The mediator shuffled toward them, the fat brass bell in one hand.
Khalid looked horrified. “I want my soul and my body back. You’ve cheated.”
“I don’t see how. There are no rules.”
The mediator settled in front of them. “You have his soul.”
It wasn’t a question, but Lucien held his hand out to the man to let him have a better look. “I do. Does that make me the winner of this challenge?”
The mediator frowned. “We’ve never had this happen before.”
“I want my soul back,” Khalid bellowed. He grabbed for it a second time and had the same results. He immediately started yelling again.
Lucien was ready to move on. He raised his voice to be heard. “I’ll give you your soul back if you agree to my conditions.”
Khalid stopped fussing and turned toward Lucien. “You want the woman, you can have her.”
“First of all, I want Imari and her parents brought in here so this can take place with them all as witnesses.”
“That isn’t done,” the mediator said.
Lucien narrowed his eyes. “Would you like to see up close and personal how my scythe works?”
Hammad hugged the bell to his chest. “I’ll get them.”
He made quick time to the cavern’s entrance, disappearing through it and returning moments later with Imari and her parents in tow.
Imari’s face brightened the moment she saw Lucien. She ran to him. “You’re still alive.” She put her hands out to hug him.
He stepped back. “Don’t touch me. I have Khalid’s soul in my hand. The next person I make contact with becomes the owner of that soul.”
She stopped short, nodding. “Okay. What’s going on, then?”
Her parents kept back a few yards. Farozza kept hold of her husband’s arm, and they both watched Lucien with new respect in their eyes. Or perhaps it was fear. Some people only gave respect when they experienced fear. Lucien wouldn’t be surprised if Imari’s parents were those kind of people.
He held out Khalid’s soul. Little sparks of energy traveled through the twisted mass. It was heavier and more tangled than a human’s. Khalid had been around a long time. “I reaped Khalid’s soul. Now I can either escort his soul to its final resting place, or I can return it to him.”
“I want it back,” Khalid made clear for the third time.
Lucien gave him a little nod. “So you’ve stated. But I have demands that must be met first. Hammad tells me this is all highly unusual.”
“Highly,” Hammad repeated. “It’s never happened before.”
“Which means,” Lucien went on, “that we can establish the rules for how such a thing is handled right now.”
The mediator seemed to ponder that a moment, then he nodded vigorously. “Yes. I will allow that.”
“Good.” Lucien turned his attention to Khalid once again. “You will renounce your marriage contract, setting Imari free without strings of any kind.”
“Yes. Fine.” Khalid crossed his arms and glared daggers at all of them. “I renounce our marriage contract and proclaim it null and void.” He leaned toward Imari. “I never wanted to marry you anyway.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Hammad raised his brows. “I will see that you’re allowed to choose another bride, my Prince. One a little more to your liking.”
“Good,” Khalid snorted. As much as a ghost could snort.
Lucien looked at Imari. “What else would you like?”
She hesitated like he’d caught her off guard. “For all jinn to be able to choose their futures. For marriage contracts to be abolished.”
A look of pure horror overcame the mediator. “Oh no, that would never do. Marriage for love is very unorderly. Love doesn’t last. It creates chaos! Contracts, however, are forever. Your request is denied.”
She frowned. “Then I want one last trip to the Well of Wishes.”
“No,” her father spat out. “She is banished. She may be freed from this marriage contract, but that is all. You must both leave immediately.”
“Hammad?” Lucien kept his eyes on Zakir.
The mediator cleared his throat. “Vice-Minister Zephara, I will allow it. One final visit.”
“Chaos,” Farozza whispered.
Imari spun to look at her parents. “Is that all you’re worried about? You’re never going to see me again.”
A solemnness settled over their faces that Lucien hadn’t expected, but then her parents turned and put their backs to her. It felt very final.
Imari’s lower lip trembled, and her eyes went liquid, but she lifted her chin as she spoke to Lucien. Her voice was strong and clear, and it filled him with pride for reasons he couldn’t name. “That’s it. No more demands. Just the visit to the well.”
“All right.” Lucien made sure Hammad was paying attention. “By your word, this is final and settled?”
The mediator nodded. “Return Khalid’s soul to him, and I will declare you the winner of this challenge. Imari will be free of the marriage contract and will be granted one final trip to the well. Then you both must go.”
“You won’t get an argument from me.” He pinned Khalid with his gaze. “Hold still.” Then Lucien thrust his hand into Khalid’s transparent form and released the soul, yanking his hand free with supernatural speed.
With a shudder and a painful sob, Khalid’s body stiffened and became whole again. He collapsed to the floor of the arena, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Lucien wiped his hand on his robe. “By the way, there’s a little adjustment period. You’ll be fine in a day or two.” He raised his brows at the mediator. “It’s done. Anything else you need from me?”
“No.” Hammad gave the bell a ring, sending one sharp peal through the cavern. “This challenge is settled.” He headed back to the tower.
