Jinn: Exiles of the Realm

by Adrienne Bell

  “So cool.” Nicole couldn’t help but smile. “Except it’s a little funny that you got the job of Emily’s bodyguard since she’s always been more of a cat person.”

  He lifted his chin, as if trying to sniff out if there were a hidden meaning behind her words, but Nicole turned her attention toward Shay before Fenrir could start growling at her.

  The moment her gaze met Shay’s, he took a step back and draped himself in the shadows clinging to the walls. Did he really think he could escape her that easily?

  “You’re the only one I haven’t figured out yet,” she said. “I saw the sparks in your eyes earlier, so I know you have magic in you, but you don’t carry yourself like a magician.”

  There was just enough light for Nicole to see Shay’s thick brows pull together in a question. “And how do they act?”

  “Like wielding power and magic is their birthright.”

  Shay let out short bark of laughter. There wasn’t a hint of humor in the sound. “You do know magicians.”

  “And how did you come to know so much about my kind?” Merlin asked with a huff.

  “Or wolves?” Fenrir added.

  “Hell,” Emily said, pushing herself to the front. Out of all their faces, hers was the most surprised. “How do you know about any of this?”

  “The same way you do.” Nicole shrugged. “My family has been working for an Exile of the Realm for the last one hundred and sixty years.”

  “That isn’t possible.” Merlin shook his head. “Before we were sent here no one had been exiled for at least three hundred years.”

  Nicole cocked her chin to the side. “That you knew about.”

  “Well, there’s a first.” Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. “Something Geoffrey didn’t know.”

  “You’re telling me that your family has been in possession of that grimoire for over a century?” Merlin’s voice was thick with skepticism.

  “Since 1855.” Nicole let the pride shine through her words. She slid down from the counter and picked the book up off the floor. “And not just in possession. We were entrusted as its protectors.” This time when she placed it back on the counter, she did so gently. “Which is why you’re going to put back every shimmery drop that you took out of me.”

  The cocky smile returned to Merlin’s face. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t? Or won’t?”

  “Whichever makes you feel better,” he answered. “The truth is right now we need this magic more than you.”

  “For what?”

  “To help get us back home,” Merlin said. “Though, once that’s done, I promise to consider doing what you ask.”

  “Consider?” Nicole crossed her arms. If he thought he could walk all over her…well, then he was right. He talked over her as though she hadn’t said a thing.

  “Besides,” Merlin fixed his gaze longingly on the cover of her family’s grimoire, “there’s still plenty of magic left in that book.”

  He was right. There was more than either she or he could ever imagine…but that wasn’t the point.

  “And if you don’t do what I’m asking I’ll use its power to force you to do what I want,” Nicole countered.

  It was a bluff. A big one, but it looked like he and everyone else was buying it.

  Okay, maybe not everyone.

  “You’re not going to do that,” Shay said from the shadows. It wasn’t a command. Just an observation. One he sounded certain of.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Nicole raised her chin and doubled down. “I have a duty to protect this book.”

  It wasn’t a total lie…but it wasn’t the whole truth either. But going by the knowing smile that shone through the shadows, Shay already knew that.

  “Which you can’t fulfill if you’re dead,” he said. “The magic in that book might have agreed that banishing a battalion of Fae soldiers was worth risking your life, but I doubt it will allow you to throw everything away for a scrap.”

  Nicole pressed her lips together. She narrowed her eyes on Shay. The man who lived above her shop. The guy she’d been sneaking peeks at any time he walked by. What was he?

  There was something strange about the way he talked about magic. She’d always thought of it as a tool, a way to get an unpleasant job done. Geoffrey Merlin obviously thought of it as a possession to be hoarded. But the way Shay talked almost made it sound like he considered it a living thing with a mind of its own.

  “I’ve never seen this book before,” Merlin said, pulling Nicole’s attention away from Shay. “Do you know its name?”

  Nicole shook her head. She didn’t know books had names. Titles, sure. But names? To her it was just the book.

  Merlin let out a frustrated huff. “What about the name of the magician who gave it to your family?”

  “Asphodel.”

  “That’s not a name. It’s a place.”

  “Well, maybe you just didn’t know him,” Nicole tried.

  “No.” Merlin raised his gaze but not his head to glare at her. “That’s not how our world works. There aren’t so many magicians that we don’t know each other.”

  “Maybe he wanted to hide his true identity,” Emily tried.

  “What’s the point?” Merlin said. “Why would he hand over his grimoire but not his name?”

  “Who knows why people do what they do?” Fenrir said. “James kept his name secret from the day he arrived.”

  “James?” Nicole butted in. “Is he another exile?”

  The wolf nodded.

  “Holy crap. How many of you are there?”

  “Five in all,” Merlin said.

  Five? Nicole’s eyes went wide. Every exile story she’d heard had them being tossed out one at a time. That’s why the thought of three at once was crazy. But five? That was unheard of.

  “What the hell did you guys do?” she asked.

  “Didn’t you hear Marrow?” Shay said from the shadows. “We weren’t fans of the king.”

  “The real question is why did this Asphodel choose to entrust his grimoire to your family?” Merlin asked, bringing the topic back to the book…the one he still hadn’t taken his eyes off of.

