Magical Redemption

by Nicola E. Sheridan

  Jinx couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why not with me? Is it my nose?”

  Lucian looked at her. He crinkled his eyes and snorted. “It’s not your nose.” He ran a worried hand through his hair in a gesture that made Jinx want to throw herself into his arms, again. “I don’t want to control you.” His brown eyes caught hers and this time there was no red…just eyes.

  “You’re going all moral on me? The son of an incubus going all moral? Hell, I was just asking for a kiss...not the whole works.”

  “One tends to lead to the other, at least with me.” He sounded amused.

  She could believe it. Jinx stared down the firm lines of his jaw and neck. He was about as sexy as a man could get. Heat flared in her groin.

  “It doesn’t have to.” She took a step closer, and this time, Lucian took a step back.

  “Do you realize how petulant you’re sounding? I’m trying to protect your soul. Do you really want to be my mindless sex toy?”

  Heat rushed through her body at the thought. She took a deep, steadying breath then laughed a little and shook her head. “Judging from that kiss, maybe I do. It seems like a lot more fun than being a genie.” She chewed her lip and looked up. The maelstrom of lust was subsiding. It receded like a tide drawing back and settling somewhere deep and just out of reach. She suddenly felt sober and a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I got...carried away.”

  Lucian shrugged. “It happens.”

  Jinx felt her stomach squeeze with attraction. “Yeah, I bet...”

  They fell silent. Jinx stood a meter from Lucian. She wrung her hands, the lingering effects of his kiss tingling deep in her body.

  Wow, this is awkward, she thought wryly, realizing she was never quite so lost for words before.

  “We’re in more trouble than I thought,” he finally said. “I promised you to that bomoh, and he’s not going to give up.”

  The tingles died, and Jinx sighed. “Yes, you did indeed. Thanks for that.”

  Lucian frowned. “We can’t stay in Kuala Lumpur much longer, because he’ll find us.”

  “Whether it’s the bomoh, some greasy little shoe-shop owner, or a high-class call girl, I will be passed on. It doesn’t matter to whom.”

  “He’s going to have you killed.”

  “What do you care if I live or die? I can’t free you of your pledge. I can’t really help you at all.”

  Lucian shrugged, again. “I don’t want you to die, because I failed to make good wishes.”

  Jinx sighed and hated how world-weary she sounded. “He won’t kill me. They never do. Once he’s had his own wishes, he’ll forget about me before he has a chance to hand me over to the government...and even if he does, those slimy workers will want their wishes before they try to kill me. Then, they’ll forget. It’s not going to happen. It’s never happened, yet.”

  At that moment, there was a soft rapping at the door. Lucian stiffened and turned.

  “Housekeeping,” a Malaysian voice said.

  Jinx looked at the neat bed and fresh flowers. “Housekeeping, my ass. They’ve already been.”

  Lucian nodded and looked torn. “Let’s get out of here,” he growled.

  “Okay–” Jinx began.

  The door splintered open. The sounds of cracking timber exploded around them as ten men burst into the room. All were dressed in black combat suits with berets on their head. Several of them held random magical ion-testing devices, which wailed enthusiastically as soon as they entered the room. Others held guns.

  Towering behind them was the unmistakable orange shroud of the bomoh.

  “Halt,” one of the combat men cried as Lucian stepped forward in front of Jinx, obscuring her from their view. “By the government of Malaysia, you are ordered to surrender that genie. The illegal use of magic is strictly forbidden in Kuala Lumpur.” He paused, awaiting some response from Lucian, who said nothing.

  “Surrender the lamp, demon spawn, and you will be free to go,” the bomoh added.

  “She hasn’t given me her wishes. I cannot,” Lucian retorted. His hand convulsed on the sports bag still slung over his shoulder.

  “The location of the lamp is irrelevant to taking your wishes,” the bomoh said. “Give it to me.”

  There was a heated moment when no one did anything. Then, the room exploded in cotton candy-scented magic. Jinx doubled over, her stomach on fire. Lucian yelled something as the room became incredibly hot. Through the shimmering heat haze around them, she knew Lucian’s Hellcats were back, bristling with rage, hissing at the combat men, and protecting their master. Clutching her stomach, Jinx raised her head further and saw the bomoh throw another bolt of magic toward Lucian. One of the Hellcats launched itself, and a spray of blood splattered the ground like crimson rain. The sounds of screams, gunshots, and claps of magic hammered all around the room in a deafening cacophony.

