Djinn

by Laura Catherine

"Sure," I replied. "Sounds good."

  Chapter Thirty

  The next morning was slow. I sat at the dining room table with Ivan and Isabelle in silence. My mind switched between going to the park to see Pyke and hiding out in my room. I'd decided to take a break from training today, after what had happened yesterday. Isabelle thought I should take it easy and get myself back into a good mental space.

  I didn't see that happening any time soon. Not only did I have to worry about Will, but now Pyke, too. He'd said he was happy being friends, but all I could think about was how close he'd been to me. It didn't seem fair to keep hanging around him if I didn't feel the same way. But I couldn't just stop talking to him without an explanation. I decided to take Keisuke to the park and talk to Pyke after all.

  Keisuke was eager to go back. He was even more excited when he saw the other dogs—or maybe they were Guardjinn, I couldn't tell the difference. The moment we stepped onto the grass he bolted after two German Shepherds playing tag.

  I spotted Pyke and Mia on the bench, talking. I wasn't pleased to see Mia. I had put great effort into getting out of my tutoring sessions with her, and I already had one lined up that afternoon. Ivan had organised it when he'd found out I wasn't going to training.

  "Hey, Kyra!" Pyke called, waving me over. Mia's face scrunched up like she'd just tasted something really sour.

  "Hey, Pyke," I said, and an awkward silence hung between us.

  "What are you even doing here?" Mia said, like she was spitting venom at me.

  "I'm allowed to be here," I said, feeling the heat in my belly. "It's not your park."

  "You're just hanging around in the hopes of seeing Will." She laughed. "You're pathetic. Just get over him and stop being a stupid, lovesick puppy."

  "Well, that's the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?" I snapped.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Mia jumped off the bench, and moved into my personal space. "Just because you had a little fling with Will, you think he's yours? Just because he kissed you, and touched you. Got you all flustered, did he?"

  "Shut up Mia," Pyke said.

  I'd forgotten he was even standing there, in the heat of the argument. The sudden bark of his voice caused us to jump. Heat flooded my cheeks. Pyke shouldn't have had to hear what went on between me and Will. I wondered how many people knew what had happened in my bedroom.

  "You're going to defend her?" Mia said. "I'm your cousin."

  "You two are cousins?" I said. It made sense. They were close, and they did look alike.

  "Mia, you really need to get over yourself and stop being bitchy to Kyra. Just leave her alone," he said.

  Mia was gobsmacked. I don't think I'd ever seen her with no comeback. She stood there, mouth open, rage filling her eyes.

  "I'll leave you both alone then," she said, and turned heel.

  "I'm sorry about her," Pyke said once Mia was gone.

  "Honestly, I'm used to it. Are you two going to be okay?"

  "Mia and I fight all the time. She'll cool off and get over it." His face darkened. "She shouldn't have said those things. It's no one else's business but yours and Will's."

  "Thanks," I said, feeling completely guilty. Pyke was being an amazing friend, and I was just going to dump him.

  "Where's Keisuke?" he asked, changing the subject.

  "He ran off with some German Shepherds," I replied. "He's having fun, though."

  "I knew he would. I'll have a run with him later. You look really nice, by the way."

  I looked down at my usual jeans and tank top outfit. I wasn't feeling particularly pretty today, and Pyke's comment caught me off guard.

  "Um … thanks," I said.

  He grinned. "I'm sorry. It must be awkward for you, after last night."

  "No, not at all," I replied.

  "You're a bad liar, but just so you know, I won't make any moves on you unless you want me to. I promise. I know how you feel about Will."

  Pyke moved in close to me again, and the memories of last night came flooding back: the intensity of his eyes, his touch.

  "Pyke, I don't feel the same way," I said, trying to make him understand.

  "I know. Not right now and that's fine, but I can wait. I meant it when I said I would be your friend."

  "A friend who tells me how good I look," I said.

  "Pretty much." He shrugged, and ran a hand through his Mohawk.

