He led them down a forest path, keeping to the side so that they could duck into the undergrowth if need be. At one point, he stopped, whispering, “Hold it. Danger ahead.”
Of course, the kits wanted to see. Headley started to race up by his side, but he turned and cuffed her back, and she rolled over, coming to a stop by Mollikins’s feet.
“When I say stop, you stop. Danger here hides in many appealing forms. You see that creature?” He nodded ahead, at a long squiggly creature that reminded Mollikins of a salamander without feet.
Suddenly, she gasped. “Fire snake?”
“No, but it is a snake. And it’s poisonous. If it bites you, it can kill you.” He paused, then added, “And trust me, it wouldn’t mind swallowing a little cjinn for dinner.” He gave the cjinns a long, warning look.
At that, the kits huddled together near their mother, peeking around to get a look at the slithering adder as it crossed their path. It paused, glancing in their direction, then returned to its own business and soon vanished into the undergrowth.
“See, I told you,” Mollikins couldn’t help but say.
Tarjan let out another sigh, looking defeated. “There are dangers everywhere, my dear.”
“Yes, but at least at home we knew what we were facing. Here, the dangers are unseen and unknown. I will not have my kits in danger.” She hissed at him, but stopped short of swatting him. She didn’t want to set a bad example for the children, given he was their father, after all.
An hour later, they came to an odd-looking structure. It wasn’t natural, it’d been created by humans, Tarjan said. Both Mollikins and Tarjan knew what humans were, though the kits had never seen any. The pair had crossed a couple sorcerers who had attempted to gate them into this realm, but cjinns were a whole lot harder to summon than a djinn, a whole lot smarter, and definitely more difficult to control.
Which was why the human world tended to know about the djinns rather than cjinns.
Finally, the family found a place to settle down for dinner. Mollikins wished up enough mice for everybody, and they began to eat. The structure seemed innocuous, so they ignored it, at least for the time being.
EVERYBODY ELSE WAS snoozing, taking a long nap after dinner, but Younger Son was wide awake. He kept being startled by strange noises. The little cjinn was terrified of this wide, wild, world, and he couldn’t help but question his father’s wisdom in bringing them all there. He shivered, hoping his mother would follow through with her threat to take them home the next day. He had seen quite enough, thank you, he didn’t want to stay here. There was too much danger. He could feel it in his gut.
He was trying to curl up and drift off to sleep when he smelled something. It smelled familiar, and yet it made him nervous. He sniffed the air, raising his nose.
Fire. He could smell fire.
Could they have returned home already? Perhaps while he had dozed earlier, they had returned to the realm of fire. If he found the fire, maybe they’d be safe and sound. Fire, he understood. Younger Son could talk to the flames, and they seemed to listen to him.
He cautiously stood, stretching. A glance at his mother showed him that Mollikins was deep asleep. He didn’t want to wake her, since he knew how tired she was.
Although he was afraid, he thought that perhaps if he found the fire, it could tell him where they were and how to get home to their meadow. And that would show how helpful he could be. Slightly confused, and still yawning, he padded over toward the structure.
He followed along the side of the stone building, sniffing the flowers that grew near the walls, until he reached the corner. Pausing, he peeked around the edge. If he continued, he’d be out of sight of his family. But then again, all he would have to do was retrace his steps and he would find them, so he put on a brave face and decided to make his father proud. He would explore a little farther. He so wanted to make his father proud.
A butterfly flew around his head and he batted at it, then chased a dragonfly for a moment before he came to the edge of the building.
As he peeked around the side, he could see a creature standing there, next to a flame. The creature was standing on two legs, tall beyond anything that Younger Son had ever seen.
Oh, elementals were tall and huge, but they were always shifting, always moving.
This creature looked solid. His front legs were high up on his body, and he was furless, though he had strange garments hanging off of him.
This must be a human, Younger Son thought, watching, curious.
The flames were crackling, shooting sparks everywhere, and the smell of roasting meat hit his nose, making his stomach rumble. He had eaten his fill of mice, but this smelled delicious.
At that moment, another creature—much like the one standing by the fire—came running up.
Younger Son thought she was a female, given the feel of her energy, and her voice was shrill as she yelled something in a language that the cjinn didn’t understand. The creature standing by the fire answered back, and then took off, following the female down the path and into the forest.
Deciding that he had had enough exploring, Younger Son turned, intent on returning to his family. But then he noticed an opening leading into the structure.
If he could learn something new—something that his father didn’t know—maybe he could win some points. He raced over to the opening and peeked inside.
