Lucien smiled, then pressed his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. “He can’t win. Not if death is going to decide which one of us gets you. Death already knows he’s taking you home.”
Then Lucien dropped his hand from Imari’s cheek and faced Khalid, placing himself so that Imari was slightly behind him. “Whatever the outcome, I will only fight you if Imari is allowed to choose her own future. She isn’t property to be bartered or promised. Do you understand?”
Khalid sneered. “You have no understanding of our customs.”
“I understand that they are rigid and stiff, and things without flexibility always end up broken.” He took a few strides toward Khalid. “I also understand that you have no idea who you’re up against, or how badly I want to win, or what I am capable of, so consider this your one and only warning.”
Khalid’s face twisted in confusion, then after a second of thought, he laughed long and hard. “You are the one who doesn’t know who he is up against.” He planted his hands on his hips and shook his head. “You talk like you love her.”
“You talk like you don’t.” Lucien faced Khalid squarely. “And the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Challenge accepted.”
There were no flying carpets this time, just a caravan of camels and donkeys and silk-curtained wagons to take them to the arena where the challenge would take place. A flying carpet might make for too easy an escape, although Lucien had no intention of attempting that. Neither did Imari, as far as he knew.
He and Imari rode in one of the wagons. It wasn’t as comfortable as the carpet had been. The curtains had been pulled back, so that they were visible on all sides. Perhaps Imari’s parents thought their daughter needed to be watched?
Lucien wondered about that, especially because her parents rode behind them on donkeys. The beasts were saddled with fancy gold and leather tack and had designs painted on their hides.
Khalid rode up front on a camel, also adorned with paintings on its hide. Maybe Khalid’s position at the head of the caravan was because he was a prince and therefore the highest ranking. Lucien didn’t know and didn’t care. He had other things on his mind.
Like how he had never considered himself a fighter, nor was it something he did much of. Reapers, for all their appearance and reputation, rarely had to fight anyone. Probably because of their appearance and reputation.
Sure, there was the occasional reluctant mortal, but War Angels attended to the souls of those who understood their own mortality. Soldiers on a battlefield seldom questioned what was happening to them, unlike ordinary mortals whose time had been come up in the middle of some normal daily routine.
A man with a bullet in him and more flying past understood that death was on its way. It was a possibility he’d been made aware of when he signed up for the job.
However, a man struck down by a heart attack in aisle five of the local big-box store was much less likely to give up his soul so easily when his big plan for the day had been purchasing the month’s supply of paper towels. Reapers who handled that variety of mortal probably were used to a tussle now and then.
Lucien also felt confidence in the power of the scythe on his arm. Because while Khalid might be jinn and immortal, the only creatures Lucien had met to date that were immune to his scythe were vampires. And that was because they qualified as already dead.
Every reaper’s scythe was forged in the fires of Hades and quenched in the river Styx. There was no denying such a weapon’s soul-collecting power.
Khalid could fight all he wanted, but the end would come with one swipe of the reaper’s blade.
Fortunately for Khalid, Lucien had no intent to keep the man’s soul. He would return it as soon as the jinn agreed to let Imari choose her own future. And if Khalid was reluctant to do so, well, a soul was a very good bargaining chip.
He just hoped that Imari’s future included him. He knew she had her own life to get back to, but he felt cautiously optimistic that they would stay connected, even if it was only in some small way. They were linked by circumstance now, both of them wrapped up in this event. And even though this was her world, a world he clearly was an outsider in, she wasn’t the kind to cut him out of her life because he didn’t belong or she no longer needed him. Not after watching her parents cut her from their lives without a backward glance.
She would need time to heal from such hurt. That was a given. And she might want to be alone for that. Something else he would understand. But when she was ready, he would be there for her. In whatever capacity she needed or wanted.
He glanced at her, trying to read her, but he couldn’t quite get a handle on what she was feeling. She seemed oddly serene, and yet, he doubted that’s how she felt. How could she? Her parents had just made it clear their position in life was worth more to them than their child.
His heart broke for Imari. He couldn’t imagine Hattie even thinking such a thing. He reached out and lightly touched Imari’s knee to get her to look at him. “Are you okay?”
A smile came and went so quickly he wasn’t sure he’d even seen it. “Okay is going to take some time. But I am…dealing with it all.” She glanced down at his hand, which no longer touched her, and wrapped her fingers around it. “Mostly I’m worried about you.”
He choked back a laugh. “You’re worried about me?”
“Yes.” Genuine concern shone in her dark eyes. “Khalid is a very dangerous man. He’s an ifrit jinn. His job is the defense of the Well of Wishes, but he does that through utter destruction. He’s an instrument of chaos. It’s his weapon. Fighting him is not going to be like any other fight you’ve ever had.”
He didn’t want to tell her he’d never really had any other fights, so he decided to focus on what he knew best. “And I am an instrument of death. He’s a fool to challenge me. Especially when I have so much to fight for.”
Her smile returned in force then. “You’re far too kind to me.”
