Bound (Secrets of the Djinn) (13 page)

“So the rosy picture they paint for him to make him want to return isn’t necessarily the truth.”  Poor Roman.

“
It’s time to say good bye, you must go back.  I’ve held you here too long.  Be careful, my dear one, for you are all I have left in the universe and it is your goodness that keeps my evil from running amok.”

I shake my head with a humorless chuckle.  “Then we’re both doomed.”

“I will do whatever I must to keep you safe.”  Malik pulls me into another hug and kisses the top of my head before disappearing.  The veil lifts and I am back in Zane’s car.  His home is looming ahead of us on the long, curving driveway meaning I’ve been gone for several hours.

Chapter 15

Voice bordering cold and harsh, Zane says, “Nice to have you back.”

“Malik pulled me into the veil.  Zane, are you sure you want Roman and me back here?”

Zane slams on the brakes making me glad Brielle’s Jeep is in front of us instead of behind us or we would have been rear-ended.  My body jerks forward and the seat belt digs into my chest.  Before I can complain, Zane has thrown the car into park and is out his door.  He stalks to my side of the car and rips my door open, reaches over me to unbuckle my seat belt and pulls me from the car.  With a tight grip on my good hand, he pulls me away from the car and the driveway until we are deep within the trees that fill most of the property.

“Zane…”

He stops abruptly and catches me in a glare that ebbs the flow of words building in my throat.  “What is wrong with you?”

Not exactly the welcome home I hoped for.  “What do you mean?”

Putting his hands on my shoulders, Zane backs me against a tree.  In direct conflict with his tone, his touch is gentle.  “When are you going to stop doubting me?  I tell you I love you and I defend my love to my family, but you don’t have enough faith in me to even wake me up when you are being threatened.  Instead, you slink off during the night with the guy who wants you as much as I do.  Still, I come after you and even though I find you in a most precarious situation, I wrap my arms around you the first chance I get and I insist you come home with me.  Now, because I’m not thrilled that you yet again disappeared on me, you accuse me of not wanting you here.  What the fuck, Skye?  What do I have to do to prove my love for you?”

My heart begins to swell with hope
, but I don’t say the three words he’s not ready to hear from me.  “Your kiss can convince me anything is true.”

H
e’s assessing my feelings, trying to determine if I mean it.  He must decide I do because he puts a hand behind my neck and pulls me to him, capturing my lips in a kiss so full of heat and emotion everything else is burned from my mind.  I melt against him and match his passion with my own.  This is where I belong.  Zane is the man I love and any doubt is swept from both my heart and my mind as I let myself be cloaked in both his arms and his feelings for me.  This is home and my love for him is my best weapon for fighting off the evil coming for me.

Several long moments later, Zane is breathless
as he steps back.  “The sooner we get in the house, the sooner I can get you back in my bed.”

My lips curl up in what I hope is a sultry smile.  “What’s taking you so long?”

A low growl emits from his throat and this time when he grabs my hand and pulls me along, I’m more than willing to follow.  I don’t even care that my shoulder aches and my wrist is killing me.  I’m right where I want to be.  Climbing back into the car, Zane drives to the front of the house and parks.

Even though Brielle and Roman had a good head start on us, we find
them still in the foyer.  They are standing in the doorway of Mrs. Gregori’s sitting room and both seem to be in shock.  Oh god, what now?

As curious as I am
, but lacking the dread I feel, Zane edges between the two so he can see inside the room.  He stops short.  “Who the fuck are you?”

My heart plummets.  It has to be Beelzebub.  I wonder what body he’s in this time.  My pulse racing, I also squeeze between the frozen pair in the doorway.  My mouth opens, ready to rip the devil a new one, but the words don’t come.  It’s not the devil.  Malik is
sitting on the flowered sofa across from Mrs. Gregori who is seated in her motorized wheelchair glaring at him.

“Malik, what are you doing here?” I ask, crossing the room.