  I couldn't help but smile at his determination. I had no plans to fall for Pyke, but he was a good friend and I needed him.

  "What are you doing here?"

  Will appeared next to me, and my breath caught in my throat. His hair shone in the sunlight and his face was so angelic I wanted to brush my fingers against his cheek.

  "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I said, shaking my head.

  "Hey, mate," Pyke said with a grin.

  I suddenly realised how close Pyke and I were standing. Barely any space separated us, and I immediately took a few steps back. I hoped Will hadn't noticed how close Pyke and I had been.

  "I invited Kyra," Pyke said. "Keisuke wanted to hang out with some other dogs."

  "I see," Will replied, eyes darting between the two of us. "I'll leave you to it, then."

  "You can stick around if you like," Pyke said, but I could tell he didn't mean it. There was a harshness to his voice that hadn't been there before.

  "I've got to be at the palace, anyway. You two have fun."

  Will walked away, and I couldn't help but analyse his last words. Did he think Pyke and I were a thing? Did he know Pyke had feelings for me? They were friends, after all. Was he jealous? Did he even care? My lack of information was driving me mad. Boys in general were driving me mad.

  "Don't worry about him," Pyke said. "He's been taking his job at the palace really seriously, which is good."

  "How come you don't work for the palace?" I asked, trying to forget about Will. "It seems like the perfect job for you. You like protecting people, the queen is on your side for equal rights …"

  "It would be good," he admitted, "but then I'd be stuck at the palace all the time, and I'd never see you."

  "I'm actually at the palace a lot, so you'd see me all the time."

  Pyke raised an eyebrow, and it took me a moment to realise he was flirting with me. "I thought you said you weren't going to do that," I said, giving him a tired look.

  "I can't help it," he said with a beautiful smile. "The heart wants what the heart wants."

  His words took me aback, thinking about Millie had said them week ago. Love is love. I shook my head.

  "Pyke …"

  "Okay, okay," he said. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to hide the way I feel about you. It's not in me to pretend to be someone I'm not."

  "I would never ask you to," I replied.

  What was I saying? Why was I talking this way with Pyke? He was my friend, like a brother. He was confusing me, so I took a step back. We'd somehow crept close together again, his eyes tracing my face.

  Mia made her way over to us, obviously still fuming. I was grateful for the distraction. This conversation was going in a strange direction, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know where it led.

  "Hey, Mia," Pyke said, like they hadn't just had a big fight.

  Mia shot him a dangerous look and turned her attention to me. "We have a session in an hour," she said, ignoring Pyke. "I'll meet you in the palace library. Ivan arranged our session to be held there."

  She didn't want to talk to me, but Ivan was paying her to be my tutor, so she didn't have a choice.

  "Okay," I said, and Mia stormed off.

  "Great," I said to Pyke. "Just what I need, to spend time alone with Mia. That can only end well."

  "I don't envy you," Pyke replied. "But she does know a lot."

  I sighed. "Can I leave Keisuke with you? He'd prefer to stay out all day and not be stuck at my house."

  "No worries," he said. "I'll bring him around later tonight."

  Pyke moved closer to me again and I
felt the heat from his body. My breath caught and I turned away.

  "Thanks. I better go get ready for tutoring," I said.

  Pyke only smiled at how awkward he was making me feel. Why was he doing this to me? Why did he make me feel so nervous?

  "Alright," he said. "Have fun."

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Keisuke was more than happy to stay with Pyke while I headed over to the palace for training with Mia. As much as I wanted to dawdle so I could spend less time with her, I didn't want to give Mia any excuse to start an argument.

  I walked to the palace and was stopped at the gates by the Guardjinn who were passing through large trucks. They stopped the trucks and waved me in.

  When I reached the palace steps I watched tables, chairs and other pieces of furniture being unloaded from the vehicles. Obviously it had something to do with the ball, or perhaps Celeste was redecorating the entire palace, because there really were a lot of trucks coming and going. How big was this ball going to be?

