Jinn: Exiles of the Realm

by Adrienne Bell

  “I should have never made the wish to force you to protect the store,” she said.

  “But if you hadn’t there would have been nothing keeping Marrow from the grimoire. Or from you.”

  Nicole frowned, her brows pulling together tight over her nose. “That’s not what you said yesterday.”

  He raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek for a moment. She had no idea why he was being so sweet.

  “Even jinn can change their minds, you know.” He sat down next to her on the edge of the window seat.

  “What caused you to change it?”

  “You,” he answered. “Just now. Shouting down at Marrow from the window.”

  Nicole shook her head at the reminder. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was another mistake.”

  He laughed. A real laugh. The sound was so delightfully rich and full it felt like it filled up the whole room.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said. “It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He stared down at his feet for a full second before letting out a small sigh. “Do you know why I allowed Oberon to make his wishes with me?”

  “Because you didn’t have a choice?”

  “I always have a choice.”

  “You didn’t with me,” she said.

  “True. You blindsided me.” Shay cupped his hand over her knee again. “Until you I’d always felt everyone’s intentions far before they ever came close enough to say my name. You were different.”

  “Because you couldn’t feel me?”

  “Not hardly.” He chuckled. “I could feel every part of you. I just didn’t know what to make of you. Everyone who’d ever bartered their soul away came to me reeking of selfish intentions. But not you. You wanted to protect and preserve. That’s why I never saw your wish coming.”

  “But you saw Oberon’s?” she asked. He nodded. “Because he was so powerful?”

  “Oberon was nothing when he came to me.” Shay shook his head. “Just a low-ranking soldier in the Queen’s army. But I could feel everything he wanted. His greed. His lust for power. His ruthlessness.”

  Nicole narrowed her eyes. “You saw all that, and you let him wish anyway.”

  “That was my mistake.” His voice full of regret. “I arrogantly believed that I could control him, the same way I’d controlled all the ambitious fools that had come before him.”

  “I take it things didn’t turn out that way.”

  “No. I made another mistake,” Shay said. “I underestimated him. I assumed his low rank meant he was easily led. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

  “And that’s how he took power.”

  “It was,” he said. “He wished to marry Titania and take the throne by her side, but it was his cleverly calculated second wish that bound me. He wished that I would always obey him. If I had stayed, that wish would have made me his prisoner.”

  “So you ran?” She turned toward him fully, pulled in by his story.

  “I did,” he said. “I left the palace before he could tell me otherwise and I made sure to keep my distance from him or any palace guards. As the centuries drifted by, my hubris convinced me that Oberon had lost interest in me. Still another mistake.”

  A cold feeling rose up in Nicole’s stomach when she realized the direction his story was going. “That’s when he came for you.”

  “Exactly.” His voice fell. “He concentrated all the court magicians’ power to shield his presence from me just long enough to command me to return to the palace with him. From that point, I was under his control. He kept me in prison for nearly two centuries before assembling the other exiles and tossing us through the Gate together.”

  “Why do you think he waited?” She couldn’t take the guarded pain in his eyes. She caressed the hand on her leg, lacing her fingers between his.

  “Oberon needed a spectacle,” he said. “He was in a vulnerable position. Everyone knew he was sitting on the throne because of a wish he’d made nearly three millennia ago. He needed the connection between us severed before his soul was due, but he knew the moment our tie was broken his position was vulnerable. He needed every lackey like Marrow to see that his true power didn’t come from a jinni.”

  Nicole sighed. And she thought that navigating the political drama in her role-playing games was complicated. It had nothing on this.

  “Well, going by Marrow’s loyalty, it seems that’s Oberon’s position is pretty damn secure.”

  The light in Shay’s eyes changed….quite literally. Suddenly, the golden embers were back, floating up through his deep brown irises. They glowed with a magical light as a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “Maybe it was,” he said. “But I think that might have changed the moment Marrow felt the power of your family’s grimoire.”

  Nicole thought back to the fae’s furious expression as he glowered up at her from the street. It had an edge and determination that wasn’t there when he’d been in the bookshop. His voice had changed too. The dismissive ease was gone. He’d gone from a soldier simply carrying out orders to a man on a mission.

  The seeds of understanding took root in Nicole’s mind. Apparently, Shay saw it before even she did.

  “That’s right,” he said, encouraging her to say the idea that had blossomed in her mind.

  “That’s why Marrow wants the Grimoire.” She grasped his hand even harder as it all became clear. “He thinks he can use its magic to overthrow Oberon.”

  “There’s certainly enough power in it.”

  “Sure,” she conceded. “But it’s power he can’t access."

  A devious sparkle lit up in Shay’s eyes. “But he doesn’t know that.”

  That was all it took. Those five words sent Nicole’s mind whirling. She stood up from the window seat.

  “There has to be a way that we can use his plan against him.” She strode to his door and back again. She always did her best thinking when her feet were moving. It was a habit that drove her gaming partners crazy sometimes. “Is there a way we could let Oberon know what he has planned?”

