Dark Oasis

by Jenny Schwartz

Horrid guardians. But beyond them, she caught the topaz glint of Theron’s bottle. She took two quick steps and reached up to the high shelf. She expected a ward, pain, something. Instead, her hand closed triumphantly around the neck of the bottle. She settled back on her heels.

  “Ah, Sadiq, you brought me a visitor.” Abbas appeared from the shadows. They clung to him with the remnants of a cloaking spell. He addressed his son, but he looked at her. His eyes followed Theron’s bottle which she hugged tightly. “An angelic visitor, if I judge the power accurately. How fortunate.”

  His eyes followed the bottle. Reluctantly, Alexa put Theron’s bottle on a low table and backed away. Sure enough, Abbas looked at the bottle and then, unfocusedly, around the room. He can’t see me.

  Sadiq hadn’t inherited his angel-seeing abilities from his father. Abbas sensed she was here, but he couldn’t see her.

  She returned to the bottle.

  “I brought a dagger, too,” Sadiq said.

  Alexa spun to face him. “No.” She hadn’t come here to support patricide.

  Abbas didn’t move. “How else would you break my wards, blood of my blood? But the wards are up, now, and you won’t find mere blood opens them again.”

  “Your blood will.”

  Abbas chuckled, low and evil, in the wild mass of his beard.

  Sadiq swore and plunged through the archway. He rebounded, violently, landing on the floor. He dropped the dagger and hugged his ribs, groaning.

  “Fortunately,” Abbas said. “I am pleased with your gift, my son. An angel to complete my collection of powers. I have the demon and the djinni.”

  He’s trapped a demon? Alexa fought uncharacteristic panic. If Abbas was powerful enough to capture an unscrupulous demon, what chance did she have to escape his treasure room?

  Her hand closed once more on Theron’s bottle. Whatever happened, they were leaving together, and she was saving Sadiq. She gathered her power. She seldom used it to its full extent, but it burned with the white hot energy of a lightning bolt.

  She flung it at Abbas.

  A demon swirled out from the ring on his finger and ate her attack. The energy simply vanished.

  Abbas shook his hand. The demon had allowed loose enough energy to singe him. That was all.

  When fight failed…Alexa snatched up Theron’s bottle. She could always run.

  Dark magic boiled up around her, shutting her in a cauldron of evil. It choked and suffocated her, blinded her in a way she’d never imagined. If she lost consciousness, even unable to see her, Abbas would have her at his nonexistent mercy.

  She wrenched the stopper from Theron’s bottle, dived into it and pulled the stopper in after her.

  “Alexa my love.” Theron glanced away from the knives he was juggling. “You’re a damned nuisance.” The knives struck the far wall in a heart shape. “Come here.”

  Chapter Four

  “I’m here to save you.” Alexa picked herself up off the floor of Theron’s bottle. She rubbed a sore elbow. “Although it mightn’t look like it at the moment.”

  A mirror on the wall behind Theron showed a view of the outside world. Abbas had picked up the bottle and was shaking it violently.

  “Your bottle must have good stabilizers.” She sat down on a wide leather couch. She felt no more than the gentle rocking of a yacht at anchor.

  Theron left the knives in the wall and strode over to her. He appeared quite intimidating in leather trousers and no shirt, and certainly not in need of rescuing. He folded his arms and glared.

  “I couldn’t just leave you, here,” she said.

  “Yes. You could.”

  “Huh.” She tipped her chin and glared back at him. “A lot you know about friendship.”

  His arms unfolded and his biceps stopped bulging. “Is that how you think of me, as a friend?” He sat beside her, his weight on the cushions sending her sliding thigh to thigh against him.

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t sound happy about it.” The unfamiliar scowl left his face and the usual lurking smile reappeared in his eyes. “I make a good friend. In fact, because of our friendship, I’m willing to overlook the trouble you’ve caused flapping in here on angel wings.”

  “The trouble I’ve caused? You’re the one who brought this on yourself, flaunting your presence and powers up and down the coast.”

