Trent and I rode back to the house in silence. My stomach was turning as if I had eaten some bad sushi. I couldn't figure out how I felt about Trent but given his current anger, it probably didn't matter anyways. He was probably thinking up some nasty way to kill me as we rode home. Except, I didn't really think that was true.

We put the horses back in the stall and made our way back to the house. Trent continued his silence and I followed behind, trying to keep up with his quick pace. When we entered the home and came to the kitchen, we found the potion already complete and sitting on the counter. Ceri must have gotten tired of waiting for us and gone to bed. She looked stunning but I had the feeling being a new mom was exhausting work.

Some of the anger in Trent's eyes seemed to ease as he gazed at the potion. He picked up the bottle with his good hand and looked at me. "Are you sure you don't mind doing this?" he asked.

I looked at his mangled hand and nodded. "Absolutely not, this is the least I can do." I went to him and took the potion from him. All I had to do was add a few drops of my blood to kindle the spell and speak a little Latin. Ceri had already told me the binding word, renatus. It meant "reborn", which seemed appropriate.

Unease hit me and I started to chew on my lip. I didn't like the idea of practicing demon magic in front of Trent. I had done it before but I knew he couldn't be completely comfortable with it.

Trent seemed to sense my unease. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Don't worry, this is a relatively easy spell. You'll be back to flipping off a-hole drivers before you know it." I looked down at his bandaged hand and foot cast again. I didn't care if Trent hated me. Healing the wounds Al had inflicted was the right thing to do.

"That's not what I meant," said Trent. "Are you okay?" He peered at me and I could see genuine concern in his eyes.

"Yes, of course," I said with a shrug. I went to a butchers block and pulled out a knife. "May I?" I asked, motioning towards my finger. I didn't have any of my trusty finger sticks and I didn't think Trent wanted my blood all over his best set of cooking knives.

Trent frowned and stepped towards me. He put his hand up to the knife and lowered it back to the counter. "Rachel," he said. His voice was tired and more gravely than usual. "I'm sorry I got so angry at you in the woods," he continued. "I just hate the thought of what you might be doing to yourself. You are too trusting. That demon may be playing along with the rules for now but it is only a matter of time before he betrays you."

Trent sounded serious so I tried not to strain my eyeballs from rolling them too much. "Trent, this isn't anything I haven't heard before," I said.

Trent nodded and leaned in closer. He lifted his hand and traced a finger along my jawline. I gripped the counter and fought back the urge to lean into him. The man was smooth and delicious. Damn, I'd probably be seeing him naked in a few minutes also once I cast the spell. "Rachel," Trent said. "My offer still stands. You can stay here and wear the bracelet. I can even have the house sanctified." He wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed against me. "I can keep you very comfortable," he murmured.

I was starting to feel very comfortable indeed. "Thank you," I breathed. I pressed lightly against his chest and he eased back. "But not tonight." I picked up the knife and cut across my finger. "Are you ready?" I asked.

Trent nodded.

"Uh, you do know this spell will leave you naked, right?" I asked.

Trent grinned and motioned over towards a pile of clothes. "I've already planned for that. It isn't a problem for me if it isn't a problem for you," he said.

I flushed and looked down as I cut my finger. I put three drops of blood into the little bottle and held it up to Trent. He took it from me and swallowed it whole. Our eyes locked for a second and then I said the binding word, "renatus."

The air shifted and a green light rippled over Trent's body. I watched as his riding suit vanished, leaving him in nothing but his birthday suit. I was focusing hard on his chest, trying not to let my eyes stray too far south. I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Trent lifted his hand up. "Hey, I've got all my fingers back," he said. I looked up to see his expression and sucked in a deep breath. Trent looked gorgeous. He was smiling and the lines that had once traced his face seemed finer. His hair was a bit longer than normal and fell around his face in a disheveled manner. There was no trace of the stuffy business man in his grin. Most astonishing though, was his ears. They were pointy.

"Oh my god," I said. I couldn't help myself. I reached up and touched one of the fine points. "Your ears!" I exclaimed.

Trent reached up and felt his ears for himself. He was still grinning. He took a step back and looked down towards his foot. I followed his gaze and couldn't help but take in every inch of his body in between. Apparently, elves were human sized when it came to there most intimate anatomy. Nice.

Trent wiggled his toes and then brought his attention back up to me. My gaze betrayed me and a flushed. Trent only grinned and stepped towards me. I moved away but my back hit the counter. I felt two strong arms wrap around me in a warm embrace.

"Thank you," murmured Trent.

I was astonished and extremely uncomfortable. "Ah, no problem cookie boy."

Trent exhaled and I felt his warm breath against my ear. Despite my unease and his naked body, Trent seemed completely relaxed. "God Rachel, you really are amazing."

Seconds passed and I could feel Trent's aura start to mix with mine. My anxiety passed and was replaced by a feeling of security. "Ah, Trent, you are still naked you know?"

Trent sighed and pulled back. He went to the pile of clothes and pulled out a pair of jogging pants. I turned my back so as not to stare but I could still catch glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye. He skipped any thought of underwear and slid one long leg into the loose fitting pants after the other. He pulled the jogging pants up and snapped the elastic against his stomach as if to signal he was done.

My eyes flicked towards him. Trent was still grinning, feeling his ears. His smile was having a strange effect on me. Perhaps I hadn't seen it very often before and it was catching me off guard.

"No shirt?" I asked.

"Am I offending you?" he asked.

"No." He was distracting me, that's what he was doing. Shirtless and in jogging pants, Trent looked nothing like man I had known half my life.

Trent ran a hand through his long hair, feeling it for the first time. "My hair's longer too," he said.

I licked my lips and nodded. Trent smirked. "What do you think, does it suit me?"

Now he was teasing me. "Well, the spells done," I said in a voice that was a bit too loud. "I'll be heading out now." I looked around for my things. I still had to change out of the riding outfit. An arm wrapped around me waist and pulled me backwards. I could feel Trent's chest pressing against my back.

"Rachel, please don't go," he whispered.

I shuddered. I sensed urgency in his voice and I could feel my resolve melting. "Trent, I really need to get going. The sun will be going down soon and Al will definitely be coming by to pick me up."

The arm around my waist tightened and Trent wrapped around me more tightly. He pressed his cheek against mine and I lowered my head. His behavior was domineering. It was easy to see how this man could control so many people and so much wealth. "Are you okay with that?" he asked. "Are you really okay with letting that beast take you away? What if he decides to stop being nice?"

"Trent we have been over this before," I groaned.

Suddenly, Trent spun me around and pinned me against the counter. He glared at me with blazon green eyes. I swallowed but stood frozen. He reached behind my head and pulled me into a rough kiss. I felt his tongue lance into my mouth, coaxing me to return the kiss. I submitted to its seduction and wrapped my arms around his neck. Trent groaned and reached for the back of my thighs and hoisted me on top of the counter. He pressed his hips between my thighs and I could feel him moving against me.

"Shit," I huffed after we broke the kiss. My hands were acting on their own accord, running around his chest and backside. It was like my body couldn't get enough contact with Trent.

I felt the air shift and I pushed back at Trent violently. Trent blinked up at me. "It's Al," I screamed. "Al's coming."

Luffy fan: Hello all, sorry for the late update. Please read and review! I'm hitting a rough patch here and am starting to become very critical of this story.