Chapter 7

I woke up in Ellasbeth's old room, the same one I was always in when I needed a room at Trent's place. I stretched my body out finally feeling like I had gotten some quality sleep. I wasn't sure what time it was seeing as there were no windows or clocks in here. I sighed. I did not want to get up. The bed was like sleeping on marshmallows and at this rate I wouldn't leave.

I heard a soft knock on the door. I don't know how but they always seemed to know the moment I woke up. Must be that elf hearing.

"Come in." I said, propping myself up on an elbow. I was expecting to see Ceri or even Trent but in walked Quen.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting in one of the chairs nearest to the bed.

I smiled at him. "I feel loads better after getting some sleep."

Quen nodded. He had a pained look on his face. Oh God. He had something to tell me and I wasn't going to like it. I knew there was more to this Druchii business than everyone was telling me.

"What?" My tone was flat.

"I am concerned." He began, then stopped to take a deep breathe.

"God Quen just spit it out would ya? Is it the Druchii?" I was becoming impatient.

His dark eyes met mine. They were a very unusual shade, almost a silver behind his normal color. "No." He fidgeted with his fingers. Why is he nervous? He's going to do something against Trent's wishes. The moment that thought crossed my face, Quen smirked.

"Sa'han does not know I am speaking to you Ms. Morgan." He grimaced. "I am concerned about the relationship you seem to have developed with Trenton."

Crap on toast. He was here talking to me about the relationship that I have with Trent? He really reminded me of my father. He sort of is like a father figure to Trent, since Quen had practically raised him. I let out a loud sigh. I did not want to have this talk with him. Hell I didn't even want to have this talk with Trent.

"Quen..." I started. "Sometimes I just wonder if the fight is worth while."

Quen contemplated my words before answering. "I've watched Trenton change. You've had a relationship since you were children despite either one of you remembering it. I'm not sure it is healthy for the two of you. You are a demon. He has his business interests. I've seen the way he looks at you. This is going down a path you may not want it to go Ms. Morgan."

"Trent can get his own dates. He doesn't need me." I said snidely. I didn't feel that way but hey a white lie isn't going to hurt anyone.

Quen patiently waited for a better response. I was set on not giving it to him. I really didn't want to have this talk with anyone. After several minutes passed I realized Quen was not going to leave until I said something.

"I don't care that I'm a demon. The fact has nothing to do with Trent. We aren't a couple Quen so tell me what the hell it is that you want?" I was getting angry.

"I am just trying to confirm the nature of the relationship that you have with Trenton." He said.

"I don't have one. Happy? There is nothing going on. Besides I couldn't get past his 'business interests' to have one anyways." I didn't mean it, knowing it even as I said it out loud.

"You're the perfect person. Let's all live in your imaginary life." Quen barked.

My jaw dropped. I felt my face redden at his unspoken accusation. I knew a lot of the things I have done were shades of gray. I couldn't live my life in black and white anymore and Quen was throwing it in my face. My temper flared and I jumped out of the bed and got right into Quen's face as I tapped the line.

"Try me Rachel." He said smugly, as he stood.

"Quen I don't want to hurt-" I yelled getting cut short by the door bursting open.

Trent was angry and I suddenly wished I was still asleep. Swell. I loved having two pissed off elves in the same room.

"Quod dat vos ius!" Trent's words were like ice through me. I had no idea what he said but I was sure it wasn't good especially if he wasn't speaking English.

"I apologize Sa'han. Ms. Morgan and I seem to have a misunderstanding. My apologies Ms. Morgan." Quen left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Trent, what just happened here?" I was confused by Quen's behavior. It was not like him at all.

Trent was rigidly pacing back and forth across the room. His face was deep in thought. "What did he say to you Morgan?"

"I believe he implied that a relationship between us would be unhealthy." I whispered, my heart dropping.

Trent snorted. "That does not sound like Quen."

"It wasn't Quen." I had a horrified look on my face. Trent turned and it was like looking in a mirror. We both ran for the door.

"Quen!" I yelled. I followed Trent, unsure of where Quen's rooms were located.

We made it to the common room and Ceri stood at our outburst. She seemed confused and she hovered over the girls protectively as they sat playing with their toys on the floor.

"Where is Quen?" I asked her.

"I haven't seen him in a while. Why? Rachel, what's going on?" Ceri's voice was full of concern.

"It's in him Ceri." Trent whispered.

