Keeping the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 3)
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Authors: Dee J. Stone
Keeping the Genie
By
Dee J. Stone
Copyright © 2016 Dee J. Stone.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to real life, movies, television, games, or books is entirely coincidental and was not intended by the author.
Titles by Dee J. Stone:
Young Adult Superhero Series
:
No Ordinary Hero (Keepers of Justice, Book 1)
Hero’s Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2)
Hero Reborn (Keepers of Justice, Book 3)
No Ordinary Villain (Keepers of Justice, Book 4)
Young Adult Romance:
Cruiser (Cruiser & Lex, Book 1)
Second Chance (Cruiser & Lex, Book 2)
Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3)
Young Adult Paranormal:
Paranormal Romance:
Merman’s Kiss (Merman’s Kiss, Book 1)
Merman’s Touch (Merman’s Kiss, Book 2)
Merman’s Bond (Merman’s Kiss, Book 3)
Merman’s Love (Merman’s Kiss, Book 4)
Falling for the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 1)
Loving the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 2)
Keeping the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 3)
Email the author at
[email protected]
.
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Keeping the Genie
It’s strange how one decision can change everything.
When I was younger, I used to envision what kind of life I would have. The dream was to get into culinary school, have my own restaurant, and eventually my own TV show. And get married and have a family somewhere in between. It was pretty straightforward, no surprises.
All that changed one day when I plucked a genie’s lamp out of the dumpster. Not only had I never expected to fall in love so strong and fast, but as I’m bound in a dungeon with Sebastian, all I can think about is that a person can never really plan out her life. A few months ago, I was trying to get over the death of my sister Daisy. Now I’m in my boyfriend’s home world, Ortarus, all tied up, and his sister Renaya—whom he thought was dead—is standing before us.
Yep, life is definitely full of surprises.
Renaya’s eyes are hard as she stares at her brother and me through the steel bars of our cell door. They’re the exact same shade of blue as Sebastian’s, except his are full of warmth and love when he gazes at me. With Renaya, all I get is a chill that runs down my spine. I know this girl has been through a lot of crap, being a servant girl in the palace and having the prince take advantage of her, and my heart goes out to her.
But how the hell is she alive?
“Renaya,” Sebastian says, his voice so low I can hardly hear him. He makes a move to get to his feet, but the bindings are too strong and he only manages to roll over. I wish I could help him, but he’s all the way on the other side of the cell, and I’m all tied up, the rope digging into my wrists as I try to wiggle free.
Sebastian’s sister just continues to stare at him. “Are you sure this is him?” she asks Alaric, who’s standing behind her, dressed in armor, his face hidden except for his brown eyes. He’s the elder who helped Sebastian return to Earth after I absolved him of his crime. Like we suspected, he’s not as trustworthy as we thought.
Before Renaya entered the dungeon, Alaric told me I’m needed, but he wouldn’t tell me why. All I know is that a human like me can’t survive on Ortarus, yet here I am. I also know that for some odd reason, I have—or had—magical powers and was able to save Sebastian when the Ortarian palace guards were after us. So much that did, since here we are, locked up.
Alaric steps closer to the cell door. “We’re almost positive,” he tells Renaya.
Sebastian manages to get into a sitting position. It’s dark in here, but I can see his face, specifically his eyes. They’re filled with tears. He was a genie on Earth for hundreds of years and didn’t know if his sister was alive. When I absolved him of his crime and sent him back to Ortarus, he hoped to find Renaya alive. But he was too late. She had already killed herself. That crushed him, knowing he was so close to saving her but being too late.
“Renaya,” he pleads. “It’s me Sebastian.” He pulls at his bindings. “Release me, please. I’ve missed you so much.”
She doesn’t say anything as she stares at him, so intensely it’s almost as if she has fire searing in her eyes. It’s not from anger, really, but more like distrust. I don’t think she believes that this guy sitting before her all tied up is her brother. “Bring him out,” she tells Alaric, who snaps toward the guard marching back and forth. The guard points to the lock and a second passes before the door opens. He must have used magic to unlock it. He captures Sebastian by the back of his neck—he’s not wearing a shirt because he was a genie when we got here—and hauls him out the door.
“Don’t hurt him!” I yell. This is the first word I’ve uttered since Renaya walked in. I’ve been too shocked to discover she’s alive to say anything.
They all ignore me as the guard shoves Sebastian to the floor. Both his arms and legs are still bound, and he can’t move anything other than his head.
“Renaya,” he says, eyeing her yellow and brown uniform and matching hat. “You’re with the…palace guards? Why?”
She bends down and grabs his hair. “Quiet or I’ll gag you.”
I’m about to say something, when Renaya whirls around. “And don’t you talk either because I will gag you, too.”
As much as I want to give her a piece of my mind, I’d better be smart about this and shut my mouth. Arguing with her or trying to reason with her will only make things worse.
Sebastian doesn’t take his shocked and confused gaze off her as she crouches down near him. I can feel the pain and betrayal he’s feeling, almost like we’re connected, which I know isn’t possible. I just feel so close to him and can read what lies in his heart. He wants to hug his sister and demand to know why she’s with the palace guards. Had someone forced her?
