Marked (The Secrets of the Djinn #1)

by Lamer, Bonnie

  Chapter 23 – The Veil

  Mrs. Gregori turns to me. “I understand you don’t believe us, but that doesn’t change who he is.”

  “What do I have to do to get you to let him go?” My words are cold enough to send a chill down my own spine.

  “There is nothing you can do.” The finality in her words makes my blood run even colder. “This is for your own good.”

  Anger is seething from my pores thick as blood. “You have no right to say what is best for me.” My voice is growing louder, more acidic. “Roman has never given any indication that he intends to harm me. He has protected and cared for me since my accident; but your family has done nothing but be hostile and holier than thou in your ‘we know the djinn and you don’t’ crap. You hold us at gunpoint. You make outrageous claims that I’m supposed to take as truth despite the lack of proof. You hold me prisoner under the pretense that you’re protecting me, which doesn’t make me feel safe at all. How do you expect me to trust any of this when all of you are so hostile? You have no right to do any of this,” I growl.

  Fear on the faces of the two in front of me deescalates my tirade enough to focus on my surroundings. Apparently my outburst made me unaware that the creepy fog had begun rolling into the room and I’m not the only one seeing it this time. It is snaking around us, attempting to fill the room completely. Mrs. Gregori and Zane back towards the door, but the fog circles around them, somehow binding them in place. Their faces contort in pain. Their screams become deafening until the fog blocks them from my view, their screams no longer heard.

  “My dear one, you cannot do this. You must not pull them into the veil. You will kill them,” a desperate voice says to me. “Truly, they meant you no harm. They are only doing as I asked. There is much you do not know and I cannot help you in any other way right now. Let them protect you; I beg this of you. You must step out of the veil. Quickly. I did not realize you would still have this ability or I would have warned you sooner. You are vulnerable here. They will find you.” Oh god. I’m in the veil? How did I get here and what does he mean still have this ability? Through the fog, I see in the distance the shape of the man speaking to me. I can barely make out his blonde hair and finely chiseled face, but his blue eyes are like beacons calling to me. I want to rush to him, to find safety in his arms.

  I start to move towards him when another voice speaks; a voice so dark I feel as if I’m being coated with tar. “She made her choice, Malik. She accepted the mark willingly. She no longer belongs to you and you will relinquish your hold on her.”

  “She was tricked into accepting the mark, Sitna. That violates our most basic laws. You know this. She may break free if she chooses.”

  Are they really talking about me? I stand perfectly still, hoping if I don’t move they will forget I’m here. Unlikely, I know, but I can’t come up with a better plan at the moment.

  The one called Sitna laughs and I suddenly feel like he let loose a million millipedes to feed on my skin. “She does not have it within her to murder her master in cold blood. The Marid are powerful, but so merciful,” he says with derision. “A weakness that will be your downfall.”

  “Perhaps someday,” Malik says. “Today is not that day.” He holds his hand out and lightning crackles from his fingertips. It penetrates the fog, seeking the shadowy figure of Sitna. When it hits, Sitna howls in agony. His body contorts in ways I hope to never see a body contort again. His limbs buckle and shift as if he’s an accordion. If he was human, he would never survive this attack. Since he’s a djinni, I have a feeling he will.

  Malik turns his attention back to me and says, “You know now that you chose to be marked. Our world has hung in darkness since you were sent into exile amongst the humans. There is war behind the veil, and we are slowly losing our footholds without your power. You are weakened by the mark you wear; you will never be powerful again as long as you give in to its hold. You must find the truth within yourself and make your final choice. If you choose to remain his, you will be lost to me and our kind forever. Your exile will be permanent and you will live forever in the shadows of the human world. If you choose to remove your mark and return home, your full powers will be restored and your crimes will be forgotten.” Crimes? I really did commit crimes against the djinn?

  “He comes to pull you from the veil now,” Malik continues, “but only for his own selfish reasons. Do not trust him. Return with him to the human world, but please do not be fooled again by the charms of a Saitan. These years without you have been too long, Skye. I know in my heart you will choose the right path this time and we will be together again. Keep yourself safe until then.”

  Malik’s shape begins to fade. I call out to him, begging him to tell me more, but he doesn’t stay. He leaves me in this desolate place. He leaves me in the midst of the screaming souls whose voices echo in my head. With that thought, I realize that it is not just Sitna’s screams I hear.

  I feel pressure against my lips. A pleasurable feeling that pulls me forward, forcing the fog to ebb. I open my lips ever so slightly to taste the mouth that covers mine. So familiar. So right. I close my eyes as the kiss deepens and the fog lifts completely. When I open my eyes again, I am in Roman’s arms. He has pulled me from the veil once more.

  But why? Am I simply a pawn in a war I know nothing about? It seems impossible that I would let anyone, even this man who is kissing me with so much passion, such adoration, control me. There is no doubt in my mind that Malik was telling the truth. I feel that down to the very bottom of my heart. Now I must find out why I apparently did such a stupid thing.

  First, I have to end this kiss from the one who seems to have orchestrated at least some of this mess.