  “No,” Jinx bellowed. She instinctively protected them with her smoke. Within a second, they landed sprawled on a hot pavement. People shrieked at their sudden appearance. A magical ion-sensing device positioned close to a CCTV camera began chiming.

  “Jinx, get up,” Lucian growled. She felt his hand bite into her biceps as he hauled her to her feet. Hester lay on the pavement, and Fess paced anxiously beside her. Chaos erupted on the street around them. Fess snarled and released a low growl at the onlookers with more curiosity than intelligence. He clicked his black claws on the cracked pavement, and his fiery tail lashed and swung.

  Jinx groaned. She couldn’t stand upright. Her blood was pouring through the thin fabric of her top.

  “Jinx,” Lucian growled as he yanked her up. In the distance, a police car wailed. “Come on.”

  “I need...to...heal...myself,” she gasped. She threw a glance at the blood dripping from between her fingers. A hot wave of nausea threatened to swamp her composure.

  “You won’t die. You’re a genie, so this can’t kill you. We need to get Hester out of here first and find somewhere safe.”

  Jinx gulped. He was right. The Hellcat had taken the blow for Lucian, and she deserved safety. Wincing with pain, she stood up straight and groaned as a fresh course of blood flowed from the open wound. With a gentle utterance, rainbow smoke surrounded them as the magical ion-sensing device chimed even louder. Using the intuitive power of her magic, Jinx willed them somewhere safe, not really knowing where they would appear.

  Within a heartbeat, Lucian, Jinx, and the Hellcats arrived in a cloud of smoke in a half-built skyscraper. There were no workers around, for which Jinx was thankful. They were still in Kuala Lumpur, the haunting wail of the Islamic call to prayer ringing through the humid air. With another utterance, she conjured some blankets. Lucian knelt by Hester’s side, his face grim.

  “Is she okay?” Jinx asked as she walked hunched to the Hellcat’s side. As she knelt by Hester’s flickering-flame fur, the acrid scent of burnt toast became eye-wateringly strong. She curled her nose. Fess growled a warning from behind her.

  “Don’t come any closer, or you’ll get burned,” Lucian cautioned without looking at her.

  Hester was on her side, heaving with breaths. A great, slashing wound had opened her massive chest. Her muscles were visible through the tear in her fur. Red-black blood oozed from the wound with every breath the Hellcat took.

  “Ewww,” Jinx murmured but fell silent at Lucian’s furious glare. “Let me fix it,” she said. “It shouldn’t be too hard.”

  She threw a cautious glance at the Hellcat, whose head was as big as a lion’s. Hester stared back through unblinking, red eyes.

  “Okay.” Lucian nodded tersely, his face tight. He ran a gentle hand over the Hellcat’s flank. He separated the flickering flames of her fur, like a ship through waves, without burning his hand.

  Jinx gingerly lowered herself down to kneel beside him, winci
ng with the pain from her own wound. The heat from Lucian’s body and the flame fur of the Hellcat scorched her. She bit her lip and tried to ignore it. She rested her hands just above the flickering fur and concentrated. Small snakes of smoke slithered slowly in the air, entwining and writhing with Hester’s fur. As they watched, skin and muscle gradually knitted back together. The effort burned through Jinx’s body. She slumped a little, trying to ignore the crawling sweat trickling down her arms that mixed with the blood still covering her hands. She felt so tired. Taking a deep breath, she fought to control the magic and finish healing the Hellcat who had sacrificed herself for Lucian. Guilt swept through her. Hester’s sacrifice was something Jinx should have done first as Lucian’s genie. As the last muscle knitted together and the fur sealed above it, Jinx felt so relieved, she swooned. Her head swam as she raised a blurry gaze to Lucian. The pain in her stomach returned with potent force.

