Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) (8 page)

We’re snuggled together on the couch, watching a horror movie. Apparently when Sebastian and Andy went to get the drinks at the club, Andy hadn’t shut up about the horror genre and insisted Sebastian check it out. Curious as ever, Sebastian suggested we watch it. I have no argument, since I can always cuddle up to him if I get scared.

Sebastian runs his hand up and down my arm. “Did I scare you?” he asks.

I shift so I can look into his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Today at the club. When I hurt Max. Did I scare you?”

“No. He scared me. I thought he was going to hurt you, and I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t fight him. Without magic, I mean.”

He’s quiet before saying, “I could have easily taken him. With or without magic. I didn’t want to stoop to his level. I didn’t…” He runs his hand through is hair. “Violence solves nothing and is very painful. I don’t like it.”

I rest my palm on his chest. “Because some masters hurt you.”

He nods. “When Andy and I went to get the drinks, Max started up with me. I didn’t know he was at the club, and Andy didn’t seem to know, either. Max told me that you didn’t love me. That you loved him. When I didn’t answer him, he shoved me against the wall. I thought I could reason with him, but he was content with beating me up.”

“He didn’t hurt you?”

He shakes his head. “My magic provided my body with invisible armor. I knew that if I fought him, he would get hurt while I wouldn’t. That’s why I didn’t want to engage him further.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” I say. “I should have never gone out with him.”

“This wasn’t your fault. It’s mine.”

I look at him. He fingers my bottom lip. “If I would have told you how I felt about you from the start, then you wouldn’t have gone out with Max.”

“But you were a genie and we thought we couldn’t have a future. You were just looking out for the both of us.” I stroke his cheek. “It doesn’t matter now. Max won’t bother us again.”

He nods. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’d still like to protect you. From everything.”

I smile and kiss him. “I’d love for you to protect me, too.”

We resume watching the movie. So far, it isn’t scary. I snuggle up to my genie regardless. He wraps an arm around my waist

“Sebastian?”

“Hmm?”

I look up at him and see his eyes drooping. “Are you falling asleep?” I can’t hide the humor from my voice. He’s dozing off during a horror movie?

He shifts. “This is boring.”

“I think the good stuff is going to come next. I meant to ask you, how did you heal Max?”

He lifts his hand, staring at it in wonder. “I don’t know. I saw him writhing in agony, and I felt bad about it. I just
knew
I could relieve him of the pain. And I did.”

“Your magic is getting even stronger,” I point out.

“It doesn’t make any sense. On one hand, I feel so human, on the other, I still feel like a genie.”

I play with his hair. “Maybe you’ll always feel like that. It’s okay to be different, you know. It makes you special. We just have to keep it a secret. I’m sure lots of people at the club took videos of what happened with Max and uploaded them online.”

“Is that bad?”

I shrug. “Probably not. People post all kinds of weird videos.”

His chest expands and contracts. “Good. I’m worried I’ll be torn away from you if people find out what I am…or what I was.”

I gaze into his eyes. “Nothing will tear us apart. Ever.”

He smiles and slides his fingers through mine. “How about we ditch this movie and watch a romance?”

“I don’t know. It’ll be nice to broaden our interests a bit, don’t you think?”

He frowns at the TV. “Okay, but not this.”

I climb off the couch and rummage through my DVD collection. It’s no surprise that eighty percent of what I have is romance. When I was younger, I was in a sci-fi and fantasy phase and have a few movies in that genre. I hand one to Sebastian. He reads the back. “It doesn’t seem like there’s romance.”

“Nope. No romance at all.”

His forehead wrinkles. “I don’t understand. If you love romance, why watch something else?”

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to be boring.”

“You’re anything but boring, Lily.”

“Thanks.” I finger the DVD. “You sure you don’t want to try something else? There are a million different genres you can choose from. You don’t have to stick to romance.”

He’s quiet for a second or two. “Is it bad that I like romance? At the club, Andy asked me if you force me. I told her you’d never force me to do anything. He said he doesn’t understand why I would
choose
to enjoy it. Are there rules I need to follow?”

I kiss his cheek. “No rules. You can do whatever you want—you know, if it’s legal and doesn’t hurt anyone—and you can like whatever you want. I’m just worried that you like romance because I like it. Maybe I should introduce you to other things.”

His mouth moves to my ear. “Put a romance on,” he whispers. “Please.”

Munching on some popcorn, we watch the movie. It’s a teen romance, one I’ve seen countless times. This would be Sebastian’s first time watching this type, and from what I can tell, he’s totally digging it. When the guy and girl kiss, it’s very awkward and clumsy, since they’re thirteen.