  I weaved my way through the furniture and entered the palace. I remembered the library was on the second floor, east wing, from my tour with Nate.

  I wondered where he was. It had been days since I'd seen him. He'd been so busy with preparations for the ball with Millie. I missed seeing them.

  I made my way up the grand staircase to the second floor and took a left down the east wing passage. The library was at the end of the hallway, concealed behind two floor-length wooden doors. Pictures were carved into the wood like it was telling some sort of story, but the plot eluded me, so I pushed them open without a second thought.

  The library was bigger than my whole house, two levels high, walls lined with bookcases. I thought I might die of love right then and there. It was beautiful, and I wondered how many of these books had never been seen by human eyes. What did Djinn write about? What stories did they have to tell? I could have spent the rest of my life reading that wealth of knowledge and died happy.

  The library was mostly empty, except for a few older men and women wandering around. They paid me little notice, nothing more than a glance before moving on. With their heads in books I wasn't sure how they even managed to navigate the room without walking in to anything.

  I made my way to the centre of the room where a cluster of tables and chairs filled the space. I couldn't see Mia anywhere, but there were so many bookshelves it was impossible to tell where she might be. I took a seat and leaned my head on the desk watching a woman with long grey hair put books back in their rightful places. I realised she was the woman from the council I'd seen on my first day in the palace.

  She gave me a small nod after noticing my staring eyes. I smiled back, but she continued her task without further attention.

  A stack of books slammed on the table, inches from my head, and I jumped back, nearly falling out of my seat. Mia stood next to me her lips curled back in a snarl.

  "About time," she said.

  I knew I wasn't late; in fact, I was early, but Mia wanted to get a rise out of me.

  Not this time. I wasn't going to let her get to me. I was going to get through the tutoring session and go home. I wouldn't give her an excuse.

  "Got here as soon as I could," I replied with a smile.

  "I spoke to Will and worked out where you were at with your tutoring," she said, leaning against the table, but not sitting. "He seems to think you know a lot. I think he was just trying to be nice."

  "Will is a good tutor. I learned a lot."

  "I'm sure you did," Mia said through gritted teeth.

  I hadn't meant anything by it, but it didn't seem to matter what I said to her. Mia was going to take it the wrong way.

  "Read these," she said, nodding at the stack of books. They were all old leather-bound volumes with gold lettering.

  "What are they about?" I asked, picking one up and flicking through the pages.

  "You'll find out when you read them," Mia replied and pushed off the table. "I'll come back and check on you later."

  She started walking away like that was it, but there was just one problem.

  "I can't read this," I called, and she stopped mid-step.

  Mia spun on her heel and stalked back. "What?"

  I held up the book and showed her the pages. "It's written in Sanskrit. I can't read it. That's why Will was tutoring me, or else I would have just read all about it."

  Mia pinched her brow and cursed under her breath. She must have figured it would be easy money: just leave me alone to read for hours on end. I wished it were that simple. Then I wouldn't need her at all.

  "You have to be kidding," she said. "Everyone can read."

  "I can read!" I said a little too loud, making the councilwoman glance my way. I didn't like Mia accusing me of not being able to do something I loved. I hushed my voice and leaned closer to her. "I can read, Mia. Most people don't read Sanskrit."

  "Yes, they do," she hissed back. "Sanskrit is basic for Djinn. It's humans who read English."

  "We speak English," I pointed out.

  "Good for you. My point still remains. You can't do something that other Djinn find simple." She chuckled. "You really don't belong here."

  I clenched my fists under the table and gritted my teeth.

  "This is hard for me," I said. "You could at least do your job, and maybe teach me how to read it."

  My face was inches from hers, our eyes locked, and then she jerked back.

  "Whoa," she said. "Don't go kissing me. Your flirting won't get you out of tutoring like it did with Will."

  "You really can't help yourself, can you?" I snapped, temper flaring.

