The Savage and the Genie

by Siren Allen

  No matter how nice they were, or how generous they were, they weren’t nice enough or generous enough to free her. For that reason alone, no Keeper of her lamp deserved her love or loyalty. Saxon didn’t deserve her love or loyalty.

  He took a step back. “All done.”

  He lowered his hands and placed them behind his back. Before he did so, she could’ve sworn she saw a slight tremble to his hands. For a moment, they stood in the middle of the street with him staring down at her and her staring at his chest, trying not to meet his gaze.

  Finally, he said, “Let’s go.” He reached for her hand again.

  She fiddled with her necklace with both hands, preventing him from grabbing either. Holding his hand was making her feel things she didn’t need to, didn’t want to. To stop that, she needed to stop holding his hands. Problem solved.

  “I really love this necklace,” she told him, to distract him from what she’d done.

  His hand returned to his side. “I’m glad you do.” He stepped back. “After you.”

  Still touching her necklace, she continued walking down the street. He didn’t reach for her hand again, which both pleased her and irritated her. It pleased her, because holding his hand wasn’t something she should be doing anyway.

  It irritated her that he’d given up that easily. He was a savage, after all. Giving up wasn’t supposed to be a part of his DNA. Her emotions were all over the place. That was why she needed to return to her lamp, where everything was simple.

  “I’ve found rice patties.”

  His words pulled her away from her thoughts. He’d indeed found rice patties. She followed him over to the booth. The vendor smiled up at them and told them of all the rice patties they had.

  “What kind would you like?” Saxon asked.

  She didn’t want to be greedy. She really didn’t. But, she wanted all three the vendor had told her about. He had cheesy rice patties, rice patties with vegetables and rice patties with vegetables and cheese. Ugh, what to do? How could one decide?

  Saxon spoke up before she could make up her mind. “The lady can’t seem to decide. How about you give me one of each so that she can try them all.”

  Oh, bless you, sweet savage. Her mouth was already starting to water. Licking her lips, she watched the vendor package each of her items.

  “You’re not going to order anything?” She asked Sax.

  “I don’t have a taste for rice.”

  “Oh. What do you have a taste for?”

  Another growl rumbled through his chest. What was his wolf growling about now? She glanced his way to find him staring at her. Immediately, she regretted staring his way. The intense look in his strange eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

  It also caused a certain part of her to grow wet. Now, was not the time for her to be wet down there. She didn’t want to walk through the market with a lady boner for the rest of the day.

  Clearing her throat, she returned her attention to the vendor. He wrapped each of her patties separately and placed them in a small bag. She couldn’t wait to eat them. Thanking the cook, she took the bag from him.

  “Let’s go,” she said to Saxon, not bothering to look his way.

  He didn’t move. Yet, she could feel him watching her. The vendor’s gaze traveled back and forth from her to Sax. The man looked nervous. He needed them to move out of the way of his other customers.

  However, he was too afraid to say anything. Why wouldn’t he be? He was of average height and build while Saxon towered over him and was the size of a small building. Okay, she was exaggerating a bit, but Sax was huge.

  Even the people standing in line behind them didn’t say anything to rush them out of the way. The vendor’s eyes pleaded with her, begging her to do something. Why her? Why did she have to be the one to do something?

  Didn’t this place have guards? Out of options, she was forced to grab his hand and pull him away from the table. It was like tugging on a small boat. She pulled him to the street then released him.

  “Okay,” she started, staring at his chest. “I’ve got my food. Let’s go find you something to eat.”

  “What if I don’t have a taste for anything here?” He told her, voice gravelly.

  “I’m sure we’ll be able to find something you like.”

  “What if I don’t have a taste for food at all?”

  His beast growled again.

  Chapter Eight

  Oh my! Was this really happening?

  Nope, it couldn’t be. No way was he saying he had a taste for… no, that was impossible. She wasn’t his type.

  “If there’s no food here that suits your taste, we’ll find you something to drink.”

  “What if…”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled. “Let’s walk. I want to see the entire market and it’ll be dark soon.”

  It wouldn’t be night soon. That lie slipped out so easily. However, it worked, and that was all that mattered. Without speaking any more of tasting, he allowed her to lead him down the street.

  Though holding his hand bothered her, it was a necessity. At least, that was what she told herself. She refused to think of any other reason why she’d be inclined to do so. They continued down the street.

  She stopped when she reached a vendor selling bacon and tomatoes wrapped in lettuce. It smelled heavenly. If only she could eat it. She couldn’t eat meat. It made her stomach ache.

  “Would you like to try this?” She asked him. “It smells heavenly.”

  “I choose not to eat meat in front of you.”

  Frowning, she asked, “Why?”

  “Because I don’t ever want to intentionally do anything that will offend or upset you. I don’t like seeing you upset.”

  Seriously, was he trying to make her feel all of the emotions in the world? His response made her heart flip over in her chest. Or maybe it wasn’t him at all. Maybe she was having a heart attack. That sounded better than having the feeling be a response to the words he’d uttered.

