by Nikki Hunter
Lance rolled his eyes rubbing at the stubble along his face.
Somehow the men were more beautiful than when they were at the store. Camila didn’t understand how that was possible, but it was. Their skin glowed, the color of their eyes appearing deeper. She even noticed the weird tip of their ears that poked out from their hair. She definitely didn’t see that before.
“Zayn,” Lance hollered, his voice slightly echoing through the large home. “Zayn! Come here!”
Heavy steps jogged up the stairs before he entered the room, joining them. “Yeah?” he answered.
“Zap this thing would ya? Try and get that to swing.” Lance pointed at the clock.
Zap? Camila thought, but before she could get out any sarcastic remarks, Zayn had placed his hand against the clock from where it hung on the wall. Electricity began rolling through it. Camila screeched inside it. She certainly still felt that. So she pushed back. Her magic caught his unsuspecting.
Zayn let go, his lips parting. “What the hell?”
“See, it’s mad now,” Kade said.
“It’s a fucking clock. It doesn’t have feelings.” Lance glared.
Zayn backed up turning to Lance, “No, there is definitely something happening here. It has magic. It pushed me out.”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s not staying in there for long.” He clapped his hands, rubbing them together. “Yehven. Get your ass up here.”
With much less enthusiasm, Yehven appeared raising his eyebrows, clearly annoyed at being beckoned. His chest was exposed, small droplets of water running down the length of his hard muscles, only a stark white towel wrapped around his lower half and a leather necklace with an orange jewel bound around his throat.
Two jagged scars ran diagonal across his torso, as if someone had once tried to carve him open. The blazing silver color of the blemish making them overwhelmingly apparent against his light skin. His blonde hair laid flat, clinging against his face.
“Uh... sorry. There is something in this clock. We need to get it out.” Lance continued.
“Like a rat?” Yehven frowned. Pushing the others out of the way, he walked up to the clock. His gaze suggested that maybe if he looked hard enough he could see Camila through the face of the timepiece. He raised his hand, running it over the gold trim.
Oh, that’s it boys. You are so close. Camila chanted.
Yehven pulled back deflating, Camila’s excitement. “I don’t think anything could fit in there.” He grumbled. Then before Lance, Zayn, or Kade could answer, he pulled open the door covering the gold pendulum that had never swung.
Hope you boys are ready for a show. I’ve been waiting way too long to get out of this cramped hell hole.
With that thought, Camila leapt from the clock.
Chapter Three
Unwanted Help
Clouds of purple smoke rose in large puffs that blurred the men’s vision. With it came the overwhelming scent of jasmine.
Yehven coughed, not for need but rather for dramatics, as he waved his hand before his face. “Zayn, you fried the thing!”
“Yeah, Yehven. I also learned to make smoke purple and how to get a koala to dance,” he deadpanned. “I didn’t fucking do it.”
As the purple haze cleared, they could make out the shape of a woman.
“Woah,” Lance whispered stepping backwards.
The slick sound of weapons being pulled from their sheaths set the room on edge. All but Zayn holding some form of knife.
The woman emerged, stretching her arms above her head, revealing the smooth plain of her stomach as her slightly cropped black shirt lifted with the movement. Her hair fell in long red strands down her back. The white of her skin a stark contrast against the black ensemble she wore.
Zayn’s eyes fell to the line where her tight fitted black skirt came to a stop mid-thigh. His lips twitching with a small smirk.
Her lips ever so plump, widened in a smile. “Fuuccckkkk,” she purred.
“Fuck’s right. Who the hell are you? What are you?” Yehven frowned, stepping forward with a scowl. His serrated knife was poised ready for a quick jab.
The woman stepped forward, snapping her fingers. Suddenly the knife was no longer in Yevhen’s hands but rather in her own delicate grasp.
Yehven roared.
“Ah, ah, ah,” she said with a tsk, waiving the knife in front of him. The group watched as she used the knife to slice through a white bracelet on her wrist.
