He chuckles. I fling my arms around him. “I love that you have magic.”
“Really? You don’t want me to be like a regular human boyfriend?”
“Definitely not. You’re special just the way you are, and like I said, I love everything about you.”
He smiles widely and pulls me closer. “How about we go out for breakfast?”
“Sounds good. And we should probably get some shopping done, too. The fridge is pretty much empty.”
“Another human thing I’ve never done before. Is it fun?”
I take his hand. “With you? Totally.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sebastian still isn’t used to crowds. As a genie, he hadn’t felt when people bumped into him. It’s after eight in the evening, and as he and I pass through the many college-aged kids dancing in the club, his body is thrust from right to left. He’s clutching my hand tightly as though he’s afraid he’s going to get lost.
“Do you want to dance?” I ask once we find a corner that is more or less devoid of people.
He watches the dancing bodies. “It doesn’t look like there’s any room here.”
I laugh. “Believe me, there’s more than enough room. But if you’re not comfortable, it’s okay.”
We order Cokes and sit down at the last empty table. Macy and Andy are going to meet us here later.
As he drinks, Sebastian’s eyes are glued to the kids shaking their bodies. His forehead wrinkles. “I don’t understand.” He nods toward a guy and girl who are grinding up against each other. “That guy had been watching the girl as she talked with her friends. Then he went up to her and whispered something in her. Now they’re dancing.”
“Yeah.”
“Is that how people meet?”
I shrug. “It can be. People meet in all different ways.”
He nods slowly, eyeing the guy and girl. “Does that mean they’re going to go out?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Oh.” He takes a swig of his drink. “So they’re just looking for a good time.”
“Maybe, maybe not. How does dating and marriage work on Ortarus?”
A shadow crosses over his face.
“Sorry,” I quickly say. I forgot how much it hurts him to think about his previous life. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. Like I said, I want us to be able to talk about anything, despite how much I hate thinking about that place.” He forces a smile. “Marriage was based on class. A noble would never marry a peasant.”
“What if they fell in love?”
He’s quiet, his eyes on the table. He swallows. “If a man married a woman from a different class, they would be executed.”
“Seriously?”
He nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. “It wasn’t always like that. Ortarus was a good place before King Sorenten took the throne. His father was a fair ruler. Everything changed when his son became king.”
“How long ago was this?”
“I’m not sure. Fifteen or so years—Ortarian years, that is.” Which would make that hundreds of years on Earth, since time on Ortarus moves much slower than on Earth. “Life was joyful when I was a baby, before King Sorenten rose to power. The lower class was still inferior to the upper class, but there was no cruelty.”
I rest my head on his shoulder. He smooths his hand down my hair. We don’t say anything, just sit there, taking comfort in each other.
“Lily! Sebastian!”
Macy pushes through the crowd, hauling Andy behind her. When she reaches our table, she plops down and lets out a breath. “I didn’t think we’d get through that. Or into the club for that matter. Did you see the line?”
“Yep,” I say.
They order drinks and we talk about different topics. Macy is quiet, staring at me like she’s trying to figure out a math puzzle. Do I look different? Is it due to what Sebastian and I did? Oh, god. Is it written all over my face?
I glare at her to quit it, but she gives me a knowing smile. I know she’s bursting to ask questions. She turns to Andy. “Refill, please?”
“Sure.” He stands. I wonder how things are going with them. Macy seems happy, but it’s possible she may be hiding her pain.
She grabs my cup and dumps it in Sebastian’s hand. “Lily needs a refill, too.”
“Okay.” He smiles that sweet smile that makes me want to kiss him like this is my last day on this world.
Once they’re gone, Macy grabs my hand. “Good. Now spill!”
“What are you talking about?”
She narrows her eyes. “Something happened, something good. You look…well, you look like you…” Her eyes widen. “You and Sebastian had sex, didn’t you?”
“Will you lower your voice?” I hiss.
Her face brightens. “How was it? Tell me everything!”
I do, not going into too many details, though. I tell her how sweet and caring Sebastian was, how he told me he researched it because he wanted to make sure he would do it properly, when the right time came. “I feel so much closer to him,” I say.
She squeals. “I’m so happy for you. Sebastian is such a great guy and he makes you happy. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. He really loves you, Lil. I see the way he looks at you. Not many guys look at their girls like that.” Her eyes drop to her lap.
I place my hand on hers. “Is everything okay with you and Andy?”
She puffs her cheeks. “I think we’re getting there. I need to earn his trust again, and I’m going to. I don’t want him to ever doubt how much I love him. I’d chop my arm off before losing him.”
“And your neighbor? Does he like you? Is he giving you problems?”
“He’s a sleazy jerk who kisses anything that moves. Believe me, I want to forget I ever exchanged saliva with that ass.” She covers her face. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I put my hand on her back. “We’re not perfect. It happens. But you need to make sure you really want to marry Andy, not because you feel guilty for what happened.”
