Rapture (Elfin Series) (13 page)

“You’re mother understands what we are.” His voice was tight with anger. “She knows that it will be painful for us to be separated.”

“True,” Elora conceded, “but you could have been a tad bit more polite than the whole
Elora stays with me
bit. And then closing the door in all of their faces, well that was just classic.” She sat down on the large, over stuffed sofa. Smoothing out her short black skirt she noticed that the black fishnet tights she wore had begun to fade and now looked closer to a dark shade of grey. She crossed one leg over the other and grimaced as the heavy combat boots on her feet weighed down her leg uncomfortably. When she looked back up to where he stood her breath caught as the intensity of his stare pierced her soul. “Cush?” she asked cautiously.

It was several seconds before he finally answered her. “You can’t come with us
, Elora.”

“Didn’t you just say that it would be pa
inful for us to be separated?” she countered.

“It
is merely uncomfortable as long as we are in agreement to be a part. But it is painful when we are forced a part.”

“Believe me
, you don’t have to explain. I saw what it did to Cassie when she was separated from Trik. But what makes you think that I will agree to stay here while you go to take on the dark elves?” She pushed herself up from the couch, suddenly very agitated at his calm demeanor. “I understand that you don’t want me to get hurt. I get that because I don’t want you to get hurt. But why do guys always think it’s fair to ask the chicks to stay behind where they will have to sit around and wonder if the man they care about is alright?”

“You aren’t a warrior
, Elora,” he said in exasperation as his arms fell to his side and he took a step towards her. “I have been fighting for a very long time. I am very good at what I do.”

“Oh
, I bet you are,” she muttered under her breath and then blushed when his eyes widened at her. “What? Sorry, I tend to get a little snarky when I’m frustrated.”

“The point is
…the reason males ask their females to stay behind is because it is in our genetic makeup to protect what is ours. You are my Chosen and I will protect you from everything, even yourself.”

Elora snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that. What are you going to tie me up or something?”

An eyebrow rose on his gorgeous face. “Bloody hell, you would, wouldn’t you?” she asked.

“There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to keep you safe,” he admitted shamelessly.

“At the risk of sounding utterly cliché, you can’t protect me from everything,” she pointed out.

His lips twitched and she could tell that he was amused with her. “Maybe not, but I can protect you from this.”

“And you aren’t the least bit worried about leaving me and my dark nature in Sin City?”

His eyes narrowed on her and she felt a shiver of awareness crawl down her spine. “About that,” he started and her attention was caught on his mouth as he licked his lips. She didn’t think he was tr
ying to be seductive, but man alive if he wasn’t just naturally so. His eyes grazed over her, leisurely starting at her feet and slowly climbing. “You mentioned that you thought it was time for the Little Raven to spread her wings,” his voice caressed her suddenly overly sensitized skin.

“I might have said something along those lines,” she admitted with a shaky voice.

“If you really feel that is necessary, or if there is some,” he paused and his eyes latched onto hers, “urge that you need to act on because we are in Vegas and your dark-elf nature is demanding it, there’s no need for you to wait until I leave.”

“Really?” she nearly squeaked out. She cleared her throat and forced herself to pull it together
, though she was slowly becoming a puddle at his feet. “Why is that exactly?”

“Because I am more than happy to accommodate my Chosen in any way that she needs. It is my privilege to meet your needs. And honestly,” his voice dropped an octave, “the darker the better.”

Elora’s palms had begun to sweat,
isn’t that sexy
, she thought as she wiped them on her thighs. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was certain that at any moment it was going to beat its way straight out of her body. She refused to back up when Cush began taking steps towards her. When he was finally standing directly in front of her, she had to grit her teeth to keep from begging him to get on with the accommodating already.

“Do you need me?
”

“Yes,” she breathed out quickly before her brain had a chance to tell her hormones to shut the hell up.

He chuckled and before she had a chance to consider just how freaking hot his laugh was, his hands were in her hair pulling her to him and then his lips were on hers. Elora felt something inside of her awaken, as though being pulled from a deep slumber for the first time. Her soul reached for his, but this time she felt the darkness rise with it. She pressed closer to him and felt his fingers tighten in her hair in response, which only spurred her on. Her mouth opened as she gasped and as their tongues met. She heard him groan and it vibrated against her chest, stirring the passion, igniting a flame that she didn’t know if she would be able to put out.

Cush felt her response and the force behind it had him rocking on his feet as he clutched her to him. He hadn’t planned to kiss her; he hadn’t planned to touch her. He had actually been hoping to have her backtracking on her threat to feed her dark nature, but this idea had completely backfired. His Little Raven had taken the bait and run with it.

