Hank sets his empty whiskey glass down and says to Brielle, “Let me get this straight. You brought home two djinn on the word of another djinni that they needed to be protected and one of them happens to be the Defiler,” he glares at Roman, “and the other is the Protector who is supposed to eventually fight the devil, but not until she fights an ass load of djinn. Oh, and kills the Defiler so she can be at full power.”
“Yeah, that about sums it up,” Brielle says with a shrug. She’s adapted well to the situation.
“I’m not killing anyone,” I say, avoiding looking at Roman.
“Much appreciated,” Roman says. I cast a quick glance in his direction to see if he’s being sarcastic or not. I don’t think he is. To Mrs. Gregori, he says, “Isn’t there some way to remove the mark from her that doesn’t involve my death at her hands?”
Mrs. Gregori shrugs. “Hell if I know. Malik knows more about that than any of us.” I wonder if Brielle can contact him about this situation.
I’m assuming that Malik would have givin' me some indication if there was another way other than killing Roman in cold blood like the saitan in the veil said. Sweat is dripping down my back and my head is pounding from stress, terror and fatigue. I feel like Atlas carrying the world on my shoulders. If I don’t get some fresh air soon, I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. I fan myself with my hand, amazed that no one else has a sweaty brow. Well, there is a little gleam on Roman’s, who is standing away from the rest of us. Probably out of concern for his safety.
I don’t blame him; the general feeling in the room is that the ‘Defiler’ should die. Too bad for them that it only counts if I kill him, and that won’t happen. Ever. He may have taken advantage of my innocence in another life, but to me, that isn’t an offense that warrants execution. Especially since he doesn’t even remember it and I only vaguely remember it.
“Would you mind if I step out for a breath of fresh air?” I ask the room in general.
“I’ll go with you,” Roman is quick to say.
Zane rises to his feet. “Your days of being alone with her are over.”
Jesus, here we go again. “Will you two please knock it off? All I want to do is go sit on the deck and I am capable of managing that on my own.”
“What if Beelzebub returns?” Roman asks.
“Then I’d be just as screwed as I would be if I stayed here. Unless any of you know how to kill the devil.” No one volunteers any ideas.
“Sit down, the both of you,” Mrs. Gregori tells them. “Leave the girl be.”
Rising from my place on the couch, I walk to the door of the sitting room. I have my hand on the doorknob when Hank says, “Hold up, I can use some air myself.” He slowly lifts his bear-like form out of the chair he was sitting in as I wait reluctantly for him to join me.
We ride the elevator in silence to the second floor sitting room and walk to the far end where there are double glass doors leading out to the balcony that wraps around the house. It’s chilly when I open the door, but I welcome the cool air against my skin. My body temperature has felt a little hotter than normal since my little fire-show earlier. I walk out and cross the length of the deck until I reach the end, admiring the nature around us. I close my eyes and take some deep breaths; the cool crisp air feels so good when it reaches my lungs. It also helps me clear my mind a bit; there’s so much going on in there.
Hank allows me a few peaceful minutes before clearing his throat loudly, implying that he wants my attention. I turn around and decide that I should probably sit down for a while. I’m not sure how long this conversation is going to be.
There are several chairs on the balcony placed around a large square table and two chaise lounges to the side. They both have cushions on them, and I’m tempted to lay down on one of them and refuse to get back up. I’m sure my life isn’t going to get easier from here on out.
I don’t. I sit at the table and Hank sits in a chair across from me. He turns it so that it’s looking out into the forest. “I don’t take kindly to someone putting my family at risk.”
My chair is also facing the woods so we’re not looking at each other. “Understandable. After I get a bit of air, I’ll leave.”
Hank snorts. “If I wanted you to leave, I’d have thrown you out already. I was just sayin’.” I don’t know how to respond to that, so I don’t. He continues, “You act too much like a girl. You need to toughen up your hide and learn how to fight. You look like you have some muscle on your bones, but you don’t know how to use ‘em, do you?”
“I’ve worked at a gym for the last couple of years. I mostly do cardio. If I would have known that I was going to be fighting the devil, I would have done more weight training.”
He grunts. It might have been a laugh even. “Lily saved my ass once. That little slip of a woman came upon me while I was getting the tarnation beatin’ out of me by some jackass who lost to me at pool. He ambushed me in an alley and caught me by surprise. Damn near knocked me unconscious with a sucker punch to the side of my head. I staggered around, my head swimming, and out of nowhere Lily appeared. I thought I was hallucinatin’ when she started kicking that guy’s ass. Then, right in front of my eyes, this guy turns into a demon. I really thought I was losing my mind then. But, Lily kept right on fighting him, not giving a lick what he looked like. When she had him down, she took out this little copper frying pan. I’ve never known anyone to take a frying pan to a fight before. I figured she was going to use it as some sort of weapon. Then she started saying words that I didn’t understand. When she was done, the demon was still pissed, but he wasn’t fightin’ anymore. Lily told him to get on out of there and he did. He just plain disappeared.
“Then she noticed me slumped against the bricks, blood trickling down from my head, and that kick ass little woman turned into the gentlest, most wonderful nurse a man could ever have. She hasn’t been able to get rid of me since.”
“That’s a nice story,” I say.
