As You Wish (4 page)

“I will talk to Niri. Now, go. I need to rest before Karis calls me.”

Rafi strode towards the door, turning his head back towards his friend. “And what if she doesn’t?”

That thought never crossed his mind. He knew she would. “She will.”

“I hope you are right. Good magic.”

“Good magic.”

The door closed as he poured another drink. He walked back into his bedroom and cast a glance at the candles lining his wall. Flickering candlelight instantly bounded up from the candles as he stretched out on his bed. His thoughts turned back to Karis and he reached out to her. Her energy was easy to pick up on and he was happy to see she still slept peacefully.

“Sleep well, dear Karis, you’re going to need your rest.”

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes. He would also need a few hours of rest for what lay ahead for them both.

* * * *

Warm rays of sunlight on her face woke her up. Karis groaned as she opened her eyes and tried to ignore the dull ache hammering against her skull. She sat up in bed and pressed her index finger and thumb against the bridge of her nose in an effort to slow down the onslaught of the headache. Despite the minor discomfort in her head, she felt rested which had not been the case for weeks. Twisting her neck from side to side, her gaze fell on the dark bottle nestled on her other pillow.

Vander!

Scrambling from the bed, she stood transfixed by the only reminder of yesterday evening’s extraordinary events. Had she really summoned a genie in a bottle? Her mind wanted to refute the answer but she could still recall the feel of Vander’s strong heartbeat under her hands. She was certain he was real and the decision he had left her with still needed to be made.

Startled by the shrill ring of her phone, she tore her eyes away from the bottle as she clicked ‘talk’ on the receiver. “Hello?”

“Karis?”

She let up on the death grip she had on the phone and relaxed as she recognised the voice of her assistant. “Good morning, Oscar.”

“I’m sorry to call so early, but I couldn’t reach you yesterday.”

“I know. What’s up?”

Oscar huffed. “What’s up? Let’s see, Mrs. Malloy is still waiting for her order, which was promised to her on Friday. You’ve got two more portraits due this week and you haven’t been to the studio for days.”

Karis closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. You know how crazy things have been.” Nothing had been the same since her mother’s disappearance over six months ago. Keeping her clients happy had taken a backseat and her business was suffering.

“That’s an understatement!” Oscar sighed. “I’m not trying to come down on you. I know how nuts things have been for you.”

You have no idea
, Karis thought as she sat up with images of Vander’s half-naked body in her mind.

“I just wanted to let you know what was going on here. What can I do to help?”

“What you’re already doing.” She closed her eyes and exhaled silently. “I just need a couple of good days in the studio to catch up.”

“You hate working under pressure.”

“Yeah, I know.” She listened to Oscar greet someone in the store and thought about all the projects waiting for her at the studio.

Her tiny studio had built a reputation on superior work and craftsmanship and now people came by word of mouth alone. Being an artist gave her a sense of peace about her purpose in the world and oil painting was her outlet, the one area in her life she truly connected with other people. She had been searching for a bigger building to rent before her life had been turned upside down.

“Karis, I’m going to have to hang up with you. I think we’ve got a serious customer.”

“Wait, are you still there?”

“I am, dear. Hurry, she’s looking at the Garden portrait.”

“Really?” The Garden portrait was her most treasured oil painting and the most expensive. “I just wanted to tell you again what a marvellous job you’re doing. Thank you for handling things for me. I’ll be in tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow is Sunday!” Oscar screeched.

“You don’t have to come in. Just me. I’ll work until I get the portraits done.”

“I almost forgot to tell you there was a guy who came in twice last week looking for you…a Mr. Tevori?”

“Hmmm…I don’t recognise the name.”

“Well, he left a card. I’ll put it on the top of your desk, which is a mess by the way.”

“Good bye, Oscar.” She hung up grinning, knowing how hard it was for him to leave her desk alone. The smile faded as she turned to look at the genie bottle on her pillow. She brought it close to her face and peered into the glass.

She shivered, recalling the stark fear coursing through her body when Vander appeared out of nowhere. All of the years spent growing up with her mother had not prepared her for what had happened last night.

It didn’t happen.

The thought would have given her comfort if she didn’t know within her spirit it had. She couldn’t erase the feel of his super warm touch on her skin when he had pulled her close. As crazy as the situation had been, the more he talked and tried to convince her to trust his ability to help her, the more she wanted to believe him. She needed help and all the sane avenues were looking grim.

The police had given up looking for her mother after the FBI had gotten involved and revealed the mess with her finances. Both the cops and the feds were convinced her mother had run off to avoid paying back taxes and possible jail time, but she knew her mother would have eventually taken care of her debt. Her mom had fallen behind in her financial responsibilities because she believed the laws of the universe and the rules of the supernatural world were more important than those of the physical realm.

Staring into the smooth dark glass in her hands, Karis wondered if her mother was right. She sucked in a tight breath, she now knew her mother was alive and Van—…
he
could help her.

You just have to sleep with him.

The tiny voice in her head propelled her from the bed and into the bathroom. She would be able to think more clearly after a nice, long shower. Turning the water on as hot as she could stand, she got in, leaned against the glass door, thinking about him.

Would saying his name in her head bring him to her?

Cursing, she began to lather up an insane amount of shower gel and vigorously scrubbed every inch of her skin. The scent of tangerines and honey quickly filled the enclosed space, but the calming aromatherapy wasn’t helping the noise in her head.

This is what it had come to? Contemplating taking a genie to her bed?

She laughed out loud in the steam-filled room. Not exactly how she pictured her…she shook her head and stepped out of the shower. Could he hear her thoughts even now? She dried her damp skin and wrapped the towel around her body as she padded back into the bedroom.

