getting in her car.

~

Cassie sat on her bed as she dialed Elora’s number. She had gotten ready for bed, allowing herself to gather her thoughts and try to gather the words she would use to describe to Elora just what she had seen tonight. The phone rang four times before Elora answered.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“How did you know something was wrong?” Cassie asked.

Cassie could swear that she could almost see Elora rolling her eyes.

“It’s eleven o’clock. You only call me this late if there is some sort of issue. So let’s get on with it so we can get some sleep.”

Cassie was used to her friend’s abrupt and oftentimes rude behavior. Others might have gotten offended, but Cassie knew that Elora didn’t mean anything by it, it was just the way she was.

“I think I’m going crazy,” she began, unable to hide the nervousness in her voice.

“You are going to have to give me more than that,” Elora told her dryly.

Cassie jumped into the details of her night without hesitation, making sure not to leave out even the smallest of details. When she finished she sat quietly, waiting for her friend’s reaction. After several heart beats of silence, Elora finally spoke.