by C. Tyler
That was why djinn were so feared by the Light and desired by the Dark. Their power was terrible, or awesome, depending on what they chose to do with it because djinn were technically on another plane of existence. The only reason most Fay tolerated the djinn was because many of them chose to live on that other plane versus bother interacting with what they considered “lesser beings”.
Mai, on the other hand, was not only half, but lacked any control. If she chose to repeat the action, she couldn’t. She’d never developed that side of her beyond the simple, beyond what was considered barely more than parlor tricks. It made her dangerous, more unstable than most—and on the Light’s watchlist.
Truth was, Mai didn’t like that side of her. She hated her mother, despised “her people”, and chose to ignore that part of her heritage. Perhaps that was a mistake in the end? Perhaps she should have at least tried to learn control, if anything, to save her from situations like the one she found herself in.
****
Ryan was sitting at his desk flipping through mug shots that fit the description of a robbery suspect when his cell phone rang. He answered it absently.
“Yeah?” he said, pressing the phone to his jaw with his shoulder so his hands could remain free.
“Ryan.” Mai’s voice sounded labored and pained. He perked immediately. Something was wrong.
“Mai,” he said as the panic rose within him. Marcus looked up through his lashes, scowling at the mention of the djinn’s name. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you,” she said with a groan. “I got stabbed.”
“The hell do you mean you were stabbed?” A growl laced his voice. Marcus sat up a bit straighter.
“Just … please.”
His jaw clenched tightly. He wanted to keep asking questions, to demand to know what happened, but he knew she needed help.
“Where are you?”
“At the old silos.”
He stood and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. “I’ll be there soon.”
And with that, he hung up. Marcus watched his partner throw his jacket on with a tight line to his jaw.
“Dude,” Marcus muttered.
Ryan knew what he was saying. Within that one word were a thousand more, warning him not to do what he was about to do, but Ryan said nothing. Instead, he left.
****
Ryan sped through the city streets towards the old, abandoned grain silos that hadn’t been used in a decade or better. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he used his lights and sirens to get people the hell out of his way. Because of that, he made it to the site in less than ten minutes, but his fear hadn’t subsided. Mai never had to call him to heal before, and that scared him.
Like most Fay, Mai could heal faster than a human being. It was part of their physiology, but a knife wound was a knife wound. Despite being supernatural, a lot of Fay could be killed as easily as anyone else. Luckily for her, Mai could accelerate her healing by feeding. That’s where Ryan came in. He was more than willing to be her meal.
Ryan drove through the property and eventually found Mai’s Bronco parked in between two of the four silos, with her leaning against the driver’s door. He instantly made his way to her, slamming on his brakes and barely putting the vehicle into park before he leapt out of it. He raced for her. He could smell her blood easily. He tasted it, in fact, that thick, coppery taste of too much blood in the air.
Mai looked up through tendrils of messed, silvery hair. Her skin had gone pale to the point it nearly matched her locks. She looked sickly, and when he turned her around, he saw why. A blade protruded from her shoulder, and a long stain of blood had trailed down her back, stopping at her hips. He assumed that was simply because she’d been sitting as she bled out.
“Hold still,” he said. Ryan wrapped his massive hand around the handle and yanked the knife from the back of her shoulder. Mai bit down on a groan of pain as he retrieved the three-inch blade. “Shit.” He stepped back to look her in the eye. “How the hell did this happen?”
“Later,” she sighed. Mai looked dizzy.
She gripped his shirt and yanked him to her, smashing her lips against his. Mai kissed him deeply, and Ryan returned the sentiment. She had to heal, and the only way for her kind to do that was to feed on need, adoration, and lust.
Ryan could feel her drawing on his energy and knew she was beginning to heal almost immediately, but it’d take more for her to be healthy again. She needed the power behind pure, raw sexual desire.
