Cush chuckled. “My Little Raven is all flustered; it’s a cute look for you.”
She rolled her eyes and waved him off. “Whateve. So where are we?”
“We’ve been driving for about three hours, which, according to the GPS means we still have about three more to go,” her brother spoke up from the back seat.
“Do we have a plan for when we get there?” she asked Cush.
“Humans stay in the car while the elves burn down the place.”
“What?” she snapped. “You expect me to just sit back and watch while you get to go all Fourth of July on the dark-elf king?” She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “Nope, not gonna happen. This chick plays with matches.”
“She can’t blame that one on her dark side,” Lisa spoke up. “She totally gets that from me.”
Exactly two pee breaks, a snack break, several arguments, and three and a half hours later, Cush pulled onto the long dirt road that would supposedly lead them to the fields where the Almare plants were being grown. Having been at one time a famous vineyard, finding the farm hadn’t been too difficult.
He pulled over to the side of the road and turned the engine off. The tension inside the vehicle was palpable. None of the humans wanted to be left behind, and although Cush only cared what happened to Elora, he knew he had to protect the others because she cared for them.
“So, what’s it going to be, GI Joe?” Elora asked. “You gonna knock us out, tie us up, super glue our hands to the vehicle?”
Cush bared his teeth at her in frustration. Truth be told, he didn’t want her out of his sight. As long as he could see her, he could protect her. But if she knew he felt that way, she would use it to her advantage.
“Cush,” Lisa’s soft gentle tone floated up to the front of the cab. “I know that you are worried about her, believe me, as her mom I get that. But I also know that if you cage her, she will resent you. You have to let her come with you, you have to let her be where she belongs, and that is by your side.”
Cush knew she was right. He could feel the truth of her words all the way to his soul but the man in him wanted his woman as far from danger as possible. He felt a warm touch to his face and turned to face Elora. She had reached up and put her small hand on his cheek and seemed to be imploring him with her big, purple eyes.
“The truth, Cush?”
He nodded.
“The idea of not being able to see you is making me sick. The idea of not knowing if you are okay or if you need help is enough to drive me insane, and I have never felt this way about anyone. I’m totally out of my element with all of these touchy, feely, emotions and honestly, it’s making me want to hurt something. Please don’t leave me here. Don’t go where I can’t be with you.”
He nearly groaned at her heartfelt confession as he unsnapped her seat belt and hauled her across the console and onto his lap.
“This again? Come on, you two, seriously?” Cush heard Oakley’s words but ignored him, instead focusing on his Chosen.
“You’re killing me,” he told her. “All I want to do is keep you safe. All I want to do is make sure that at the end of the day you are alive and well, and you are asking me to drag you into a place that will threaten that outcome.”
“Consider it a character building exercise,” she teased.
Cush pressed his lips to hers quickly but firmly. “Stay with me. Do not leave my side.”
She smiled triumphantly up at him. “I won’t; I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
“Where you belong,” he murmured to her.
“Right where I belong,” she agreed.
“I’ll take lead,” Cush said as the small group stood twenty feet from where they had exited the vehicle. “Rin, you pull up the rear. Oakley and Tony, you flank the women.”
“Flank the women?” Elora asked dryly. “It sounds like some freaky punishment.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Cush told her with a tight smile. “Our goal is not to engage the enemy. We want to get to the crops and set them ablaze. Hopefully that will draw out anyone inside. Then we will go in and see if there is a way to destroy the already created Rapture.”
They moved into the formation Cush had ordered and followed him. Elora had to trot to keep up with his long strides. He moved with such stealth that she felt like a bull in a China shop as she followed behind. The others behind her sounded just as loud, except for Tony and Rin. When she looked back over her shoulder at them, she saw that they were moving with nearly the same grace and silence that Cush did.
They moved off the road and headed into a field that had obviously been a vineyard at one time. The tall plants were overgrown and unruly. They twisted and climbed over each other and seemed to have taken on a life of their own without the guidance of a vinedresser. Cush pushed away branches and Elora was careful to hold them until her mom behind her was able to grab the branch to keep it from whacking her in the face. The ground began to slope and Cush stopped and looked back at them. “It’s going to get a little steep so tread carefully.”
When they began moving again, Elora found herself leaning back to keep from rolling forward and doing a head dive down the hill. After what seemed like forever, the land leveled out again. The sun was getting higher as the morning grew later. Elora hadn’t previously considered how large the vineyard probably was. She figured at this rate that it might be early evening before they reached the first Almare crop.
“Bingo,” she heard Cush whisper.
All of a sudden she looked up and saw a very different looking plant than the ones they had been traipsing through for the past half hour. Before her stood rows and rows of tall leafy plants, each laden with small red fruits, about the size of a cherry, only brighter. Okay so not early evening then, she thought to herself somewhat relieved.
“What now?” she whispered to him.
“When I say run, you follow me and you run. No standing and staring or ooing and ahhing, okay?”
Elora nodded, not having a clue what he was talking about but guessing that it would be better for her to just agree with him than to ask questions.
Suddenly Rin and Cush both reached out their hands and bolts of light shot out. The field before them that had been overflowing with a lush vine–like plant was suddenly burning in a blue-white blaze. Elora felt her mouth forming into an O just as she heard Cush’s voice over the crackle of the flames. “RUN!”