  “There ya go.” Jinx closed her eyes and struggled to lift her head. “She’ll be fine...” The words dribbled from slack lips. She realized she couldn’t fight it any longer. Whether it was the blood loss, shock, pain, or just sheer exhaustion, within a moment, she fell back. She crashed to the ground and sank into blessed nothingness.

  Chapter Seven

  Lucian was too late to catch her before she fainted. Jinx’s head cracked on the stark concrete floor of the building. It echoed with the grotesque similarity of a melon dropping on hard ground. He lurched toward her and pulled her to him. If she wasn’t unconscious before she fell, she certainly was, now. She lolled in his arms like a toy. Hester rolled onto her feet with a dismissive “hmph”. Then, she shook her fur and strode away from Lucian toward Fess, who greeted her with a purr like a machine gun.

  “Go on,” Lucian murmured at the Hellcats, but his gaze didn’t leave Jinx. “You can go.”

  Fess roared, sounding remarkably gleeful. The noise echoed back from the unplastered walls around them. Lucian knew he would not see either of them for a year or so. Hester was pregnant; he could smell it on her. They needed to leave and set up a den to raise their young. There was no point trying to stop them, now. They would be back when they were ready, and Lucian would be there waiting. He always was.

  Soon, the floor of the building was empty but for him and Jinx. He ran a hand through her hair, trying to feel for a fracture. Her spicy scent distracted him, but he found nothing other than a nasty contusion on the back of her head. He carefully lifted her into his arms. She was light and limp in his arms. He looked around and spied the pile of blankets she created earlier. He laid her down tenderly on the blankets. Her dark hair flared out around her like a fan in the evening gloom. He looked at her once smooth, tanned complexion that was now ashen and gray. Running a hand down her cheek to follow the delicate line of her jaw, he couldn’t control the sharp intake of breath at the sight of her small breasts. He gently lifted the blood-stained black top to reveal her stomach. Like Hester, the bomoh’s smack of power had sliced through the surface layer of skin, revealing flesh and muscle beneath. The wound ran from the edge of her lower ribcage down past her belly button. It sliced through the old, faded stretch-marks marring the smooth skin of her belly. Lucian felt his brow furrow as he stared at the old marks. Blood flowed steadily from the wound. Using the edge of one of the blankets, he cleaned the wound as best he could and pressed in to stem the flow.

  * * * *

  Jinx awoke suddenly. She grabbed at her screamingly painful stomach. “Agh! Gerrof me!”

  Lucian jerked his hands away almost guiltily, and the bloodied blanket fell to his lap. In a swirl of rainbow magic, Jinx healed herself. Her smoke coiled around her, itching and knitting the skin and tissue back together. A fine scar skimming down her abdomen was the only indicator the wound ever existed. Within a moment, she slumped back. A headache roared around her brain, but she was too weary to heal that as well. Slowly, she dragged her gaze up to meet Lucian’s. His eyes were hard but curious, and so beautiful, she wanted to drown in them.

  Where did that thought come from? she wondered ruefully and took a big sigh. The air was so humid, it was like breathing soup. Sweat pricked on her top lip. She raised a bloodstained hand and wiped it away.

  “When did you have a baby?” Lucian asked, his voice slicing through the moment of calm.

  Jinx widened her eyes. Her heartbeat spiked with panic. “What? I’ve not...I...”

  Lucian shook his head. “The marks on your belly are stretch marks.”

  “I was a fat child,” she whispered.

  “I’ve seen you naked,” Lucian murmured. Goose bumps scuttled over Jinx’s arms as his eyes flared red. “You don’t have any other marks than those.”

  She sat up and pulled her ruined shirt down over her stomach, obscuring the treacherous stretch marks from view. “It’s none of your business,” she hissed.

  “I command you to tell me the truth. When did you have a baby?” Lucian’s tone was dry. Jinx knew with a sickening, falling sensation that she couldn’t refuse him.

  “Fourteen years ago.” The words tumbled from her mouth completely against her will. She dared a glance at Lucian’s hard face, but it betrayed absolutely nothing about his inner thoughts.

  “Where is the child, now?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.

  A spasm wracked through Jinx’s chest. She shuddered. “It was still-born.” She bit her lip and tried ardently to fight the hovering memories and feelings, waiting to crush her with their misery. A slow tear leaked from her left eye. She rubbed it away angrily, aware she was probably leaving a bloody smear in its stead.