  Chapter 24 – A Djinni

  I place my hands on Roman’s chest and push. It takes a moment for him to realize what I’m doing. When he does, he raises his lips from mine and stares into my eyes with the intensity of a lion ready to feed on its prey.

  I push at him again and try to roll my body out from under his. Realizing the need for his kiss no longer exists, he reluctantly sits up, allowing me the room to move. I scoot away from him on the bed. Roman must have lain me on it when he started kissing me.

  Zane and his grandmother are on the floor slouched against the wall. Their breathing is ragged; Mrs. Gregori may be going into cardiac arrest. Brielle is doing her best to make them comfortable but she’s lost in regards to her grandmother.

  Getting off the bed, I say to Roman over my shoulder, “Come help them.” He’s just sitting on the bed dumbstruck. What the hell is wrong with him?

  “What is a Saitan?” he asks. He heard that? What else did he hear as Malik took his leave in the fog?

  Brielle’s head snaps up and her eyes flash with ire. “A fucking devil, that’s what,” she grinds out. She holds up a threatening hand, insisting I stop walking towards her. “Both of you need to stay the fuck away from my family.”

  “Brielle,” I say softly, “your grandmother is hurt. She needs our help.”

  “I would rather die,” Mrs. Gregori says. Her skin is becoming more ashen by the second.

  Roman’s medical training finally wins out over whatever drama is going through his head. He rises from the bed and ignoring Brielle, strides to her grandmother and crouches beside her. “You just may if you don’t let me evaluate you. Have you had a heart attack before? Angina, high blood pressure, anything?”

  He attempts to lift her wrist to take her pulse, but Brielle’s hand shoots out, grabbing his. “I said, stay the fuck away from my family.”

  “Brielle…” I start to say but am cut off by Zane.

  He puts his hand on Brielle’s. “I’m not going to let Grams die because you two are too stubborn to take help from a djinni. I’m not going to lose one more person that I love. He is a doctor; trained in human medicine. He is going to check Grams over and you’re going to let him.” A silent war is fought between them. Expressions are being flung back and forth as only brothers and sis
ters can do. Brielle glares; Zane’s brow rises in a dare. Brielle narrows her eyes and Zane’s eyes harden.

  “Oh, for god’s sake, I’m dying over here,” Mrs. Gregori rasps. Her hand is pressed to her chest and her lips are starting to turn blue.

  Roman shakes his hand free from Brielle’s grasp and goes back to assessing Mrs. Gregori. “Do you have any nitroglycerin?” he asks.

  Zane and Brielle both say no. Mrs. Gregori says, “In my nightstand drawer, under a book.” Both of her grandchildren stare at her in surprise. “I wasn’t going to have you two worrying about nothing,” she tells them, her voice getting weaker. “You would have been at me constantly.”

  “Yeah, because watching you die is so much better,” Brielle says, rising to her feet. “I’ll be right back.” She trots out of the room and down the hall. She’s only gone for about thirty seconds before she returns with a small medicine bottle and gives it to Roman. I’ll admit it, I’m surprised. I think the shock of how truly serious her grandmother’s condition really is has softened her in regards to letting a djinni help her.

  Roman is a djinni; a djinni that I let mark me. I chose to be his for some reason. I cannot fathom the circumstances under which that happened. And when did it happen? Could my parents really have lied to me about everything?

  There’s a thought knocking on the backdoor of my mind. I’ve turned the lights off and I’m pretending nobody’s home, but it just won’t go away. It’s like a cat that has been out all night and now wants to come in and eat and get warm. Slowly, I let the thought seep into my mind. Not only is Roman a djinni, so am I. And so is Malik.

  From the anger and betrayal on Brielle’s face, I’m guessing she’s at least figured out that he asked her to protect one of those he professes to hate. I’m not certain she’s connected enough of the dots to know that she has been guided all this time by a djinni. I think I’ll leave discussing that topic with her for another time. And for another person other than me. I’m pretty sure she’ll have a psychotic break when she finds out and I don’t want to be anywhere near her when that happens.

  Roman has taken one of the nitro pills out of the bottle and he places it under Mrs. Gregori’s tongue. “I’m sure we’ll need to do this again in five minutes. I know you’re not the most comfortable where you are, but I don’t want to move you just yet. Let’s give the medicine a chance to work.”

  Mrs. Gregori nods and leans her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. I strongly suspect that if she doesn’t live, neither will Roman or I.

  Chapter 25 - Interrogation

  So, here we are. Mrs. Gregori is back in her wheelchair. She looks like death is only minutes away, but her vitals are getting better and I’m pretty sure she could kick the grim reaper’s ass if necessary. She is not going to leave her grandchildren unprotected from the evils that are Roman and me.

  We’re back in the Mrs. Gregori’s flowered sitting room. She is again by the fireplace and Brielle is standing sentry at the door; her gun itching to be fired. Not one of her air guns either; this one shoots real bullets. Zane is in a chair across from his grandmother. If I had to pick a winner in his fight with Roman, I would have to say from the looks of it, Zane came out of it a little more bruised and bloody. Roman and I are on the sofa. The room is deadly quiet, but I’m not going to be the one to speak first. One wrong word and I’m pretty sure I’d be full of bullet holes.

