The Binding Stone (The Djinn Series) (28 page)

I
smile reassuringly at Jered and pop off after Taj. I meet him on the roof of
the hotel beneath the pouring rain and thunder. A flash of lightning streaks
across the sky, and I shake my head at the chaos.

“Shall
we?” Taj yells above the tumult.

I
take his hands in mine, and moments later the storm clouds above our heads lift
and separate, revealing a patch of blue beyond. Rays of sunlight spill down and
over the top of the building, bathing the old brick hotel in a warm glow.

“That’s
better,” he says. “Now, as I said inside, we need to chat.”

“I
shouldn’t have said that in front of her,” I say. “I can’t be the one to tell
her that her father is a monster.”

“That
isn’t why we’re here. If her father is a monster, it is better she figure it
out now. Don’t you wish you’d done so sooner?”

“Of
course, but that’s different.” Taj raises an eyebrow at me. “Why are we here?”
I ask.

“A
better question is why are
you
here? Shouldn’t you be gone by now?” His
thumbs run back and forth over my fingers, soothingly.

“Where
else would I be?” I ask, looking away toward the now breaking storm.

“Lee.”

“I
know,” I whisper. “I’m free. But, Taj, it isn’t fair.”

“Fair?
Who cares, Lee? You have your life back. Don’t concern yourself with the little
people. Cross back over. You can do it now; there is nothing standing in your
way.”

“Is
that what you would do?” I ask.

“In
a heartbeat.”

We
stare at each other for a while, the sun warming our skin. I realize there is
something I have to say.

“I’m
sorry. I should have been stronger. I should have just died like Rhada.”

“Lee–”

“I
know. She didn’t have a choice. But somehow I think if it had been any of you,
you would have done the right thing.”

“Lee–”

“She
commanded me not to cry, Taj. Of all the things they did to me, that was the
worst. I couldn’t even mourn. I couldn’t show you the devastation inside. It
killed me every day,” I say, reaching up to touch the stone around his neck.

His
eyes press closed, and he takes a deep breath.

“Lee,
will you stop for two seconds, or do I have to take your voice again?”

I
mash my lips into a thin line and wait.

“It
wasn’t your fault.”

I
stare. He sighs deeply and continues.

“It
could have been any of us, and we would have made exactly the same decision.
Even Mira. There is a point when a Djinni will do anything to stop the pain. We
were there for what, two hours? I would have put the stupid thing on myself if
she’d asked. You were gone for days, Lee. And if what you were saying back
there is any indication...” He shudders.

“What
did I say?” I ask. My voice sounds tiny even to my own ears.

“You
spoke of Cephas, Lee. You were pleading with Jered to save you from my old
master, but I think you thought Jered was Achan.”

My
face twists in anguish, but I cannot help it. I don’t know what to say.

“I’m
the one who should apologize,” says Taj.

“What?”
What could Taj possibly have to apologize for?

“There
was a moment,” he says, voice choked with emotion, “when they made me hurt you,
when they told me to swing...I stopped it, Lee. I held it back, but then I
couldn’t...I couldn’t...”

“There
was nothing you could do.” I squeeze Taj’s shoulder. “There is no way to break a
command, no matter how much you want to.”

“I
should have done something to stop it in the first place. I should have seen
what was happening with you, instead of indulging my new senses. I should have
protected–”

“I
guess we both have a lot to be sorry about,” I say. “But I don’t want to feel
that way again, Taj. This time I want to do what’s right. Jered freed me. He
was willing to die, hole in his aura or not.”

“And
your feelings have nothing to do with it?”

“My
feelings are irrelevant. Well, except for revenge. I admit getting even with
Achan would feel very good.”

“Now
that I can understand.”

Losing Battle

y
the time we arrive back in the hotel room, all hell has broken loose. Sophie
stands in front of Gabe, a shield of energy in front of them. Jered paces like
a caged lion, scarlet electricity sizzling at his fingertips. Every muscle in
his body is strained and tensed.

“Move
aside!” he bellows.

“Oh
no you didn’t,” Taj says, landing protectively in front of Sophie.

I
grab hold of Jered’s arms before he can let loose at Taj. He would never
survive the encounter.

“Jered,”
I say, spinning him to face me. “What happened?”

His
pupils are dilated, his nostrils flared. Breath comes ragged and uneven from
his mouth. He’s having trouble focusing on me, so I hold his face between my
hands, letting my magic calm him. I am vaguely aware of Sophie crying in Taj’s
arms, Gabe white-faced behind them.

“Gabe
was saying bad things. I had to stop him from spouting those lies,” Jered says
under his breath, pleading with me to understand the rage that burns inside
him. I do not release my hold on his face.

