“Just a second. You’re missing one thing.” Lifting his hand to his mouth, his cheeks puff as he blows a breath. Glitter appears out of nowhere, sprinkling all over my face and shoulders.
I cough, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. “What? I wasn’t sparkling enough already?”
His lips twitch as he shrugs. “Just thought I’d make you extra sparkly and delicious.”
I dust the glitter off my hands. “Are you trying to get The Banished to eat me or something?”
Frowning, he shakes his head. “I’d never wish such a treacherous death on anyone, let alone my new toy.” He grins as my eyes narrow. “Don’t worry; I can be your toy, too.”
“Oh, for the love of faeries.” I walk toward Asher, who came to a stop in the middle of the field and is watching us.
“Why did you say that, for my sake, you hope you don’t fall in love with me?” East calls out after me.
I smash my lips together as it clicks into place. The glitter must’ve been some sort of truth magic. That’s what Asher and he are up to. They’re using magic to force me to tell them the truth.
I mentally curse all paranormals as my lips part. “Who knows? Sometimes I just say stuff. Honestly, you really shouldn’t pay much attention to anything I say.”
East’s brows knit. “Are you sure that’s the reason?”
I nod. Huh. Maybe I was wrong about what the glitter was.
When East trades a perplexed look with Asher, I question if the glitter was exactly what I thought it was and it just didn’t work on me. Just like the sleeping glitter Easton put on my pillow.
Why isn’t his magic working on me? Magic has worked on me before. What’s different about me now?
“Can I go now?” I ask East. “Or do you want to blow more glitter in my face?”
“I don’t know …” He nibbles on his bottom lip, his worried gaze straying to Ash. “Maybe she shouldn’t go.”
With a sigh, Asher backtracks toward us, his boots crushing the glassy flowers. “We already talked about this.” His gaze bores into East. “We need that rock.”
I dust some glitter off my neck. “This seems like a lot of trouble to get a simple rock.”
Asher glances at me. “It’s not just a rock. It’s the Rock of Forthcoming Magic. And once we get it working, it’ll warn us of any magic coming our way.”
I adjust the bottom of my dress. “Do you expect a lot of magic to come your way?”
He nods. “We have a plan to take on—”
“What are you doing?” East hisses, glancing around the field nervously. “Don’t discuss that shit out here.”
“I didn’t mean to …” Asher rakes his hand through his hair. “I have no clue why I said that.”
East breathes loudly as he scans the trees. “I can’t believe you just did that. You’re usually so careful.”
“I know. I swear it was like my tongue was being controlled or something. Like I had to answer her question …” His gaze zeroes in on me.
So do East’s.
I step back. “Why are you guys looking at me? I didn’t do anything.”
Asher glances at East, who nods with his jaw set tight.
Asher strides toward me, taking long, determined steps. I turn to run, although I’m unsure of where I’m going since I’m in an unfamiliar world full of faeries that East insists are going to want to eat me up.
I make it a whole two steps before Asher loops his arm around my waist.
“Let me go!” I shout as he picks me up and slings me over his shoulder. The cool breeze hits my butt as my dress rides up. My eyes widen as I reach back and tug the hem down.
“No.” Asher marches toward the world jumper vehicle. “Not until we talk.”
“We can talk without you carrying me,” I gripe, smacking his back with my free hand.
“No, we can’t.” He throws open the door to the vehicle and storms inside.
East trails at our heels with his head angled to the side. “What are you, sweetheart?” he whispers so lowly I barely hear him.
“I’m human,” I annunciate. “Have been since the day I was born.”
East’s eyes enlarge. “You shouldn’t have been able to hear me while I was speaking in that frequency.”
I sweep my hair out of my face. “You sounded like you were talking normally to me.”
Worry creases his perfect features. “Asher?”
“I heard.” Asher sets me down on the sofa then puts his hands on his hips and stares down at me. “Who are you, little thief?”
