by Quinn Loftis
Cush heard Oakley shift behind him but he didn’t turn to see what the human was doing. He didn’t trust Lorsan as far as he could throw him, and he knew that if he let his guard down for a split second the king would take advantage of it.
“What I’m looking for at the moment is of no concern to you,” Cush said through clenched teeth. He didn’t want Lorsan to know that he knew he might have his Chosen.
“You won’t find her or her companion,” Lorsan taunted.
Cush’s jaw was so tight he was surprised he didn’t break any teeth as he stared down Lorsan. If he honestly thought he could keep him from the woman he loved, he truly was a fool. “If you’ve hurt her in any way there will be no place you can hide that I won’t find you.”
Lorsan’s brow drew together as his lips pursed. “You seem to have an unhealthy attachment to this female. Does her mate know?”
His comment had Cush feeling as though the ground had been jerked out from beneath his feet. Her mate? He was her mate. His heart sped up as the meaning of the dark elf’s words sank in, and he realized that Lorsan had said her companion, and Elora had been alone when he’d lost her. If Lorsan wasn’t talking about Elora, then he had to be talking about Syndra and Lisa. How on earth had Syndra managed to allow them to be captured? Tamsin was going to kill Cush if anything happened to his Chosen regardless of the fact that Syndra had more power in her pinky than Cush had in his entire body. Tamsin would still expect him to make sure no harm came to Syndra or to Lisa.
“Tamsin will rip the flesh from your body if you hurt either of them. You have to know that you won’t get away with any of this.” Cush was trying to concentrate on the conversation but it was getting more and more difficult to think about anything but Elora. If Lorsan didn’t have her then where the hell was she? He felt Oakley tense beside him as he must have realized that they were speaking about his mother.
Lorsan sneered. “I’m going to let you and the human walk out of here,” he told them as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “But only because I want you to give Tamsin and Trik a message. It is a fool’s errand to stand against me. I will destroy anyone who attempts to get in my way, and Tamsin will never see his Chosen again if they don’t stop their pursuit. Now, unless you plan on spending some money in my casino, I suggest you leave.” The dark elf king turned on his heels and walked away from them, confident that they would obey.
“He’s a pleasant fellow,” Oakley said from behind Cush.
“He’s a sadistic, sick, deranged SOB,” Cush grumbled as he turned and pushed Oakley along with him.
“Okay, so you’re keeping it real, I get that. I, however, was just going for low key. But we can go with sadistic SOB.”
“You forgot sick and deranged,” Cush offered as they stepped out of the casino onto the busy sidewalk.
“Did you happen to catch the part about him having caught Syndra and my mom but not saying anything about my sister?” Oakley asked as Cush looked up and down both directions of the street.
It took everything in him not to roar out in frustration. Of course, he’d caught that; of course, he was now freaking out even more about his missing Chosen.
“Why are you so calm about your mom being captured by Lorsan?”
Oakley grinned. “Uh, because she’s with Syndra. That she-elf has got some powerful mojo. The fact that she didn’t kick Lorsan in the balls with a little magic behind it tells me that she let herself and my mom get caught.”
“Sounds like something Syndra would do,” Cush grumbled. “These dang women are going to be the death of our male race.”
“So, not to be pushy or anything, but what are we going to do now?”
“Honestly,” Cush finally said. “I don’t know. Every natural instinct I have is telling me to find Elora to make sure she’s safe.”
“But,” Oakley prompted.
“But the warrior in me is saying never leave anyone behind, especially females. It will destroy Tamsin if something happens to her.”
“Even though she’s not alone, I would prefer that my mom not be in the hands of a deranged SOB.”
“You forgot sick,” Cush interrupted.
Oakley shook his head and let out a sigh. “Fine, a sick, deranged SOB, but she has Syndra. Elora has no one. What if something happens to my sister?” the human challenged.
Cush’s eyes met Oakley’s and he took a step closer. His voice was a low growl as he responded. “You think this is an easy choice for me? You think I’m not dying to tear this city to the ground looking for her? She is my Chosen and to you those might be just words but for me it means she is a part of me. Her soul calls out to mine and mine to her. The emptiness I feel inside without her by my side is like a black hole threatening to swallow me from the inside out. Do not for one second presume to think that this is a decision that I make on a whim.” Cush’s breathing had picked up during his tirade and his voice had risen several notches. He took a step back from Oakley and attempted to gather his usually controlled emotions.
Oakley held up his hands and took his own step back. “I really didn’t mean any disrespect, man. And I get it. I feel like I’m having to choose between my mom and my sister, but I know my mom will strangle me when she finds out that we stopped looking for Elora to rescue them. But, Elora trusts you, and I imagine she would be pretty ticked off with you if you left Syndra and our mom in the hands of Lorsan.”
Cush nodded. “She’d have a few choice words for me, no doubt.” His soul was still not at peace with his decision. He knew he couldn’t leave the two females, but he didn’t know if he could keep himself from looking for Elora in order to rescue the light elf queen and his Chosen’s mother. He pulled out his phone but paused before dialing. Cush was about to disobey a direct order from the king but regardless of the consequences he knew it was what he had to do.
