Elfin

Chapter 1-2

Cassie’s mouth dropped open when she noticed that their ears were pointed at the tips. Not sort of pointed, like some people have, which are often described as ‘elfin’ in appearance. No, these ears were well and truly pointed, strikingly different from anything she had ever seen before, so much so that the points of their ears stuck out through their long hair. Cassie blinked her eyes and rubbed them fiercely, trying to make sure that she wasn’t just seeing things that weren’t really there. It was getting late, but not so late she was tired enough to begin hallucinating. She looked away from their ears and instead studied their faces. Again, she noticed that they were inhumanly attractive. Everything about their faces was perfect. High cheekbones, straight, perfectly proportioned noses, pale, smooth, flawless skin that appeared to shimmer under the florescent lights. Then she noticed that their eyes, which, like their pointy ears, seemed unbelievable. They sparkled, containing peculiar hues that matched the color of their hair.

One of the beautiful men stood from the table and she saw he was unusually tall. His fitted clothes left no wonder to his body structure. This man’s hair shimmered a dark blue, and his eyes were a matching sapphire. He was muscular, but far from bulky. He was built for speed and agility. He wore loose fitting brown pants that appeared as if they would allow him to move without hindrance. The material of his white shirt looked to be the same as his pants and, while it also seemed to be fitted to allow maximum movement, was tight enough to reveal a flat stomach. His chest was broad, but not too thick. His arms, even covered by the sleeves of his shirt, were obviously muscular.

The man began to walk around the table and she noted that his movements were so smooth as to be catlike in their grace. He walked confidently, owning the room and commanding the attention of the others. As he drew closer to the back of the room, nearer to where Cassie stood on the other side of the glass, she held her breath, wondering if he could hear her. He stopped only feet away from her on the other side of the wall and his eyes snapped up, meeting hers. His piercing stare seemed to root her in the spot, even though everything inside her was telling her to run as fast and far as she could from the room and the beautiful men that occupied it. His lips began to move and the motion of another man standing behind him tore her eyes from the intense stare. The other man was moving toward the door. Cassie made a quick decision, albeit, probably the wrong quick decision. Instead of sprinting to her dad’s office, she turned and ran in the opposite direction, grabbing the handle of the first door she came to. The door opened into an empty office next to the conference room. She rushed inside and pulled the door closed, pushing the lock in place, not bothering to check and see if the room was empty. Once again, probably the wrong decision.

Her breath came in rapid pants and her heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to jump straight out of her chest. She pressed her ear to the door, listening to see if she had been followed. When she didn’t hear anything she turned, pressing her back to the door and tilting her head up. Her eyes closed as she let out a long, nervous breath. She stood there for several moments composing herself before she felt someone’s eyes on her. Letting out an inward groan before she opened her eyes, she nearly whimpered, knowing she was going to find someone staring at her. Deciding there was nothing left to do but face the individual, she opened her eyes and slowly scanned the room. They stopped on a figure leaning against the wall with his arm’s crossed. He looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world and didn’t appear a bit surprised by her sudden entrance.

She couldn’t move or speak. Like the men she had just seen, he was gorgeous, unbelievably so. Clearly, he was connected to them in some way. For a moment, the man seemed to flicker and then, right before her eyes, transformed into someone else. The flicker happened in an instant, but in that brief span of time, Cassie saw an equally gorgeous person, similar to the original man, standing in the room with her. Then the figure returned to his original appearance. She frowned, puzzled by the strange occurrence, but was quickly distracted when he spoke to her.

“Well hello, Beautiful.” His voice was deep, resonating to her very soul. It was smooth and as flawless as his form.

Cassie still couldn’t speak. Her mind was too busy taking in his appearance. His hair, dark as midnight, fell across his forehead and was long enough to tuck behind his ears. Long lashes framed his silver eyes, which shined when they caught the light. He had high cheekbones and a straight, aristocratic nose. His lips were red and full, and appeared to Cassie as if they were made for all things pleasurable. He was tall and, like the other men that she had seen in the conference room, muscular but not overly so. If his looks were not enough to disarm her, then adding the clothing would take care of it. If she had to describe his clothes in one word it would be ‘medieval.’ He wore black pants, that appeared to be the same material as the others, fitted to his form, a black shirt that was molded to his arms and over the shirt he wore a black vest that looked like it was designed for protection more than style. He had on black boots that came up over his pants and laced all the way around his claves. Her eyes ran slowly back up his body and when they returned to his face, she saw a smug, knowing smile. She blushed at having been caught, obviously ogling him.

