by Emma Holly
Just barely, he avoided bowing to her after opening the door.
“Ooh,” she breathed, turning around to take in the equipment. “It’s so pretty!”
To him, the machinery that lined the room was unremarkable. Naturally, the banks of levers and gauges were detailed with precious metals and backed in mother of pearl. No djinni wanted to labor among squalor. Special non-tarnishing brass cages protected the handful of transformers from accidental bumps. The cages were decorative, he supposed, but nothing to write home about.
Georgie crouched interestedly in front of one. “Is that boulder thing inside here a big piece of quartz?”
“It’s an uncut diamond.”
“No.”
“Yes,” he contradicted, a smile tugging unavoidably at his lips. “Diamonds work better for converting magic into a form that will travel along the city’s conduits.”
“I assumed a power plant meant electricity.”
“No, Luna’s city runs on magic—as does mine.”
“Huh.” Georgie used the cage to push to her feet. “How is the magic generated?”
“Some is drawn naturally from the ground. Ley lines run beneath all djinn territories. In a city, because the population is concentrated and the need for power greater, that resource is supplemented by conscripted workers. People can channel energy faster than what rises naturally.”
“Conscripted,” Connor repeated, the idea seeming to trouble him. “The djinn are forced to work?”
Was the angel looking to judge him? Georgie’s lover hadn’t up till now, but perhaps the natural tendency of his species was waking up. Iksander willed his face to remain impassive.
“It’s considered a public duty. Performed for the public good. So those who have less magic can still enjoy its benefits. Thanks to the Draw, the burden of powering things like streetlights and civic buildings is shared out. I’m not sure how Luna organized the process but, generally, a new group of workers is rotated in each week. You can buy your way out of serving, but most people don’t complain. The system’s arranged so no one has to come more than once a year. They’re treated well while they’re here. Good food. Special entertainments. Some citizens look at it as a holiday from routine.”
Connor nodded, his celestial blue eyes considering him calmly. Sometimes the angel seemed slightly simple. Other times, like now, Iksander wondered if he were capable of comprehending how deep Connor was.
“What are these dials for?” Georgie asked, wandering to a wall of them.
With a trace of relief, the sultan shifted his attention. “I believe they control rates of flow to the different District 9 neighborhoods.”
“Hm.” Georgie tapped the crystal cover that shielded one motionless needle. “What do you suppose makes the new plant in Hodensk more efficient?”
She’d been paying attention when Taytoch mentioned that. “I don’t know. Less waste in the refining process? As you can tell, there’s some leakage of magic here.”
“I do feel that,” she said, flashing a brilliant smile. “I got goosebumps when we approached the door.”
Her delight did uncomfortable things to his blood pressure. “Why don’t we continue to the break room? I expect all of us are ready to set down our burdens.”
GEORGIE COULDN’T HELP being excited. Having an abandoned building all to themselves was fun. She bounded ahead of the men so she could read the door signs first. Before turning legible, the letters gave a funny shiver she wasn’t tired of yet.
If she’d been able to do this in high school French, she’d never have gotten that annoying C minus.
“This is it!” she called, pointing excitedly at a silver and black plaque. “It says ‘EMPLOYEE LOUNGE.’”
Connor laughed as he caught up to her. “Shall I?” he asked the sultan, hesitating before twisting the knob open.
“It should be safe,” Iksander conceded. “I sense no dangerous equipment.”
Georgie gasped as she went inside. “Holy smokes.”
Shrugging out of her backpack, she let it drop absently. She’d expected gym style lockers and plastic furniture. Maybe a sink and coffee station if their luck held. There were lockers here, but they were polished mahogany. Plush velvet floor cushions offered seating at perhaps a dozen low tables. They were spread out around the space—beautiful Turkish brass-topped creations groups of people could eat around. An intricate mosaic wall fountain looked like it spouted hot and cold water.
“Wow,” Connor said, for once as gobsmacked as she was.