A metaphorical ticking clock sounded loudly in his ears. No matter how confident he was in winning, there was always the possibility that he might not. His time to be honest with her might be running out. He needed to lay out the truth in his heart. “Do you know why I am kind to you? Why I am willing to do everything and anything you need me to do so that you can be safe?”
“Because I make you see color?”
He took a breath, his heart pounding with the life he’d never thought he’d feel again, and uttered the words he never thought he’d say again. “Because I love you.”
Imari opened her mouth as she tried to find the right words to respond to Lucien’s declaration. There were a thousand things she could say, but none of them she wanted to share with her parents right behind them. She wanted this moment alone with him. A moment where she could be as open and heartfelt with him as he had just been with her. But she wasn’t a fool. She knew that moment might never come.
He spoke before she could say anything. “You don’t have to say it back. You don’t have to say a word, really. I just needed you to know how I feel before I step into the arena with Khalid.”
“Lucien, I—I…”
He squeezed her hand. “I know you don’t want to be tied to any man. Don’t worry. My feelings for you aren’t going to turn me into some manipulative monster. This doesn’t change anything. You’ll have your annulment as soon as it can be done.”
“Thank you.” Thank you? That was her response to this incredible man? “I mean, I appreciate that.” Oh, brilliant. She was really knocking this one out of the park. But she didn’t want to lie to him either. She wasn’t completely sure she wanted to be married. She cared for Lucien, without a doubt, but marriage was a big step. So was staying married. She had a lot to think about, but right now, she just wanted to focus on keeping Lucien alive.
His smile faded a little. “I hope we can remain friends when this is all over.”
“Friends? Are you kidding?” She wanted so much more than that. But how did she explain what she wanted? Should she just tell
him she wanted to date him? Dating sounded so…formal after all they’d shared.
The caravan came to an abrupt halt, rocking her and Lucien and bringing their conversation to an end. Ahead of them, Khalid dismounted.
Lucien, his smile now replaced by a stern expression that she took to be his game face, looked around. “Apparently, we’ve arrived.”
She stared out at the arena, dread filling her. “This is it.”
The arena probably wasn’t what Lucien had expected. It wasn’t some open-air amphitheater. Instead, it was a cave. She’d been inside once, briefly. She’d been young and uninterested in the challenge between two of her father’s head gardeners. Her most vivid memory of it was how vast a space the cavern was, but other than that, she didn’t recall much. When there was any kind of dispute to be settled here, only those involved remained inside.
It was one way of controlling the chaos that such clashes set free.
“We’ll all go in, but only you and Khalid will remain inside.”
Lucien nodded slowly as if letting it all sink in. “Then only the victor emerges, is that it?”
“Yes.” She studied his face, wanting to sear his image into her head and her heart in case the worst possible outcome happened. Then she made herself smile. “I’ll be right here to greet you when you come out.”
“I’m glad you have confidence in me.”
“I do.” But she also knew the outcome could go in Khalid’s favor very easily.
“Out,” Khalid roared at them.
With a frown, Lucien jumped to the ground and helped Imari from the wagon. Her parents were already off their mounts. She made eye contact with them, thinking they’d say something, but she was met with silence.
So be it. Unless they were going to rescind everything they’d said to her and about her, she had nothing to say to them anyway.
She linked her arm through Lucien’s and gave him a bright smile she didn’t feel. “I guess we should go in.” Then she glanced at Khalid, who was practically trembling with anticipation. Heaven help her, she hoped Lucien wiped the cave floor with him. Not that she wished Khalid dead. She didn’t. Not even a little. She just wanted him taken down a rung, or three. And she needed him to lose. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” her betrothed nuisance growled at her.
She sighed. His whole attitude was so tired. Much like this place she’d grown up in. “Then let’s go in and talk to the mediator.”
He turned on his heel and marched ahead of them. She and Lucien followed with her parents behind.
The mediator was a rotating position, but it was always filled, meaning there was always someone in the cave to handle disputes. The position could only be held by a marid, the strongest and most powerful type of jinn among them all.
Imari didn’t relish being in the presence of a marid. He would judge her for what she’d done, just as her parents and Khalid had, and she hoped that the mediator would still be fair. But that was nonsense. The mediator would absolutely be fair. Anything else could invite chaos, and no jinn in this realm would willingly do that.
They entered the cave. It was a beautiful space, really. Lanterns and torches set around the tiled walls made it quite bright. The floor was dirt, but raked in a spiraling pattern. Order was everything after all.
At the far end of the circular space was the mediator’s tower. It allowed the mediator to watch each challenge from the best vantage point.
All of that she remembered, but she was surprised to see the interior wasn’t quite as vast as she’d recalled. “I thought this place was bigger.”
“It was,” her father said.
She turned, surprised he’d spoken.
“The chaos contained within has scarred the walls and thickened them.” He looked at her like she was directly to blame for that. Why not? She was apparently the seat of all that was wrong in their lives anyway.
“I never knew it worked that way.”
Her mother managed to stop frowning long enough to add, “Jinn magic. It protects us.”
