Tales of the Djinn: The Guardian (42 page)

Her magical command did its job. He was
coming too, lurching deep into her and groaning at his release’s
strength. His heat poured into her as hers flooded out.

He drew out their pleasure as long as he was
able. Then his full weight dropped onto her.

“Need to breathe,” she reminded after a few
moments. He rolled onto his back, his slightly shaky arms bringing
her with him.

Panting, she kissed his pounding chest
gratefully. He made a rumbling noise she wasn’t sure was supposed
to be language. It didn’t matter. She understood because the same
feelings were inside her. Her emotions ran deeper than happiness.
She seemed to have found a person she truly matched, not because
they were the same but because their differences clicked.

She knew how special that was.

“Love you,” she said.

“Too,” he managed to mumble back.

If she’d been a different sort of person,
she’d have sunk into oblivion with him. She couldn’t do it. Her
brain was wired to overthink. She lolled on top of him a few
minutes and then sat up.

Arcadius seemed to be on another page.

“Can’t move yet,” he slurred. “Being
compelled to come was—” he paused to stretch and yawn “—like having
a mule kick the climax out of me.”

He didn’t sound like he was complaining.
Elyse patted him. “I’m going to open the courtyard doors. Maybe
look at the stars a bit.”

“Mm,” he said and closed his eyes.

She pulled on his shirt, childishly loving
how big it was on her as she buttoned it. Wrapped up in his scent,
she half expected him to roll out of bed and join her—despite his
obvious weariness. She supposed him staying was a commander thing.
He slept when he got the chance. She was the stupid one, giving in
to her restlessness.

Stupid or not, she kept going. The secluded
courtyard she entered was on the roof of a lower floor. The
palace’s recently awakened residents must be conked out like
Arcadius. The complex was quiet, the sky above its domes deep black
and strewn with stars. These stars were different from the ones she
was accustomed to—not that she saw the constellations much in
Manhattan, where the city’s lights obscured them. Here, the two
brightest stars she spotted twinkled in pink and green.

She wondered what was happening at the
brownstone. She’d been gone a bit now, and probably wouldn’t be
able to travel back until the city’s portals were recharged. Were
Mario and Cara still camped out, preparing some dastardly welcome
for her return? Without her there, who’d collect rent? And pay
utilities? God, she hoped garbage pickup went off okay. What day
was it now anyway?

Had Aunt June reported Uncle Vince missing to
the police?

Upset now, Elyse gnawed on her thumbnail. Her
questions couldn’t have been less calming.

You didn’t have enough to worry you right
here?
she thought.
You had to add things you can’t do
anything about to the list?

She glanced over her shoulder at the open
door to the room where Arcadius slept. She could go back to bed but
doubted she’d drop off. A bushy palm grew beside another door on
the courtyard’s opposite side. Were more of the sultan’s rooms
behind it? Maybe further exploring would tire her out.

Giving in to temptation, she padded to the
door. The space behind it was pitch-dark. Feeling slightly idiotic,
she tried to invent a spell for light. Nothing happened when she
said it. She guessed she couldn’t do magic unless Arcadius or
Joseph were there to support her. As djinn, their faith was
unshakable. Hers had to be worked at.

She was about to turn back when she thought
she saw a distant luminosity.

Her pulse picked up. Had she done that or was
someone here?

“Hello?” she called softly.

The light came nearer. It was Joseph. He was
carrying a small lantern. “Elyse?”

She immediately remembered she wasn’t wearing
much. “Sorry.” She pulled Arcadius’s shirt closer around her. “I
couldn’t sleep. I wondered what was over here.”

“Iksander’s private library. I’m seeing if I
can find an answer to the two Arcadiuses’ dilemma.”

“Could I help?”

He smiled. “Probably not. Though you
understand our spoken language, I doubt you can read our books.” He
hesitated. “I did make tea, if you’d like to keep me company.”

She nodded and followed him.

“I’ll turn on the rest of the lights,” he
said. “I didn’t want to risk disturbing you.”