  “I know. It took months.” He raised an eyebrow at her shock. “Honestly, angel, do you think I’d let a madman like Abbas capture me unless I planned it?”

  She couldn’t find words.

  “The only thing that worried me.” Theron could always find words. “Was the fate of Mutt. Who is looking after him if you’re here with me?”

  “I left him with Peter, one of my charges. The kid needed something to take care of. The worst that’ll happen to Mutt is a severe case of spoiling and over-feeding. Forget the dog.” She swiveled round, hooking one knee up on the sofa, to scowl at him. “What do you mean, you planned this?”

  “I freelance for your Guardian Council.”

  “No.”

  “No, you don’t believe me? or no, you don’t want to believe me?” He relaxed back against the sofa.

  “Why would they employ you?” Her voice trailed off as she realized the answer. “Because you can go places angels can’t.”

  “Like through Abbas’s wards. Although I notice you found a way through.”

  “That was Sadiq.” She glanced at the mirror window. Abbas was still focused on the bottle and her. So Sadiq was safe for the moment. “He needed to confront his father.”

  “Your Guardian Council might buy that excuse.”

  “Involving a human in angel affairs is no worse than involving a djinni.”

  “The inference being you can trust a human, but a djinni…” He shrugged expressively. Muscles rippled. “You think your Guardian Council was wrong to employ me.”

  “Yes, but not for the prejudiced thinking you’re accusing me of.” She was so angry she got off the sofa and put space between them before she tried shaking sense into him. “You’re operating under a curse, Theron. That’s not a minor detail. You’re handicapped, vulnerable.”

  “Vulnerable?”

  It was the last thing he looked, lounging there, all masculine power and grace.

  She flicked him a dismissive glance. “Appearances are deceiving. Abbas can command you for the count of three wishes. Can you imagine what power that gives him?”

  “Exactly as much as I decide to share.” He stood, good humor gone, and prowled towards her. “You could try trusting me, angel.”

  “It’s not a question of trust. It’s one of commonsense. It’s not safe for you to be here. Abbas is a dark mage.”

  “And that is precisely why I’m here. He has to be stopped. Angels can’t do anything. He’s warded against them, and besides, you’re hampered by the tricky issue of cosmic balance. If you directly take out a dark mage, the demons can take out a saint. But I’m not hampered by those considerations and—you’ll notice—I’ve gotten through his wards.”

  “Sure you’ve gotten through his wards. You’re a damn prisoner in his disgusting treasure room. He’ll command you to do something like blast a city to pieces and Solomon’s stupid curse will force you to do it.”

  “For your information, Abbas has already used one wish. Do you see any blasted cities?” He crowded her personal space, annoyed and making no effort to hide it.

  She flattened both hands against his chest and pushed back.

  He didn’t move. “I told you. I’ve worked for your Guardian Council before. I’m not a naive do-gooder. I know the risks and I know my own abilities. I can take out Abbas by using his wishes against him.”

  “Abbas is a devious bastard.”

  “So am I.” He smiled unpleasantly. “And I’ve had centuries more experience at the game.” He caught her wrists and pulled her off balance against him.

  Infuriatingly, the only thing keeping her from stumbling was Theron’s hard b
ody and before she could catch her balance, he pushed forward and pinned her against the wall.

  He bent and whispered in her ear. “Abbas’s first wish was protection against you and yours, Alexa. He commanded protection against angelic power. I gave him my brother.”

  “Your brother? You surrendered another djinni to Abbas?” Outraged, she managed to push him back a couple of inches, but the victory was only momentary.

  He settled back, aligning their hips with slight, indecently sensuous nudges, making a space for himself between her legs.

  She wriggled, annoyed.

  “Uh, angel.” A mingled laugh and groan.

  “Well, let me go, then,” she snapped. “I don’t play these games.”

  “What games?”

  “Sex games!”

  “Who says I’m playing?” He inhaled deeply. “You smell like cherry blossom. And you feel so good. Skin to skin would be better.”

  “No.” Way too shaky. “And don’t try to distract me.”

  “Why not?” A slight, whimsical smile. “I’m distracted.”

