Elfin (35 page)

Trik shook with murderous rage. He wanted a name, the name of the one who dared to touch his Cassie, who dared to lay claim to her, to lo ok upon her with lust and greed.

“Who is he?”

“He has given her no name and the Dark King has not used it in her presence.”

Trik
’s soul battled within him as he fought to control his rage and to keep his head clear. But then his love spoke again, and all control was gone.

“He’s coming,” he felt her fear and
it shook him to his core. “The elf, he’s here. Triktapic, please, he’s going to take her. Hurry my love you must hurry.”

Then she was gone.
Trik never knew that silence could have a sound but it did, and it was screaming at him as he felt Cassie’s soul be ripped from him. His own soul cried out and raged inside. He jumped to his feet. He cried out to the Forest Lords imploring them for their help and felt power and strength pour into him.

“I’m coming beautiful Cassie and I will kill everyone in my way until you are in my arms.”
Trik ran and not even the wind could keep up with the Elfin King in pursuit of his Chosen.

~

Tarron watched as the humans tossed back the Rapture handed to them in the small glasses. They laughed in carefree merriment and continued to gamble more money than he had given them and more than they probably had in their bank accounts. It had been four days since they had begun giving Rapture to the humans and it was more effective than he could have hoped on the weak, selfish humans, seeking out pleasure with no regard to consequences.

So far the only thing
that he had noticed was when Rapture began to wear off, the humans instinctively sought out more. It was like their bodies knew exactly what it craved. Though the addiction varied, the response to the drink was universal. Inhibitions flew out the window. Doubt, worry, stress, was all gone and all that remained was the pursuit of pleasure and what could bring that pleasure.

Tarron walked over t
o the bar and motioned for the elf who was acting as the bartender.

“Release it to the masses,
” Tarron told him. The elf’s eyes widened.

“Is that direct from Lorsan?” He asked Tarron.

“Why else would I give an order? Now do as you’re told and offer it to every human who comes to the bar. Reveal the name of it and get them to talk about it so that it spreads like wildfire.”

Tarron turned to go
, leaving the stunned elf to introduce the humans to Rapture and a smile crept up his cruel mouth as he thought about the one thing he had not reported to Lorsan. When Rapture wore off on the males they did not simply seek it out, they hunted for it. They became predators and violence poured off of them in waves. The first night they had had two males nearly kill each other when one received the Rapture before the other. It didn’t seem to affect the females in the same way. Tarron had yet to isolate the distinction, but he imagined that it must have something to do with the Y chromosome they carried.

Security
had called the police and had the males arrested. When Tarron called one of their contacts at the police department, he found out that the males had to be placed in cells by themselves because they were so violent. Since then Tarron had made sure to have waitresses following the males who were drinking the Rapture ready to refill their glass when the effects wore off. But tonight there would not be enough waitresses to follow every male who would consume the addicting drink. Tonight the humans would begin their self-destruction, one drink at a time.

~

“We have to do something,” Elora stomped into the storeroom of Enigma.

“What can we possibly do?” Lisa asked. “Tamsin and Syndra said to give him time. They w ill act when they feel the time is right.”

“It’s been five days Lisa, five days and he
hasn’t come back. That tells me that something is wrong. Trik needs help.”

“I suppose
that you are the one to aide him?” Elora’s head snapped around as the saw Syndra step from the mirror into the storeroom.

“Well if you yahoo’s aren’t going to go get my best friend then yes, I am the one who will go and help him.”

“You do not know your way, or even where to begin,” Syndra pointed out.

Elora rolled her eyes.
“Yeah well Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built so don’t count me out just yet.”

“What is your plan?” Syndra asked as she pulled a chair over and sat down.

“Storm the castle, kill the evil psycho elf, save the damsel, and get the hell out of dodge before it all comes crashing down.” Elora folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “What do you think?”

“I
t has potential,” Syndra smiled. “I’ve been to see Cassie’s parents.”

“What did you tell them?” Lisa asked.

“I convinced them that they had seen Cassie today and had a pleasant chat. They think she is fine and going away for the weekend with you two.”

“How exactly did you convince them of that?”
Elora’s eyes narrowed at the Light Elf Queen.

“Elora dear, you already have seen, and heard more than any human shou
ld. Let’s keep things on a need-to-know basis, shall we?”

Elora snorted.
“Does that include my demise? You will be a dear and make my death a need-to-know issue right?”

Syndra’s smile widened.
“I assure you, you will be the first to know when the time comes for your last breath.”

“Ho
w kind of you,” Elora said deadpan.

“Now,” Syndra stood up and cl
apped her hands together. “If you are ready, I do believe we have a King to help and a friend to save.”

“
Finally, someone says something worth listening to,” Elora breathed out a sigh of relief.

Syndra headed towards the mirror and as she began to walk through it she called out over her shoulder.

“You probably won’t live through this Elora dear.”

Elora rolled her eyes.
“I changed my mind, I don’t need to know anything, just keep your big mouth shut.” Elora heard Syndra’s laugh as she was engulfed by the mirror. She looked over at her mom and shrugged. “You ready for this?”

Lisa nodded without h
esitation. “Cassie is family. We will get her back and if anyone isn’t going to make it through this it’s me. You had better live, Elora, or I will be very ticked off.”

“Don’t die,” Elora nodded as she put one foot through the mirror, “
maimed, crippled, grotesquely disfigured, okay, but dead is a no go. Got it.”

Lisa groaned.
“You are really instilling confidence in my choices as a mother you know?”

