Jinn's Dominion (Desert Cursed Series Book 3)

by Shannon Mayer

  I backed up a few steps and then turned and hurried toward the outer edge of the Oasis.

  “It seems way too coincidental that he’s here,” Lila said, keeping her voice low. “I mean, Maks tells you about this dream he’d had, of having a lion shifter as a brother, and then we just happen to run into him?”

  I agreed, but my mind raced, because there was nothing off about Ford. Nothing that sent up my red flags other than the fact that he was obviously a dick. “The Oasis is a well-known watering hole. If we were going to run into anyone, anywhere, this or one of the others would be the place.”

  At the edge of the Oasis, I let out a whistle for the two horses. A moment later, they crested the hill and slid down, their legs sinking into the loose sand. I caught their leads and they followed me happily to the shade of the trees and the water. They dropped their heads to drink and it was only then that I let myself look around.

  The battle had taken place on the far side, and even from where I stood, I could tell there was very little left in terms of remains. The desert had reclaimed the bodies.

  “Dust to dust,” I said softly to myself.

  Ford came over and stood next to me. “Is this where Dirk met the Jinn? There are a lot of bones over there when I checked, and even some weapons still visible.”

  I had an urge to touch him, so I let myself do it. I reached over and grabbed his forearm. He looked down at my hand as I gripped tightly.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  His skin under my hand was warm, but more than that was the sensation of him sinking into my bones as part of my pride. “Making the adoption official.”

  “You want me to call you Mom now?” His lips quirked to one side.

  “Not so much.” I tightened my hold. There was a pulse of energy between us and then I let go. He was there, just inside my head near the bundle of energy threads tied to each of my pride members. His were a dark orange and completely healthy. Unlike Maks’s still pulsing with sickness.

  I looked at Lila and she nodded. “Yeah, I feel it too, like I want to protect him now, and not just kick his ass for being an idiot.”

  That was the thing about being an alpha or an alpha’s second. You were always looking out for the others; you couldn’t help it. Even Steve. Damn it, even Steve was there, needing me to save him. Again.

  Ford took a step away, his bag over his shoulder. “I’ve been here a long time and was about to move on when you showed up. You like ruining plans, don’t you?”

  Lila snorted. “You have no idea.”

  She flew over to land on his shoulder and an immediate twinge started in my belly. She took to him easily enough now that he was part of the pride, but that wasn’t what gave me the twinge. It was as if Maks was being replaced.

  And I didn’t like that one damn bit. I shook my head, literally trying to shake the feeling, but it wouldn’t leave me. So be it. We weren’t replacing Maks, that wasn’t possible. But his brother could still be part of the pride. And to be fair, Darcy would be all over him like stink on a camel.

  “You’re kinda cute for a dragon, Lila. Not the ugly lizard I would have expected.” He reached up and poked a finger at her side. She whipped her head around and snapped at him, her razor-sharp teeth missing the tip of his finger by a whisker.

  “Don’t poke me, ye fat guts!” she snapped. Okay, maybe I was worrying about nothing. She left his shoulder and came back to me. The horses had tucked in tightly behind me and seemed to be eyeing him up too.

  “Henry the Fourth?” I offered. She bobbed her as she landed on my shoulder. “He’s a dick. I thought Maks was a toad. But his brother is a right limp dick.”

  Ford turned his head. “You calling me names, teeny tiny dragon?”

  “Yes! Fat guts!” Lila snapped.

  He grinned. “All that hot air, and no flames. Must burn you right in the ass, eh, teeny tiny one?”

  She sucked in a breath and a hiss followed. “Oh, I’m going to kill him.”

  “He’s doing it on purpose, Lila,” I said, my voice low. “He’s trying to rile you up.”

  I could feel the threads of his energy there, just under my skin if I focused on them. Energy that was nervous and uncertain. He was picking on Lila to cover the fact that he was not sure where he stood at all.

  “Stop it, both of you,” I said, putting some power into my voice. “Not one more word or I will kick you in the face again.”

