Elfin (6 page)

“Well
, don’t you want to know why they were chasing you,” asked Lisa.

“I guess that would be useful information to know.”

“It’s against Elfin law for a human to ever see an elf in its true form. My family has known of them for generations. I’ve known of the Elfin my whole life, and even have a close Elfin friend named Syndra. None of us—not one—has ever seen them in their natural form.

“What does that mean
, exactly, that I’m not allowed to see them?” Cassie asked nervously.

“
Unfortunately, Elfin law states that if a human has seen one in their true form, then the human is marked to die. Even the light elves, who are supposed to be the good guys by the way, stick to that rule. So essentially…”

“Your ass is grass,” Elora said absently as she
nonchalantly flipped through a magazine as if they weren’t discussing her best friend’s imminent demise.

“Again, thank yo
u, Elora, for the overflowing empathy,” Cassie said matching her friend’s dry tone. “Okay so let’s say that I believe you, what do I do?”

“I will speak with
Syndra and see if there is some loophole that I don’t know about. Maybe there is a way to petition the Light Elf King.”

“So we are
going to basically beg for them to let me live even though I know their little secret?”

“Pretty much,” Lisa said nodding her head.

“You two are just little rainbows of positivity, you know it?” Cassie said sarcastically.

Lisa laughed.
“Meanwhile, you need to see what Trik wants with you. He is a dark elf, Cassie. No, no, he is the dark elf. He isn’t one to be trifled with.”

“
Yes because I make it a habit to trifle with dark elves,” Cassie snorted. “Sorry, Lisa. I’m not trying to be a butthead; I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

“Understandable,” Lisa said
as she patted Cassie’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, alright?”

“Did you know
my dad’s company was owned by the elves?” Cassie asked Lisa.

“Yes, but we aren’t allowed to revea
l that we know about the Elfin, which is why Elora has never told you that she knew about them.”

“Are you going to be in trouble?”
Cassie asked her.

Lisa shook her head
. “I don’t think so. After all, we didn’t reveal them to you; it was Tamsin’s fault.”

“Who is Tamsin?” Cassie asked apprehensively, not sure if she really wanted to know.

“He’s the Light Elf King. I imagine he was probably one of the one’s you saw in the conference room.”

Cassie stoo
d as she blew out a deep breath. “I think I need to head home and stick my head in the ground. Hopefully when I finally emerge maybe the elves will have forgotten about me.”

“If you are on Trik
or Tamsin’s radars, I imagine they aren’t likely to forget about you,” Elora told her friend.

“Okay
, you are not allowed to speak anymore,” Cassie pointed a finger at Elora. “Take me home please and keep your happy thoughts to yourself.”

Chapter 4

“I’m scared,
I won’t lie about that. But I can’t deny that a part of me—a part way, way, way, waaaayyyy deep down inside is slightly excited about the elves. Okay, and about Trik. Excited about some elves that want to wipe my existence from the face of the earth? Apparently, I’m a glutton for tragic endings. Who knew?” ~
Diary of Cassie Tate

“Should I come back later?”

Cassie jum
ped when she heard the deep voice behind her, letting out a completely undignified squeal. At the same time, she jerked the shirt back down that she had begun to lift up to pull over her head. Her hand went to the place over her heart as if to hold it in while it tried to beat out of her chest.

“How, what, where…
” her words quickly tumbled out as she shook her head and tried to process how the handsome man had suddenly appeared in her room.

“Your mirror,” Trik said in explanation to her unasked question as he pointed to the mirror above her dresser.

“What about it?” Cassie asked, finally finding her words.

“
It’s how I got into your room. That’s what you were asking right? How did I get into your room?” Trik crossed his arms as he leaned back against the wall behind him.

Cassie stared at him
. She noted to herself that she must be seeing him in his human form at the moment.

“I was trying to be ge
ntlemanly by announcing myself,” he said. “Though now that I consider the situation, it would have been much more to my enjoyment to let you finish what you were doing.” He continued with a smirk.

“That would have been rude,” Cassie told him as she took an unconscious step towards him. She was drawn to him. Something in her longed to be close to him and she could no more turn away from him than she could separate her soul from her body.

“Why are you here?” She asked him.

Trik pushed off the wall and prowled towards her. Her breath quickened as she saw his eyes begin to turn from grey to silver. She watched in awe as his shoulder length hair extended before her very eyes, becoming so dark as to appear tinted purple. His skin became more bronzed and the beauty that was already painful to look at became even more pronounced. She lost her breath as she took him in.

“Wh-wh-what are you?” She stuttered breathlessly.

“I think you know,” he told her softly as he came to stand mere inches from her.

He reached up and brushed away
a few wispy strands of blonde hair that had escaped her ponytail. Cassie tried to remember to breathe as she looked up into his handsome face.

“How can you be an e
lf? How is that even possible?”

“How can you be mine? How is that possible?” He leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers.

Cassie’s breath caught as she felt something pass between them. It was like her spirit was joining with his. She could feel something deep inside her flowing from her body to his.

“What’s happening?” She whispered as her eyes closed giving herself over to the sensation.

“You are my Chosen.” Trik answered.

“What does that mean? Chosen what?”
She asked breathlessly.

“
My mate, the one being in the universe created to be a part of me as I’m a part of you.”

