Rapture (Elfin Series) (7 page)

“I can’t
read most of it,” Lisa admitted. “It’s in your language. But my mate told me that it was imperative that Lorsan never get his hands on it. So we kept it hidden together for centuries, and then I continued to keep it hidden once he was gone.”

There was silenc
e and then Oakley nearly yelled. “Centuries?”

Lisa nodded her head slowly and then
looked over at Elora who’d become quiet.

“Oh
, don’t mind me,” Elora told her when she noticed Lisa looking at her. “I’m still stuck on ‘your dad was a dark elf.’ So just, um…,” she flicked her hand at them, “just carry on.”

“Um
, sis, I think you need to get your head in the game because our mother just told us she has been keeping the book safe for centuries, as in plural.”

“It’s only been two and a half centuries
, Oakley, don’t you go getting dramatic on me too,” Lisa told him with a sigh.

“You’re over 200 years old?” Cush asked her.

She nodded.

“But how? You live in the human realm and your mate is dead.”

“There are ways,” Lisa told him noncommittally. She looked back at Elora then and her features softened. “Are you alright?”

“I just wish you had told me,” Elora
said quietly. “Wait, so all that time that you acted like you hadn’t seen Syndra in her true form was a lie? Everything you said you didn’t know was just a lie? Wow, that’s just…I mean…I totally get that it was your secret to keep and that you have your reasons, and I’m not going to have some big meltdown or cry fest over this revelation because, drama or not, I don’t do cry fests.”

“Do you breathe?” Rin laughed,
“Because you nearly started turning blue in the face on that little tirade.”

Elora narrowed her eyes at him. “Watch it quiver carrier, you have to sleep sometime.”

“I wanted to tell you,” Lisa interjected, “really I did, and there were so many times that I spoke with Syndra about it, and then when Cassie wound up being Trik’s Chosen, I nearly just spilled it all.”

“Why didn’t you?” Oakley asked.

“Fear, shame, and any other reason a parent can come up with for not telling their children the truth,” she answered sheepishly. “I just wanted you guys to have a normal life. I wanted you to grow up and get married and not worry about whether your love was going to be killed by a dark-elf king. A fat lot of good that did me, huh?” She smiled at both her kids and was relieved to see that there was no judgment in their eyes.

“
So I’m assuming that Lorsan killed our father? That he didn’t leave us when we were babies?” Elora asked.

“Yes, but you should know that your father’s name wasn’t
Ben Thomas.

Lisa smiled and her eyes seemed to glaze over as her mind went back to another place in time. “His name was Steal.”

Elora covered her mouth as she laughed. “Your man
stole
the elf book and his name was Steal?”  She looked over at Rin and Cush as she shook her head. “What is with you people and your messed up names?”

A single brow on Cush’s face rose and his lips quirked as h
e looked at her. “You people?” he asked. “Don’t you mean our people?”

“Dude
, I might be half elf, but my name doesn’t mean butt pillow.”

“Ouch,” Oakley laughed.
“Is that why she calls you Cush?”

Cush didn’t answer; h
e just continued to hold Elora’s stare.

“Okay you two, the sexual tension in this room is enough to strangle an elephant. How about we don’t make direct eye contact,” Lisa told them and though it was obvious she was teasing, it was also equally obvious that there was a tiny drop of seriousness in her admonishment.

Elora finally broke eye contact with Cush and rubbed her hand across her face. Her mind felt like mush, her body ached, and though she wanted to know everything and anything there was to know about her dad, she also just wanted a shower and a bed. Now to figure out which of those wants was the greatest?

“Oka
y,” she said looking at Cush, “so you could probably read what’s in this elf book right?”

Cush nodded.

“And it might shed some light on how to open up the portals?”

Cush shrugged, “I honestly do not know, but I suppose it could be a possibility.”

“Well then, I say tomorrow we get this book and let you and Rin have a crack at it.”

Oakley nodded.
“I agree. We need to start somewhere and what better place than our history?”

Lisa smiled at her son and then looked over at Elora who was also looking at her brother. “We?”
she asked him.

Oakley frowned.
“Don’t think for a second that I’m letting you two do this alone.”

“They won’t be alone,” Cush spoke up.

Oakley rolled his eyes. “Dude, don’t even get me started on the other reasons I’m staying around, which has everything to do with you not knowing if you want my sister but knowing you can’t live without her. Sword, quiver, arrows, or whatever…if you hurt my sister, I will take you out.”

Elora tried not to laugh, but seeing her computer n
erd brother tell an elfin warrior that he was going to take him out was nearly too much.

“Okay
, Oakley, that’s enough.” Elora stood up and walked over to him and gave him a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“I really will kill him if he hurts you,” he whispered back.