Georgie supposed Iksander was used to such luxuries. His reaction was practical.
“Water’s on,” he announced, having gone to test the spigots. “The kitchen must be in here.” He opened another door and leaned in. “Good. They left some miniaturized stores behind. Those things aren’t fancy, but we won’t starve.”
Miniaturized stores, Georgie mouthed, pretty sure discovering what the term meant would entertain her. Getting into the spirit of exploration, Connor peeked into another adjoining room.
His eyes danced as he turned back to her. “Bathroom,” he said, his emphasis telling her she had to see for herself.
“Oh. My. God,” she breathed when she did. The bathroom had a trio of gold-veined marble tubs the size of small swimming pools. Empty of water at the moment, the decoration that adorned their rims was eye-poppingly opulent.
COLD, HOT, STEAM the silver lettering at their far ends announced.
“The men’s bath is on the other side,” Iksander informed them.
“Of course it is,” Georgie said faintly.
“The other facilities are through that arch.”
“Only a fool would doubt it,” she replied.
Her tone must have sounded dry. “I know you two are used to showers,” he huffed, “but I promise you baths work fine.”
Georgie burst out laughing. “We know they do. This place is way more than we expected. We thought we’d be roughing it.”
“I told you conscripts are treated well.”
“We’re happy,” she assured him. “And impressed.”
He continued to frown slightly, his gaze cutting to Connor.
“Extremely impressed,” Connor seconded.
The sultan didn’t seem to like that his prickliness amused them.
AS A RULE, CONNOR WASN’T a worrier. Though aware Iksander’s stiffness was a sign of emotional strain, he decided to let him be. Connor’s instincts would prod him to address it if that were desirable. Iksander wasn’t too upset, obviously. He had no trouble spelling the tiny preserved foodstuffs back to their original size.
When he reconstituted the dishes atop the table, their contents steamed fragrantly.
“That’s amazing!” Georgie exclaimed. “It’s like they’re fresh out of the oven.”
Georgie’s praise pleased the sultan. Though his mouth didn’t smile, his face relaxed. Relaxed or stiff, he was beautiful. Beneath his formal manners, Iksander’s emotions were very much alive.
Connor liked that. His longing to better understand other beings’ passions, and to experience them himself, was a big part of what drew him to the material plane.
Georgie patted her stomach once she was full. “That food was so good I don’t know if I should offer, but I shoved some apples in my backpack.”
“I would like one,” Iksander said. “Black Bear’s apples were very fine.”
“Great.” She jumped up to dig one out. She tossed the fruit to Iksander, who caught it despite his surprise. When she offered to pitch another to Connor, he shook his head and smiled. With an air of decision, Georgie put her hands on her waist. “Okay then. I know it’s wasteful, but I can’t resist. I’m going to fill up one of those huge bathtubs.”
“I will help,” Connor volunteered. He rose from the cushion, abruptly eager to be alone with her. Making love to Georgie was a definite plus to being physical, and both he and she enjoyed getting intimate. With everything that had been going on, they’d abstained the previous night. Because of thi
s, his appetite was stronger than normal.
Georgie must have guessed—or perhaps she felt the same. Though she pressed her lips together and bent her head, he could tell she was smiling.
“That’d be good,” she said. “You can make sure I don’t boil myself by mistake.”
The sultan shifted with concern at her words. “If you need instructions to work the apparatus—”
“We’ll manage,” Georgie assured him, her twinkling eyes cutting to Connor. “Between the two of us.”
Connor’s blood tingled deliciously at the look. It kept tingling as they found the bank of taps that turned on the hot pool’s water. With a single turn of the spigot, ten powerful spouts began roaring into the large basin.
“That won’t take long,” Georgie predicted.
“It better not,” Connor said. “It’s been a while since we were alone.”
Georgie smiled and peeled off her red stretchy shirt.
