Bound (Secrets of the Djinn) (30 page)

“Good to see you can pay attention sometimes,” Beelzebub drawls
when the pain begins to subside. 

All around us is mist, or is it smoke?  I’m not sure.  I’ve never been able to tell what makes up the veil.  “You could have just told me,” I say, my tone sharper than I meant it to be.
  After all, he did show me the way.  For that, I owe him civility at the very least.

“What have you done?” growls my mother.  Jalynx’s form has fallen away and she is the djinni I remember only from pictures.  Tall and willowy, her long blonde hair flow
s down past her waist, and she truly is beautiful.  I can see why Beelzebub once loved her.  He didn’t say it, but the betrayal in his eyes when my mother caught him in the power of the ring was proof enough.

“I’ve evened the playing field,” I say, hoping I did the right thing.

“You side with the devil instead of your mother?  What a worthless child you are.  If only Malik had been born the Protector.  He and I would rule the world on both sides of the veil.”

“Well, he’s not.  I
am and I have no intention of letting you rule over either.”

“You truly are as craven as your father was.  Do you think he had any great fondness for humans?  No, he hated them as much as I do.  He was too much of a coward to speak this aloud, though
.  He told pretty little lies about how we should protect the frail, pathetic creatures because he feared the wrath of God.  He was a fool.”

“Was he, Mother?” a voice asks from behind her.  Still in his body, Malik walks from the mist.  I pulled him here with us so he could hear from her own lips what a twisted individual our mother is.

Our mother reels on me.  “You little bitch!”  She is on me in a heartbeat, spirit to spirit, soul to soul.  It had to be this way.  I had to face her on her own plane of existence.  When one has been a spirit for so long, the book had warned, it becomes immune to even the most powerful mortal magic either side of the veil.  Here, between worlds, she is vulnerable.  More information Beelzebub planted in my mind through the ancient tome.  Yes, he could have simply told me all this, but would I have listened?  Probably not. 

Malik rushes to us,
wanting to pull us apart, to pry our mother’s hands from around my neck.  His arms pass right through us.  He can do nothing but watch.  Beelzebub chooses to do the same.  My mother is strong, a warrior in her time.  Everything I ever learned about fighting comes back to me, yet for a moment, I’m not sure it’s enough.  She is doing everything in her power to break me. 

Gradually, I can feel her weakening.  I
t takes a lot for her to exert so much energy.  Still anchored to my body, and to Zane, I am able to draw on both to keep myself strong and fierce.  Soon, our mother/daughter dance comes to an end with me as victor. My mother lies beneath me, her spirit waning and weak. 

The sound of clapping drags my attention to Beelzebub.  “Well done, my dear,” he says.

Choosing to ignore him, I look instead to my brother.  He is standing open mouthed, shocked and hurt beyond words.  Everything he knew, everything he believed in has been taken away from him.  Unfortunately, I know exactly how that feels.  I’ve experienced it twice.  Rising, I go to him.  I can’t hug him like I want to do, but I place my hand next to his cheek.  “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

“You do realize something must be done with her?” Beelzebub asks.

Turning to him, I ask, “What do you suggest?” 

I expect him to say ‘kill her’ but instead, he says,
“What I want to suggest and what is possible are two very different things.”  I hate it when he speaks in riddles, but I’m too tired to argue with him.  I simply wait for him to continue.  Seeming disappointed by my lack of curiosity, he says, “I am loathe to admit it, but her love making is surpassed only by her talent at thievery.  She stole more than my ring.  She stole a piece of my immortality, as well.”

“I would rather not hear about your sex life with my mother,” I say, cringing at the thought of them together.  “What do you mean she stole a piece of your immortality
?  How is that possible?”

His eyes narrow.  “The details are unimportant.”  Like hell they are, but I don’t push.  It’s obviously information he doesn’t care to make public.  “Suffice it to say, your mother needs safe keeping.”