  “What happened?” Lucian asked. He went to move his hand toward her but caught himself and held it back. The action was like a rejection. Jinx felt it as keenly as a smack on the cheek. He was disgusted. He was disgusted with her, as well he should be.

  “Lucian...” she whispered, “I don’t want to talk about it. Please–”

  “I want to hear it.” He replied before she could finish. A muscle flinched in his forearm.

  Jinx’s heart leapt so painfully, she thought she’d choke on it. She never spoke about her past to anyone. She didn’t want to speak about it but he commanded it. She had no choice. She never had a choice.

  “I...” She breathed in deeply and looked down. Suddenly, she found her chin caught in his warm, large hand. He tilted her head up. Her teary, blurred gaze met his as confusion whirled through her brain. She hadn’t expected compassion, not from Lucian. Not from anyone.

  “I fell in love,” she said and gave a snotty laugh. She knew how lame she sounded. Lucian didn’t move. His gaze was guarded but not cold. Compelled, Jinx continued. “There’s not much to say really. I fell pregnant and shamed my family. I was too small to give birth, so the baby died and almost took me with him...”

  She shrugged. “My father promised me to another magical Maronite family–they got us out of Beirut—so we owed them, you see.”

  A brief look of irritation flickered over Lucian’s face.

  The prickling shame she always felt crept back with full force, strangling her windpipe and making her wheeze. “Arranged marriages were common in my community, even in the 1990’s. When my in-laws found out I was pregnant to an Aussie guy...” She trailed off momentarily and shrugged, again. “They said I’d shamed not only my family but them as well. They wanted blood. I don’t blame them.”

  Lucian frowned but remained silent. Jinx continued weakly. “I went into labor a few weeks early. The child, a boy, was stillborn. My father wouldn’t let my mother take me to the hospital; he couldn’t stand the shame. I was dying. I think I lost too much blood. I don’t know. I can’t remember...When I woke up, my father had cursed me, and I was a genie. He said it was the only way to save my life. Maybe it was...” Jinx paused for a long moment, but Lucian was silent, still waiting for her to finish. “Finally, as compensation to my future in-la
ws, he gave me to them as not a daughter-in-law, but a gift...” Hot waves of humiliation threatened to drown her. She twisted her fingers. “They took their wishes. I was passed on through the family and eventually out into the community–the rest, as they say, is history.”

  Jinx dared another glance at Lucian’s solemn face. She knew he imagined the traumas and humiliation she’d carefully glossed over. Her life as a genie was hard and gritty and not something she ever dwelled upon, or ever would; however, speaking about her past out loud felt strangely cathartic. She sighed, feeling almost relieved.

  “Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Her voice was strong over a thin layer of composure. Lucian coughed. She looked away and heard him rub the stubble on his chin. Jinx waited. She stared out the unfinished window and over the bustling city below. The street trees shivered under a sudden, torrential downpour. People huddled under massive umbrellas. Water sluiced down the molding walls of the surrounding buildings and poured into deep gutters. Within a second, she felt her hand caught in Lucian’s. Her heart flipped as she returned her gaze to his.

  “What’s your name?” he asked. Jinx couldn’t help but stare. The eyes she was so used to seeing cold were now soft and interested. There was no disgust, outrage, or derision in their depths. Confusion whirled through her, again.

  “My name?” Her dry voice rasped like an old woman.

  “Yes.” He curled his lips in a smile. “I’m certain devout Maronite parents wouldn’t have named their daughter ‘Jinx’.”

  She snorted with wry amusement. “You’re right.” She hesitated. She hadn’t spoken or heard her true name spoken out loud for fourteen years. She was dubbed “Jinx” by her supposed in-laws and adopted it as a disguise and protective shield around her bruised heart. Lucian watched her expectantly. Jinx felt her lips curve, ready to speak her name, but just could not do it. Lucian wasn’t the man to confess her true name to. He might appear trustworthy, but he was demon spawn. She shouldn’t forget that. She couldn’t give her name to the son of an incubus. A shadow crossed Lucian’s face, preempting her response.