Dae sucked in a breath. He was on the precipice of his anger—he could either fall over the cliff and regret what he might do in that free fall or he could step back and take a beat and realize that maiming or killing James wouldn’t help any of them.
It would sure make him feel better though.
What would Ashley want you to do?
Not this.
He loosened his hold on James and James slumped down the wall, knees unsteady.
“Don’t fuck around with her heart anymore.” Dae straightened his jacket. “She deserves better. She deserves to be treated with respect and reverence. She deserves to be worshipped.”
“I know. I know. I will. I promise.”
The poor guy was practically hyperventilating, he was breathing so heavily. The color had drained from his face making his black eye stand out even more.
Dae should have felt better. He’d always gotten a vast amount of enjoyment out of intimidating mortal assholes who thought they were untouchable.
But he did not feel better.
In fact, he felt worse.
It wasn’t justice that he wanted. He wanted Ashley.
“One more bit of advice,” Dae said. “Maybe you looked at Isla like an upgrade. But sometimes an upgrade is just a knockoff spray painted in gold. One little scratch and all its imperfections show through. Ashley is the real thing. Don’t forget that.”
With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Chapter 40
ASHLEY
Ashley hurried away from the door just before Dae stormed back through it. She ducked inside the empty copy room and pressed her back against the interior wall, praying that neither James nor Dae found her.
She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t stop smiling.
She couldn’t...
Dae Blackwell had come to defend her honor and he hadn’t demanded a damn thing in return.
What was happening?
And why did she feel faint and a little giddy?
Why had he done that?
She’d yelled at him.
She’d wished for James to come home and Dae had said nothing in return.
But yet...
She hurried back to her cubicle and just sat there staring at her computer screen. Should she call Dae? Text him? Why hadn’t he come to find her?
“Hey.”
She yelped and looked up.
James hung over the wall of her cubicle. “Everything go well with Matthew?”
Ashley gulped down air. “Yes. Yeah. Fine. It went good. He’s letting me stay.”
“Good.” James looked over his shoulder at the open door of Matthew’s office. “How did he seem?”
“He seemed...” How was she to delicately say that she was now even less of a fan of her boss than she had been before? It made her rethink the wishes she’d used. Maybe she should have used them on Matthew. Make him grow a giant wart on his face or lose his dick in a tragic accident.
“He seemed distracted,” Ashley finally answered.
“Oh.” James nodded, his eyes still on Matthew’s office. “He’s working on the Gorvin account right now, so that explains it.”
“Right. Of course.”
“So listen,” James turned back to her, but avoided looking directly at her as he said, “I have a bunch of work to catch up on, what with everything that’s been going on. I might stay late tonight if that’s okay with you?”
All of the warmth drained from Ashley’s limbs. She immediately felt like she was floating in her own body, aware but not in control. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t make it past her teeth.
Instead, she heard herself saying, “Sure. That’s fine,” when what she really wanted to do was burst into tears.
How could she go on living like this?
How was she supposed to get anything done tonight when she would be wondering what James was really doing?
Maybe she should pretend to go home but then hide somewhere in the office and wait and see what he did? Or where he went?
Oh god, no, that was crazy.
She was now one of those crazy wives.
“I shouldn’t be too long,” James went on. “I have a report due by the end of today, so it’ll be six at the latest. You can take the car and I’ll get a Lyft home.”
“Okay.”
“You want to start dinner around then?”
“Sure.”
“Great.” He came around the cubicle wall and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I...I just want you to know that I’m so happy I’m home and that I have you. I love you, Ash.”
“I love you too,” she said and then she went cold with the realization that she didn’t mean it. Not anymore. The words were on autopilot.
“I’ll text you when I’m on my way,” he said.
He left her then and she sat there in her cubicle for the longest time lost in the swirl of her own thoughts. She was surrounded by stacks of paperwork that needed to be digitally entered and filed, but she couldn’t bring her mind to focus.
She looked at the motivational card Lola had sent her a few months back that Ashley loved so much, she tacked it to her wall.
If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.
Ashley lurched to her feet.
She looked around the office where she’d worked for six years and felt a heaviness in her chest. She’d started as an intern at Edmington & Walsh and worked her way up to account associate. But what did she have to show for it? Only a few more thousand dollars a year. None of upper management, save for James and Matthew, even knew her name. And how could they? She was not talented at this job. She was capable, but not talented.
She had a suburban house in a nice neighborhood, but she only sorta liked the place and she couldn’t afford it if she were on her own.
She had a job she did not like, a house she tolerated, a husband she did not trust, and a life that she felt disconnected from. She got up every morning and did the same thing. She dressed in business casual and went to a cubicle shoved in amongst other cubicles full of people who were all also tired of the same damn thing, but too scared to change.
This was not living.
She had been sleepwalking through her own life too afraid to reach for anything else.
