Surrender, Book 3 The Elfin Series Read online

  “You want this human, Trik? I can give you every human. It can be like old times again. Now that we have the book it can be so much better. With you by my side and the book in my hands, we can conquer this realm by next week.”

  The last few words Lorsan spoke were drowned out by a booming noise that had all of them ducking. A flash of light lit up the darkened sky and a gush of wind slammed into them, nearly knocking them all to the ground.

  Cassie had no clue what was happening, but she used the distraction to her advantage. In the next instant, Lorsan let out a howl that could have awoken the entire swamp. His grip had loosened enough that Cassie was able to lower her chin under his arm. She clamped her teeth down on Lorsan’s forearm biting as hard as she could. He jerked his arm away and she fell to the ground. The bolt he had been holding went flying outward. At precisely the same time Trik had made his move lunging toward them. The dark power Lorsan had been holding hit Trik square in the chest. There was an explosion of darkness that temporarily blinded Cassie. When she could see again, Lorsan was nowhere to be found and Trik lay on his back staring at the sky, black smoke wafting from his chest.

  She heard an ear piercing scream, not even realizing it was coming from her own mouth, as she saw Trik lying on the ground. He was still, too still. She ran to him and threw herself on top of him; huge tears cascaded down her cheeks showering his face.

  “Trik, Trik, are you okay?” The words stumbled out of her mouth as her lips trembled. Trik was silent. His eyes closed. He looked as though he was sleeping. She cradled her love’s face, but he remained motionless. Cassie placed her ear against his chest but she detected no breath.

  “No, no, no, Trik,” Cassie sobbed, holding Trik’s face. Her thumb ran across his lips and images of his kisses filled her mind. They were all she would have because he wouldn’t be kissing her again. Every memory she had of him would be all that was left and it wasn’t enough. Their time together had been much too brief. She felt robbed of her future. Lorsan had taken many things from her, but now he’d taken the one thing that she couldn’t live without. “Triktapic, you can’t do this. You can’t leave me, not now.”

  Suddenly a thought hit her like a bolt of lightning as she recalled the things Lorsan had reminded Trik of. He’s going to die thinking I believed all those ugly things that Lorsan was saying about him, Cassie thought. But I don’t, Trik, I promise. I know the man you have become. I love you. Truer words had never come from her lips. She loved him with every fiber of her being. Her soul had found its other half when she’d bumped into Trik in that office at her father’s workplace. Cassie had never even realized that there was a hole inside of her until Trik was there to fill it. Her chest constricted and her stomach rolled with nausea. It was becoming increasingly harder to breathe and she gasped for air. Cassie wasn’t sure why she was bothering to try to suck in air It wasn’t as if she wanted to go on if Trik was not going to be by her side. She could feel her soul reaching for him and, when his didn’t respond, Cassie felt a fresh flood of grief pour over her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Trik was supposed to have handed Lorsan his backside on a platter. He was supposed to stand victorious over the enemy. Evil was not supposed to prevail. Her fist pounded on his chest as a cry rose from her throat.

  “Noooooooooo!” She pounded his chest again. “Not like this! Dammit, Triktapic, I love you. Do you hear me? I. Love. You. I don’t want to do this without you―live this life. You’re supposed to be with me. Please, please don’t go.” Her rant ended in a soft whisper as her head fell forward pressing against his forehead. Cassie’s head swam and her vision blurred. The agony of losing him was wrapping around her leaving her breathless. Before blackness overcame her, she heard these words in her head.

  I’m none of those things anymore, A'maelamin, because of you.

  Trik’s voice broke through the fog that was beginning to fill her head. She opened her eyes and found she was staring directly into his shining silver ones.

