Rapture (Elfin Series) (21 page)

He peered in the shattered window and
tried the handle on the door. It opened and then fell off its hinges. He dropped the door to the ground and began his search. Lisa had said she’d put it under the second row seat. He stuck his hand under the seat, sifting through ash and debris. His hand had just landed on something that felt like a book when a voice behind him had him jerking his hand back and turning around so swiftly that ash scattered around him.

“Tell me
, Warrior, why would you come back to the scene of your crime? Why would you return to the place your enemies are sure to be?” Tarron’s voice danced across all of Cush’s nerves in all the wrong ways.  He wasn’t sure if he should just attack or if he should indulge the dark elf and engage him in a conversation. Tarron was the type of predator that liked to play with his food and Cush knew he could use that to his advantage to take the dark elf by surprise.

“A good soldier always makes sure the job has been done right,” Cush said coolly as he stood up from the crouch he had been in. He forced his body to relax in hopes of luring Tarron into a false sense of security. “I needed to make sure that your little production had been completely shut down.”

Tarron laughed. “Please tell me you aren’t so naïve as to think that this is the only place we had crops growing?”

Cush’s eyes narrowed as he tried to hear past the false bravado to the lie that he knew he was being fed.

“Do you really think Lorsan would limit himself that way?” Tarron asked.

Cush heard a rustling from behind him. He saw a shift of light to his left and saw the slight movement in Tarron’s eyes and knew that Tarron was not alone. He bit back the curse as he realized that Tarron ha
dn’t just been playing with him; he had been distracting him so that his own men could get in place. He didn’t know how many dark elves were around him because he didn’t want to take his eyes off of the one who really mattered.

“What did you really come back for?” Tarron asked all of a sudden.

Cush let his lips curve up in a slow smile. He wished now that he had given Elora a proper goodbye instead of the brisk kiss he had pressed to her forehead after he had tied her up. He wished that he could tell her one last time that he loved her and in all his years he could have never imagined being blessed with one such as her. He wished those things because as the evil dark elf across from him returned his smile he knew he would not live through this. Tarron was not known for his mercy. In fact, it was agreed upon in the light-elf realm that he was flat out psychotic. As Cush stepped away from the cover of the vehicle, he reached over his shoulder and unsheathed the sword he carried, and he readied himself for a battle that he hoped would not just be the end of his life but also of the evil standing before him because he refused to die without taking Tarron with him.

“Something’s wrong,” Elora said suddenly as she sat up from the slumped position
she had allowed her body to relax in.

“It’s not going to work
, Elora,” Oakley told her dryly. “We aren’t going to untie you so just give up.”

“I’m serious
, Oakley. Something is wrong with Cush; he’s in trouble,” she implored. She turned to look at Rin who was watching her closely. “Look, Rin, I’m not playing around, okay. Cush is in danger. I can’t explain how I know, but I just do. We have to help him.”

Lisa walked over to her and knelt down so that she was eye level with her daughter. “You’re serious
, aren’t you?”

Elora nodded and fought the urge to scream. “Yes, please untie me and let me go after him.”

“Rin, please untie her,” Lisa said as she continued to watch her daughter.

Elora felt fear growing in the pit of her stomach, like an u
ncoiling snake it began to rise, climbing up to her throat, and it threatened to choke her. Her hands were shaking as Rin untied them. As soon as her legs were unbound she was on her feet and moving towards the door. She pulled it open and the morning sun bathed her face in warmth that only made it clear just how cold the dread was making her.

“I’m sure he’s alright,” Oakley said from just behind her.

“Yes, I’m sure he is since he was just going back to the dark-elf clubhouse that we just happened to burn down in search of a book that Lorsan would kill to get his hands on. Yes, I’m sure he is just fine.” Elora knew the bite in her tone wasn’t necessary, but all she could think about was Cush and how she knew he was
not
fine.

“Here,” Rin said as he handed her a short dagger, just like the one Cush had given her when Lorsan’s m
en had attacked them. “Let’s go.” He walked past her out into the cool morning air. She slid the dagger in her boot and quickly followed, not waiting to see if her mom, brother, and Tony were coming. She knew they would.

They ran at a speed that Elora didn’t think she was capable of, but apparently when the man she loved was in danger
, she was perfectly able. She tried not to picture the things her fear was conjuring, but when her soul seemed to scream out inside of her for Cush, she knew something bad was happening to him. She cried out in her mind to him, wondering if in times of crisis maybe their weird link would work across long distances, but she didn’t get a response. She pushed her legs harder and when a hand landed on her shoulder, she turned and attacked, pulling the punch she had thrown only centimeters from Rin’s face.