She thought the way to a happy life was safety and familiarity.
How fucking wrong she’d been.
She logged out of her computer. She pulled the tack from Lola’s card and slipped the card inside her purse. She tore the fresh trash bag from the basket, opened her top desk drawer and emptied its contents into the bag. She quickly riffled through the other two drawers and found them stuffed full of shit she did not need.
The warmth had returned to her as she made her way to the front of the office. It coiled around her spine and filled her lungs. Her chest expanded and her heart beat giddily beneath her ribs.
“I hate this fucking place!” she shouted.
The whole floor went quiet.
For the second time in less than a week, Ashley Laurent was making a scene and she felt fucking amazing.
She felt like she was flying.
With her trash bag slung over her shoulder, she flipped the whole place off and marched out of there for the last time.
Chapter 41
DAE
The Blackwells were in the library.
Dae, Poe, Mad, Thorin.
Red.
This was it.
Dae was still wound tight with the desire to fight Red’s fate. He still felt like there was a way to fix it and fix Red, to bypass Death and keep him around a little longer.
Dae wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but there was no denying that Red was getting progressively worse. The black mark of a dying djinn had started to spread over his face. Its hungry tendrils were reaching for his eye now. In stark contrast to the death mark, his skin had turned paler still and had taken on a sickly yellow hue.
He sat in the wingback chair sw
eating, shivering, and shrouded in a flannel blanket.
“How do you want this to go?” Dae asked.
Red rested his head against the wing of the chair. “Will one of you call Cassie?”
None of them moved.
They had all come to this agreement, that it was time to let Red go, but none of them were ready to put it in motion.
“Your psychic,” Mad said. “You’re sure you want it to be her?”
“Of course, I’m sure,” Red said sharply. “I don’t know her number though.”
Poe dropped onto the sofa and lit a cigarette. “What’s her surname?” The smell of burning tobacco permeated the air.
“Hawthorne,” Red answered. “Cassiopeia Hawthorne.”
“Like the constellation?” Thorin asked.
“The very same”
Mad stood behind Red, his arms crossed over his chest. He’d never been in support of prolonging Red’s death, but he still looked pissed now, like he was angry that it was finally happening.
It was tradition that when a family member was about to make their last deal, the rest of the family made deals with him or her. It was a celebration, of a sort, and a lot more fun could be had if they were all invoked.
But Dae got the impression that Red would not be including them. He wanted to disappear with his psychic.
Would this be the last time Dae saw him before he turned to dust?
What did you say to a man who was nearly a millennium old?
How could Dae sum up the profound effect Red had had on his life?
There were no words.
Saying goodbye was an impossible task.
Dae pulled out his cell phone. “Didn’t you say she worked at the library?”
Red gave one quick nod of his head.
Dae called the city’s HR department and put the phone on speaker. Technically the city owned the library, but the Blackwells kept it funded. If he needed to pull a few strings to get Cassie’s number, he would.
“Blackwater City Clerk’s Office, this is Gladys speaking. How can I help you?”
Dae turned on his charm, even though he felt like he was dying inside. “Gladys, it’s Dae Blackwell.”
“Dae!” she exclaimed. “You haven’t been in to see me in so long. Where have you been hiding?”
“Busy ruling the world, I’m afraid.”
She laughed.
Poe snorted in derision.
“I need a favor, love,” Dae said. “Can you get me the phone number of Cassiopeia Hawthorne? She works at Blackwater Library.”
“Oh you. What does this Cassiopeia have that I don’t?”
“It’s not like that, Gladys. I assure you.”
Gladys’s fingernails clacked over her keyboard. Then, “Here she is. You ready for the number?”
“I am.”
She rattled off the digits and Dae typed them into his phone.
“Thanks Gladys.”
“Come see me and thank me in person.”
“Will do.”
He ended the call.
All of them had gone still.
“Are you ready?” Dae said.
Red sat up straighter.
Dae could hear the uptick of his heartbeat.
He was nervous.
Red was never nervous.
“I’m ready,” he croaked.
Dae tapped on the phone number. The line rang. He held his breath.
He wanted to run.
He wanted to roar.
He wanted—
“Wait!”
The Blackwells turned to the door.
And there, standing in a rim of sunlight, was Ashley.
Chapter 42
ASHLEY
Seeing all of the Blackwell men in one place was a little startling. Centuries of experience and power sat in that room. All of the Blackwell men were alarmingly good looking, capable and self-possessed. It was like staring into a gathering of gods.
Except for Red.
Red was dying and looked it.
“Ash,” Dae said. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes darted to Poe.
Had he told Dae he was visiting her the night before?
Ashley suspected secrets grew like weeds in this family. But so did love and loyalty. The roots ran deep.
“Red needs a wish,” she said and swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. “And I happen to have one.”
