Burning Hearts

by Melanie Matthews

  She turned to her left, deciding to deal with the one who wanted to strangle her first.

  But he wasn’t looking at her.

  “TRAITOR!” he bellowed.

  She followed his fiery eyes to see Malcolm, punching his hand through the other Jinni’s chest. The pureblood screamed in pain as Malcolm pulled out his red still beating heart and threw it into the fire, charring it down to black powder. The heartless Jinni’s knees buckled, but before he could crash to the ground, Malcolm swiftly hoisted him up by his shirt and with a fierce, demonic growl, threw his body into the fire; the Jinni’s mouth was agape, silently screaming; the fire consumed him entirely; his ashes rained down, mingling with the flames.

  “Behind you!” Malcolm warned her, and then transformed into a black fog before vanishing completely.

  She whipped around to witness Malcolm’s return in solid form as he stood behind the last remaining Jinni, ensnaring her opponent in a tight unfriendly hug.

  “Now! Now, Jenna, now! I can’t hold him much longer!”

  The Jinni was struggling in Malcolm’s trap, about to free himself.

  “TRAITOR!” he barked at Malcolm again, spitting on the ground like a junkyard dog who hated everyone but his master.

  “JENNA!” Malcolm pleaded.

  “Right!” She pierced the Jinni’s heart, withdrew her weapon, and watched as he burned, garbling the judgment of “TRAITOR!” one last time before turning into a pile of ashes.

  But she didn’t have time to enjoy her victory as the fire spread near her feet, challenging her as the last formidable opponent in this protracted battle. Malcolm rushed to her and extended his hand in a sweeping motion. The fire around her began to die down, and then as he swept his hand at the trees, it died out entirely. Gray smoke rose like elongated fingers, reaching toward the blue sky.

  “How’d you—?”

  “I can control the elements.” He lowered his hand, still stained from the blood of the Jinni’s heart he’d ripped out. “I’m just glad the fire was small. I’m not powerful enough for an inferno,” he confided. When he saw her staring at his hand, he wiped it against his other, and the blood was magically gone.

  The Fire Rescue sirens were coming closer.

  “We need to get outta here,” she told him.

  “Take off your amulet and take my hand.”

  She did as he asked and sheathed her dagger that was curiously free of blood, saving her from a messy cleanup. She took it out and gave it another look before securing it again in her pocket.

  “It burns off and disappears,” he explained before she could ask.

  She smiled. “Oh, neat, so—”

  He surprised her with a passionate kiss, full of fire, like he’d never done before. She was sure that if he’d been a pureblood Jinni, he would’ve charred her insides.

  He held her cheek in his free hand that was hot to the touch. “I love you.” His tone was gentle, but adamant as if he were daring the world to refute his feelings.

  “I love you too,” she breathed, feeling exhausted from his loving assault.

  He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Hang on.”

  She held him close, hugging him for dear life. “Can we really do this?”

  “Don’t worry.” He kissed her forehead. “You won’t feel a thing.”

  As they disappeared, her body fell limp, and her mind swirled. When they reappeared inside her bedroom, she collapsed onto her bed, dragging Malcolm down with her.

  “Won’t feel a thing my ass,” she muttered before passing out.

  EXPOSURE

  The people of Oasis were worried. Earthquake. Twister. Wildfire. Some connected the dots: they all had happened either around the school or the students. Others thought it was just a coincidence. A couple thought it was the end of the world.

  A few parents took their children out of school, opting to teach them at home. School, they said, had become a dangerous place to be.

  There had been a town hall meeting with Mayor Goode in attendance. He’d assured everyone that Oasis was safe and that the earth from time to time “likes to remind us of its natural forces.”

  Jenna knew better. It wasn’t Mother Nature to blame. It was the Jinn.

  But how do you tell a community that demons are lurking about?

  Even in a town full of believers, some things are just nonsense. If they can’t see it, they don’t believe it. Well, Jenna could see the Jinn, all right. Their fiery eyes created waking nightmares during the day and invaded her dreams at night.

  It was a Friday when she woke with a start, sweat beads trailing down her face and neck. Her night shirt was soaked, clinging to her chest and back. She turned to view the clock; it was just before midnight. She’d only been asleep a few minutes. Throwing off the sheets, she jumped out of bed, and went into the bathroom, relaxing in the shower. The ice cold water soothed her body. When she shut off the tap, there was a knock on the door.

  “Jenna, are you all right?” asked her mom.

  She wringed the water from her hair, stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around her body. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…felt like taking a shower, is all.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, if you’re feeling bad, there’s Advil in the kitchen cabinet.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  After securing her damp hair up in a towel and drying the rest of her body, Jenna went to the door and listened.

  “She said she’s all right.” Mom

  “Did she sound all right?” Dad

  “Yeah. I guess there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Jenna could hear them walking down the hall, back to their rooms. Their voices were faint, but she caught their conversation.

  “All this stuff happening has probably got her a little shook up,” her dad guessed.

  “Well, I won’t pressure her to talk,” her mom decided. “If she opens up, then we’ll listen.”

