Jinn: Exiles of the Realm

by Adrienne Bell

  “Because there are no jinni characters in this game,” she said. “You can only play as an elf, a goblin, or a sorcerer.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You already said that.” Nicole picked up a multi-sided die and tossed it onto the board. “But moving on. Since you insist on trying to cast a spell while playing as a non-magical being—”

  “I refuse to lower myself to the level of a sorcerer,” he said. “Not even for a game.”

  “—you, of course, fail in your attack, and the orc hits back taking away fifteen of your health points.”

  “Fifteen?” he said. “Is that a lot?”

  “Well, it’s not nothing.” She took another bite from the white container in front of her, licking the stray drops of sauce from her full lips after she’d sucked the noodles into her mouth. “If I were you I’d use your next move to rest up at the local tavern.”

  “A tavern.” A smile spread across his face as he reached for his beer and took a drink. “Now there’s someplace I wouldn’t mind going.”

  “Really. You don’t strike me as a big drinker.” Her gaze pointedly slid over to his bottle of beer, the one he hadn’t taken more than three sips from in the last half hour.

  Shay shook his head. “Taverns offer a lot more than drink.”

  “Do they?” Nicole perked up. She pulled her legs underneath her and sat up. “Tell me more.”

  Her sudden interest was adorable.

  Adorable? When had ever thought to describe someone that way? Still, the description fit. Her eyes sparkled with interest. An expectant smile pulled at her lips. Her cheeks lifted up, full and round.

  “I thought you knew everything about the Realm.” He cocked a brow, attempting to tease her.

  He must have succeeded, because her smile grew as she raised her chin in mock indignation.

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “But all my stories came secondhand. They were all passed down through several generations. I’ve never talked to someone who’s actually been there.”

  “You’ve been talking to me all day.”

  She reached across the board and playfully slapped his arm. Her hand trailed down his upper arm and came to rest on the curve of his inner elbow. He didn’t call attention to her touch. He didn’t want her to pull away.

  “Come on,” she begged. “Tell me what it’s like there.”

  “There?” he asked. “The Realm is a big place. Not quite as large as your world, but just as diverse. No two places are exactly alike.”

  “Well, then,” she said, inching herself even closer. There was nothing calculated in her movement. She just wanted to be closer to him. No other motivations buzzed inside her soul. “Tell me about this tavern that had you smiling.”

  “I was thinking of one just outside of the western woods that I used to frequent,” he said. “It was small, and secluded. Far from any fae city.”

  Her eyes sparkled with interest. “But you didn’t go for the beer.”

  “No, I went for the people,” he said. “Taverns are mess of creatures coming and going, traveling, searching.”

  “Searching…for you?” Her brow quirked up inquisitively.

  Once again…adorable.

  “Occasionally,” he admitted.

  “So, people come looking for you to work some mojo,” she said. “And the tavern was kind of like your office.”

  “In a way.” He didn’t want to admit to her that most times he thought of them more as hunting grounds. “It didn’t matter where I roamed. Those who felt truly desperate always found their way to me.”

  “Felt?” She narrowed her eyes. “I take it you didn't believe their situations were serious.”

  The smile slid from Shay’s lips as he stared into Nicole’s deep brown eyes.

  “I never once met a creature who didn’t regret the price they paid for wishing I would solve their problems.”

  Nicole met his gaze without flinching. Not even a glimmer of shame sparkled in her eyes. “And you think I’m going to regret it too?”

  “I know you will,” he said.

  She gave her head a defiant shake. “The difference is I have a plan.”

  “That’s what they all said.”

  Her gaze faltered for a moment, her eyelids dipping down. When she raised them back up again, some of the resolve had slipped from her eyes.

  “And what happens to a soul when it becomes completely yours?”

  Shay picked up his bottle and took a drink. “You don’t want to know.”

  “Yeah.” Her voice was strong. So was her grip as she squeezed his arm. “I do.”

  He grit his teeth. He’d known this getting to know you better thing was a mistake.

  “Why?” he said, sounding far more bitter than he intended. “You have your plan, remember?”

  She moved her hand down the rest of his arm until her hand cupped his. Her touch was soft…warm…tender. It reminded him just how vulnerable she really was.

  “Please,” she said. “Just tell me.”

  Shay rolled his shoulders back. There was no point lying to her.

  “Your soul leaves you and becomes a source of ethereal power for me draw on.”

  “So…lunch? My soul becomes your lunch.”

  It wasn’t a perfect description of what would happen to her soul, but it wasn’t wrong. “More or less.”

  “And what happens to the rest of me?” she asked. “Do I die?”

  “Not exactly,” he said. “Your body continues on, but it’s an empty vessel. You cannot feel or make decisions. You exist, but you don’t live.”

  A strained silence fell between them. For a full minute, she didn’t do anything but press her lips together and let her gaze skim over the floor in front of her. He could feel an icy tingle of despair rushing through her, but she was managing to keep herself together. She couldn’t keep her fingers from trembling against his, though.

  She looked up at him with sad eyes. “And, there’s no way to send the plate back to the kitchen, so to speak?”