  “You’re not. You’re teasing. And I…” She craved him. She’d been so scared for him. Now her body wanted reassurance in the most intimate of ways. Not that she was ruled by her desires. “You were telling me how you betrayed your brother to Abbas.”

  “I didn’t betray Emmott.” He nuzzled her hair. “I taught him a valuable lesson. And he’s not a djinni. He’s my demon younger brother. He was hanging around, laughing at me being at a dark mage’s command. As an older brother, I decided he needed a life lesson. I placed him under a geas to protect Abbas from angelic attack.” He kissed the curve of her throat.

  Belatedly, she realized she’d arched her head back, encouraging Theron’s attentions. She snapped her head forward.

  He kissed her.

  Hunger and need roared through her from him, revealing just what a lie his lazy, teasing touch was. He had told the truth. This wasn’t a game. He had himself on a leash, but he wanted her. His mouth ate hers. Ate her control.

  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as hungrily, desperately.

  “Angel.” His chest heaved against hers. His thighs were steel hard. “We have the worst timing.”

  “I know.” But she didn’t stop caressing his back and his chest, exploring, claiming. “You snuck into my life and until you were in danger, I didn’t realize how important you’d become.”

  He snatched another kiss, a reward. “I knew I wanted you a long time ago. But you’re an angel, free. You never showed any signs of—”

  “Wanting a walk on the wild side?” She smiled against his mouth.

  “Of wanting me. Of accepting that I’m imperfect.”

  Her smile died. She eased back. “Imperfect?”

  He cupped her head, his thumb tracing a line along her cheekbone. “I’m a djinni. Not everything I’ve done has been good. Not everything I’ll do will meet your Guardian Council’s ethics. I didn’t know if you could accept that.”

  “You have your own code. I’ve seen you live it.”

  “But can you live with it?” His eyes searched hers.

  She wasn’t sure what he asked. Did she want him? Yes. Did she care? Why, else would she be here?

  “Ah.” She rested her head against his shoulder. He was so powerful, being with him she forgot his history and reality: the constraints of Solomon’s curse. Centuries of slavery left their mark on even the most self-confident of men. “I respect you, Theron. I might argue with you, but I do trust you.”

  His arms tightened around her. “Thank you.”

  “But I still think you should escape Abbas.”

  He shook with silent laughter.

  She pulled back to glare at him. “It’s not funny.”

  “Angel, you’re as trapped as I am.”

  Her eyes widened at the thought. “We have to get out of here. And Sadiq.” She twisted around to look at the mirror window. “We have to—Oh my.”

  Abbas was on the move and carrying the djinni bottle with him.

  The scene in the mirror showed Sadiq slumped against a wall, holding his ribs.

  “Come with me,” Abbas directed.

  He kicked away the dagger Sadiq had dropped. It spun into a corner.

  Sadiq’s gaze fixed on the bottle, then lifted to his father’s face. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Of course not.” Abbas stroked the bottle. “I must think on this gift you brought me. For now, I have other plans.”

  “The djinni—”

  “A marvelous find. Those fools I took him from had no idea of his value. They didn’t even recognize the power of him.”

  “Maybe too much power for you,” Sadiq said sullenly.

  Abbas glanced slyly at him. “I plan to strengthen myself.”

  They walked out of the seventh alcove and Sadiq stopped, confronted by the iron bars of a prison cell. From behind them, a young woman looked up from her seat on the floor. “I’ve told you, I’m a US citizen. My government is going to kick your ass.”

  “Delusional,” Abbas said. “An archaeologist. She drove in here three days ago. Saved me the trouble of buying someone from the slave market. I’ll sacrifice her tomorrow to strengthen me to deal with the djinni. Or you can agree to die in her place, Sadiq.”

  Chapter Five

  “Bastard,” Theron muttered.

  “Abbas intends to sacrifice his own son?” Terrible though she knew the dark mage to be, Alexa found such inhumanity difficult to comprehend.

  “Your charge is a damn fool, using his blood to break the ward. It’s given Abbas ideas.” Theron used a touch of magic to change his clothes. Jeans replaced the leather trousers and a shirt covered his impressive muscles. Scuffed boots tied their own laces.

