Surrender

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Every parent both dreads and looks forward to the day their children find the one with whom they will spend the rest of their life. They dread it because it is the ending of a season of life, but they look forward to it because it brings them joy to see the ones they poured themselves into find love. They dread it because they fear that their children might experience the loss of that love in some form, but they look forward to it because when that love is fought for, when it is chosen and nurtured, it is one of the greatest gifts they will ever experience.” ~Lisa Scott

Elora paced the living room. Her eyes were on the floor, watching her feet leave impressions in the thick carpet. She was chewing on her bottom lip completely unaware that she had made it bleed as her mind conjured up every horrific scenario that could happen. When they started their little journey, escaping the dark elf prison, their only concern had been the dark elf king and the Rapture that he was handing out like candy to humans. But then The Book of the Elves had been stolen and they had discovered that Cassie’s parents had been kidnapped by a crazy dark elf determined to claim Cassie as his own. That had added a whole other list of worries to the pile.

It wasn’t as if they were completely helpless. They did have the rightful elf king on their side and he had the backing of the Forest Lords. That made him pretty bad ass, right? They also had some incredible elf warriors. The thought had her eyes darting to the right to check on the warrior who had claimed her heart. Cush was temptation in its purest form. From what Elora could tell there was no such thing as an ugly elf, but Cush took the rugged handsome look to a whole new level. Focus, Elora, she mentally snapped at herself. There would be time to drool over his hotness later―she hoped. Now was not the time.

Just as she was making her loop around the room to head back in the other direction, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into an equally strong chest. Warm air caressed her cheek as soft lips pressed to her ear.

“As much as I enjoy the view of your long legs in that cute skirt and those boots, your pacing is a tad nerve-racking.” Cush’s rich voice spoke to more than just her mind. His words reached her soul and miraculously brought her a measure of calm that nothing else could. “What has you so worried, Little Raven?”

“You were the one who discovered the left-over magic out front.”

“Residual magic,” he corrected.

“And you are the one who said it was dark magic,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “How can you ask me what has me worried when we know Lorsan or one of his lackeys was out there staring at the house like some sort of creeper?”

“Nothing can be done about it now. There is no sense in giving energy to worrying about it.” His lips were still near her ear, still driving her crazy. The low chuckled that rumbled in his chest told her he knew exactly what effect he was having on her. Cush’s hand came up and cupped her face turning her head so that she was looking up at him. He used his thumb to pull her bottom lip from the relentless abuse she’d been subjecting it to and shook his head at her. “It should be a crime for you to cause injury to lips as beautiful as yours,” he murmured. His head had dropped even lower and Elora didn’t have time to enjoy his words because she was too busy enjoying his lips pressed to hers. Cush’s arm tightened around her waist like a steel band and pulled her more firmly against him. She wanted to turn around so she could wrap her arms around his neck, but she couldn’t move within his powerful hold. Elora loved the groan that left him as he pulled back from the kiss.

“You’re dangerous, Elora Scott.” His light blue eyes were as clear as glass as he stared back at her with an intensity that should have her scared. Instead she was excited. She would blame that little issue on the dark elf blood that was running through her veins. Once she’d learned that her father had been a dark elf, she immediately understood why she fought certain urges that, heretofore, had been unexplained. Elora was pretty sure the attraction she felt toward Cush could get out of hand if she let her dark elf half reign. That side of her wanted Cush to kiss her roughly and not hold back all of his strength. That side of her wanted things that made even her blush.

“Either I need to stop touching you, or you need to think about little bunnies and rainbows,” Cush said a little breathlessly.

Oops, Elora thought. She forgot that as long as they were touching Cush could hear her thoughts, just as she could hear his. And even if he wasn’t trying to listen, if the emotion behind the thoughts was strong enough, he would hear it anyway.

“Sorry.” Her voice was small as her embarrassment swept over her skin.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Cush responded in her mind. “You are my Chosen, and because you want it, someday very, very soon you will be my wife. It will be my honor to love you in any way that you need, and I will fulfill any pleasure your little inner dark elf requires. Believe me, no part of me will complain.”