Few would have called her girly. Her red hair was short and choppy, the bits she’d dyed yellow spiking out jauntily. The work she did built lean muscle, a trait the tropical sleeve tattoo on her arm pointed up. She was spirited and bold and marched to her own drumbeat. Connor had been her companion, with a body and without, for more than five years now. In that time, he’d seen her in a dress exactly twice. Despite this, to him, she was a picture of female beauty. Her firmness, her curves, even the occasional awkwardness of her movements always struck him as perfect.
Anticipating pleasures to come, his male organ thickened strongly as she disrobed. She’d removed her boots before sitting down to dinner. Now she undid the front of her leather pants and slid them down her legs.
“You are so easy,” she teased, noting how his breathing quickened in reaction.
He couldn’t deny it but didn’t think she minded. “Let me take off the rest, Georgie.”
She presented her back to him. Connor liked her from this angle too. Her spine was silk to stroke with his fingertips, her round bottom squeezable. He gave in to both temptations, then kissed the bend of her neck while undoing her bra hooks. She shivered as he cupped her soft bare breasts. Though his hands were big enough to engulf them, he preferred letting her sharpened nipples peek out through his fingers.
She shivered a second time as he rubbed his large erection over her panties.
“Who’s easy now?” he whispered.
She tried to turn and kiss him, but his arms held her where she was. He couldn’t explain why he liked that. Free will—especially Georgie’s—was sacred to him. There was just something about exerting a hint of force that inspired an added wallop of arousal. Fortunately, after all their time together, Georgie trusted him not to overdo.
Still holding her close against him, he slid his hand down the front of her underwear. She gasped as his longest finger curved into her pussy.
“You’re very wet,” he said, stating the obvious. “That wasn’t hard at all.”
She was also hot, wriggling and making swallowed noises as he rubbed gently in and out. Hearing her whimper was too exciting. He had to growl in response. Steam formed clouds in the room around them, the continued roar of the water enclosing them in a private world. The magic of the djinn dimension, heavier than the magic on Georgie’s plane, prickled into him through his clothes. The energy was affecting him, making him feel more powerful but less in control.
Connor pressed his teeth to her shoulder, his cock so stiff now it was painful.
Afraid of what he might do, he released his hold on her.
She turned, her lilac eyes gleaming with a light he hadn’t seen in them before. She tugged open the button at his jeans’ waist, carefully drew the zipper around his bulge, and reached in to fondle him.
His vision blurred, delight zinging through him at the movement of her fingers along his rigid shaft. The pad of her thumb swirled a drop of wetness around the swollen head. His penis jerked, and she let go of him.
“Lean down,” she said. “You’re too tall, and I want to pull off your shirt.”
He obeyed her, loving the strength and flexibility of his muscles as much as her touch on them. His body was a blessing because it pleased both of them. Seeming to admire the distance her hands had to travel, she caressed his shoulders and down his chest. Skipping his abdomen, she knelt to drag down his jeans. She looked up his body grinning as his erection sprang free of its constraint. He held his breath. Lately, she’d been sucking his cock more often, claiming she let him spoil her more than she ought to. Though Connor was by nature a giver, he was beginning to appreciate her concept of turnabout.
Perhaps to tease his expectations, she nuzzled his balls lightly.
“Georgie,” he said.
She strafed her nails through the hair on his tensing thighs. Connor curled his hands into fists, not wanting to grab her head. With a look of mischief, she tipped down his throbbing length. Her warm breath washed over him.
“You’re beautiful even here,” she murmured. She kissed his penis gently, her thumb rubbing the ridge on its thick underside. He couldn’t help it. His hands rose to clasp her ears lightly.
She sucked him then—slowly down and slowly up. He wasn’t sure if his hands were following her motions or guiding them. Maybe the latter. She certainly was doing what he liked, exactly where he wanted her to do it. Her plush lips tightened, her wet tongue rubbing the sweet spot beneath his glans. His sensations heightened. She was dragging him to the verge of coming faster than he expected. A moment later, she did something she hadn’t tried on him before, twisting her head as she sucked upward. It felt amazing, but his chest rumbled out a small protest.