  “The costume party’s over?” Alexa inquired.

  “I played to the image of how Abbas thought a djinni should look. He’s a traditionalist. But for the first wish, he didn’t sacrifice anyone.” Theron sounded annoyed. “I thought I hadn’t scared him.”

  “You delivered a demon to him. I imagine that gave him an idea of your power.”

  “So maybe that wasn’t one of my better ideas.” He turned away, hunting for something on a wide, scarred worktable.

  “Nor was the geas. It was a geas you said you put on your half-brother, wasn’t it? No demon has ever been bound long by a geas.”

  Theron’s teeth flashed in a fierce grin. “That was the idea.” He snatched up an old brass astrolabe and realigned its circuits.

  “Oh.” She contemplated the extent of his deviousness. Abbas had asked for protection from angelic attack. A demon could provide that and a geas could compel that protection. But Abbas had overlooked placing a forever timeframe on his wish. “How long before your half-brother breaks the geas?”

  “Emmott could have broken it by now. He wasted two days raging. Kids today have no self-discipline.”

  “I heard that.” The deep, rough voice emerged from the astrolabe. “Your damned geas is tricky.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Theron grinned, amused.

  “Is that angel with you?” Emmott asked.

  “I’m here.” She strolled forward to examine the astrolabe.

  Emmott lowered his voice to a purr. “Your energy feels goooood. Like being stroked all over.”

  Eww. Her nose wrinkled.

  “I think your seduction technique needs work, little brother.” Theron tossed the astrolabe in the air and caught it. “But not with Alexa.” There was enough steel in his voice to surprise her.

  She jerked her gaze to his and found him watching her possessively. She cleared her throat. “About Sadiq.”

  “It’s a good temptation,” Emmott said judiciously. “Takes advantage of the human’s desperation. He wants to prove he’s not like his father.”

  “Sadiq is nothing like Abbas,” she said, outraged.

  Theron leaned against the table. “The real question is how Abbas intends to use Sadiq’s sacrifice.
” He reached out a lazy but determined arm and pinned Alexa against him.

  “I have to stop Sadiq agreeing,” she said urgently. “I have to remind him he can’t trust Abbas to keep his promise. He’ll die, then Abbas will kill the woman, anyway.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Emmott said. “The beauty of this temptation is that either way, your Sadiq loses. If he doesn’t agree to sacrifice himself, he has to live with that decision.”

  Alexa stopped struggling to free herself. She held Theron’s gaze, a question in hers.

  He nodded.

  The only way to save Sadiq was to defeat Abbas, now.

  Theron addressed the astrolabe. “If Abbas takes Sadiq’s free sacrifice, he’ll be beyond reach of your vengeance, Emmott. Blood of blood is what protects from demons.”

  “Ahem.”

  Theron smiled at her. “A dark mage is hardly likely to embrace love and hope, Alexa, none of the normal protections against demons will appeal to him. They all involve trusting someone else. Abbas is all about power and control.”

  “Are you saying it’s in my interests to join forces with you?” Emmott inquired.

  “Only if you want vengeance,” Theron said. “I can do this without you.”

  “What do you intend to do?” Angel and demon asked in unison.

  “Watch.”

  Abbas gripped a revolver. He gestured to the newly opened cell door. “In you go.”

  “Isn’t your magic enough to compel me?” Sadiq ducked his head to step in. “Or couldn’t you use your djinni to force me?”

  His father swung the door shut and locked it. “Crude though guns are, I’ve discovered they spare me a lot of unnecessary argument. You have an hour, Sadiq.”

  The young woman glared at Abbas. “You can’t expect a stranger to sacrifice himself for me.”

  “It seems my son is an a quixotic mood, today. I merely seek to indulge him.”

  “Your son?” Her eyes widened. She looked at Sadiq.

  He grimaced apologetically. “Sorry.”

  “Your father really intends to kill you? Is he crazy?”

  “I wish I could believe so.” He slid down the wall, grunting at the slight jolt as he hit the floor.