  “No matter what Lorsan said, I simply looked at you, Cassandra. You are my light. You are what rescued me from that life. Without you I am nothing, and with you I am everything.” Trik pressed his lips to hers, his hand wrapping possessively around the back of her neck. It was quick, but filled with promise. When he pulled back, his eyes were swirling with passion and need. Trik closed his eyes briefly and then opened them back again, seeming to have gained control of himself. “And as much as I want to continue this conversation, right now we still have work to do. But rest assured, beautiful, we will pick up where we are leaving off.”

  Cursing the insolent human girl, Lorsan ran to the picnic table and snatched up The Book of the Elves. A quick glance toward the swamp and his feet stumbled as he saw the result of the power that had hit them only a few moments ago. He continued forward and it took effort to pull his gaze away from the destruction. He didn’t have time to wonder at its cause. Pain in his forearm helped distract him from the swamp, and he glanced down and saw that his arm bled from where she’d taken a chunk out of it. He should filet her for that little stunt. But he didn’t have the time right then. He wasn’t going to wait around to see how much damage his bolt of dark magic had done to Trik. How lucky it was that his spasm at feeling the girl bite him had sent the magic directly into the impudent King. He probably would have missed the shot under ordinary circumstances. Lorsan was quite certain that blow would have killed any other elf on the planet. But Trik wasn’t just any other elf. Lorsan could stop to finish the job, but if Trik wasn’t severely weakened, Lorsan knew that he would have no chance in a fight against the King. Not today, anyway. But later, after he’d had time to study the Book properly, after he’d increased his own magical power to a level Trik couldn’t even dream of, well…then he would be back for his former servant.

  Slowed slightly by the lingering injuries from his bout with the humans in his office, Lorsan still moved like a feline predator. In a flash he was speeding across the parking lot, book in hand, headed back to the motel room, back to the mirror.

  Crack.

  As he stepped across the threshold, his face encountered Tony’s fist. Lorsan had been in such a hurry that he hadn’t seen the human hiding just inside the room.

  With a primal scream, Tony put everything he had into that punch. He knew that he was no match for Lorsan, but he had to do something. Though he’d been shocked by the wind and pulse of magic that had knocked him on his butt, his head had been clear enough for him to think to take advantage of the distraction. He’d jumped to his feet and made a run for the open door of the room he assumed Lorsan had emerged from. Just as he’d turned around to lean around the edge of the doorway to make sure he hadn’t been seen, Tony saw Cassie clamp down on Lorsan’s arm and had to hold back a shout of praise for her quick thinking. He saw the bolt of dark magic hit Trik in the chest and saw Cassie running to him across the parking lot. Finally, he saw Lorsan snatch up the book and head directly for the room in which he was hiding. When the dark elf king paused, his head turned toward the swamp, Tony had turned to see what had caught his attention. He was pretty sure his jaw had hit the ground when he saw the destroyed forest. The land had been leveled. Like a bad wreck, he had a hard time pulling his eyes away, but the sound of footsteps had him turning back to Lorsan who was once again making a beeline for the room where he hid.

  He could have let Lorsan speed right on by, never revealing his presence. He could have followed the dark elf king, pledging to work for him once again. Lorsan might have been angry that he had sided with Trik, but Tony knew Lorsan’s greed. The dark elf king would take him back if he came back groveling. Anything would have been safer than what he did. But as he watched the dark elf speeding toward him―knowing that he would disappear into the portals, lying in wait until he could come back stronger―Tony knew that he must do something. So he closed his eyes and he swung his fist as hard as he could.

  Lorsan staggered backward. Tony guessed that it probably wasn’t from any pain, but
more because of surprise. He knew that it probably hadn’t crossed Lorsan’s mind to worry about the human who had once worked for him. Tony hadn’t even been a blip on his radar.

  He shook his head and looked around, locating Tony.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t my old employee,” Lorsan chuckled. “Finally grown a spine, I see. But I’m afraid your bravery is misplaced. You didn’t think you’d actually betray me and get away with it. And now you’ve saved me the trouble of actually having to hunt you down. I really must thank you for that.”

