“It is impossible to keep secrets from Hasim. I have a network of spies.” The male paused, his gloating smile doing nothing to calm Zane’s racing heart. “Not all information is free however. Some must be paid for.”
“Paid for?” he repeated, his hands clenching at his sides. What the hell was he talking about?
“I paid for information so we could find you,” Hasim answered. He flicked his wrist and Zane found himself dressed in tight black trews and knee-high boots, his chest bare. “Your nakedness offends me. That is much better.”
Not from where he stood. Traditional genie garb. He kept his face impassive but inside his thoughts jumbled in turmoil. Next would come the silver genie shackles and once again he’d be tied to his teapot, nothing more than a slave until he had granted another hundred wishes. Paid-for information. Zane didn’t understand. The only person who knew of his true identity was… “Dillon?” The man’s name was barely a whisper but held a world of torment and pain. His lover had sold him out?
Hasim’s smile widened. “Ah, Dillon,” he said. “A helpful man, I’m sure.”
“I won’t go. Recruit someone else.” Although Zane hated the pleading echoing in his voice, maintaining control was difficult when his entire world was falling apart.
Dillon.
Surely Dillon hadn’t informed on him. It didn’t make sense. Why would he do that?
Hasim seemed to read his mind. “All it took was a little money. I’ve known where you were hiding out for days. Such good entertainment watching your hope grow with each passing day. I could set you free.” The genie boss held up his right hand and inspected his fingernails. They were long and filed to sharp points. His deep purple robe fluttered in the gentle breeze while the tassel on his rounded hat swung from side to side. He was also wearing traditional clothing. “But that would mean I’d need to train another to take your place. So tiresome training new recruits.”
Dillon had betrayed him. Pain clutched at his heart, stealing his breath. He blinked slowly, struggling to contain his fury and frustration. Anguish tinged with bitterness sliced through him. Dillon had taken his wish, his friendship—hell, his heart—and still betrayed him.
Zane stared at Hasim. The gleam in his dark eyes told the story. He had no intention of releasing him.
“Do you submit?” the genie boss demanded.
Zane folded his arms across his chest and glared. “No.”
Hasim produced two silver bracelets from his pocket and held them up for all to see. They sparkled in the sunshine—objects of great beauty. “Subdue him.”
One of the beefy merc-magicks moved closer. A wave of magic poured through the clearing as the power emanated from his amulets. Another of the merc-magicks started to recite the genie oath. Zane found himself unable to move, frozen in place but still able to think and talk.
“No! Leave him alone.” Dillon burst from the bush, his chest heaving as if he’d run long and hard.
The merc-magick stopped the genie oath part way through and glanced at his boss.
“This is nothing to do with you, human. Stay out of it and you won’t get hurt. Finish the oath.”
The merc-magick continued and finished.
“No!” Dillon cried.
“You sold me out.” Zane didn’t try to hold back on the animosity. He’d trusted the human, but he’d learn from his mistake. It wouldn’t happen again.
“Take me,” Dillon said urgently. “Take me instead of Zane.”
“You? What a novel idea.” Glee sparkled in Hasim’s eyes and he rubbed his chin in a contemplative manner. “Yes, a novel idea, but you’d still need training.”
“What are you doing?” Disbelief grabbed hold of Zane and he stared at Dillon, his mind reeling with confusion. He wanted to box his ears and knock sense into him but remained frozen in place.
“I didn’t tell the merc-magick where you were hiding. This is the only way to prove it. Besides, you deserve your freedom.” Dillon moved closer, shoving past a merc-magick and reached out to touch his arm. After a brief reassuring squeeze, he let his hand drop back to his side.
“Well, isn’t that sweet,” Hasim cooed.
Zane’s heart swelled with the bloom of hope only to die when he glanced at the genie boss. The suggestion wasn’t acceptable to Hasim. Hell, it wasn’t acceptable to him either. Dillon didn’t understand what it was like, what he was offering to give up. But at least he was starting to believe in his innocence. Hasim must have discovered his location via a different means.
“Watch him closely while I clip on the servitude bracelets,” Hasim ordered, obviously losing patience.
The merc-magicks converged on him, one of them shoving Dillon aside with brutal disregard for human fragility. His camera smashed against the ground with a sickening crunch, coming loose with Dillon’s jarred landing. Zane’s eyes rolled in fury but he remained frozen, unable to shift position while the four beefy mercs surrounded him. He struggled to move, trying to see Dillon. Hell, he’d never forgive himself if harm came to him.
“No, no, take me instead.” Dillon’s weak protest gave him heart. At least he was still alive.
“I think not,” the genie boss said in a decisive manner. “Not when I have a more experienced candidate for the job.” He seized Zane’s right arm and slipped one of the silver bracelets onto his wrist, snapping it shut with a metallic clunk. He repeated the move with his left arm, clipping the servitude bracelet into place. All the fight went out of Zane and able to move again now that the bracelets were in place, he bowed his head in defeat.
It was done.
He was locked into another contract of one hundred wishes.
“Come,” Hasim snapped. “Enough dallying in this land down under.”