She lowers her hands. “Are you saying I don’t want to marry Andy?”
“No, of course not. I know how much you love each other. But there’s no rush, is there? We’re eighteen and you guys have so much time to decide.”
She nods. “You’re right. That’s why we pushed off the wedding. We’re probably going to wait until we finish school—that is, if Andy still wants to marry me.”
“I know he does.”
She smiles sadly.
There’s a commotion coming from the corner of the club. People are shouting, and from what I can see, two guys are going at each other. One guy is tall, muscular, with long, black hair. I leap to my feet. “Sebastian.”
“What?” Macy asks.
I shove through the crowd, and that’s when I see it. Sebastian is pinned up against the wall by Max. “Sebastian!” He looks at me, caught off guard, and Max has a chance to ram his fist into the side of Sebastian’s face.
“Max! Stop it!”
He ignores me. “What does she see in you?” he snarls, gripping Sebastian’s shirt and hauling him to the floor. “Fight me.”
Sebastian gets to his feet, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “I’m not going to fight you. It wouldn’t be a fair fight.”
That seems to piss Max off because he charges at my genie like a bull. Sebastian moves aside, and Max crashes into the wall.
The bouncer steps forward. “Take it outside.” He grabs both guys and throws them out. Macy, Andy, and I quickly follow, along with a few others who are curious to see the show. Max doesn’t hesitate to pack a few more punches at Sebastian. Andy rushes to try to stop them, but Max pushes him out of the way, telling him to butt out. I wish I could do something, but it’s not smart for me to get between two strong guys. I’d get crushed. Begging Max to stop isn’t helping, either. He won’t listen to me.
“Sebastian,” Andy says. “Fight him. He won’t stop until
you do.”
“Violence will solve nothing,” Sebastian says as he avoids Max’s fists.
Max snickers. “Suit yourself, but I’m going to have a good time rearranging that pretty face. Then she won’t want you.”
“If you think I’ll ever get back together with you, then you can dream on,” I say.
Max grunts as he pummels Sebastian’s stomach. Sebastian backs into a wall, shutting his eyes tight like he’s waiting for Max to get bored and stop. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain. He must be using his magic to protect himself. That must be what he meant when he said it wouldn’t be a fair fight. He doesn’t want to use to magic against Max.
The punching goes on for about a minute. Max starts calling me some not so nice things and Sebastian’s eyes glow red with rage. As Max is about to strike Sebastian in the eye, Sebastian catches Max’s fist. His eyes grow redder, as though there’s fire inside.
Max lets out a howl, wiggling as he tries to free his hand. It looks like Sebastian is crushing it. He glares into Max’s eyes. “Don’t you dare call Lily that ever again,” he warns in a tone I’ve never heard before. “If you do, I will crush every bone in your body.” He squeezes Max’s fingers, causing him to screech. “And don’t you come near her again. Do you understand me?”
Max whimpers.
“Do you?”
“Yes,” he sputters. “I do. I do!”
Sebastian drops Max, who falls limp to the ground. Sebastian’s eyes are back blue. I run over to him and take his face in my hands, inspecting it for damage. It’s clean. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“He didn’t touch me.”
His gaze falls to Max, who is rolling around on the ground, clutching his hand. Sebastian lowers himself next to him and waves his hand over Max’s. “I healed him, but he’ll remember my threat and won’t bother you again.”
I take his hand, pulling him away from the club and the spectators’ curious eyes. “Thanks for protecting me,” I say as we head toward home, Macy and Andy walking behind us.
Sebastian holds me close, pressing his lips to my temple.
Chapter Fourteen
We’re snuggled together on the couch, watching a horror movie. Apparently when Sebastian and Andy went to get the drinks at the club, Andy hadn’t shut up about the horror genre and insisted Sebastian check it out. Curious as ever, Sebastian suggested we watch it. I have no argument, since I can always cuddle up to him if I get scared.
Sebastian runs his hand up and down my arm. “Did I scare you?” he asks.
I shift so I can look into his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Today at the club. When I hurt Max. Did I scare you?”
“No. He scared me. I thought he was going to hurt you, and I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t fight him. Without magic, I mean.”
He’s quiet before saying, “I could have easily taken him. With or without magic. I didn’t want to stoop to his level. I didn’t…” He runs his hand through is hair. “Violence solves nothing and is very painful. I don’t like it.”
I rest my palm on his chest. “Because some masters hurt you.”
He nods. “When Andy and I went to get the drinks, Max started up with me. I didn’t know he was at the club, and Andy didn’t seem to know, either. Max told me that you didn’t love me. That you loved him. When I didn’t answer him, he shoved me against the wall. I thought I could reason with him, but he was content with beating me up.”
“He didn’t hurt you?”
He shakes his head. “My magic provided my body with invisible armor. I knew that if I fought him, he would get hurt while I wouldn’t. That’s why I didn’t want to engage him further.”