  "It's true though," she replied, pleased by the rise she'd caused.

  "Do you really have a problem with Djinn and Guardjinn being together? Seriously?"

  "Yes," she hissed.

  "I don't believe it," I replied. "Pyke doesn't care."

  "Pyke's being a lovesick puppy. In love with the daughter of his father's murderer."

  "He's not my father!" I pushed back my chair and gripped the table hard, knuckles turning white.

  "He killed my uncle!" Mia shouted and the councilwoman shot us a disapproving look, but Mia didn't seem to notice or care. "Pyke acts like none of it happened. You've got him all mesmerised, just like Will."

  I was shocked Mia thought that about me. Will wasn't the one who'd been mesmerised; it was me.

  "I didn't do anything. Pyke and I are just friends."

  "You shouldn't be anything!" she shrieked.

  "What do you care, anyway? He's your cousin."

  "He is, and I care about him. I want to stop him from making a stupid decision."

  "You're just jealous that all the men in your life are giving me attention and not you!"

  A sharp pain tingled my cheek, and it took a few moments for me to realise Mia had slapped me.

  Heat flooded my face and clouded my mind. Before I could stop myself, I swung a fist at Mia's face. I caught her chin, knocking her head back. There was no going back from that.

  Mia recovered with a back kick that I blocked with my arm, but the buckles on her boot cut like little knives.

  I leaned in for another punch, but she grabbed my wrist. I quickly pivoted around her, twisting out of her grip and throwing her to the floor. I knelt on top of her as she clawed my face, raking fingernails down my cheek. I screamed, much girlier than intended, and wondered if this was what people called a catfight.

  I pushed Mia, and she stumbled backwards. I charged at her and twisted her arm behind her back and she screamed in pain, but soon the scream turned high-pitched and I had to let go in order to cover my ears.

  "Enough!"

  Mia and I lay side by side on our backs, panting, like we'd run a marathon. The councilwoman stood above us, her hands on her hips.

  "I said enough," she repeated, eyes flicking between us.

  A feeling of calm washed over me, and I suddenly didn't feel like attacking Mia anymore. I was still mad as hell at her, but the
urge to fight had faded like a fleeting dream.

  "Stand up," the councilwoman said and we got to our feet.

  "What's going on?" Mia asked. Her eyes were wide and her body twitched in jittery panic

  I felt the same way. I was quite happy on the floor, but the moment the woman said stand it was all I wanted to do.

  "You two want to fight each other over boys, fine, but do it somewhere else," the woman said.

  I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere but the library in that moment.

  "What did you do to us?" I asked, but the woman didn't seem interested in answering questions.

  "I understand boys seem like the most important thing to fight about, but one day you'll find out they're not. I'll forget about this little fight if you two leave right now."

  Mia and I turned on our heels and headed toward the library doors. I didn't even remember making the conscious decision to move, but I needed to get out of there.

  Mia and I didn't stop walking until we were outside of the palace doors. Only then did I have control of my mind and body again.

  Mia didn't say anything to me, only glared and stormed off. I touched my cheek where blood was still drying. It stung and I pulled my hand away.

  There was no way I could go home looking like this. Ivan would kill me for getting in a fight, and he'd probably have Mia killed, too. Part of me would like to see her get in trouble, but the other part didn't want to hear Ivan yell again. So I turned right instead of left at the palace entrance, and headed to the only person I could turn to for help.

  * * *

  As I approached Millie's house, with its identical looking structure to my own, I felt a twinge of worry. I knew I was nowhere near my home but its same-ness threw me. Only when Millie's face appeared from behind the front door did I finally relax.

  "Oh my god!" Millie said, hand over her mouth. "What happened to you?"

  She grabbed my arm and yanked me through the door. The familiar family portraits and decorations were welcoming. Millie looked me over like a nurse.

  "Who did this to you?" Millie asked touching my clawed cheek. I flinched as she prodded me, and swatted her hand away.

  "I'm fine, really," I said.