  “I always figured it was because we were booksellers.”

  “Sure. But why yours in particular?” Merlin glanced up at her. “There had to be other bookshops he could have gone to.”

  “Not too many,” Nicole said. “The city was young back then. I also think he also felt a kinship with my family.”

  “How so?”

  “They were both outcasts,” she said. “I know it wasn’t easy for my family setting up shop here. I can’t imagine it was easy for Asphodel either.”

  “It would have been a lot easier with the power inside this book” An avaricious gleam shone in Merlin’s eyes as stared down at the cover.

  Nicole couldn’t help but smile. She might not know all the creatures of the Realm by name, but she certainly knew what this one wanted.

  “Do you want to look inside?” Nicole asked.

  “You trust me with the pages?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I?” The instant Nicole pulled her hands away from the edges, Merlin grabbed the book and slid it close. “It’s not like you can access the magic they hold.”

  The magician stilled. Only his eyes moved as he looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

  Nicole’s smile widened.

  “It means that Asphodel was smart,” she said. “He knew someone from the Realm would eventually come looking for what he’d taken. He knew that they’d want that power for themselves. So he didn’t just leave the book with my family. He bound it to us.”

  “He bound it to your bloodline?” Fenrir asked.

  “Exactly.”

  “I don’t understand,” Emily said. “What does that mean?”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Shay’s lips.

  “It means that only someone with Starling family blood can access the power inside the grimoire,” Merlin said, his voice h
eavy with disappointment.

  “But that’s insane,” Emily said. “You saw what happened to Nicole when she used a tiny sliver of that magic. It almost killed her. ”

  “That, I believe, is the point,” Shay replied.

  Nicole looked over at him, her eyes wide with appreciation. “You get it.”

  Shay gazed at her a long moment. Long enough for a rush of heat to radiate out from the center of her chest and warm every part of her.

  There was just something about his eyes. Something that shone through the low light of the corner. That same mysterious glimmer had ensnared her when she’d first laid eyes on him weeks ago. She should have known then he was no ordinary man.

  That might be true, but she still hadn’t figured out exactly what he was.

  He seemed to notice her curiosity, and turned toward Emily to deflect it.

  “Binding the magic to a mortal bloodline means no one who has the ability to safely wield the power can unlock it from the pages.”

  “It also means,” Nicole jumped in, “that though my family can use the magic if it’s absolutely necessary, we know that the consequences of doing so are high.”

  She’d just never realized how high until she’d been at the literal gates of Heaven.

  Emily looked amazed. “And the Starlings have been keeping the book safe all this time?”

  “Trapped is a better word.” Merlin frowned. “They’ve kept it locked up and hidden for centuries.”

  “It all depends on how you look at it.” Nicole reached out and slid the book back toward her. “All that matters is that people like you can’t touch what’s inside.”

  Shay laughed—a real one this time—and the sound was rich and deep enough to fill up the whole store. Despite her best intentions, Nicole couldn’t help letting out a little sigh of pure longing.

  It wasn’t her fault. There was just something about the guy. Something that called to her. Something that promised everything she’d ever wanted. Something that promised to make all her dreams come true…for a price.

  Nicole’s heart sped. A tight knot formed in the center of her chest.

  Of course. It was so obvious. How had she not seen it?

  “Holy crap,” she shouted. “You’re a Genie.”

  Chapter Four

  Shay clenched his jaw tight at her words.

  Dammit.

  Nicole’s eyes were wide with wonder. Wonder and delight, and not even a flicker of fear. That was a bad sign, because her lack of alarm meant that, while she might know what he was called, she had no idea what he was capable of.

  “Jinni is the more accurate name,” he said.

  Nicole bit into her lip, but her face didn’t show even a sliver of shame. If anything, she seemed more intrigued.

  “Well, that would explain the seven words,” she said cryptically.

  His brows pulled together in confusion.

  “Seven words?” Fenrir asked.

  Nicole nodded. “Before this morning I’d known Shay for six weeks, but he’d only ever said seven words to me. Three hellos and two good mornings. Now I know why.”

  “And you kept count,” Fenrir mused.

  A pleased smile lifted the wolf’s lips. An equally bemused expression pulled Emily’s down.

  Shay pressed his lips together as Fenrir and Merlin shared a meaningful look. They didn’t need to say a word for him to know what they were all hoping for. That the obvious crush that Nicole Starling held for him would blossom into something more—the love they all needed to experience in order to break the curse that bound them to Earth.

  And who knew? Maybe it could. After all, he felt the strength of her attraction toward him. He’d felt it the first day he’d laid eyes on her.

  And what was worse, he’d reciprocated it.

  Who wouldn’t?

  Even if the creatures around her couldn’t feel the beautiful waves of energy that radiated out from her soul, they could still see her and the magnificent symmetry of her features—her lush lips, broad nose, and high cheeks. The gorgeous depths of her brown eyes. The tempting curves of her body.

  Nicole Starling was stunning, inside and out. More than that, she was special, unlike anyone he had met on Earth.