Sebastian turns to me. “How were you at that age? Did you kiss a boy?”

I laugh lightly. “I had my first kiss when I was sixteen. It wasn’t good.”

“Why? I didn’t know it’s possible for kisses not to be good. They’re amazing with you.”

“Thanks. You’re an amazing kisser, too.” I wonder if he thinks I’m a good kisser because he doesn’t have anyone to compare it to. I don’t know if I’m good. My other boyfriends never complained, including Max. I guess I do okay.

Ugh, Max. I definitely don’t want to think about him.

Sebastian runs the back of his finger down my cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Was just thinking about my previous boyfriends.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry. They have nothing on you. And to answer your question, yes some people are bad kissers.”

His stomach rumbles as he laughs. “There is still so much about humans that I need to learn. Every time I think I have it all figured out, I discover something new. Like in the club today, Andy explained how we’re not allowed to drink alcohol until we’re twenty-one. My previous master—the one who forced me to steel booze for him—told me it’s allowed at age eighteen, and I believed him. What did I know, anyway? I’ve seen it on TV, but I’m curious what it feels like to get drunk, why kids would risk getting arrested for it and why people would drive while drunk. Have you ever?”

I shake my head. “Daisy watched over me like a hawk. She wouldn’t even let me go out with guys she didn’t think were good. Besides, I never liked the idea of drinking so much and then throwing it up. I hate getting sick.”

He nods. “So do I. I remember clearly how sick I got after I ate your food. Is getting drunk similar to that?”

“Sort of. Another negative effect of getting drunk is spilling all your secrets.”

He lifts an eyebrow.

“When you get drunk,” I explain. “You sometimes don’t realize what you’re saying and can reveal things you wouldn’t if you were sober.”

He nods slowly, as if he’s understanding. “If I were to get drunk, I’d reveal that I was a genie and now have magic.”

“It’s a possibility.”

He presses me against his chest. “Then I never want to get drunk.”

“Good, because I don’t like guys who drink.”

He smiles, then frowns. “They have alcohol on Ortarus, but I don’t think it has an effect on Ortarians like it does on Earth. Maybe it’s not as strong. I can never imagine the king lowering his guard. He protects his magic at all times, because that’s what gives him power.”

I turn around so our chests are touching and I can look into his eyes. “What exactly was your job there, if you don’t mind my asking?”

He brushes his fingers through my hair. “The males would take care of the physical tasks—lifting and fixing things, for example—while the females took care of the cooking, cleaning, changing the beds.”

“And you didn’t use magic?”

“I hardly had magic.”

I squeeze his bicep. “Is that why you’re so muscular? Because you lifted heavy things?”

“I don’t know, but I’m glad you like it.”

I bite my lip. I don’t want to utter my next words, but I feel like I should warn him. “Uh, you know that’s not going to last, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your muscles. If you don’t work out, they’re going to disappear. I guess when you were a genie you remained the way you were.”

He frowns. I giggle, kissing his cheek. “Don’t worry. We can go to the gym together. You’ll see that it’s not so bad.”

“I didn’t know being human was so much work.”

I playfully slap his chest. “Are you regretting coming back to Earth?”

He pulls me even closer to him. “Oh, no. Hell no.”

A voice calls my name. I want to open my eyes, but something is preventing me from doing so. It’s as if they’re glued shut. The only thing I can make out around me is a strong smell. Like flowers encircle me. The smell is familiar, but I can’t remember from where. My mind seems to be flat like the lines of an EKG machine, my ears ringing like someone has died.

Is it me?

There are no sounds around me, other than someone calling my name. I can’t tell if it belongs to a man or a woman. It’s muffled, as if I’m underwater. It’s uttering more words, but I can only make out my name.

Trying to open my eyes is futile. They’re still glued shut. When I try to respond to the person calling my name, no sound leaves my mouth. It opens and closes, but makes no noise.

Feeling around, my hand closes over grass and flowers. The familiar smell attacks me once again. Am I in the same meadow as my other dream?

A hand grabs my arm, tugging me up, as though I really
am
underwater, which doesn’t make sense, since I’m able to breathe.

“Lily.” I’m pressed against a hard, muscled chest. “Wake up, Lily.”

My eyes shoot open, and the first thing I see is Sebastian’s face. Light shines all around him, causing him to glow. Am I in heaven? Has Sebastian joined me?

