Surrender, Book 3 The Elfin Series (9 page)

Chapter 6

“When my mom told me that I was half dark elf, I thought, okay, so I have a little bit of a naughty side. Perhaps, it might have been more accurate of her to say, ‘you are half dark elf and if you ever give into that nature, you won’t just sort of dip your toe in it. No, if you give into that nature, you will plunge headfirst and then begin to swim deeper because you don’t even realize you’re drowning.’ ” ~ Elora

Time seemed to be flying by in a whirlwind of lights, music, and laughter as Elora dove even deeper into the bowels of the city. The group she’d been tagging along with, because it just seemed like the best idea she’d ever had, lead her into an alley. It was amazing how quickly the sights and sounds faded just a few steps off of the strip. They walked up to a wall that didn’t appear to be anything more than a wall until a tall guy—she didn’t know his name—knocked on it twice, then again and again, in a repeating pattern that reminded Elora of a heart beating. Suddenly with an ominous grinding, the wall slid open sideways.

Elora’s eyes widened as she leaned forward to look past the tall, slender man who stood between them and whatever fun was going on behind him.

“We are keepers of the secret,” the guy who knocked told the doorman.

To Elora’s surprise the slender man bowed and stepped aside to allow them entry. It wasn’t until she had stepped through the doorway and turned to look at the man full on that she realized he was not a man at all, well, at least not of the human variety.

A wide smile stretched across his beautiful face as long dark hair flowed around his shoulders. Like all elves she’d seen so far, he was lean, stunning, and beautiful in a way that was in no way feminine. Elora compared them, especially the dark ones, to felines―panthers maybe. They moved with a fluid like grace, confident in their own form to an extent she’d never seen in anyone else.

Chills ran up her spine as he held his hand out to her and she obediently placed her own into his.
What the crap am I doing
, she thought to herself, but the worry was pushed aside the moment the dark elf spoke.

“Welcome, little sister.” The voice was a purring to her eardrums.

Oh my,
Elora inwardly thought,
he’s got a voice as smooth as butter and as rich as dark chocolate.

“I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing you here before.” His hand was still wrapped around her own and he had somehow taken a step closer without her even noticing.

“That’s because I’ve never graced you with my presence before,” Elora responded in a voice that didn’t sound like her own. It was sultry and flirty in an
I want to devour you
kind of way.

“What is your name?” he asked as he took her hand and wrapped it around his arm leading her further into the room which she now saw was a club, though not like the other’s she’d been to that night. This club was for those in the know. It was classy, sexy, and full of dark elves. Elora felt as if she’d just stepped into the Matrix and a small voice in the back of her mind was screaming
you should have taken the blue pill!

He was still waiting for her answer and she nearly blurted it out but something stayed her tongue. Somewhere, she’d heard that names held power and to be careful who she gave hers out to. Elora looked up at the elf who was gliding her through the dark room and tried to figure out if he was one to whom she should trust with her name. The haze that had settled over her mind was growing thicker, and she was finding it very difficult to think beyond her immediate wants.

Finally she spoke but Elora wasn’t the name she gave him. “I’m Raven.”

“Just Raven?” he asked with a sly smile. She wagered that many a she-elf had fallen victim to that smile.

“Yep,” she responded, popping the last letter with her lips. He seemed satisfied with her answer and continued to walk with her in silence. Elora took the chance to glance over the room. She saw a stage where there were women dancing in cages, and they were dressed in some whacked outfits that she figured were supposed to be animals, but they were missing most of the pelts. It was more like they’d taken the animal hair and only covered the essentials. At the back there was a bar with huge mirrors. Nope, she took that back, they weren’t mirrors; they were glass. She could see a room that looked similar to the room she was walking in, but it seemed darker, more sinister.

“What’s in there?” Elora pointed toward the glass.

“That is for those who don’t just want to watch the show, but instead be a part of it.”

His words seemed cryptic, which she thought should annoy her, but she seemed to just let it go as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

“What show?”

He had led her to a table where her group was already seated. Once she was seated in her own chair the dark elf slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her head back to look at her. “Do not worry, Little Raven, you will enjoy it.” She blinked and he was already gone. His voice echoed in her mind.
Little Raven,
he’d called her and it sounded so wrong on his lips. She’d been called that before but she couldn’t remember by who. Each time she thought she’d nearly figured it out, it just slipped away like water through her fingers. Her attention was drawn away from her thoughts as the room seemed to grow dimmer. A spotlight zeroed in on the stage and, like everyone else in the room, Elora leaned forward, scarcely breathing as she waited for the curtain to part.

The music began first. It was a haunting melody. Elora could feel the lyrics imprinting themselves on her mind and burrowing deep into her soul.

Close your eyes, let your worries be.

Open your mind, then you will really see.

There is a world, there is a place,

Beyond your imagining, right in front of your face.

And you feel it, and you know it.

Can you believe it, will you receive it?

Shut out the voices, silence the cries,

There is the truth, just past the lies.

Many will enter, few will depart,

Is this the end, or is it the start?

Close your eyes, let your worries be,

Hear my voice, all you know is me.