  “Oh, uh, so, yeah…” She cleared her throat. Where had all the words in her brain gone? “Um…” Use your words, she chastised herself. “Okay, so, why do you think eating meat in front of me is going to offend me?” There, she’d said it. She’d used her words. Yay me!

  “Because you don’t eat meat.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t. I don’t eat meat because it hurts my stomach. Trust me, if I could eat meat, I’d eat a whole cow. And maybe two pigs also. There are some fish I can stomach, and I can eat shrimp. I love shrimp. Veggies and rice don’t hurt me. That’s why I eat them all the time. Oh, and cheese. I put that shit on everything.”

  Oops, she cursed. How unladylike of her. Her previous Keepers would’ve found a way to punish her for using profanity in their presence. They would’ve poured water in her lamp to wet her things.

  Or, they would’ve lit a match and dropped it inside her lamp. She’d never told them that doing so destroyed her things, but they returned to normal the next day. They were cursed. Neither she nor her Keepers could permanently destroy any items in her lamp.

  The only thing in her lamp that could be destroyed was her. And she could only be killed if she was outside the lamp, not while in it. Even when outside of it, it would take a lot to kill her.

  Beheading, burning alive, drowning, those things would do the trick. Though she was cursed, the magical creatures did give her the means to protect herself when she was in danger. But only if she was in danger or someone threatened her life.

  Cursing had never led her to life-threatening situations. Doing it, just angered her Keepers and made them petty. It didn’t have the same effect on Saxon. Instead of getting angry, he burst out laughing, something that was completely out of character for him.

  Still laughing, he said, “You put that shit on everything?” His laughter was contagious.

  Chuckling, she replied. “Cheese goes on everything. Don’t believe me? Buy one lettuce wrap with it and one without it. I bet the cheesy one
tastes better.”

  He did as she asked. After he ordered his two wraps, they ate as they walked down the street. Her food was delicious. But his smelled better. He was lucky she couldn’t eat meat or she’d be asking for a piece of his food.

  They chatted as they ate. She ignored the people who stared at them. So, did he. Every now and then, his wolf would growl when a male stepped to close to her. Ever so often, she’d have to give a chick and dirty look for staring too hard at Saxon.

  It seemed they were more alike than she’d thought. They stopped at one vendor to get berry juice. Grape. Her favorite. They sipped that after they finished their food. He didn’t seem to mind that she ate all three of her patties.

  Even if he had minded, she wouldn’t have given a damn. She was a grown female. She could eat what she wanted. Still, she was glad he wasn’t one of those males who felt like women should eat like birds.

  Hell, she’d eat a bird if she could. Once they were done with their food and drinks, they tossed their trash in a trash bin near one of the booths and continued walking. It was a while later that they came to the end of the road.

  Caly took in her surroundings. There were no vendors around. They’d journeyed to the very end of the street. A forest stood before them. It was hard to believe that they’d walked this far without noticing it.

  “The king’s castle is on the other side of those trees,” Sax informed her.

  She’d seen enough castles in her lifetime. She wasn’t interested in seeing more.

  “We walked a long way. We should’ve stopped at the last vendor booth. Unfortunately, I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Neither was I,” Caly confessed. “I’d been so caught up in asking you questions about the farmland on your territory back home.”

  “I can’t believe I’m the one telling stories instead of you.”

  “Don’t back out now,” she told him.

  “I won’t back out. We’ve got to walk back. I can continue answering your questions while we walk.”

  “Deal.”

  He stretched his hand out. Did he want to shake on it? Oh well. She placed her hand in his. He turned and started down the street. Oh, he’d wanted to hold her hand. Blushing, she walked hand in hand with him down market street. She was growing used to his touch.

  She didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  ***

  He continued telling her about his territory.

  Once he’d told her all about his farmland and his family, he went on to tell her about his travels. She wanted to tell him about her own family. However, she’d never opened up to any of her Keepers that much.

  She’d love to tell him about her big sister, Calyx. And about her brother, who’d died a long time ago, Canton. After being locked away for so long, she was apprehensive about opening up to anyone.

  Especially someone who had control over her. Revealing your truths to others made you vulnerable. It left you open and exposed to emotional attacks. Even now, part of her wanted to pull her hand free of his.

  Another part of her wanted to hold on to him tighter. It was a constant push and pull when she was near him. Her mind was pushing her away from him. Her heart and her body were pulling her closer to him. It was constant turmoil and she was sick of it.

  “Hey, you two. Lady with the blue hair and her handsome gentleman. This way.”

  She glanced to her right to find a fortune-teller calling them over to her table. She knew the woman was a fortune-teller because of her booth set up. At the center of her table was a crystal ball and a deck of reading cards.

  “Let’s go have a reading.”

  “I don’t like magic,” Sax reminded her.

  “This is harmless. It probably isn’t even real. This kingdom doesn’t seem to be magically inclined. If so, some of their vendors would be selling love potions and other magical concoctions. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  He glared but gave in. Excitement zipped through her. It had been years since she’d had her fortune read.