They tore at one another’s clothing, peeling it off their respective partner so they could be as close as possible. Pulling back, Ryan yanked her belt off and tossed it aside before shoving her jeans down. Mai helped as best she could, kicking off one of her shoes so she could get a leg free. The moment she had, Ryan stood upright again. He lifted Mai into his arms, freed himself, and immediately pushed his dick into her.
Mai’s head fell back as she cried out. Her fingers bit into his shoulders and held him tight. Ryan cupped her ass in his strong hands, pushed her back against the cold exterior of her Bronco, and proceeded to fuck her as passionately as he always had.
He knew it was what she wanted—and more importantly, what she needed.
He slid in and out of her wet, heated core. He knew he was on the large side and most women in his past couldn’t handle it, or how rough he liked to be. But Mai could. She met his passions and yearnings because she shared them. She was his perfect fit in every way, and he knew he’d do anything for her.
Ryan pressed his forehead to her temple. The sound of her gasping breaths echoed in his ear.
“Don’t stop,” she panted. “Oh God.”
He slammed into her harder than before and was rewarded by her lustful cries. He slid her up and down his shaft, driving himself in and out of her with fervor. Ryan felt himself slipping. He was nearing his end, but he knew she had to reach hers first.
Maneuvering a hand between them, Ryan went to work on Mai, caressing her sensitive bud and eliciting more adoring sounds. He felt her beginning to tense around him and knew it wouldn’t be long. Pushing himself harder, working against her harder, Ryan was rewarded by her orgasm.
Mai’s elation echoed off the surrounding buildings. Her body clenched around his, her fingers digging into his shoulders while her pussy clamped down around his dick. Ryan couldn’t hold out any longer and finally came, following Mai into euphoria as he spilled himself inside her.
He roared as his orgasm took him, but Mai wasn’t finished. While his very cells were ignited, Mai kissed him again. As she drew back, he felt her sucking the energy out of his body. She took his life-force, his lust, desire and love. She took it all, and he gave it freely.
Her feeding lasted seconds, but he knew that was all she needed. When she broke the connection, they both slumped. Ryan still held her tightly to his body, pinning her against the Bronco, but he had to admit his knees wavered just a bit.
Eventually, he pulled back to look into her tired face. She was so beautiful to him, the epitome of the word, really. He’d never seen another woman like her before, met another like her. She was incredible, and the fact that she’d been near death only minutes prior terrified him.
Ryan reached up and gently cradled her cheek. His hazel eyes danced over her face. She was slowly gaining color again, which was a good sign.
“Let’s go back to your place,” he told her in a deep, gravelly voice.
Mai nodded. She kissed him once again before he let her stand on her own. The pair got dressed and left in their respective cars with every intention of reuniting at her apartment.
****
As the two vehicles drove away, both were ignorant of the eyes that watched them from the shadows. Neither had bothered to check if they were alone, nor did it seem like they truly cared if they were. The trouble was, they should have. Hidden amongst the homeless population who called the silos home was someone who recognized the two, someone who knew they weren’t what they seemed to be, and who k
new what to do about it.
Reaching for their cell phone, the spy dialed the number of those in charge of keeping the peace, of monitoring and controlling the actions of their kind: The Light Fay Council.
Chapter Five
Mai threw herself down on Ryan repeatedly, impaling herself on his dick as she rode him with vigor. Ryan’s brows creased as he held her hips, meeting her thrusts from below and amplifying their pleasure together.
Their bout at the silos hadn’t been enough to completely heal her. It stopped the bleeding and helped close the wound, but Mai needed more to undo the damage done. She needed more from Ryan.
As she crested another orgasm, Mai leaned forward and kissed Ryan. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close while he kissed her passionately. His tongue swept across hers, and they bit lightly at one another’s lips. They were both close.
Hooking his hands around her shoulders, Ryan planted his feet against her bed and slammed into Mai as hard as he could from the angle. Her head flew back as she cried out in pleasure. Her fingernails bit into his arm, and when she came, they broke through the skin.