He felt her small hands wrap around
his neck and pull him closer. The heat from their bodies scorched him clear to his bones. He needed to stop this while he still could. Despite what she might think she wanted, he knew this wasn’t the time or the place.

“What better time or place than in a freaking hotel room
, Cush?”
He heard her sultry voice in his mind and was shocked that she was able to concentrate enough to pick up on his thoughts. He let his hands run down her neck, shoulders, and arms until he was holding her hands and then he pulled back from the kiss. As his lips left hers, he knew that miracles really did happen because it was a miracle that he was the one stopping them from going further.

“Under different circumstances
, it would be perfect,” he murmured as he ran a thumb across her swollen lips. “You are quite the vixen, Elora.” He smiled as she blushed. “I want you, but not like this, not under these circumstances.”

She blew out a deep breath and turned away from him
, needing to get herself under control. “I know,” she groaned. “I don’t want it like this either. Well, I mean I do, but I don’t.” She shook her head and laughed. “Crap, I don’t know what I mean.”

“You’re a virgin,” he said
, gently hoping she could hear how pleased that information made him.

“Yes, contrary to my current behavior
, I’m not usually a floosy.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he teased. “Is it because the right
male has not come along?” he asked, truly wanting to know why in a world that he knew to be so free with their sexuality, she had remained pure.

Elora turned and looked at him, her brow furrowed as she studied him
. “Cassie and I talked about it.” She shook her head with a small grin. “I mean we both came to the conclusion that there was no reason to rush giving away something that there was no return policy on. You know? I mean once that dam is breached, so to speak, there’s no going back. Once it’s given away, it’s a level of innocence that you can never get back. I didn’t want to give that to just anybody. Not to mention all the liabilities that come when you open that door. I mean do you know all the diseases a person can get from bumping uglies?”

Cush
choked on a laugh. “Bumping uglies?”

She shrugged.
“Just calling it like it is. Anyways, Cassie and I both decided that our first time would be with the one person who deserved to have it. And religious reasons aside, because I’m not really religious, for me that would be my husband. The way I see it, if he really wants me then he’ll commit to me for life.”

He felt his chest tighten and his fists clenched at his sides as she talked about having a husband and the possessive feeling that he was growing accustomed to rushed
through him. “What about a soul mate?” he questioned. The growl in his voice had her eyes snapping up to his face and widening slightly.

She stared at him silently for a few
seconds. He watched her face carefully, trying to get a read on what it was she was thinking and feeling. They were still so new to each other, and he still had so much to learn about her.

“I suppose a soul mate would do,” she said nonchalantly.

He growled as he lifted her chin up so he could fully see her face. “I will marry you if that is what you need of me. I will do whatever human ritual you need in order for you to feel I’ve bound myself to you, but you need to know this, Little Raven, the moment our souls connected I was yours. And if there were no such things as Chosens, or soul mates, you would have captivated me still.”

Elora’s lips parted as the breath rushed out of her as if she had been punched i
n the gut. “Wow,” she rasped, “that was totally book worthy.”

He titled his head to the side. “What?”

She grinned. “You’re little speech. It was worthy of being in one of those romance novels where the hero is so swoon worthy that even other males drool over him.”

“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not,” he admitted.

She cleared her throat and brushed her hair back from her face. “Oh, believe me, it is.” She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her face wearily. “So what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what do we do now? We’re obviously not going to act on my darker impulses, despite your big talk,” she teased. “So what are we going to do between now and the meeting thing, which I
am
going to by the way.” She held up her hand as he started to argue. “Unless you really are going to tie me to the damn bed, I’m going, so save your breath, you won’t win this one elf boy.”

Cush crossed his arms across his chest as he looked down at her. “Are you always this dramatic?”

Elora chuckled as she sat back down on the couch and wiggled around until she was comfortable. “Can I blame it on my dark side?”

He sat down next to her and pulled her legs up onto his lap. “Might as well, I have a feeling you’ll be blaming as much as you can on it.” His head jerked to the side as he felt something wet in his ear. His eyes narrowed on her as she held up the finger she had just licked and then stuck in his ear.

She shrugged and grinned wickedly. “My dark side made me do it.”

“Where there is civilization, there is war. The very idea of civilizat
ion is a contradiction. When beings, whether human, elfin, or other gather in one place to set up a society, there will always be conflict. There will always be those more intent on seeing their own will imposed on others rather than sacrificing themselves for what is best for the whole. Though this might cause some to become hopeless, there are those who will be spurred on to seek peace. These are the remnant, the ones who refuse to let evil prevail.” ~Forest Lords

“You’ve taken a great risk to meet
with me,” Myrin told the light-elf king.