She rolled her bright green eyes, snapping her fingers once again. With the knife gone, she sighed, flipping her hair behind her as she dropped and kicked the bracelet away.
“You don’t even know how long I’ve been stuck with that terrible thing. Stuck in this stupid clock, too!”
Lance glanced around, the others had the same confused look on their faces. He cleared his throat.
“Excuse me, miss? Who are you?” he asked, slowly putting away his weapon.
“My name, oooohhh yes. Camila.” She walked forward, circling Lance as she ran her well-manicured red nails over his broad chest. When she attempted the same move toward Yehven and Kade, they quickly backed away.
“What are you?” Zayn grinned, his body already yearning for her touch but in the unease of her abrupt appearance, he pushed down the feeling.
Camila smiled back, stepping in front of him. “I’m a genie. What are you?” Her hands flitted over his chest then ran up to tuck his dark black hair behind his pointed ears. Her fingers leaving a tingling feeling across his skin, even through the cloth of his shirt.
Zayn’s tongue rolled over his lips, “We are f—“
“Shut up! Tell her nothing,” Yehven growled, shoving himself between them. “We don’t know anything about her. Or what a genie even is.”
“I’m here to help, of course. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” She stepped back looking over the room. Four white walls covered in clocks large and small. A small bed covered in a brown blanket and a single pillow sitting in one corner. Directly to her right, just feet away, was a desk with books scattered across it, most still open, the pages littered with notes.
“We don’t need your help,” Yehven said, emphasizing every word.
With a roll of his eyes, Lance looked back towards Camila. “Help with what?”
Camila scrunched her eyebrows together as she walked through the space, eventually finding Lance’s small wooden desk. She pulled the chair out, plopping herself down and crossing her legs.
“I don’t actually know yet,” she answered.
“What?” Kade questioned.
“Oh my Lord, he speaks!” Camila gasped, her lips parting in a seductive smile. “Kade, so quiet.”
Kade went rigid at the mention of his name. Camila cocked her head, admiring his looks as he stared back at her unamused. The freckles that dotted his face made Camila want to lick her lips. The thought of placing soft kisses along the bridge of his nose over each dot that marked his face seemed rather appealing to her.
Lance walked from around the other men, shooing them back a bit. Particularly Yehven, who was livid, his body puffed with anger. Kade nodded back at Lance’s look, placing one hand against Yehven’s shoulder. Yehven’s shoulders falling away from his ears, the red tint of his cheeks returning to one even bloodless color but you could see his mind still working behind his eyes. His thoughts circling in endless loops even as Kade worked his magic over him.
As Lance reached Camila, he slowly squatted before her until his chin was level with her knee, so they were closer to eye level. His gaze skimming to where he could see the red lace of her panties under the tent of her skirt. The deep brown of his eyes darkening, just before he pulled his attention back to Camila’s face. “Why are you here?”
With an exasperated sigh, Camila’s lips pursed. “I always have the toughest time with men. You never listen. You get caught up on my beautiful form and the musical tone of my voice and each word is -sssppppt,” her hand pointed away from her face, “in one ear an
d out the other.”
She leaned forward, dropping both feet flat to the floor. Her face coming only inches away from Lance’s. “This is my job, love.” Then she left a kiss against his cheek, the red of her lips staining the dark stubble that ran along his jaw. Lance wiped at his face, frowning at her.
Camila stood up, placing her hands at her hips. “Ok, listen up. I, as I said, am a genie. Obviously, you're not familiar with my work so I’ll just start from the beginning. Here, when this realm was created, three races were formed. The humans, who you seem to be familiar with, angels, and the jin. I am a part of the jin alliance, jin as in the plural form of genie, get it? Created to serve. ” Her green eyes fanned the room, stopping on each one of the men.