Malik stands up and pulls me into a hug even though it’s only been moments since he saw me.  “I need to be certain you are safe here.”  His gaze has shifted to Mrs. Gregori. 

Following his eyes with mine, I say quietly, “Malik, she was just protecting her grandchildren.”

“Her grandchildren don’t need protecting,” Zane says, coming farther into the room.  Brielle and Roman are still glued to the doorway.  Walking up to Malik, Zane holds out his hand.  “I’m Zane.  It’s nice to finally meet the guy who sends my sister out on dangerous and potentially deadly errands.  If you didn’t have powerful magic and could fry me on the spot, I’d punch you in the face about now.”

I tense for an explosion between the two men, but to my surprise, Malik shakes Zane’s hand
and says solemnly, “I deserve it.” His eyes float to Brielle and his voice becomes velvet.  “Your sister is both beautiful and brave, I am afraid I have taken advantage of the latter.  My apologies to you both.” 

An unspoken message hangs in the air.  It seems Malik wants to take advantage of
more than just her bravery.  A quick glance at Brielle and her flaming red cheeks are proof she understands this as well.

The warmth in Malik’s voice is gone so suddenly, I
wonder if I just imagined it.  “Roman, you and I have unfinished business.”  Oh, shit. 

Roman’s
body visibly tenses but he growls, “The only business I have with your family is with Skye.”

I
’ve only seen Malik use his power one other time.  In the veil, he used it against another djinni.  At the time I was thankful since the djinni was after me, but the pure energy that shoots from his hand in Roman’s direction is undeserved.  Before my brain realizes it sent messages of movement to my muscles, I am standing between Malik and Roman.  Every bit of energy coming from Malik’s outstretched hand is coursing through me.  I expect pain, pain strong enough to make me writhe on the floor in agony.  Yet, I feel nothing.  Sheer wonder has taken root on my brother’s face.

“Skye, what are you doing?!” Zane shouts and I’m suddenly falling to the floor with him.  “You’re going to get yourself killed!”

But I’m not.  I’m not going to die from Malik’s power.  I’m not sure how I know this, but the satisfaction on my brother’s face confirms it.  I am so much in awe of what just happened, I don’t think about the fact my banged up body should be hurting from the fall.  “Zane, I’m fine.”  I push at him to let me up but stop when I feel no pain in my wrist with the movement.  Moments ago, it ached so much I wanted to beg for pain killers.  Now, nothing.  I flex my wrist several times.  Still, no pain.

My brother walks over to me and holds out his hand.  I put mine in his
and let him help me up, leaving a dumbfounded Zane staring up at me from the carpet.  “What just happened?” I ask Malik.

“You have discovered the y
ang to your power’s yin.”

“That really didn’t answer my question,” I say, still marveling at my pain free wrist.

“Look at me and remember a time I made you angry,” Malik says.

I frown.  “I barely remember my life behind the veil.  I don’t remember being angry with you.”

“Do you remember me sending you away?” he asks.

“Vaguely.”

He inclines his head.  “That may be enough.  Now, let the feeling manifest inside you and then push it outwards, towards me.”

I
don’t know what this is supposed to accomplish, but I do as he asks.  I think back to being in a locked room and being relieved when Malik finally comes to me.  But he didn’t come to take me home; he came to send me away.  Feelings of resentment and anger flow from my heart to my brain and I do as Malik said.  I imagine those feelings moving outward, away from me.  A burst of energy shoots from me and Malik is forced back several feet, his forehead momentarily creasing in pain.

Quick to recover
and excited, he says, “Yes, I knew you could do it!”

“Do what?” Brielle asks.  “What just happened.”

I think this is the first time she’s spoken since arriving home.  Malik turns to her.  “Skye has seen a glimpse of what she will be able to do someday.” 

Zane has picked himself up from the floor.  “She’ll be able to shoot out energy
like you?”

“No,” Roman says from the doorway.  “She
can absorb the power of other djinn and wield it as they would.”

I turn a shocked face in
Roman’s direction.  “What?”  My head swivels back to Malik.  “That can’t be true.”