  “Probably,” Shay said. “But it wouldn’t solve our problems. He’d only send another general to secure the grimoire after eliminating Marrow.”

  “It might buy us some time.”

  “Not as much as you might think.”

  “You’re right.” She took another trip to the door and back. “The better play is using the threat of Oberon to take away Marrow’s advantage. If he’s afraid, he might make a mistake we can exploit.”

  “And if Oberon finds out about the grimoire?”

  Nicole shrugged. “Then we threaten to use it on him. Like you said, he doesn’t know I’m the only one who can work it. He’d never screw with you again if he thought you had all that power.”

  “That’s true.” Shay didn’t sound so serious anymore. His voice was heavy with humor. Enough to make Nicole stop in her tracks and turn his way. Sure enough, the laughter wasn’t just in his voice. It shone in his eyes as well.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You,” he said. “Just a few minutes ago, you were so afraid that you’d doomed us all. Now you’re coming up with a plan to stop a fae general and overthrow the King of the Realm.”

  Nicole crossed her arms. “And you don’t think I can do it?”

  “Just the opposite.” Shay kept his gaze steady on hers. Not even a hint of mockery shone in its depths. “I’m starting to believe that you might be the only one who can.”

  Chapter Ten

  Shay spent the rest of the evening feeling the constant play of ideas flowing through Nicole’s mind.

  Most of the plans she came up with led nowhere, but he sensed that was her process. She filled her mind with possibility and worked her way through the options, refusing some immediately, taking her time to scrutinize others.

  He’d never met another soul who thought quite the same way she did. Never felt anyone tha
t was so…he struggled to put a name to her essence.

  Pure? No, she was too filled with natural conflict for that.

  Real? There had to be a better word.

  Alive?

  Even that didn’t fully encapsulate the special quality that glowed inside Nicole’s soul. The energy she radiated was unique. Something that was hers and hers alone.

  Shay only knew how she made him feel. He’d never known a more delightful sensation. She burst with energy but wasn’t frantic. She was honest but not naive. Her flaws were on full display but she wasn’t a fool. She liked to believe she knew what she could handle, but she didn’t run from the truth when she was proven wrong.

  He’d never met another soul like her. He was drawn in by her life.

  And her beauty.

  There was no denying his attraction to her. It was only growing stronger. Her soul’s glow made her features all the more appealing. Cleverness crackled in the deep warmth of her eyes. Her dark skin radiated with life. Her painted red lips tempted him to…

  Shay turned his head away. Maybe it was better to take her example and lose himself in planning how to extricate themselves from this mess rather than get lost in baser thoughts.

  Then again…

  Both James Hook and Bron Douglas had already found love.

  That made two exiles who’d done their part to break the second part of their banishment curse. Two men with wicked pasts who, by all accounts, had no right to expect good, strong hearts to find them worthy.

  But it had happened.

  And given the women that had fallen in love with them, it was no surprise that both James and Bron had fallen under the spell of that mortal emotion as well.

  For a brief moment, looking over at Nicole, Shay wondered if it were possible for him as well. He’d never felt a pull like the one that tugged on him now, right in the center of his chest.

  She illuminated the fathomless depth inside him, filled him with light. Her strength awed him. Her resolve against forces far stronger than herself was enthralling.

  And then there was the way she looked at him.

  The longing in her gaze that filled him with equal parts of desire and hesitation. The Heavens knew he wanted her. To taste her body like he now tasted her soul. To feel her inside and out. To satisfy every craving they shared.

  Of course, right now probably wasn’t the best time to think of such things. It had only been a couple of hours since Marrow had threatened her life, and the weight of sleepiness was starting to drape over her shoulders. Her step slowed. Her mouth opened for a yawn. A few minutes later, she sat down next to him on the couch with a defeated thud.

  “Well, it’s happened,” she declared. “I’m too tired to think. All I hope now is that the answer to defeating Marrow will come to me in a dream.”

  Hope. It was Nicole’s favorite concept, and given the uncertain world she lived in, he understood its allure.

  She curled her feet up on the couch next to her. “I’ll take the couch tonight.”

  “You should sleep on the bed again.”

  Nicole shook her head. “I don’t like kicking you out of your own room.”

  “You’re not kicking me out of anywhere,” he said. “I don’t know if Marrow will come back tonight, and this room is better for keeping watch.”

  It was a partial lie. There was little chance that Marrow would be back any time soon. Especially not before sunrise. Even with an entire palace worth of magicians working on portals, it would still take them time to build up enough energy to send another. But Nicole didn’t know that.

  At least he didn’t think she did, but based on the narrow look she was giving him now, he wasn’t so sure.

  “It isn’t fair that you should take the whole watch,” she said. “We should split it.”

  “It’s my responsibility to protect the shop,” he reminded her. Fairness didn’t enter into it.

  “Well, here’s the thing.” She patted his thigh. Shay tried not to tense at her touch, but that was nearly impossible after being hyperaware of her presence for hours now. “There’s no way I’ll be able to fall asleep if I’m riddled with guilt, so here’s what we’re going to do. You can take the first watch and in four hours you can wake me up for the second.”