The rest of the lights were candles, some
flickering in candelabra, others protected by glass sconces. Joseph
“turned them on” with a whispered word. The library wasn’t as huge
as some of the other rooms, but it was very tall and floor to
ceiling shelves. The kid inside Elyse wanted to climb the rolling
ladders and push herself around the room.

“This is great,” she said.

Joseph was pouring tea at a small table. He’d
been working here a while. The nearby chairs all held fat open
books. “This library is one of my favorite rooms in the palace. I’m
actually happy for an excuse to do research.”

Elyse accepted a glass of hot mint tea. A
pretty silver holder with a handle allowed her to sip without being
burned. “Did you find anything?”

“Not yet. I’m stumped, to tell the truth. I
watched Arcadius’s original today. If I hadn’t known he only had a
fraction of a spirit, I’d swear he was a real person.”

“He isn’t a real person? Because he acted
like my Arcadius is the fake.”

“Well, that’s the question. While his
personality and Arcadius’s do seem to overlap, they also give the
impression of being separate individuals. I’ve been looking for
precedents in the historical record, but I can’t find examples of
anyone pulling off precisely what we did.”

“I’m not an expert but isn’t a spirit a huge
thing?”

“I suppose it is.” Joseph rubbed his chin.
“You’re suggesting ten percent of a spirit might be enough to . . .
power one small djinni.”

“Yes. If we—” She hesitated, not really in
her element discussing divine truths. “If that part of us comes
from God, a little piece of Him is still a piece of Him. It’s not
going to be measly. Sorry. I don’t know what djinn believe about
this stuff.”

“We are less certain on this topic than we
are on others.” He stared into space for a few moments.
“Unfortunately, this doesn’t help me solve the conundrum.”

She was tempted to ask if the conundrum had
to be solved. If it didn’t, she could keep her Arcadius as he was,
maybe even convince him to stay with her in her world. At the
least, once this crisis eased, he could make long visits. He said
he was in love with her. Was it presumptuous to think he’d consider
going back and forth?

This was the downside to jumping into things
in the heat of passion, to acting on impulse. When you finally had
a chance to think, the flaws in your decisions crashed in on you
all at once.

Her face must have revealed her dismay. “I
don’t think you’ll lose him,” Joseph said. “The Arcadius with the
greater part of his spirit is the one who fell in love with
you.”

“What about you?” she asked, realizing she
was being a bit self-engrossed.

“Me?” Joseph said, startled.

“Aren’t you worried that your original didn’t
wake?”

“Oh, I . . . I’m sure that will sort itself
out in time.” He turned away to busy himself over the tea things.
“Certainly, I feel like a whole person as I am. I’ll just continue
to make myself useful as best I can.”

Elyse squinted at his back. From what she
knew of him, Joseph had a highly developed sense of responsibility.
If his merged version would have more power to help his sultan and
his city, he’d be eager to become it.

The one reason this might not be the case
smacked her.

“Holy smokes,” she breathed. “You called
yourself a whole person. Your copy isn’t a eunuch.”

He spun back to her, his face blazing with
embarrassment and what definitely looked like guilt.

“I’m right,” she said, sure of it.

“Shush,” he hissed at her.

“But shouldn’t you talk about it? Don’t you
have different options now? Unless . . . when you meld back into
your original, will that be the body you live in?”

“Almost certainly,” he said. “That’s the main
point of recombining. That body has more powers. The Almighty made
it. This one is inferior.”

“Except in one important respect.”

“Not that important,” he muttered.

“Joseph,” she said. “You’re a man, not a
monk. Of course it’s important. Why have you been hiding this
anyway?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I had my concept
of myself ready to project into. I
knew
it needed to be as
close a copy as possible, so my spirit wouldn’t be too changed when
the time came to reunite. I guess—” He hitched his shoulders. “I
guess I don’t truly think of myself as half a man.”

His voice had roughened. Elyse couldn’t help
herself. She pulled him into a hug. Knowing he probably wasn’t
comfortable with that, she kept it quick. “You’re not half of
anything, no matter what.”

Joseph wouldn’t look at her. He was a grown
man, but right then he reminded her a miserable teenager.

“You know,” she said, “most people in your
situation would take this as an opportunity to sow some oats.”