Tamsin chuckled with a wolfish smile. “It is only a great risk if I feared for my safety old one.”

“You have no way of knowing where my loyalties lie,” the elder pointed out.

“You care for Trik and you know what the ancient texts say. Unless you are a fool, I imagine you have figured out who will come out the victor in the coming battle.”

“You never have been one to mince words,” Myrin retorted.

“We are
on the brink of a civil war. I do not have time to mince words,” Tamsin said with a sharp look.

Myrin’s eyes met his and the centuries of history between the two elves suddenly seemed so very insignificant. “How is he?” Myrin finally asked.

“He’s as arrogant as ever,” Tamsin laughed with the elder, “but he has her, and she brings out the best in him.”

“She must be very special.”

Tamsin nodded. “She is, but then so is Triktapic, even if he is as annoying as a paper cut with salt being poured on it.”

“Does he know that you share such affection for him?” Myrin asked.

“Believe me, it’s mutual.” Tamsin paused and then let out the breath he’d been holding since he entered Sanctuary. “Do you know any of his plans?”

“Lorsan no longer confides in any of the elders. Since Triktapic left
, he trusts only his Chosen.”

Tamsin’s brow furrowed as he considered the elder
’s words. “How many of the elders are loyal to him?”

“They fear him;
they are not loyal to him.”

“Fear can be a very big motivator,” Tamsin countered.

Myrin stood from the table and pulled the hood of his cloak back up over his head. As he turned to go, he met Tamsin’s eyes. “True, but there is something that is an even greater motivator than fear,” he paused and looked around the dark, nearly empty room, which was usually filled with loud music and writhing bodies. His eyes took on the look of one remembering another time—a happier time. “Hope, Tamsin. Hope is greater than fear. If Trik can give them hope, he will have their loyalty.”

Tamsin watched as the elder slipped away into the dark room. He had come hoping to get information; instead all he got were more questions. He wondered if Trik would ever truly have the loyalty of any of the dark elves. They were a race built on self-indulgence and chaos. They thrived by hiding in the shadows. Now the protective cover of darkness was about to be ripped from their lives. Their deeds, their ways, would be laid bare for all to see. Can there be redemption for one such as these? He hoped so; he truly did, for the sake of the dark elves and for the sake of his new king.

A knock on his office door had Tony looking up from the numbers before him. He frowned at the door as if the person on the other side could see his disapproval at being interrupted.

“Come in,” he called out.

The door was pushed open with a force that was completely unnecessary. Tony stood quickly and reached for the gun he wore on his back beneath his suit jacket but froze when Tarron, Lorsan’s chemist, strode efficiently into the room. Tony felt the chill that followed the demented elf flow into his office and rush over his skin. He struggled with his need to back away from the evil that had just entered and his need to not appear weak in the face of that evil. He knew what kind of man Tarron was. He fed off the weaknesses of others. He took pleasure in pain and Tony wasn’t about to give him that kind of power.

“Tarron,” Tony said as he let his hand drop to his side.

Tarron’s unnaturally green eyes met his and Tony itched to grab his gun. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks instead.

“I’ve heard some disturbing news,” Tarron said as he slowly walked over to the one way glass that looked out at the casino floor. Tony recognized the motion for what it was. Tarron was letting him know that h
e didn’t consider him a threat—a man doesn’t give his back to something or someone he considers a risk to himself. He didn’t respond to the dark elf, but waited for him to continue.

“I’m told that Rapture is not being made available to the customers all of the time.” Tarron turned to face him and leaned casually against the glass. Tony wasn’t fooled by the casual stance. He kne
w how fast the elves could move. He also knew that the calmer they acted, generally, the more trouble you were in.

“
People were tearing my casino apart over the stuff,” Tony told him, his shoulders tense as he tried to temper his anger. “When they can no longer pay for it, some of them go berserk. It’s dangerous and frankly I was getting tired of cleaning up the mess.”

“Your casino?” Tarron asked coolly.

Now you’ve done it,
Tony thought to himself as he watched the dark elf grow very still.

“You are simply the caretaker of this establishment, just as your father was before you. You do not get to make decisions like the one you have made. I advise that you remedy the situation
immediately.”