  Nicole didn’t give him a chance to argue. She simply stood up from the couch and started for the bedroom door. She made it halfway there before turning around.

  “I hate to do this to you.” Her eyes flashed to the side in embarrassment. “But can I borrow a shirt from you?”

  “A shirt?”

  “To sleep in,” she explained. “I don’t have any other clothes with me, so I’m going to need to keep these as nice for as long as I can.”

  That was all? That was the request that had her cheeks flushing? Did she know the things people usually asked of him? They were nothing as innocent and practical as that. He rose from the couch with a smile.

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Her eyes widened to the point that he could glimpse a perfect circle of gleaming white around her dark irises.

  “Oh, no. That wasn’t a wish,” she rushed to say. “It was just—”

  He patted her shoulder as he passed her and pushed open the door of his bedroom. “It was a joke, Nicole. Just a joke.”

  A joke?

  Nicole had no idea that jinn were capable of such a thing. Shay especially. Either she’d been wrong, or he was a very fast learner.

  Shay moved past her into his bedroom, and Nicole followed after. She watched from the doorway as he went to his closet and pulled out a button-down. The white shirt dangled from the hanger as he turned around. “Was this what you had in mind?”

  “Perfect.”

  Shay was big enough that his shirt would hang down to her knees. Perfect for a nightgown.

  “Good.”

  Nicole expected him to just drape it over the bed and walk away, but instead he extended his arm out in front of him, letting the hanger dangle from his finger. There was something undeniably alluring about his stance. Like he was trying to draw her closer. Like he wanted her near.

  Heat filled Nicole’s cheeks. Maybe she was imagining it.

  And what if she wasn’t? Wasn’t that what she wanted? Wasn’t that what she’d dreamed and fantasized about too many times to count?

  Nicole wondered at the thrill that ran through her belly as she tried to take a step forward…and failed. She was being ridiculous. She’d been fine a moment ago. Hell, she’d been alone with him all day—all night even—without succumbing to the pull of her desire.

  But that had been in the bookstore. On the window seat. In the living room.

  This was his bedroom.

  And they were all alone in it.

  Damn it. She shouldn’t be thinking things like that. Not about the one guy who could actually feel her thoughts and emotions.

  But it was just too hard to think about anything else when he was standing next to his bed. His dark eyes fixed on hers. His arm out beckoning her in. His body looking just as fine as ever.

  Nicole glanced down at the floor, though she knew that it wouldn’t do a lick of good. He wasn’t just in her head. She’d invited him into her soul, and her desire for him went that deep.

  She was certain of it.

  “Nicole.”

  Shay’s voice filled the room, wrapping around her and practically pulling her forward. It was the single most enticing sound she’d ever heard.

  She lifted her head and gasped when she saw the embers were back in his eyes. The glowing golden sparks lit up his whole face, leaving no doubt that he felt the heat of their attraction just as strongly.

  Damn it. All she’d wanted was a nightshirt, but she wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

  “Maybe it would be better if we swapped,” she tried. “I’ll take the first watch.”

  Shay didn’t move. His arm didn’t sway or tremble an inch.

  “Come take the shirt, Nicole.” His voice was very bit as
firm as his body looked.

  She drew in a deep breath as she moved toward him, but the closer she got, the tighter her breaths became. The air crackled around him. She wasn’t just imagining it. It wasn’t just a metaphor to explain the pull. The sensation was as real as anything that she’d ever felt in her life.

  He was like stepping close to a fire. The air changed around her. His heat pulled her in. Drew her near. Wrapped around her.

  But Nicole wasn’t just dealing with her desire. Shay might be able to feel what was going on inside her, but she could literally see his emotions burning in his eyes.

  The moment she was close enough, Nicole snatched the hanger off his finger and crushed it to her chest like a flimsy shield.

  The look in Shay’s eyes didn’t change. If anything, the sparks grew stronger. Even worse, this close, Nicole couldn’t help but grow more amazed by the sight.

  Not that it was a good idea to become too captivated by a creature as powerful as Shay.

  Too late, she chided herself. You’ve already sold him your soul. There was no use pretending that she was the poster child for pragmatism now.

  Nicole tossed the shirt down on the mattress by her side. Shay’s eyes followed the motion. His irises flared with the reminder of just how close the bed was.

  She couldn’t lie. It was a heady sensation to know that she affected Shay so strongly…the same way he affected her.

  She came up right against him, stopping just a breath away. She looked up at his face.

  “I’d like to kiss you.” Nicole didn’t have a clue where all this confidence was coming from. Maybe it was the brush with her own mortality. After all, what was a little rejection when a fae general was ready chop your head off? “Would you like to kiss me?”

  The sparks in his eyes answered first. They burst up, igniting all at once and transforming the dark pools of his irises to molten gold. Nicole couldn’t help the surge of pride the sight sent through her.

  “You care what I want?”

  A little laugh escaped Nicole’s lips. “I don’t know how kisses go where you’re from, but here they’re a shared thing. They’re only worth a damn if both people want them.”