Read Jinni's Wish, Book 4 Kingdom Series Online

Authors: Marie Hall

Tags: #paranormal romance, #fantasy romance, #ghost romance, #fairytale romance, #fairytale retelling, #marie hall, #kingdom series, #gerards beauty, #her mad hatter, #red and her wolf

Jinni's Wish, Book 4 Kingdom Series (14 page)

BOOK: Jinni's Wish, Book 4 Kingdom Series
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A woman made for him.

Just for him.

She pulled away, gasping and quivering. Then
she glanced around and smiled. “The stars. Oh, Jinni, I love your
home.”

He framed her face between his large hands,
shivering at the silken softness of it. “Dance with me, Paz.”

Her smile was flushed and radiant as she
nodded. Jinni swept his arm around her waist, commanding the stars
to sing.

An angelic melody drifted by them, through
them. The pink and red streaked blue sky burst with the light of a
trillion stars. They moved and swayed to the music, Paz rested her
head on his shoulder, her fingers idly toying with the hair on the
back of his head.

“I don’t want this night to ever end,” she
whispered and then planted a kiss on his chest, right above his
heart.

It thumped loudly and his fingers curled deep
into her waist. “I’m so sorry, Paz.”

And he was. Sorry that he’d wasted his life
and love on another, sorry he’d not been man enough to fight the
fading. Sorry that he was so far gone, he could never come
back.

Her eyes filled with tears and light. “How
much longer do we have?”

“Not long enough.”

She closed her eyes. “Then make love to
me.”

He swallowed hard and stopped moving, almost
stopped breathing. “What?”

“I want this memory for as long as I live.
Because if I’ve got it in here,” she tapped her head, “then you’ll
never really die. Your flame will live on in my heart forever.”

Heat surged in his throat, filled his eyes.
But he did not cry. She was offering him a priceless gift. The gift
of herself. He did not deserve it.

Time was too short, too precious to make it
long and sweet as he knew he should. As he wished he could.
Blinking his eyes, their clothes vanished and he sensed the flame
of his immortality dim by a fraction of a beat.

She was awe-inspiring. He trailed his fingers
down the long column of her throat, across the plump ripeness of
her breasts. His hands shook just a little.

“If we had more time,” he whispered, “I’d lay
you down on a bed of roses.”

She nodded.

“Your black hair would fan out around your
face.” He framed it again, holding her close, his mouth so close to
her own, they shared one breath. “I’d kiss you from the crown of
your head,” he pressed a gentle kiss against her, “to the soles of
your feet.”

Paz moved into his arms, her every curve
fitting impossibly tight and perfect to his own. Crafted just for
him, he could believe that now. She was the piece of his soul he’d
tried to force Nala into. But that piece had never been made for
the Queen. That had belonged to a woman so far in the future he’d
been too blinded and foolish to wait for.

Gently, reverently he knelt with her. She
placed her warm hands on top of his bare shoulders. Still gazing at
him, with eyes full of wonder and something more. Something
infinitely more.

“I’d feed you grapes, make you laugh, fill
your mind with nothing but joy and happiness,” he continued and
pulled her down on top of him.

He was so hard, so ready--painfully so--, but
he was not a beast to rut and walk away. They may not have
eternity, but he had now to make it right. She spread her thighs,
her center encircling him, heating him in a velvet hug as she
leaned up on her toes and kissed his collarbone, the center of his
panting chest.

“Then what would you do, Jinni?” her soft
voice made him ache, yearn for what could never be. An eternity
with this woman by his side.

He rolled them over, drawing the light from
many thousand nearby stars and created a bed for them. She laughed
as the light seeped through his pores, her pores.

“We glow white,” she stared at her hands.

“It would be like this forever.” He kissed
her fingertip. “Making love on the stars, holding you close,
forever, Paz.”

Then he slipped inside her heat and she
shuddered, tilting her head, exposing the long line of her throat
as she purred. Ecstasy flitted across her face and Jinni knew when
he died, a part of him would live on in that memory.

He kissed her, swallowing her passion on his
tongue as he stroked and flamed the heat of her desire.

Paz dug her nails into his shoulders. “I’ll
never forget,” she murmured as tears spilled hot and thick down her
face.

Jinni tucked her hair behind her ears, gazing
down at her, moving just enough to build her pleasure. But he
wouldn’t close his eyes. This was all he had, this moment, and he
wanted to die just like this.