Mai wasn’t silent when she screamed his name. She was never quiet when they were together because he deserved to know exactly what he did to her. Mai felt her body give as she broke from the bliss he pushed on her. And as she quivered in his arms, Ryan came, too.
Their actions slowed. Ryan held her tight while he moved in and out of her in deliberate, measured thrusts, bringing them both back to reality yet again. And as their hearts calmed and their wits returned, Mai forced herself upright, planting her hands against Ryan’s barrel chest as she did.
Mai breathed heavily. Her platinum hair had fallen into her eyes, her cheeks were flushed, and her face reflected her satiation. Ryan reached forward. He threaded his fingers through her wayward locks and guided them back, hooking them behind her ear so they were out of the way. He cupped her cheek. The moment was sweet and tender, something Mai was more than willing to sink in to, but she knew they didn’t have the chance. Ryan still had to go to work.
As he drew back, she noticed the glint of his tattoo. Mai took his hand in hers and turned it to see his wrist. Roughly the size of a quarter and made with iridescent ink that was easily missed by someone on the outside, was the mark of the Light Fay: the Tree of Life. Everyone who pledged themselves to the Light bore the mark in the same spot.
She eventually let go of his hand and crawled off of him. Ryan must know what she was thinking and spoke probably without meaning to.
“I wish you’d choose a side,” he muttered.
Mai sighed heavily as she got off the bed entirely. “You know I can’t,” she replied as she reached for her robe. “We can’t be marked.”
“I know.”
Mai wished it was as simple as joining a side, but it wasn’t. The Light required devotion, which was fine, but something she was unable to give. Once someone chose a side, they were required to take the mark, whether it was Light or Dark. Mai would never be able to do that, even if she wanted to. Djinn were unique that way. A tattoo wasn’t a simple tattoo. It was a leash.
Not all stories about genies were myth. While they weren’t blue and didn’t live in a lamp, they could be captured. If someone managed to restrain Mai or mark her, she was bound to them so long as the restraint remained.
For example, if she were to be arrested or even tied up playfully during sex, Mai would be under the complete control of whoever restrained her, forced to do anything they asked or commanded of her. It was the same with a brand—so long as the mark remained, she was bound to the one it represented, and tattoos were indelible.
If Mai pledged to the Light and wore their symbol, they could literally make her do anything they chose, anything. That power had been abused in the past when a djinn was stupid enough to follow through. Worse yet, her people didn’t do well with restrictions. Slowly but surely, the collar around their necks would begin to feel like it was tightening. They would feel the suffocation of not being able to do as they wished, and it would drive them mad. That was why any djinn who chose a side, chose the Dark.
Morgana (and that wasn’t a title. The leader of the Dark was actually the witch who destroyed Camelot and killed Merlin) was more than willing to forgo protocol. She knew the power of a djinn and how rare they were. As a result, she was more than willing to keep the relationship casual and work on a quid pro quo basis. Morgana knew that if she gave a djinn the proper compensation (usually in the form of worshipers from which the djinn could feed) they’d be happy to give the Dark anything they asked for.
Mai still didn’t understand why since most of her kind considered the rest of the Fay and humans below them, but she assumed it was boredom. It made sense that the djinn would probably cause whatever mayhem Morgana asked for the fun of it, something to spice up eternity, and the free feeds.
For centuries the simple arrangement worked. Djinn offered their mark-free loyalty to the Dark so long as they were properly paid for it and it continued being fun. The Light didn’t want to give the creatures such freedom and demanded a show of absolute allegiance.
So, while Mai would be willing to pledge herself to the Light just so she could be with Ryan, common sense and fear of insanity kept her from it.
Ryan knew it, too, but sometimes he wished it didn’t matter.
Mai took a sip of her water while Ryan got dressed. He had to get back to work before someone important realized he was gone. Mai knew that while Marcus could and would cover for him, but that would only last so long.