The color drained from Ceri's face and she flew into motion. I didn't know if I should stay or go but before I would let Trent make that decision I was on Ceri's heels. We moved through the hall to a door I had never been through. This must be their bedroom. As we entered the room I felt Ceri tap the line. I could feel the anger rolling off of her and I felt sorry for Quen. He was in for some pain.

Ceri stopped in front of the bed. Quen was lounging across it looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Rachel get your circle up." Ceri demanded. I immediately circled the whole bed including Ceri and myself. Quen grinned. God how could this thing be enjoying all of this that much?

"What do you want from us?" Ceri asked.

"I want Rachel." Was the response that came from Quen.

"Why? What do you want with me?" I questioned.

"That is not of import." Quen's body answered.

"Troll turds it's not of import!" I yelled. "Tell me what you want now. I'm going to get you out of Quen's body whether you want me to or not."

Ceri stiffened. She knew what I would have to do to get the Druchii to leave.

"Congelo." Ceri said with such force I could feel the line energy pass into Quen with her words. Quen went completely still, eyes open and unblinking.

"Ceri, what did you do?" I asked horrified.

"He will be still now. I didn't want him struggling and getting injured." Ceri said. "Remove it, please. I want it out of him."

I couldn't be mad when she was only trying to keep him safe. I had never seen anyone perform a charm where they can freeze ones body. I began to push energy into Quen. I wasn't sure how much he could take but I remember Trent had used an awful lot to get the Druchii out of Lee. I hoped I could do this without Trent's assistance.

"Here goes nothing." I said. I began to chant the words in Quen's thoughts. I didn't fully understand how I could project them there without physically touching him but I guess using him as a focusing object was enough.

Tela sina templa, tessa i' uuvanimo, eithel ne sii', kela, yaara er. I kept repeating the words finding it weird that I couldn't hear anything in his thoughts, not the Druchii or Quen. Ceri had even frozen his mind? She had moved to his side and was clasping his hand as I added more line energy to him. His body started to twitch. Ceri squeezed him tighter knowing this was all she could do to help him. After I was sure I was channeling enough energy through Quen that it would have even kicked Al on his can, I performed the hand gesture I had seen Trent use.

"Movere." Ceri whispered. Quen's eyes fluttered but he didn't speak. She leaned over him and gazed into his eyes. "It's him." Quen blinked once more, squeezed Ceri's hand, and closed his eyes.

xxx

Ceri had decided to remain with Quen until he woke. I don't think anyone could have gotten her to leave his side. The Druchii having free reign of possessing people around me needed to end. I felt responsible for yet another person I cared about being in danger. I was like the plague, leaving carnage everywhere I went.

Trent had laid the girls down and was sitting at the other end of the couch in the common room with me. His expression was smooth and we had been sitting in silence for some time. He smelled like wine and I was just waiting for him to say what was on his mind. I wanted to tell him that I was a disaster and that I needed to stay clear of him and his family.

"I'm not going to abandon you to handle this on your own Rachel." Trent met my eyes, his tone serious.

"Swell. So I guess you're next on the list." I said sourly.

"When are you going to realize the best chance we have with both of us coming through this unscathed is to do it together?" Trent sighed.

"I know." I admitted. "I hate that all of you are in danger because of me."

"I made a promise. I'd take a bullet for you if it comes to that." His words rolled off his tongue like spun sugar warming me to my core. I didn't want to go through this alone. Trent was just strong enough to see me through it but weak enough to still need me, but I didn't want him risking his life when he had his girls to care for. I couldn't fathom the thought of him not being here.

I know these thoughts I was having now should help me decide how I felt about Trent but they didn't. They only confused me further. We had both risked our lives for the other even when there was so much hate between us we could hardly hold a conversation. What made me hate him so much? I've been trying to figure it out for months now and wasn't coming up with any answers. I never understood what made our relationship so unpredictable.

My puzzled look had flagged Trent's attention but I was ignoring his intense eyes. I was scared for what I would see behind them. I could figure out so much from his eyes. They were his tell for everything. They had such depth, that I felt like I was looking straight into his soul.

"Can I share a memory with you?" He asked knowing where my thoughts had drifted to.

"Yes..." I hesitantly answered.

He scooted closer and gathered my hands in his and set them down in my lap. "Do you trust me Rachel?"

"I do." I relaxed breathing in his scent. He tapped the line and not knowing what he was about to do yet I utterly and completely trusted him.

