Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2)

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Authors: Dee J. Stone

BOOK: Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2)
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Loving the Genie

 

By

Dee J. Stone

Copyright © 2015 Dee J. Stone.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to real life, movies, television, games, or books is entirely coincidental and was not intended by the author.

Chapter One

 

I’m never going to leave you
.

Those six words wrap around my heart, soothing me as though I’m encased in a cloud. I can still feel Sebastian’s soft breath tickling my ear, the way it had when he came back from his home world last night. The way his strong arms held me and his warm lips made their way down my throat. I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him closer and showing him everything I felt through the kiss. I don’t think I can ever get enough of this man who has stolen my heart, body, and soul.

The sunlight seeping in through the window shines on me, but I keep my eyes shut, enjoying the last few seconds of sleep. Reaching to the left side of my bed for my genie—who’s technically no longer one but will always be
my
genie—I find empty space. My eyes shoot open and I look around. Sebastian’s not in my room.

“Sebastian?” I ask.

Climbing out of bed, I search all over my apartment. He’s not here. I call his name a few more times, but there’s no response.

My heart skips a beat as a thought runs around in my head. That it was a dream, that Sebastian never returned.

No, that can’t be. I remember clearly how he stood outside Inferno— the restaurant where I work as a waitress—with a confused expression on his face. His skin wasn’t golden but peach, just like mine. His eyes looked lost. He didn’t recognize me. Then I kissed him and everything came back. He held me close, promising he’d never leave me again.

After searching my apartment another time, I realize it’s useless. My genie is gone.

My heart feels heavy and empty at the same time. Lying back down in my bed, I whisper, “Sebastian.” Losing him a second time hurts ten times more than the first one. Because I
chose
to wish him back to his home, Ortarus, so he could reunite with his younger sister, who was trapped as a servant girl in the king’s palace. Now that he left suddenly, my heart’s going to shatter into tiny pieces.

“Sebastian,” I repeat, my voice barely audible, “please come back.”

He said we’d be together forever. That he has nothing left in Ortarus. Had he been taken? Forced back home?

I squish one of my teddy bears to my chest. My sister Daisy got it for me last year. She knew how much I love collecting them. She was a year older than me and died four months ago in a car accident. My mother shut down, tossing me out of her life. If not for Sebastian encouraging me to try to amend my relationship with my mom, we’d still be strangers.

He had been sent to this world as a genie hundreds of years ago because he was accused of killing the prince of Ortarus. The prince had been taking advantage of Sebastian’s sister, and when Sebastian went to confront him, things got a little out of hand and the prince was killed. Sebastian’s punishment was to serve humans as a genie. My last wish was to absolve him of his crime, and he was sent back home. But because my wish changed the past in Ortarus, his sister Renaya was the one who killed the prince. She took her own life before sentence could be passed on her.

Had Sebastian been taken back home to pay for his sister’s crime? Is he being tortured?

Shutting my eyes, I let myself remember how silky his lips were as they brushed against mine. How his breathing grew heavy when my fingers roamed over his chest. From his eyes, I saw how much love he had for me.

And now he’s gone. I may never see him again.

I picture him slipping into bed next to me, slinging his arm over me and cuddling close. “Lily,” he says softly, his fingers brushing my cheek. “You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

I don’t open my eyes because once I do, this wonderful fantasy will be over and real life will crash over me like a ton of bricks. Instead, I rest my head on his chest, feeling his muscles, his smooth skin.

“Lily.” His hand cups my cheek. “I love you.” His lips sweep against mine before moving to my ear, where he whispers, “Forever.”

“Stay,” I murmur, feeling for his shoulders, then clutching them. I still refuse to open my eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

His lips are back on mine. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says between kisses. “Promise.”

“No.” I push against his chest. “You did.”

“I’m here,” he says. “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”

I take in a deep breath and slowly open my eyes. Sebastian is lying beside me with a sweet smile on his lips. His skin is as it was last night. His black hair falls into his deep, blue eyes.

Reaching up, I touch his cheek. I expect him to disappear, but he doesn’t. He’s as real as I am. I fling my arms around him. “You’re here.”