Tamsin picked up on the second ring. “Where is she?” he asked instead of a hello.
“Lorsan has her, as well as Lisa.” The words tasted like acid on his tongue as the sting of failure pierced him. “Elora is missing,” he continued. “I don’t want to leave the females but―”
“I’m on my way. I’m using the mirrors. I’ll fight Lorsan’s minions to get through if I have to. You find your Chosen and once the females are safe we will finish this.” The light elf king hung up without another word.
“Now what?” Oakley asked.
Cush shoved the phone in his back pocket and began walking. “Now we keep looking for my mate and wait for the inevitable phone call that Triktapic will no doubt be making.”
“Tamsin is going to come and get Syndra and my mom?”
Cush nodded as his paced picked up. He was growing desperate with the need to see Elora and to see that she was safe and in one piece.
Fifteen minutes later his phone vibrated. He answered it without looking at the screen; he knew who it was.
“If Tamsin is coming there then I need you here.” Trik’s clipped voice came through the speaker.
“I have to find Elora,” Cush replied with as much respect as he could muster.
“Well since she’s on her way here you should have no problem with that endeavor. Don’t travel through the portals with Oakley. I’ve already gotten you both a ticket to fly out in two hours. We don’t know how Elora is traveling so you might actually beat her here if she’s taking a bus.”
“How do you know Elora is coming there? Have you talked to her? Is she alright?” Cush once again felt off balance as the carpet was pulled out from under him.
“I will explain it when you get here. Don’t miss your flight.” The line went dead.
“They found Elora?” Oakley asked as his eyes brightened.
Cush felt as if someone else was controlling his body as he nodded in response and once again slipped the phone into his pocket. “We need to catch a flight.”
“Why didn’t Trik tell you he knew where she was when you talked with him earlier?”
“I don’t know an
d at the moment I don’t care. I just need to see her.” He held out his hand and hailed down a cab. They climbed in and he told the driver to get them to the airport. But after that there were no more words. He was too focused on the fact that he would soon see his Chosen. And after he assured himself that she was in one piece, he was going to have to figure out a way to keep from throttling her for scaring him so badly. He and his little raven were going to have a very long discussion that may or may not end up with her chained to his side.
Chapter 7
“The saying goes that pride comes before a fall. I can agree with that to a certain extent, but I honestly think it should be changed to stupid guarantees a fall.” ~Syndra
Tamsin stepped through the mirror of the motel bathroom and immediately felt the presence of other elves. He raised his hands, gathering power, ready to deflect any attack while at the same time picturing the room he’d stayed in the first time they all went to Vegas to confront Tony. The blast came from his right side and he felt the rush of the power before it reached him. Tamsin threw his own blast back at it, stopping the magic from hitting him. Whoever Lorsan had guarding the portals, they weren’t very powerful, which meant the dark elf king was focusing his attention on other things. Just as his foot stepped out of the portal, he felt heat at his back and twisted at the waist to fire back at the dark elf he could finally see. Tamsin threw his magic over and over at the elf until he retreated, giving him time to turn and push through the mirror into the lush room.
He waited several seconds, staring back at the mirror waiting to see if the dark elf would attempt pursuit. When nothing happened he stood up from his crouched position and looked around the room. It appeared to be empty, which was lucky since he really didn’t want to have to fool with humans who might have a slight problem with someone stepping out of their mirror.
Tamsin closed his eyes and allowed his soul to search for its mate, and he hoped that Lisa was with her or at least near her. He knew she was close, so that meant Lorsan hadn’t taken her to the dark elf realm. He allowed all of his focus to be centered on her—Syndra’s smooth skin and her bright eyes that twinkled with mischief when she looked at him. Tamsin thought of her voice, her smell, her touch, and every unique attribute that made her special and different. Finally, he felt her. The intensity of the feeling was weak, which told him that Lorsan had used iron to bind her to lessen her magic. Knowing that the evil dark elf had stripped his Chosen of some of her power made Tamsin want to crush the dark elf king. Soon enough, he would have his chance.
He moved swiftly through the suite, his steps inhumanly quiet. Stepping out into the hall, he glanced left and right, looking for any potential threat, but the hall was empty. Once again Tamsin brought his focus back to Syndra. He felt her presence below him so he headed for the exit sign at the end of the hall indicating a stairwell.
Tamsin descended the stairs several at a time, his footfalls never making a sound. It didn’t matter how fast he moved, however, it still wasn’t fast enough. Just before he hit the ground floor landing, the door opened and two men stepped into sight right in front of him. Tamsin registered right away that they weren’t human, and he moved with hundreds of years of battle experience as his hand flew out and pushed into the chest of the closest elf. He flung a ball of power along with it and the male hit the door with a hard thud and then crumbled to the ground. With no pause in his movements, the light elf king turned his body in a quick rotation and backhanded the other man, again pushing power into the movement. The second elf crashed to the ground as well. Neither of them so much as twitched.