Without a word, she raises her hand to Sebastian’s face and pushes his bangs out of his eyes. She looks into them, like she’s trying to figure out if she knows him. “Who killed Prince Soren?” she asks, her voice low, yet rough.
“I did,” Sebastian says. His eyebrows furrow. “No, that’s not true. Not in this version. In the new version, it was you who—”
She throws her arms over him, hugging him tightly. “Sebastian! It’s really you.” She draws back. “I’m sorry, but I had to make sure you were you and not an imposter.”
He lifts his eyebrows. “An imposter? I don’t understand. Where are we and why are you dressed like a guard? I thought you were dead.”
She shakes her head, then smiles. “I faked it.”
Sebastian stares at her before giving her another hug. “I’m so glad you’re alive. You have no idea how terrible I felt when I heard you killed yourself.” He looks around. “How did you know I’m not an imposter?”
She gets to her feet, pulling him up. “We’ll explain everything.” She snaps to the guard. “Cut his bindings.”
“And Lily?” Sebastian asks.
Renaya turns to me like she forgot I’m in here. “Cut hers, too. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”
Sebastian and I exchange a confused glance as the guard cuts our ropes. We’re not sure if we should trust her. She
is
Sebastian’s sister, but is she with the palace guards?
When I’m free, I run to Sebastian. His arms come around me, clutching me like he never wants to be separated from me ever again. I feel the same and give him a quick kiss on his lips. He places his hands on either side of my face and tilts my head from right to left. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
I shake my head and inspect his face for signs of injury. I know he was punched around when we were first captured. But he doesn’t seem to have any bruises. Maybe one of these people healed him.
Taking my hand, Sebastian addresses his sister, “I don’t understand what’s going on here.” He shuts his eyes like he doesn’t want to say his next words but feels like he has to. “Can I trust you?”
Alaric steps forward. “I apologize for the way we treated you. We had to ascertain you were who you said you were. That’s why I asked Lily how she got here. Because it was me who called for her.”
I stare at him. “You….the dreams? It was you calling my name?”
He nods. “Yes, but we’ll get to that later. What we have here…” He motions around the dungeon. “It must be kept secret. We had to be vigilant, which is why we captured you.”
“And I had to make sure you really were my brother,” Renaya says. “Only the real Sebastian would know who murdered Prince Soren in the previous version and that you were sent to Earth as a genie.”
Alaric turns to me. “When you sent Sebastian back to Ortarus, he told me everything that happened. Because you changed everything around, it was Renaya who murdered the prince, but when Sebastian told me about the other version, I knew it was time. That’s why I sent him back to you.”
It’s time
.
The words from my dream ring in my head. “You were the one telling me in my dreams that it was time. But time for what? Why am I needed here?”
Alaric and Renaya look at one another. They don’t respond. Clearly, I’m not supposed to know…yet.
Sebastian clears his throat. “How did you fake your death, Renaya?”
She smiles wickedly. “When I was a servant girl in the palace, there was talk amongst some of us. About a rebellion.”
Sebastian’s jaw drops. “Against the palace?”
Renaya nods. Sebastian opens his mouth to say something, but she continues, “Alaric is the king’s advisor. His magic is limited and he is constantly watched by the king. Yet we still managed to meet secretly and discuss our plans. He helped me fake my death. Palace guards are in charge of the executions.” She smiles again, but it disappears a second later. “We had a guard on our side help us, but he was murdered shortly after.”
“For what?” I ask.
She bites her lip. “Falling in love with an Inferior.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I say. Sebastian told me about Ortarian marriage rules. A higher class citizen is not allowed to marry a lower class one, or an Inferior, which I’m guessing is what they’re called. If they do, they’re executed.
Renaya lowers her head. “He was a good friend and a useful spy. We don’t have anyone on the inside who we trust, except for Alaric.”
Alaric nods. “I take a risk each time I leave the palace to come here. But it’s worth it. We need King Sorenten dead.”
“Dead?” Sebastian sputters. “He’s the most powerful person in Ortarus. He has magic beyond anyone else’s capability. It’s not possible to take him down.”
Once again, Alaric and Renaya exchange a glance. Alaric says, “After Prince Soren was murdered, the queen died of heartache. All that loss fuels Sorenten’s anger, his rage. He’s more ruthless than he’s ever been.” He pauses, his eyes moving to me. “That’s why we need Lily.”
All gazes go to me. I just stand there with my eyes probably wider than a beach ball. Did he just say I’m needed to take down the king? “Me? But I’m only human,” is all I manage to say.
Alaric reaches for my hand, but I turn away from him. I guess I’m still not sure I believe them. “Let’s go to a more comfortable place and get you two something to eat.”
As Sebastian and I follow them up the stairs, I realize that I haven’t paid attention to how hungry I am. I don’t know how long we’ve been locked up, but it’s safe to say it’s been a few good hours since we ate back on Earth.
Earth. Mom. My life.
Will I ever see it again?