  Shay shook his head. “Once the contract is made, the binding is instantaneous,” he said. “Even now there is a trace of you inside me, powering everything I do.”

  “Wait.” Her eyes widened. “You’re saying I’m inside you.”

  “A small piece, yes.”

  “Whoa,” she said, her mouth turning into a perfect circle. “I don’t feel any different.”

  “Like I said, it’s very small.”

  “But you feel it?” Strangely, the fear inside her dissipated. Wonder took its place. “You feel me?”

  “I do.”

  She perked up again and grasped his hand tight.

  “That’s crazy,” she said. “You have to tell me. What do I feel like?”

  Shay narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting. Not at all. No creature had ever reacted like this to the realization that he had access to their innermost core.

  How many times did he need proof that Nicole wasn’t like everyone else?

  “Alive,” he told her.

  “Well, yeah.” She waved her hand, dismissing his answer. “But besides that.”

  “No, I mean you feel more alive than any other soul I’ve felt,” he said. “You hum and pulse with life. You push away the traces of all that have come before you. Even this sliver of your mortal soul burns brighter than the final receipt of beings with unparalleled power.”

  Nicole looked up at him with an unblinking stare. “Wow.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He cupped his other hand around her knee.

  “You didn’t,” she said. “I just wasn’t expecting…that. I thought maybe I tingled or something.”

  Shay found the corners of his lips curling up again. What was it about this woman that made him do that so often?

  “There’s a little tingle.”

  “Do you think it’s just because I’m mortal?” she asked. “Maybe we just start out stronger.”

  “Maybe,�
�� he conceded. “But I don’t think so. I think it’s you, Nicole. You’re a bonfire in a world of candles. I could felt the pull of your soul the first moment I walked into your family’s shop. It was so strong that I was afraid that if I let myself get too close, I might never be able to pull myself away.”

  A soft breath left Nicole’s open mouth. A world of expectation lit up her eyes as she gazed into his.

  “So…you were attracted to me?” she asked, leaning in closer.

  “You could say that.” It would be one hell of an understatement, but it was still true.

  “To me?” she asked. “Or to the power of my soul?”

  Shay opened his mouth to answer, but the moment he did a loud crack sounded from outside. The spell between them broke instantly as a swirling wind started to crash against the windows.

  Both he and Nicole bolted up from the floor in the same moment, and they rushed to the window seat.

  All thoughts of souls and attraction disappeared the moment they laid eyes on Marrow and his band of soldiers lining the street below.

  “Shay Madrid,” the fae’s voice rose up from the street. “I’ve come to make a deal.”

  Chapter Nine

  Oh, God.

  He was back. All of them were back—Marrow and his men. The only difference was Marrow had brought more soldiers with him this time. A dozen pale, thin, and ridiculously tall fae soldiers, all standing shoulder to shoulder on the narrow sidewalk across the street.

  Marrow was out in front of them of course, looking every inch an otherworldly general. A long sword dangled from his hand. The light from the streetlamp gleamed off its double edge. Damn, it looked sharp.

  Sharp enough to take off her head in a single swipe.

  Or somebody else’s.

  Nicole threw open the window and swept her gaze from one end of the narrow street to the other. Fortunately, she didn’t see another soul.

  At least not yet.

  This part of the city didn’t really buzz with pedestrians on weekend nights, but Nicole knew someone was bound to walk past eventually. It was only a matter of time until someone wandered by this freakish standoff and called the cops.

  She didn’t want to think what would happen after that. The poor bastards would show up with lights flashing and guns drawn…and step right into a bloodbath. There was no way a handful of city cops could win a battle against fae soldiers.

  And Nicole wasn’t certain she’d be able to save them. The book had allowed her to use its magic when she was the one under attack, but she had no idea if it would let her risk her life for strangers.

  Her fingers shook against the window sill. She had no idea what to do next.

  In that instant, she felt Shay’s strong, steadying hand spread across her back.

  “Courage.” His voice was deep and low against her ear. The single word rumbled through her. She didn’t just hear it. She felt it…and just like that the shivers stopped radiating down her arms and legs.

  Strangely, this time Nicole didn’t care if the wave of calm that swept through her came from magic or the power of her trust in him. All that mattered was that the fog of panic was dissipating in her head, allowing her to think clearly again.

  For the moment, she was safe. Shay’s warding was working. Marrow obviously hadn’t found a way to break through it. If he had, he wouldn’t be here to make a deal.

  Which made this a standoff. One that Nicole wanted to end as soon as possible.

  “What do you want?” she shouted down at the fae commander.

  “I’m here to speak with the jinni, mortal.”

  Nicole tried not to flinch at the tone he used while spitting out the last word. The hatred and ugliness of it was all too familiar.

  But if he thought his derision would shut her down, he had another thing coming.

  She gripped the window sill tighter and thrust her head out even farther. The curtains caught around her shoulders and blew around her head like brightly colored banners in the wind.

  “You can either talk to both of us, or nobody at all, asshole.”

  Nicole smiled with satisfaction as the fae’s shoulders visibly tensed.

  “Do you agree with this absurdity, jinni?” Marrow asked.