He clutches my shoulders, not hurting me, but enough to show how worried he is. He shifts, blocking the light. I realize now that it’s only the sun. I’m not in heaven, but in my room, on my bed.

“Lily?” he says for what must be the hundredth time. “Are you okay?”

The voice calling my name. It wasn’t Sebastian’s. It was softer than his voice, almost music-like.

Pulling out of his embrace, I push some hair over my shoulder. “What happened?”

“You were tossing and turning in bed. But not the usual kind…It was like you were in trouble. Like someone was hurting you.” He scoots closer and takes me in his arms. “Was it a nightmare?”

“I don’t know.”

He looks into my eyes. “Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

I nod and am about to tell him, but my lips press together. “I don’t remember.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You don’t remember?”

“Sometimes people forget their dreams when they wake up. It’s normal.”

He just stares at me, concerned. I place my hand on his. “Sebastian, it wasn’t a big deal. Like I told you, it’s normal to have dreams.”

He plows his fingers through his hair. “Are you sure you don’t remember?”

I wrack my brain. Images fly into my head. They’re hazy, but I can make out the area around me. “The meadow, I think.” I look at him. “I couldn’t open my eyes, but I think I was in the meadow. You know, from my last dream. There were flowers and grass and trees all around me.” I pause. “Someone was calling my name.”

“Who?”

I shrug.

“We have to figure it out.”

I squeeze his hand. “I don’t think we should make a big issue about it.” Call it denial, I don’t know. But I don’t want to deal with this…whatever it is. Sebastian and I are finally together. We can have the future we’ve always wanted. I’m not going to let some strange dreams get in our way.

“I’m going to do research,” he says, a determined expression on his face. “While you’re at work.”

It’s cute how handy he’s getting with the internet, but I wish he wouldn’t worry so much. It can very well just be a weird dream.

“Sebastian, I’m fine.”

He shakes his head. I rest my hand on his chest. “Please let this go. Forget about it. It was just a dream. It doesn’t mean anything.” It
can’t
mean anything. I don’t want it to.

Sebastian’s eyes meet mine. “Maybe it doesn’t. I’d still like to do research.”

He’s not going to drop it unless he knows for sure that nothing’s going on with me. I appreciate his love and care, but I wish he’d listen to me. I don’t want him to find something. I don’t want things to change. I just want to live happily with the man of my dreams.

I climb out of bed. “I have to get to work.”

He reaches for my hand and clasps it. “I’ll have breakfast with you.”

“That’s okay. You can sleep some more.”

He gets out of bed. “But we always eat breakfast together.” His worried eyes search mine. “Are you upset with me?”

“I don’t know.”

His face falls, and I feel a stab to my stomach. I don’t mean to treat him this way, I just need some time to myself, to collect my thoughts. Two weird dreams don’t mean anything, do they?

I slide my hands in his. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired.”

He nods unsurely. “If you don’t want me to eat with you—”

“No, of course I do. But once I leave, you should go back to bed.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not tired. There’s a lot I want to do today.”

“Like?”

“Clean up, look for a job…” His voice trails off. I bet his next words would have been, “Do some research.”

I lean forward to kiss his cheek. “Okay.”

We get ready, then go to the kitchen to eat. Sebastian stands before the stove with his eyebrows creased. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

He’s quiet, still staring at the stove. “I should learn to cook, shouldn’t I? You come home from work very tired. I should have dinner ready for you.”

I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my chin on his back. “That’s sweet of you, but it’s okay. You know how much I love to cook.”

He nods. “It’s probably not a good idea for me to attempt it on my own. The last time I tried, I nearly burned the house down.” He smiles. “We talked about cooking together, and I’d really love to do that. And to share your other interests, too.” He frowns. “I don’t really have any of my own.”

“Sure you do. You love game shows, you love helping people. You’re curious and want to learn everything. You want to be a nurse.”

He nods again. “Do you think I can get a job at a hospital?”

“I’m not sure. You probably need your GED.”

“I’ll research it.”

I laugh and kiss his cheek. “You have no idea how adorable you are.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “Adorable?”

I gather some pots and pans to prepare breakfast. French toast seems like a good idea. “Yeah, the way you want to research everything. I just think it’s adorable.”

“I thought guys my age aren’t supposed to be adorable. I’m supposed to be…manly.”

I giggle. “See there you go again being adorable.”

He looks completely lost. I pull him by the shirt and peck his lips. “Don’t question it. Just keep being the way you are. I love you, my adorable genie.”

He yanks me closer. “And I love you, my beautiful Lily.”