Passion (4 page)

“So
it’s not just a matter of getting him to help you find Torrid.  You want to
find him… period.”

“I
want to find and help as many people as I can, and, yes, Torrid and Liam are at
the top of my list.  Now, are you with me or are you just going to keep arguing
the point?” I crossed my arms in front of me and turned away from Rowan. He was
reminding too much of Torrid…the way he looked, the way he frustrated me when
it came to Liam. Heavens, I missed Torrid.

“I
reserve the right to form an opinion of this little human… hmmm, sorry, this
fine young man you know so well, but if he’s going to help you find Torrid,
then I’m with you.  I want to find him before anything…”

He
stopped himself and I felt my heart jump to my throat. “What?”

“Don’t
listen to me.  That’s just the normal fears of an older brother.  I know Torrid
is more than capable, but I still can’t help being a big brother.”

“Right,”
I said, unconvinced.  “I know.  Torrid is smart.  That’s why my father sent him
to be with me,” I muttered in a robotic and automatic tone.

“Don’t
let this psych you out.  What do we have to do to find this Liam person?  How
much back up do you want?  A few soldiers?  A small battalion?  A whole army?”

“No. 
None of that.  I know Arcadia better than any of your soldiers, and I think I
know where we can find Liam.”

“Just
me and you… and this human.”

“If
you're too chicken to come, you could stay here and wait,” I said with open
hostility.  Though I felt such a passionate love for Torrid, I still felt an unbelievable
affection and devotion to Liam whom I had desperately wanted to marry before
when my Life’s Plan went awry. I definitely felt protective of him. A
friendship we had and a close romantic one where he knew me so well for years
is hard to leave behind. “I mean, if you're afraid to face a little human being
all by yourself.”

Rowan
laughed.  “You sure have a way with words. By the way, my fear is not for
myself but for you.”

“Yeah,
yeah, save it for the girl you want to woo.  As for me, let’s just hightail it
out of here and find Liam.”

“Your
faith in this human is that strong?”

Putting
aside the playful or not so playful banter, I turned to him and looked him
square in the eye.  “Yes, Rowan, honestly and truly, I have that much faith in
Liam.  I would put my life in his hands in a heartbeat.”

Our
eyes remained locked for a long moment, mine with certainty and conviction, and
his with lifelong suspicion and distrust of humans.

“Not
all humans are like Pim Seer, Rowan.  I know that may be hard to believe, but
most humans are pretty decent.  A little misguided sometimes, but still
decent.”

“I
understand, but this is the son of the man who created all this…”

“And
Liam was devastated when he learned of that.  The moment he comes into power he
wants to change so many things.  He’s dead set against much of what his father
brought to Arcadia.”

“I
hope you're right,” he said after a long silence.  “When everything finally
settles down, Arcadia is going to need a strong leader who has the good of the
people at heart.  As Crowned Prince of all djinns, I’m expected to mend
relations between humans and djinns.  That task would be far simpler if I could
find several humans I could trust.”

“And
Liam is that person you could trust.  He’s an honorable man and he’ll make a
strong leader.  I know it must be hard for you to trust, but, please, trust me,
follow me, and you’ll see for yourself the kind of man Liam is.”

A
hopeful glimmer came to his eyes as he nodded and I couldn’t resist hugging
him.  “Everything will be all right,” I said, amused by the shift. I was now
the one reassuring him.  “Someday everything truly will be perfect… for humans
and djinns.”

I
reached out to take his hand and saw the surprised arch of his brow.  “Come
on.”  I led him outside the tent and headed to the edge of the park that now
served as a djinn encampment.  On the street I looked for a car.  “If we can
find a car, we’ll make it to the other side of town in about fifteen minutes. 
Beats walking there.”

“Or
we can fly and be there in five minutes.  Beats driving.”

I
shot him a dubious glance.

“Well,
if you don’t trust me enough to fly with me, maybe you can fly there yourself. 
Has Torrid taught you yet?”

“Fly? 
Me?  No, he didn’t teach me that.  I didn’t even know it was a possibility.”