He held his hands up and met her frantic stare. “Peace
, Little Warrior,” he said gently. His voice was soft and deep but it was not the voice she wanted to hear. He pressed a finger to his lips, indicating he wanted her to be quiet, and then he motioned with his head. She turned to see what he was indicating and when her eyes landed on Cush she nearly screamed. If not for the hand that wrapped around her mouth, she would have not only yelled his name but every profanity she knew at the monster on top of him.

“Wait,” Rin’s voice whispered in her ear.

She nodded her head, letting him know that she wouldn’t do anything stupid, yet.

“There are only four of them, but we’re going to have to sneak up on them,” Tony was whispering when she turned back around. She couldn’t continue to watch the fight going on b
efore her. Even though Cush was fighting back, he was outnumbered, and she knew that no matter how badass he was, he could only fight so many at one time. It didn’t help that they weren’t just fighting with physical blows; they were using magic on him as well and Elora decided that using magic on an outnumbered opponent was just chicken shit.
Yes, I thought it,
she said to herself as her eyes narrowed.

“ELORA!” Oakley whispered
, sternly grabbing her attention. “We’re going to spread out around them and close in on them okay?” She nodded and then followed Rin’s direction as he pointed for her to go right. She moved as quietly as she could, never taking her eyes off of Cush or the elf scum that where attacking him. Slowly their circle formed and then began closing in on the scene. Step by step they got closer and now Elora could hear the dark elf, Tarron’s, voice and honestly it made her want to stab herself in the ears; that’s how annoying his sickly sweet and yet somehow evil voice sounded.

“Oh
, how sweet, you have a rescue party, Warrior.”

Elora froze at the dark-
elf’s statement and she searched for Rin to know what to do. He motioned for her to keep moving so she did.

“How does it make you feel to know that once you are dead your C
hosen will be free to be taken by any number of eligible elves?”

Elora was struck still again as she watched her w
arrior totally loose his cool. She had to admit it was hot. Cush roared—as in like a lion, a seriously pissed off lion, and slammed his hand into Tarron’s chest. The dark elf stumbled back and Rin obviously took that as his cue because he let out a roar as well and ran full speed ahead. Elora didn’t think; she just ran. Pulling the dagger from her boot and giving her own battle cry, she jumped into the middle of it going after the first dark elf she came to.

He turned just as she reached him and something inside of her said
,
duck
, so she did. He flung out a hand and she felt the pulse of magic, but it missed her as she went below his arm. She turned as she slid and sliced the dagger into the back of his thigh, but the satisfaction at seeing her opponent cry out in pain and stumble was short lived as arms came around to grab her from behind. The arms were like steel bands restricting her movement and then pulling her feet from the ground. She kicked and flailed but whoever had her just continued to carry her.

Her eyes found Cush and she screamed.

“CUSH!”

His head snapped to her at the sound of his name.  He started towards her only to be cut off by Tarron. Elora could see the frustration on his face and felt it mirrored in herself. She was not some damsel in distress
, dammit.
Okay, so current situation aside,
she thought to herself,
I am not usually a damsel in distress.
As she watched her mom and Tony battling another dark elf, and her brother and Rin doing the same, she had another moment. She realized that if she was going to be a part of Cush’s life, a warrior’s woman if you will, then she was going to have to be able to fight. Cush needed to know she could handle herself, and she would, starting with the idiot attempting to carry her off to who knows where.

Elora wiggled her wrists to see how much room she had. She still held the dagger in one hand. She turned her wrist and in a quick motion stabbed her captor in the thigh. He let out a deep cry of pain and his hold on her loosened and she was ready.  She turned her head and dropped her shoulder
, effectively freeing half of her body. Using speed she didn’t know she had, she wrenched herself down and away from the man. She turned quick, pulling the dagger from his leg, which elicited another shout of pain. She felt a feral grin spread across her lips as she crouched down in an attack position, ready to pounce on the dark elf. She started to move towards him when there was a sudden blast of air from behind her.

“ENOUGH!” She heard Tarron bellow. The dark elf in front of her gave her a frustrated growl before suddenly turning and running faster than she could track his movements.
The rest of the dark elves followed suit, sprinting quickly away across the burned crops. None of the light elves or humans gave chase.

Elora
turned slowly to see her mom, Oakley, and Tony panting but unharmed. Rin was staring in the direction to which the dark elves had just retreated and Cush was looking at her.

Her eyes narrowed on the beautiful specimen of a male that she had claimed as her own. “Can I say I told you so yet?”

