“Well,” Trenton said as he glanced around, “where is she?”
“How should I know? All you wished for was to be married to her. Judging from that,” I said with a nod to the ring on his left hand. “You are.”
He glanced at it. “Seriously, this is the best day ever.”
I didn’t speak. There was no point in ruining his excitement and bringing him down by mentioning he didn’t know who she was as a person. Sure, she would be a knockout, but sometimes beauty wasn’t enough.
The stuffy guy came with Trenton’s drink then. “Here you are, sir.” He placed a square white napkin on the table before setting the drink in front of him. “Again, I apologize for the misunderstanding earlier. Please enjoy your meal and the rest of your evening with us.”
“Thank you,” Trenton said in a way that oozed authority and money all at once.
I hated him. He was exactly the type of guy I couldn’t stand. All it had taken was three wishes to change him completely. Unbelievable.
“You know,” Trenton said once the waiter had walked away, “I went to the bathroom earlier because I’d glanced at the menu and realized I couldn’t afford a fucking thing on it. I was taking a piss and then planned on dipping out to find someplace cheaper. Now, because of you, I’m drinking a top-shelf whiskey at their best table and can get anything on the menu I want.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, but he didn’t seem to hear me. He was too preoccupied with enjoying his whiskey and the ambiance of his new table.
His gaze dipped to his ring and a far-off expression softened his sharp features. “You know, I almost wished to keep you as my final wish.”
My stomach twisted. Only because I knew what he would have gained in doing so—a life of granting wishes for others. “It’s probably best you didn’t.”
“Why is that?” Humor laced his tone.
“I’d imagine you would run out of things to wish for quickly.”
Trenton shook his head. “Doubtful. I have a long list of wants and desires.”
Greed darkened his eyes. Dickhead had been right to pick him. I was sure he was sipping on this guy’s greed like it was a fine wine right about now.
“Yeah, well, enjoy your drink.” I stood with the intention of heading back to my lamp, but his next words gave me pause.
“Seriously though. You’ve got the coolest job in the world. I wish it was mine.”
I flashed him a smirk. “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.”
The desire to grant his wish burned through me. I wanted nothing more than for him to take my place. It didn’t work like that, though.
“Very true.” Trenton laughed. “Still, I hope you accept what you are and appreciate what you do for others.”
Accept what I was? Who was this guy to talk? He’d just made three wishes that changed practically everything about his life in the span of an hour. Even so, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe he was right. Maybe it was time I did accept what I was.
It would make things a hell of a lot easier in the long run.
Dickhead wasn’t ever going to release me out of the kindness of his heart. I was his meal ticket. And the whole Alayna thing, it wasn’t going to happen. All I would do is drive myself crazy trying to figure out a way to see her again.
Maybe it was time I admitted as much to myself.
“I do accept what I am,” I said to Trenton, meaning it more than I ever thought I would.
A crooked grin formed on his face. “Could have fooled me.”
A smartass response rested on the tip of my tongue, but I let it linger there as the sensation of Dickhead summoning me worked its way through my veins.
What did he want now? To congratulate me for granting three wishes in such a short span of time? Doubtful.
“Have a good one.” I waved to Trenton before closing my eyes and giving into the feeling swirling through me.
The off-kilter sensation that came with this particular method of travel rolled through me. Although, it wasn’t as intense as previous times. Maybe it was because I didn’t fight it this time around.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Dickhead asked mid-thrust as he pounded into the girl who’d been dancing for him earlier in the night.
She squealed and rushed to cover herself as I glanced around what appeared to be Dickhead’s bedroom. What was I doing here? I’d never been in here before. Our meetings—for lack of a better word—had always been held in his lounge.
“Answer me,” Dickhead demanded as he rushed to pull on pants. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.” It was the truth.
Dickhead motioned to the door. “Step out. Head to the lounge. Wait for me there.”