“It
certainly is.  All djinns can fly, though some better than others.  Most soar
effortlessly, control dips and banks with ease, while a few kind of struggle to
maintain control.  And then there’s the young blood who think they know
everything so they fly in a haphazard way, flying into walls, trees, or each
other.”

“You
don’t really make it seem too appealing.  I mean, I’m young… who says I’ll get
the hang of it?”

“You're
also General Adar’s daughter.  Not only are you destined to fly, but you're
destined to soar over and above everyone.”

“You
really think so?”

“Want
me to teach you how?” 

He
flashed me one of the most charming grins I’d ever seen and if I didn’t care so
much for his brother, I would have melted. Prince Rowan was a charmer. I
immediately thought of Torrid.  The two djinn princes had charm and masculine
sensuality pouring out of them like a second skin. Any female taking a good
look at them would easily fall for their charms. I swallowed, looking down. More
than anything I wanted to see that charming grin on Torrid’s face.  I wanted to
know he was all right and I wanted to hear the sound of his voice.

My
voice caught in my throat for a moment.  “I want whatever it will take to get
to Torrid as fast as we can.”

Rowan’s
gaze softened with understanding.  “Then all you have to do is use your desire
to find Torrid to make it happen.  Concentrate on levitating… just like this.” 
Without the slightest effort he rose and hovered several inches off the
ground.  “Desire it, Kama.  Think of what it is that you really want and simply
come with me into the air.  Float away and soar to the destination of your
choice.”

“I
don’t know.  What if I…?”

“Take
my hand, keep your eyes on me and trust in the magic you have within you.  I’m
right here if anything goes wrong. We’ll start out hovering low and speed up
and soar higher as you get more comfortable with the notion.”

I
settled my hands into his, closed my eyes and envisioned Torrid standing in
front of me.  As his face came to my mind’s eye, a fluttering of weightlessness
shook me and for a moment I felt a wave of panic.

I
peeked at Rowan from under my lashes and his hands tightened over mine.  “Don’t
worry.  You're doing fine.”

Closing
my eyes, I felt the movement of air through my hair and knew we were advancing,
though barely. 

“You're
doing great.”

For
a few moments, I hovered unsteadily, advanced awkwardly and hovered again, but
soon I was steady and sure of my ability… so long as Rowan held onto me.

“You’ve
already got the hang of it, but now I need you to open your eyes and tell me
where we’re going.”

I
let out a little girlish yelp when I opened my eyes and saw that we were
hundreds of feet off the ground.  “Oh, my God.  I didn’t think we were so
high.  I thought we were just hovering a few feet off the ground.  You said
we’d stay low until I got the hang of it.”

“But
you do have the hang of it. You're like an old pro.”

“That
may be, but don’t let go.”  I squeezed his fingers tightly, afraid he’d release
me and I’d float away.

“I’ll
hold onto you as long as you need, I promise.  Now, where to?”

“The
governor’s mansion.”

He
stopped and we hovered high in the air while confused crows circled us, cawing
all the while.

“The
governor’s mansion?  You really want to lead me to the lion’s den, don’t you?”

“Don’t
look at it that way.  Look, I’m sure Liam is there.  Don’t bail out on me now, Rowan.
As you asked me to trust you in flying there, I’m asking you to trust me in
where I’m leading you, please?”  I tugged on his hand and led the way.

He
gave me a soft look that would warm any girl’s heart and sighed.  “No wonder
why my brother would do anything for you, Kama.  With those eyes of yours,
looking so earnest and sweet, it takes a strong or heartless man to refuse you
anything.”

Chapter 4

W
ithin minutes we landed on the front porch of
the governor’s mansion.  I felt the tension in Rowan’s hand and as I let go of
him, I saw his agitated scan of his surroundings.  I’d never imagined he could
be so intimidated.

The
house was silent and showed no signs of life.  I tried the front door only to
find it locked.

“Let’s
go around to the back yard.  The back door is often open.”

On
entering the yard, I was instantly brought back to a happier time.  Though the
yard was now lifeless and portions of the lawn showed signs of damage from the
shards of glass that had fallen, I could still see the white flowers, the satin
ribbons and the hundreds of people who’d attended my eighteenth birthday, the
age I was waiting for, hoping with it came a Life’s Plan that would include
Liam.

