Marked (24 page)

When we near the kitchen, I try to slide my hand out of Zane’s.  I’m not sure if I’m ready for Hank and Mrs. Gregori to know about us, for my sake and for his.  I don’t want to come between him and his family. 

Zane keeps a firm grip on my hand and gives me an ‘I dare you’ look.  Fine.  If he doesn’t care if they know, I guess I shouldn’t either.  He’s being much more adult about this than I am.  We walk into the kitchen hand in hand. 

Mrs. Gregori is at the table drinking coffee and watching the morning news.  Hank is frying bacon and eggs; it smells delicious.  Turning from the stove, his eyes zero in on the fact that Zane is keeping me close.  He looks at our clasped hands and then at Zane.  “You know what you’re doin’, son?”

Zane nods.  “I do.”

Hank grunts and turns back to the stove.  “Sit down then and have some breakfast.”

“Two more,” Mrs. Gregori says.  “The bastards have killed two more.”

Guilt spreads through me as my brain registers what that means.  Here I am screwing a hot guy while someone out there is killing people, trying to draw me out.  I am a horrible person.  Djinni.  Whatever I am, I’m horrible.

I sit in the first available chair before the guilt overwhelms me, making me unable to stand.  “Who were they?” I ask quietly.  I can see in Zane’s eyes that he’s carrying the weight of my guilt as well, but he’s trying not to show it.  We agreed that it would be a bad idea to tell the others about our weird binding situation. 

Mrs. Gregori starts to speak, but Hank beats her to it.  “That ain’t what you need to be focusing on.  It don’t matter who they were, a life is a life.  You need to be focusing on your training so you can stop the sons of a bitches doin’ this.”

“How do I do that?  How do I stop them?”  Do I fight them or do I burn them alive?  If I burn them, I’m assuming their bodies won’t just disintegrate into thin air.  I’d have to dispose of the bodies if I couldn’t send them back through the veil.  If I send them back through the veil dead and burned to a crisp, would the other djinn take that as an act of war and come after me in droves? 

“You have to confront them,” Brielle says, bringing my whirling mind to a halt.

I feel Zane stiffen behind me.  Whether it’s from my fear or his, I don’t know.  What am I thinking, of course it’s mine.  He confronts djinni’s all the time.  “I don’t even know where to find them.”

“They’ll find you,” Mrs. Gregori says.  “As soon as you set foot out of here, they’ll be on your tail.  So like Hank said, you need to get a move on with your training before more people get killed.”

Before more people get killed.  Every minute I spend in this house gives the djinn
more
time to murder
more
innocent human beings.  All because I’m too much of a coward to face my enemy.  I have learned so many things about myself these past few days, and I haven’t liked a great deal of that information.  My cowardice is one of those things. 

“Of course,” I whisper to Mrs. Gregori.  In a stronger voice, I say, “I think I’ll skip breakfast.  I just need to use the bathroom and I’ll be ready to start training.” 

Zane steps back so I can stand.  He gives my hand a squeeze and I walk down the hall to the nearest bathroom.  Closing the door, I wipe the first tear from my cheek, but then they start falling like rain and I can’t keep up. 

This family that I thought I hated just a short time ago, that I unconsciously blamed for my troubles, is willing to take me in, keep me safe, and teach me to be strong.  Physically and emotionally.  All the while putting their own lives in danger.  All the while, watching innocent people die so I can stay safe, and I bet that tears them apart as much as it does me.  How can I keep doing this?

I can’t.

I splash some cold water on my face and stand up straight.  I square my shoulders and put a determined expression on my face.  I exit the bathroom, turn left instead of right and keep walking until I reach the front door.  I open it and walk outside, not looking back.  I’m done running and hiding.  Cowardice will not rule me and I will not continue to let others be hurt in my stead.

I get about halfway down the driveway.  I don’t have to turn around to know whose footsteps they are.  “Zane, go back to the house.  I need to do this.”

“Bullshit.  You need to come back to the house so we can figure out what to do besides you committing suicide.”

I keep walking.  “I’ll be fine.”  I doubt that.  Hell, I don’t even know where I’m going.  I seriously doubt the djinn are waiting for me at the end of the long driveway.  I have no money on me, no personal belongings.  Am I doing the right thing or am I simply acting like an idiotic, impulsive child?  Probably the latter, but at least I feel like I’m doing something.

“Skye, don’t be stupid.  Get your ass back to the house.”  Brielle, always the sensitive one.

“I have to agree,” Roman says.

I continue to ignore the three of them and keep walking.  I’ll figure this out.  I’m sure I will. 

Somehow I’m not surprised when a dense fog begins to form around me.  When it’s thick enough that I can’t see anything else, I stop.  “What?” I scream into the fog.  “What do you want?”

Light laughter reaches me through the whiteness.  “You have not been tamed by your life amongst the humans,” Malik says.  “It is good to see the fight returning to you.”

“Well, you get enough people trying to kill you, it’s hard to stay docile.”

