by S. E. Smith
She grasped his hand. “So you’re trying to help me with this situation because I inadvertently commanded you to?”
Guilt flushed through him about his earlier deception. “No,” he rasped. “I mean, there is the compulsion. But I also want to help.”
“Why?”
“Because Cade is a good kid. Because no one deserves to be only half-alive and enslaved,” he said. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
She raised his hand to her lips and brushed a soft kiss across his knuckles. “You’re a good man, Rayez.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “So tell me, how do I release you from this binding?”
A jumble of emotion—disbelief, elation, and a heart-stopping need to kiss her—flooded him, clogged his throat. He stared at her for a long moment, then cleared his throat. “You have to say you release me, using the same name he gave you, and then break the bottle.”
She nodded. Selene dragged in a deep breath, exhaled. “Okay, here goes—”
A sudden loud blast, like a clap of thunder landing right in the room with them, had Selene shrieking and leaping into his arms. The lights flickered, and a split second later they were plunged into darkness.
Rayez’s heart hammered hard against his ribs. All he was aware of was Selene. Her enticing lavender scent, the tickle of her silky hair, and her warm soft body pressed against his. Damn, she felt good. He licked his lips and froze in place, afraid he would give in to his wants if he dared to move.
Creator, he wanted to do so much. He wanted to kiss her and taste her. He wanted to bury his nose in her curtain of hair and inhale her scent. He wanted her naked and under him. He needed her.
Her warm sweet breath caressed his jawline. Fuck. She’d leaned closer. His breath strangled in his lungs and he opened his mouth to say something, anything, to break the dark and silent intimacy that had his dick straining and his balls in a headlock.
“Sel! Where are you?” Cade’s thin panicked cry saved them both. They jumped apart as if struck by lightning.
“Uh, I’m coming. Stay where you are,” she called out. Her voice held a husky edge of need. She stumbled forward, stepped on his foot. “Oh! So sorry!”
His brain kicked into gear and he quickly called up a few candles worth of djinn fire. He held them in his palms. At that first moment of illumination, their eyes met and held. He saw desire swimming in her eyes, and his lips parted in answer.
She dropped her gaze and turned away. “Thanks,” she mumbled, making her way toward Cade’s shadowy form at the threshold of the hallway. “You’re definitely useful to have around.”
He smiled, following behind Selene and lighting her path. He was glad she thought so because he planned on staying around.
Dear God, she’d almost kissed Rayez. Heat swept up her neck and into her cheeks. Part of her regretted she hadn’t, but the saner part was relieved.
She couldn’t afford the complications of a relationship, not yet. Maybe one day. First, she had to get rid of Warren and all the complications he entailed. Then, she had to try and get herself together. It wouldn’t be fair to expect someone to be in a relationship with half a person and her stupendously messed up life.
Selene reached Cade and pulled him into a hug. Right now she had room for only one guy in her life and that was enough.
A cold wind blew in and wrapped around them like an icy shroud. What on earth? A strange silvery tinkling filled the air like the harmonious chime of several bells ringing at once.
She turned to find Rayez with his back to her. Tension radiated from his taut body. His legs planted firmly, his stance ready for trouble. Uh oh. “What’s going on?”
“Take Cade and go into his room,” he whispered back. “There’s another djinn here.” The temperature kept dropping until her breath misted in front of her face.
Chapter 6
Selene dragged Cade into his room. “I want you to stay warm and hide under your bed. Don’t come out no matter what you hear,” she said, placing a kiss on top of his head. “I love you.”
“I have to go stand with Rayez,” she said, extricating herself from Cade’s grasp. She slipped out and closed the door to her brother’s room, hoping the flimsy barrier would keep him safe.
A sudden burn sliced through her, followed by a dizzy spell. Selene leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. Her mouth fell open as she dragged in a breath. Great. Of all the times for Warren to cut and drain her, weaken her.
Once she’d regained some of her equilibrium, Selene went and stood behind Rayez. His form glowed red again and radiated heat. But the cold was affecting him, because what should have been oven hot felt comfortably warm.