Concern pinched at the corners of Dae’s eyes. He looked over at Red. An unspoken conversation passed between them.
Mad exhaled and said to her, “That is a very kind gesture, little one, but it’s a dangerous game to play.”
Thorin shifted his weight on the sofa, propping his elbows on his knees. “Maybe if we sat down and considered the words of the wish...”
“Ma tried this before, remember?” Mad reminded him. “Multiple deals and none of them good.”
“Don’t get so bent out of shape,” Poe said. “We could pause for two seconds and consider all of the options.”
Ashley stayed in the doorway. This felt like an extremely intimate conversation, one she should not be privy to, but she was the wish bearer. Besides, where was she going to go?
You don’t belong here, that voice piped up.
She gritted her teeth. There is nowhere else I’d rather be.
The brothers continued to argue save for Dae and Red. They just stared at each other.
Finally, Dae said, “No.”
The room went silent.
Ashley felt like the air had been stolen from it too. It became too cold, too still. Though she wasn’t sure if all of the brothers were invoked like Dae, she swore she could feel their magic crackling in the air, electric and volatile.
She scanned the room looking for the best hiding place should they break out fighting. Beneath the table? No. Behind the sofa? Probably not. There were tall cabinets along the far wall…
Poe shot to his feet. “No? And why the hell not?”
“I don’t want Ashley to risk it.”
“Ashley knows the risks,” Poe said.
“No, she doesn’t.” Dae stood up too. “She has no idea what the consequences could be.”
“I do, actually.”
Dae and Poe looked across the room to her.
“Poe told me,” she said.
Dae’s head swung back to his brother. “When?”
“Last night.”
“What did you say to her?” Dae took a step forward. “And who the fuck gave you permission to visit her? She’s my mark!”
“Since when do I need permission to visit a bunny?”
“Hey.” Mad came around the sofas. “Quit being hardheaded assholes and—”
Dae narrowed his eyes. Magic swirled around his hands, red and writhing. He flicked his hand and sent Mad flying across the room. He slammed into the worktable that stood in front of the leaded glass windows. Thorin hurried to his brother’s side and helped him to his feet.
“She is my mark,” Dae said. “Mine,” he added with a growl, his eyes lighting fire red.
Hearing him say those words woke something inside of Ashley that had long since been silent and still. And it wasn’t until that moment that she realized what she’d been missing her entire life—the feeling that she belonged to someone. Belonged with someone.
But more than that, she’d never, ever felt like she had something to give.
Her and James had gotten along well. They enjoyed the same things. They had similar goals. They rarely argued. But those things—liking the same toppings on a pizza or wanting a healthy 401K—what the hell did that have to do with actually loving someone? Mind, body and soul?
Never had Ashley felt like her physical body responded to someone the same way her heart and her mind did. All of her in agreement.
Even if she died in this room, right here, it would be better than returning to the life she did not want.
To the man she didn’t love.
Because she didn’t. She d
idn’t love her husband. And maybe she hadn’t for a long time.
That was all the realization she needed.
“I, Ashley Laurent, wish to invoke my third wish. My wish is—”
“No!”
Though Dae was only seven or eight feet away from her, he disappeared, the air popping in his wake. He reappeared right in front of her, magic coalescing around his hands.
Ashley looked down at the neon red magic and took a step back.
When her gaze lifted to Dae’s a second later, his mouth hung open. He brought his hands up in front of him. “You can see my magic?” he said.
Ashley didn’t know what it meant, but there was no time to ask.
“I, Ashley Laurent, wish to invoke my—”
Dae’s hand clamped over her mouth, his eyes bright red.
“No,” he said again, his breath quick and burdened.
You don’t get to decide, she thought, hoping that he really could read her mind.
Poe came up alongside Dae and shoved him away.
Ashley started again. “I, Ashley Laurent, wish to invoke my thir—”
Mad leapt over the sofa and came for her. Thorin, though smaller by a few inches, suddenly choosing a side, yanked Mad away. They both swung at each other.
“I, Ashley Laurent, wish to invoke—”
“No, goddamn it!” Dae disappeared and Poe fell flat on his face in the void. Dae reappeared behind Ashley wrapping his arm around her waist, his other hand pressed firmly over her mouth.
With her arms held captive beneath Dae’s hold, she lifted her knee, then slammed her foot down on Dae’s boot. The hit caught him off guard and his hold loosened enough for Ashley to duck out.
Seeing an opening, Poe slammed into Dae and took him down to the floor.
Ashley scanned the room again looking for a place to hide. There were several glass-fronted cabinets built into the bookshelves along the back wall. And lucky for her, they appeared to be mostly empty.
And there was only enough room inside for one person, which meant Dae would have a hell of a time popping up behind her.
Midlife Wish (Blackwell Djinn Book 1) Page 17