“My teapot. I’ll need my teapot.” Zane didn’t give a flying fuck about his teapot but he didn’t wish to leave. At least he could move now that the silver bracelets encircled his wrists. He whirled around, wanting reassurance that Dillon was all right.
“Never mind. I will send one of the merc-magicks to retrieve your teapot. Ali!” The genie boss clapped his hands and a merc-magick blinked over to his side.
He craned his neck so he could look past Hasim and was heartened to see Dillon back on his feet even though he swayed unsteadily. Blood trickled down his golden cheek from a gash on his forehead. Determination filled his face when he limped toward Hasim. Zane could have told him pleading with the genie boss was useless. Once his mind was made up, he would not be swayed. Once they had his teapot, they would leave. Wait…his teapot…
“How do you know the location of my teapot?” Dillon had taken it over to Susan’s house and left it with her and then they had given it to their mother.
“I placed a bugging spell on it when you visited me at court before issuing the last wish of your contract.”
“You cheated!”
“Yes,” Hasim said with total disregard for the abuse of power and the covenant of genie rules.
“How did you know where to find me?” Zane demanded, forcing the words out despite his fury.
“The food and drink you consumed during your visit to court contained a tracker spell. I really don’t care to exert myself, not when I have more important matters to attend. Did you know the magi’s widow is very beautiful?” His smile contained wicked pleasure. “And very, very sexy.”
“But a tracker spell is cheating. It’s against the rules,” Zane snarled.
“So sue me. You are formally contracted to issue another hundred wishes. It’s too late. Come. All this talk tires me. Time to leave.”
“No, wait!” Dillon called. “Don’t leave me. Zane, please don’t leave me. I love you. I love you, dammit.”
Agonized pain struck Zane, right in the heart. Dillon loved him?
“It’s true,” Dillon continued. “I was going to tell you, but I knew you needed your freedom more. I…I just wanted you to know. You take my heart with you.”
“Isn’t that sweet,” Hasim said w
ith a sneer. “Out of my way, human. We leave for the royal court and you will not remember any of us or the events of the last days.”
Zane couldn’t leave Dillon like this. He couldn’t leave him with nothing. He loved him too, had for a while if he were honest. At least he could leave him with the momentary knowledge he was loved in return. “I love you too. I love you.”
A thunderous crash reverberated in the heavens above, despite the fine and sunny weather. Jagged blue lightning forks jumped, shooting into the ground around them. One struck the silver bracelet on his left wrist, sending shockwaves through Zane. He staggered and a second lightning fork struck his right wrist. He staggered again. The bracelets fell to the ground with a clatter. Smoke filled the air and his ears rang. Then as suddenly as the storm had occurred, it disappeared, leaving the skies clear and blue again.
He scarcely looked at the bracelets when he made his way to Dillon’s side. They fell into each other’s arms, their embrace filled with urgency.
“Well, fuck!” Hasim spat. A look of horror clouded his chubby face and he stooped to pick up one of the bracelets before tossing it away in disgust. “I knew a genie would work it out one day but I didn’t think it would be you.” The nearest merc-magick went to grab Zane. The genie boss waved him away with an imperious gesture. “He’s beyond us now. Damn and blast, I’ll have to go through the pile of application forms. I’m going to have to train a new genie. A raw recruit.” He spat again, a globule of saliva landing on the ground in front of him. “Damn you! Why did you have to fall in love?”
Chapter Eight
A Free Man
Zane watched the merc-magicks blink out one by one, leaving Hasim.
“Bah!” the genie boss said, waving his right hand in a dismissive manner. “You’ll lose your magic. If you agree to come back willingly, your magic will remain.”
He didn’t have to think about the offer. “No.” He didn’t care about the magic.
“On your head,” the genie boss snarled, and he too blinked out.
Only then did he relax fully into Dillon’s embrace, savoring the warmth and the rightness of the masculine body pressed tightly to his. He raised his head, searching for his lover’s mouth. Their lips met and clung together. Dillon’s T-shirt brushed against his bare chest. Hips slid against each other. Groins bumped and a groan of pleasure slipped free, echoing in the eerily quiet clearing.
Zane pulled away to smile at Dillon. “You really love me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. Dillon loved him enough to give up his own freedom.
“Yeah, I’ve been dreading you leaving.” Dillon wasn’t smiling and gradually his smile faded too.
“I’m free,” he said, his tone wondering and a little apprehensive. “I’ve thought about this day for so long. I’ve hoped, but now it’s here and I’m terrified.” Zane led Dillon over to the blanket before realizing he could use a little magic now. When they reached the blanket, he blinked the human’s clothes off, letting them land gently on the ground nearby, and leered at him.
Dillon glanced down in shock at his naked body before looking back at him. Still he didn’t smile, appearing uncharacteristically somber. Zane’s heart changed gears, his stomach flipping in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
“I love you.”
“Is that all?” Zane laughed, a carefree sound that he hadn’t uttered for a long time. “I love you too, so what’s the problem?”
His lover stepped out of reach. “You’re a free man now, with no ties. You’re going to leave.” The anguish on his face was clear.