I did as he asked without hesitation. When I stepped from his bedroom into the lounge area I was more familiar with, I spotted five guys sitting in the corner of the room, playing a game of cards at a small table I’d never noticed before. They glanced at me. Surprise twisted their features before it quickly shifted to suspicion. I lifted my hands in surrender as I inched farther away from Dickhead’s bedroom door.
The guys stood, and I knew I was in trouble.
Before any of them were able to take a handful of steps in my direction, Dickhead bolted from his bedroom to grill me. Irritation pinged off him.
“How the hell did you even get here, Blythe?” Dickhead barked. The guys at the table seemed to relax at the sight of him, but not much. They wanted to know what was going on. “Explain what you’re doing here.” He motioned for me to sit on the black leather couch. It was where I was used to seeing him sit when he summoned me.
My feet moved, but my mouth didn’t. I was at a loss for words. What could I say? Clearly, he hadn’t summoned me. What answer could I give him that would curb his ever-growing anger?
I didn’t know how I’d gotten here anymore than he did.
“Are you mute? Cat got your damn tongue?” Dickhead shouted. His face grew red and a thick vein corded through the center of his forehead.
My lamp appeared on the coffee table between us before I could utter a word.
The room grew eerily silent at the sudden appearance of it. When my eyes locked with Dickhead’s again, confusion and something else had ignited through their color. “That’s impossible. You couldn’t have—” he cut off his own sentence and narrowed his eyes as though he were searching for any sign of whatever the hell he was talking about.
What was he talking about? What did he think I’d done?
Each question burned across my tongue, but I couldn’t find my voice. My mind was too busy spinning to form a coherent sentence out loud.
What the hell had just happened?
“I don’t understand. How did you manage it? How the hell did you figure it out?” Spit flew from Dickhead’s mouth as he talked, his face twisting into that of the monster he truly was. He paced the length of the room. I didn’t breathe. Hell, I didn’t think anyone did besides him.
“What’s going on, boss?” one of his goons asked, his voice shaky. “Everything okay?”
“No, clearly everything is not okay,” Dickhead snapped without glancing his way. He ran his hands through his slick hair like a mad man, his eyes wild and crazed. The air in the room seemed to shift. It became stagnant and thick. Dickhead came to a standstill and his face grew devoid of color. “Shit. It’s her. She’s coming. I need to get out of here. Now. Before it’s too late.” The words were muttered to himself, but I was close enough to hear them. Close enough to see the worry bloom through the depths of Dickhead’s eyes.
He was scared. I had no idea of who, though.
He dashed back to his bedroom. I heard the woman he’d left in his bed ask multiple questions, but he didn’t answer her. All I heard was him tossing things around his room while packing in a hurry.
My gaze fell to the lamp on the coffee table.
I knew it was mine. Even as I stared at it, I knew. However, there was something differen
t about it. Something that had changed.
It no longer felt like home.
The breath left my lungs in a rush as this thought settled in. Did that mean what I thought it might—was I no longer a genie? Was I no longer bound to Dickhead?
My thoughts were cut short when a woman with brown hair cascading in waves past her waist appeared out of thin air a few feet away. She wore a white dress that reminded me of something a Greek goddess would wear. The fabric wrapped around her tiny frame, doubling in some places. It was secured by the same golden rope she wore as jewelry. Her feet were bare, and in her hands was an eccentric wooden box.
She was beautiful.
Dickhead stumbled from his bedroom as I stared at her. I glanced at him. He’d pulled on a button-down shirt, but hadn’t bothered with the buttons. A black bag was hoisted over his shoulder and he moved as though he were on a mission—until he saw the woman. Then he froze.
“Eden,” he whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at her. Fear rippled through his voice. “You’re here.” He seemed surprised to see her, but more than that, he seemed terrified.
Who was this woman who’d put the fear of God in my Sin Demon with just her presence?
“Hello, Greed,” she said, her voice as beautiful as her face. It was soft and feminine, mesmerizing.
