by S. E. Smith
Her phone buzzed, making her jump. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked it. Warren. Of course. Pursing her lips, she stabbed the talk button with a finger. “Yeah?”
“What’s taking you so long?” His cold, clipped tone stirred her anger.
“Didn’t realize I had a deadline.”
“The round trip between my place and Great Bowls of Fire is less than six miles and you should have been back half an hour ago.”
“You’re timing me?” She flipped him a bird. What he didn’t see, couldn’t hurt her. “Um, storm of the century, icy roads, and actually capturing the djinn—did any of that figure into your calculations?”
Warren harrumphed. “Given the time, do you want me to pick up Cade?”
Hearing him speak her brother’s name killed all fight in her. She didn’t want him anywhere near Cade. “No.” She swallowed. “No thanks. I’ll pick him up and then deliver the bottle to you.”
“Don’t keep me waiting.” He disconnected with a click.
She snapped the phone shut and almost threw it across the room. Only practicality kept her from doing something that useless. Selene heaved the backpack across one shoulder, flipped off the light, and stepped out into the cold. The air was filled with spinning, floating flurries of snow. She locked the backdoor, shoved the keys into her coat pocket and then took off for her car at a jog, dragging the chest behind her.
Mariyam stood, still and invisible, near the backdoor of the restaurant as the flurries twirled and danced in the air. She almost laughed out loud watching the puny human all bundled up in clothes and lugging a box. So awkward and ridiculous.
The cold didn’t bother her. In fact, she’d been cold inside ever since Mansur died; her air and water nature seemed to have combined into ice. Where she went, she brought winter.
She held up her hands and flexed her fingers. Long, sharp claws gleamed blue black. They could slash through all those layers—layers of wool, cloth, skin, flesh, tendons and muscle. Rip, tear, shred. A longing, pure and desperate, shook through her, burned like acid in her veins. “Sweet, so sweet that’d be,” she whispered.
Licking her lips, she turned and prepared to launch herself at the hurrying human. But an ancient memory stirred her jumbled thoughts, prodded her to remember. Rayez. She turned to stare at the door again. She’d finally managed to track the haramjaad to this place, watched and waited for her chance. But always too many humans around. Pesky humans.
For a moment she stood, torn by indecision, swiveling her head back and forth between her two quarries. Another thought popped into her head. Don’t Show to Humans. For some reason it was important to not remind humans about djinns, even though they’d shared the world for eons. She shook her head trying to clear the fog inside and grasp at some clarity.
Another whisper slid through her mind. Let the human go…Rayez.
Now that the human had left, it was time to bring winter to Rayez. Make him finally pay for Mansur’s death.
Mariyam stalked up to the closed door. Drawing in a deep breath, she dissipated into a fine cold mist and slipped inside through the cracks.
Chapter 3
Rayez gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut as bile splashed up his throat. The muted hiss of the car rushing over snow added to his vertigo. Being trapped in a bottle and being subjected to constant crazy motion was not his idea of fun. And in a beer bottle with a half peeled off label. Seriously, she couldn’t find something a bit more dignified?
He swallowed and curled into himself, his arms hugging his knees, his face hidden. Shame at his own weakness—the great fire djinn fooled by a woman and felled by motion sickness—burned him.
When he got out, the woman would pay. Selene. Her name echoed in his mind, along with her face. Such a beautiful face and such treachery. Some things never changed.
Just when he thought he’d upchuck, the motion stopped. The world spiraled a few times and settled. Rayez pulled in ragged, grateful breaths. Thank the Creator.
A door slammed, followed by a thin childish voice. “Did you remember to bring me a snack?”
“Of course. Check my backpack.”
Instinctively, Rayez turned invisible. Moments later, light filtered in and a freckle-faced boy of about ten peered in. His hand dove in and rummaged. Rayez sputtered silent curses as the bottle jerked around. A smile lit up the kid’s face as his fingers wrapped around a shiny silver something. Then the boy disappeared and Rayez found himself in the dark again.
