“He tried to see you, Melba. The guards wouldn’t let him in.”
“Oh.” Her father must have left instructions to deny him access. That was not surprising after what Vittorio had done, but it wasn’t fair. Dante had helped her and he was nothing like his brother. “I want to see him before he leaves.”
Turk reached up and stroked her hair. “Best if you meet him here next time he visits. But we must be discrete. We don’t want to do anything to upset your father when I’m about to ask if I can marry you.”
She leaned up on her elbows again and stared longingly into his dark brown eyes. “How long ’till you can ask?” She was fed up with only seeing Turk for a few hours each day. She wanted to be with him all day and all night.
“Soon, love. He touched her cheek with his fingertips. “I was only living half a life until I met you. The Great Earth Jinn led me to you to show me what I was missing. You and I are meant to be together.” He reached under his pillow, withdrew a red velvet box, and placed it on the bedcover.
Melba ran her finger over the soft velvet with a tingle of excitement. Then she picked up the box and lifted the lid. A solid silver bracelet decorated with a silver serpent was nestled in the white satin.
She touched the silver and felt the vibrant Star alive inside the metal. A tiny gasp burst from her lips and her gaze jumped to Turk. “Sweet Earth Jinn, thank you.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Where d’you get live silver?”
“Each time a southern merchant brig docked during the last few weeks, Dante asked the captain to call on me. Most of them refused but lucky for us, one of the captains was female and Dante charmed her. She sold it to me.”
Melba slipped on the metal band and connected with the tiny Star inside the silver. Turk laid his hand over hers and smiled. “Summon the Jinn as you would from a flower. Only you don’t have to give it a form, the silver has been fashioned into a serpent already.”
She touched the shining Star with her mind and drew the spirit out of the metal gently. Her eyes opened to see a miniature version of Turk’s Silver Serpent emerging from the thick silver band, the tiny scales unfolding as the Jinn lifted its finely crafted body from the bracelet and slid into her cupped hand. Its silver-rope tongue flicked out to taste her skin. She squealed with delight, hugged Turk, and smothered him in kisses. “It’s so tiny and cute,” she said, breathless with delight. “The southerners have far better doodads than us. I love it. Thank you.” She kissed him some more, and for a few minutes she forgot the Silver Serpent. The new Jinn was wonderful. But nothing was as good as kissing Turk.
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About the Author
Helen Scott Taylor won the American Title IV contest in 2008. Her winning book, The Magic Knot, was published in 2009 to critical acclaim, received a starred review from Booklist, and was a Booklist top ten romance for 2009. Since then, she has published other novels, novellas, and short stories in both the UK and USA.
Helen lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful long-suffering husband, she shares her home with two Shih Tzus and an aristocratic chocolate-shaded-silver-burmilla cat who rules the household with a velvet paw. She believes that deep within everyone, there's a little magic.
Find Helen at:
http://www.HelenScottTaylor.com
http://twitter.com/helenscotttaylo
http://facebook.com/helenscotttaylor
Also by Helen Scott Taylor
The Magic Knot Fairies series
The Magic Knot
The Phoenix Charm
The Ruby Kiss
The Crystal Crib (novella) in A Midwinter Fantasy anthology
Paranormal Romance
Warriors of Ra
Feast of Beauty
Contemporary Romance
Unbreak My Heart
Oceans Between Us
Finally Home
Young Adult
Wildwood
Table of Contents
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