Malik glares at Roman
and then turns back to me.  “That is not entirely accurate and it will take time to manifest and control this power.  You were able to wield a small bit of my power because of how strong I am.  It will take time for you to do this with lesser djinn.  A lot of time.”

“You will become invincible.” 

Discovering he’s been in contact with djinn behind the veil and now this, those warm and fuzzy feelings I had in the hotel are gone.  “You knew this but didn’t tell me?”

He has the decency to look ashamed.  “You were already dealing with so much.”

Even if I wanted to, I am not fast enough to stop the burst of energy Malik sends at Roman again.  Roman tries to resist.  His hands are outstretched, palms facing us and for a few seconds a shimmering wall of air is able to hold back Malik’s attack.  It seems Roman’s memory of his djinn abilities came back to him.  The seconds fall away and so does Roman’s shield.  Malik’s energy surges forward and Roman is on his knees and closer to death than he was when Beelzebub saved him earlier.

It’s not my voice
pleading for him to stop.  “Malik, please, don’t do this,” Brielle says.  “He doesn’t deserve to die for the crime of loving your sister.  If that was the case, you’d need to kill off half the guys she comes in contact with.”

Still, it’s not Brielle’s voice that makes him stop
, either.  “You do know how to put on a good show, Malik.  Bravo.  Well done.”

Malik pulls his energy back
and Roman slumps to his knees.  Slowly, he turns to the man now sitting on the sofa.  “Come to save your pet, Beelzebub?”

The devil waves his hand in the air
as if encouraging Malik to continue what he was doing.  “Oh, heavens no.  I simply came for the show.”  A bucket of popcorn appears in his hands and he relaxes back against the sofa.  He takes a handful and begins to munch.  His mouth full of popcorn, he says, “If you kill him, his mark will never be removed from Skye’s neck, and I must admit, I do love nuzzling against it and bringing her unspeakable pleasure.”

The popcorn in Beelzebub’s hand explodes into the air as he
is caught in Malik’s energy.  “You also know how to ruin a party,” the devil wheezes.  Unlike Roman, the devil is able to push Malik’s power from him but he does struggle with it.

Malik lets his energy fall away.  “Why are you here, Beelzebub?”

“He’s the devil?” Brielle asks Roman in a whisper.  She has only seen him in the guise of an old man.  Roman nods.

Beelzebub rises from the sofa.  “I was hoping to watch you destroy the Defiler, but I see I am going to be disappointed.  You are growing soft, Malik.  You killed your own flesh and blood, yet you cannot bring yourself to kill the djinni who took your sister from you, ravished her and left his mark upon her?”

He killed his own flesh and blood?  I turn to my brother with wide eyes.  “Who?” I ask in a voice just above a whisper, terrified of what his answer may be.

A cruel smile forms on Beelzebub’s face.  “As much as I would love to stay and chat, I have things to do, souls to torture and all that.”  He turns to leer at me.  “You, I will see very soon.  Do be sure to dream about th
e kiss we almost shared.”

I don’t bother to respond.  I’m still staring at my brother.  “Who, Malik?”

Malik’s eyes are hard and cold when he points them in my direction.  “I killed our uncle to keep him from dragging you back behind the veil.”

Yet another death on my soul if not on my hands.  “No,” I whisper, wishing I could undo Malik’s action. 

Remorseless, Malik says, “He would have used you as a weapon, driven you crazy with the sins of his enemies.  I could not let that happen.” 

Roman
is leaning against the door jamb, paler than he was after being shot.  His voice is softer, consoling.  “Skye, Malik is right, your uncle was cruel.  He cared for nothing but power and control.” 

I turn to Roman.  “You seem to remember a great deal of your life behind the veil now.”

“You wonder why I don’t want her in this house.” Mrs. Gregori snipes from her wheelchair.  “Death and destruction follow her.  How many must die to keep her alive?  Must I sacrifice my grandchildren for a war that isn’t ours to fight?”