  “You two are a beautiful couple,” said the dark-skinned woman with long black hair that was coiled into tight curls that dropped past her waist. “I don’t even have to look at the cards to see that you two are meant to be.”

  Yep, she was blushing again. And Sax was growling. They made an interesting pair.

  “How about we start with the male first.” She motioned for Sax to have a seat in the chair.

  “I’ll stand.”

  “My, my, you have a deep voice. You are a very powerful male. I can hear the power in your voice.”

  Caly poked him in the shoulder. He gifted her with one of his signature glares. She was too excited to be fazed by his menacing look.

  “She said you’re powerful,” Caly told him. “She can hear it in your voice.”

  “I know. I was there when she said it.”

  She punched his arm playfully, then remembered who he was. “Sorry.” She rubbed his arm as if that could rub away the punch. He gave her a weird look she couldn’t decipher. With a sigh, he faced the fortune teller again.

  “Can we get this over with?”

  “Indeed, we can.” The woman shuffled the cards then lifted them to her lips and kissed them after whispering a few words over them. “Now, I just need you to touch the top of the cards.”

  She presented the face-down deck of cards to Sax. He touched the top of them. It was barely a touch, but she wasn’t going to force him to do more. He’d probably turn and walk away.

  “Thank you,” the woman told him. “Now, I will place the cards into the box.” She placed them into a box that had a slit at the top. “Shake it up for me,” she instructed Sax.

  He seemed like he was about done.

  “Can I shake it for him instead?”

  The woman shook her head. “It is his reading. He must do it.”

  Figured. Caly shoulder bumped him. “Go on. It’ll be night soon.”

  This time she wasn’t lying. With a growl, he picked the box up, shook it twice then dropped it on the table. Rude. The fortune-teller didn’t seem bothered by his rudeness. She proceeded with her reading.

  She pulled a card from the box and said, “I see love in your future.”

  She flipped the card over. Caly leaned closer to stare at the card. It was a man and a woman embracing. Who was he going to fall in love with? Her anger began to rise. The woman flipped another card over.

  “Hmm…” She said and massaged her chin.

  “What is it?” Caly and Sax asked at the same time. They looked at each other.

  “This is my future,” he told her. “Why are you so interested in it?”

  “Says the man who didn’t even want to stop here,” she rolled her eyes.

  “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

  “No. There was a bug flying near my eyes, so I had to close them. You didn’t see that bug? It was huge.”

  “Liar.” He faced the fortune teller. “What does the second card say?”

  The woman tapped her chin. “It’s a bit strange. It seems, just as quickly as you’ll find love, so will you lose it.”

  Yay. She shouldn’t be so happy about that. Especially since he didn’t seem happy.

  “Why the hell will I lose it?”

  The woman shook her head. “The cards don’t tell me specifics.”

  “What’s the final card?” He snarled. “You know what, never mind. Let’s go, Caly.”

  He gripped her hand and pulled her away from the booth.

  “Hey,” Caly yelled. “I want to know what your third card is. And I want to have my cards read also.”

  “As you said, it isn’t real. That means it’s pointless.”

  He continued dragging her away. She stared over her shoulder and saw the woman turn over Sax’s third card. A huge smile lit up the woman’s face.

  “You’ll find love again,” the woman called out. “You’ll find it again.”

  Damn it. Caly faced forward and jerked my ha
nd from his. “Did you hear her?”

  “How could I not, with how loud she was yelling?”

  “It seems you’ll find love, then lose it, only to find love again.”

  Saxon nodded. “She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. Let’s go.”

  Before they could take a step, a voice called out, “Alpha Saxon.”

  They faced the direction the call came from and was greeted by three men on horses. All three of them were wearing armor. Even their horses had on armor that protected the animal’s head and face. These were military men.

  “You’re one of the king’s guards, right?” Saxon said, in that deep voice of his.

  “I am. The king has a message for you.”

  “I’ll hear it.”

  “He wants you to know that even though he wasn’t able to establish a trade system with you or become your ally, he doesn’t bid you any ill will. He said you’re welcome here any time. He understands that you’re leaving tomorrow. Before you leave, he’d like to send some food, drinks, and entertainment to your camp as a thank you for having a peaceful visit at his territories.

  “Tell the king there’s no need for that. I understand that he’s in no position to establish new trades or alliances.”

  “Alpha Saxon, the king figured you’d reject his offer. He knows you’re a kind man. That’s why he told me I must insist.”

  Saxon sighed. “Alright.”

  “We’ll deliver it to your campsite in two hours.”

  Saxon nodded. The men steered their horses toward the castle and galloped away.

  “The king must like you,” Caly told him.

  “I think he’s just happy we’re leaving. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Let’s talk about your very productive love life,” she said, following him down the street.

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I said so.”

  “You must be a playboy. You’re going to fall in love multiple times. I’ve never even been in love once.”

  He stopped to look down at her. “Never?”

  Shaking her head, she stared up at him. “No, never.”