The Binding Stone (The Djinn Series) (15 page)

“What’s
that?” he asks. He is trying to be brave but looks so drawn and tense that I
want to scream.

“Gabe,”
I say, and before he can protest, I wave a hand, and Gabe appears between us,
wrapped in only a towel. His wiry body is baby smooth and glistening with
water.

“Hey!”
he shouts, whipping around like a crazed animal. “My glasses–”

I
snap, and they are on his face. He relaxes.

“Seriously,
you need to stop doing that! It’s very unnerving. What if I were still in the
shower?”

“Then
you’d be naked and covered in soap?” I ask, trying to hold back my laughter.

“I’m
not here for your amusement,” he says.

“No.
You are here for Jered’s amusement. Now, get to work and cheer him up.” I clap
my hands at him, and he flinches.

“I’ve
been texting and calling you for hours, bro,” he says, turning his attention to
Jered. “What’s going on? Where are we?” He looks around, adjusting his glasses
with one hand, while the other firmly grips the towel at his waist.

I
suppress a smile while Jered explains the situation to his friend. I was right,
of course. Just having Gabe to confide in has brought back some of his spirit.
I watch the colors in his aura spark and build.

“I’m
so sorry about your mom.”

“Thanks,
man. I know. Now put some clothes on, okay?”

I
snap, and Gabe is dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He frowns at me.

“These
aren’t the kind I usually wear,” he says.

“Beggars
can’t be choosers. Besides, I hate those low-riders. I’m always afraid they’ll
fall down, and I don’t wish to be blinded by your scrawny ass.” It feels good
to be so brazen. Now that I am not so afraid of retribution by an angry master.

“So
what do we do now?” Gabe asks, turning back to Jered with one final glare in my
direction.

“
We
don’t do anything,” Jered says. “You need to go home and forget you even know
me. At least until this all blows over.”

Gabe
and I exchange a look.

“No
way. Uh-uh. I’m in, and unless you plan on lifting the no-hurt ban on the
Leester here, you’re stuck with me,” Gabe says.

“I
can have her put you back,” Jered says.

“I’ll
keep coming over.” Gabe crosses his arms and plants his feet firmly on the
ground. I have to admit, I’m proud of him.

“He
does have a positive effect on you,” I say.

“Wait
a second, did you just say something nice about me?” Gabe asks. “Who are you,
and what have you done with the real Leela?”

“Watch
it, Gabe,” Jered says, stepping up next to me. The air between us sizzles with
energy. A genuine smile plays at the corners of my mouth.

Gabe’s
eyes dart between Jered and me as a huge grin breaks across his face. “You two
did it, didn’t you?”

I
roll my eyes, and Jered turns as red as a beet.

“I
knew it!”

“Actually,
you know very little,” I say. “I know firsthand. I’ve seen your brain.”

A
knock at the door stops me from saying more. Both boys flinch.

“Jered?”
Sophie’s tiny voice calls from the hall. Jered relaxes and lets her in.

“You’re
home,” he says as she bursts inside and flings her arms around his
waist.

“Daddy
says you’re staying with us!” she bursts.

“Only
until my mother gets better,” he says.

“Daddy
doesn’t think she will,” Sophie says, playing with the bottom of one pigtail.

“He
thinks if she could, you would have had Leela save her.”

The Beginning

“
hat
would you do for me?” Achan asks, running a finger lightly down my arm. I close
my eyes, letting the shivering sensation pour through my body. Does he not
already know the answer?

“Anything,”
I say. “I would do anything for you, Achan.” And to make certain he knows it, I
thread my own fingers through his thick black hair and pull his face to my own.

He
lets the kiss go on, caressing my body as I work against his mouth greedily. I
tilt my head back with a moan of longing, and he laughs gently, his dark eyes
twinkling in the starlight. He sits back on his heels, letting the strange
colors that now surround him cover me like a blanket. It is like a million
tendrils of pleasure careening over and through my body. I cry out in ecstasy.

“Pleasing
you is easy, Little One.”

“Only
for you,” I say. “Not everyone is so lucky.”

“It
is only the sheep and me whom you talk to, so yes, I hope so.”

I
hit his shoulder playfully, and join in the laughter. It is hard to imagine
anything more perfect than these nights with Achan in the desert.

“And
have I not pleased you as well?” I ask, climbing to my knees to run a finger
down his arm.

“Yes,
you have,” he says, and his dark eyes grow cold as he takes my hands. “And yet,
I know so little of you. Where did you come from? It is none of the villages we
visit on our route. So where then? And why have you come? What bit of luck
brought you into my life?”