  Lorsan stepped into the room, grabbed Tony by his throat, and flung him down on the motel floor. His back hit with a thud knocking the wind out of him.

  “Such a waste. You were the only human I could ever tolerate for longer than a few minutes. Oh well, Vegas is full of pretty boys that can run a casino. I’ll find another one. And now, Tony, this is goodbye.”

  Tony watched as Lorsan raised his hand with sparks of dark power building around him. He drug himself to his knees and looked up at the elf. He stared directly into Lorsan’s eyes. There was a time when he would have been cowering, groveling, begging the dark elf to spare his life. Actually, he’d had to do that a few times in the past, but no longer. He, too, was not the person he once was. He’d chosen to do what was right. He’d chosen to make a stand, and he was finally proud of who he was, even if he wasn’t going to be that person much longer.

  Then something strange happened. The power in Lorsan’s hand fizzled. The elf’s eyes grew wide and a red liquid dripped from his mouth. He made a strange gurgling noise and then toppled, face down, right in front of Tony, a black dagger protruding from his back. He looked at the body of the dark elf king and then up at his attacker. His head tilted to the side as he rubbed his jaw. “That was sort of anticlimactic.”

  “Not exactly how I wanted that to happen,” said Trik, standing over the elf’s body. He reached a hand out to help Tony up. “But anticlimactic” ―he pointed over his shoulder toward the forest that had been devastated― “wouldn’t be what I’d call that.”

  Tony’s brow lowered as he looked past the king. “What the hell happened?”

  Trik turned and headed for the door. “If I was guessing, I’d say someone pissed off Syndra. That sort of damage has her signature written all over it.” He stepped out of the room and grunted as Cassie came running up and threw herself into his arms.

  Cassie pressed her face into Trik’s chest, feeling his warmth seep into her skin. She listened to his heartbeat, letting it reassure her that he was alive and no longer lying lifeless on the ground. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said as she leaned back enough to look up at him.

  “Don’t attempt to save your life? Um, sorry beautiful but that’s not a promise I can make.”

  “No, you quiver carrying butthead, I mean don’t ever nearly die.”

  “I wasn’t dying,” Trik brushed her lips with his thumb causing her to tremble. “I was resting my eyes.”

  She heard Tony’s laugh though he tried to cover it with a cough.

  “You picked a really bad time to take a nap.” She pressed herself closer to him and closed her eyes when she felt his lips against her hair. She could have stood there, wrapped in his embrace forever, but life was not that kind.

  “I would love that as well,” Trik whispered having picked up on her thoughts. “Unfortunately, we need to investigate what has leveled an entire forest. And I imagine it has something to do with that group of people that are running like a pack of wolves are nipping at their heels.”

  His words had Cassie whipping around. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on the large form that held a limp body in his arms. Her breath was knocked from her lungs for the second time in less than an hour as she saw someone she loved looking much too lifeless.

  “Trik,” she whispered his name like a prayer. Her feet were moving before he could respond to her plea. All she could see was her best friend being carried by her mate. She didn’t care about those running around them, nor did she care about the leveled trees behind them. All she cared about was making sure Elora was going to be okay. She figured she must still be alive since they were running, and as relieving as that thought was, the one on its tail end crushed it. Even if she was alive, the question then became, for how long?

  Chapter 16

  “Sometimes beauty comes in the strangest form. One might think that for something to be beautiful then it must be pleasing to the eye, nose, skin, or ears. But beauty comes in another form. It is found in the soul. And as her soul rises up to meet mine, I see a beauty that nothing can rival.” ~ Cush

  Cush had never seen a more relieving sight than that of a human holding a book. It wasn’t just any book; it was the book that he was praying had the knowledge to save his Chosen. That book had been written by the Forest Lords, through the hands of his people. He had to believe he wasn’t hoping in vain.

  Though the run from the edge of the forest to where Trik, Cassie, and Tony stood was less than a mile, it felt as though it took hours to get there. When he finally stood before them, holding Elora tightly against his chest, he glanced at Tony and then looked back at Trik.