“Every little girl dreams of being a princess, of meeting
her prince, and living in a beautiful castle. And although every little girl dreams of that, they never believe it will actually happen, but it did for me. I have my prince, dark though he may be, and I have my castle. What little girls don’t know is what it takes to keep the prince and the castle once the fairy dust has settled. There is a battle, and if I lose I will lose much more than just a dream. I will lose the man that I love.” ~Cassie

“Have you calmed down?” Trik asked as he came out of the bathroom clad in pajama bottoms made from some material that seemed to move with his body as though it could predict the movement before it happened. Cassie had to fight the
desire to stare, to take him in in all his glory. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he affected her.

“No, and I won’t calm down until you relent,” she informed him as she studiously looked at everything in the room but him.

“It’s my job, Cassandra. I am the king. I cannot expect others to do my killing for me. What kind of leader would I be?”

A part of her completely understood what he was saying and even agreed with him. She knew he was just trying to do the honorable thing, the right thing, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

“What happens when you start enjoying the kill? You told me once that you liked it, Trik.” She finally met his stare and his silver eyes had the same effect as always. Her breath was wrenched from her lungs as she was caught in his web. “Do you remember?” she finished after several heartbeats.

He nodded and took a step towards her but she held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t
, Trik. We are going to talk.”

“Can we not tal
k and touch at the same time?” he asked in a sultry voice that had her blood heating to a level she didn’t think was healthy.

“No,” she said sternly. “I’m not ashamed to admit that your touch does things to my mind that keep me from being able to have a coherent conversation.”

He chuckled. “Well it’s not your mind that I’m trying to do things to.”

“Trik
, I’m serious; there is nothing happening between us until we’ve had this out.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and she realized he must have seen th
at she wasn’t going to give in—not this time. “Fine, you want to talk, let’s talk.”

Cassie watched as he walked away from her across their room. His shoulders grew tense with every step
, and for a second she second guessed herself. Maybe she was pushing too hard. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal if he killed a few prisoners. When he turned to face her, it was the king standing before her, not her husband. She could see the anger written across the creases in his brow and the frustration locked in his jaw as his eyes narrowed on her.

“There was a time when I let our people have their way
, Cassie. They became divided as half of them decided that self was all that mattered, and the other half believed that sacrifice was all that mattered. They wanted different things, they didn’t want to have peace with one another, and they didn’t want to listen to their king so I gave up. It was a cowardly thing to do and I regret it. But I will not be that king again. This time our people will listen and they will obey or they will suffer the consequences. If the dark elves will not submit and turn from their ways, just as I have committed to do, then the consequence is death and I must be the one to deal it out. I know you are scared that I will begin to enjoy killing, but you are forgetting something,” he paused.

“What?”
she finally asked when he didn’t immediately continue.

“You are my light.” He took a step towards her and this time she didn’t stop him. “You chase away the darkness. You make me want to be better than I was. I can’t give in to the darkness because darkness cannot survive where light lives. Are you planning on leaving me here to do this alone?”

“No,” she answered quickly, somewhat irritated that he even asked.

He grinned at her and her heart stuttered. “Then you don’t need to worry that I will give in. I have a second chance
, Cassandra, and I’m not about to blow that, not when it means I could lose you.”

He was standing directly in front of her by the time he was done talking
, and she was enthralled by his silver eyes and deep voice. Trik had that effect on her and she didn’t want that to ever change. She blinked several times in an attempt to clear her mind of the lust induced fog.

“Okay,” she said slowly, “s
o you truly believe you will be alright if you kill these men?”

“If I’m doing it for the right reasons, which I am,” he explained, “then yes, I will be fine.”

Cassie let out a deep breath and looked up at him. “Alright.”

Trik tilted his head and his confused look nearl
y had her laughing. “Alright?” he asked. “That’s it? No screaming, foot stomping, or fit throwing?”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t stomp my feet or throw fits.”

A single brow rose on his forehead.

“Unless it’s warranted,” she relented with a laugh.

“So are we good?” he asked.

Cassie heard the huskiness in his voice and felt goose bumps crawl up her arms. She felt her skin begin to warm under the blush she knew was rising as she watched his eyes roam over her. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that Trik was her husband and she was his wife.

“Ooooh dear,” she wheezed out as she struggled to catch her breath. All of a sudden she felt as if she had just finished running a marathon at a dead sprint. She had gotten married today. Sure she was an adult, but she hadn’t even thought about asking her parents or even worried that they might just blow a gasket or twenty once they found out. She took a breath in and felt her throat getting tight. Her chest felt as though a hundred pounds had been laid upon it and then a few dozen elephants decided to stand there as well. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, just breathing, because everything else was just too much.

“Cassie.”

His voice broke through her panic and she opened her eyes to see him standing so close. The soft glow of candlelight danced off his skin. She frowned and leaned to look around him. All of the lights were off and candles hung in the air suspended as if from wires surrounding the large bed. Her mouth dropped open.
When had that happened
, she thought to herself.