Her eyes widened as icicles grew downward from the top of the hall doorway. They sparkled and glistened prettily with the light emanating from Rayez.
He looked over his shoulder and scowled at her. “I told you to hide. I don’t need to worry about you in the middle of this.”
Selene skewered him with her own “d-uh” look. “Um, dopplegänger here. I can’t be killed or hurt too badly.” Fingers crossed.
Rayez turned away, shaking his head. She thought she heard him mutter “women!”
He stalked forward, she followed behind making sure to stay against the wall and covered by his huge form. Safety and surprise both seemed like a good idea.
They emerged into the living room which was now cold as a meat locker. Frost covered the walls and windows in a thin icy coating decorated with spider web-like patterns. Icicles hung from the ceiling fan and light fixtures. It looked like a freaking winter wonderland.
A sparkling mist coalesced in the middle of the room, solidifying to reveal a woman unlike any woman she’d ever seen. Selene gasped. In some ways the woman was a harder version of herself. Pale, pale skin and silver white hair.
She stood tall, at least seven feet if not more, full of sharp angles and long limbs. She wore jewelry made from beautiful and sharp ice, they looked like crystals. Each step, every move set off a soft jingle. The female djinn was a strange mix of grace and dangerous edginess. Mad glee danced in her silver eyes.
“Mariyam of the Ice Mountains, what are you doing here?” Rayez’s deep voice rolled into the room like storm clouds.
“Good, good. You remember me, I sees.” The female djinn cackled. The eerie sound, a cross between a mournful wind and a hyena, filled Selene with dread. She huddled behind Rayez, her throat dry.
They faced off, both tall and imposing. Hands at their sides, ready to throw spells or whatever djinns threw, they circled each other.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Rayez said. “Go back to where you came from. Leave in peace.”
“Peace? I have known none since you killed my son,” she snarled. “Killed him in cold blood.”
“You know he deserved to die,” Rayez said. “He betrayed our tribe, he betrayed me.”
“He. Was. My. Son!” Anguish carved harsh lines in Mariyam’s face. Some of the icicles broke and fell to the carpet. “He stole your woman. Well, she never loved you.”
“I know that, Mariyam of the Ice Mountains.” Rayez’s voice was heavy with sadness. Selene’s breath stuttered in her throat. Did he still love another?
“For that you burned him alive. You’re the one who betrayed our tribe, you burned so many.” Mariyam pulled in a hissing breath. “You burned women and children.”
What? Selene gaped. No, the man she’d seen, got to know, could never have done that.
Rayez stilled. “You’re right, I have sinned and for that I’m being punished every day. I live in exile with nightmares that are based in truth.”
Dizziness hit her again. Selene leaned against a wall for support because the room seemed to spin around her. Warren’s cuts and the revelation were too much to handle all at once. She stared at Rayez. He didn’t deny it. Dread sunk deep into her guts, made her gag. She pulled in a deep, desperate breath. Could she trust him with Cade and her future?
“I have regretted my acti
ons and learned to control my anger, my fire,” he said, letting his hands drop to his side in surrender. “But if my death will bring you peace, then I will let you kill me. Only give me a bit of time, I need to help a friend first.”
A squadron of sharp icicles flew at Rayez. He managed to throw up a wall of flames that met and melted them at the last minute.
Too damn close. Selene quietly shifted to a better position, nearer to the bookcase. She stayed in the shadows.
All of Mariyam’s focus thankfully stayed pinned on Rayez. “I don’t care what you need or what you will allow or won’t,” she screeched and brought down a huge wave of water crashing down on Rayez. His flames sputtered out.
Freaking H! Where had the water come from? Selene’s heart sank as Rayez tried to bring back the flames but he was dripping wet at the moment. He gave off only a few sputtering sparks and wispy tendrils of smoke.