He buries his nose in my face, popping small kisses on my temple.

I sit up. “You weren’t here when I woke up. I thought…I thought you went back home.”

He shakes his head, stroking my hair. “I told you I’m never going to leave you.” He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes apologetic. “I woke up early. Guess I was excited to be human. I didn’t want to wake you, so I took a walk outside.” His eyes dip to his naked chest. He’s only wearing black pants, the same clothes he wore when he was a genie. His entire body used to be golden, but now is the same shade as mine. He laughs sheepishly. “I didn’t realize walking without a shirt on would cause people to stare.”

“We’ll have to get you some clothes.”

He nods. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

My arms go around his neck and I press myself closer to him, wanting to fuse our bodies into one. My lips skim over his, slow at first, but then our kissing grows stronger, rougher, as though we haven’t kissed in years. I love how he makes me feel, how my body shudders. I don’t want to ever lose this.

We snuggle together in bed. I can still smell his exotic genie smell, even though he isn’t one anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

“How was your walk?” I ask.

“Lonely. I want to experience everything with you.” His eyes search mine. “Is that okay?”

I smile, taking his hand. He’s been human for less than a day. I can’t wait to see his eyes light up as he interacts with our world. When he was a genie, only I was able to see him. Now that he’s human, he can meet other people. He can grow as a person. We can have a future.

“Of course it is,” I tell him. “What would you like to do first?”

“Taste your delicious food.”

My heart thumps with excitement at the thought. When he tasted my cooking last time, his genie stomach couldn’t handle it and he threw it all up. Now I can share everything with him.

“Okay,” I say. “I’ll make us something.”

I’m about to get out of bed, but he wraps his arms around my waist. “Can we stay in bed a little bit longer? I want to be close to you.” He nuzzles my neck. “I love you so much.”

“I love you more.”

“No way.”

We remain in each other’s arms. I can feel Sebastian’s chest rising and falling against mine. His heart is beating quickly. When I look up at him, I see his eyebrows knitted.

I place my hand on his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Just…you make me feel alive.”

“You make me feel alive, too.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s worried about something.

Sitting up, I ask, “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

His sad eyes meet mine. “I’ll be okay.”

I press my cheek to his. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I want us to be able to talk about anything.”

He nods, biting his lip. “I want that, too, but I don’t want to make you sad or upset.”

“I’m only sad when I see you sad.”

He nods again as he fixates on the window. “It’s not only my excitement about being human that caused me to wake up early.” He swallows. “I was thinking about Renaya.”

My heart goes out to him and I caress his hand. “I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”

His gaze is still on the window. “For hundreds of years, I worried about her, wondering if she was okay, if she was alive. I wanted more than anything to save her from Ortarus, but I couldn’t do anything. But I was still hopeful that she was alive.” He turns to me, his eyes glassy. “She died before I had the chance to take her away from that place.” His fingers plow through his hair. “If I would have handled things a little differently and wouldn’t have gone after the prince, maybe I could have gotten us both out.”

I place my hands on either side of his face, turning his head so I can look into his eyes. “What happened on Ortarus wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to protect your sister. Please don’t blame yourself.”

He moves his head, and my hands drop. “I don’t deserve to be happy and free. Why do I get to have a good life while she’s dead? It isn’t fair.”

“Don’t say that. You’re such a good person, Sebastian. Renaya doesn’t blame you for what happened. If she were alive, she’d tell you how happy she is for you. I know it.”

He’s quiet, most probably pondering over my words. He envelops me in his arms, resting his head on mine. “I just feel so guilty.”

“We can’t change the past,” I say. “No matter how much we want to. We have no control over anything that happens, but we can control our actions. The guilt will consume you, Sebastian. Your sister wouldn’t want you to feel this way. She would want you to have a meaningful life.”

He nods slowly.

I take his hand. “Come, let’s eat something.”

I climb out of bed and grab some clothes. Before I leave the room to head for the shower, Sebastian says, “Lily?” I turn around. He smiles sadly. “Thank you.”

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