And what he would do if she happened to refuse.
After a while, Madison had lain down and dozed for a few hours. There wasn’t much else for her to do, and even though she was normally the active type, the energy her healing shoulder required seemed to tire her out more quickly than she was used to.
A soft knock at the door woke her, and she sat up in bed, heart pounding, until she realized it had to be Qadim. Even if the worst had happened and one of his more bloodthirsty brethren had appeared at the Hotel Andaluz, she doubted that sort of djinn would knock politely and wait for her to answer the door.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. As she moved, she realized the low-grade ache in her shoulder was nearly gone. So maybe all the naps really were helping.
When she opened the door, she saw Qadim waiting outside, something filmy in a soft blush color draped over his left arm. “Did I wake you?”
“No,” she said. “That is, I was just dozing.” Her gaze moved to the bundle of fabric he held, then back to his face.
He looked impassive enough, so there wasn’t much for her to see there. “It is a fine evening, and so I thought we might dine in the rooftop bar. I brought this for you.” He extended his arm, and so Madison didn’t have much choice but to take the silky bundle of fabric he offered her.
As she awkwardly draped it over her own arm, she realized it was some kind of clothing, although at the moment she couldn’t tell much about its shape. All the same, she had to fight to keep herself from smiling wryly. Yes, he’d waited a whole day, but now here he was, asking her — more or less — to wear something he’d brought her.
“So this is a formal dinner?”
His shoulders lifted slightly. “Let us say that it is a lovely spot, one that deserves something more than a T-shirt and jeans.”
Madison couldn’t help giving him a raised eyebrow, since he was wearing basically the same thing, although at the moment she was minus her shoes, while he had on a pair of scarred motorcycle boots.
“I will change as well,” he said, apparently not embarrassed at all by her unspoken question.
“All right,” she said. If he was going to play along, then it would seem rude of her to refuse to wear the outfit he’d brought. While she couldn’t see any details, there seemed to be enough fabric involved that she didn’t have to worry about squeezing herself into a micro-mini or something. “What time?”
“Seven o’clock. On the roof,” he added, as if he’d thought she’d forgotten.
Her suite actually had a functioning clock radio, and it matched the time on the watch she always wore now. Back before the world had collapsed, she’d relied on her phone to tell her the time, but cellular networks were now a thing of the past. The shelter had been equipped with an atomic clock, and so she set her watch by that. Anyway, Qadim had given her about an hour to get ready, which seemed like overkill, but she’d go with it.
“I’ll see you then,” she said, and he smiled.
“Thank you, Madison.”
He turned and strode off down the hall, and she shut the door, feeling slightly mystified. There had been something almost diffident in his manner, as if he hadn’t been entirely sure whether she would agree to come to dinner. But what real choice did she have? She had no reason to decline, except a bunch of vague misgivings that didn’t add up to much of anything.
Pushing back a sigh, she went over to the rumpled bed and used her one good arm to lay out the garments Qadim had brought for her. They seemed similar in appearance to a style of clothing she’d seen women from India wear, with the long, fitted tunic and full-cut trousers. The fabric was a lightweight silk, the body of the tunic lined, although the sleeves and the pants were semi-sheer. Around the neckline was delicate embroidery in shades of pink and dusty mauve, accented with coppery metallic threads and dull-cut stones. Rose quartz, maybe.
The ensemble was really quite stunning, as were the little jeweled sandals that had been rolled up inside the bundle. Although she didn’t particularly want to try to impress Qadim, Madison wished then she had a little more makeup to play with than the tinted lip balm that had been included with the rest of her toiletries. The outfit that lay before her seemed to deserve more than something so minimal.
Since she couldn’t really do anything about the lack of cosmetics, she thought it was best to get dressed and see what she could manage with her limited resources. Slipping out of the sling didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had previously, a very good sign. If she continued to mend this quickly, she’d probably be able to go back home the very next day.
If Qadim allowed it…a very big if.
Madison put that thought aside for the moment. If she played her cards right tonight, then maybe he’d be feeling mellow enough that he’d agree to let her go. Or not. So much depended on his expectations, and she still didn’t know for sure what those might be.
It did hurt a little to pull off her T-shirt and replace it with the snug-fitting tunic, but not so much that she did anything but wince slightly as she used a couple of one-handed tugs to get the tunic to lie where it was supposed to. And…damn.
The fit was perfect. She had no idea how Qadim had managed that, but she supposed djinn had all kinds of esoteric powers, including — apparently — the ability to just look at a person and know what size she was supposed to wear. Well, scratch that — the fit was almost perfect. If she’d been trying the tunic on at a store, she would have taken it off and hung it right back up again, because she’d never been the type to wear anything that low-cut. Not that she was in danger of spilling out or anything, but the scooped neckline showed off far more of the curve of her breasts than she was comfortable with.
She kind of doubted that had been an accident.
With a sigh, she climbed out of her jeans and into the filmy trousers that matched the tunic. At least they were loose-fitting, but she had a feeling Qadim wasn’t going to be looking at her legs.
