The Candle Princess

by Raine Hughes

  “Superior genes!” Prince Rasoul exploded. “He’s a mere mortal, lowest of—” The words strangled in his throat as King Solomon flung an arm up, all fingers pointed at the hapless man.

  Jasmine linked her hand with Noah’s and brought his big, strong, gentle hand to her lips while she watched the outspoken prince’s silent struggle.

  Apparently satisfied with silencing the unwelcome prince, King Solomon turned back to them. “Time lapse transformation is in order.” Apparently, the King, too, suffered from impatience. Before anyone could react, Jasmine found herself standing before them big-bellied.

  Someone gasped. She suspected it was Noah, for he was looking at her belly in stunned awe. She glanced at the thwarted prince and gave him an I-told-you-so nod before returning her gaze to her mortal husband. “Will you find me ugly and fat when I am big as a camel in the belly?”

  Noah remained speechless, but he reached out and caressed Jasmine’s enlarged belly. He found his voice, and it still sounded of awe. “I can barely fathom that I am touching our child.” He raised his shaking hand and once more brushed his knuckles tenderly along the side of her face. He took her hand in his other one, intertwining his fingers tightly with hers atop the fetus. “You will never be ugly to me, Princess.”

  “Then it is done!” the King declared, and instantly a brilliant blue flame shot through the air to circle their intertwined hands. It spiraled with lightning fast speed then surged upwards to encompass Jasmine’s body, lighting her in a single flame.

  * * *

  Noah stood transfixed as the fire engulfed her. The heat was unbearable, but he couldn’t have moved to save his life. He was on the point of burning up himself, then suddenly he was inside the flame with Jasmine, and the heat dissipated. As if in a dream, he looked around and discovered that there was but one flame and that they were inside it together. The scorching heat had given way to a cool flickering of fire that danced red and orange and blue. It was beautiful. He’d never seen a flame from the inside before.

  Just as the flame had enveloped them with a whoosh and a crackle, it was gone. The silence was total.

  A voice startled him and it was a moment before Noah realized it was the Djinni King. The words were foreign, but he recognized every one of them. He stood mute, taking in that he had been granted the ability to understand but not to speak the words, the former being unnecessary since all Djinn could understand him anyway.

  “You will live in peace and harmony together,” the head of the royal family finished, looking directly at Noah, “and you will be fertile for the Djinn.”

  To Jasmine he said, “You may summon the wind at any time to return to Mt. Kaf. You must renew your bonds to the Djinn and our lands periodically. Your life mate will be welcome to return with you, for he is as you say, a superior mortal.”

  “And you!” the King roared, pointing to Prince Rasoul with renewed anger, “are forbidden to interfere in Princess Jasmine’s life again. Do you understand?”

  Prince Rasoul nodded mutinously.

  “Then be gone, before I exact punishment on you on her behalf.”

  The furious prince took his leave in the shrieking uproar of wind. With one last look, and a nod at her success, the Djinni King, too, disappeared, his passing quiet as a breeze.

  * * *

  “Alone at last!” Noah drew a shaky breath. The place was in a shambles. He raised a free arm to encompass their surroundings. “Should I always expect this aftermath with visits from your family?”

  Beside him Jasmine only grinned. He joined her hand with his as they tenderly stroked Jasmine’s distended abdomen. “That’s not here to stay… right now… already… is it? I’d hoped we could enjoy—” The baby landed a kick against his hand and he quickly added, “But if it is I will be… I am… pleased. It’s truly a miracle, but I don’t know how we will explain your um, miraculous condition.”

  The King’s departing words had him wondering what was meant in saying he would be fertile for the Djinn. Would their children possess supernatural powers? He didn’t know whether he should be afraid or not!

  “Wait, King Solomon!” Jasmine called out, and before she could voice her request, she was transformed back to normal size.

  Noah blinked. Was he really awake or was this a dream? He pinched his thigh, hard. “Ouch!” He rubbed the injured spot. “I’d hate to miss everything between now and then.”

  They’d shared a special bond, more than with the child already conceived. They had shared a single flame. Noah sensed that he was now a child of fire, same as his Candle Princess was. What all that entailed he wasn’t going to wonder about and drive himself into further despair. Right now he had other things to do, like tell Jasmine what he envisioned their life together to be like. But first he had to explain the brass stopper.

