Burning Hearts (24 page)

“
No, he’s not,” she said in
a don’t-be-ridiculous tone. “Actually, he almost killed
me.”

Riddick muted the loud
barrage of laser blasts. “
What
did you say?” He’d heard her over the TV; he just
needed her statement clarified.

“
Well, he, along with the
whole school saw me submerged in that cauldron of water by your
hand, and when I was finally free, Malcolm got onstage, enraged,
and tried to rip your heart out. I covered you with my body, and
Malcolm stopped just in time from ripping my heart out.” She said
all this casually as if it were no big deal.

“
You-you defended me? So
soon after I tried…”

She wrapped her arm around his chest. “I knew
it wasn’t you. It was them. You knew that too. Malcolm’s anger
vanished, and he’s the one who helped you up.” She looked into his
eyes. “You don’t remember?”

He shook his head. “It’s kind of blurry. The
only thing I remember with absolute clarity is pushing your head
into that cauldron.”

“
Did you know the water was
gonna be hot?”

“
It was?”

She nodded. “But it’s okay. Not long after
freeing myself, my skin started to heal.”

“
Ah, hell!” He rolled over
and buried his head under a pillow.

She massaged his back. “Now, now. Don’t be
that way. I’m fine. I’m a superwoman, remember? It’ll take a lot
more than that to put me six feet under.”

He escaped from under the pillow and rolled
over to face her. She resumed her earlier snuggling position, and
he rested his hand against the small of her back. She smiled,
running her fingers through his hair.

He fought to keep his eyes open, enjoying her
massage. “Why are you smiling?” he asked drowsily.

“
I’ve never seen you without
your trademark Mohawk.”

He furrowed his brow. “Do I look bad?” he
asked in an awakened tone.

“
No.”

Then an eyebrow arched. “Which do you
prefer?”

She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I like
‘em both.”

His hand left her back and cupped the side of
her neck, massaging just below her ear with his thumb. Now she was
getting drowsy. “I think you’re deluding yourself.”

She struggled to open her eyes, seconds away
from falling asleep. “Wha?” she breathed, still intoxicated.

His hand trailed back down, resting again on
the small of her back. “You love Malcolm, but you also love me. And
not just as a friend.”

She was fully awake now. “Riddick—”

“
I’m not trying to sway you.
I can’t do that. I just want you to admit that you love me
too.”

“
I wouldn’t be here if I
didn’t.”

“
That’s not an admission.”
His hand went to her arm, rubbing it. “Say it, Jen. Say
it.”

“
I can’t.”

“
Because he’s
listening?”

She turned away from him, preparing to leave.
“I have to go.”

He grabbed her arm, halting her in place.
“Please stay. I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again. Just…don’t leave
me…not right now.” He let go of her to snatch the remote and turned
up the volume on the TV. “Let’s watch the movie, okay?”

She gave him a smile, nodding, and adjusted
back on the bed, resting her head against a pillow. “Just for a
little while. My parents will be home soon.”

“
Got it.” He relaxed,
placing his head next to hers. “Are they mad at me? Your
parents?”

“
Very. But they’ll get over
it.”

“
I won’t.”

“
Yes, you will.”

“
No, I won’t.”

She started tickling his side, luring him out
of his depression. It worked. He grinned, letting out a chuckle,
and then grabbed her roaming hands, holding her wrists together as
if she were being prepared for handcuffs.

“
That’s your therapy?
Tickling?”

She shrugged and he cautiously released her.
“Worked on me when I was kid.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Really?”

“
No, no, no, no, no, no!”
She moved to get away from him, giggling at the anticipation of
being tickled. “Not me! You!”

His arm shot out like a tentacle and snatched
her waist, reeling her back to him. “Oh, I’ve had my remedy.” He
gave her a mischievous smile. “It’s your turn now.”

She giggled as he held her down, pinning her
below him against the mattress, his fingertips dancing all over her
stomach and sides.