There wasn’t much she could do with her hair except finger-comb it and then splash some water on her hand and use it to scrunch her unruly curls into something a little less frizzy. At least the lip balm added some color to her mouth, and she used a trick a friend from college had taught her by taking some of that same lip balm and rubbing it on her fingertips, then using it to smudge a little color high up on her cheekbones.
The combination of these makeshift techniques worked out better than she’d hoped, and a far more polished version of herself than she’d expected stared back at her from the mirror. Her simple hoop earrings didn’t really go with the outfit, but Qadim hadn’t provided any jewelry, so they’d have to do.
It seemed a shame to have to put the sling back on over all this splendor. However, Madison’s arm was beginning to ache again, and she didn’t want to tip her hand and let the djinn know that she was healing far more quickly than expected. So she slipped the sling over her head and tucked her arm back into it, then stepped into the little jeweled sandals he’d provided.
The sight of her bare toes made her want to sigh all over again. She’d gotten her last pedicure of the season just before the Heat had struck Albuquerque, and ever since then she kept her toenails short but hadn’t bothered with them otherwise. What was the use in painting her toes when she went around in hiking boots all the time?
Don’t worry about it, she told herself. With this neckline, I doubt Qadim is going to be looking at your feet, either.
That thought wasn’t particularly reassuring. What if he did try something? There was no way in the world she could fight him off. Not even when she had the use of both arms, and certainly not with one of them currently bound up in a sling.
It wouldn’t come to that. He might be trying for some kind of seduction — Madison had been to the hotel’s rooftop bar before, and so she knew that it was a very romantic setting — but he just didn’t seem the type to force her. He could have done that anytime during the past twenty-four hours.
She went and picked up he
r watch. Five minutes to seven. Close enough. So after checking her appearance one last time in the bathroom mirror, she went to the door to her suite and let herself out.
Candles flickered on the side tables in the hallway, but they’d been there the day before. It wasn’t as if Qadim had left a trail of rose petals down the corridor or something. Once again she went to the stairwell and headed downstairs, only this time she exited onto the mezzanine and followed the signs that guided her to the rooftop bar. She passed a room that had once been used as a reception area, then came to a door.
Madison opened that door and walked out into fairyland.
All right, maybe more like an enchanted kingdom. Flames danced along the top of the fountain at the far side of the roof, and pale cloth had been swagged from pillar to pillar to give the feeling of a canopy overhead, even though the louvered roof was currently open to the sky. Several tall propane heaters glowed cherry-red, and votives in glass containers flickered along every surface.
Movement in the shadows at the far side of the rooftop bar caught her eye, and then she had to hold in a gasp as Qadim stepped forward. He’d gone back to his djinn attire, only this time the dark open robe he wore glinted with embroidery in gold and silver. That open robe didn’t do much to hide the heavy muscles of his chest, or the sculpted outlines of his stomach.
Well, damn.
This might be harder than she’d thought. And then she realized he was holding two glasses of wine, one of which he extended to her.
“Madison,” he said. “You are looking very beautiful.”
So was he, but no way in hell did she have the courage to return the compliment. “Thank you,” she managed to say as she gratefully took the glass of wine from him with her one good hand. “This is all pretty amazing.”
“You like it?”
“It’s gorgeous.” At least that was nothing more than the truth. She sipped some of the wine — a shiraz, she thought — and added, “I’ve been to this bar a couple of times, but it certainly never looked like this.”
“I did add a few touches.” With his free hand, he gestured toward a table tucked into one corner. It was darker back there, but more votives glowed from the tabletop, and from someplace — possibly the hotel’s store of wedding supplies — he’d found a set of large wrought-iron candle stands and placed a thick pillar candle on each one. They all helped to cast their own warm light, even though they flickered a good bit in the brisk evening breeze that blew over the rooftop.
Madison went where he’d indicated and began to sit down, only to have Qadim hurry over so he could pull out a chair for her. She startled, but then let herself sink down onto the seat, wondering if that was also something standard in djinn society, or whether he’d somehow learned that little act of courtesy from humans.
He went around to the other side of the table and sat as well. In the uncertain light of dusk, with the candles flickering all around him, his features seemed even more saturnine, his eyes set deep in shadow.
Not sure what she should do, Madison picked up her glass of wine and took another swallow. There. That helped a little. Not too much, though, or she wouldn’t be able to react quickly if things went south.
“You are not too cold?” Qadim inquired.
“No,” she said. That was true enough. The clothing he’d given her certainly wasn’t sturdy or particularly warm, but they were sheltered back here in this corner, and the heaters brought the temperature up to a more than comfortable level. “I like this better than being inside. The stars are just beginning to come out.”
He tilted his head upward so he could study the sky. “So they are. A perfect setting.”
For what? Madison thought uneasily, but she attempted a smile so he wouldn’t think she was uncomfortable in his presence. She drank a little wine, then ventured, “I didn’t hear you working today.”
