She blushed and when he pressed his palm to her cheek and closed his eyes she was confused. Suddenly her mind was filled with thoughts and she gasped as she realized that these were definitely not her thoughts.
The desire she felt for Trik was not even a spark compared to the yearning that he had for her. She felt her body heat from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and she wondered how he could walk around with that much going on inside of him. Finally, he pulled his hand away and he was breathing hard and Cassie realized, much to her surprise, so was she.
“Whoa,” she murmured.
Trik’s lips quirked up in a crooked smile. “I would say that was worthy of more than a whoa.”
“How? I mean, whoa,” Cassie stumbled and tried to keep her words and voice steady.
Trik chuckled. “Let’s go to sleep, love. We can talk more about all of that after we are married, which needs to happen very, very soon.”
“You want me to sleep after you just showed me…,” she was cut off by his lips pressing to hers. She started to respond, but then quickly pulled back. “Um, okay, no kissing until after we’ve slept.”
“Now you’re feeling just a taste of the need I feel for you.” He tucked her close against him and kissed her forehead.
Cassie snuggled into him and relished the safety she felt in his arms. “I love you, Trik,” she whispered.
“Oh, Baby,” he crooned to her, causing her to smile, “I love you too.”
She pressed her face to his chest and absorbed his heat, breathed in his scent, and began to drift off to sleep.
“What about that book you have, Lisa?” Elora asked as they all sat gathered in their living room, a room that normally appeared to be average to large in size but that had now been dwarfed because of the two tall warriors which occupied it.
Lisa’s eyes shot over to Elora and then quickly back to Cush and Rin. “Um,” she began.
“Mom?” Elora prompted.
“Yes, well you see that book…it well…,” Lisa stumbled over her words as she twisted her hands in her lap nervously.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Oakley finally asked. “What book is Elora talking about?”
“Okay, based on your shady behavior,” Elora interrupted, “I’m going to guess that you think tweedledee and tweedledumb over here are going to hog tie you or something when they find out about your book. I assure you they are not.” She turned and looked at Cush and Rin. “Are you, boys?” She nearly laughed when Rin gave a quick shake of his head as if he were scared of her, a little human. Cush shook his head, albeit, with less enthusiasm. “See? So, Lisa, tell me why that book freaks you out so much and this time tell me the truth.”
Lisa let out a resigned sigh and sat back into the chair. She crossed her legs and chewed on her bottom lip for several seconds before she began to speak. “That book, as I told you before, is the Book of the Elves.” She paused and looked over at the two warriors. Sure enough, their eyes were as wide as dinner plates. She nodded at them in acknowledgement. “My mate gave it to me to hide.” There were several moments of silence before Elora finally spoke up.
“Whoa, whoa, wait a second,” she said as she waved her hands at her mom. “I’m sorry but I could have sworn that you just said that your mate, not husband, but mate.”
Lisa gave Elora one of her looks and Elora held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’ll shut up until you’re done, but I want it noted that I’m not happy.”
Oakley rolled his eyes. “When did she become such a drama queen?”
Lisa chuckled. “Since the world went to hell in a hand basket, a new side of your sister has emerged. I kind of like it; she’s all spunky. It’s cute.”
“I’m sitting right here.” Elora pointed to herself. “I can totally hear you.”
“As I was saying,” Lisa continued, “my mate gave it to me to hide from Lorsan, and then he was killed. Oakley, Elora, your father was a dark elf. There I said it. No more hiding.”
“Bloody hell, did not see that coming,” Elora muttered as she stared wide–eyed at her mom.
“Me either,” Oakley agreed, dumbfounded.
“After he died, it was safer that I sever ties with that world and so I raised you in the human realm, although Syndra and I kept in contact. She and I became allies and she helped shield the magic of the book to keep it hidden.”
“Um, putting aside for a second that you are claiming that my father is an…elf,” Oakley interrupted. “What’s in the book that is so dangerous?” Oakley asked.
“Prophecies and history,” Cush replied solemnly. All their heads swung around to look at him. “Past and future—all contained in one book. What could be more dangerous? The one who holds the book holds the fate of the elves in his hands?”
“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 silence 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.”