You’re in my world, you’re in my space,

Near my soul, gone without a trace.

And you feel it, and you know it.

Can you believe it, will you receive it?

As the song continued to fill the room, ensnaring the audience, the curtain slowly opened. Elora felt the pull, something telling her to keep her eyes on the stage. Like a whisper against her ear it enticed her not to move. She was aware that a spell was being cast over her, over everyone, and yet she could do nothing to stop it. Her eyes were glued to the stage as a tall, slender woman, beautiful even among her elvish kind, walked out. She was magnificent and terrifying at the same time. Her long hair was pitch black and shimmered as it swayed around her slender frame. It hung nearly to her waist in a cascading waterfall down her back. Her eyes were silver, large, and framed in dark, long lashes. But even her looks could not compare with the beauty of the voice that emerged from her as she sang. Elora felt as if she were floating on a sea of euphoria. She had no worries, no cares, and though she knew it wasn’t reasonable, she felt as if she could just sit there in that dark room and listen to the woman on the stage sing forever.

A sudden bump to her elbow by the person sitting next to her had Elora’s eyes leaving the stage. The fog in her mind cleared and she blinked several times, but the clarity only lasted a few moments. The fog was replaced by an unexplainable urge to leave, but she didn’t know where she was going. Elora stood and moved through the dark room, ignoring any who tried to stop her. She pushed her way through the crowd that was gathering around the entry to the room and followed the path to the door through which she’d originally entered.

As her feet hit the pavement and fresh air rushed over her, she saw with utter clarity what she had to do. Her feet led her as her mind attempted to work out the details. She needed to get to New Orleans. It was as though something very important were there, something that she couldn’t live without.

Lorsan followed the light elf warrior and the male who was with him as they walked briskly through the casinos. One after another they entered, their heads turning this way and that as their eyes roamed over every person they passed. They were looking for someone. He recognized the warrior as one of Tamsin’s top fighters, and he knew it was no coincidence that he was in Las Vegas. He was debating confronting them or just having his men ambush them when he felt power roll over him.

“I’d like to say it’s a pleasant surprise to see you, Lorsan. But, since I would rather see your ashes scattered across a barren wasteland, I just can’t bring myself to feel anything more than annoyance.”

The dark elf king turned slowly. His eyes watched carefully, waiting for the light elf king to step out of the shadows. He knew if the queen was here, then Tamsin would not be far away.

“Syndra,” he said her name with a false fondness as he plastered a smile on his face. Still looking for Tamsin, he noticed a human woman standing just a few feet from Syndra. The woman was watching them intently. Something about her seemed familiar but he couldn’t grab on to what it was. “What brings you and your pet” ―he motioned to the woman― “to my city?”

She let out a snort of laughter. “As if you didn’t know, and news flash, it isn’t your city. It belongs to the humans; we are their guests.”

“Wrong! We are their superiors,” he spat, unable to hide his disdain for the species. “We should be ruling this realm, not hiding in the shadows like vermin.”

“If you feel like vermin, it isn’t because you have to hide from the humans. To say that you might be closely related to the rodents wouldn’t be a stretch.”

Lorsan itched to smack the smile off of the light elf’s face. “Where is your mate? Surely he didn’t let you out to play without protection.”

Suddenly everything and everyone around them, except for the female that was with Syndra, froze. Lorsan felt his chest tighten as Syndra’s power filled the area around them. He felt his own power building in response.

“You seem to have forgotten who I am, Lorsan of the dark elves.” Syndra’s voice was not loud yet it rang with authority. Light pulsed around her and her human guise was gone. Before him stood the light elf queen in all her glory. Shadows seemed to inch away from her and heat radiated off of her skin. Lorsan knew that Syndra was powerful, but he hadn’t realized just
how
powerful she was.

His fists clenched at his side and he narrowed his eyes. He was no weakling. He was a king and would not cower before the she-elf especially not in front of a human.

“You may be powerful, but you have many weaknesses―your love for the humans being one of them.”

She shrugged. “What you consider weakness, I consider strength. I suppose we will know who is right when the end comes.”

Lorsan was going through all of the possible outcomes of their current confrontation as he attempted to scan the area for any of his dark elves. He knew there would be a few who had followed him as if he needed a guard detail. He could capture her, give himself one less enemy to worry about, but that would surely provoke Tamsin. He had
The Book of the Elves
and, though that would give him power, he’d yet to have time to really examine it.

“You look like you’re in pain over there, King,” Syndra retorted.

That was enough to make his decision. Damn her mate. He wouldn’t stand there and be made a fool of. He made a motion to the two dark elves he’d finally noticed and they moved in on the light elf queen.

“As fun as this little chat has been, I have other matters with which to attend. However, we do have much more to discuss, so I must insist that you and your companion stay and wait for me.” Lorsan watched as his dark elves grabbed both women. He held out his hand and wrapped his own magic around them, trapping them in a bubble so they couldn’t move. Syndra didn’t put up a fight and the human female seemed to be following her lead. Instead she simply stood there grinning that infuriating grin that told him she knew something he did not. Lorsan didn’t like it and if she was trying to get under his skin, it was working.