His shape moves from the mist and he’s suddenly right in front of me.  I try hard to keep my mouth from dropping open and my feet planted to their spot.  Malik is not only beautiful, he feels like home to me.  His blonde hair that falls just above his shoulder and his blue eyes that are a perfect shade of indigo are a sight I’ve known my whole life.  He is tall and muscular, but I know that if he wraps his arms around me, they will be soft and yielding.  I want to run to him, bury myself in those arms and beg him to keep me safe.

He reaches out and touches my cheek.  “You are as beautiful as I remember.”

I can’t help tilting my head and cradling my cheek in his hand.  “Why did you bring me here?  I thought it wasn’t safe.”

He shakes his head sadly.  “The saitan know who you are now; I can no longer keep your identity from them.  It is time for you to fight.  Just not alone.”  He drops his hand back to his side and I somehow keep from snatching it back.  “You have always been so independent, so headstrong.  You would never listen to anyone but me, and that was infrequent.  I’m asking that you let this be one of those times.  You have made mistakes, my dear one, but you cannot let those mistakes stop you from becoming who you are meant to be.   Now that you are aware of what fate holds for you, you must accept it.”

A memory hits me.  I’m young and just got in trouble for doing something my parents didn’t like.  I don’t remember what I did, but I do recall how angry I was.  A blonde boy not much older than me puts his arms around me and comforts me while I rant and rave about how unfair it is for me to be punished.  Whether he agreed with our parents or not, he never let on.  He just stayed by my side until he had me smiling again with his silly jokes and riddles.

“You’re my brother,” I say quietly.  Everything makes sense now.  That is why I feel so close to him.  He is home to me.

 He smiles.  “Finally.   The spell locking your memories away is weakening.  Soon all of them will return.”  His smile fades.  “However, not all of them will be pleasant.”

“I know,” I say softly. 

Malik’s cheeks redden slightly and he averts his eyes when he says, “You have chosen another lover.  Humans are vulnerable, Skye.  As you have learned, a Marid cannot be bound by a human but we can bind them to us, make them our slaves.  Take care that you do not rule his mind as you now rule his body.  We are fighting to keep humans safe; along the way you are going to have to make some tough choices.  Having a lover so vulnerable may not be the wisest decision.”

I’ve known he is my big brother for about two minutes and we’re having the sex talk.  Uncomfortable does not even begin to describe how I feel at the moment.  “I won’t let him get hurt.”

Malik’s eyes meet mine again.  “You cannot promise that, to yourself or to him.  When the saitan discover him, they will use him against you.”  Selfishly, I already knew that. 

“Why did I let Roman mark me?”

Malik’s eyes flash with anger.  “You must remember these things on your own; it is forbidden to enlighten you of your past.  After you were marked and injured, I had to care for you and did not have time for revenge.  But know this, there will come a day when I kill Roman for what he has done.”

Malik becomes still, his mouth still open with the last syllable of his threat hanging in the air.  Black smoke is rising, forming a ring around me.  I can’t move; I can’t escape it.  When it reaches my chest, I can hardly breathe.  I try to scream but the pressure against my throat is too much, I can’t make a sound.

“I just love subjecting beings to their fears.  It’s the highlight of my days.”  Beelzebub is now before me, sitting on a throne of white.

He rises from his seat and walks to me.  His leer seems generic, like something he’s so used to wearing that he forgets it’s even there.  “Look at you:  eyes wide, pupils dilated, your mind racing to find an escape plan.  You’re all alike, you know.  Whether you’re djinn, human or angel; you all react the same.  First, you demand to know where you are and why you’re here, and then the begging commences.  When your pleading has gone unanswered, you begin to bargain.  Anything and everything you have ever held dear will be offered up, if only you can escape my prison.”

The smoke around my neck loosens and I gasp for the much needed oxygen.  When I have enough to speak, I rasp out, “I will not beg you for anything, nor will I offer you anything.”

He laughs, sounding more bored than entertained.  “Of course you won’t.  At least, not today.”

The black smoke is winding down my body now, leaving me terrified but able to move.  Malik is nowhere in sight.  “I thought you said I wasn’t going to be fighting you any time soon.”  Looking at his throne, I can’t help adding, “Are those skulls?  Isn’t that a little cliché?”

Beelzebub looks back at his throne.  “Yes, but I find it is what most people expect.  Dreadfully uncomfortable sitting on bones.  I much prefer this.”  He snaps his fingers and a leather recliner takes the place of the throne.  “Humans have discovered the keys to comfort, haven’t they?”

I’m going to assume that was rhetorical.  “If you’re not going to try to kill me today, why did you bring me here?”

His bored smile is back as he sits in his chair and leans back with his feet up.  “It seems we have a common enemy right now.  A downright nasty fellow who enjoys getting under my skin.  I want you to kill him for me.”

My brows slam together and I let out a humorless laugh.  “Do I look like an assassin to you?”

