Then Tamsin made a motion with his hand and spoke words that Elora didn’t understand. Slowly they began to move, Lisa and Elora in the center of their elven shields, being herded to the cover of the trees. They didn’t make it.

“Well the day wasn’t a total loss.”

Elora’s head swung around as a deep voice resonated behind her.

“Lorsan,” Tamsin growled and it was a sound worthy of a pissed off lion.

“It’s been a while, Tamsin.” Lorsan stood casually, his shoulder leaned up against a tree. He didn’t seem worried over the very sharp swords pointed at him, or the very fierce elves that held them. “I’ve lost a prisoner and a dethroned King today, and thought that it would end without anything being accomplished and then this little gift is dropped in my lap.”

Elora looked around Cush. That’s what she finally settled on for the name that most suited him. She looked at Lorsan and threw her hands up in the air. “Are you kidding me? We’ve been going in circles for days, trying to get to your jacked up castle to rescue the two love birds and you’re telling me they escaped? And now instead of rescuing them, we are being captured?”

“Elora when did you get so snarky?” Lisa asked.

“When elves invaded our lives and drug us into their centuries old useless battle. That tends to make a person a tad snarky.”

“A tad?” Cush asked her as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, his sword still held high and at the ready.

“Oh, now you decide to talk to me? Really?” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to glare at Lorsan. “Let’s get this over with already. I’m tired, I stink, and I’m sick of the bad guys winning.”

Elora felt Cush nudge her with his shoulder and felt something at her side. She looked down and saw he was handing her a dagger. She smiled wickedly.

“Do not hesitate,” he told her firmly.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Cush. I have about as much sympathy as a rabid dog on crack.”

“What?” He asked, clearly unsure of what Elora had meant.

“I’m mean; that’s all you need to know.”

“Noted,” he replied.

Tamsin turned to look at his warriors. Something he did must have been a signal because his warriors roared in unison and rushed the Dark King. Elora looked over at her mom.

“We can go down fighting or crying? What’s your vote?”

Lisa pulled a dagger from under her shirt where a sheath had been tied.

“You had to ask?” She snorted at her daughter. They both turned to see that Lorsan was no longer alone. Warriors dressed in black had joined him an d were fighting Tamsin and his elves. Elora felt a battle cry well up inside her and, though she didn’t understand why, it felt right. She ran with her dagger held high, her mother beside her, both yelling at the top of their lungs and plunged into the fray.

Life or death, they had decided they would fight. They would fight for the good left in the world, in theirs and in the Elfin. They would fight for Cassie and all she had been through. They would fight for Trik, the King who had found his Chosen and found love again. They would fight because sometimes a few must make sacrifices to save many.

Chapter 20

I told Tamsin that I didn’t believe in happily ever after anymore. I believed my heart was broken beyond repair and that anyone this broken could not possibly be happy and, therefore, never have a happy ending. I believed Trik was gone, that he had chosen a life of darkness over me. Turns out I was wrong, not about the happy part, but about Trik. He had chosen me. He saved me, or what was left of me. But I have not chosen him. I can’t. He is not what I crave and what I crave I cannot have. So I can’t choose Trik, and all that is left for me to choose is existence or death. Flip the coin, tails stares back at me. Death it is.

~ Cassie Tate

Trik ducked as a lamp flew past his head. He heard it crash into the wall behind him but he didn’t dare take his eyes off of Cassie. They had been through the attempt at seduction, and bargaining, and now she had moved on to anger.

“If you cared for me at all you would do this for me!” She yelled at him. “You see that I’m hurting, you see what it’s doing to me and yet you do nothing.”

More objects flew at him. Collateral damage, Trik thought.

“Cassie, I do care for you, more than anything and that is why I cannot give you what you want. I love you.” Trik told her for the umpteenth time. And still she raged.

Finally, after more than an hour, she collapsed. Her breathing was labored and he saw her shoulders shake as she wept.

“Trik,” he heard the small voice and felt the pull. Her soul was reaching out to him. It had pushed through the raging addict. He rushed to her side and pulled her to him as he had been longing to do.

“I’m here, beautiful, I’m here.”

“Trik, please.” He thought that she was going to beg again for the Rapture but what she asked for was worse. “Please kill me.”

Trik closed his eyes and fought to keep his own composure. A world without Cassie was not an option and never would be.

“I can’t do that, my love,” Trik smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead gently.

She looked up into his eyes and he saw his Cassie staring back at him. She was afraid and lost. She didn’t understand who the person was that scream ed at him, that threatened him, and she didn’t want to be that person.