It’d
been so special, and yet, when I looked back, it’d been the beginning of the
end of the life I’d envisioned for myself.

“Come
on.  I’ll try the door.”  I climbed the steps to the patio and heard movement
from the balustrade nearby. Then I saw him, the unmistakable broad-shouldered
figure of the man I first loved.

He
stood tall and strong, but sad as he looked out over the rose garden, his
handsome profile outlined against the sun. My breath caught as I remembered how
just one glance from him once could send me into a frenzy. I felt a wave of
emotion for him.  How could I not?  I’d known him for so long and had shared so
much with him.  I’d planned my life around him… around this very house.

“You
okay?” Rowan said as he came up beside me.

“There
he is.”

“Then
let’s go see him.”

I
put my hand to his arm to stop him.  “I think it’s better if I go see him
alone… at least to start with.”

Swallowing
the growing ball of angst, I took a tentative step toward Liam.  Secretly
hoping he’d hear my footsteps, I was reluctant to break his silent reverie. 
Guilt built up, leaving me feeling selfish and heartless.  I knew he was still
pained by our break up, and here I was coming to him to ask for help finding my
new love.

“Liam,”
I whispered, hearing the pain in my own voice.

He
turned, inhaling deeply as he did so.  “I had a feeling you were here,” he
said, solemnly and suddenly so tired. His blues eyes met mine. “I don’t know if
I smelled that sweet fragrance that always follows you everywhere, or just
sensed your presence, but a sudden and very clear picture of you came to my
mind out of nowhere.” He stared at me, taking me all in from head to toe.

“How
are you, Liam?”

Shrugging,
he leaned back against the balustrade.  “As good as I can be under the
circumstances.  How have you been?”

“Things
have been pretty rough, but I’m okay.”

Softening
his gaze, his hand rose as if to reach for me, but he quickly brought it back
to his side.  A tentative smile came to his lips.  “You look as beautiful as
always; a little disheveled, but great.  I’m really happy to see you, Kama, but
I don’t understand what you're doing here.  I thought you were… well, with… you
know.  I thought you were with someone else… with that Torrid guy.”

I
saw the hope in his eyes.  “I was worried about you,” I said genuinely concerned
about him.  “Everything has been so crazy these past weeks, and these past few
days...”

Grinning,
he came to me, pulled me into his arms and said, “God, I missed you, Kama,” as
he bent his head down and kissed me with such urgency and passion, I lost my
breath.

Then
I remembered Torrid and pulled back. “Liam, I…”

Though
he continued to smile, I saw the hard line that came to his eyes as he backed
away.  He averted my gaze and turned his attention to a low hanging branch that
still had a few burnt and dried leaves clinging to it.  “Come on, Kama,” he finally
said in a throaty tone.  “I know you, remember?  What did you really come out
here for?”

He
looked up at me, but his gazed flickered over my shoulder and the hard line
that’d come to his eyes intensified.  He’d spotted Rowan.

“Oh,
now I get it,” he said, biting back on the bitterness.

“We
have to hurry, Kama,” Rowan said as he came to stand beside me.

“Liam,”
I said, ignoring Rowan.  “Torrid has been caught.”

His
jaw tightened as did his fists, but he maintained his composure.  “Where is
he?”

“That’s
what I was hoping you’d tell me.”

He
shrugged.

“A
band of Catchers got a hold of him while we were in the Coliseum.  I thought
you might know where they would take him.”

“Kama,”
he said.  “I’m a Catcher now.”

I
heard a gasp escape me and was surprised by the sound.  My heart thundered with
panic and uncertainty.  “Liam, no.”

“Don’t
look at me like that, Kama.  I can’t stand it.  I’m not the kind of Catcher you
think.  I’m the leader of a group of Catchers who only want to capture Rogue
Magical Ones.” He took my hand. “I know you’re half-djinn, Kama.  Although
you’re no longer with me, I could never harm you like that, catch you like some
common Magical One.”

“Oh,
Liam,” I said with a heavy sigh.  “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear
that.  That’s wonderful, and I know you’ll do a great job.”  I turned to look
at Rowan and gestured for him to approach.  “And I know the Crowned Prince of
the djinns will be happy, too.”