“Oh cool, a Mars bar!”
“Only the best for my man Cade.” Love warmed her voice. “You’re shivering! Here, let me turn the heater on higher.”
A man’s frantic voice filled the car. A report on the radio about worsening weather, traffic accidents and road closures. She must have turned on the radio.
“Dammit! We’re going nowhere fast.” Selene’s outburst was followed by a thump, and then a moment of silence. “Sorry about the cuss word, Cade.”
When the boy spoke, fear trembled in his voice. “Are we going to make it home?”
“Worst case scenario is no, we’ll be stuck here and will be herded into the school where they have generators and food and it’ll be like a campout,” Selene said. “Best case scenario, we’ll drive very carefully and slowly and reach home, which isn’t too, too far. Then, I’ll make you hot chocolate with marshmallows. How does that sound?”
“Sounds pretty good to me.” The boy chortled. “Hey, maybe I can make a snowman!”
“Not in this storm, you’re not.” Her voice softened as she added, “But maybe if the snow sticks around.”
Rayez released a long breath. So the woman had a child and some redeeming qualities. Though, the ability to choose a healthy snack wasn’t one of them. Still, the woman would be punished. Just not as drastically as he’d first imagined. For the sake of the child.
Movement resumed and he stopped thinking.
Selene huffed out a frustrated breath as her eight-year-old Honda Civic idled in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Red tails lights glared back at her through a blur of snow and sleet. The windshield wipers squeaked trying to keep up.
Her tension spiked as the radio announcer shared the list of road closures. Road closures that included the 610 loop she’d eventually need. There was no way she could deliver the bottle to Warren. Shit. A wave of nausea washed over her, left her dizzy. She shivered despite the heater blowing hot air at her.
She tossed a reassuring smile over her shoulder at a white-faced Cade. “Hold on to something, kiddo.”
As soon as an opening in the traffic appeared, she nosed the car into it, crossed over and into the grassy ditch. While she wasn’t doing her old car any favors, at least she could take the back roads home. The world, as she knew it, had gone for full blown crazy and she needed the comfort of the familiar. Thank God, she didn’t live too far.
The wind blew harder. It roared and rushed, and, from time to time, she thought she heard a woman wailing. Add to that the constant barrage of sleet hitting the metal exterior of the car. It sounded like someone or something scratching to get inside.
Selene bit back a sob. She was losing her mind. There was no other explanation. Strong gusts shoving at the car had her gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles jutted against her skin and the muscles in her neck ached. She finally relaxed when the car trundled through the gates of the Bellaire Haven Apartments.
She had never been so glad to return to their tiny two-bedroom apartment. What should have been a twenty minute drive took two hours, but still…they were safe and sound, back in their home.
Selene parked the car, pulled on her hood and grabbed the backpack. Head down and huddled together, they jogged up the stairs.
By the time they reached their apartment door, both siblings were shaking like Chihuahuas during a thunder storm. She pulled out the keys and managed to drop them twice. The third attempt was the charm. Selene said a silent prayer and twisted the key.
As soon as the door opened, Selene
reached in and flicked on every light switch at hand. Warm light bounced off the white walls and popcorn ceiling, made them feel welcome. She shut and locked the door, and then pulled Cade into a tight hug.
He snuggled back for a few short seconds, and then squirmed. “Let go I gotta go!”
Selene pressed a kiss on top of his head and released him. “Make sure to wash up and change your clothes.”
Cade stampeded toward the hallway leading to the bathroom, but stopped long enough by the twisted little pine tree to turn on the Christmas lights. It lit up all cheery with the ornaments and tinsel the two of them had piled on its branches. Her heart gave a little wrench. Given it was the runt of the bunch, she’d managed to haggle the price down to affordable. Even then she’d hesitated about taking money out of their tight budget for a tree, but it’d been worth it.
With a sigh, she turned her attention to her back pack and pulled out her cell phone. Yup, Warren had called twice. She’d better return the calls before he got any madder.