Mariyam took advantage of the moment and sent barrage after barrage of icicles and hail at the fire djinn. While he leaped and swerved to avoid them, several found their mark. His grunts of pain made Selene wince. Some of the arsenal made his skin crack and his essence spilled out like red gold flames.
Some hit windows, which broke with a bright tinkling of shattered glass. More cold air blew in making Selene’s teeth chatter.
Mariyam was one scary djinn and the draining had left her weaker than usual. The smart thing to do would be to slip back into Cade’s room, grab him, and climb out of the window there. She had enough to deal with and didn’t need to get between two djinns duking it out.
Selene stepped back and took one last glance at Rayez. He stood with his face screwed with concentration as he worked to avoid or deflect the icy weapons. An image of him floated up in her mind—Rayez crouching down to look Cade in the eye. The big giant djinn and the small boy enjoying a conversation.
She grabbed the heaviest book off the shelf and flung it at Mariyam with all her strength. It flew through the air and slammed into the djinn’s chest, making her stagger back and curse as her attack faltered.
One of her misdirected missiles whizzed past Selene’s head. It managed to graze one side of her neck, leaving behind a burning path. She pressed a hand against the pain and her fingers came away bloody. She sucked in a jittery breath and cursed Warren yet again.
Shit. Selene grabbed more books off the shelf and continued to throw them without pause.
The female djinn let out an angry screech and turned her attention to Selene. Mad silver eyes fixed on her, froze her in place. Fear frosted her veins, chilled her bones. Cold, she was so damn cold.
Mariyam waved her hands and sent a blast of water hurtling, rushing, towards her. Its roar shook the windows, the photo frames and icicles.
The water washed Selene off her feet and slammed her into the wall. Pain burst like fireworks in her head and along her spine. Selene slithered to the floor and lay there in a wet bedraggled heap.
Darkness tempted her with escape. Panic gripped her. If she passed out, she couldn’t protect Cade. She bit down on her tongue, willing the new pain to keep her from slipping into oblivion.
“Damn you Mariyam of the Ice Mountains, your fight is with me.” Rayez angry voice made Selene crack open her lids. Why the hell did he keep using full names in the middle of a fight? Were the djinns really that uptight?
He flew at the female djinn and tackled her from behind. Great clouds of steam billowed into the air where they connected. The two djinns clashed in a flurry of limbs, ice, water, flames.
Both their forms blurred and they transformed into humanoid shaped beings with little resemblance to humans. Rayez was like a bonfire, full of color, heat and movement. Mariyum on the other hand was ice white, a blue-green tinge added shadows and definition to her body. They looked alien and frighteningly beautiful.
A cyclone of water, ice, lightning and flames whirled around. Screeches and curses rang in the air. Blows and magic flew so fast and furious, she couldn’t tell the two combatants apart.
Steam and smoke puffed into the air, the latter making Selene cough. The books on the floor that weren’t soggy wet, caught fire, only to be drowned after a bit. Sadness swept through her. She’d collected all the books during a lifetime of reading. They were some of her favorite stories.
Then a curtain caught fire. Oh shit. The place was liable to burn down with them caught inside. She scrabbled upright despite the pain biting at her like a rabid dog. Her panicked gaze landed on the empty bottles that, miraculously enough, still stood on the coffee table. Bottles.
She crawled over and reached for the beer bottle first. Then hesitated when she remembered that Rayez was still bound to it. God only knew what complications could arise from binding two djinns to one bottle. She snatched up the water bottle.
“Mariyam of the Ice Mountains I bind you to this bottle. Amar, amar, amar. Jhannkannananamutterfutter dhoom!” Her first pronouncement was ignored. The fighting faltered with the second utterance, and the female djinn charged her during the third. Fortunately, Rayez tackled her again, slowing her down and Selene managed to finish the incantation. A heartbreaking wail rend the air as Mariyum was sucked inside. Heart galloping, Selene screwed the top on in record time.