  “What’s absurd?” Shay’s voice came out steady and strong. At least one of them was in control of their emotions. “She’s every bit as involved in this as you or I.”

  “She’s human.” Marrow said the word as though it actually tasted sour in his mouth. “Far beneath creatures of real power like you and I.”

  Shay chuckled. The low sound echoed off the tall walls of the alley. “Strange, Marrow, from up here, the only person below me is you.”

  Marrow growled in displeasure. He scraped the tip of his long blade against the sidewalk. Nicole’s eyes widened as sparks flew from the friction. What the hell kind of metal was that thing made out of? Her newfound confidence wavered at the sight.

  “But you were saying something about a deal,” Shay prompted the fae.

  Even from across the street she could still feel the chill of Marrow’s glare. “Give me the grimoire.”

  “Counter offer,” Nicole said. “How about I give you a hard kick to the nuts instead?”

  Marrow’s gaze gleamed with malice as he glared up at her. “One day I will slice that impudent tongue from your head, bitch.”

  “Before or after I cut off your dick and ram it down your throat?”

  Marrow roared. His pale face burned bright with rage.

  Shay, on the other hand, just gave her a gentle pat on the back. “I think perhaps this might go faster if I spoke with him.”

  Nicole nodded. Point taken. Maybe it was time to give Shay the lead in the negotiations for a while.

  “And what are you offering in return?” Shay asked.

  “I’ll spare your life.”

  Even from a story up Nicole could see the deception in Marrow’s eyes. She leaned over to warn Shay, but it seemed he already knew.

  “No deal,” he said.

  “Don’t be a fool, jinni.” Marrow tried to take a step forward, but butted up against the warding. He stopped cold in his tracks.

  “I’m not,” Shay said. “You’re the fool to come all the way back to earth just to offer me what I already have.”

  “Would rather I killed you?”

  “You’re welcome to try…again.” Shay shrugged. “It didn’t work out so well the last time.”

  Marrow stilled. His eyes narrowed. Apparently, he didn’t like being taunted in front of his men. She’d never seen a deadlier look in anyone’s eyes.

  Nicole held her breath as she glanced over at Shay. He looked as cool as could be.

  Damn. The guy was good. She was doing everything to keep her nerves under control, but Shay didn’t show a single shiver.

  “I’m giving you a chance,” Marrow said through gritted teeth.

  “You’re giving me nothing. You’re offering me nothing. You say you’re here to make a deal, but all you want to do is kill and steal.” Shay sounded far from impressed. “Come back when you have something interesting to say.”

  “I will have that grimoire,” the fae shouted as Shay pulled his head back inside the apartment.

  “Over my dead body,” Nicole spat back.

  A cold, predatory smile spread across Marrow's face. “Oh, that’s the part I’m looking forward to the most.”

  A chill swept up Nicole’s spine. Suddenly the outside wind seemed very cold. It froze her in place. All could she could do was blink, held captivated by the open, deadly threat shining in the fae’s unearthly eyes.

  A second later, Shay’s hand slid up from her back to her shoulder, and he guided her back in through the open window. Once she was in, he slid the pane down and pulled the curtains closed.

  Nicole didn’t move for a long moment. Her body wouldn’t let her. Her arms, her legs, her hands and feet—all of them refused to move. Not until she heard the telltale pop of the opening portal and
the heavy gusts of wind that followed. A few seconds later, the din faded away.

  Only then was Nicole able to find the courage to pull back the curtain and look down on the street below.

  The empty street.

  They were gone.

  Gone someplace so far away it was hard to even imagine it. But she knew they could come back anytime they wanted. They could appear and disappear at will.

  And they would always be able to.

  Now that Marrow knew that the grimoire was here, he would never stop coming. Nicole recognized the look she’d seen shining in his eyes.

  Greed.

  She’d seen it far too many times before. That was what really scared her. People that hungered for power would crush whoever they had to in order to get it. History books were filled with greedy people and the wake of destruction they left behind.

  But the power Marrow sought was far more dangerous than anything this world had ever seen. If the fae was ever able to crack the magic inside it, he could tear everything on Earth and in the Realm apart.

  And right now she was the only one who could guard it.

  She looked away from the window to find Shay watching her.

  “Are you all right?” His voice was quiet, bordering on sensitive.

  She didn’t nod. She didn’t lie and tell him she was fine. She didn’t say word. Somehow, she felt he already knew.

  “It’s okay,” Shay told her. “You’re safe.”

  It was true. She was fine, and as long as she stayed inside the shop or his apartment, she would stay that way.

  But she couldn’t live her whole life within the confines of this building. And what about her parents? What would happen to them when they returned home?

  “I’ve made a terrible mistake, haven’t I?” She wasn’t really asking. She already knew the answer.

  “No, Nicole.” There was something about the way he said her name. The sound wrapped around her like a warm blanket on a cold night. “You haven’t.”

  But it didn’t matter how soothing Shay’s voice was. He was only lying to make her feel better.

  “If I had never used the book to banish the fae, then Marrow wouldn’t be after it now.”

  “But we would have been slaughtered.”

  Shay reached out and caressed his fingers down her arm. It was an intimate gesture, one Nicole was having a hard time fully appreciating at the moment.