Lucien extended his hand to Imari. “Shall we go?”
She watched Khalid a moment longer, then without a word, took Lucien’s hand and nodded.
They walked back into the sun that way, hand in hand. Lucien savored the feel of her palm against his. He couldn’t imagine what was going to happen next between them, but at the moment, he was filled with a bittersweet joy.
He’d freed Imari. He’d done exactly what he’d set out to do. And yet…she hadn’t said anything. She had to be overcome with emotion. She was about to leave her home and her parents for good. No doubt that was enough for her to deal with.
He glanced at her anyway, mostly to be sure she was all right.
Her eyes were still filled with unshed tears and emotions he couldn’t read. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, then faced him and put her hands on his jaw. “You did it. You freed me. I owe you everything.”
“You owe me nothing.”
She shook her head. “No. That’s not true.”
“I didn’t do it because I wanted anything from you.”
“I know.” She smiled, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. “I know.”
His dear Imari. He hated to see her hurting. “Are you ready to visit the well?”
She looked back at the entrance to the cavern for a second. “Yes. Then I’m ready to go home.”
Her last glimpse of her parents. Her last magic carpet ride. Her last visit to the well.
Her final one thousand wishes.
It was a lot to process. Too much for the moment, really. She’d probably have a good cry when she returned to Nocturne Falls, but for now she had to concentrate on the present. That was the only way to get through this.
The carpet landed near the Well of Wishes, and she and Lucien got off. The carpet rolled itself up and kept rolling across the sand until it came to rest on a pile of rugs.
She stared at the well.
“Do you need me to do anything?” Lucien asked.
“No. This won’t take long.”
He nodded and took a step back, like he was giving her space.
She appreciated that. He seemed to know wh
at she needed and when. How different he was than Khalid. In so many ways.
The water in the well was crystal blue and inviting. The surrounding guards, not so much.
She approached the edge of the well. The guards eyed her, but didn’t move. She let out the breath she’d been holding. They weren’t going to try to stop her.
The well maidens rose to greet her. “Sister,” they said in unison.
“Sisters,” Imari greeted them in return. They didn’t feel like sisters to her, but what did it matter? She’d never see them again.
She stepped up onto the stone edging and stared down into the water. From here, the steps that led into the well were visible.
One last replenishment. One thousand wishes more.
That might seem like a vast quantity to most people who weren’t immortal, but a thousand wishes could be used up incredibly fast if a genie wasn’t careful.
Fortunately, she knew how to be careful with such things. She’d already been careful for many, many years, guarding her one last wish.
The water rippled as a faint breeze crossed the surface. No point in waiting.
She stepped into the water and went down the steps until she was completely submerged. The water was cool on her skin, just like she remembered it. She lingered a second longer, then she came back up and walked out, leaving the well behind.
The water evaporated off her as she went. It was magic, of course, bespelled so that no water would leave the well with her.
By the time she stepped back onto the stone edge, she was completely dry again, right down to her hair.
It was done. And it couldn’t be undone even if the mediator changed his mind.
She smiled. Having her wishes refilled almost made her giddy with the excess of it all. A thousand wishes. It felt like a windfall. Like she’d won the wish lottery.
But she knew better. She’d still have to guard each one, making a studied decision before using a wish. Because there would be wishes used.
Lucien deserved a big handful of them, although she wasn’t sure he’d want any.
She rejoined him.
“That’s it?” he asked.
“That’s it.”
“Hmm. And you’re already dry.”
“It’s jinn magic. No water can leave the well.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” His brows lifted for a second, then narrowed in concern. “Are you ready to go?”
She stared up at him, overwhelmed by all she was feeling. “Yes. Ready.”
“How do we get back? I have no idea how to return to Nocturne Falls from here. Although I suppose I could take a crack at it. My powers do allow me a kind of teleportation.”
“No, I’ve got it.” She smiled at him. Surprisingly, she didn’t even have the urge for one last look. She slipped her hand into his and wished them home.
They reappeared outside of Elenora Ellingham’s estate.
Lucien seemed surprised as he looked around. “This isn’t where I thought we’d end up.”
Imari pointed at the Lamborghini still parked in the drive. “The car is here, so I figured you’d want to get it home.”
“Good thinking.” He paused a moment, looking at the bottle in her hands. “So that just appears and reappears as you travel? Because it wasn’t with you in the other dimension.”
“Something like that. It’s jinn—”
“Magic. Right?”
“Right.” She laughed and tucked the bottle under her arm, a little less concerned with the bottle now that it wasn’t as important. As long as she was married, no one could command her wishes but Lucien. And it couldn’t take her home anymore. Her parents would put the magic in place to prevent that very soon. If they hadn’t already.
He held up the keys. “You want to drive home?”
“No.” She had too much on her mind. Too much to deal with. She was afraid her head would wander, and she’d end up damaging the car.
“Okay.” He unlocked the car, opening the passenger door for her. He waited until she was in, then shut it and joined her on the other side.