  She had a vitality that permeated up through the floors and walls. He could feel when she was in the building. He could feel her joy, hear her laughter, feel the spirit of life flowing through her. It was infectious and instantly enjoyable…and attractive.

  So attractive.

  He could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes, feel it radiating off her skin. She loved life. She enjoyed and appreciated and contributed to the beauty around her. He could practically taste the beauty of her soul. The liveliness of it. Her spirit of joy.

  A spirit he was born to consume.

  No. Shay knew his duty. He knew what he had to do to get back home, and, the Heavens knew, he wanted to get there as badly as any of the exiles, but he’d never do it at the cost of falling in love with a woman like Nicole.

  Because deep down he knew the cost she’d someday pay.

  Nicole may have heard secondhand stories about his kind, but she had no way of knowing how truly dangerous he was. Falling in love with him would be a mistake. One he would never allow her to make.

  “At least now I know your silence wasn’t anything personal.” She shot him a wide smile. Her voice was bright with laughter. “At least I’m assuming it wasn’t.”

  Shay shook his head. It wasn’t. Not the way she meant.

  “You couldn’t risk starting a conversation.”

  He nodded again. Risk. Maybe she did understand. Maybe she understood the risks of being in his presence. Of talking with him. Of even looking at him the way she was. So why was she still doing it?

  Emily cleared her throat. Loudly. It was obvious those risks were not lost on Emily.

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Emily asked. Shay had a feeling she was deliberately steering the conversation as far away from him as possible.

  “The same reason you didn’t want to tell me who you were working for,” Nicole said. “The only thing worse than someone not believing you, would be if someone did. No one in my family has ever talked about any of this. Ever. I was always told since I was a kid that the most important thing is protecting the magic.”

  “But how did you keep it secret for so long?” Merlin asked. “That is the most powerful grimoire I’ve ever felt. That much magic is impossible to shield indefinitely.”

  “Well, I guess Asphodel was a better magician than you, because that’s exactly what he did,” Nicole said. “My grandfather told me he used the last of his power shielding that safe under the counter.”

  Merlin cast her a skeptical look. “That must have been to be a powerful spell.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Cast by a magician I’ve never heard of, to protect a book I’ve never seen and that only you have access to.” Merlin’s tone was thick with disbelief.

  “Well, technically, me and my father.”

  Merlin’s eyes narrowed like they always did when he was trying to spot any deceit. Apparently, Nicole found the look every bit as annoying as he did.

  She threw her hands up in the air. “You don’t believe me? Fine.”

  She stormed out from behind the counter, and straight to Shay’s side. She picked up his hand and placed it on the center of her chest.

  “You can tell if I’m lying, right?” she asked. “Jinn can feel it in your aura or something.”

  “In your soul,” he clarified. But he didn’t need to touch her to do it. He’d felt her sincerity from the very beginning.

  Still, he found himself not wanting to pull his hand away. The intensity of her soul light surrounded him. Hell, it called to him. A hum and vibration that was uniquely hers seeped under his skin and caressed all of his senses.

  Shay hadn’t met anyone on Earth he could feel the way he felt Nicole. He could imagine how rich her soul would be, how bright,
how the surge of her elemental energy would crackle under his skin.

  But unlike Merlin, the power he craved was all too accessible. There was no unbreakable barrier keeping him from his treasure. There was only his resolve.

  And that resolve was a hell of a lot easier to bolster when he couldn’t feel the warmth of her skin.

  “She’s telling the truth.” Shay pulled his hand back. “That’s all she knows.”

  Merlin gave a groan. “That doesn’t do us much good.”

  “Doesn’t do you much good? What about me? I’m the one that just had to banish half a dozen fae from my store.”

  “Fae soldiers that were sent to slaughter us,” Merlin shot back.

  Nicole went quiet for a moment, and Shay felt her energy shift, becoming quizzical.

  “That’s not exactly right.” She looked up into his eyes. “Marrow said you were the one he wanted to kill, Shay. Why?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Sure it does. I risked my life to save yours.”

  Shay shook his head. “No, you didn’t. You risked your life to save that book.”

  Nicole propped her hands on her hips and glared up at him. Both righteousness and determination poured out of her. “It wasn’t an either/or situation, jinni.”

  This conversation had gone on long enough. It was time for it to end.

  Shay pushed away from the wall, but before he could take a step, Nicole stretched out her arm and pressed her open palm against his chest.

  He looked down at her hand. How long had it been since someone had dared to touch him this way? There was no way the woman could know the power she was toying with. Even in this mortal form, he was still stronger than she could imagine. He could shatter all the bones in her arm with swipe of his hand if he wanted to.

  Instead he simply stepped to the side and away from her touch.

  “Either way, what you did was a terrible mistake.” He tried walking away from her, but it didn’t make a difference. He felt her just as strongly from a few feet away.

  “How so?” she asked.

  Shay didn’t turn around to face her. Instead, he stared blankly at a row of books on the shelf in front of him.

  “Because by using the grimoire to banish the fae, you’ve let Marrow know of its existence. And if I know that power-hungry bastard, right now he’s forgotten all about coming after me, and is focusing all of his energy on getting his hands on that book.”