“Magic,” Trik whispered next to her ear causing a shiver to dance down her spine.

His hand was gliding up and down her arm, slowly, gently. She straightened back up and looked up at him. His long pitch black hair shone like black onyx, and his silver eyes searched her face, patient, waiting. She looked down at the simple night gown she wore and huffed out a laugh. “Guess I could have picked something a little nicer.”

He lifted her chin with a finger and smiled
, causing her stomach to drop clear past her toes. “You look lovely, and besides,” he let his eyes rove down her body, “it won’t be on long, anyways.”

“You can’t say stuff like that if you don’t want me to pass out from a panic attack,” she finally admitted. “Look, I’m nervous
, Trik. I’m…I’ve…this,” her words were just stuttering out in incoherent jibber jabber and she wished that he would just do something so she’d shut up.

“As you wish,” he murmured just before his lips touched hers.

She wanted to be annoyed that he was listening to her thoughts as he so artfully brushed his fingertips along her exposed shoulder, but now his lips were on hers, and the passion that only Trik could ignite was beginning to build, so she didn’t have room to be annoyed. She simply wanted to feel. She wanted to feel him, and she wanted to enjoy the sensations that only he gave her. As his lips left hers and trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck to her collarbone, she let her head fall back and he chuckled.

“Relax
, Beautiful, I’ll take care of you,” his whispered words eased something inside of her, and when she felt him slide one strap of her night gown off her shoulder, she didn’t freak out like she thought she would. Instead she became the shameless hussy Elora always told her she knew she was deep down inside and helped him remove the other strap. Trik’s eyes lit up as she let the gown fall. Cassie figured that maybe she should be embarrassed but she couldn’t be, not when her love was looking at her as though he was going to devour her like a three course meal and then come back for seconds.

“And thirds,” he whispered in her ear as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to their bed.

She giggled but tried not to be too hard on herself about it as she watched her dark-elf assassin kiss her flushed skin. He climbed up her body as she lay pressed into the mattress. His arms were on either side of her head holding him just above her so he could look down into her face.

“My beautiful
, Cassie,” he whispered and then kissed her slowly, deeply. “Thank you for loving me,” he said against her lips.

She smiled up at him as he pulled back. “It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.”

He chuckled and she gasped at the sensation it created. His eyes darkened and he pressed himself closer. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

Cassie heard his words and she thought she might have nodded but she couldn’t be certain because at that point Trik started doing things that she was sure couldn’t possibly be legal in all fifty states and every worry and fear she had was
suddenly gone. There was only Trik, his hands, his mouth, and his deep voice filling their bedroom as he whispered words of devotion while he made love to her.

“Those candles will never burn out will they?” Cassie asked as she lay draped across Trik’s stomach. She propped her chin up so she could look at the floating candles and found herself enthralled by the dancing flames. She was worn out and well-loved but couldn’t sleep. She knew that Trik was having no trouble sleeping because he kept dozing off, and she kept waking him up with silly questions.

“They’re magic candles
, Love,” he murmured as his hands stroked her hair and down her bare back.

“It’s your magic that’s making them float and burn?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have to focus to keep them floating?”

He chuckled. “Obviously not, because a short time ago, as you know, floating candles were the farthest thing from my mind.”

Cassie grinned like the love sick fool she was as she thought of what had transpired only a short time ago, as he put it.

“So you’re happy?” she asked nervously.

“No
, Cassie, there is no word in the human language that can describe what I am.”

She turned to look at his face and saw that his eyes were open and he was looking at her. Her skin flushed and she reached for the sheets to cover herself but Trik snatched them away.

“Hey!” she huffed. “I’m cold.”

“Liar.”

Her eyes narrowed on him. “I feel exposed.”

“You are exposed,” he paused and a smirk rose on his sinfully sexy mouth as he perused her curves. “And I like you that way.”

She rolled her eyes and flopped down on him, earning a grunt that made her smile smugly.

“Vixen,” he muttered.

“Trik.”

“Yes
, Love.”

“Thank you.”

He reached for her face and gently turned her to face him. She knew what he would see, a girl so deeply in love that she was scared it couldn’t be real.

“For what?” h
e asked slowly.

“For tonight, for loving me, for wanting me.” Cassie met his stare and she hoped that he was feeling what she felt because she didn’t know if she could truly put it into words either.

“It is my honor and privilege, Cassandra.”

“Are you alright?” Cush asked Elora as she wiped the blood from her dagger onto her pant
’s leg. She slid the blade down into her boot and then straightened up to look at him. She wanted to yell and scream and tell him what an idiot he had been to go alone, but she knew that it wouldn’t change anything.