“Interesting,” Beelzebub says, his smile becoming less bored.  “I expected your first reaction to be claiming you would never willingly kill another being.”

That probably should have been my reaction, but I’m trying to be a bit more realistic about my situation.  When Malik said there would be difficult choices, I got the general idea that some of those decisions would be life or death, and not necessarily my life or death.  Beelzebub is waiting for a response, but I have nothing to say.

“Oh, you are full of surprises.  I may even grow to like you.”

“Does that mean you won’t try to kill me?”

He looks surprised.  “Why, of course not.”

Figures.  “Then what’s my incentive?”

Beelzebub shrugs.  “That he not kill you first.”

I’m not that stupid.  “If it was just a matter of me protecting myself, you wouldn’t have brought me to this awful, smoke infested place.”  The black smoke that is still swirling around has filled my lungs, making me feel as if I’ve smoked for the past sixty years.  I now may die of lung cancer before the djinn can get to me.

He stands from his chair so quickly, I hardly see him move.  He’s a lot sprier than he lets on.  I take an involuntary step back when he approaches.  “You are correct.  I brought you here to be certain that the battle ends with death.”

“Does it matter to you if it’s mine or his?” 

He’s practically in my face now.  His breath is so putrid, I can barely breathe.  It’s as if he’s spent the last millennia eating rotten tuna fish with spoiled mayonnaise.  I try to keep from inhaling.  “If it did not matter to me, you would not be here.” 

I try to take in just enough air to speak.  “Who is this common enemy we supposedly have.”  I know I have lots of enemies.  I didn’t think he would have any he couldn’t take care of himself.

Beelzebub spins abruptly and walks back to his chair.  Without turning back, he says calmly, “It is my son.”

My eyes are blinking so rapidly, it’s as if I’m seeing him through a strobe light; but it’s the only physical reaction I’m allowing myself to have.  I must have misheard him.  “Did you say, your son?”

“One of them, yes.”  He is back to sitting in his recliner.

I’m still blinking.  “Why would you want to kill your son?”

He raises a brow.  “I do not want to kill my son.  I want you to do it.”

I’m being asked by the devil to kill his offspring.  This is some kind of trap.  “Are you afraid to do it yourself?”  I sure as hell don’t want to do it if he’s scared to do it.

Beelzebub laughs.  “Fear has nothing to do with.  There are simply laws against such things.”

“Whose laws?”

Half of his mouth curls up in something close to a smile.  “The universe is a mysterious place.  There are some things that one simply does not tamper with.”

“What do I get in return?”  I’m assuming I don’t really have a choice in this.  He’ll find a way to make me do it, so I might as well be proactive.

“Excuse me?”  His face darkens with anger.

I have to hold my ground.  “If I asked a favor of you, you would expect something in return.”  At least, that’s what all the stories say.

His calculating eyes stare at me for more heartbeats than I care for.  Finally, he growls, “What do you want?”

“I want the djinn to stop murdering humans.”

A real belly laugh almost has him doubling over.  “You expect me to stop murder?  How am I to tame the basic animal instinct that lives in all beings?  You ask for too much.”

I’m so angry that I feel blood pooling in my cheeks.  I’m sure I popped several blood vessels and may start bleeding from my pores soon.  “I meant I want you to stop the djinn who are murdering people because of me.  The ones who are carving my name in innocent people.”

He sobers and the calculating look is back.  “That is all you request.”

Uh oh.  I’m doing something wrong, but I don’t know what.  Shit.  It’s not like there’s a rule book for bargaining with the devil.  With a foreboding sigh, I say, “Yes.”

“Done.”  With that one little word, I’ve become the devil’s hired gun.

Beelzebub sits back in his chair.  “I am curious.  Why did you not ask me to kill the djinn who are perpetrating these horrible crimes against humanity in your name?  I would have thought your djinn nature would have required an eye for an eye.  You did not ask for murder yet you agreed to perform it.”

It’s kind of convoluted in my head as well, but I attempt to explain it.  “If I asked you to murder the ones doing the murdering, or even if I did it myself, others would just step in and take their place.  If you stop the ones who are doing it with whatever means you use, I’m assuming you’re not going to just ask them politely to stop, that will discourage anyone else from trying to draw me out that way.  I’m not happy with our bargain.  It makes me sick to my stomach that I’ve agreed to kill for you, even if it is to save human lives, but if that’s the only way, then I will become a killer.”

Is that respect in his eyes?  I don’t think it’s a good thing to have the devil respect you.  “You are on the apex of a slippery slope, my dear Skye.  I am going to enjoy watching you slide down it.”

I’m going to ignore that.  “Who do I have to kill and how do I find him?  And how do I kill him?”

Five minutes later, I know who, where and how.  This is really going to happen.  I’m going to commit murder.  So much for being a doctor.  Murder pretty much shoots the Hippocratic Oath all to hell.

“Are we done now?” I ask Beelzebub.

With a wicked smile, he says, “Yes.”  Then, what I thought was solid ground under my feet opens and I fall.