Elora pulled back and looked up into his sober eyes. “I believe you,” she told him finally and then turned and headed towards her room. “Night,” she called out over her shoulder without bothering to look back. She was drained. Her head hurt; her emotions were raw and she felt like every nerve in her body had been exposed to the elements, and she was ready to be alone.

She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth
, put on her favorite black tank top and gray sweats, and climbed into her bed. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard a soft knock on her door. She knew it was one of two people. It was either her mom coming to check on her, in which case she didn’t feel like doing the whole mom–daughter I love you scene, or it was Cush. And she didn’t have a clue what he wanted and, at the moment, she was so tired that she didn’t really care. So she ignored the knocking and let herself drift off to sleep.

Cush stood listening to her breath on the other side of her closed door. He could tell that she wasn’t quite asleep yet, which meant that she had chosen to ignore his knock. This both irritated and amused him. He didn’t know why he had sought her out. Maybe it was to make sure she was okay after learning that her father was a dark elf and that her mother had lied to her her entire life. Those seemed like pretty big pieces of information for a person to learn, and a part of him worried that she was in her room alone dealing with this new information without any support. He didn’t want a Chosen—but she was his, and he hated the idea of her hurting, and he wanted to be the one to comfort her.

“Get a grip
, man,” he growled at himself as he finally walked away from her door, accepting that she wasn’t going to answer. He went back to the room that Lisa had given him and Rin to share and found that his comrade was already snoring softly, sound asleep, which was well and good since he wasn’t in the mood to hear his little remarks about how he couldn’t get around fate. Rin had already shared his two cents with him about how Elora was his Chosen and he should be embracing it, not fighting it. When Cush didn’t respond to that, Rin dove right into the
do you know how many warriors would take your place
argument, which had made Cush want to kill something.

Yes
, he was well aware of how many men would be happy to find their Chosen and even more ecstatic to see that it was Elora—

beautiful, exotic, sexy
, Elora. He huffed as he undressed and climbed into the bed that was entirely too small. But then he had volunteered to come on this little mission so he couldn’t very well complain. He closed his eyes and immediately her face popped into his mind. His eyes snapped back open and he stared up at the white ceiling. He didn’t know how long he lay there fighting his instincts, his need to go to her, before he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Lisa sat on the edge of her bed. Her heart was heavier than it had been in a very long time. Talking about Steal had dredged up old pains and finally telling Oakley and Elora about their father had worn her out. Most days she tried to forget, but then most days she failed miserably because you don’t forget your Sh’mai. In fact, most don’t even go on once they lose their mate. But she had Oakley and Elora to take care of after Steal died. She didn’t have the luxury of curling up in a ball and turning her back on the world. She had to keep living. She had to live and give their children lives that would make the sacrifice he made worth it.

She hadn’t told them everything. She had nearly bit through her tongue as she wait
ed for them to ask her how he had died, but somehow that question had not popped up―yet. She knew it would be coming and she dreaded having to answer it, dreaded seeing the hurt in Elora’s eyes.  How do you tell your daughter that her best friend’s mate killed her dad?

“It would be nice to be able to set ourselves apart from the human race, to be able to say that we are superior in some way no matter how great or small. But the truth is
, we are more alike than many of my kind would want to admit. We love, we hate, we fight, we fall apart, and we try to get back up again. I can only hope that as we move forward to a new time in our history, we will prove to be as willing to change as I’ve witnessed the humans to be. I can only hope that we will not fall victim to pride and greed.” ~Syndra

“Is that everyone?” Trik asked.

“Yes, the entire light-elf kingdom. We’ve assembled everyone in the main courtyard,” Tamsin told him as they stood staring out into crowd from the second story window.

Trik’s eyes scanned over the faces and he prayed silently that he didn’t recognize anyone, because if he did, then that more than likely meant he had killed someone related to them.

“It’s a good turn out,” Tamsin said no doubt trying to sound optimistic.

Trik nodded but didn’t remark.

“Quit your fretting, Triktapic,” Syndra said as she walked briskly into the room. “You are the rightful king, and they will either accept it or not.”

Trik wanted to growl but he just gritted his teeth instead. “I don’t know why all of you insist on thinking that I’m somehow frightened of these pe
ople. I’m still Triktapic, dark-elf assassin. I may not be quite as vicious as I once was, but I didn’t just suddenly become a pansy overnight.”

Cassie, who had come in just behind Syndra
, slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Without thought his arms encircled her and pulled her closer against him.

“I think that’s how you should start your speech,” Cassie teased.

“What? With, ‘hey just so you know, I’m not suddenly a pansy?’”

She laughed and he soaked up the sweet sound
, knowing that times for laughter would be few and far between in the coming days.