She let his crown pop free, her right hand wrapping him. “Too much?”
Her hint of unsureness tugged his heart. Didn’t she know everything she did was wonderful to him?
“Too good,” he said, stroking her soft hair behind her ear. “Come into the pool. I want to make love to you.”
She rose, then bent one more time to take off her panties.
“Almost forgot those,” she laughed.
He smiled back at her. Her body was so lovely, so her in all its variations of russet and pink and cream. Her knees were slightly knobby, her strong shoulders still capable of hunching with shyness. He squeezed the hand that was his favorite in the world to hold.
“This is my Eden,” he said. “You and I naked together.”
He could tell his words pleased her. They turned hand in hand to the pool, which was roiling and nearly full. Connor no longer had full angelic powers. He’d relinquished them along with a piece of his original spirit in order to stay on the same plane as Georgie. Though he didn’t regret the sacrifice, the abilities he had now were less. Curious to see if they’d work in the djinn dimension, he raised his palm toward the roaring spouts.
“Cease, please,” he requested.
His energy stretched like rubber, not as effortless as before but still functioning. The taps shut off after one more heartbeat.
Seeming not to notice the delay, Georgie laughed. “You’re so polite. I have to work up my will to make things happen.”
He kissed her. “May I have my will with you now?”
She smiled and nodded, so he lifted her off her feet. That was fun. He liked the strength of his big body. Her thighs came around his waist, just where he wanted them. He watched her eyes glaze over as he pushed slowly, lengthily into her.
He couldn’t tell who was pulsing harder by the time he’d forged fully in.
“Wow,” she said, her neck lolling briefly as his hold tightened on her bottom. When her head came back up her cheeks had flushed darker. “I wanted you inside me more than I realized.”
Her words excited him, the spike in his arousal almost overwhelming him. He clenched his molars to rein in his reactions. Both of them enjoyed sex more when it didn’t end too fast. He reached for the scrolled bronze rail that led down the pool’s marble steps.
“Hold on,” he advised. Georgie clutched his shoulders a
s he went down the treads. Each movement drove his cock deliciously deeper into her hot softness. She wriggled and gasped, and steaming wavelets rose up his legs.
Finally, they were far enough for the water to support her.
Georgie’s back arched seductively.
“Don’t thrust,” he said, sensing she was preparing to.
“No?”
He shook his head. “Just rock. I don’t want all your lovely wetness to wash away.”
Her lips curved with mischief, her hands sliding over his back muscles. “Not thrusting might be difficult for me. Maybe you’d better control my movements.”
“Me?”
“Yes, please. I’d like to be entirely at your mercy.”
She knew about his fetish for control. They’d explored it before a bit. Now she leaned back, slowly, until her back floated on the pool’s surface. The position changed the pressure of her pussy around his shaft, bending his very stiff, very engorged organ more horizontal than it otherwise would have gone. He felt unusually aware of his size and hardness.
It went without saying this wound him up as well.
Georgie’s arms butterflied through the currents, her breasts bobbing as the water eddied around her curves. Connor guessed she noticed he was mesmerized by the view. When his gaze finally reached her face, the wings of her eyebrows wagged.
“Good sightlines?”
“The best,” he confirmed huskily.
His hands had locked around her hips. Evidently agreeable to this, Georgie gripped one of his forearms. Satisfied she was secure, Connor started rolling his pelvis.
Her nails pricked him as she reacted, pleasure immediately hitting both of them. He moved by inches, wishing he could thrust fully in and out but reveling in the depth of his presence inside her. Her body tightened, the walls of her pussy drawing hard. With both thumbs he pushed her clitoris against the shove and pull of his rigid shaft.
She cried out just loudly enough for the sound to reach his ears. They could both come in seconds . . . if that were their preference.
Don’t ask permission, he thought. That isn’t what she wants tonight.
“Don’t go over yet,” he said gutturally.