“My point is, you ain’t got to be a victim in this. It doesn’t matter if you’re small; it doesn’t matter that you’re a woman. You have to dig down deep and find your motivation to fight. Don’t just sit around and wait for someone else to save you.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I’m suggesting you let us help you. It seems we’re fighting the same war now and if we’re going to win, we need a champion we can look up to and be proud of.”
My turn to snort. “And you think that’s me?”
“You tell me. Do you got it in you to do what you were meant to do?” he asks.
I want to say no; I don’t have it in me and I don’t even know where to buy it. But, I can’t. The need for me to do it is greater than my cowardice. “I can try.”
He nods slightly. “I suppose that’s all we can ask for. What do you want to do with your fella down there?”
I feel the steel edge of my words when I say, “I am not going to kill him.”
Hank nods again. “Figured as much. I’m sure you heard that saying, ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ I think you should keep him around, make sure he ain’t doing anything to sabotage you.”
“Are you saying Roman can stay, too?”
“If he doesn’t have any memory of being this other fella that defiled you, then keeping him around isn’t such a bad idea. Maybe he can even be useful. Could use him as a practice dummy when you’re learning to fight.”
Despite myself, I laugh briefly as I imagine Roman in a padded suit, trying to waddle around while I beat the crap out of him. “Not a bad idea.”
Hank rises from his chair. “You take a few more minutes out here to wrap your head around it all. I’m going to have another shot of whiskey and see about getting your training started.”
I knew I should have taken those karate lessons my dad wanted me to take.
Hank told me to take a few more minutes, but I don’t really think he meant it. I think he meant ‘quit being such a pussy and get your ass back in the house.’ Standing up, I take a moment to stretch my tired body and think about how my life could have totally flipped upside down like this. Maybe I hit the ground so hard during my accident that I knocked myself into a parallel universe. Probably not, but I’m keeping the idea open to ponder later.
Zane is waiting for me in the sitting area. He stands up when I close the sliding glass doors. “How’re you doing?” he asks.
“If you really want to know, I feel like someone kidnapped my sanity and I can’t afford the ransom.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I guess I know what you mean.” Trying for a more cheerful demeanor, he says with a lopsided grin, “I’ve heard that sex is a sure fire cure for the loss of sanity. I’d be more than willing to sacrifice myself for the cause.”
I try to give him a sour look, but I end up laughing. “I suspect it wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice.”
He raises a brow. “I don’t know, you could be awful in the sack. How am I to know? You should be honored that I’d forego the possibility of my own pleasure to cure you.”
I’m close enough to him now to slap him on the chest. “You’re a jerk.”
“Are you always so mean to your saviors?” he asks. He grabs my hand before I can hit him again. In a flash, he has his arms wrapped around me in a hug. He rests his chin on the top of my head and I can’t resist putting my arms around him. He may be a jerk, but he is smart enough to know I really need a bit of comforting.
After a moment, he leans back so he can see my face. “Are you ready to take on the entire djinn population?” he asks with a wink.
“Ugh. I don’t know how I’m going to take on one, let alone all of them.”
“Hank said something about training when he passed by a minute ago. I’m assuming we’re supposed to teach you how to be badass.”
I nod, my lips pressed together in a flat line. “Good luck with that. I was voted least likely to be badass in high school.”
He laughs. “I bet you were.” He drops his hands from around me and steps back. “Alright, quit being so whiny and let’s get this show on the road.” He turns towards the stairs and takes a step, then turns around. “I almost forgot.”
Suddenly, his hands are on my cheeks and his lips are on mine in a sweet, light kiss. Stepping back, he grins. “You needed a kiss for good luck.” He’s already halfway to the stairs before I realize I should have hit him again.
“Come on, Princess. We don’t have forever,” Brielle yells from the massive foyer right below me. I’m tempted to drop the pitcher of flowers in the sitting area on her. Instead, I take my time walking down the stairs. No more elevators for me, I need the exercise.
As I round the last bend in the stairs, I see that Brielle is no longer in the foyer and Roman is sitting on a small bench near the door with his elbows on his knees and his hands dangling between. When I reach the bottom step, he stands and approaches me. My first instinct is to recoil and I see in his eyes he knows that.
“I’m not that person, Skye. I’m nothing like that. I would never hurt you.”
On some level, I know that. I try to relax and I give him a half smile. “I’m not exactly that innocent girl that was tricked, either. I suppose if I changed, it makes sense that you could have as well.”
Relief washes over his face. “Can we please start fresh? It sounds like you’re in for one hell of a battle and I’d like to help any way I can.” A wry smile appears on his face. “It’s not like I can go back to my old life, so I would like to help you in your new life,” he says.
He’s right, he can’t go back. Looking at his calm, sexy face and thinking about everything he’s already done for me, I know I have to give him another chance. “You are kind of stuck, huh? How about a fresh slate?”
He reaches out and places his hand on my cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb. I fight the urge to step back. “Yes, please,” he says in that low, sexy voice of his and I admit it, he can definitely get me hot and bothered with very little effort. I watch his lips get closer to mine until they’re touching. It’s a soft kiss, but I have a feeling it’s a kiss meant as a promise of the passion that has yet to be unleashed. My lips are left tingling when he pulls away. “If you let me, I will do my best to right any wrongs between us,” he whispers in my ear then he steps back.
Two kisses from two very different men in less than five minutes. All it took was a car accident and homicidal djinn for my love life to finally make an appearance.