The smell of other animals hit his nose first, pungent and strong. It almost was enough to send him running back to his mother, but the image of Tarjan rose in his mind and he decided he would be as brave as his father.
He made his way into the building, looking this way and that, making sure there were no snakes around.
Whatever animals lived here, they seemed to be missing now. Perhaps they were out exploring as well. Whatever the case, Younger Son found himself alone, with only the drone of insects to keep him company.
He wandered in and out of stalls, backing away when he came across a great pile of dung.
His stomach rumbled and he realized he was hungry again, so he conjured up a mouse, wishing for one to appear and it did. He caught it and ate it quickly before anything could come in and startle him. But combined with food that was already in his stomach, he found himself growing so tired he could barely keep awake. It was time to go back. There was nothing here to report, except for the fact that he had mustered up the courage to go exploring, and so he turned, intending to leave. But there was no door in sight.
All he could see were half walls, and piles and mounds of hay. He wasn’t sure where the entrance was, or how far he had wandered into the labyrinth of a structure.
It seemed immense compared to how small he was, and he tried to figure out which way he had come. But now everything was a blur, blending together as his fear grew. Younger Son raced around, meowing loudly, but no one seemed to hear him.
As he began to panic, his thoughts grew muddled, and finally, he huddled down next to a pile of hay and fell asleep.
THE SMELL OF smoke woke him up. Younger Son blinked. His eyes hurt, and his throat felt scratchy. It felt like some time had passed, although he didn’t know how long. But there was something wrong. As he stood, looking around, he first realized that a wall of flames was surrounding him. Second, he realized that he was still inside the structure, and he didn’t know how to find his way out. And finally, the knowledge crashed in on him that he’d have to go through the flames in order to escape.
The fire was licking at the hay, sparking it to life.
Younger Son raced to an open patch of dirt on the floor, trying to get away from the flickering heat.
“Stop, please stop,” he begged the sparks, but they didn’t listen. And they refused to speak to him. “I said, please stop. Let me through, please!”
Once again, the flames ignored him, acting as though they weren’t even aware of him. They were angry, he could tell that much, and hungry. They wanted to eat. To eat the hay, to
eat the dirt, to eat the ground, to eat the wood, to eat everything around, including him.
“Why won’t you listen?”
At home, the flames would listen, even if they didn’t always obey.
At home, the elementals usually respected the wishes of the cjinns and the djinns and all of the efreet. But here, it was as if they couldn’t even hear him.
Maybe they were under a spell, or under some sort of a curse? Whatever the case, they were dangerous and there was no way out.
Younger Son thought about his mother. If only he had never left her side.
If I make it out, if I can find my mother, I’ll never leave her again, he promised. I’ll never be envious of Headley or Katrina or Deidre or Drakken again. I promise. Please, please…I wish I could escape.
Realizing that the flames were growing closer, he let out a squeak, and then a loud cry, begging for help.
“Mother! Mother, come help me!” His fear was so strong he was shimmering from it. “Mother, help me! Please help me!”
What had he done to deserve this? Perhaps the Great Cjinn was angry with him? Perhaps the Ancient Fire wanted him to come home? But he wasn’t ready. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted his mother.
“Mother! I wish you were here. Save me!”
As the flames crept near, he backed as far away as he could, steeling himself for the inevitable. And then…a glimmer in the air caught his attention as a voice echoed through the fire. He didn’t understand the words, but he could hear the magic within them.
“Mother? Are you there?”
The next moment, the flames parted, creating a corridor of safety. One of the two-legged creatures was standing there—though not one of the two he had seen earlier, a new one. She darted through the flames, running over to him. Before he could move, she grabbed him up in her arms and turned to dash back through the fire, and then—they were outside.
A horrendous noise echoed behind them as the entire structure collapsed.
Younger Son clung to her shoulder, terrified of the noise, terrified of the fact that he had almost died. Carefully, the woman lifted him up, and he stared into her eyes.
Something clicked that moment.
A soft voice whispered in the back of his thoughts. “Welcome into your name, Bubba.”
Blinking, Bubba realized that a great shift had just happened. He had his name. He was full cjinn. As he reached out with his mind, trying to search for his mother, his attention kept returning to the creature who held him. She was cuddling him gently, and he felt safe and protected in her arms. She lifted him up again, kissing him gently on the forehead, just like his own mother had.
“You’re safe now, little one. I’ll protect you.”
He wasn’t sure what the words meant, but the energy behind them was clear.
As she carried him around the burning structure, he saw the space where his parents and siblings had been. But they were gone. There was no sign of them.
He let out a faint mew, terrified of being left alone in a strange world.