“We aren’t even of the same species, how can I be a part of you?” Cassie
shifted, bringing her body in line with her head so that they were practically brushing against one another.

Trik
’s
hands came up and rested themselves on her hips. She felt his warm breath caress her face. She inhaled deeply, drawing in his smell and finding peace in his presence ; peace and comfort that she had no idea that she had even needed.

“I don’t understand it
, Cassie.” Her name on his lips was the most intimate sound that she had ever heard and she found that she longed to hear it again.

“Cassie,” Trik said softly.

“Are you reading my mind?” She asked him, still not moving away from him.

“I can see your thoughts when I touch you
, remember?”

“That’s
sort of disturbing,” she told him as she opened her eyes and pulled her forehead back from his so that she could look into his eyes.

“I won’t invade your most private thoughts
;
I could never do that to my Chosen.”

“How do you know? Have you had a Chosen before?” Cassie asked
. Even as the words left her mouth she felt an illogical pang of jealousy and hurt at the idea of him being with someone, anyone else.

Trik’s hands tightened on her hips and his eyes narrowed. “
We only have one Chosen.”

“Ever?”
She asked.

“Ever,” he confirmed.

“What now?”

She watched in fascination as he licked his lips. She felt her face heat up in a blush when she saw a crooked smile lift his lips . He had noticed what she was staring at.

“Want a taste?” He asked her suggestively.

Cassie’s eyes widened. “Are you always this forward?”

“You were the one staring at my l
ips like they were a succulent feast. Not that I’m complaining.”

Cassie tried to pull away but he refused to let go of her.
Their eyes met and Cassie felt like she was falling helplessly into those silver orbs. She held perfectly still as his head dropped closer to hers. She knew what was coming and though a part of her thought she should stop him, she made a conscious choice to ignore that part.

“Cassie,” his lips were less than an inch from hers.

“Yes?”

“How old are you?”

Cassie started to back away, confused by his question. Again, he refused to let her go.

“
Eighteen,” she answered.

He grinned, a wicked, wicked grin that sent a shiver through her
body.

“I’m going to kiss you now,
” he whispered.

Before she could protest, if she had wanted to, his lips where pressed to hers.

Cassie’s body melted into his and she felt the strong muscles of his arms wrap around her in a firm hold. His chest flexed as he pulled her closer. Cassie let out a breathy moan as she felt his tongue brush against her lips and she opened her mouth without hesitation. She felt one of his hands slide up her back and then to her hair.

Trik grabbed her ponytail holder and slid it out of her hair. He
felt the soft strands of her blonde hair flow like water over his hand. He raised both hands and ran them through her now loose hair as he deepened the kiss. In his long life nothing had ever felt so right as kissing the woman before him. If he had doubted before that she was his, he had no doubts now. She was definitely his Chosen and he knew, right then and there , as she ran her hands up his back under his long hair and gripped his shirt in her small hands that he would die for her, and, if necessary, he would kill for her.

He pushed her back until she was pressed against the wall and felt her body tremble against his. The desire that ignited in him was all -consuming and he knew that he would need to be careful and not push her too fast. He pulled back from the kiss and looked into her beautifully flushed face. Her lips glistened with moisture from their kiss and he didn’t try to hide the satisfaction in seeing the proof of her desire for him on her lips and in her eyes.

“Whoa,” she whispered
softly.

Trik
didn’t back away, but continued to press in closely. He smiled and stroked his fingers through her hair until one hand rested on the curve of her neck, his thumb brushing gently against her throat. He watched as she slowly began to bring her breathing under control and the intense need began to fade from her eyes.

“I think that would be an understatement
,
Arwenamin .” The endearment he used was an elfin term and he saw the question in her eyes.

“Is that your language?” She asked
, slightly in awe. “It’s beautiful. What did you say?”

Trik shook his head.
“
That is for another time.” It took every ounce of his control to step away from her and allow her some space. What he wanted, what his very soul was telling him to do, was to wrap her in his arms and take her to his realm where he could protect her from everything and everyone that could hurt her or take her away from him.

Cassie walked over and sat on her bed, pulling her kn
ees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She tilted her head as she watched the inhumanly handsome man walk around her room, inspecting his surroundings.

“So you’re an e
lf?” She asked unnecessarily.

“Yes.”

“What kind of elf?”

Trik turned slowly and his eyes met hers. “What do you mean?”

Cassie shivered under is unwavering gaze. “I mean aren’t their different kinds?”

“Who have you been talking to
Arwenamin ? Who has been filling your beautiful head with information?” Trik walked closer to the bed as he watched his Chosen closely.

“I know some people
who know some people,” she answered vaguely.

Trik let out a low chuckle. “
You’re protecting them. I can respect that. However, you might want to pass on that they need to be very careful what they say and who they speak to.”

“Why? Are you going to kill them? Isn’t that what you do?”
Though her words were honest, her tone wasn’t accusatory.

“My, my, you have been busy,
” Trik circled the bed and came to sit on the opposite side so as not to crowd her and hoping to ease the tension he saw in her shoulders.

“Whatever I tell you Cassie, you need to understand that it changes nothing. You are still my Chosen and I will not give you up,” Trik told her with brutal honesty written on his face.