“I’m sorry for everything,” I say. “I should have never gone out with him.”
“This wasn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
I look at him. He fingers my bottom lip. “If I would have told you how I felt about you from the start, then you wouldn’t have gone out with Max.”
“But you were a genie and we thought we couldn’t have a future. You were just looking out for the both of us.” I stroke his cheek. “It doesn’t matter now. Max won’t bother us again.”
He nods. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’d still like to protect you. From everything.”
I smile and kiss him. “I’d love for you to protect me, too.”
We resume watching the movie. So far, it isn’t scary. I snuggle up to my genie regardless. He wraps an arm around my waist
“Sebastian?”
“Hmm?”
I look up at him and see his eyes drooping. “Are you falling asleep?” I can’t hide the humor from my voice. He’s dozing off during a horror movie?
He shifts. “This is boring.”
“I think the good stuff is going to come next. I meant to ask you, how did you heal Max?”
He lifts his hand, staring at it in wonder. “I don’t know. I saw him writhing in agony, and I felt bad about it. I just knew I could relieve him of the pain. And I did.”
“Your magic is getting even stronger,” I point out.
“It doesn’t make any sense. On one hand, I feel so human, on the other, I still feel like a genie.”
I play with his hair. “Maybe you’ll always feel like that. It’s okay to be different, you know. It makes you special. We just have to keep it a secret. I’m sure lots of people at the club took videos of what happened with Max and uploaded them online.”
“Is that bad?”
I shrug. “Probably not. People post all kinds of weird videos.”
His chest expands and contracts. “Good. I’m worried I’ll be torn away from you if people find out what I am…or what I was.”
I gaze into his eyes. “Nothing will tear us apart. Ever.”
He smiles and slides his fingers through mine. “How about we ditch this movie and watch a romance?”
“I don’t know. It’ll be nice to broaden our interests a bit, don’t you think?”
He frowns at the TV. “Okay, but not this.”
I climb off the couch and rummage through my DVD collection. It’s no surprise that eighty percent of what I have is romance. When I was younger, I was in a sci-fi and fantasy phase and have a few movies in that genre. I hand one to Sebastian. He reads the back. “It doesn’t seem like there’s romance.”
“Nope. No romance at all.”
His forehead wrinkles. “I don’t understand. If you love romance, why watch something else?”
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to be boring.”
“You’re anything but boring, Lily.”
“Thanks.” I finger the DVD. “You sure you don’t want to try something else? There are a million different genres you can choose from. You don’t have to stick to romance.”
He’s quiet for a second or two. “Is it bad that I like romance? At the club, Andy asked me if you force me. I told her you’d never force me to do anything. He said he doesn’t understand why I would choose to enjoy it. Are there rules I need to follow?”
I kiss his cheek. “No rules. You can do whatever you want—you know, if it’s legal and doesn’t hurt anyone—and you can like whatever you want. I’m just worried that you like romance because I like it. Maybe I should introduce you to other things.”
His mouth moves to my ear. “Put a romance on,” he whispers. “Please.”
Munching on some popcorn, we watch the movie. It’s a teen romance, one I’ve seen countless times. This would be Sebastian’s first time watching this type, and from what I can tell, he’s totally digging it. When the guy and girl kiss, it’s very awkward and clumsy, since they’re thirteen.
Sebastian turns to me. “How were you at that age? Did you kiss a boy?”
I laugh lightly. “I had my first kiss when I was sixteen. It wasn’t good.”
“Why? I didn’t know it’s possible for kisses not to be good. They’re amazing with you.”
“Thanks. You
’re an amazing kisser, too.” I wonder if he thinks I’m a good kisser because he doesn’t have anyone to compare it to. I don’t know if I’m good. My other boyfriends never complained, including Max. I guess I do okay.
Ugh, Max. I definitely don’t want to think about him.
Sebastian runs the back of his finger down my cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Was just thinking about my previous boyfriends.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. They have nothing on you. And to answer your question, yes some people are bad kissers.”
His stomach rumbles as he laughs. “There is still so much about humans that I need to learn. Every time I think I have it all figured out, I discover something new. Like in the club today, Andy explained how we’re not allowed to drink alcohol until we’re twenty-one. My previous master—the one who forced me to steel booze for him—told me it’s allowed at age eighteen, and I believed him. What did I know, anyway? I’ve seen it on TV, but I’m curious what it feels like to get drunk, why kids would risk getting arrested for it and why people would drive while drunk. Have you ever?”
I shake my head. “Daisy watched over me like a hawk. She wouldn’t even let me go out with guys she didn’t think were good. Besides, I never liked the idea of drinking so much and then throwing it up. I hate getting sick.”
He nods. “So do I. I remember clearly how sick I got after I ate your food. Is getting drunk similar to that?”
“Sort of. Another negative effect of getting drunk is spilling all your secrets.”
Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) Page 8