  “I killed Tarron, but the spell she was under had linked their lives together. The only thing keeping her alive now is her bond with me. Please allow Vyshaan to look through The Book of the Elves to see if there is any way to save her.” Cush heard Cassie’s sharp intake of breath but did not have the time or patience to care that she too would be hurting over Elora’s state.

  Trik took the book from Tony and held it out to the elder who stood with the others behind him. Cush started to head toward the opened door behind Trik but the king stopped him. “That room wouldn’t be the best place to take her.” Trik turned toward another door and held his hand out. Light shot from his palm slamming into the door knocking it open. “That one would be a better choice.”

  Cush didn’t question him. He turned to the other door and headed toward it. Once inside, he laid Elora down on the large bed and sat down beside her, his hand clasped to hers. He looked up at the elder who stood on the other side of the bed holding the book. He was already flipping through the pages.

  Cush heard Trik ask for the details on what had taken place in the swamp, but he tuned out the other voices as they answered him. All of his attention was focused on the woman before him.

  Syndra listened as Tamsin filled Triktapic in on the events in the forest but her eyes were on Elora’s still form. Lisa was standing at the end of the bed biting her nails with Oakley next to her. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders pulling her close to him as he offered her quiet support. Syndra had known Lisa for a very long time and had watched her kids grow up. In some ways she felt like they were her own family. There was no doubt in her mind that she would protect all of them with her own life, and she would do whatever she could to save Lisa’s daughter. Whether it would be enough was yet to be seen, but she damn well wasn’t going to stand there doing nothing. She stepped up beside Vyshaan.

  “Anything?” she asked him.

  He didn’t answer for several minutes but then he stopped on a page and said, “Possibly.”

  Vyshaan touched the page with a long, tapered finger and Syndra’s eyes widened as the words on the page began to change. When every word was done moving around, she realized that he had changed the language. The words on the page were in English, where moments before they had been in an ancient tongue that only the elders could read. Most of the book was that way, though there were a few pages that were readable by any elf. The page they were looking at most definitely hadn’t been one of those pages.

  Her eyes scanned the page greedily as she hurried to find out why he thought this particular magic would be able to help Elora. By the time she’d reached the last word, hope had taken root in her heart. It was a small amount, but it was hope nonetheless.

  “I’ll be honest, Vyshaan.” Syndra looked up at him. “I had hoped that we’d never work together again, but rig
ht now I am glad that you are here.”

  He nodded. “I understand, and truthfully, I am glad I am here. Perhaps, this will start me on the road to redemption.”

  “Something tells me this will move you a long way down that path,” she agreed. “Now, let’s do this.”

  She felt Tamsin’s hand on her shoulder and his power flowing into her. Syndra was powerful, but part of that power was from her mate. They were stronger together because they could share their magic and Tamsin was extremely generous with his power.

  Vyshaan held the hand that wasn’t holding the book out over Elora’s still form. Syndra did the same, with both of her hands out. Their palms were facing down as magic began to flow from them.

  “Cush,” ―Syndra looked away from Elora briefly to address the warrior― “call to her soul. Merge yours with hers. It will strengthen your bond.” He nodded and she turned her attention back to her task.

  The words that had been on the page began to fill her mind and she chanted them. Her voice blended with Vyshaan’s and everything around her faded away. All of Syndra’s concentration was on pulling magic from the well inside of her. Heat radiated across her hands and up her arms but she paid no attention to the uncomfortable sensation. Syndra wasn’t going to be able to do this with power alone. She needed Elora to use her own will to fight the spell. Syndra was fighting against the spell, trying to break its hold. She didn’t know if it would be enough. She had no idea how she would face her friend if she was unable to save her daughter. She prayed it wouldn’t come to that. Tamsin stepped closer to her, his breath on her neck as he wrapped his arm around her waist; his power continued to flow into her.