The vehicle rumbled to life.
He pulled out and got them on the road. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, then he broke the silence. “I’ll call the sheriff when we get back. Make sure everything’s in order with the wish merchant. I’m sure they’ll want a statement from you, but that can probably wait until tomorrow.”
She nodded, half with him and half lost in thought. That wasn’t fair. Lucien deserved her full attention. “Thank you for everything. You’ve just been amazing. Without you…” She laughed softly. “I owe you a lot.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“Lucien, you can say that all you want to, but it doesn’t change the facts. Without you, my life would be a prison. Instead, I have my freedom and my happiness. And I no longer dread my future. I owe you, plain and simple.”
“You don’t—”
“Stop it. Or you’re going to make me mad.”
He smirked. “All right, then. But I don’t want you to feel obligated to me.”
“I don’t feel obligated. Just very, very thankful. More than I can express with words.”
“You’re welcome.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I guess I owe Greyson, too. Without him, I never would have connected with you.”
Lucien slanted a look at her. “Technically, we’d already met.”
“True. But I had no idea who you were.”
He seemed to think about that for a second. “Why weren’t you afraid of me? Everyone else has been. Even my ex-wife was when I first met her.”
Imari shrugged. “I’m immortal. And I’m old. Wish merchants aside, there’s not much in this life that scares me.”
“Marriage to Khalid.”
“Yes. Ugh. Can you imagine?” She shook her head. “That was truly terrifying. Say, is he going to be like Hattie now? A kind of ghost? Or something else?”
“No, he should be completely himself again. I reaped his soul with my scythe. Hattie’s I took by touching her, something I didn’t know was possible until it happened.”
“That’s good. He’d be extra cranky if he was a ghost.”
When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, more solemn. “Are you going to miss your home?”
She didn’t hesitate. “No. This is my home now. Has been for a while. What my parents did to me hurts, a lot. No one wants to think that their family would choose wealth or status over them.”
“Hattie would happily adopt you, you know.”
Imari laughed. “I might take her up on that. I love Hattie.” She looked at him, her heart nearly bursting. “And I love you, too.”
The words settled over Lucien with such warmth and honesty that, for a moment, everything else fell away. The car, the world outside, the troubles of his life. “You do?”
“I do. How could I not? You are the perfect man.”
“My ex would argue with that.”
“Well, she’s an idiot.”
He choked on a laugh. “When we were in the caravan and you laughed about being friends, I thought…that was the end of it.”
“I laughed because I couldn’t believe that’s all you wanted. But we got interrupted and I couldn’t say everything I wanted to.” She shook her head. “You still fought for me.”
“Yes. That was never going to change. I’m a man of my word.”
“You are that. And you love me, too, right?”
He nodded. “I do. I never wanted to love anyone again. I never wanted to risk myself that way. But you are just amazing.” He looked over at her. “I know we have an annulment to get through, but after the paperwork’s done, I’m hoping we can start over. Date. To the extent that I can go out, which isn’t much, as you know.”
“Date?” She stared at him, open-mouthed. “Is that really what you want?”
He started to tell her the truth, that he would love to stay married, but then he closed his mouth, pressing his lips
together in a firm line. This had to be her decision. “I want whatever you want.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He gave her a curious glance. “Yes. Why?”
“Because I’m pretty sure I want to stay married.”
The car jerked to the right, then he straightened it out and pulled over onto the shoulder. “Say that again.”
She unbuckled her seat belt and twisted to face him. “I want to stay married. I mean, if you do.”
“To me. You want to stay married to me.”
She laughed. “Yes, to you. Unless you don’t want to.”
“No, I, yes, that’s good. No, definitely yes.” He pressed his hand to his head for a second. “I feel like I missed something. What did I miss?”
“Look, I’m going to be completely upfront here. Being married to you, a man I trust and respect and love, is the best way for me to protect myself. That wish merchant? He’s not a one-off. There are others out there. And I have no way of ever getting more wishes, so I need to be more protective of them than ever.”
He nodded. “I see.”
“But I don’t want you to think that I’m just using this marriage for my own protection. It’s not just that. It’s how good life is with you. How easy and comfortable and fun and just…good. You like me for me. Not for what I can offer you. That’s been a rare thing in my life. Sure, I’ve dated some nice guys before, but never one I had these kinds of feelings for. So why should we stop being married? We love each other, but we can still take things slow. Get to know each other.”
“Okay.”
“So why end this marriage until we have a reason to?” She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. “I mean, what if…we never have a reason to end it?”
He went from looking at her to staring out the windshield, his grip on the wheel tight and unyielding. Life had made him a realist. “But what if things don’t go as well as we think they will? What if ending it is the only solution? It will hurt that much more.”
She put her hand on his shoulder. “I have never, in my long life, wanted to be married. Now I’m telling you I don’t want to not be married. To you. And you told me you’d never wanted to be married again, and yet here you are, married to me. In love with me.”
The Reaper Rescues The Genie Page 20