“I will take responsibility for her,” Malik says, sounding nothing like the brother I know.  His voice is smaller, made weaker by betrayal.

“I think not,” Beelzebub says.  “I will take on that responsibility myself.”

Putting as much force in my words as possible, I say, “I will not hand her over to you to torture.  She is still my mother.”

A wicked smile forms on the devil’s lips.  “
After seeing your battle prowess, I certainly would not want to risk your wrath.  So, no, I will not torture her.  Much.  Instead, I will keep her as the djinn were meant to be kept.”  An old fashioned lamp made of glistening copper appears in his hands.

I shake my head in disgust.  “You’re planning to keep her in Aladdin’s lamp?  Really?”

Beelzebub shrugs and his wicked smile turns into an amused grin.  “You must let me have some fun.  Imprisonment in a lamp is nothing compared to what I would like to do to her.”

Sighing loudly, I admit to myself that this is the best he will offer.  “Do I have your word you won’t harm her?”

He laughs.  “My word?  Why would you take me at my word when not ten minutes ago you accused me of being a liar?”

Cocking my head to the side, I give him a long, assessing look.  Finally, I say, “
You won’t lie to me.”

Even more amused, Beelzebub snaps his fingers and my mother’s spirit is lifted from the ground.  It’s disquieting to watch as she folds in on herself as he puts her in the lamp.  “Does that hurt her?”

Shrugging, Beelzebub puts the lid back in place.  “A little.”  Placing the lamp under his arm, he says, “Your tether grows weaker by the moment.  Remember, he is only a frail human.”

Zane’s hold on
me is beginning to falter.  I need to go back before the bond is broken.  First, I must to do the right thing.  I move close to Beelzebub.  Raising a hand to rest on his cheek, I press a light kiss to his lips.  He’s too surprised to react.  Stepping back, I say, “The payment you demand for the help you give me.”  Before he can say anything, I give in to the pull of the tether between Zane and me.  With much less pain than when I left my body, I am once again whole.

Chapter 34

Zane is on his knees, panting.  “Jesus, Skye, I didn’t think it would hurt that much.”

“What the fuck happened?” Brielle asks.

“It’s a long story,” I tell her.

“It appears we have the time to listen,” Mrs. Gregori snarks.  “Mind you, after we rid the yard of these half-dead monsters.”  I don’t like that she called my kin monsters, but since they came here with the intent to kill her and her family if need be, I’m going to let it slide this time. 

“We will return the Marid to their rightful place beyond the veil,” Roman says, indicating the small group of djinn standing near him.  I remember cleansing their souls.  I bet they’re not my biggest fans anymore.  “Both the living and the dead,” Roman adds.

The dead.  What is my death toll now?  No, I can’t go there.  Like Hank said, this is war and I have to do my part.  Even if that means killing. 
Ultimately, though, I need to figure out what I’m really fighting for.  Keeping humans safe is a given.  But what about the war between the Saitan and Marid?  I can’t just automatically side with the Marid. I’ve seen proof tonight that djinn on both sides want peace, and djinn on both sides want to cross the veil. Perhaps I need to concentrate on the rebels, build up their ranks with both Marid and Saitan until we have the numbers to end the war once and for all. 

“Thank you,
” I say to Roman. He nods and he and his friends begin the process of clearing bodies.  I don’t ask what they’ll do with the dead. 

Rising to his feet, Zane takes my hands in his.  His face is still pale and his hands are shaking a bit.  “You are really hard on boyfriends.  Has anyone ever told you that?”

Despite everything that has happened, he can still make me smile.  “I’ll try to take it easy on you from now on.”

He pulls me into his arms and hugs me.  “I would appreciate it.” 

We both know I lied.  Our connection is what it is and this war is just beginning.  We can dwell on that later, though.  Right now, we’ll settle for our happy little delusions.

“Is your brother okay?” Brielle asks.