  “I’m not prone to paranoia, but I think something’s going on in this town.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Holster Black wouldn’t just commit suicide,” her dad stated with certainty. “I’ve known that old man all my life. I was best friends with his son in high school, Weston. Holster was excited for Weston’s wedding in Phoenix. He was already talking about grandchildren. No, Rachel, no. He would’ve never killed himself.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jacob.”

  “And now it’s up to me to lay him to rest. When I took over my dad’s business, I didn’t realize I’d be burying friends.”

  Jenna heard them take a few more steps and shut their bedroom door. She wiped away a tear. She knew Mr. Black. He used to come to the house when she was little and give her lemon candy. As she thought about him and his smile, missing a few teeth, she actually smelled lemons.

  She couldn’t tell her dad that he was right. That Mr. Black wouldn’t have killed himself…without help. For some reason, a Jinni had persuaded that kind old man to commit suicide.

  The earthquake. The twister. The wildfire. Those were bad. But ending Holster Black’s life was the final straw. Jenna was determined to kill every single Jinni or Jinniyah who were lurking around Oasis—even Arizona, America, and the world.

  As much as she wanted to deal out justice tonight, she was exhausted. Mentally and physically. How could she fight evil when she was tormented by them in her mind while sleeping? While the most vulnerable?

  When she reentered her room and closed the door, she heard someone behind her, and then a warm hand gently clamped down on her mouth, muffling her yelp.

  “Shh…please,” Malcolm urged.

  He removed his hand and went to stand in front of her. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans like he’d been up all night.

  She held onto her towel that was threatening to come undone. “What’re you doing here?” she whispered.

  He tried not to look at her adjustments, staring into her eyes. “I came to see you. I was at home and felt…worried.”

 
; The towel seemed to stay put as she went to sit on her bed, patting the seat next to her in an invitation. He accepted, relaxing beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Already, she was warm, verging on hot, and felt feverish from her sudden rise in temperature at having previously been under a cold waterfall.

  “I had a nightmare,” she informed him. “About the Jinn. About killing. I woke up all sweaty and went to take a cold shower.”

  “Are you better?”

  She smiled and rested her head, still wrapped in a towel, against his shoulder. “I am now.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I heard about your father’s friend.”

  She didn’t move, feeling comforted by his side. “It was a Jinni, wasn’t it?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet on it.”

  “Why? Why would the Jinn wanna harm a nice old man?”

  “They prey on the good ones. They hate their kindness and love toward others.”

  “Does that mean they let the bad ones go?”

  “No, but they’ll use them to further their own agenda.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “The destruction of mankind.”

  “Why do they hate us so much?”

  “For them, there’s no chance at redemption. They can’t be saved. Humans can. They hate that humans, for all their weaknesses, are elevated above them. Superior.”

  “Do they wanna be saved?”

  “No. But they know their time on this earth is short and they’re doing everything they can to wreak havoc. Pitting neighbor against neighbor. Firing the first shot in a clash of civilizations. Brewing wars with weapons of mass destruction. They relish in all that is evil and the suffering of mankind.”

  She lifted her head and looked into his fiery blue eyes. “Have you ever felt such…hate?”

  He hesitated before replying, “A few times, when I was with my fellow Jinn, I did feel anger toward the humans. But I never harmed them. You must believe me in this.” He gave her a pleading look. “I never harmed anyone.”

  She held his hand between hers. “I know, Malcolm, I know. But the Jinn you were around…they harmed others, didn’t they?”

  He placed his other hand on hers, caressing her skin with his thumb. “Yes. I didn’t like it. My human side was…is…stronger than my demonic side. I’d spent twelve years with humans, in England, living with my mother. So I just knew that the Jinn were wrong in their way of thinking and everything they did. I’d contemplated leaving before, but I was…afraid.” He paused, and then said in a soft voice, “Afraid of starting a new life. Afraid of being alone.” He swallowed as if the fear was still there, and he needed to push it down into a dark place, where it couldn’t find its way out and resurface.

  She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. It was a wordless exchange that meant she’d never abandon him, and he knew that he’d never be alone again.

  After a few moments of thoughtful silence and still hands, she asked, “I know we’ve discussed this before, but what was the trigger? Tell me again. What made you flee Egypt and come here?”

  His voice went back to its normal timbre. “I just woke up one morning and I felt this…lure…like something or someone”—he winked at her—“was pulling me away from the Jinn and toward…another place. For several days, I felt this pull and resisted, feeling like it was some delusion of my mind. But after awhile, I relented, believing it to be a sign, and sought out my aunt.” He smiled. “She was so happy to hear from me. She didn’t know where I’d been, fearing I was lost somewhere after my mother died.”

  “In a way, you were lost. You were with the Jinn in Egypt, but you never really fitted in, did you?”

  He smiled and kissed her cheek. “You’re right.” He began caressing her hand again. “Now that I’m here, with you, I know this is where I’m meant to be.”

  Using a bit more force, she squeezed his hand, and his strokes came to a halt. “I won’t let them take you, you know? I won’t let the Jinn take you back to Egypt. I’ll kill them all,” she promised.