She had a million questions and only one man…genie…could answer them.

* * * *

Armed with a second cup of coffee, Karis sat on the couch and ignored all of the other boxes crowding her living room and hallway to dig through one. She was determined to finish going through the box where she had found the magic bottle.

Scooping up a handful of books, she saw a photograph sandwiched between the covers. A smile lit up her face as she stared at the snapshot of her and her mother. The two of them were strikingly different. Her mom was a petite woman of about five-feet five-inches, with flawless honey-toned skin. She always wore her hair loose, the thick, dark brown curls falling easily past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were twinkling with merriment in the photo, her full lips curving upwards in a warm smile.

Blinking back tears, she held the photograph against her chest.

She had always thought her mother was beautiful, often wishing she had inherited her small frame. The only two features she had inherited from her mother was her curly hair, black, not brown, and the shape of her eyes, but they were green, not hazel. The vivid emerald colour was quite a contrast against the creamy caramel colour of her skin. She had a curvy, athletic build, standing at five-feet nine-inches, with thick curly tresses she usually kept bound in a ponytail.

Placing the picture on the coffee table, she reached into the box, pulling out a small silk pouch. Curious, she opened the soft bag and carefully took out the silver necklace nestled inside. She held it up to the sunlight and stared at the four figures etched on the oval pendant. Each one in a similar pose with arms and legs outstretched. She cradled the charm in her hand, gently touching the engraved figures when she noticed an envelope where the jewellery pouch had been.

Her heart leapt as she lifted the letter and recognised her own name in her mother’s flowery script. With shaky hands, she ripped open the grey envelope, hearing her mother’s voice in her head as she read each line twice.

Karis,

I knew you would find this letter. Do not be afraid of Vander, I’ve seen his aura. I don’t have much time and neither do you, to complete the circle. You are my daughter and you are powerful…believe that and know I love you.

Nadine

The last line blurred as tears filled her eyes. She stood up with the letter clutched to her heart. She didn’t understand what her mother meant about the circle, but just reading the note filled her with conflicting emotions of joy and sadness.

She folded the slip of paper into her pocket and latched the silver necklace around her neck. For the first time in weeks, she actually felt compelled to paint something. A trip to the studio would be productive and therapeutic.

After selecting a baby blue sundress with matching heeled sandals, she stood before the mirror to check her appearance. The dark circles under her eyes were not so noticeable, the dress brought out the warm tones in her skin and the strange necklace shone with inner brilliance as it nestled between her breasts. It was perfect and wearing it made her feel closer to her mother. Thank goodness, she didn’t look as dishevelled as she felt.

With her purse in hand, she grabbed a light sweater in case Oscar had the AC blasting and headed out into the warm summer sunshine.

Traffic was light for a Saturday afternoon and she was at her studio in less than a half hour. She turned the key in the backdoor and took in a deep breath of the familiar scent of paint and linseed oil as she stepped inside. Flicking on the recess lighting, she looked around at her handiwork. There were a dozen or more finished portraits of various subjects lining the white walls. Each one was different in colour and size, but the vitality and depth of each work showed her signature style.

“Karis! What are you doing here?” Oscar asked, coming out of the adjacent room with a tall stranger behind him.

“I decided to stop in after all.” She glanced away from her friend to look at the immaculately dressed, dark-haired man staring at her. He had wavy dark hair that was just a tad bit too long and the most piercing pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen. “Who’s our guest?”

Oscar smiled, obviously taken with the handsome stranger. “Remember I was telling you about Mr. Tevori? He stopped by to schedule a time to view your collection in private.”

“Hello.” She offered her hand and tried to ignore the overwhelming urge to yank her fingers from his strong grasp. Her artist’s eye noted his non-calloused hands, the expensive cut of his black suit and Italian leather shoes to match. Mr. Tevori obviously had
mucho dinero
.

“Good afternoon.”

He smiled down at her and Karis forced herself to hold his assessing gaze as she shook off the alarming sensation of vertigo. She was struck by the piercing blue…wintry depths of Mr. Tevori’s eyes.

“Welcome to K Studios.” She broke eye contact to gesture towards her artwork hanging on the wall with her hand. “I’m confident you’ll find something here to add to your collection.”

“Thank you.” His smile was as cool as his eyes and the warm, cultured tone of his voice sent a shiver up her spine.

What was wrong with her? “You’re in very capable hands with Oscar.” She took a step back, ready to make her escape.

“Yes, he’s been quite helpful. You do have some impressive pieces here, Karis.”

Karis stifled a cough as beads of sweat rolled down her back. “Thank you.” She attempted a smile and was sure she failed. All she wanted to do was flee from his disturbing presence without appearing rude. Running into the back room from potentially high paying customers would be decidedly bad business. “Please, take your time and look around. If you have any questions, Oscar will be able to answer them.”

Her assistant held up his hand. “Actually, Karis, Mr. Tevori was hoping you’d walk him through the gallery. He’s very interested to know the inspiration behind some of your bigger pieces.”

A wave of nausea rolled through her stomach as she forced her lips to curve upwards again. “Perhaps sometime this week, Mr. Tevori?” She could see the flash of disappointment in his eyes as he smiled back at her.

“Please call me, Rue. Let’s say Wednesday around five p.m.?”

“That should be fine.” She stepped back as soon as Oscar took over the conversation and hardly made it to her office before the second wave of nausea hit full force. She ran into the bathroom and dry heaved until her stomach hurt. With shaky hands, she turned on the faucet to splash water on her cheeks. She reached for a paper towel and sighed as she lifted her face to stare back at the troubled green eyes reflected in the mirror.