“
Ooh, stop!” She kicked at
the bedspread, almost knocking it off. “I’m gonna pee in my pants!”
she warned through giggles.

He grinned in delight. “Oh, I’m never letting
you go.”

He continued to tickle her until a door
slammed nearby. They both turned to see Malcolm, standing before
Riddick’s now shut bedroom door. His blue eyes were ablaze
with…anger? Jealousy? Jenna hoped that she was reading him
wrong.

“
Thought that would get your
attention,” he said to them.

Jenna pulled herself away from Riddick’s
embrace, getting off the bed. She noticed that he was hesitant to
let her go.

“
Malcolm—”

He raised his hand, silencing her, but gave a
small smile of assurance that he wasn’t on the warpath. “Your
parents are on their way home.” He let his hand fall at his side.
“I wanted to come and get you before they noticed you’ve been gone
all night.”

“
Oh, um…thanks.” She turned
to Riddick; he’d gotten off the bed, but was keeping a good
distance from Malcolm, while staying close to her. “Are you okay
with me leaving?”

He forced a smile. “It’s all right. I don’t
wanna get you in trouble. I’ll be fine.”

She put her shoes back on and walked
cautiously to Malcolm. “Are we…I mean, can you take me home
or—?”

She was cut off as he took her in his arms,
pushing her roughly against him. “I’m here for you.” He kissed her,
taking his time, lingering his lips against hers to make a
point.

She felt embarrassed, knowing Riddick was
just a few feet away. When she summoned up the courage to turn to
him, her heart almost broke from the look of sorrow in his dark
brown eyes.

“
See you tomorrow,” he said
softly, but it sounded more like a question.

“
Tomorrow,” she confirmed
with a warm smile.

Malcolm didn’t say goodbye, tearing Jenna
away from Riddick as they teleported. When they reappeared inside
her bedroom, she collapsed on the seat cushion of her wicker
chair.

“
I don’t think I’ll ever get
used to your way of traveling.”

He crouched before her and smiled. “You will.
You’re strong.”

After a few seconds of adjusting to
supernatural flight, she leaned forward and looked into his fiery
blue eyes. “I saved Riddick from killing himself. He said he wanted
to do it, but the Jinn were also there, pushing him.”

He kissed her hand. “I’m sorry you had to go
through that.” He stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. He
seemed…worried? Then he walked to her window, staring at nothing in
particular, keeping his back to her. “I have to tell you something:
I was listening in. I’m sorry for the invasion of privacy, but I
couldn’t help it.”

She wasn’t surprised. “Are you mad at
me?”

He shook his head, but didn’t turn to face
her. “There’s nothing for me to be mad at. You love him. He loves
you more. You knew him before you knew me.” He freed one of his
hands, running it through his gorgeous black hair. “I’m
jealous.”

She got off the chair and approached him from
behind. “Of what?”

He finally turned to her, sorrow masking his
face, and held out his hands. “You’re so at ease with him. There
are no worries between you two. You’re both human. It’s all
so…simple.”

She reached for his hand. He
gave it, and she held it gently. “I love
you
, Malcolm. Yes, I love Riddick,
but it’s not the same as you. We’re bonded. We share a connection
that I’ll never have with Riddick.”

“
But he’s
safer
for you. Yes, he
did try to hurt you today, but that was only because of me, because
of the Jinn in Oasis. If I’d never come, the Jinn wouldn’t be here,
creating chaos, killing. Your powers as a Mage would’ve never been
awakened. Your life has been ruined by me.”

She wrapped her arms around
him in a tight embrace; his heartbeat was like a jackhammer. “No!
Don’t say that! My life is
better
because of you. I can’t imagine not being with
you. I’m complete when you’re near. I feel…whole…as if before I was
fractured, and then you came along, and put me together, fixing me
as if I were a broken vase.”

“
But I could easily turn and
break you again.”

Jenna let go, pushing him away. “I’m so tired
of hearing that! Do you love me or not?!”

He looked hurt and confused. “Yes, of course
I love you.”