“I can’t. It’s bad enough feeling so . . .
relieved that my original remained a statue. I’m afraid I’d never
want to go back.”

She squeezed his shoulder. She longed to give
advice but wasn’t sure it would be the right advice for him. At
last, he lifted his gaze to hers. When she saw his eyes were
swimming, hers welled up too.

“You’re the first friend I’ve had who was a
woman,” he confided. “I hope my original has enough sense to like
you.”

She wiped her cheeks and laughed. “Me too.
I’m very glad we met.”

His gazed dropped again. “Arcadius is
fortunate.”

“Joseph.” She watched him frown. Okay, he
didn’t want to talk about this. Not with her. Maybe not with
anyone. “Arcadius would understand you feeling conflicted.”

“He doesn’t need any more worries.”

She was on uncertain ground. “I don’t think
he’d see it that way. I’m pretty sure, if you wanted someone to
talk to, either of us would listen.”

Joseph bowed in thanks, and she saw that
wasn’t an empty thing. Done sincerely, his bow was a gesture of
respect.

“I’m your friend too,” she said, wanting that
to be clear.

“You honor me,” he responded.

~

Elyse left the library with a host of new
things to think about—new things to appreciate as well. She didn’t
just have an awesome lover. She also had a new friend. That was
better than treasure, no matter what challenges lay ahead.

Maybe she’d been right to feel proud of
herself for being brave. Maybe her impulses had led her somewhere
worth a risk or two.

With a lightened heart, she crawled back into
the cushy sultan’s bed. The room was dim but not dark. Arcadius
must have ordered the floating lights in the chandelier to turn
down. She assumed he was asleep, but as she settled, he rolled
toward her onto his side. His hand covered hers, his thumb rubbing
comfort into her knuckles. Part of her longed to blurt out Joseph’s
secret. Arcadius would want to know. The dilemma was that blabbing
would break friend code. She pressed her lips together as
Arcadius’s eyes opened.

“Did you enjoy the stars?” he asked.

“They were beautiful.”

Oh, it was hard to worry with him so close
and warm. She nudged his foot playfully with her toe, which made
both of them grin like kids.

“Do you miss your own stars?” he asked.

“What stars?” she joked. “We only have
streetlights in NYC.” She wriggled a little closer, getting
comfortable. “I
might
be homesick for a nice crusty bagel
with cream cheese.”

“It could be a couple months before we can
get you home.”

“I figured. I am a bit concerned about the
brownstone, but there’s lots of interesting stuff to do here.”

His face grew more serious. “If anything
happens to me, with my double, Joseph will look out for you.”

“Not that I want anything to happen, but I
suspect your double wouldn’t let me come to harm.”

“I suppose not,” he admitted. “If I were him,
I’d consider you my obligation too.”

She smiled at his choice of words. From what
she’d seen, Arcadius didn’t regard obligations as bad things. He
shifted, one knee sliding between hers until they were closer
still. “Maybe it’s too soon to discuss this,” he said, “since we
don’t know what will happen . . .”

“But?” she prompted.

He pulled her hand to his chest. “I want us
to find a way to be together. I don’t know if it will be possible,
but I want you to know that’s what I’m hoping for.”

To hell with not being impulsive. He made her
heart go gooey. “Me too.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He sighed with relief and smiled. Because he
was him and knew a thing or two about being cautious in his own
right, a moment later he sobered. “We probably shouldn’t make
promises we don’t know we can keep.”

“No,” she agreed straight-faced. “That would
be irresponsible.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Would I mock my new boyfriend?”

“Absolutely.”

She pushed him onto his back and laughed.
When she straddled his waist on her knees, gleams of interest lit
his eyes. His hips shifted, rustling the sheets and suggesting he
might not be that tired.

“Are you going to have your way with me?” he
asked.

“I’m going to try,” she promised.

~

Halfway to dreamland, Arcadius lay on his
back when the sensations hit. A slender woman perched on his waist,
drawing her touch down him. He wasn’t alarmed. One of the female
servants must have slipped into his bedroom. They did this
sometimes, though it was frowned upon. Apparently, a big serious
man like him attracted some women like catnip. They liked to play
with him and giggle, to pretend he might do something
dangerous.