As if she sensed him staring, she opened her
eyes and smiled and that was his undoing. One final thrust brought
them home. On his tongue lingered the word: forever.

Their cries raced through the heavens and he
knew his people rejoiced. Their soul weary brother had finally
found his peace.

But the peace didn’t last. A violent rending
tore through his middle. Jinni sat up, clutching his stomach,
gnashing his teeth as his flame began to gutter out. Already their
corporeal forms began to fade.

Paz knelt by his side, gripping his
shoulders. “Jinni? Honey?”

Her eyes were wide and frantic as he gazed
into them. Refusing to give in to the pain, refusing to let her see
just how much it was hurting. Cold sweat swept up and down his
body, breaking out on his skin, causing his scalp to tingle with
fire and pain.

“Listen to me, Paz,” he gritted out. “You
have to return. Now.”

Their heavenly bed began to dissolve back
into the stardust that had created it.

She shook her head, even as they began
falling like a comet back to Earth. “No.”

Pain sharpened his words. “Now! You swore it
to me.” He gripped her arms. “I will not let you watch this.”

The sensation of a thousand knives slicing
him open made his back arc in terrible agony. Paz flung her hands
over her mouth.

“Jinni,” she said, his name caught on a
sob.

Every atom in his body began to rip and tear
itself apart. The body he’d held her with was no more, now he was
nothing more than spirit again. A throbbing pain built behind his
skull. With the last bit of sanity left to him, he whispered, “I am
sorry, Paz, but you must live,” and flung her back to the
hospital.

She could still walk to the light, the choice
was hers, but he hoped she’d make the right one. His final breath
shuddered through his body and then he splintered into a million
pieces of shimmering light.

Floating through space, nothing more than
matter, Jinni couldn’t believe he still had thought. He’d expected
the end of that form to be the end of him completely.

But then he realized why. The necklaces he’d
trapped within his form now floated along, clasped together, as if
holding hands. His love for Paz forever trapped within the stones,
the part of him that was good, that could love, would never die.
He’d shared that piece of his soul with the rock.

Danika had managed to spare him after all. He
could no longer speak, but he felt and thought and knew that if he
could, he’d weep for all he’d lost.

 

Chapter 16

 

Paz fell hard, landing like a scud missile on
the cold hospital floor. Legs splayed, arms flung wide and head
throbbing.

She’d lost him. He’d pushed her away, but not
before she’d seen him break apart into a million balls of
light.

Her heart hurt, her body throbbed. Pushing
up, she glanced at herself. She was naked, could still feel the
satisfying stretch between her thighs. They’d made love and it’d
been glorious.

But as good as that was, this was ten times
worse.

Numb, unable to believe he was really gone,
it took her a moment to realize there were voices speaking.

No, not voices. A voice.

A sweet lulling voice.

“Hush now there, dearie. My what a tumble you
took.”

Her heart clenched. She jerked up and stared
into a pair of large blue eyes. A woman, about her height, smiled
back at her. Pudgy in all the right places, she reminded Paz of a
doting grandmother. Hair slightly gray, and curled becomingly
around her cherub-like face. Then Paz caught sight of something
else and yelped.

A pair of dragonfly wings that open and
closed gracefully.

She stuck her hand over her mouth and the old
woman glanced back. “Oh blast, I always forget to take those off
around you guys at first.”

Withdrawing a wand, she pointed it at the
wings. A pink ripple flowed from the star tip and then the wings
disappeared. “There now. Better?”

Paz gave a disbelieving chuckle. “Are you
from Jinni’s land?”

“Oh, so he did tell you about Kingdom! Good,
good!” The old woman grabbed hold of Paz’s elbow and holy freaking
cow, she felt it. Soft and warm and so strong.

Her body shook as she stood to her feet, chin
wobbling softly as she bit back the tears. She was so tired of
crying. Seems like that was all she did anymore.

“And where is that Jinni, by the way?”

Paz hiccupped, eyes going large as she held
her breath and fought the lump in her throat. It took a minute for
her to regain her composure, long enough for the old woman to sigh
sadly and then nod.

“I see. Jinni faded.”

It was hard to speak about him, about that.
Paz glanced at her toes. It was still too fresh and painful, all
she wanted to do was forget. Forget and leave this behind forever.
The soft whirring beep of the machines keeping her body alive
helped drown out her thoughts.