At that moment, his rescuer pulled him close to her chest, and he could feel the comforting beat of her heart. She kissed him on the head again.
“I guess we were meant to find each other, don’t you think?”
And then, he suddenly realized he understood what she said. He burst into a purr, cuddling close, not wanting her to let go of him.
As they walked through the evening chill, she held him close, and he could feel the bond between them growing. His fear began to lessen, and he slowly closed his eyes as he snuggled against her. As he began to fall asleep, secure in her arms, he heard her whisper.
“I think… I think I’ll call you Bubba. I don’t know why but that just seems like the perfect name for you. Would you like that?”
And with that, he knew that no matter what happened, he had someone on his side. He might have lost his family, but he had gained a new mother, and content in that feeling, he let out a sigh and fell asleep.
If you enjoyed Bubba’s story and want to read the rest of the series, then come meet the wild and magical residents of Bedlam in my Bewitching Bedlam Series (lighter-hearted but still steamy paranormal romance). Fun-loving witch Maddy Gallowglass, her smoking-hot vampire lover Aegis, and their crazed cjinn Bubba (part djinn, all cat) rock it out in Bedlam, a magical town on a magical island. BLOOD MUSIC, BEWITCHING BEDLAM, MAUDLIN’S MAYHEM, SIREN’S SONG, WITCHES WILD, BLOOD VENGEANCE and TIGER TAILS are available. CASTING CURSES will be out in September 2018. And more are on the way!
You might also enjoy my new series The Wild Hunt. Darker urban fantasy/paranormal romance, the first two books are out: THE SILVER STAG, and OAK & THORNS, and IRON BONES are available. A SHADOW OF CROWS will be available later this year, and there will be more to come!
If you like a far darker read, my Indigo Court Series is once again available in e-format. Dark fantasy/steamy hot paranormal romance, you will find the series available for your e-reader: NIGHT MYST, NIGHT VEIL, NIGHT SEEKER, NIGHT VISION, NIGHT’S END, and NIGHT SHIVERS.
I also invite you to visit Fury’s world. In a gritty, post-apocalyptic Seattle, Fury is a minor goddess, in charge of eliminating the Abominations who come off the World Tree. The first story arc of the Fury Unbound Series is complete with: FURY RISING, FURY’S MAGIC, FURY AWAKENED, and FURY CALLING. The second story arc will begin later this year with FURY’S MANTLE.
If you like cozies with teeth, try my Chintz ‘n China paranormal mysteries. The series is complete with: GHOST OF A CHANCE, LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON, MURDER UNDER A MYSTIC MOON, A HARVEST OF BONES, ONE HEX OF A WEDDING, and a wrap-up novella: HOLIDAY SPIRITS.
The newest Otherworld book—HARVEST SONG—is available now, and the last, BLOOD BONDS, will be available in April 2019.
For all of my work, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out my website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for my newsletter to receive news about all my new releases.
Biography
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over sixty books, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, the Indigo Court Series, and the Otherworld Series, among others. She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at Galenorn.com.
Indie Releases Currently Available:
The Wild Hunt Series:
The Silver Stag
Oak & Thorns
Iron Bones
A Shadow of Crows
Bewitching Bedlam Series:
Bewitching Bedlam
Maudlin’s Mayhem
Siren’s Song
Witches Wild
Casting Curses
Blood Music
Blood Vengeance
Tiger Tails
The Wish Factor
Fury Unbound Series:
Fury Rising
Fury’s Magic
Fury Awakened
Fury Calling
Fury’s Mantle
Indigo Court Series:
Night Myst
Night Veil
Night Seeker
Night Vision
Night’s End
Night Shivers
Otherworld Series:
Moon Shimmers
Harvest Song
Earthbound
Knight Magic
Otherworld Tales: Volume One
Tales From Otherworld: Collection One
Men of Otherworld: Collection One
Men of Otherworld: Collection Two
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Moon Swept: Otherworld Tales of First Love
For the rest of the Otherworld Series, see Website
Chintz ‘n China Series:
Ghost of a Chance
Legend of the Jade Dragon
Murder Under a Mystic Moon
A Harvest of Bones
One Hex of a Wedding
Holiday Spirits
Bath and Body Series (originally under the name India Ink):
Scent to Her Grave
A Blush With Death
Glossed and Found
Misc. Short Story Collections:
Mist and Shadows: Short Tales From Dark Haunts
Once Upon a Kiss (short story: Princess Charming)
Once Upon a Curse (short story: Bones)
Magickal Nonfiction:
Embracing the Moon
Tarot Journeys
For all other series, as well as upcoming work, see Website
The Wish Factor Page 2