  Suddenly he took her, not-so-gently pushing her body down onto the bed. Her red hair escaped the confines of the towel and fanned out on top of the covers. The remaining towel that’d been tightly wound around her broke free, as his body, fully clothed, rubbed against her skin. A breath hitched in his throat, sensing her exposure. But he kept his eyes closed as he passionately kissed her lips, before moving to the side of her neck, sweeping his lips across its excitable surface, igniting a fire trail.

  She let out a moan and quickly covered her mouth. “My parents,” she squeaked nervously after removing her quaking hand.

  He stopped tormenting her with fiery kisses and flicks of his hot tongue against her neck.

  He finally looked at her, but only at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I got…carried away.”

  “No, it’s okay. Um, I need to cover myself.”

  He closed his eyes, rolling off of her. She quickly secured the bath towel around her naked body and sat up with her red hair, now dry and wild, fluffed in a sexy mess.

  He left the bed and stood before her, his fiery blue eyes open, taking in every bit of her disheveled state; his smile had a certain pride to it. “Well, I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he said as if mission accomplished. “I want to see you tomorrow. Can I pick you up, around noon?”

  She smiled. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

  He smiled back, wagging his finger. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Ooh, tell me, I can’t stand the suspense!”

  He chuckled. “Be patient, my sweet.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “My love.”

  She caught his face and brought his lips to hers, kissing him passionately as he did to her moments ago on the bed. The fire was still there.

  He reluctantly tore himself away from her embrace. “Don’t tempt me,” he said in a deep voice. “Or I’ll take you away from here and no one will hear us.”

  She shuddered in libidinous ecstasy. Val had never produced such feelings in her. Riddick was cute, but Malcolm was…exotic, exciting, and exquisitely proficient in seduction.

  He smiled. “I love you,” he said in a gentler tone.

  All talk of kidnapping and pleasing her until the sun came up had left his hot lips.

  “I love you too.” She smiled. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

  “Oh, don’t eat lunch.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “Ah, so your surprise involves food?”

  He smiled. “You got me. But I won’t tell you where.”

  “Well, with your innate frequent flier miles, I’m okay with Paris or Rome…”

  He chuckled. “I’d love to, but I can’t travel that far. Half-human, remember? I can only make it so far in a single leap without needing a lot of rest.”

  “That’s okay. Anywhere with you will be great.”

  “I’m glad you said that. Oh, and wear a bathing suit…or bikini. I checked your dresser drawers.” He grinned. “I like the two-piece polka-dot one.”

  She gasped, and then smiled. “You sneaky snake. Don’t make me take off my towel and throw it at you.”

  His jaw tightened. For a moment, he looked frightening as his fiery blue eyes flashed. She tensed as he brought his lips to her ear and softly threatened again, “Don’t tempt me.”

  She felt his smile as he kissed her cheek, and then disappeared in a whoosh. She sighed, plopping onto the bed. There was no chance of going back to sleep tonight.

  ~~~

  “My parents love you, you know.”

  “Who wouldn’t? I’m adorable.”

  Jenna giggled. “That you are.” She thought over when Malcolm had picked her up, how friendly he’d been toward her parents. “I was sure my dad was gonna go ballistic, knowing I have another boyfriend, but he seemed totally cool about it. My mom too.”

  Malcolm stopped at a small, pebbled lot near the Rojo River and shut off the engine. “Why would your dad go ballistic?”

 
“I’d told him that after the breakup with Val, I was never, ever gonna have another boyfriend. Again.”

  “Does he know Val pressured you to have sex?”

  She shook her head. “No way! Val would be dead by now if he knew.” She sighed. “No, I just told my dad that things didn’t work out.”

  He gently clasped her hand. “About last night…I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

  She furrowed her brow, upset. “Wrong idea?”

  “That I was pressuring you to have sex.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, that!”

  He was confused. “Why are you laughing?”

  “I thought you were saying you didn’t wanna have sex with me.” She blushed, embarrassed.

  “Well, I think it was pretty obvious that I did.” He lifted his hand to her mouth and rubbed his thumb against her lips. “I can’t see how any guy could resist you…in that towel.” He scanned her body with his fiery blue eyes. “By the way, are you wearing that polka-dot two-piece?” He grinned, hopeful.

  She grinned back. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  ~~~

  While he managed the picnic basket, she helped by carrying the blanket toward a soft grassy area near the water. There were shouts in the distance and the sound of a boat motor.

  “Oh, no,” she groaned, laying out the large red-flannel blanket. “We’re not alone.”

  “It’s all right,” he said, setting down the picnic basket. “I’ll make sure we’re not bothered.”

  “How?”

  He smirked. “If they come near, I’ll persuade them to go away.”

  “Ah, what a neat little trick you have there, Mr. King.” She set her backpack on the blanket. Instead of homework, her amulet and dagger were inside.

  He pointed to it, making a tsking sound of disapproval. “You brought work on our vacation?” he scolded. He tried to act serious, but his mouth betrayed him, smiling at her.

  She stuck her nose up in the air, acting haughty. “A Mage is never off while evil is afoot.”