He picked up on the first ring. “Where are you and where’s my bottle?”
The rage in his voice tightened her grip on the phone. He scared her shitless, but damned if she’d let him know that. “I’m just following your advice to the citizens of Houston,” she said. “Not taking unnecessary risks.”
“Selene.” The way he said her name sent a chill crackling down her spine.
“Roads are closed down and traffic is a nightmare, I can’t get to you.” She leaned against the wall and forced her fingers to relax. “What do you want me to do? Let the genie out of the bottle and wish us all over to you?”
“Don’t be foolish and don’t touch the bottle.” He cut their connection.
Warren’s last words festered in her mind as Selene worked her way through cooking and serving dinner. Fortunately, even she couldn’t mess up canned chili and micro-waved potatoes. And a hearty topping of shredded cheese could hide many shortcomings. She’d also added a bunch of grapes to the spread to be healthy since she had them on hand.
“Sel! Is something wrong?”
“What?” She started and stared at Cade. “Why?”
“I was telling you about the movie we saw at school today, but you weren’t listening.”
Guilt flushed her face as she flashed him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“And you’re picking at your food. Are you sick?” Cade squinted at her in concern.
“I-I had something to eat earlier,” she said. Her mind flashed to the soup Rayez had fed her. And guilt dug its claws further into her. She still couldn’t believe the man had truly turned out to be a genie—or djinn according to Warren—and had been sucked into the bottle.
“You shouldn’t snack before dinner.”
“Exactly. It spoils your appetite. See.” She smiled at Cade. “So what movie did you watch at school?”
“Aladdin.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. Shit. Was the Universe sending her a message? Genies really existed. She’d never have believed it. Hadn’t believed it even while she’d been in the middle of the job.
“Aladdin? How is that even educational?” She leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her face. “I’m sending you to school to watch movies?” When Warren had mentioned capturing the genie, she’d thought he was losing his mind. Taken gleeful pleasure in the idea.
Cade made a face at her. “It was a reward for the entire class achieving our reading goal. We even got pizza.”
“Movies and pizza!” She widened her eyes. “I need to go back to school.” But Warren had been right. What else was he right about? Maybe she needed to rethink giving the bottle to Warren. The genie was magic. Magic understood magic, might even be able to destroy it.
A shiver ran up her as she recalled Warren’s eyes when he’d talked about the genie. Eyes glazed with hungry greed. Not getting the bottle would make him mad and dangerous.
Cade giggled. “You’re too old.”
Half-listening, she ruffled his hair and stuck her tongue out at him. Stealing the bottle would be as foolish as climbing over a fence and kicking a bull. But if the genie was truly powerful, she had to try, had to take the chance for Cade’s sake. Who else would believe Warren was using magic to drain Cade’s life force. Her heart twisted as she looked into his bright eyes and big smile. “And you should be in bed.”
Her brother took his time licking his spoon clean and pushed away from the table. “Sounds like a good idea. I’m bushed.”
“You little toot! Don’t forget to brush your teeth.” Selene cleaned off the table and tried to think of ways to negotiate with the genie.
Once Cade climbed into bed, she pulled the covers up to his chin and tucked them around him. “Good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
When he smiled, she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. Her eyes pricked with unshed tears. She leapt to her feet and hurried from the room. At the doorway, she flicked off the overhead light and switched on the nightlight. Then she stole one last look.
Cade lay on his side, curled up like a shrimp afloat in a blue ocean of covers. God, he was so tiny. She had to save him from Warren.
Chapter 4
Darkness fell away and light filtered into the bottle and revived Rayez from his stupor. He raised his head from his knees. Selene’s face frowned at him as she set the bottle down on a flat surface, a table, and backed away.
She paced back and forth like a caged panther. Lithe, lethal and pissed. What the hell did she have to be pissed about?