“Oh lighten up
, Lisa, you’re a great mom. What other mother would let their daughter walk through a mirror following a Royal elf to go after a King, once the greatest assassin ever, to kill another King who desires to rule the world and save her best friend, all while trying to keep from being slaughtered like little sheep?”

Chap ter 17

I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m drowning and no matter how I try I can’
t get enough air. Someone is calling my name. I ask who it is and the voice says she’s my soul. I tell her that I don’t want a soul. A soul makes you feel and I don’t want to feel. I don’t want to hurt, I don’t want to remember. Remember what? My name. The voice is saying my name but I am no longer Cassie. I am Cassandra, and I want to forget.

Cassie threw the brush across the room and Flora had to duck in order to keep from being hit in the head. It had been that way since Cassie woke up. She had become violent, screaming and throwing things.

“Cassandra calm down, everything is going to be,”

“DO NOT TELL ME IT IS FINE!” Cassie bellowed. “IT WILL NOT BE FINE UNTIL YOU BRING ME MY DRINK.”

Flora cringed under the hateful stare that came through
those empty eyes. This was not the girl who had been brought here weeks ago. That girl had kindness in her. The one that stood before Flora now was only the leftover shell.

“Your betrothed has ordered
that you not be given anything,” Flora explained for the tenth time.

“If he wants to basically marry
me then he had better give me Rapture or I will claw his eyes out.”

Flora grimaced.
“Well, at least you’re honest,” she muttered.

Flora realized it was the
final straw when Cassie broke the mirror and then held a shard of the glass to her throat.

“I swear I will slit my own throat where I stand
, Flora.”

“Cassie,” Flora spoke softly, attempting to calm the wild animal
inside the girl. “You don’t want to die, not for a drug.”

“And what do I have to live for if not for a drug, Flora?” Tears welled up in her eyes and her hand slipped. The mirror shard cut her skin and Cassie felt the warm blood flow onto her skin. It wasn’t a bad cut, but it hurt, and Cassie reveled in that pain.
It was pain that she had caused. She could control it, unlike the pain that struck her when the Rapture had worn off, the pain she could not control and didn’t understand.

Flora rushed into the bathroom and brought out a towel. She pressed it to the cut , all the while clucking her tongue and chastising Cassie.

“Pl
ease,” Cassie whispered as the she-elf cleaned her wound. Flora let out a tired breath and slowly pulled out a small bottle from her dress pocket. Cassie recognized the color immediately and snatched the bottle away from her. She unscrewed the lid and guzzled the liquid. Her eyes closed and she felt the warmth of the drug seep into her. She let out a breath and took in another. In and out, in and out, finally she could breathe.

The rest of the morning went smoothly with Flora fluttering around dressing Cassie, fixing her hair, talking about stuff that Cassie didn’t care about and thus ignored. As soon as Cassie would begin to get agitated Flora would produce another little bottle of Rapture, Cassie would down it, and all would be well again.

Night came and Cassie noticed
that it was Flora who was becoming agitated.

“Flora, what’s wrong?” Cassie asked and for a moment the sweet girl who had come to Flora, was back.

She walked over to Cassie and took her hand. “You are to enter into a Union.”

Cassie shrugged. “
What’s the big deal about that?”

Flora once again became agitated as she waved her hands in the air, gesturing wildly as she spoke. “What’s the big deal? Cassandra you are to be Bound to an elf, a warrior, one you don’t know and who isn’t Triktapic.”

“At least he’s handsome,” Cassie pointed out.
“I could be marrying an ogre, so see, you just have to look at the bright side.”

F
lora threw her hands in the air. “Did you not hear me? Triktapic, your love, he’s not who you will be crawling into bed with tonight.”

Cassie groaned.
“You just had to go there didn’t you? Well for your information I know all about what happens between a man and wife so feel free to keep that little speech to yourself.”

Flora watched Cassie closely and then it hit her. “You don’t remember him do you?”

Cassie shook her head. “Remember who?”

“Trik, the King’s assassin.”

Cassie’s eyes narrowed as she thought. She felt something pushing inside her and heard the whisper of her name again.
Her soul.

“Damn why won’t she just gi
ve up?” Cassie growled. “I don’t want to remember; I don’t want to feel. Leave me alone.”

“Who are you talking to
?” Flora asked anxiously.

Cassie’s head snapped around to look at the
elf. “No one and I don’t know who this Trik guy is, and what is up with that name? Seriously, they call him Trik?”

Flora stood in shock at Triktapic’s Chosen
. She knew of the connection between two Chosen. Her parents had been soul mates and her mother had often told her about the bond between the souls, that it was almost a separate part of them. Cassie was talking about her soul.

“Cassie what is your soul saying to you?”

Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do,” Flora c
hallenged. “You do know and you need to listen to her. She’s calling for him isn’t she?”

Cassie was walking around the room in jerky, agitated movements. “I don’t know what you’re talking abo ut Flora, just stop. Stop talking.”

“NO!” Flora snapped.
“Listen to your soul, Cassie Tate.”

Cassie met Flora’s eyes and Flora
, though she wanted to take a step back under the furious glare, held her ground.

“Why do you care all of a sudden?” Cassie nearly snarled.

Flora paused and thought for a moment. “Because I’ve grown to care for you and no one should give up their soul mate. You will hate yourself and the elf waiting for you if you do this.”

There was a knock at the door and both of their heads whipped around to stare at it. Cassie moved first. She walked over to the door and put her hand on the handle.