“I need to speak with you.”

Cassie heard the ominous tone in the Queen’s voice.

“I should sit down, shouldn’t I?” Cassie asked as a wave of nervousness rolled through her.

“That might be best,” agreed Syndra.

“I-i-is he alive?” Cassie stuttered as she asked a question she feared the answer to as much as she wanted to know.

“Oh he is quite alive,” Syndra’s words came out dripping with contempt.

“But?” Cassie implored.

“But I’m afraid you might want to kill him once I share this information with you. I hate to be the one to deliver it, but I feel you have a right to know.”

Cassie waited in silence. She hoped that everything she was imagining would be much worse than what the Queen was about to tell her.

It wasn’t.

“I found him at a place called Sanctuary. It’s the equivalent to a club here in your realm, but more than that. It’s a place where our kind can gather without fear of assassination attempts or petty skirmishes. It’s a peaceful place.”

“What was he doing there?” Cassie didn’t want to know. But like driving up on a horrible car wreck that she knew she shouldn’t look at, she asked despite herself.

“He was dancing,” Syndra answered meaningfully.

Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “With whom?”

“Another elf.”

“Good freaking grief. Syndra. Spit it out already,” Cassie growled, unmindful of the fact that the woman before her could squash her like an insignificant bug.

“With a onetime lover from his past,” Syndra finally finished.

Cassie didn’t know whether she was more angry or hurt. She had spent her day wondering if he was okay, eager to see him again and he had been hooking up with one of his flings. Okay, at the moment , she was more angry. Correction, she was livid.

She stood and began to pace.

“After all his b.s. about me being his Chosen and him never letting me go and kissing me like his freaking, pathetic life depended on it. That lying, fraudulent, piece of, argh!”

Syndra tried not to grin, but couldn’t stop herself. Even in anger Trik’s Chosen kept a semblance of purity. Her anger was righteous anger. Trik deserved her wrath and her scorn, but even as the words left Cassie’s mouth, Syndra watched her deflate like a leaky balloon.

Cassie sunk to the ground, ignoring the sharp pain that radiated up her legs from her knees hitting the floor. She looked up at Syndra, who had genuine compassion shining through her eyes.

“Why? Why would he do that?” Cassie’s voice was small and she struggled to keep it from wavering.

“Why does he think it’s his choice who I’m with? Since when am I not my own person that I can’t decide for myself?” Cassie slapped the floor in frustration. “If I want to be with anevil, dark, butthead of an elf, then that is my choice. MINE!” She hit her hand against her chest in emphasis.

“I totally agree, Cassie, which is why I came.” Syndra knelt down so that she was eye level with her. “Don’t give up on him. I know you are angry and you have every right to be. But try and see things from his point of view. I’m not excusing his behavior, and he will have to answer to you for it. But he is old, and has lived a long time in darkness. It will take time for him to see that not all is lost in him. He needs you just as you need him.”

Cassie watched as Syndra stood and walked towards her window.

“It is ultimately your choice, Cassandra. Make sure it is the right one.” She stepped through the window as easily as if it were open and was gone.

Cassie didn’t know how long she sat on her floor. She was still trying to get her mind around the fact that the same guy who had held her and kissed her so passionately had been in the arms of another hours later. She finally stood and went through the motions of getting ready for bed.

As she lay in the dark in her room, silent tears slipped down her cheeks as she let the pain of loss engulf her.

~

Days passed and still Cassie heard nothing from Trik. She refused to talk about it, though Elora continued to ask. Every night she lay in her bed and her heart seemed to break all over again. She wondered why she wasn’t experiencing the horrific pain that she had that first time that he had left. When she realized why she began to cry even harder. If she wasn’t hurting, it could only mean one thing, Trik didn’t want to be with her. He wasn’t forcing himself to stay away. He really didn’t want to be with her.

~

It had been exactly one month since the night Syndra had come to Cassie and told her of Trik’s hurtful actions. Four weeks of anger, hurt, and longing, but still he didn’t come.

~

Trik watched as his brethren brought barrel after barrel of the powerful soil from his realm into the human world. They spread it out over the valley, covering the soil where the vineyard had been. They continually mixed it, so their own soil seeped down into the earth. Even now as he watched over the wishes of his King , he thought of her. Pain and anger radiated through him. At times , when her own anger and pain sought him out , he nearly stumbled under their oppression. Others avoided him at all costs, recognizing the danger they put themselves in if they were near him. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore. He was simply doing his duty. Lorsan gave his orders and Trik obeyed. He didn’t sleep for fear of seeing her face . He never remained idle, knowing that if he stopped for one second, he would go running back to her, begging her forgiveness. He knew that was the wrong thing to do. She didn’t need him. And she surely couldn’t want him anymore, not after what he had done.