Elora was pretty sure at that point that she would be permanently stained red from the blush his words had caused. A clearing throat from someone in the room saved her from having to respond. She reluctantly pulled her eyes from his and turned to face the room. While she’d been pacing, Oakley and Tony had been sitting on the couch talking about whatever it was guys talked about when they were killing time. When Cush had grabbed her and captured her attention, it was like the rest of the world faded away. She had totally forgotten that they had company while she was busy shoving her tongue in her man’s mouth.

“I didn’t mind,” Cush whispered as he answered her thoughts.

“Shh.” She elbowed him as Trik walked into the room.

Lisa came in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She’d made breakfast for those who had bothered to come down that morning and then refused help in cleaning up. Elora knew it was her mom’s way of dealing with her own worries and thoughts.

Rin, Tamsin, and Syndra filed in and Cassie was last to appear. Finally, their little hunting party was gathered and it was time to get to work. Elora could tell by the look on Trik’s face that things were about to get serious.

Trik scanned the room taking in every person while his mind cataloged how they could best be useful against the dark elves. They needed to be smart in the way that they went after Cassie’s parents as well as how they would attack Lorsan. There would be little room for error because making one could well mean someone’s life.

“I will be honest,” Trik began. “I’m still trying to decide how we will pursue our enemy and in which order. It seems that we must be entirely too strong for one foe, so fate has decided that we needed another. Of course, it could just be my punishment for centuries of wrong doing. It will take a lot to atone for my iniquity and, perhaps, saving my race as well as the race of my Chosen will be a good start on the road toward redemption.”

“You are not the only one with skeletons, literal or not, in his closet,” Tony spoke up. “The point is, you’ve made your choice and have turned from that life. We don’t have to look back anymore. The only thing that is important is that we keep moving forward.”

The group seemed to nod in agreement, and having their approval eased the tightness that had been building in his chest.

“Can I make a suggestion?” Cassie stepped up next to his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He felt pride at having her be at his side not just as his Chosen but as his partner. “There are going to be risks regardless of what plan of action we take. Perhaps, it would be smart to consider splitting into two groups. We can cover more ground that way. One group could go after Tarron and the other could head to Vegas to deal with Lorsan.”

It was one of the plans that Trik had already been considering. But like Cassie said, there were risks. Obviously, one of those risks was that splitting up would make their forces weaker. There was strength in numbers and Trik didn’t know how he could get any more light elves into the human realm if Lorsan was watching the portals. If Trik commanded his warriors to come through the portals, he might simply be sending them to their deaths before they had the opportunity to help. However, if they stayed together as one group, it would take longer to deal with both threats.

“We will support whatever decision you choose,” Cush assured him, not that Trik expected anything less from them.

After several minutes of consideration, he finally came up with a decision. “We’re going to split. I realize that means splitting our power, but I don’t think time is a luxury that we have and staying as one group would make everything take longer. Cush” ―he pointed to the warrior― “you will lead Elora, Oakley, Lisa, and Syndra. I will take Cassie, Tamsin, Rin, and Tony.” Trik looked over at Tamsin. “I hate to separate you and your Chosen, but it allows us to more evenly divide our magic wielders.”

“Unlike you and your female, we are able to keep our hands off of one another for longer than a few seconds,” Syndra said shooting him a sweet smile that was anything but.

“What she means is that we understand and are fine with it,” Tamsin reiterated.

“No,” ―Syndra shook her head― “that’s what you meant. I meant that Trik and Cassie are incapable of being separated for any amount of time because of their need to go at it like rabbits.”

Cassie let out a snort.

Syndra gave her a playful wink before turning back to Trik who didn’t look bothered in the least by her ribbing.