“Since you released me from my previous home, that means that fate has decided, that for whatever reason, you need my help. I’m here until whatever need you have has been, well, satisfied.” She winked.
“So, you’re some sort of magical prostitute?” Zayn laughed.
Camila snorted in response. “No. But, I am a very sexual being. There is no denying that. Now… if you don’t mind, I would like to take a quick tour of my new home.”
Another snap of her fingers and Camila had vanished, leaving the four men in shock behind her.
Chapter Four
Lingerie Parade
Camila stood outside the door to the bedroom she assumed was Lance’s. She didn’t have her ear pressed to the door but she might as well have with the enhanced hearing she had.
They only stayed silent for a few minutes before they all spoke at once. Their voices mingling together in a chorus of hushed tones. Yehven’s voice raising angrily now and again before Kade calmed him.
What type of creatures are they? Camila pondered.
She had been around as long as time itself had. Born into this earth as it was created with the angels and then the humans. Creation demanded the jin bow before the humans. They all felt it. That tug of knowledge was somehow programmed into their souls.
Of course, there was the group that refused to bow. Too proud. Too powerful, they thought. The jin were quick to expel the rebels.
Demons, they were called. Some hid among the humans using their powers to wreak havoc. Others were said to have escaped to claim a land of their own.
“Ok, it’s decided.” Lance’s voice boomed to drown out the others before he spoke again, quieter. “We will watch her ‘til we know more. One of us will stay up each night to make sure she doesn’t cause trouble… until we decide… as a group, that she is not a threat.”
“Who will go first?” Kade whispered.
“Not fucking Zayn,” Yehven mumbled.
“Why the hell not?” Zayn's voice wavered as if he was truly offended.
“Because you can't keep your dick in your pants. For all you know she’ll use her powers to change your willy green.”
Camila snickered at Yehven’s suggestion. She had only done such a thing once and it was for a good reason. As long as these men turned out to be good guys then they needn't worry about green penises.
Had someone tried to color his downstairs bit? Something had to have happened for Yehven to be riled up in all that anger all the time. His anger was likely a ruse to cover his hurt.
She had been around long enough, forever really, and though she was not a therapist, she was familiar with different coping mechanisms.
“Kade, do you mind to take the first night?” Lance asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“I… Well… Fine.” Kade stuttered.
As the knob of the door twisted, Camila used her magic to zap herself down the hall to one of the three other doors, away from where she could see over the railing that showed off the rest of the home. The open kitchen with the marble countertops that lead into the living room that was filled with overstuffed leather furniture. Camila wanted to do some deeper investigations.
Lance stepped from his room in time to see Camila fling open Zayn’s bedroom door and step in.
“What are you doing?” he hollered down the hallway, his voice echoing through the home.
Camila giggled to herself as she began opening drawer after drawer. “I’m adventuring,” she shouted in response.
“Zayn, she’s in your room,” Lance said, turning to the men behind him.
“The fuck,” Zayn whispered, pushing past Lance, jogging to his open door. The blue in his eyes lit up, ablaze with humor. Camila sat with her legs crossed on his bed, a pile of his boxers laid out before her. No longer in the black shirt and skirt but instead a red lace lingerie piece that hugged her frame. Black hosiery pulled up over her legs and clasped onto a garter belt. Her eyes flickered in annoyance.
“Why the long face?” he questioned. Lance and Yehven hovered behind where he leaned into his door frame. Lance covering his mouth to hide the chuckle that escaped his lips.
“You don’t have… you don’t have any fucking toys. Nothing.”
Zayn folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t need toys.”
She laughed unfolding herself from the pile of underwear. “Perhaps you don’t. But until you can prove to me that what you have down there can do better to me than what I could do for myself, I’ll continue my search for something that vibrates.”
“Zayn. Don’t even think about it,” Lance said patting his shoulder.
He merely smirked at Camila in response, taking in the view. She wasn’t shy. She walked forward with a graceful sway of her hips before spinning in front of him.