“You have to admit that it’s catchy.”

Trik pulled back so that he could look down at her face. Her beauty, so much more than skin deep, left him breathless. As her eyes danced with mischief and her lips twitched with barely contained humor, he was momentarily speechless. She tilted her head to the side in question.

“You
’re breathtaking,” he explained. “All you have to do is stand there and breathe and the earth beneath my feet moves.” He watched as heat flared up her cheeks and they darkened to a deep red. He trailed a finger across her flushed cheek and grinned at her. “I love you,” he told her simply.

Her breath caught as she looked up at him
, and he knew she could see just how much he meant those words, just how desperately he felt them.

“I know,” she answered, “and I love you.”

Trik leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. He didn’t allow himself to linger because Cassie was a temptation that he did not resist well. When he broke the kiss he took her hand in his but took a step back putting some space between their bodies. He looked over at Tamsin who was studiously staring out into the crowd, his own Chosen by his side.

Trik
took a deep breath and let it out before he spoke. “Let’s do this.” He turned and headed for the door, towing Cassie alongside him. The time for thinking and worrying had past and now he knew it was time to take action. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of the coming reactions from his fellow elves, it was time for his people to be reintroduced to their king.

Cassie’s stomach danced to the tune of a thousand butterfly wings as they stepped out into the courtyard. Even though she stood at Trik’s side, she still felt vulnerable and exposed. She wasn’t afraid for her own safety. No, she feared for Trik’s, and she knew that if he was listening to her thoughts he would be picking up on that fear loud and clear. She followed closely behind him as he climbed the steps of a pedestal that would allow him to see out over the loud gathering and allow them to see him.

“
Stop your fretting, Love. You can handle this.”
She heard Trik’s voice in her mind and the warmth of that closeness was enough to settle her nerves. Whatever they would face, it would be side by side, together. They were no longer alone; Trik was no longer alone.

“Never again
, Cassie,”
he confirmed her thoughts and she looked up at him and smiled. He turned to face the crowd and she felt him pull a measure of power into his body. As she had seen him do before, he released the glory that was his kingship and took on all of the power bestowed upon him by the Forest Lords. He seemed to grow in size and he radiated light and warmth. The murmuring that had been rippling across the crowd suddenly stopped. Cassie swore that the utter silence was so complete that everyone assembled could hear her heart beating in her chest.

“Behold,” a deep booming voice rang out from beside Cassie. She hadn’t realized that Tamsin and Syndra had joined them. “The Forest Lords have seen
fit to reappoint the rightful king over all the Elven race. He once commanded your loyalty. And we rebelled, thus driving him to his own rebellion. At that time, the Forest Lords stripped him of his royalty and exiled him. He was to remain exiled until such a time that he found the other half of his soul, his Chosen, the one being who could draw him back to the light. Such a time has come.” Tamsin paused. Cassie thought it must be for emphasis and it was working because they were riveted. She was riveted.

“The Forest Lords have brought back
our king! I give him my fealty; I pledge to him my loyalty. The Forest Lords have brought our king a mate, his appointed queen. I give her my fealty; I pledge to her my loyalty. All hail King Triktapic and Queen Cassandra!”

Utter silence followed Tamsin
’s speech. Cassie waited with baited breath. She wondered if the elves would be able to exonerate Trik of his past or if it would forever taint his leadership.

There was a sudden clap of thunder and clouds that had not been there moments ago began
pouring across the sky. She looked up at the sky and then out at the people who looked as nervous as she felt. She glanced at Trik, but he looked as confident as ever.

“The Forest Lords,” he murmured to her and then nodded with his head . She followed the motion and saw the crowd begin to part. She watched in awe as three beings that appeared to
be made of light walked toward them. They stopped a good twenty feet away and then turned to address the crowd who immediately dropped to their knees.

“You would bow before your c
reators and humble yourselves because you are the created. And yet you will not bow before the leader your creators have given to you?”  Cassie was surprised to hear that the voice that carried out over the crowd was three separate voices, speaking in perfect unison.

“Should we remind you of your own wicked ways?
Should we outline the shortcomings of each person assembled here today? Or would you rather we forgave your insolence and loved you despite your flaws? There is an evil that is rising, a darkness that seeks to destroy anything good and pure. We have chosen Triktapic, just as we did in the beginning, to shepherd, lead, love, care for, and protect our creation—you, the Elfin race. His faults are many and his sins as numerous as the stars in the sky, but he is ours and we have humbled him and chosen to exalt him because you will need him. You will need his strength, his stubborn tenacity, and quick intelligence. You will need his queen, the woman we have given to him as his Chosen. You will need her love, her compassion, and strength of character. For before the end, you will be tested beyond what you think you can bear. Hear us now! Stand fast. Do not give in and do not let evil have a foothold. Let go of any ill will you hold in your heart and choose to move forward. Because if you do not, you will perish and your enemies will triumph.” The Forest Lords turned and faced Cassie and Trik and she felt the full force of their light. Her knees bent of their own accord and she knelt beside Trik, who also had fallen to his knees.