  “Jasmine. About the stopper for your urn, from what you said, you already knew I had it?”

  “I needed extra eggs one day and—”

  “—you found it in a nest,” Noah finished. “You never said anything.”

  Jasmine smiled. “You did not want me to go and I was glad.”

  They stood there just holding each other’s gaze, until Noah dropped his to Jasmine’s middle. “No, I did not want you to leave and now I want to feel you growing, to hold you and the child growing inside you. To talk to him and tell him, or her,” he conceded, “how impatient we are to greet our creation in person. Our baby,” he declared with wonder at what they had done.

  Then he laughed, finally shaking off the last of the tension that had gripped him. “I want to make love to you again, then and now. Especially right now.”

  Jasmine grinned and flung her arms about his neck. “Yes, please, Noah.”

  “Your wish is my command,” Noah whispered compliantly, and was almost distracted by what sounded like a hint of laughter, but it was only the music of the walls. Would he ever get used to their attentiveness? He rolled his eyes as Jasmine giggled over their audience. One thing for sure, if he kept up his own awareness, he had unusual allies to help him deal with a lifetime of marriage to a Djinni!

  “This time we’re going to do it right,” Noah declared, taking his bride’s hand firmly in his and drawing her along to the pallet that was her bed. Even though it was low, it looked enticing with colorful throws and wild designs on the bedding.

  “Making love before the fire with the song of the flames to serenade us was wonderful.” She pulled him back towards the fireplace. “And, we need lots and lots of room to dance.”

  Noah gave a bark of laughter. “Sooo you liked my dance?”

  She nodded eagerly.

  “Then, I wish for you to use your magic to turn our bedroom into something a little more exotic and romantic—only a little exotic,” he hastened to add.

  It was Jasmine’s turn to giggle. “As you wish, Master of My Heart.”

  Epilogue

  Jasmine was deliriously happy. She could not imagine that any Djinni could be so loved and treasured as she was, and by a very special mortal. Later that night, she used time-lapse transformation herself, just to be sure she had not been dreaming because she wanted Noah’s child so much. She smiled happily into the full length mirror and studied herself.

  With a shriek of whirling wind, a robed figure appeared. It was Prince Jafar, her father. She grinned and tried to bow, but her advanced state of pregnancy prevented more than the beginnings of a bow.

  Prince Jafar’s gaze was fixed on her burgeoning abdomen. “You are satisfied to remain here, with this mortal, for all of his time, to have these babies?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  A huge, resigned sigh issued from him before he lamented, “Our blood was not enough to keep you with us, daughter. However, I agree that your mortal being cannot be denied. Until your return—”

  Jasmine put her hand up to still his words. “I have a man much better than Prince Rasoul. Noah is all I will ever want, now and forever.” She meant that with all her heart. Once Noah had
passed on to other world, she would not take another life mate, mortal or Djinn.

  “So be it!” He whipped his robe about him and disappeared.

  Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. She was with her mortal ancestors. It was where she belonged though she would continue to renew her Djinni bonds. Her green glass urn stood ready, the tarnished brass stopper behind it where it was safe and unseen.

  She smiled, remembering how they had gone out to the barn, lifted one of the hens off its nest, and extracted the brass stopper from where it sat beside a newly laid egg. The chicken looked relieved and that set them to laughing then Noah repeated that he thought she couldn’t leave without it. He just hadn’t been ready to let her go.

  Noah wanted to make love to her every single day, to assure her, if not her royal relatives, that she was all his and no one had better suggest otherwise. She had pointed out that within a few short months she would be big-bellied and awkward, like she was now, and that he might not want to make love to her then. His mouth had twitched and his face had creased into a mischievous grin as he assured her that he most certainly would!

  These babies. The words of her father repeated in her head. What a strange thing to say. Of course they wanted several children. Maybe that was what he meant. Or, was she carrying more than one child already? That was absolutely unheard of on Mt. Kaf. Could her mortal blood, in combination with Noah’s, have resulted in the multiple fetuses some female mortals produced? Oh, joy!

  If it came to be, she would need all her Djinni powers to manage. But she was not daunted.