“Well,” the woman shook herself, clearing her
throat and then extended her hand, “the name is Danika. Jinni’s
fairy godmother.”

“Godmother?” Paz frowned as Danika nearly
ripped her hand off with her enthusiastic handshake.

“Aye. Though I’m not surprised to know he
didn’t tell you that. Always such a proud, stubborn man.” Her brows
rose. “Was he kind to you?”

Paz hugged her middle. It hurt so bad, the
emotional pain so much worse than anything physical could ever be.
Leaving him, watching him explode… a soft warmth pulsed through
her, flooding her body and limbs, then a rush of scent enveloped
her. His scent, clover and myrrh. So uniquely him, that for a
moment she could swear he was back.

But just as quickly it was gone.

She closed her eyes. “He hated himself. Hated
what he’d done. But he was never,” she cleared her throat, “he was
never cruel to me. He showed me the stars.”

“Then he truly cared for you. Return to your
body, Paz.” Danika hooked her thumb over her shoulder.

Paz didn’t want to look. “He made me promise
I’d return.”

Why had she made that promise? She’d forget
it all in the light. Forget him, the pain, all of it. The lure was
so tempting, so deliciously hard to ignore. In the light there
would be peace and no memory of a man she’d barely known, but who’d
changed her world forever.

“Paz, he’s not gone.”

Her head jerked up. “But you said…”

Danika nodded. “Aye, I said he vanished, but
that golem in the next room is not dead. That golem is tied to his
essence. Somewhere in this vast universe Jinni still exists. Maybe
not for long, but for now. And I believe he has a very important
decision to make soon. But he won’t do it, if you don’t
return.”

She clasped her hands together.

“Your brother, Richard is it?” Danika asked
gently and Paz nodded. “He’s kept a constant vigil. He painted your
toenails last night, and sang to you.”

The image of her big, strong brother singing
and painting her toenails made her giggle.

“Worst voice I’ve ever had the misfortune of
hearing.” Danika cringed and stuck her finger in her ear.

Paz outright laughed, a deep belly laugh that
filled her. “Yes, he does. Like a dying bird.”

Their eyes sparkled with laughter and
tears.

“Where is he now?” Paz looked around,
suddenly yearning for the sight of him.

“A man has arrived for him.”

“Todd,” she breathed. “Todd made it.”

“They need you, love. It is not yet your
time.”

“But I died.”

Danika’s curls bobbed as she shook her head.
“No. This interlude was designed for you to meet my Jinni. I wish
he would have taken my advice sooner, this might not have been
necessary, but you need to return, get strong, and live. Be
ready.”

“For what?” She held her breath with
anticipation, with the unspoken desire that Jinni might still be
able to come back to her.

“For love, Paz Lopez.” Danika brushed a tear
off the corner of Paz’s cheek before she began to glow so bright,
Paz had to shield her eyes against it.

When she opened them again, Danika was the
size of her hand, her wings once again buzzing behind her back.
“I’ll see you around, little dove.” Then with a flick and a wave,
she was gone.

Little dove. What he’d called her.

Could there still be hope? If there were even
a chance, one tiny miniscule chance, she’d go back. She’d hang on
and stay brave. For as long as it took.

There was so much she still didn’t know, so
much she’d wanted to ask, like how the golem and Jinni were
connected? Why they were connected? Had that been why Paz had felt
so strangely bonded to Tristan? Would Jinni return back to her?

Clearing throats made her glance up. Richard
and Todd walked into the room holding hands and a cup of coffee
each. Richard rested his head on Todd’s shoulder as Todd gently
brushed his hair back.


I don’t know what I’ll do without her,
Todd
,” he whispered, his voice a rough burr full of
sleeplessness and pain.


Ssh, baby, it’s okay. She’ll come back to
us, you’ll see
.”

Richard hiccupped. “
It’s been a month,
with no brain activity
.”

A month?

It’d only felt like days to her.

Todd slipped the cup out of Richard’s hand
and sat on the lone chair next to the bed. He pulled Richard onto
his lap, cradling him like a child. “
Honey
,” he kissed
Richard’s brow, “
you let me take care of you now
.”

BOOK: Jinni's Wish, Book 4 Kingdom Series
5.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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