  Once more, he saluted me and the unease in him settled. Lila grumped on my shoulder. “I liked the Toad better than Fat Guts.”

  I smiled, my heart hurting. “Yeah, me too.”

  Me too.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ford took us away from the water toward the northern edge of the Oasis. There between a cluster of trees was his campsite. The sand had been kicked over the fire pit, and there were deep marks in the trees where he’d sharpened his claws. I had to give him credit, it wasn’t a complete pigsty.

  He flicked his bag down on the ground. “We can stay here. The Jinn don’t seem to come to this side of the Oasis.”

  I frowned. “You’ve run into Jinn?”

  He shrugged. “Yes and no. I’m good at hiding from them. Much as I’d love to take one on, the reality is I’ve never seen a single Jinn on his own. They always ride with at least three.”

  I moved to Balder and stripped him of his tack, slid off his bridle and then removed the rope halter I had on Batman. They took off, bucking and snorting, heading straight for the bits of grass that cropped up here and there.

  “You sure that’s a good idea?” Ford asked.

  “I think I know what I’m doing with my own horses, Ford. Keep it up and your name will still start with F, but it will end with ucker.” I pawed through the bags until I found the few bits of dried food I had left. I handed some to Lila and then raised an eyebrow at Ford. He nodded and I held a strip of meat out to him.

  I thought that with his mouth busy, he’d figure out being quiet was a good thing.

  Not so much.

  “Tell me about this Darcy. And what about the other one? You said she’s pregnant?”

  I thought for a minute about saying nothing, but what would it hurt? The more invested he was, the better. “Darcy is my age, blonde, blue eyes. She likes the traditional roles for women. Kiara is younger, and dumb when it comes to men—”

  “Oh, I like her already.” He grinned around his mouthful of dried jerky and I gave him a withering glared that slowly dissolved the smile.

  “They are both under my protection, Fucker,” I said. “And Kiara is pregnant with Steve’s cub. Steve is the one who is going to cause problems.”

  “Oh, can I bang his head on a rock?” His hopeful tone made me snort.

  “Possibly. We’ve got to get them out first.”

  The sound of hoof beats turned me around. Mostly because there were three sets, and neither were Batman or Balder by the rhythm.

  There was a flash through the trees and even though I didn’t get a good look, I knew we were in shit. “Jinn.” We had seconds at best.

  I shifted and launched myself up the tree closest to me. “Ford, hide!”

  “Fuck, where?”

  He had a point. I slid down and landed on two legs. The quick shift left me wobbling, but there was no time for any second guessing. I stepped beside a tree and put my back to it. “Lila, be ready.”

  Goddess of the desert and sands, was I really going to fight a Jinn? My only chance lay in a surprise attack.

  The hoof beats thundered toward us.

  I counted the seconds as I pulled my kukri blades. The flail would be my last resort as always. Ford shifted into his lion form and let out a roar, drawing their eyes to him.

  The flash of a horse’s leg beside me was my cue. I leapt up and swung hard for the Jinn’s neck. Decapitation was about the only sure thing with these goat fuckers. And I wasn’t about to give them a chance to wrap us up with their magic.

  In midair, I sliced as I
swung both arms out, crossing my blades as they met in the middle of the Jinn’s neck. His eyes found me, his mouth opened, and his head rolled from his shoulders, his body still bouncing along with his horse who had no idea it was now riderless.

  I landed in a crouch and shot forward as Lila swept down from the trees and breathed on a second Jinn as she flew by him. The sapphire attached to her flared a brilliant blue even under the wrappings and her breath came out in a blast of arctic cold that hit the Jinn in the head. I jumped forward, tackling the Jinn at the waist, our combined weight throwing his horse off balance. I grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled its head sharply to one side. The horse squealed and spun, falling, crushing the Jinn’s leg.

  The Jinn below me didn’t move as I jammed my blades into his neck and yanked them sharply through the half-frozen flesh.

  “Well, well, what will you do now?” a voice called to me. I spun to see Ford on his knees, blood pouring from multiple wounds on his body. The Jinn that stood over him was tall, over seven feet easily and lean, as though he were part giraffe.