“Please,” Dickhead pleaded as he took a step back. What was he begging for? “Don’t.”
Eden lifted the box in her hands, sending Dickhead into a panic. He begged her to show him mercy, to let him go, but his words only brought a smile to her face. She opened the box, and a cry of agony ripped from deep inside Dickhead as he became sucked inside. When it was done, and he was gone, I stared at the box, unblinking.
What. The. Fuck?
My lungs burned for air, but I refused to breathe. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Eden was gorgeous, but it was clear that she was deadly. Her and that box.
She closed the lid and glanced around. Each of Dickhead’s goons shrank back when her stare reached them. When it reached me, I froze. She took a step forward, and I debated whether I should run.
“Ryan.” My name flowed from her lips as though we were old friends. It caused my heart to stall. This woman scared the shit out of me. “Do not be afraid of me.” A smile played at the corners of her lips. “I’m glad you finally realized the trick—that there is freedom in acceptance. It is only through acceptance that we can ever truly obtain a sense of freedom.”
I licked my lips. Was she the person who’d slipped me the postcard? No. It couldn’t have been her. The postcard had been signed with a P. Eden didn’t start with the letter P.
If she wasn’t her though, how the hell did she know about that whole freedom thing?
“Thank you,” Eden insisted. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do what I just did. Now, the other demons of sin will be weakened. You’ve set forth a ripple effect, Ryan. For that, I thank you.” She dipped her head, bowing to me before she shimmered out of existence as quickly as she’d appeared.
A ripple effect? Of what?
“Hey. Hey, you. Ryan,” someone called in a hushed whisper from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a guy wearing a pair of pink flamingo boxers and nothing more. He was crouched down, working to free himself from a thin wire rope wrapped around his ankle. It was attached to a golden stand. “Can you help me out? I mean you already have, but can you help me out again?” He jiggled the rope. “With this?”
I arched a brow. Was he the crow? This night just kept getting stranger.
“Bring that dagger on the table with you. It’s the only thing that can break through this magic rope.” He motioned to the end table beside the couch.
I grabbed it and moved toward him. The dagger felt warm in my hand as magic pulsed from it. I could feel it, but not in the way that I used to.
Something about me was different.
My gaze drifted to the coffee table, searching for my lamp. It was still there, but like before it felt foreign. My lips quirked into a smirk—I was finally free.
No more genie business. No more Dickhead. I was done with it all.
The guy took the dagger from me and worked on the rope wrapped tightly around his ankle. When it fell away, he glanced up at me. “Thanks, I don’t know how the hell you did it, but I can’t thank you enough for calling Eden here. I’ve been tied to that damn stand for days. Asshole wasn’t ever going to let me go.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, even though I knew I didn’t play a part in Eden coming. I didn’t even know who the woman was. All I’d done was the simplest thing—accept what I was and my life as is.
The guy stood and ran a hand through his inky hair before he held his hand out to me. “I’m Sterling. We sort of met earlier when I was trapped in my other form.”
So he was the crow.
“I’m Ryan,” I said.
“Yeah, I know.” He grinned. “We should get out of here before they turn on us, though. Well, before they turn on you. You’re the one that brought Eden here and got Greed taken out. You just shook up the underworld, and I have a feeling once they catch on to that, they’re not going to like it.” He motioned to Dickhead’s goons still scratching their heads and talking among themselves about what happened.
I swallowed hard. He was probably right, getting out of here fast might be a smart move.
Sterling dashed into Dickhead’s bedroom. Now that my senses had expanded to the entire room instead of the area where Dickhead and Eden once stood, I could make out the sound of the woman Greed had left in his bed crying softly. Sterling said something to her that sounded like, “You could do better,” and then popped back into the lounge dressed in dark clothes that barely fit his tall, lanky frame. He scooped up the bag Dickhead dropped when Eden sucked him into her box and motioned to a door I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Let’s go. I’m serious about needing to get out of here.” He shoved me toward the door. “You did me a favor by freeing me from that bastard. Now, let me return it by getting you out of here.”