He moved their bodies so he could shut the door and then, without a backward glance, continued to descend the stairs. After two more flights, Tamsin felt a rush of magic flow over him, and he knew he’d just passed through some sort of glamour that hid that part of the building from humans. The scent of iron was a pungent stench to his senses. He could even taste it on his tongue as he walked further down a long hallway. Tamsin was close to losing what little composure he had as the corridor seemed to go on forever. He knew he was going the right direction because he could feel himself getting closer to his Chosen. He didn’t want to call out to her in case there were guards so he just kept going.
“Were you planning on just walking past without so much as a hello?”
Her voice came out of the dark to the right of him. Tamsin’s head snapped to look at the solid wall next to him.
“Syndra?” he asked tentatively.
“It seems I have found myself in a little bit of a pickle. When I gave myself up, I underestimated Lorsan’s ability to keep me captured. I have been attempting to use what little power I have flowing through me to escape, but…” She let the word trail off as her still captive state explained the rest of her statement.
“I can hear you, but I can’t see you. There is no door in this wall, just stone. He pressed his hand to the bricks and though he could feel the thrum of the iron, the wall he was touching was not made of iron.
“The iron is only on the inside of the cells. Turns out that louse of a king actually does have a few brain cells that work.”
“You can see me?” Tamsin asked.
“That I can and I must tell you how attractive you are to me in this moment. I guess there is something to be said for wanting what you can’t have.”
Tamsin tried not to laugh because he truly didn’t not find the situation funny, but his female had a wicked sense of humor. He knew she was doing it to distract him, to keep him calm, and it was working to an extent. “So you’re saying you want me more now because I’m over here and you’re over there?”
“If you really wanted to tease me, king of mine, you could start removing clothing.”
Tamsin could picture the smile that would be playing on her lips and the gleam in her eyes. Yes, his mate definitely had a sharp tongue and a witty mind to go along with it. “As much as I would love to please you, I don’t think now is the time for me to disrobe.”
“Oh dear, you know what it does to me when you use antiquated words like disrobe. I’m practically trembling with desire.” She laughed at her own words which only made him smile bigger.
“Are you going to help me get you out of there, or do you just want to stay in there and tell me all about those desires?”
Syndra let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s a tough decision, but considering we still have to get The Book of the Elves back and kill Lorsan, I suppose the fulfillment of desires will have to wait. Perhaps, you could build us some sort of cage for a little deprivation playtime.”
“I’ll build you whatever you want, love. Just help me figure out how to get through this wall.”
“Not to interrupt the reunion that will no doubt become embarrassing to all of us once she’s out, but I just want to throw out that I’m over here and would love to be released as well and would very much prefer it if Tamsin kept his clothes on.” Lisa’s voice came from directly behind him which meant she too was in a cell that had no apparent door.
“I didn’t forget about you, Lisa,” Syndra assured. “I just had a momentary lapse in focus. I’m going to blame it on the iron.”
“Probably better than admitting that your libido got the best of you. I’d hate to have to share that tidbit with Elora and Cassie,” Lisa muttered under her breath though she knew the she elf would hear her.
Elora’s hands fidgeted as she sat on the bus staring out of the dusty window. The air was stale in the confined space, and though she knew she was getting closer to her destination, she felt trapped. It was irrational to think that traveling on foot would be faster than the bus, but sitting still, even in a moving vehicle, was making her antsy.
She bit her lip hard. The pain seemed to give her seconds of clarity, and it was in those few seconds that she questioned what she was doing. But it wasn’t long enough for her to grab a hold of the thoughts and make sense of them. She had to get to New Orleans, but why? She felt as though she was leaving something importa
nt behind but couldn’t remember what it was. Though all of those things sucked, the worst of it was feeling like she was being torn in two―like her very soul was separating itself from her body because it didn’t agree with what she was doing. In her mind she could picture herself attempting to grasp it, but like running water, it just slipped through her fingers.
“You’ve got to pull it together,” Elora whispered fiercely to herself, though she was pretty sure she needed more than a good pep talk. What she really needed was to talk to Cassie. She’d already thought that several times but each time she’d gone to reach for her cell phone, she’d stop herself. Elora would like to say that she was talking herself out of calling, but her voice wasn’t the one she was hearing in her head. Something or someone else was whispering these things to her. Maybe it should have scared her, but really all it did was tick her off. She wasn’t one to relinquish control easily, especially if she didn’t know she was doing it. But once again her brain fogged over and all she could think about was how badly she wanted to get to New Orleans―to, well, whatever the hell it was she was trying to get to.
As she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, her mind drifted in a murky haze. Through the haze a face kept staring back at her. He was handsome, but there was something sinister about the small smirk on his face. Regardless of the danger she sensed lurking beneath the surface of the face, Elora wanted nothing more than to meet the man behind that smirk. For some reason beyond her understanding, she knew that this person represented the destination to which she was headed. He was what was waiting for her in New Orleans.
Tarron pulled the door closed silencing the human male’s voice. He was so very sick of listening to Cassandra’s father attempting to bargain for his mate’s release. He supposed he should at least respect the man for being willing to sacrifice himself for his female, but then it was very difficult for him to find anything about humans that he could respect. They were weak, and the only fate for those that were weak was destruction.