“No.” His fingers went around the stem of his wine glass, but he didn’t lift it to take a drink. “I thought it better to stay here today.”
“Because of the other djinn?”
The dark eyes sent her a searching look. Then he nodded. “Yes. I do not wish to frighten you, because I truly believe that even if they knew you were here, they would understand that you are under my protection and would leave you alone. But because you are still recovering, I decided the work could be put off for a day or so.”
Those words should have relieved her, but instead a little shiver went down her spine. Qadim had said he believed they would leave her alone, but he didn’t know for sure. Not wanting to reveal her misgivings, she said, “Well, that’s good to know. I’m not sure what I would do if any of those djinn I’d seen before decided to show up here.”
“They have no reason to,” Qadim told her. His voice was calm and rich, and Madison had a feeling she could easily fall under its spell if she didn’t watch herself. “This is not their territory. The one who was most zealous about ‘cleansing’ this city — his words, not mine — has been given lands to the north of here, in a place called Chama.”
That news was slightly heartening, mostly because Chama was almost two hundred miles from Albuquerque, near the Colorado border. “Oh, that’s a beautiful place. You’d think he’d want to stay up there, then.”
“You have been to this Chama?”
“A couple of times. There’s a train — that is, there used to be a train that you could ride up into the mountains and cross over into Colorado. Lots of pine forests, a river. It’s gorgeous.” It would have been a better place for Qadim, who clearly loved the land and who most likely would have been a good steward of those forests and mountain meadows. But then, if he’d been given lands in that part of New Mexico, she never would have met him.
She wasn’t sure why that thought should make her feel a little sad.
“Hasan did mention a good number of trees.”
Another shiver went over her, and Madison began to wonder if she’d been premature in telling Qadim that she was comfortable up here in the night air. “Hasan? So he was one of the djinn I saw?”
“I’m afraid so.” Qadim snapped his fingers, and in the next instant a serving cart laden with all sorts of delectable-smelling dishes appeared beside them.
She’d seen him use his powers in small, subtle ways before this, but it was all she could do to keep herself from jumping out of her seat at that apparition. Convenient, she supposed, because this way Qadim wouldn’t have to leave her to go fetch the food, but still….
“Let us not talk of Hasan,” he continued. “For I wanted this to be a good dinner for you, and I would not wish to spoil your appetite.”
“You’re right,” Madison said. “As you said, he won’t bother us.”
A nod, but she caught the flicker of unease in his expression before he turned so he could start dishing up their food. She barely held back a shiver as she remembered the manic delight in that other djinn’s eyes as he cheerfully slaughtered Albuquerque’s few remaining survivors.
And she wondered just how confident Qadim truly was in his belief that this Hasan would actually stay away.
Chapter Seven
Qadim wished that they had avoided the subject of Hasan. Madison seemed to accept his explanation that the other djinn would stay far away from them, but…would he?
Do not think of that, Qadim admonished himself. Think of the woman before you.
For truly, she was an astonishing sight. Even in the oddly sexless clothing she seemed to prefer, he had seen that she was beautiful, but now, outfitted in something which enhanced her form rather than hid it, he could see how lovely she truly was. Very slender, yes, almost to the point of thinness, but her breasts were still rounded enough for all that, and her waist tapered in a way that made him ache to slip his arms around her. The soft rosy hue of the silk ensemble he’d provided for her lent some color to the clear pallor of her fine skin, and once again he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch her hair, to feel the soft springiness of it against his fingers.
And he might be flattering himself, but he’d noted the expression of shocked admiration in her eyes when she saw him in the dress of his people, rather than the human garments he’d lately adopted because of their practical nature. Her expression had quickly shifted to one of pleasant neutrality, but he couldn’t forget what he’d seen. Perhaps she was not quite as indifferent as she wanted him to think.
Which of course pleased him greatly. He knew that at any time he could have cast the djinn glamour on her to make her think that she desired him, but he did not wish to do so. That particular subterfuge had not worked very well on Julia Innes, true. Even so, he had no reason to think the glamour would not be effective on Madison Reynolds, although she certainly seemed as strong-minded as Julia, perhaps ever more so. He had no true frame of reference, for all his former partners had been djinn, and more than willing. Something kept him from attempting the experiment, though. She should want him because she truly did want him, and not because he had used his djinn powers to convince her otherwise.
Now she sat quietly, eating the ragout of venison he had prepared — another dish where everything had already been cut into bite-sized chunks, and so she wouldn’t need to use her injured arm. Once or twice he’d seen her move it without wincing, which seemed to indicate that she was healing quickly, but he still thought she would require a few more days to recover her full range of motion.
“Would you like some more rice?” he asked politely.
“Yes, please.” He dished it up for her, and she offered him a smile. It looked somewhat more relaxed than the one she’d given him earlier, but perhaps that was only because of the wine and the food. Then she said, “This is amazing. Where do you get all the ingredients?”
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