“It
was not luck, but fate,” I say, studying the way the tent wall behind him
billows against the wind. It will not break free; Achan has tied it down
expertly.

“See?
You haven’t answered one of my questions about your past. Do not look so
worried, Little One. I am content that you are here.” He folds me into his
arms, and I lay my head against his strong chest. Breathe in his scent. It is
the scent of our desert. Of our love. “I do have a favor to ask,” he says.

“Anything.”

“Will
you come with me to the Council?” he asks, tilting my chin up so that I look
into his eyes. Their usual spark is back now.

“You
want me to come to the Council?” I ask, unable to keep the surprise from my
voice.

“Yes.
I want to introduce you to the others. Show them my good luck charm.”

“Of
course I will come, Achan.” A smile breaks across my face. He wants me to be a
part of his life. A part beyond our nights together. He is proud of me.

The
rest of my thoughts are drowned in the urgency of his kiss.

An Expert at Causing Pain

“
ou
heard about me in your father’s thoughts?” I ask Sophie. How much does she
know?

She
nods, sucking in her bottom lip. Her blue eyes grow wide like she’s afraid
she’s said something wrong. I put my hands on her shoulders and smile
reassuringly.

“It
is good that you tell us what he thinks, Sophie.”

“But
he’s my daddy. I don’t know–”

“He’s
my daddy too,” Jered says, kneeling down until he’s eye level with the child.
“I want to be sure I understand how he feels.”

Sophie
cocks her head to the side and narrows her eyes at her brother, concentrating.
It’s no good pretending, she’ll know what he’s really thinking.

“You’re
scared,” she says finally.

“I
am,” Jered says.

“Sometimes
he scares me too,” she says, letting her gaze fall. Jered lifts her chin so she
can see his face.

“Did
you hear anything else about Leela?” Jered asks.

Sophie
looks up at me, and my stomach twists into a knot. I find myself holding my
breath as she considers me with twinkling blue eyes. I cannot remember a time
I’ve feared a six-year-old child.

“He’s
afraid of her,” she says, finally. “He wants to go upstairs to the attic and
get something he thinks will protect him.”

Jered’s
head snaps toward me, eyes wild with fear. I focus on my face, being certain
not to let my feelings show. Gabe backs up toward the bed and collapses onto
the mattress.

“You
should go to Gabe’s house,” I say.

“How
does he even know?” Jered asks, a deep crimson boiling its way up his neck onto
his face. Sophie flinches.

“It
was my doll, wasn’t it?” she asks quietly.

“It
isn’t your fault,” I say, still watching Jered closely. “Your father knows me,
Jered.”

“How
could he? You’ve been asleep for over a hundred years, Leela.”

“He’s...been
passed the information from his father,” I say. “You are descended from my
first master.” I look down quickly. I cannot bear it.

“How
do you know? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jered asks. I hear the hurt in his voice.

“I
didn’t know before. I mean I knew your eyes. I just didn’t connect it until I
saw your father. He looks just like him. And now that we are certain he knows
me, well, that confirms it.”

“I
thought he was looking at my ring a lot,” Jered says, collapsing next to Gabe.
I remain silent.

“Daddy
wants you to stay with him forever, Jered,” Sophie says, and I cringe inwardly
at the truth in the statement. “He’s afraid of Leela, not angry at her.”

“Please
go to Gabe’s house. You will be safe there for a while. Let me talk to your
father alone. I will...explain things.” Jered cannot hear my heart speed up. I
don’t know what Achan has in the attic, but I am certain he’s already retrieved
it.

“I’ll
talk to him,” Jered says.

I
purse my lips and breathe deeply. “Please,” I repeat. “Go.”

“This
doesn’t make sense,” Jered says, furrowing his brow like I am a particularly
difficult puzzle. “What are you afraid he’ll do to me? If anything, he wants to
hurt you. I’m his son. He probably wants to warn me about you in private. He
doesn’t know what I know about you.”

My
chest feels heavy. Jered thinks he knows the real me. I have to think fast. I
cannot tell him the truth. He would be devastated. Worse yet, if he did
something stupid like confronted Achan and lost, I would belong to my first
master. And that will not happen. Not ever again.

What
if Achan will have Jered free me so I will not impede his plans? If I were free
I could protect Jered from his father. I wouldn’t have his restrictive commands
getting in my way. And I’d have a chance at revenge.

“I
wish to assess the situation. We need more information,” I say, placing one
hand against Jered’s chest. His aura turns a deep purple and flows over my arm.
My pulse quickens.