Tony bit his tongue to keep from tel
ling the chemist to go to hell. He knew that all that would do was get him a one way ticket there himself. He nodded instead, but kept his lips firmly shut. Tarron was pulling the door closed just as he looked over his shoulder at him and spoke. “And Tony, I do hope that we haven’t put our trust in the wrong human. I would hate to have to tell Lorsan that you were keeping questionable company.”

The door shut with an audible click and Tony felt it all the way to his bones.
“Shit!” He growled as he grabbed his cell phone, about to dial, but then realized just how stupid he had been. He forced himself to wait twenty minutes to give Tarron time to get out of the casino before he left his office and headed towards the floor where the light elves and the females were staying.

The knock on the door startled Elora from where she dozed on the couch. Cush wasn’t next to her
, and when she looked around the room, she saw that the door to the bathroom was closed. She stood and stretched and started towards the door just as another knock came, only this one was more insistent than the first.

“Okay, okay, hold your horses,” she grumbled. Just as she reached for the door knob, she felt the air around her shift and suddenly a large hand was flat against the door. She turned her head up to look at Cush who was frowning down at her. “Pushy much?”

“Did you bother to ask who it was?” he growled at her. “Or have you forgotten that you are in enemy territory?”

Elora stepped back and crossed her arms across her chest. “How many times do I have to remind you that I,” she pointed to herself, “am a dark elf? I am technically in my own territory.” She smiled innocently at him.

Cush bit back the snarl that lurked just below the surface as the knock came again and this time a voice with it.

“Warrior
, open up; we have a problem.” Tony’s voice came through the door.

He stepped in front of Elora to block her from view as he undid the lock and pulled the door open to reveal a flustered looking casino owner on the other side.  He walked in without being invited, sweeping past Cush
, and then whipped around to look at them both.

“You all have to go. Now.”

“What’s happened?” Cush asked.

“Seriously, dude. Y
ou’re looking a little panicked and it’s really not a good look for you,” Elora pointed out unhelpfully.

Tony gave her a pointed look.

“What?” She shrugged. “It’s my dark nature. I’m just spouting off at the mouth. Truly I have no idea what I might say or do next.”

“That’s my fault isn’t it,” Tony asked Cush as he nodded towards Elora.

Cush bared his teeth at the human. “Yes, thank you for that.”

“Not to break up the boy bonding moment or
anything,” Elora interrupted, “but you were just telling us that we needed to get out of Dodge. Would you please like to elaborate?”

“Tarron was here.
”

Cush went still at the name of the dark elf.

Tony’s eyes narrowed on him. “I take it you know who he is?”

“I know Tarron,” Cush confirmed gruffly. “And if he was here, then you are correct we need to go.”

“He knows you’re here.”

Cush let out a string of curses in his native language as Elora looked at him with wide eyes.

“You can’t blame that on your dark side, buddy,” she told him dryly.

Cush shook his head at her as he grabbed her hand and began pulling her towards the door. “Thank you for your help
, Tony,” he told the human. They were out in the hall banging on Lisa’s door when Rin and Oakley came out of the room they were sharing.

“What’s going on
, Cush?” Rin asked.

“We need to go. Tarron knows we are here,” Cush explained.

Rin let out some similar sounding words as he dashed back into their room. Oakley hurried down the hall towards them, frowning as he looked from Cush to Elora to Tony.

“I take it this Tarron character is bad news?” Oakly asked.

“Apparently, he’s worthy of elvish cursing,” Elora told him.

The door to Lisa’s room finally opened and she stood there
disheveled, obviously having just awoken. “What wrong?” she asked Cush.

“We need to leave,” Cush told her without elaborating further.

Lisa nodded, not questioning him. She hurried to put her shoes back on and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame her bedhead.

In a matter of minutes they were in the parking deck
following after Tony.  Though it was nearly ten o’clock at night, the lights of Vegas rendered it as bright as day. Elora turned to look out at those lights and she soaked up the noise and life of the city. She felt the itch under her skin to run. To where? She didn’t know; she just knew that the night called to her. Cush, sensing her restlessness, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“I have no idea how much Tarron knows,” Tony admitted. “I was stupid not to consider that they were watching me. They probably have video cameras in my office and the conference rooms and definitely out on the floor. I’m going to give you a vehicle that’s clean so it will be safe.”

“What does it matter if it’s dirty?” Elora asked.

Tony smiled at her. “Not clean like that. I mean clean as in free of any bugs or GPS so they can’t track you.”

“Oh, gotchya.” Elora nodded.

“I wish I could tell you that she would be safe if she stayed here,” Tony said
, speaking to Cush. “But I’m not too proud to admit that their power is too great for me.”