Yes, Imari thought. Against dangerous women who want to marry for love, instead of her parents’ job security. Perhaps she was being too hard on them, though. Did she really expect them to go against tradition for her? To give up their lives? No. But a little support, a little understanding…that would have been nice.
Although it wouldn’t change a thing.
The mediator came down from his tower and walked toward them. He was a small man, but she knew that, like all marid, he had a giant form as well. And his current size in no way spoke to his power. A marid jinn could bend time. No other kind of jinn could do that. Even so, it was extraordinarily rare for a marid to use their power that way, because bending time created the one thing they all strived to be free of.
Chaos.
Instead, marids dedicated their lives to order and peace and maintaining both in the realm they called home.
He bowed. “I am Hammad. You have a dispute?”
They all bowed back.
As expected, Khalid spoke up first. “My betrothed has shamed me by marrying another and trying to break our sworn marriage contract. I have challenged the usurper.”
Lucien nodded at the mediator. “That would be me.”
The mediator eyed him with curiously. “You are not jinn.”
“No, I am not.”
“While you are in our world, our rules will still apply to you.”
“Fine by me, so long as they don’t hamper my ability to defend myself or fight for my wife’s honor.”
Khalid sneered at the word wife, which made Imari smile. If Lucien was trying to rile him up with a little pregame trash talk, it was working. Plus, hearing Lucien call her wife gave her a little unexpected thrill.
The mediator continued. “The only rules you must abide by within this arena are thus: You must accept me as mediator. You both must agree to the terms of the challenge. And you must accept the outcome as final.”
“I accept,” Khalid spat out.
But Lucien wasn’t as quick to respond. “I accept you as mediator, and I accept the outcome as final, but the terms of the challenge have not been settled.”
The mediator looked at Khalid. “What are your terms?”
Khalid sneered at Lucien. “The winner gets this woman’s hand.”
The mediator looked to Lucien then. “Do you agree to that?”
“No, I don’t.”
The mediator seemed confused. “Do you not want to retain this woman’s hand? You are married to her, are you not?”
“I am. But the terms I want are that no matter who wins, the decision about Imari’s future is up to her. Her choice to be married or not.”
The mediator thought that over, then he laughed. “But that would make the point of this challenge moot, wouldn’t it? She will choose you, won’t she?”
Lucien shrugged. “She only married me to protect herself from the wish merchant pursuing her. She will most likely choose not to be married to anyone. You could ask her, you know. She’s standing right here.”
The mediator glanced at Imari but shook his head. “No, the terms can only be that the winner takes the woman. It is her betrothed’s honorable right, after all, to have the bride he was promised.”
Imari’s heart sank. That meant that Lucien had to win to save both of them.
“That’s barbaric,” Lucien said.
“She is the one who broke her contract, jinabi. She knew our rules when she did it. Order keeps order.”
Lucien glanced at her, but she couldn’t do anything but offer him a shrug. The mediator was right. She’d known. And she’d pretty much told Lucien how it was going to go down. Just like this.
Lucien seemed to understand. His mouth firmed into a hard line. “One last question before I accept, then.”
“Go on,” the mediator said.
“Who or what determines the winner?”
“When one of you concedes,” the mediator said. “Or one of you is dead.
Do you accept?”
With one last glance at Imari, Lucien faced Khalid. “I do.”
Khalid thumped his fist against his chest. “As do I.”
Hammad nodded. “Very well. The challenge begins at the first ring of the bell and ends at the second.” He turned and headed back to his tower.
“Prepare to die,” Khalid sneered at Lucien. Then he shot a hard look at Imari. “You had better not spend our wedding night weeping over this jinabi.”
Imari refused to be cowed by him. She crossed her arms and gave him the same glare right back. “The only thing that would make me weep on our wedding night is the thought of how much I would have to teach you and how little pleasure you would bring me.”
The corner of Lucien’s mouth twitched, like he was trying not to laugh.
The mediator raised his hands. “Then it is settled. The challenge will begin when only the challengers remain in the circle.”
Imari’s parents bowed and left.
Imari wasn’t as quick to go. She leaned up and kissed Lucien’s cheek. “See you on the outside.”
“Yes,” he said. “You will.”
She hoped so. In fact, she had to. Because if there was a wedding night with Khalid, one of them probably wouldn’t live through it.
As Lucien and Khalid squared off inside the cavern, Lucien really had no idea what to expect from Khalid. Because of that, he decided to expect anything. And everything. Having no real rules was good, in a way. It removed the possibility that Lucien might accidentally violate a tradition that he’d yet to learn.
And it allowed him to use every weapon at his disposal. The same went for Khalid, but he was, according to Imari, a tool of chaos. That was powerful, to be sure. But Lucien had death on his side, which was arguably the most powerful tool of all.
Then again, Khalid was the captain of many soldiers. Did no rules mean he could call in reinforcements?
Thinking about that while he and Khalid slowly circled each other made him realize he should have asked more questions of the mediator. Was there any time limit on this fight? Were there any loopholes he should know about? What would he do if Khalid called upon his soldiers to help?
The Reaper Rescues The Genie Page 18