He studied the room around her. They seemed to be in a tiny apartment, where a dining bar separated the kitchen from the living area. Large black and white photographs hung on the walls and dominated the space. From baby pictures, to toddler-hood, to the boy he’d seen earlier. In all the pictures, his eyes shone with mischief and love.
Selene approached with wary steps and stopped in front of him. Her face held grim determination as she reached forward. Her hands trembled. Then she pulled the cork.
Fresh air rushed in and he breathed it in deep, saying a silent prayer of thanks to the Creator.
Through the opening he saw a circle of textured white, which hung at the mouth of the bottle like the untouchable moon. A popcorn ceiling, perhaps? He rose to his feet in slow motion, working out the kinks in his muscles and rolling his shoulders.
His breathing eased when minutes passed and the opening remained unsealed. He focused on that tiny bit of ceiling. Anger burned bright and hardened his determination. Bunching his leg muscles, he launched himself upwards, toward freedom.
He slowed as he drew closer to the opening and hovered just beyond the lip of the bottle. The air teased and tempted, urging him forward. But reason warned. The woman had trapped him, and now unsealed the bottle. What calamity waited for him outside?
Rayez coalesced into dark, swirling smoke, the hardest form to trap and hold…except by magic. Unfortunately, Selene seemed to know magic. Well, he wouldn’t cowardly submit to her will without a fight. And he wouldn’t be stupid. He emerged into the room, sending out a few tendrils of smoke first, akin to dipping a toe to test the waters. When nothing dire happened, he pushed forward in great billows and clouds. Smoke thickened the air.
His enemy stood a healthy distance away, aiming a fire extinguisher at him. Despite the situation, he almost laughed. Not a bad thought, but he’d outlast the damn thing. What stole his breath was the fierce light in her eyes and the rock solid steadiness of her stance. She was a beautiful woman. One that needed to be taught a lesson.
Rayez pulled himself together, knitting the ephemeral smoke into a more solid form. He chose to be dark and muscle bound, twice as large as his human shell. His anger fueled essence burned hot and made his skin glow a burnished red like banked embers.
Since she obviously wanted a genie, he wore loose billowy pants of black silk and a matching vest. Too bad he didn’t have a villainous goatee and a cue to complete the stereotype. He did however manifest th
e illusion of a flaming scimitar in one hand. With a clap of thunder and the flash of lightning, he cleared the smoke away and let himself be seen.
“I’d clap, but my hands are kind of full,” she said. “You can put that big sword of yours away because the last time you tried to attack me, it didn’t work so great.”
And why didn’t it? Rayez narrowed his gaze at her. “I didn’t attack you, I was trying to defend myself.” His voice dropped a notch, carried a dangerous softness, as he shrugged. “Sorry, but my sword stays as long as you have a weapon.”
She put down the fire extinguisher and showed him her empty hands. Rayez extinguished the sword. Bigger males than her had quaked in fear when he’d appeared to them in a similar guise. She dropped her arms to her side and looked him in the eye. “We need to talk.”
He crossed his arms and glowered down at her. While their gazes clashed in stony silence, he continued to let his heat build and fill the room.
The air grew hot and sticky as if the desert sun he’d grown up with was bearing down on them. Sweat beaded on her skin, then ran down her face and neck in rivulets. Her pink cotton tee-shirt grew damp and clung to her curves, giving him tantalizing hints of what lay hidden. Damn, she had a smoking hot bod.
“What do you want?” His voice cracked the silence like the rumble of a volcano about to blow.
Her tongue, pink and delicate, swept across her lips. “Wishes.”
An unwanted pang of desire shot to his groin. Fortunately, billowy pants hid all kinds of sins. Damn, he needed to get laid. It’d been too long. He shook his head both at himself and her. Humans believed the craziest things—pots of gold at the end of rainbows, lucky rabbits’ feet (not so lucky for the rabbits) and wishes coming true. He cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow at her. “Wishes?”
She wiped sweat from her forehead and nodded. “Yes, I released you from your bottle and now I want my wishes.”