“I’m Harlynn.” My voice drips with sarcasm as I rearrange my dress into place. “We already went over this, remember? While we were doing the bargain.”
East plops down on the armrest, his eyes sparkling with fascination. “Is it one of your tricks?”
“Is what one of my tricks?” I literally have no clue what’s going on, other than I did something that apparently implied I’m not human. Whatever it was has them spooked.
“You reflected my magic,” East tells me, measuring my reaction closely.
“Um, no, I didn’t,” I deny. “I didn’t even know you could do that.”
“Most can’t.” He places his hand on the back of the sofa as he leans in, his wings cocooning around me. “But certain paranormal species can. Most of them are rare and unheard of. But the question is: which one are you?”
I try to recline away from him, but his wings secure me in place. “I’m human. I swear I am.”
Asher shakes his head. “There’s no way you can be. Humans can’t reflect fey magic on other paranormal creatures like you just did to me. It’s why I was about to tell you …”
“Tell me what? The truth? Like how you tried to use magic to get me to tell you the truth?” I cross my arms and stare him down.
“Yes,” he answers with a drop of shame. “But instead, I almost ended up telling you the truth.” He moves closer to me, his eyes darkening. “What did you do to me?”
My mind drifts back to the day I lost my parents and the genie cursed me. My body was so hot I thought I was going to start on fire. Then the genie ignited into flames himself instead and asked me what I’d done, just like Asher is now.
“What is it?” Asher presses, his gaze never wavering from mine.
I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
He momentarily searches my eyes then sinks down on the sofa beside me. “If you know something, you can tell us. We won’t hurt you.”
A hollow laugh escapes my lips. “You guys tried to use magic to trick me into telling you my secret. How the hell does that scream trust me?”
“That was a bad decision on our part,” Asher agrees with a nod. “But I promise you, you can trust us. In fact, I’ll even make a bargain with you.”
“To let me go?” I ask with hope. “I mean, if you guys don’t think I’m human, then what’s the point of keeping me, right?”
Asher shakes his head. “Whatever you are, you’re rare enough that you still come off as human, so you should be able to steal the objects we need.” He scoots closer to me, and so does East, sliding off the armrest and onto the cushion. “I’ll make you a bargain. Whatever you tell us will stay between us. We won’t use anything you say against you. We won’t get upset. And we won’t hurt you in any way.”
While I’m human and have virtually nothing important to tell them, making the bargain is enticing. After all, it’d give me security that none of them could hurt me. Although, I’m unsure they would. Well, I’m pretty sure East and Arrow wouldn’t. Asher’s still a bit iffy.
“I really don’t know much,” I tell Asher. “But I’ll tell you what I do know if you make the bargain.”
He nods, wetting his lips with his tongue. “Okay.”
“And you have to tell me one of your secrets, too,” I add. “A secret of my choosing.”
Wariness floods his expression. “What do you want to know?”
I lift a shoulder. “I’ll let you know after we strik
e the bargain.”
He deliberates. “All right, in exchange for you telling us what you know about your strange abilities, I’ll reveal one secret about me of your choosing. We won’t use anything you say against you, we won’t get upset, and no harm will come to you. Do we have a bargain, Harlynn?”
I replay his words then nod. “We have a deal.”
He nods, too, and then his mouth crashes against mine. He parts my lips with his tongue as I clutch his shoulders, my heart racing like a cracked-out hummingbird. For a moment, I get lost. For a moment, I let him kiss me deeply. For a moment, I like the feel of his warm lips against mine and the way he slides his hand around my back. Then I remember what I overheard. How kissing isn’t really part of making a genie bargain.
I shove him away, panting for air, my lips tingling. “Why do you keep doing that?”
His eyelids flutter open, his eyes glazed over. “Doing what?”
“Keep kissing me.” I swallow hard, ignoring the fluttering in my chest brought on from the kiss. “I know it isn’t part of the deal. I heard East say so.”