“I thought I’d get my own place—”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Dillon reached for his jeans and started to scramble into them.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.” Dillon didn’t bother putting on his T-shirt, just shoved his bare feet into his boots and stuffed his socks into his pocket. He stomped over to pick up his camera, cursing at its battered appearance. He shoved it into his daypack and straddled his bike.
“I want to stay near you,” Zane said hurriedly. “Can I stay with you for a while?”
“What? Torture me for longer? Let’s just part now and leave it at that. I should have known better than to fall in love with a genie.”
The bike started with a throaty roar and Dillon took off down the track, the wheels spinning for an instant until they gained traction.
Zane stared after him, shock gripping him tightly. Dillon was leaving. The sound of the bike faded and a terrible sense of loneliness wrapped around him, pressing in on his chest in a way he’d never experienced before. Each breath was painful and an ache filled his heart.
Dillon had left.
Didn’t he mean anything to him? Dillon professed to love him and hadn’t even given Zane a chance to speak, an opportunity to tell him they could spend time together, that maybe he’d even change his mind about moving into his own place as long as Dillon gave him space. Anger started to build in his gut. Dammit, he deserved a chance to lay out his plans for the future and discuss the options. His eyes narrowed and his jaw firmed in determination. Too bad if Dillon didn’t want to listen. He was going to hear if he wanted to or not!
Without a second thought, he blinked back to Dillon’s house. He hadn’t arrived back yet. Zane prowled through the kitchen to the bedroom and made the return trip with long, impatient strides. The dirty breakfast dishes caught his attention and he frowned at them. A casual blink and the dishes and cutlery disappeared into cupboards and drawers, clean and ready for use. The jar of marmalade vanished and toast remnants shot into the rubbish bin.
Still Dillon didn’t come.
Zane cleaned up in the bedroom, making the bed by hand to settle his nerves and still the unease that had replaced his anger.
Finally the roar of the bike sounded. The engine shut off and he heard footsteps outside. The door opened. Slow footsteps sounded along with a heavy sigh and a low curse.
Anger simmered again and he stormed toward the kitchen where his lover cursed fluidly and stomped around. “Do you have a problem?”
“What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you’d be off savoring your precious freedom. Aw, shit. Sorry.” Dillon rubbed his face, his expression apologetic when he let his hands fall away. “That wasn’t fair. After all these years, you deserve your freedom.” A scowl distorted his mouth. “But I don’t understand why I’m excluded totally.”
“No way, man. You didn’t give me a chance to finish. I said I loved you and I meant it, but I don’t intend to lose my identity again. I want to spend time with you, find a job. Do all the things humans normally do. But with you,” he added firmly. “I don’t want to do it alone, but I don’t want someone to own me either.”
Dillon’s face brightened. “An independent man?”
“Yeah. Give me a little time to adjust. Some space to find myself.” Zane nodded emphatically. He wanted a life of his choosing, not one chosen for him where he had no control. Yeah, that’s what he wanted—full control to make his own way, to make his own mistakes, if that was what happened. “I want to take things slowly.”
“I could live with that if you came home here each night.”
His gut tightened. Although Dillon wasn’t smiling in his normal manner, the tense set had left his shoulders. It was going to be all right because he loved the man and he sensed—hell, he knew—Dillon returned that love. Zane took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, I guess I could stay here and see how things work out, but I want a partnership.” There. He’d said it. Anxiety held him still while he waited for his lover’s answer. Dillon liked to take the lead in the bedroom, and he didn’t have a problem with that because he had proven trustworthy. But outside the bedroom, he wanted a partnership. Sometimes he’d want to make decisions or help make them, and at other times, he’d like to listen and take advice or cede the responsibility.
Suddenly Dillon’s eyes twinkled and he moved away from the door, prowling toward him. Zane stood his ground, tensi
on thrumming through tight muscles. He backed him up until the bench at his back halted further retreat. “What?” he demanded when Dillon didn’t speak but started to grin instead.
“A partnership, huh?” Dillon’s warm breath brushed over his cheek. He leaned closer until their lips were almost touching.
Zane straightened as much as he could without touching Dillon. He wanted to touch so badly he ached, but first he wanted assurances. “That’s what I want.”
“That’s what I want as well,” Dillon whispered, and he shifted a fraction, just enough that their lips touched.
Zane wasn’t sure who groaned but one of them did. Their lips moved together and it was like coming home. He gripped Dillon’s shoulders, bringing their bodies into closer contact. Excitement pulsed through him, but it wasn’t all sexual. He had his entire future in front of him, and for the first time in his life, he was looking forward to it.
When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. “We should move this to the bedroom. Celebrate our partnership.”
“Good idea.” Zane gripped his lover firmly and blinked them from the kitchen to the bedroom. They landed with a bounce in the middle of the bed.
“Whoa!” Dillon said with a laugh. “Amazing. How long is it before your magic fades?”
Zane stilled, finding it hard to let go of lingering suspicions. “I’ve no idea. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Does it matter?”
“Hell, no. Merely curious. I don’t want you to try that another time and have you drop me on my ass in the passage.”
The amused slant of Dillon’s eyebrows and the quirk of his mouth went a long way to reassuring Zane. He let his breath ease out in a sigh of relief. “I could arrange that for you now, if you want.”
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