Where was here, exactly? And where were we going to go? Wouldn’t demons from the underworld be able to find me regardless of where I went?
I had a feeling I was screwed.
Chapter Five
I followed Sterling out the door of Dickhead’s lair. When we stepped onto the main strip of Sin City, shock rippled through me. We weren’t far from the Dragon Night Casino and the restaurant where I’d left Trenton was close enough I could toss a rock at it if I wanted.
I’d always been within his reach, literally.
I’d thought his lair was some place in hell. It irked me to learn that it wasn’t and that he’d been so close the entire time.
“Come on. If luck is on our side, my car will still be parked over here,” Sterling insisted as he moved to dash across the busy street, not caring about traffic.
I chased after him, taking advantage of the path he’d created. Adrenaline spiked through my system as tendrils of fear uncoiled in my gut. It was a human response, one that felt equal parts good and bad to be experiencing.
Sterling let out a woot of excitement when an old black Thunderbird came into view. Of course, he drove a car named after a bird. Would a bird shifter drive anything else?
“Hop in. Time is ticking.” Sterling tapped his wrist as though he wore an invisible watch. “I’m sure those guys figured out you were the cause of their boss’s demise and are looking for you by now.”
I popped open the passenger door and slipped in, fearing he was right. The interior of the car was all black leather and in pristine condition for its age. Sterling clearly took care of it.
“All right, where should we go?” he asked as he cranked the engine of his car to life and shifted into reverse. I wasn’t sure if his question was pointed at me or himself, so I didn’t answer. Besides, the only place I wanted to go was where Alayna was. If that happened to be the Outer Banks, North Carolina then I was on the opposite side of the cou
ntry.
Sterling backed out of his parking space and then lurched the car forward without waiting for a pause in traffic. People slammed on their brakes and honked. Burnt rubber floated to my nose as Sterling tossed everyone his middle finger and a few choice words while continuing forward. He pressed the gas to the floor as though the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.
In some ways, they were.
Once we’d merged with the flow of traffic, and Sterling found a steady speed, the reality of what happened started to settle in.
Dickhead was gone. I was free. Free to leave the city. Free to live.
Free to find Alayna.
“We can’t go to my place. That’s a given,” Sterling said. It was still unclear if he was talking to me or himself. “It’ll be the first place Greed’s goonies will look if they put two and two together about us leaving at the same time back there.” He glanced at me. “Clearly, you can’t go back to your place since you aren’t a genie anymore.”
I blinked. It was one thing to think that truth, but another to hear it out loud. I couldn’t explain the sensations it stirred inside me.
“How did you do it?” Sterling demanded. “How did you free yourself from him, from your lamp?”
“I don’t know.” It wasn’t an entirely honest answer, but I was hoping it would suffice.
Did it really matter how it happened as long as we both were free from him now?
Sterling scoffed, not accepting my answer. “Come on, you have to know something about it. I’m sure you’ve been working for that dickhead for years. You expect me to believe you didn’t plan this? That you just snapped your fingers and suddenly you were free?” He flashed me another sideways look. “I don’t know much about your kind, so I’m not entirely sure what sort of magic you wielded, but I doubt that was how things went down.”
“I didn’t snap my fingers and suddenly I was free, no.” That much was true. I ran a hand through my hair and settled back into my seat. Sterling turned onto another stretch of highway that seemed to hold less traffic, and I realized it was because we were making our way out of the center of the city. I stared at the desert, having never thought I would see anything besides tall buildings and bright lights again. I licked my lips. “I honestly don’t know how it happened. All I know is that I was given a Charge. Like with every other before him, I did what was expected and figured I’d be sent back to my lamp. Only this time I wasn’t. Instead, I was sent to Dickhead. He seemed surprised to see me, even though it had felt like a regular summoning when I was pulled to him. Eden came, and you know the rest.”
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