  Finally, Zane sighs and leans forward, his elbows on his knees. He nods his head towards Roman. “I don’t know about him, but I don’t think Skye knew she was a djinni.” I can’t help passing him a small, appreciative smile.

  “Oh, come on, Zane. Think with your head, not your…”

  “Brielle, don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Mrs. Gregori warns. “And it just so happens that I believe the same. You,” she says, pointing at Roman, “are another matter. You play a good game, but I’m not entirely convinced that you’re as ignorant as she is.”

  I look at Roman. Do I believe it? I don’t know anymore. Doubt oozes from my pores to cover my face. I look over at him and as our eyes meet, anger and hurt are screaming from his. What does he expect from me – blind faith? I just met the man for god’s sake. The feelings I have for him could just be from my mark. Turning to Mrs. Gregori, I say, “What happens to us now?”

  Her face is wrinkled stone. “How did you enter the veil?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “I have no idea. I was mad and the room started filling with fog.”

  “Did you talk to anyone while there?” she asks.

  I want to close my eyes and disappear into the fog again. How do I answer that so that I won’t get shot in the back of the head? “Yes,” I begin slowly. “I was warned that pulling you into the veil would kill you and I had to get you out of it.”

  Mrs. Gregori is not going to let it go at that. “Who warned you?”

  “A man. A djinni, I mean. I didn’t get a good look at him.” That’s true. I couldn’t see him clearly.

  I’m a terrible liar and I’m horrible at keeping secrets. So it’s not surprising when Mrs. Gregori says, “I believe you know exactly who you were speaking to.” There’s an underlying threat in her words telling me that this is my last chance to come clean.

  With a surreptitious glance at Brielle, I say, “It was Malik.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Mrs. Gregori spats. “I always suspected.”

  “That is not true!” Brielle says, leaving her place at the door and coming closer, her gun at the ready. “Malik hates the djinn. Why else would he want me to keep shoving them back behind the veil?”

  “Now who’s not thinking with her head?” Zane says with a smug look in Brielle’s direction. Brielle shoots him a look that could melt titanium.

  Taking in the pain on her face, I feel like I just broke her heart into tiny little pieces. I guess I did, or will have when she finally believes me. Her denial is ramped up pretty good at the moment. “He said there’s a war going on behind the veil. Maybe it has something to do with that?”

  “What kind of war?” Mrs. Gregori asks before Brielle can spew another threat at me for defaming Malik’s character by accusing him of being a djinni.

  I shrug. “I wasn’t able to get any details. Another djinni, a really eerie one, showed up and he and Malik fought.”

  “About what?”

  “Um, me mostly. They talked about my mark and then Malik shot lightning from his hand at the other djinni. Then he told me to let Roman bring me back from the veil. But…” Oh, shit. I wasn’t going to tell them the rest. At least not until I’ve had a chance to figure out what the deal is between Roman and me and why I supposedly let him mark me. This is why I’m terrible at secrets. They just seem to fall out of my mouth.

  Of course, no one’s going to let that ‘but’ hang in the air all by itself. Six eyes are boring into me, waiting for me to continue. Fuck. Why didn’t Roman just keep me in that induced coma? Life was a whole lot simpler then.

  Well, here goes. I’m throwing Roman under the bus. Sort of. “He said that there’s some sort of past between Roman and me, and that I have to be careful until my memory returns.” There, that wasn’t so bad.

  “So Doc is evil and you’re still Miss Perfect?” Brielle says.

  I give her a sour look. “No. For all I know, I could be the bad guy.” What the hell am I saying?

  Roman has been quiet until now. “What, exactly, did he say about me?” he asks. I try to give him a ‘shut up, I’ll tell you later look’ but it doesn’t work. “Just spit it out, Skye. I don’t have anything to hide from these people.”

  That he knows of, at least. Which begs the question – why? Why don’t either of us know that we’re djinn? Were our parents djinn? If so, it seems like at least one of them would have mentioned it.

  Sighing heavily, I say, “He implied that you were a saitan.”

  All three of them react. Brielle’s gun is up again. Zane suddenly has a pistol in his hand that must have been tucked in h
is waistband. And Mrs. Gregori? It would appear that yarn and knitting needles aren’t the only things she keeps in her knitting box.

  Somehow ignoring the barrels filled with bullets that are pointing at him, Roman says, “Funny, I don’t feel like the devil.”

  That’s it? That’s his reply. I shake my head in astonishment. “This isn’t the time to make jokes, Roman. I’m pretty sure these guys are already eager to kill us.”

  “So I’ve noticed. And I wasn’t joking. I’m guessing by your reaction, these things are pure evil. If I was one of these…creatures, wouldn’t I have lived a life of crime? The worst thing I’ve ever done was hazing freshmen in my fraternity and even then I apologized later because I felt guilty about it. Why would I have chosen to become a doctor if I was evil? I wanted to spend my days curing people, not killing them. I’ve stayed with Skye because I was and am concerned about her well-being. I have never wanted to control her. You are all going on assumptions based on a tiny mark on her neck. I cannot be who you think I am.” He turns to Mrs. Gregori, indicating that he’s been speaking to her, not me.