“Shh,”
I soothe.

“He
called my father an asshole,” Jered says.

I
bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Though I do shoot a look at Gabe. He
should not be talking about Sophie’s father like that in front of her.

“It’s
okay,” Sophie sniffs, as though reading my thoughts. “Daddy hurt Jered, didn’t
he? And...and you?”

All
words are lost in a jumble in my head, and all I can do is nod and swallow.

“He
hurt you?” Jered asks. He’s looking feverish now, and I smooth a hand over his
forehead. “Is this about that lead vest again? Because...because I already told
you, he was just protecting himself.”

Taj
is by my side in a flash, prying Jered from my arms. “No, Jered. This is not
about the lead vest. This is about a thousand years of torture, degradation,
and enslavement for which your father is responsible.”

I
wish I could somehow prevent the look on Jered’s face. The kind of pain no one
should have to experience. Ever. Except maybe Kitra. And Achan. But not his
son. Not his children.

Jered
collapses against Taj’s chest, sobbing and wailing until I have to cover my
ears. I cannot stand this another moment.

“I
will find him,” I say. “If I don’t do it soon...” My voice trails off.

“You
should take him,” Taj says, cutting off the sound of Jered’s lament with a
finger. “I can’t be responsible for what might happen, and I hate to kill
someone you care about.”

I
nod. I should be able to protect him, now that I am free. I gather Jered into
my arms awkwardly, unsure how to handle him when he is so unstable.

“It
seems to me,” Taj says thoughtfully. “That the emotion is strong but adjusts
depending on how we interact with him.” He winks.

I
find Jered’s face again, wet with tears, and press my lips to his. The change
is immediate. He pushes back with abandon, knocking me onto the floor in his
haste to return my kiss. I would laugh if I could catch my breath. But then, I
don’t want him to start crying again.

“Jered,”
I say, as his lips trail down my neck. “Not here. Sophie. Gabe.”

He
pulls away from me, a hand clasped to his mouth. Embarrassment. Good. This is
more manageable.

“Let’s
go,” I say, offering a hand to help him up. He complies, and I transport us to
his father’s house.

It
appears at first that no one is home. I stretch out my senses before us,
searching. And just as I am about to give up and move on somewhere else, I find
the hint of a heartbeat, upstairs in the master bedroom.

I
squeeze Jered’s hand and lead him up the steps and down the hall. I thrust my
palm against the door, flinging it open to find Achan sitting on the edge of
the bed, head buried in his hands.

“Get
up,” I say.

His
fingers slip down his face, and he looks at me.

“Are
you going to let your Djinni speak to me that way, Jered?” Achan asks.

Jered
looks pained again, and I sigh. “I am no longer his Djinni.”

“What?”
Achan stands.

I
pull Jered behind me. “That’s right. Don’t you notice anything different?”

His
eyes fall on my neck, and he quakes with fear. With one hand I grasp the air in
front of me, lifting him from the bed by his neck. Jered claws at my arms,
pleading with me, but I silence him.

“Leela,”
Achan chokes. “Leela, please.”

“Yes.
Beg.” I drop him to the floor, and he crawls toward me like the coward he is,
grasping at the bottom of my shirt. “Don’t touch me,” I say, flicking a finger
at him. He flies back across the room, crashing into the nightstand and
knocking over the lamp on top.

He’s
crying now. How pathetic. Unfortunately, Jered is doing the same, clinging to
my leg. I have to fix him.

“You
will repair his aura. NOW.” I backhand the space in front of me, and Achan, who
is trying to work his way to his feet, is flung back to the floor.

“Okay!
Okay!” he says with arms raised protectively over his head.

I
watch wearily as he stands and slowly makes his way toward us.

“That’s
far enough,” I say. “You will not touch him directly.”

“How
do you expect me to repair the damage if I can’t touch him?” Achan asks.

“Do
you think I am a fool? You will not take his body,” I say.

“We
both have reason not to trust each other,” Achan says. “I want a guarantee. A
guarantee that you will leave me alone if I fix him.”

“You
are in no position–” I begin, lifting my hand to strike.

“He
will die soon,” Achan says, some of the cold calculating gleam back in his
eyes. I pause. “If I don’t do something, the stress on his heart will kill
him.”

I
lick my lips. “What do you propose?” I ask.

“What
I propose is a deal. You can have him. Whole and unblemished if he means that
much to you.”

“And?”
I ask.

“And
you put this on.” Achan pulls a black ribbon from the air. A second opal gleams
in the center.

“I
see,” I say.

But
all I really see – is red.

Trap

“
t
isn’t what you think,” he says quickly. “It is a fake. In fact, you can make
your own if you like.”