“
Then
stop
with all this
going bad
nonsense! I
don’t wanna hear it anymore, all right? You’re
good
. I wouldn’t be with you, love
you more than anything in the world, if I thought there was the
slightest chance you’d hurt me.”

“
I’m sorry.” He held out his
hands, inviting her back. She accepted, wrapping her arms around
him again. “I’m sorry, my love. I won’t talk about it anymore. I
promise.”

She moved her hands up to his head, grasping
his soft black hair with her fingers as she pulled him down to meet
her lips. “Stay with me tonight.”

He snatched her bottom lip between his,
tugging at it in a sucking motion, before kissing her passionately,
hotter than a raging inferno.

Her clothes fell off, one by one, on the
floor.

SUMMONS

It started all over again as it had
before.

Oasis had experienced in succession and
repetition: earthquakes, twisters, wildfires, suicides, and
murders.

The people had been frightened; most had
stayed in their homes; others had cramped into any church they
could find, praying for salvation.

The terror had lasted for three days.

Jenna held Malcolm’s hand as they surveyed
the damage in her neighborhood. Half the homes were destroyed.
There was a line of ambulances; EMTs were carrying the injured, the
dead or dying off onto stretchers. One of them was Mrs. Tinsley,
still alive, but unconscious.

“
How could two Jinn do all
this?” she asked him in disbelief.

“
Saladin and Fatima are from
a royal line of Jinn. Their powers are magnified,” he informed.
“And it helps if the people were already weak, afraid.”

She shook her head. “I wish I could tell
everyone who I was—what I can do—who the enemy is—and how I can
save Oasis.”

“
Some may welcome the news;
others may deny the truth.”

“
My grandpa said: ‘It’s a
terrible life to live when you’re the only one who can see the
truth.’” She squeezed Malcolm’s hand. “I wanna help, to save
people, but sometimes I wish I wasn’t the chosen one, that I wasn’t
a Mage.”

He cupped her cheek. “Is this because of what
happened three days ago?”

She nodded, trying not to cry.

He held her in a comforting hug. “It’s not
you. Don’t blame yourself. It’s me. It has to be me.”

“
We’ll find a way,” she said
with determination. “And it’s not just about having sex…it’s about
us…sharing what others can do…it’s love. Maybe there’s something in
my grandpa’s journal, hell, even the internet that would explain
what happened between us that night.”

“
I’ll always love you
whether we’re intimate or not.” He went to kiss her, but stopped,
and leaned away as another ambulance arrived. “Let’s talk about
this later, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

As they watched the turmoil around them,
Jenna thought only of what had happened three days ago between her
and Malcolm. They’d been naked, aware of each other for the very
first time—and ready. He’d taken his time, kissing her, touching
her, and then he’d gotten rough, but in a good way, building up an
inferno of raw lust inside her. But as they were about to declare
their love in that time-old tradition, something had happened:
nothing.

It was like she’d been wearing a mystical
chastity belt. It was invisible, but it was there.

They’d dressed and he’d stayed with her that
night, holding her close as she’d cried. When she was all cried
out, they had a talk that quickly turned into an argument. He’d
blamed himself, for being half-demon and evil. She’d refused to
believe that because he was half-human and good. She’d blamed
herself, being a Mage, saying that her destiny was keeping them
apart. They’d argued back and forth some more, and then she’d cried
some more, before finally falling asleep in his arms.

She’d been melancholy, in her own little
world of sorrow, until Hell had been unleashed on earth for three
days. The horrific events redirected her focus. She couldn’t allow
Saladin and Fatima to destroy Oasis. And she couldn’t allow them to
take Malcolm away from her; especially Fatima, who Jenna hated more
for being his ex-girlfriend than for being a demon.

“
Let’s go back inside,”
Malcolm encouraged. “There’s nothing we can do here.”

“
Okay,” she agreed, but as
she went to turn, a small hand shot out and grabbed her wrist,
halting her in place. She gasped. “What the hell?”