Rayez, who had resumed his human form, was on all fours on the floor, head hanging down. She watched the rise and fall of his body as he heaved in ragged breaths. Sweat beaded his scalp. After a long moment, he sat back against a wall and met her gaze. “I was hoping you’d do that.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“One djinn can’t bind another,” he said. “But I’m grateful you did because I didn’t want to kill her.”
“Why not?”
“She’s a grieving mother. And like you told Cade, I hurt her and she has good reason to be angry.”
Selene closed her eyes and slumped to the floor. “What she said about you, was that true?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes flew open. He looked away from her, a red stain burning across his cheeks.
“I was a different man then,” his voice seemed loaded with stones, heavy and crushing. “I have tried to change.”
She wanted to ask him more questions, but something told her now was not the right time. Besides, he didn’t owe her, of all people, any explanations. Maybe one day she’d learn the story.
She looked at him, taking in his grim profile, the distant eyes dull with regret, the beautiful mouth pursed into a flat line. The same mouth she’d seen smile so many times. A generous mouth. A kissable one. Yes, he had changed. Perhaps there was still hope.
The two bottles still stood on the table. Selene picked up the beer bottle and looked at Rayez. “Let’s do this.”
Surprise flashed on his face and disappeared, replaced by an expressionless mask. His eyes stayed on her.
“Rayez, son of the Marid, I release you,” she intoned and repeated it twice more. Then she picked up the bottle and slammed it against the edge of the coffee table. It shattered in a shower of amber glass and at the same time Rayez’s form flared bright, flickered and then stabilized. He threw back his head and heaved out a great big sigh. Finally, he looked at her and a smile lit his face. “Thank you.”
He was a good looking man, but when he smiled, really smiled, he was gorgeous. And she was the one who’d made him smile. Her heart somersaulted in her chest. She liked making him smile. And that was dangerous.
Selene looked down at the stumpy beer bottle neck she still clutched in her hand. She tossed it among all the debris left behind. “My apartment is a disaster.”
Rayez came and stood next to her. “That, my dear, is the least of your problems.”
Chapter 7
They expected the roads to be clear by morning. Worry wormed into her mind. More than likely, Warren would show up bright and early on her doorstep. Given all the excitement they’d just gone through and how it had upset Cade, it might be better if he didn’t happen to be around for that particular visit.
She turned
to look at her kid brother and almost drowned in her surge of love for him. She hated to separate them, but if it’d keep him safe then she would do it. “Hey sport, we have a lot of cleaning to do, so how about I take you for a sleepover at Ms. Paula’s?”
“I can stay and help.” Cade looked around the messed up living room.
“Nah, you better get some rest,” she said. “But you can help Rayez pick up some of the mess until I’m ready to take you over.”
As soon as Cade scooted off, she called Paula, her friend who lived in the same complex, but one building over. “Hey girlfriend!”
“What do you want?”
Embarrassed laughter spurted out of her. She’d been rather scarce as a friend lately. Holding the phone up with her right shoulder, Selene grabbed some paper towels and wiped the framed photographs. Drops of water and melting ice smeared the protective glass. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up with the storm and all.”
“Right. Lucky for you, I like you, otherwise I wouldn’t have even answered the phone,” Paula grumbled. “So what can I do for you?”
“The freak storm ended up causing some damage in my apartment,” she said.
“Oh no!” Concern replaced all attitude in Paula’s voice. She really was a good friend. “Y’all okay?”
Selene cleared her throat. “Yes, we’re fine, thanks. But I have a lot of cleaning up to do, so I was wondering if I could bring Cade over?” She paused. “I’d really appreciate it if he could sleep on the couch and go to school with Ben.”
“Well, for Cade’s sake…”
“We’ll do a movie night. As soon as I have free night,” Selene said. “I’ll even make dinner.”
“Um, by ‘make dinner’ you mean order pizza, right?”
“Yeah.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel and grabbed the phone.
“You have a deal. Bring him over.”
“Thanks. You’re the best.” She hung up and turned around to find Cade staring at her. His school backpack and a duffle with sleepover necessities sat at his feet. She slipped on her coat. “Say bye to Rayez.”