Asher’s lips sink into a frown. “When?”
I take a few measured breaths, my heart continuing to soar like a lunatic. “Last night while you guys thought I was sleeping.”
“But my magic …” East stares at me in astonishment. “Fuck, it didn’t put you to sleep, did it?”
I shake my head. “No. And I don’t appreciate you trying to dope me up.”
“I wasn’t trying to dope you up, sweetheart,” East insists. “I was trying to help you rest. You looked exhausted.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.” Confusion dances through me. I’m not sure whether to be angry or touched by his gesture. And that uncertainty is even more puzzling. “For the record, I’m not a fan of drugs.”
“Because of your friend?” East asks, and I nod. “All right.”
I return my attention back to Asher, only to find him staring at my lips as if he wants to devour them. It makes it hard to breathe, and my voice sounds a bit wobbly as I say, “How do you know me? Because I also overheard you say that you thought you did.”
He tears his gaze off my lips and focuses on my eyes. “Is that the secret you want to know?”
I nod. “Yes.”
His throat muscles work as he swallows hard. “I’m not exactly sure yet, but perhaps, if you tell me what you are, it might strike my memory.”
“I don’t know what I am,” I answer truthfully. Then words start pouring out of my mouth, under no control of my own. Damn genie bargain magic. “There was this one time, right after that genie killed my parents, that something strange happened. He had just cursed me. It was an awful curse, too.”
“What was the curse?” Asher asks, looking a bit pale.
“That when I truly fall in love with someone, they’re going to end up like my parents, which means they’re going to turn into dust and blow away to who knows where.” Tears sting my eyes, yet the magic of the bargain keeps me talking. “Anyway, after he cursed me, I felt like I was going to combust. I was so hot, but then I suddenly wasn’t. Then the genie burst into flames and asked me what I’d done.” I release a deafening breath as I slump back in the sofa. “Holy shit, I’ve never told anyone about that. Not even Jason.”
“What did this genie look like?” Asher asks, placing a hand on my knee.
“He was tall, with heavily tattooed arms and raven black hair,” I reply automatically. “And he had these weird bluish-purple tinted eyes, like the color at the bottom of a flame.”
Asher squeezes his eyes shuts, now gripping my knee.
“Fuck,” East mutters, rubbing his hand across his forehead.
I glance back and forth between them. “What is it?”
Asher presses his fingers to the brim of his nose. “The genie who cursed you and took away your parents … he was—is—my father.”
Chapter 10
If it weren’t for the bargain, I’d run. But, since the bargain protects me from any harm, I stay on the sofa, needing answers.
“How do you know that for sure?” I ask, my voice strained.
His father killed my parents? His father cursed me? His father was the genie who ruined my life?
“Because my father is the only genie with that color eyes.” Asher lowers his hand from his nose and stares out the window, avoiding my gaze. “And it explains how I know you.”
“How does that explain how you know me?” My voice trembles with rage.
His father killed my parents. Oh gods, I feel sick.
Asher’s chest rises and crashes as he releases a stressed breath. “About seven or eight years ago, my father put a curse on me.”
“I was cursed about eight years ago, too,” I say absentmindedly.
He meets my gaze. “I know.”
My anger morphs into confusion. “How?”
I see flames rise in Asher’s eyes then he looks away, the muscles in his jaw ticking. “Because he cursed me with the same curse.”
“You’ve never been in love before?” I question skeptically.
“Who really knows?” He shrugs, staring at the floor.
“You should know if you have,” I say, feeling a twinge of pity for him, knowing what it’s like to never have been in love. To know that I never will be without awful repercussions. “From what my parents told me, love isn’t the sort of thing you’re not sure you’ve ever felt before.”
“Well, then I guess I’ve never felt it before,” he snaps. Then his voice softens. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. This is in no way your fault.”
