The Blazing Glass

by Kimberly Loth

  He held me a little tighter. “I’m not sure. Maybe you’re just used to it.”

  Everything still felt a little bit surreal. I’d almost died, and I had a genie at my beck and call. Life would never again be normal. Though, I had to admit, Gabe definitely had his perks.

  By the end of the week, I was sick and tired of those perks. Everyone else too. People were around way too much. Last night, I might have had a tiny breakdown in which I might or might not have thrown my red Chuck right at Ty’s head and screamed at everyone to get out.

  Thankfully, they all listened, and I finally woke up alone the next morning—at last.

  No Gran or Ty or Gabe hovering over me.

  Hell, the day before, I woke up to Penny and Scarlett rearranging my room.

  My bed was soft and warm, and cats curled up on all sides, but I’d been stuck in it for way too long. Surely our inventory at the Glittering Goddess was scarce. I needed to get back to work.

  I slid my legs out of bed and stood up. The carpet was squishy. My head spun, and my legs felt like jelly, but I made it to the bathroom. By the time I was out of the shower, I felt a thousand times better. I scrubbed my face. A wave of lightheadedness hit, and I sat on the edge of the tub. Maybe not a hundred percent quite yet.

  My head cleared, and I brushed my teeth, marveling over the normalcy of it. Between Gabe, wishes, and dead women, doing something as simple as getting ready seemed like a luxury.

  Gabe.

  I thought I’d pretty much gotten used to his genieness. But over the last week, he’d rarely left my side, and wishes happened more frequently than I’d known was possible. I never quite knew when he’d grant a wish. If I used the magic words, I wish, then the wish automatically came true, but any other time it depended on whether or not Gabe was listening, or if he felt he needed to grant it.

  I’d learned to keep my mouth shut because he seemed to grant every whim I had. Even if it was something I didn’t want. Like the dozen blankets when I got cold or fifteen different kinds of chips when I said I wanted a snack.

  Things were even more complicated because I’d definitely fallen for him. I couldn’t imagine him not being there. He protected me better than Ty.

  Maybe now I could convince Ty to move out and live his own life—even though every time I thought about it, my chest tightened, and my throat threatened to close up. He’d been my everything for so long, the thought of life without him seemed so scary.

  Almost as scary as Gabe. Up until Jasper, I’d basically ignored the fact that Gabe was a murderer. But the thought had bothered me all week. He’d killed girls. Lots of them. Was there something wrong with me that I loved him now?

  I climbed down the stairs, cautiously, making each step deliberate so I didn’t fall. The smell of toast coming from the kitchen and the extra loud Lifetime movie told me Gran was making breakfast.

  Tokyo came flying down the stairs after me.

  He meowed at me halfway down, and I picked him up. He was a needy kitten, almost more puppy-like. Gabe said he looked like me. I suppose he did, with his blue eyes. He was the best gift Gabe had given me.

  Well, him or the kiss on the beach. I leaned against the wall, thinking about it. Oh geesh, I had to be careful, or I’d fall down the stairs. I wasn’t well enough yet to try to walk without concentration.

  Could I call this love though? Probably not yet. Falling for a genie wasn’t the best move. But why not? Kole had certainly been a worse choice. Or had he? At least Kole hadn’t killed anyone.

  I pushed open the door and saw Gran and Ty already seated at the table. They’d set a place for me. I poured myself a cup of coffee and joined them.

  “How are you feeling?” Ty asked, his shaggy blonde hair falling in his eyes as he stared at his phone.

  “Much better. I thought you were heading out of town this morning.” It was on my calendar. He should be in Colorado.

  He looked up from his phone. “I cancelled the trip. You need me more.”

  I dropped my fork. This had to stop. “Don’t put your life on hold for me.”

  Concern filled his face. “Relax, it’s not a big deal. I can take care of everything from here. I’ll just have a lot of video conferences.” He blushed. Must be a cute girl on those calls. He should be seeing her in person.