“Cush,” Trik continued as if the interlude hadn’t just happened. “You and yours will head to Vegas. Do some recon. See if you can hear any talk about The Book of the Elves. Lorsan will no doubt have bragged to someone about it. Syndra, if you could use a little glamour magic. I know that it won’t work on all the elves, but maybe we’ll catch a break, and you will find something out before being seen. Then see about stopping the distribution of the Rapture. Find where they’re storing it and destroy it.”

“What about the portals?” Cush asked.

Trik’s lips tightened. “We can’t risk it. We will have to travel as humans do.” He could tell that it frustrated the warriors as much as it did him because it was just one more way that Lorsan had the upper hand. “Those coming with me will head after Tarron.” The dark elf’s name tasted like rotten bread on his tongue not only because the worm desired his Chosen but because Trik knew the elf personally. He knew what depravity Tarron was capable of, and it sickened him even when he had been loyal to the dark elves.

“Quick question,” Elora said raising her hand. “How exactly do you plan to go after Tarron without knowing where he is?”

“I’ve known Tarron for a long time.” Too long, Trik thought to himself. “I have an idea of where he’s taken Cassie’s parents. If I’m wrong, well we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

They might cross it, Trik thought, or they might just go crashing down with the bridge as it collapses on them all.

Lorsan stood in the office of Iniquity, which, until recently, had belonged to the human male, Tony. The human had betrayed him. After centuries of relationship between his family and the dark elves and all the benefits that came with that relationship, he’d tossed it aside as if it were nothing. Lorsan wasn’t worried. The male would get his due for his traitorous ways.

A sudden fight on the main floor erupted and took his attention away from Tony. He couldn’t stop the large smile that stretched across his face as he watched two men tear into one another. They were near the bar so it no doubt had something to do with a certain drink that was becoming an addiction for the humans. His security team had the two men surrounded in a matter of seconds helping minimize the damage to his casino. Lorsan had found that to be one of the downfalls of the Rapture. The animosity the withdraw symptoms caused was wreaking havoc on the interior of Iniquity. He’d had to replace many bar stools, ashtrays, and broken glasses. Had he not been making a fortune on the Rapture, the repair expenses might have been concerning. But as it was, the Rapture was selling better than he could have predicted. It had been so easy to distribute; he already had it in multiple venues other than the casinos. He knew the violence and stupidity he had witnessed in Iniquity would soon spread outside its walls and then outside the city.

The power he felt at having so easily ensnared the humans was so heady he nearly felt drunk on it. Lorsan was beginning to realize that he didn’t have to stop with just making money off of the desperate people. With a drug as addicting as Rapture, he could bring the entire human race to kneel before him.

“What wicked scheme are you working up, mate?” Ilyrana asked as she slipped into the room.

“I was just thinking.” Lorsan turned his body partially away from the one-way glass so he could see his Chosen.

“A dangerous pastime,” she teased.

“Imagine ruling more than just the dark elf realm.” His eyes narrowed but grew unfocused as he pictured the future. “We could rule this realm as well. The humans are so easily influenced it would not take much to take over completely. Think about it, my love; we wouldn’t be subject to the Forest Lords. We would be our own lords. And with The Book of the Elves in our possession, we could make our magic even more powerful—as powerful as it once was in the ancient times.”

“I’ve always loved your ambition,” she purred as she stepped closer to him, pressing her body intimately against his. “It’s one of your most attractive attributes.”

Lorsan’s skin heated with desire but before he could act on the feelings building inside of him, the door to the office swung open with a loud thud as the knob hit the wall. He pushed Ilyrana aside and glared at the dark elf who dared to barge in on him, but the look on the male’s face gave him pause.

“We have a serious problem,” the elf said through clenched teeth.

“If you tell me the book is gone, I will skin you alive,” Lorsan snarled and the elf paled.

“N-n-no,” he stuttered. “It’s not the book. It’s the humans. There’s been a break in.”

“In the safe?” Lorsan asked.

The elf shook his head. “No, in the storeroom. Where the drinks are kept,” he clarified.

Realization dawned on Lorsan as his eyes widened. “The Rapture,” he whispered.

“They’re stealing it,” the male confirmed. “A lot of it.”