“Triktapic, you have done well. Continue on in your pursuit and crush your en
emy before he can destroy humankind. Cassandra, be strong and know that you were created for great things. Triktapic will need you and you will need him. Do not let anything come between you. We bless your union and you will be fruitful in time and we will be with you and your offspring. We have chosen you both, two souls united at last to save two races. Hail King Triktapic and Queen Cassandra!” Their voices filled the courtyard and a roar of approval went up as the Forest Lords vanished before their eyes.

Trik pulled Cassie to her feet and looked out at the people, his people. There were so many things in their faces, but the one universal thing he saw was hope.

“I am not worthy to be your king,” he told them. “But I will strive to be. I will never again walk away from the duty given me, and I will never again tolerate darkness to reign in my heart or the heart of our race.” The crowd cheered and Trik felt his heart swell. “The Forest Lords have told you that a great evil is coming, and I’m here to tell you that it is already here knocking on our door. Lorsan, the dark-elf king, has grown so power hungry that he seeks to enslave the human race through a drug called Rapture. He is already dispensing it through the casinos he owns in the human realm and already lives are being destroyed. He has also somehow blocked the portals so that there is no way for us to get to the human realm. King Tamsin and I have been attempting to come up with a plan for how to move forward, and we agree on at least one thing—we cannot sit and wait for Lorsan to make the next move. We must attack. We must be offensive if we wish to win this war and that is exactly what it is—a war.” Trik paused and looked over to Tamsin who gave him a slight nod.

“Any of you who can fight, you are needed. Any of you who can make weapons, you are needed. Any of you who are breathing
…” A soft chuckled rippled through the crowd. “You are needed.” He looked into their faces, making eye contact with many of his people, imploring them with his spirit to stand up for their rights and freedom.

“I will fight.” A
tall male elf stepped forward and looked up at them. His eyes met Cassie’s and he bowed his head. “My Queen, I give you my fealty. I pledge you my loyalty.” He turned then to Trik and bowed his head and repeated the words to him. Trik nodded to him and reached down to grasp his forearm in a warrior’s handshake.

“Thank you
, brother,” Trik told him and he hoped he conveyed just how much he meant it.

Cassie didn’t know how long they stood there as one after another the light elves pledged themselves to the king and queen. She was slightly overwhelmed as she reminded herself that she was the queen that they were bowing before, and that thought brought on a whole new set of worries as she considered the responsibility that she would now hold.
A few months ago all I had to manage was to get to class on time,
she thought as yet another person knelt before her
, and I had trouble with that. Now I have to figure out a way to save two races of people and destroy an evil elf king? Piece of cake
, she snorted to herself and then bit her lip when Trik looked at her from the corner of his eye.

She reached over and took his hand and wanted to sigh at the
comfort the touch brought her.

“
Sorry, just having a mini freak-out moment,” she told him. Her favorite smirk twitched at his lips and she suddenly wished that they weren’t standing before the light-elf race.
Could she be any more inappropriate?
she wondered.

“I could help you with that,”
Trik’s velvet voice caressed her insides and she had to release his hand to get him out of her head. She let out a deep breath and smiled at the woman who stood up after just having pledged her loyalty. Cassie nodded to her and shook her hand and then realized that she was the last one. She wondered if it would be totally shameless of her to do a happy dance, and then decided, yes, yes it would.

“Thank you,” Trik told the crowd. “You humble me with your words and your willingness to put your lives on the line. We will begin training tomorrow morning. All those going into battle please meet here at dawn. Syndra will be in charge of
the construction of weapons, so all those who will be assisting her will meet in the great hall.”

He turned then and looked at
Cassie. She suddenly realized that he wanted her to address the assembled elves. Somehow she managed to avoid an all-out panic attack. Cassie cleared her throat and smiled what she hoped was a genuine smile. She looked out at all of the unknown faces and reminded herself that all of these people put their pants on the same way she did, or at least she hoped they did. “As Trik has said, I too want to tell you thank you. Thank you for accepting me as your own, for welcoming me, and for being willing to fight for my race as well as your own. I will stand with you and fight with you,” Cassie felt pride swelling in her chest as she continued to talk and realized that they weren’t just words, they were truth. “I will lead you, serve you, and do whatever I need to in order for the Elfin race to prosper. I will strive to be the kind of queen you deserve and, with your help, we will become the people the Forest Lords intended us to be.”