  I took a sip of my coffee, Gran’s specialty with vanilla and cinnamon.

  “Seriously, Ty. When are you going to move out and stop worrying about me?” I hated that I was holding him back. Hopefully my voice didn’t carry the anxiety I felt.

  “I’ll never stop being concerned about you, and I’m not moving out until you graduate. I won’t abandon you. Especially now. You nearly died.”

  “The doctors said I was just exhausted. I didn’t nearly die. You worry too much. Plus, I’ve got Gran.” I pointed to her, and she smiled.

  Ty’s face fell. “How would she talk to your teachers or deal with doctors? You need me, Liv.”

  I rolled my eyes and stood. “You keep telling yourself that. I’m going out to the shop. It’s been too long.”

  He snorted. “Maybe if Gabe didn’t take up so much of your time, you’d get more work done.”

  Gran glowered at me like she always did when she heard Gabe’s name.

  I put my hands on my hips. “I’ve been sick.”

  “That was an excuse to be alone with Gabe in your room.”

  I knew how to get him off my back. “At least I’ve got a boyfriend. When are you going to get out there and find yourself a girl?”

  He waved me away and went back to his phone.

  I stepped outside. He should be off on his own getting drunk and sleeping with girls. Instead he spent his evenings watching silly girl movies with me and Gran. This wasn’t fair to him. Maybe I’d wish for him to leave. It’d be painful, but good for him.

  Chapter 2

  Gabe

  I waited downstairs for Ali. I debated going over to Liv’s house, but I wanted to avoid flying Chucks. I couldn’t help myself though. I never wanted to leave her side. She nearly died. I should’ve stepped up and became the Djinn earlier. Her pain was my fault.

  Though, Jasper’s death weighed heavy in my soul. He was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to die. None of us did. There would’ve been better ways to take care of Jasper, but I let my anger and fear take over. For thousands of years, I did whatever the hell I wanted, so controlling my emotions was new to me.

  “You’re here. Good we need to talk,” Ali said.

  “About what?” Was it possible he knew what I was? No. A Jinn couldn’t recognize me as Djinn unless I summoned him. Jinn couldn’t summon one another, but Djinn sure could. Everyone knew what Samir was because he’d been Djinn forever.

  Ali pulled over a chair, rested his elbows on his knees, and gave me a worried look. “We need to talk about what you did.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Having Liv make the death wish to get rid of Jasper. That was stupid.”

  “I didn’t know it was a death wish.”

  “There are better ways to deal with issues like that. You should’ve asked for help. A lot has changed since you’ve been locked up.”

  I jutted out my chin. “Like what?” He was being as evasive as I was. What was he up to?

  Ali let out a breath. “I’m not ready to say. I don’t quite trust you yet.”

  I stood, blood pounding my ears and my fists clenching. “Why the hell not?”

  “Because you aren’t being honest with me. Plus I need you to effing read.” He shoved his book into my stomach. “Once you’ve read the book, I’ll fill you in. You’ve been so caught up in Liv you haven’t taken the time to make sure you understand the current world.”

  Reading that book would be the first thing on my to do list. Especially now that Liv nearly died. If so much had changed that more than three death wishes existed, then maybe I could unbecome Djinn. Though, as long as I could protect Liv, I’d stay this way. More Jinn could show u
p and try to hurt her.

  Movement from Liv’s house caught my eye. I watched her stroll out to her workshop. I set the book on the table.

  “I’m leaving. See you later.” If Ali found out what I was, he might not want me under his roof, and I valued his friendship and guidance. Samir didn’t have a choice in becoming Djinn. I did, and I’d betrayed all of my people.

  “Whatever, man. Just be more careful. I may not know all of your secrets, but I know you want to keep that girl alive, so you might want to make sure she doesn’t accidentally make any more death wishes.”

  He pressed the book into my chest again. I took it and ran up the stairs.

  Ali called up after me. “Make sure you read the chapter on witches. They’re everywhere.”

