and had access to her thoughts.
Cassie opened up her mind fully and let the dream replay for him. She felt Trik’s body grow tenser as it unfolded. Finally, after several minutes of silence, he sat up and climbed out of the bed. He was in his sleep pants but that was all and for a brief moment Cassie had to appreciate the fact that her elf was seriously sexy shirtless.
“Tarron attempted a love spell on my Chosen?” Trik asked, though she knew he wasn’t really expecting an answer.
“I don’t really think that’s what’s important at this point, Trik. He may have thought he was doing it to me, but he actually succeeded in doing it to Elora. The Voodoo priestess said Elora is already on her way here.”
He stopped his pacing long enough to look at her, and she could tell when it finally clicked that Cassie hadn’t been the one affected by the spell. She watched as he walked over to the small bedside table that had seen better days. He grabbed his cell phone and pushed a couple buttons before putting it to his ear.
“Cush,” he barked into the phone. “Where’s your Chosen?”
Cassie crossed her fingers, hoping that Cush would say Elora was right there by his side. But she might as well have been wishing for trees to produce cotton candy instead of leaves; it just wasn’t going to happen.
“How long has she been missing?” Trik asked.
Cassie felt her pulse speed up.
“Keep looking for her. Deal with Lorsan if you have time.” He set the phone back down and shut his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why didn’t you tell him?” Cassie’s voice sounded smaller than she’d intended.
“Because the last thing I need is one of my most powerful warriors to come barreling into New Orleans ready to make heads roll and causing chaos. We can deal with Elora. Cush would better serve us by dealing with Lorsan. He and Syndra should be able to hold their own.”
“He’s going to be very angry with you once he finds out,” she pointed out. “Think of how you would feel if it was me, and he didn’t tell you where I was?”
Trik’s eyebrows dropped low on his forehead and his eyes flashed a dangerous silver. “Yes, I would be beyond pissed if he kept such information from me, but I am his king and it’s my call to make. I have to consider what is best for everyone involved, not Cush’s emotions.”
“So what do we do now?”
He turned toward the hotel door and Cassie felt as if he was trying to look straight through it. “We seek out this priestess and find out the price.”
“Something tells me that it isn’t going to be something as simple as a drop of blood,” she muttered as Trik took her hand and pulled her toward the door.
“Your pension for thinking positive is truly astounding, Cassandra,” Trik teased.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Forgive me if I don’t live in fantasy land where the good guy always wins and evil is vanquished. The movies make it look so easy.”
Trik looked back at her as he knocked on the door of the other room. “You’re right. The cost that comes at defeating evil is much greater than people realize. But it is always worth it, no matter how painful.”
C ush felt as though Trik wasn’t telling him something. Something in his voice had sounded off, but then who was he to question the king? He continued walking through the crowded casinos with Oakley at his side, and with every step a sense of foreboding grew in his chest. He kept waiting for the discomfort that should be happening because of his separation from Elora to start, but there was no pain. He wondered if she was suffering, if she was in the hands of the crazy dark elf king? He couldn’t let his mind dwell on that. If all he worried about were the possibilities of her circumstances, then he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on finding her.
“I would ask if you two are enjoying yourselves, but frankly I don’t give a damn.”
Cush stopped in midstep as Lorsan’s voice
Cassie opened up her mind fully and let the dream replay for him. She felt Trik’s body grow tenser as it unfolded. Finally, after several minutes of silence, he sat up and climbed out of the bed. He was in his sleep pants but that was all and for a brief moment Cassie had to appreciate the fact that her elf was seriously sexy shirtless.
“Tarron attempted a love spell on my Chosen?” Trik asked, though she knew he wasn’t really expecting an answer.
“I don’t really think that’s what’s important at this point, Trik. He may have thought he was doing it to me, but he actually succeeded in doing it to Elora. The Voodoo priestess said Elora is already on her way here.”
He stopped his pacing long enough to look at her, and she could tell when it finally clicked that Cassie hadn’t been the one affected by the spell. She watched as he walked over to the small bedside table that had seen better days. He grabbed his cell phone and pushed a couple buttons before putting it to his ear.
“Cush,” he barked into the phone. “Where’s your Chosen?”
Cassie crossed her fingers, hoping that Cush would say Elora was right there by his side. But she might as well have been wishing for trees to produce cotton candy instead of leaves; it just wasn’t going to happen.
“How long has she been missing?” Trik asked.
Cassie felt her pulse speed up.
“Keep looking for her. Deal with Lorsan if you have time.” He set the phone back down and shut his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why didn’t you tell him?” Cassie’s voice sounded smaller than she’d intended.
“Because the last thing I need is one of my most powerful warriors to come barreling into New Orleans ready to make heads roll and causing chaos. We can deal with Elora. Cush would better serve us by dealing with Lorsan. He and Syndra should be able to hold their own.”
“He’s going to be very angry with you once he finds out,” she pointed out. “Think of how you would feel if it was me, and he didn’t tell you where I was?”
Trik’s eyebrows dropped low on his forehead and his eyes flashed a dangerous silver. “Yes, I would be beyond pissed if he kept such information from me, but I am his king and it’s my call to make. I have to consider what is best for everyone involved, not Cush’s emotions.”
“So what do we do now?”
He turned toward the hotel door and Cassie felt as if he was trying to look straight through it. “We seek out this priestess and find out the price.”
“Something tells me that it isn’t going to be something as simple as a drop of blood,” she muttered as Trik took her hand and pulled her toward the door.
“Your pension for thinking positive is truly astounding, Cassandra,” Trik teased.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Forgive me if I don’t live in fantasy land where the good guy always wins and evil is vanquished. The movies make it look so easy.”
Trik looked back at her as he knocked on the door of the other room. “You’re right. The cost that comes at defeating evil is much greater than people realize. But it is always worth it, no matter how painful.”
C ush felt as though Trik wasn’t telling him something. Something in his voice had sounded off, but then who was he to question the king? He continued walking through the crowded casinos with Oakley at his side, and with every step a sense of foreboding grew in his chest. He kept waiting for the discomfort that should be happening because of his separation from Elora to start, but there was no pain. He wondered if she was suffering, if she was in the hands of the crazy dark elf king? He couldn’t let his mind dwell on that. If all he worried about were the possibilities of her circumstances, then he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on finding her.
“I would ask if you two are enjoying yourselves, but frankly I don’t give a damn.”
Cush stopped in midstep as Lorsan’s voice
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