Dressed again, he approached the young woman staring up at him through her lashes. Ryan gently ran his fingers down her cheek adoringly before dipping forward and giving her as chaste a kiss as he could manage. It was a difficult task. Every time they touched it was torture just to pull back.
“I’ll see you later,” he said. She nodded. “Be careful, please.”
Mai offered a small smile. With one of his own, Ryan finally left.
If there was one person in the world Mai thought she could fall for, it’d be him. Hell, she was close to it already. Ryan was unlike anyone she’d ever met before in her incredibly long life, but she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t condemn him more than she already had. The trouble was, Mai had little to no control over herself when it came to Ryan Ursy, and she was well aware of the fact.
But, she also knew she couldn’t ask for more than they already had. The risk of being caught and the forbidden nature of their relationship was a nice thrill, but it held real-world consequences. The Light Council weren’t known for being forgiving, and while Mai snubbed her nose at their rules a lot of the time, they still worried her.
The five Fay who made up the Light Council were some of the most powerful in their world. Mai didn’t know what type of species they were, necessarily, but she knew that anyone who’d been arrogant enough to challenge them in the past paid for it with their lives. Rumors were that a couple of them were actually worshipped as gods in the old days. If that was true, Mai doubted she’d be able to sway any of their opinions should they find out about her and Ryan. She may have been a strong succubus, but she knew she was nowhere near strong enough to affect that many people, and her djinn side was grossly underused. It’d be no help.
If worse came to worst, she knew she’d have to bluff in order to save Ryan’s life. She would have to pretend to be the creature the Light feared, that ethereal being who could destroy the world if it chose. She would have to lie like there was no tomorrow because for Ryan, if caught, there wouldn’t be.
Walking away would be the wise move, except Mai knew she couldn’t. She was too connected to Ryan, too close. She’d never be able to walk away.
****
Ryan wasn’t surprised to see Marcus’s annoyed expression when he made it back to the office. He did his best to ignore it, but after a while, he felt like his partner was burning holes into the side of his head.
With a sigh, Ryan let his shoulder
s slump. “Just say it,” he grumbled.
“You know the rules, man,” Marcus repeated for the umpteenth time. “Why do you keep doing this?”
“She was hurt,” he replied shortly. “What was I supposed to do, let her bleed out?” Marcus offered a halfhearted shrug that ignited Ryan’s anger, but he kept it under control. “Jesus, man. I don’t give a shit, okay? I don’t give a shit about what the fucking Council has to say. It’s bullshit. Who cares if she’s djinn?”
“Shhh!” Marcus hissed sharply. His eyes danced around the scene. None of the other cops seemed to notice the two having a conversation, and he relaxed just a hint, but he was still agitated. “Keep your voice down.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. At the moment, it didn’t matter that they were surrounded by humans.
“I don’t care,” he said again. “What gives them the right, huh?”
“The fact that they’re the fucking Council.” Marcus told him angrily. “They’ve been in control of the Light for three thousand years. That gives them the right.”
“I didn’t elect those assholes.”
“Oh, my God.” Marcus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Ryan, they are five of the oldest, most powerful Fay, and they make up the rules: we don’t kill humans, we don’t consort with the Dark, and we don’t fuck djinns. How hard is that?”
Ryan was losing his patience. He was tired of having to defend himself all of the time. He felt like Marcus was attacking him, and the animal inside wanted to react, despite the humans that surrounded them. Fortunately, Ryan was given something else to focus on.
Two men in suits with sharply cut hair and stern faces approached from his periphery. They went to him with purpose, and it made his back tighten. He didn’t like the way they looked at him.
“Can we help you guys?” Marcus asked suspiciously.
They didn’t even bother looking at him. Instead, the older man with white hair and deep, chocolate skin spoke. His terrifying glower reminded Ryan of Samuel L. Jackson in one of the thousand movies in which he yelled angrily at people.