"Ego mos vos ut memor." His words were soft and I closed my eyes as I felt the haze from his charm wash over me. I could still feel Trent's hands in mine but I wasn't in the living room anymore. It must work kind of like a Pandora charm.

We were back at his father's camp. It was my last year there. The sun was just starting to set and I was sitting on the dock, my feet dangling in the lake. Jasmine and I had a fight so I wanted to be alone. I had been crying, still feeling the tears roll down my cheeks.

I heard someone walking up behind me but I didn't turn, thinking that it was Jasmine coming to apologize. I was surprised as Trent sat down beside me. I gave him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry Jasmine is mad at you for riding with me." He said as he removed his shoes and dipped his feet in the water.

"It's okay. She's just jealous because she thinks I'm trying to steal you from her." I explained.

"You can't steal something that doesn't belong to her." He looked into my eyes.

I sucked in my breath, my heart beating faster. He moved his arm quickly towards me causing me to jump.

"Sorry." He apologized but finished the action of lifting his hand to wipe the tears from my face.

"Thanks." I didn't know what else to say. It was the first time I had been touched by a boy.

"My father told me that you and I would work together someday." Trent whispered.

"How does your father know what we will do when we grow up?" I asked, not understanding how he could be so sure.

"Fate. Destiny. Some things are meant to be." Trent explained.

"So our fates are bound together?" I questioned.

"That's what I'm told." His response was simple and he kicked at the water.

"Well I'm going to make my own fate." I was determined to be everything that I wanted to be and what Trent's father said wasn't going to make a difference.

"Tell me that in ten years." He had a huge smile on his face.

I laughed. "I will. I bet we won't even like each other in ten years. You'll probably hate me."

Trent's smile turned into a frown. "I could never hate you Rachel."

A breeze blew across the lake and I shivered despite the warm temperature. Trent moved closer to where his side was pressed to mine.

"You're sensitive to the cold." Trent said. "I can help you stay warm. If you want." He sounded shy.

"Okay." I didn't know what was going to happen next but my heart beat sped up even more.

He draped his arm across my shoulders and I felt a warm tingling go into me. He was using ley line energy to keep me warm. My eyes widened and eyebrows rose as I turned slightly to look at Trent's face. He looked smug.

"I didn't know you knew how to use the ley lines." I was so surprised.

"There is a lot that you don't know about me." He stared out over the lake as the sun finished sinking down behind the trees.

We sat in silence until all the light from the sky was gone and was filled with stars. I started dozing off on Trent's shoulder until we both jumped as someone was calling my name. He quickly removed his arm, taking the energy with him. I hadn't noticed how cold it had gotten. I hopped up and slid my shoes on.

"I have to go. Thanks for keeping me warm." I smiled at him. I think this is what you're supposed to do when a boy has been nice to you.

Trent slowly rose and put his shoes on. "I can show you how to do it sometime. You know, if you want to." He looked at the ground, unsure of himself.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I would like to learn if you want to show me."

He smiled. "I promise. I can show you so much."

"Cool." I smiled back at him.

He moved forward and I was nervous. Is this going to be like it was in the movies? Is he going to try to kiss me? I closed my eyes not knowing what I was supposed to do. I felt Trent gently kiss my cheek. I was slightly disappointed and opened my eyes. He was still standing right in front of me with his eyes closed. Maybe this was the first time he had kissed a girl? I gathered my courage and leaned forward and kissed him on his lips. They were soft and he tasted like cinnamon.

I opened my eyes and we were back in the common room. My mouth was open in shock. How could I have lost the memory of my first kiss? Trent was my first kiss? He gently released my hands but didn't move away. I turned to look at him. He had his emotions hidden carefully under that blank look he was giving me.

"Was I your first kiss?" I asked him.

"Yes." He whispered.

We sat in silence. I went over the memory in my head again and again. It was the words he had quoted from his father that echoed louder than anything else. How are our fates bound together? I knew Trent and I had ties to each other that we didn't have with anyone else. I wondered if that notebook of his father's would contain any of the answers I was looking for?

"How are we bound together? I don't understand." I was confused and my face let it show.

"I honestly have never been able to answer that question. The only two people that I believe would know are not alive." Trent was irritated. "I've wondered if my father performed a charm to somehow bind our destiny's together. I have yet to find any proof of it."

"He didn't Sa'han." Quen answered as he came into the room. I jumped. Damn sneaky elves. "But your mother did. She bound your destiny to Ms. Morgan's. The spell breaks when you end the war."