  I grinned at him. “I don’t really like that one.”

  Ford gaped at me. “Alpha, please, I’m part of your pride now. You have to protect me.”

  I shrugged and kept talking while my right arm went behind me. “Yeah, that’s the rub. You’ve been a fucker right off the bat. Being mean to me. Being mean to Lila. I probably would do better to let you die now than have to kill you later.”

  The Jinn laughed. “Oh, lion, you are in deep shit.” He took his eyes from me and looked down at Ford.

  I snapped my arm forward, throwing my blade, aiming for the Jinn’s left eye. I ran after it, so as it hit the mark, the blood splattered my face. The Jinn screamed, his magic spreading around him. I grabbed him around the arms and kicked him in the back of the knees.

  “The knife, Ford! Take his head!”

  Ford didn’t take the knife, but grabbed the Jinn on either side of his head and yanked. I dug my heels in to help offset the powerful decapitation. The Jinn’s head literally popped off, the noise a combination of bone snapping and flesh tearing.

  The body in my arms went limp and I dropped it.

  Ford stared at me, and went to one knee, his head lowered. “I swear my life is yours, Zamira.”

  I patted him on the head, breathing hard, my pulse and blood pounding with a blood lust I’d never felt before. “Don’t get sentimental on me now, Ford. I wouldn’t have let them take you, but they don’t know that.”

  The three bodies sunk into the sand as I watched until there was nothing left but an indent where they’d been.

  He reached out and touched my calf, his head still bowed. “Thank you. Both of you.”

  Lila hummed happily to herself. “Damn straight.”

  That had felt almost too easy. Which made my skin crawl with warning. Was it possible that these were scouts? If so, who else might be along soon?

  “Lila, go up. See if there are any more Jinn coming.”

  She bobbed her head and shot into the air, gone in a flash of silver and blue.

  I went to my pack and pulled out the hacka paste, smearing it over the minor wounds on Ford, then stitched up the bigger ones before smearing the paste over them as well. As far as I knew, no other shifters healed when they changed forms. They healed fast, yes, but not in an instant. That would be just me.

  I took a match, struck it and lit the paste on fire, cauterizing the wounds perfectly.

  “That’s good stuff.” Ford’s voice was husky as I took my hand from his arm where I’d put the last of my paste. I was running out. I would need more and soon with the way I went through it.

  “Yeah, it is. Now, help me get the horses,” I said.

  It took us an hour to convince the Jinn’s three horses to come close, and it was only after Balder and Batman showed up that they let us gather the reins.

  “Why are we doing this exactly?” Ford asked. He’d been remarkably quiet the last hour. Nearly dying had apparently shook him more than even he’d realized and he’d lost some of the attitude.

  “We’re bringing three out of the Jinn’s Dominion. We’re going to need mounts. Even though I’m not picking up on any injuries, there will be fatigue for sure.” I tied two of the Jinn’s horses to Balder in a long lead line manner, one on either side of him. He wouldn’t let them go anywhere they shouldn’t. The third I tied to Batman for the same reason. Then I let them go. They pranced away, heading straight to the water.

  I turned back to Ford. “We’ll give the horses a few hours break before we gear them up. We’re going to have to leave them here, unattended.” And of course, if we died facing the Jinn, they would die to. Maybe not right away, but they would still die.

  I grimaced and pushed that thought away. “Come here, let me show you what I’ve got planned.”

  I marked out the four rims of the Jinn’s Dominion for him and showed him the north tower. “That’s our pathway in. We look for a shimmer of gold under the sand, and that’s the path we follow for our best chance.”

  “Who gave you that information? Can you trust him?” Ford raised an eyebrow.

  “Maks gave it to me,” I said. “So yeah, I trust him.”

  “You love him.” It wasn’t a question. I nodded.

  “I do. But it’s complicated.”

  “No shit, if he’s really Jinn.” He frowned and shook his head. “He saved me. Jinn don’t do that. They won’t even save one of their own. Are you sure he’s a Jinn? I only remember him as a caracal.”