“Had your fill?” he asked her and teasing was evident in the mischief dancing in his unusual silver eyes. He continued to watch her and seemed to be waiting for something, but Cassie’s mind was lost in a fog of desire and longing. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. “I’m wondering if someone as beautiful as you can speak,” he said. “And if so, will the intelligence level be so wanting that it ruins the outer package.”

That caught her attention and she pushed through the fog.

“Are you asking if I’m an i***t?” Cassie said incredulously after finding her voice.

He smiled a slow, Cheshire Cat smile and the look in his eyes made her shiver.

“She speaks.” He uncrossed his arms and one hand came up to cover his heart as he pushed away from the wall and took a step toward her, “and her voice is a caress to my soul. I suppose if you have a voice like that then I could tolerate you not being the brightest bulb in the box.”

Cassie’s mouth dropped open at the insult. She too pushed away from the door, not considering the fact that she was in a locked room with a guy she didn’t know, who looked dangerous and unpredictable.

“What makes you an authority on intelligence levels?” she snapped.

He took another step toward her, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I’m a genius,” he answered with a look that said ‘duh.’

“Oh. Well in that case, you being an ass is totally okay.” Cassie let out an exasperated breath as she continued to watch him.

“Perhaps I am being a tad rude.” He stepped closer still and was suddenly only a couple feet from her. He swept down in a dramatic bow and stood back up, looking at her with smoldering eyes that caused Cassie to hold her breath.

“My apologies, my lady. Will you allow me to start our introduction over?”

Cassie could still hear the playfulness in his voice, but there was something else there as well, something that made her feel as if he really wanted to know her. He reached out his hand, waiting for her to reciprocate. She looked at the hand and then back up at the man. Something in her screamed, ‘don’t do it’ and yet she slowly lifted her hand and placed it in his. He wrapped his strong fingers around her delicate ones and his eyes squeezed closed. She felt a jolt of power burst up her arms. She wanted to pull away, yet she also wanted to wrap herself in his arms, to have him touch her, kiss her, love her.

Her eyes, which had closed at some point, popped open suddenly. Love? WTH, she thought to herself. Cassie, get a clue, he’s dangerous. It’s written all over his lovely face. Yes, he is, but I still want him. She frowned at the petulant voice her subconscious had suddenly become. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She felt her feet moving forward and realized that he was pulling her to him. She was standing mere inches from his face. Cassie tilted her head back to look up at him and found his silver eyes staring back at her. His brow was furrowed and she could see the questions on his face.

“You saw me?” he asked her, disbelievingly. “My true form, you saw it.”

“What do you mean?” she replied, her voice wavering under his intense scrutiny.

“Cassie, beautiful Cassie, what are you? How could you possibly see my true form?” He still held her hand in his. With his other hand, he ran a finger down her jaw, causing her to shiver again. She wanted to take a step back, needed to take a step back, but she couldn’t move.

“How do you know my name?” she asked.

His lips lifted in a crooked smile. “I saw it in your mind,” he said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Cassie tried to pull her hand away but he tightened his hold.

“You think you can read my mind?” she asked slowly, as if speaking to a child.

“I don’t think I can read your mind, I know I can. But ‘read’ is not exactly the word I would use.” His finger was now trailing slowly, so very slowly, across Cassie’s bottom lip. “I know you think my lips are made for pleasure.”

Cassie felt the blood rush to her face in embarrassment. “Oh,” she squeaked out.

She cleared her throat and tried again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But this came out more as a question than the firm statement she’d intended.

His finger continued to run gently across her jaw and down her neck to her collarbone.

“I also know about the time you fell out of the tree in your front yard and broke your arm because you were trying to rescue the neighbor’s cat. I know you aren’t sure you even believe in prayer or the One you pray to, but it comforts you. I know you think your best friend is prettier than you are and I know you do not see yourself clearly if you can possibly believe that.”

Cassie’s breath was coming in short gasps. She’d just met this person. She didn’t even know his name. Yet he was calmly telling her things about herself he couldn’t possibly know. Cassie felt like she was suffocating. She couldn’t get enough air and her sight was beginning to fade.

“Come on, Beautiful, breathe for me.” His voice sounded far away, though she knew he was standing inches from her.

Cassie felt his breath on her face as he spoke. His scent swirled around her. As she inhaled and exhaled, Cassie felt like she might be drunk on the smell. She felt him brush her hair away from her face and then tilt her chin back to look up at him. She blinked as she looked at his inhumanly handsome face. She saw his features flicker again. For a brief moment, he had long, pitch black hair, pointed ears, and eyes so silver and clear that they shimmered like diamonds. His face shifted slightly. If she thought that he couldn’t be even more beautiful, she was wrong. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was again looking at the man with shorter dark hair, regular ears, and eyes that were a more subdued, yet stunning grey.