I didn’t realize Malik had returned.  He’s standing in the driveway, watching Roman and his friends.  The smell of devastation pours from him and my heart breaks.  “He just found out his life has been a lie,” I say quietly.  I start to pull away from Zane so I can go to him, but Brielle is already walking towards him.  My brother will probably find more comfort in her arms right now than mine. 

“Damn it, Hank, you don’t need just a couple of stitches, you need a hospital!” Mrs. Gregori says.  I forgot about Hank’s wound.

“Roman looked at it and said it would be fine,” Hank huffs.  “It’s just a flesh wound.”

Overhearing him, Roman turns from the djinni he was about to lift.  “That’s not what I said.  I said I would prefer you go to the hospital but if you insist on being treated here, I could stitch you up and hope for the best.”

Hank grumbles something under his breath that Roman probably didn’t want to hear.  Jumping to his feet suddenly, which is remarkable considering his size, Hank cries, “What the hell?!”  I’ve never seen him freaked out before.

“What the devil got into you?” Mrs. Gregori asks.  She’s even more shocked by his behavior than I am.

“The cut, it’s gone,” he says.

About thirty feet away, I spy a tall figure holding a copper lamp.  He winks at me and then disappears.  Once again, the devil has saved someone I love.  Damn him.  If he keeps this up, I
will be forced to consider him a friend.  I give myself a mental shake.  No, I will never be that stupid.  I owe him another kiss now.  I’m sure he’ll come to collect it.

Tugging at my hand, Zane says, “Let’s go inside.”

I follow behind him, expecting him to lead me to the sitting room so we can disarm ourselves.  Instead, we walk to the elevator and he pushes the button.  Pulling me into his arms as the cage starts to move, he kisses me deeply.  “I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.  I lean into him and kiss him until the elevator reaches the second floor.

Leading me to our room, he takes off his vest and helps me with mine. 
Sitting down on the bed, he pats the spot next to him.  His expression is serious as I join him and dread washes over me.

Reading my mind, he smiles.  “Relax, I have something I want to give you.”  He reaches into the pocket o
f his t-shirt.  I can’t see what’s in his hand.  “Someday, when the apocalypse is no longer in sight, I’m pretty sure I’m going to ask you to marry me.  Until then, I would like you to wear this promise ring.” 

He opens his fingers to reveal a gold ring.  A ring etched with symbols that seem almost alive.  They move across the surface, changing and reforming.  I look up at Zane with wide eyes.  “Solomon’s ring.  How did you get it?”

Grinning, he says, “Being in pain is a great excuse to writhe on the ground near a discarded, powerful object.  I picked it up and no one was the wiser.”

That’s
why Beelzebub came back.  Healing Hank was an afterthought.  He wanted his ring back.  Too bad.  I take it from Zane’s palm and put it on my finger.  It seems to mold around my skin so it fits perfectly.

We should go downstairs and check on everyone.  I’m not sure where Jalynx is and I’m worried about my brother. 
Instead, I lean forward and kiss Zane, murmuring against his lips, “Thank you for keeping your promise.”  I push him back against the bed and begin to take off his clothes.

Chapter 35

Hours later, I’m woken by the touch of a familiar finger gliding across my cheek.  Opening my eyes, I’m not at all surprised.  I expected him to come.

“I won’t give it back,” I tell him.

“One day you will.  I simply need to bide my time, something I have in great quantity,” Beelzebub says quietly.

“Thank you for healing Hank.”

“You know why I did it.”

I nod.  “You did it so I would owe you.”

His grin is frightening.  “Yes, and I will come to collect what is owed soon.”  He glances at Zane’s sleeping figure.  “I suppose now it will be more difficult than ever to pry you away from your frail human.”

“I have no intention of leaving him.”

Bringing his eyes back to me, the devil says, “Remember, everything in the universe has at least two sides.  You may not like the other side of this.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Chuckling, Beelzebub says, “You are more like your mother than you know.”