  He was right, of course. Maks didn’t follow the Jinn’s rules at all and wherever he could, he bucked them. “Yes, I’m sure he’s at least part Jinn.” Saying those words hurt far more than mere words should have. But thick as he was, Ford didn’t notice.

  “How are you planning to deal with the Jinn exactly?” he asked. “Not that today wasn’t total proof of your ability, but if what you’re saying is true, then we aren’t going to face only Jinn but their dead as well.”

  “That’s why we need to go under the cover of night,” I said. “You’ve seen how small I am. We’re going to dull Lila’s scales with ash from your fire and if all goes as planned, no one will see us going in or going out.”

  “What about me?” Ford shook his head. “There’s no way I’ll be able to slip by.”

  I nodded. “I know. You’ll wait here.” I put my finger on a spot in the sand drawing that was just outside the outer rim of the Dominion. “You’re our backup. If you see us coming at speed with Jinn on our asses, your job is to swoop in and be the hero. You help us cover the ground we need to get back to the Oasis.”

  He frowned. “You sure?”

  “It makes the most sense,” Lila said. “If the others are injured, or slow, we’re going to potentially need some muscle to pack them back.”

  Slowly he nodded. “Okay. What if you need me to come in sooner?”

  I swiped a hand through the four rims I’d drawn in the sand. “If you see shit exploding, you can come find us.”

  His eyebrows shot up and his lips twitched like he wasn’t sure if I was serious or not. “Exploding?”

  I laughed, but it died on my lips. “I am kidding. If everything goes as planned, this will be a routine extraction, quiet going in and quiet going out.” How many times had I heard my father use those two words? Routine extraction. He would never not be a marine even years after he’d lost his men in the desert.

  The next two hours crawled, and I didn’t feel like talking so I leaned back and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. In reality, I sunk myself into the energy that tied me to my pride. Kiara, Steve, and Darcy, all bundled together to the south. The best I could get from them was they were cold and hungry, but otherwise unhurt, though Kiara was the weakest of the three. That they were cold was an odd thing and a good clue as to just where they were. I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to track them inside the Dominion. Cold meant they were likely underground.

  Finally, I let mys
elf look for Maks, finding him easily.

  He was in the Jinn’s Dominion too, but farther to the east. Like the others, he was uninjured but still sick. Still dying. For the moment, he was alive. That was the best I could find. Ford lit up as he moved around, his energy buzzing orange, and Lila’s soft colors as she rested with me.

  I let myself sink a little deeper, and I found the horses near the water, their energies the same color of silver, but with variations that allowed me to pick out Balder and Batman from the small herd with no problem. Funny, but I’d never considered them part of our pride, but it looked as though they were as tied to me as were the others.

  Deeper yet, the sands around me shifted and danced, vibrating with an energy I’d never noticed.

  Deeper again and the water called to me.

  Deeper again, and against my back, the flail warmed, humming with energy. I paused there. The magic in the flail was hot, the heat of fresh blood spilled, of the last breath of life escaping a mouth, the heat of a burning fever before death claimed a new soul.

  My eyes didn’t open and yet I could see the desert. The same place I’d been before.

  The Emperor stood in front of me. “Zamira. I’m surprised to find you here.”

  “You called me here, didn’t you?” I snapped as I moved to away from him. Once more I was stopped by something at my back, something that followed me around.

  “I did not. You are finding a deep well of power in yourself, aren’t you?” His face was kindly as he smiled.

  “You killed Destry and the giants,” I snapped.

  “I did not.” He shook his head.

  Well, what did I expect? That he’d take ownership? “Then who?”

  “The one who would take my power for his own. I may be the monster in the dark, but the monster in front of you that wants my power is far deadlier to this world.” He sighed. “The choice will be yours soon, to decide the fate of our world.” The Emperor watched me closely. “What will you do? Will you kill Marsum and remove his jewel, freeing me? Or will you let him live and become the new ruler of your world?”