Free Elfin by Quinn Loftis Page B

crowded halls of their high school. Rows and rows of lockers lined the halls, crowding the students as they stopped to retrieve their personal belongings. To any new student, the school might seem interesting, with all the inspirational posters hung on the walls. The posters contained such stirring proverbs as “There is no I in team,” and Cassie’s personal favorite, “Change is inevitable and life changes as swiftly as the wind blows. It’s which direction that you let the wind blow you that matters.” Some student, bound to be indispensable to society, had crossed out the word ‘the’ and then added a ‘Y’ to the end of ‘wind.’ Cassie might not get a quality education at Northpointe High, but she would certainly learn the important lessons in life, like how to smut up an inspirational poster.
    As they walked , Cassie kept looking over her shoulder to ensure that Trik was still behind her. He leaned casually against a row of lockers, arms crossed over his chest, looking way too edible for his own good. She was the only one who could see him, and that was a good thing since he was in his Elfin form. He had started out the day in his human guise but she had asked him not to use his glamour around her. She didn’t know how but she had felt a wave of pleasure emanate from Trik when she had made this request.
    “Is he still there?” Elora asked as she bit into the bran muffin Cassie ’s mom had shoved into Cassie’s hand on the way out the door. Cassie didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that she hated bran, so she continued to accept them and pass them on to Elora.
    “Yep,” Cassie answered.
    “And he’s just going to follow you around all day?”
    “So he says.”
    Elora shrugged. “If you need me to remind you not to pick your nose or dig out a wedgie just let me know.”
    Cassie rolled her eyes. “Good to know you have my back.”
    Elora raised a single brow. “Somebody has too. I leave you alone for one night and you go and get yourself tied to a dark elf assassin.” She shook her head as she continued to eat her muffin. “Only you, Cassandra. Only you would wind up with the bad boy when really you should be with Mr. All American.”
    Both girls jumped when Trik appeared next to them back in his human guise, apparently having decided to allow Elora to see him as well.
    “Who is Mr. All American?”
    Cassie tried not to look at Trik as she answered. “What?”
    “You’re dark friend here seems to think you would be better off with him.” Trik’s indignation and possessiveness at her statement were apparent in both his voice and his glower.
    Elora made her famous give me a freaking break face. “Get a grip man, aren’t you some bad ass killer?”
    “Yes, please pass that on to this , this All American you are talking about.”
    Cassie laughed and quickly covered her mouth.
    Trik leveled her with a piercing stare.
    “It’s not a real person Trik. I t’s a type of guy, you know, like a ‘knight in shining armor’ type.”
    “You p icked a real winner here, Cass,” said Elora. “I think this guy is one arrow short of a full quiver.”
    Trik's head snapped around to Elora. “How did you know I had a quiver?”
    This time Cassie couldn’t catch her laughter.
    “What are you two laughing at?” Trik growled. “I always keep my quiver full.”
    The girls roared , Elora losing her usual stoic composure. “That just sounds so wrong,” she said when she finally caught her breath.
    Trik just shook his head, looking back and forth between the two girls.
    “Yep,” Elora said as the y arrived to their class. “Another day in the life of a typical American teenage girl, walking to class with her dark elf boyfriend, discussing the size of his quiver. What more could a girl want?”
    Trik stood looking at them in confusion as Cassie smothered her laughter and Elora glanced back at him with a dismissing wave.
    “ What the hell just happened,” he said to the now empty