  Then she laughed to hear her own merriment. Noah had already murmured gentle endearments directed to her abdomen, assuring their child that he was eagerly awaiting the baby’s entry into the world. Given Noah’s attentiveness, she would just bet that he himself would prove to be a great help after she gave birth.

  Noah was indeed a very special man. With him she would see many of her dreams come true, and already they were off to a good start. She had wished for an extraordinary lover and she had him.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading The Candle Princess.

  If you enjoyed book one of The Mystery Lake Series, your honest opinion of this novel matters to this author. Please review this book on your favorite book site, review site, blog, or your own social media properties, and share your opinion with other readers.

  A sincere thank you for taking the time to write a review!

  Djinni Folklore

  The Djinni, Jinni, or Genni is supposed to have evolved thousands of years ago, in fact, two thousand years before the first man, Adam. Stories of these spiritual beings are told in such books as The Thousand and One Nights, and Arabian Nights. Translations have resulted in the different spellings, the pluralized form being simply a shortened version. The spelling, Genie and Genies, are an English version.

  Information cites Islam and Muslem, with Persia, Arabia and Turkey, all in the same short reference. Information is scanty and does not always coincide with other writings.

  Islamic mythology cites these beings as spirits cast below the angels and demons. Djinni are benevolent or malevolent, the good Djinn being beautiful, while the evil ones are hideous.

  According to legend, the Djinni is created of fire and is capable of invisibility or can assume various forms, animal and human, and be of help or hindrance to man.

  In Arabic mythology, Djinn are a supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils but who fall into three different classes. One source stated all three as having varying degrees of evilness, ranging from treacherous to diabolic.

  Another reference cites Djinn as beings of air or smokeless flame that can dwell in inanimate objects such as stones, trees, air, fire and earth. They possess the bodily needs of humans and can be killed but are free of physical restraints.

  Arabian legend says they reside in a mountain, Mt. Kaf, in what is now Arabia, though there is reference that Mt. Kaf is of another realm altogether. While able to exercise a supernatural influence, they are supposed to live, propagate their kind and die as humans do, except that the duration of their lives is much longer. Their rulers are named Sulleyman, or Solomon.

  The Mystery Lake Series

  Paranormal/Fantasy

  ‘Down to Earth Magical Romance’

  The Legend of the Djinni-of-the-Lake

  The Candle Princess, Book 1

  The Fortune Cookie Prince, Book 2

  The Fire Man, Book 3

  Princess Shirra and the Banished Prince, Book 4

  Coming Soon

  The Fortune Cookie Prince, Book 2

  Prince Omar, a proclaimed bachelor tricked into serving a mortal widow with a child, finds himself falling in love with his mistress, a woman who lives by the ‘fortunes’ found inside the twisted Chinese cookies she craves. His initial haughtiness at finding himself laboring for a mistress rather than a master, evaporates when she insists he be her business partner instead of a servant. He’s dismayed to find himself falling in love.

  After the disaster of a marriage of convenience for mutual gain, Alfie is reluctant to allow any man to interfere with her new-found freedom. But, once they realize their mutual love, she refuses to let the prince give up his royal title to remain with her. The prince is convinced that she can give him three special wishes that will allow them to be together without jeopardizing his standing with the Djinn. But, she has a secret she’s been led to believe will put any man off.

  Where to find Raine

  If you would like to learn more about Raine or her novels, visit her website at www.rainehughes.com.

  Raine enjoys hearing from her readers. If you’d like to contact the author, send her a message at: rainehughesauthor@gmail.com.

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  About Raine Hughes

  Raine Hughes lives in central Alberta, Canada, where she is content to reside despite invitation by relatives to several other countries that she enjoyed. She likes to write fun romance in several sub-genres, including paranormal and contemporary.

  Raine grew up on a dairy farm and milked cows in the lands ‘down under’ before settling down with her husband and assorted livestock and exotic birds.

  Her writing career started at a young age, in grade school, only of course she wasn’t writing romances then! Being a farm gal meant her stories often included livestock and pets. She continued writing while working for various government departments and agencies where her love of romance began. Discovering a writers group close at hand allowed her to gain momentum.

  As a member of a Canadian chapter of the Romance Writers of America, as well as having membership in other writing groups, she enjoys reading a variety of genres and has been known to dabble in writing in them, too.