“It’s fine.” I place a hand on his knee, feeling even more sorry for him. Who would’ve thought me, the girl who despises genies, would pity a genie? I guess there’s a first time and right circumstance for everything. “I get it. That curse has haunted me for eight years. I have to worry about every person I get close to and worry if I’m going to end up killing them.”
He stares down at my hand on his knee, then his gaze drags up to my face. “So, my father didn’t tell you who you’d fall in love with?”
“No, just that I would.” I pause. “Did he tell you?”
Shaking his head, he looks away and rubs his hand across his face. “This is so fucking unbelievable. I mean, I knew my father was fucked up, but this …” He shakes his head again, his gaze welding with mine. “I’m sorry about your parents. I really am. I know that doesn’t make it better, but I promise that one day my father will pay for all the wrongs he’s done. It’s part of the reason we need that rock.”
“To get rid of your father?” I like the idea probably way too much. I’ve wanted to do it myself since the day he took my family away and cursed me with a loveless future.
Asher nods, resting his hand on my knee. “Well, him and a handful of other powerful and corrupt paranormals.”
Suddenly, journeying into that forest with the beasts sounds appealing.
“I want to help.”
Asher eyes me over. “With killing my father?”
I nod. “I made a vow the day he took my parents away that, if I ever have the chance, I’d make him pay.” I push to my feet. “So, how about we get going on stealing that rock thingy?”
East snatches ahold of my hand as I start to walk toward the door, his lips tugging into an amused smile. “As much as I love your enthusiasm to slay Asher’s father, we need to find out what you are before we send you out into those trees.”
“Why? You said I registered as a human.” I try to wiggle my arm from his grip, but he tows me back down onto the sofa. I heave a dramatic sigh. “Come on; quit wasting time.”
East chuckles, glancing at Asher. “You’re lucky.”
“Not if we can’t fix it,” Asher mutters, staring at the window again.
“We’ll fix it,” East reassures him, tangling his fingers through mine. “Until then, I’m still going to play.”
Asher glares at East. “You seriously love pushing my buttons som
etimes.”
East’s smile is all sorts of wickedness. “Of course I do. But, I’ll tell you what, if you just say it aloud, I’ll stop.”
I attempt to tug my hand from his, to no avail. “Will someone please tell me what in the worlds you two are talking about?”
East smiles at Asher. In return, Asher glares back.
“We’re talking about nothing,” Asher replies, I think to me, but it’s hard to say for sure since he’s glaring at East. “Now, can we please talk about how we’re going to figure out what Harlynn is?”
“I might know a way.” Arrow walks in from outside. “But it’ll take a few days.”
“Were you standing out there the entire time?” East asks Arrow with his brow curved up.
Arrow shrugs, stuffing his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just listened. Figured I’d save you guys some time filling me in.”
East muses over something. “You cyborgs, always thinking ahead.”
“You should try it sometime,” Arrow jokes with a ghost of a smile.
East dismisses him with a flick of his wrist. “Nah, that’s way too boring for my taste.” He leans back in the sofa, still holding my hand and pulling me with him.
“So, what’s your plan?” Asher asks Arrow, his breath tickling my shoulder.
I turn my head toward him, finding him so close our lips nearly touch. I slant back automatically, only to bump into East. Seriously, these guys have issues with personal space.
“The steel books,” Arrow replies with a hint of hesitancy.
Asher quickly shakes his head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It might be the only way to find out what she is.” Arrow crosses the room and sinks down into a chair across from us.
“And who’s supposed to go get it?” Asher asks, sliding his arm across the back of the sofa behind me. “From what I understand, they’re nearly impossible to get.”
“I’ll go get them,” Arrow replies, the wheels in his arms craning as he shrugs. “I know some cyborgs who live inside the city. They might be able to get me in.”
“What are these steel books?” I interrupt. “And where are they exactly?”
Chasing Steel: Capturing Magic Books 1-3 Page 8