“Don’t you have magic?” Zayn asked, “Can’t you just make a vibrator appear?”
Camila continued her parade, spinning, zapping on different lingerie outfits as she went. “It’s not that simple. I can only give you what you need, I can’t give myself what I need. There are rules.”
“Mmm, I am both utterly confused and a bit aroused.” Zayn grinned.
“Rules?” Lance raised his eyebrows.
Suddenly, they all went rigid. Hands grabbing at their chests. “We gotta go,” Zayn bit out, stumbling backwards with Lance and Yehven.
“So soon? Where are you going?” she asked, she could feel it though. The magic that churned in the room. The magic that was pulling at them now, commanding their presence.
“We have a job. You can’t come.” Yehven growled, stalking away his hands gripping the white towel against his hips.
“Wanna bet?” Camila winked.
***
Camila sat in the living room of the expensive looking home. She watched as the four men who had saved her gathered there, buckling black armor over their clothing. Yehven now dressed and no longer dripping.
Each of them buckled on belts full of weapons. Knives and swords swinging against their hips inside their sheathes as the men reached for small piles of multi colored gems.
Camila noticed how they sorted them out each picking one color. The gems then were clicked into place upon their armor.
Zayn balanced three blue colored gems within one palm while the other pushed them one at a time into place.
So Zayn has blue… Lance, red...Yehven, yellow… and Kade, purple. Is it some sort of ranking system? She pondered to herself.
The chair she had sat down in was swallowing her now. Though she hadn’t the thought to complain, since it was still much better than the prior. Camila squirmed in the seat, the sheerness of the lace she still wore chilling her. The men gathered before her kept giving her sideways glances, their eyes giving her body a slice of the attention it deserved.
“What’s with the colorful diamonds?” she finally asked.
Zayn looked at her then shot a glance to Yehven who quickly shook his head. Zayn shrugged and went back to lacing up his large, black, badass looking boots.
“All right fellas, let’s jet,” Lance announced, his full frame fully secured within the uniform. The red gems shone as if they were being lit up with a light bulb.
“Holy hell you guys look hot! Now hold up a sec-“ She waved, rolling her wrists
in front of her to change her outfit.
The black lingerie piece she had on was getting a bit too nippy to wear anyway. She beamed up at them as her clothing mimicked their uniform. Long sleeves and full black body armor met to cover her porcelain skin. Emeralds sparkled against the clothing in similar positions to the men’s. A large sword swayed and tapped against her thigh where she had made sure one had been clasped into the belt she then began to adjust against her hips.
“Better. Let’s go.” She nodded.
Kade exchanged a roll of the eyes with Yehven as he frowned.
“You don’t even know what those are for…” Zayn said as he pointed to one of the large green stones. “You’ve got the wrong color.”
“Never mind the girl now. We have to go.” Yehven shushed him.
“Yes,” Lance agreed, “We are out of time.”
“So… where are we going? How will we get there?” Camila questioned. She was curious as to what job this uniform was acceptable at. Before she had been stuck in Mort’s shop she hadn’t seen someone wear this type of get up since she watched some movie about black ops many moons ago.
“You’re not coming,” Yehven bit out.
With the last of his words, each of the men began to flicker. Their images fading away until they could no longer be seen. Zayn was the last to go, he smirked and wiggled his fingers in a snarky goodbye at Camila before he, too, vanished.
“Pricks,” she snarled. She closed her eyes, slowing her breaths as she pulled at her magic to sense them. Whether they wanted to accept it or not, she was tied to them until her job had been completed.
With her assignment to the men being so new, she had to tug quite a bit harder on her power to sense their presence. A growl escaped her lips as she fought to pinpoint their location.
Finally. Finally, she had a strong latch on them. Zayn, Kade, Yehven, and Lance. Thankful that they had not separated, she snapped her fingers vanishing from the living room.
Chapter Five
The Tear