  I hated witches. Definitely would have to learn more about how they’ve evolved, but that would have to wait. I had a girl to entertain. I left the book on my nightstand, grabbed my guitar, and headed down and out into the heavy air. Clouds moved rapidly across the sky, and darkness was settling in. The air had a metallic taste and smelled like ozone. Storms had been so rare in Egypt. I liked to stand outside and watch them. Today though, Liv drew me in.

  Just before I pushed the door open to the shop, the first drop of rain hit my arm. Liv jerked her head up, and her face split into a grin. My heart fluttered.

  “No flying shoes this morning?” I asked.

  She laughed. “No. I just was sick of people being in my room. I showered and feel loads better. Come sit.” She waved me over to the table she was working on. I dragged a stool next to her. I could practically see her life force floating around her, but I had no desire to pull it from her, and yet, I wanted to grant her every wish.

  Technically, as Djinn, I didn’t need to take her life force. I could draw life force from anyone. But after she made the comment about not feeling pain anymore, I still did occasionally. And when I didn’t, I made sure she still felt a small pain in her head. I couldn’t have her getting suspicious.

  The light from outside darkened. Liv sighed and looked at the light switch. With a wave of my hand I turned them on.

  She creased her eyebrows. “What?” I asked.

  “I didn’t say anything. You told me I have to speak to get wishes granted.”

  Shit. I didn’t want her thinking anything was different. “Um. Yeah, you sighed. It was enough.”

  She nodded and wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.

  “So, what’s up?” she asked, without taking her eyes off the colored glass in front of her. I loved watching her concentrate so intensely.

  I pulled over a box of glass pieces and found one I could fiddle with. “Nothing. I just like being with you.” And if she let me, I’d never leave.

  Her neck flushed.

  The rain pounded on the roof. Liv glanced at the window, and I willed her to look at me, but she didn’t.

  “Can you hand me any pieces of yellow or gold glass you find?”

  “Sure.” I dug through the small shards.

  She opened her mouth and closed it again. Without taking her eyes off her work, she hesitated for another few seconds. “You’ve…you’ve killed people before, right?”

  I let out a sigh. We were bound to have this conversation at some point. I gave her the small pieces and moved to the window. I ran my finger through the condensation. I wondered what brought on her curiosity today. She could’ve asked the question anytime in the last few weeks.

  “Yes. I have. Many times.” Those times were so far away. Though Jasper’s death still weighed on me. Killing a genie was different than killing a human. His death was somehow more real.

  “Can you tell me about them?” Her hands moved more slowly now, and I knew she was listening to me instead of working.

  “I’d rather not.” My face burned with shame.

  “Did you regret any of them?” Her jaw twitched.

  My chest tightened, and I wandered back to her.

  “Only one.” Maybe two. Though I wasn’t sure if I truly regretted Jasper’s death yet.

  She looked me straight in the eyes. “Tell me about her.”

  I let out a breath. “Many years ago, the Djinn Samir and I were very close.”

  “What’s a Djinn?”

  “Mm. He’s our leader. He has powers we don’t and can control the magic outside of his mistress. Though even that is restricted in some ways. He can kill other Jinn, which is the only way we can die.” I was now Djinn, the leader of all Jinn. My powers were immense, but I didn’t even know to what extent yet. I had to read that book Ali gave me.

  “There is only one Djinn?”

  “Yes.” At least, as far as I knew. Though, Bast had tried to get me to take the potion before she trapped Samir. Maybe my becoming Djinn reduced him to a Jinn.

  “Okay, continue.” She picked up the glass she was working on. “I need silver pieces as well.”

  I plucked out a few silver pieces. The guilt settling in my stomach.

  “Samir discovered that the younger the girls were, the more enjoyable the life force. You have to understand that in our culture, children are revered. We wouldn’t dream of hurting them. In fact, in the unlikely event that a child opens a Jinn lamp, the Jinn will ask the child to give his vessel to the child’s mother.”

  “Wait, if I gave someone else your bottle, then I would no longer have you?”

  “Right.”

  “Then I couldn’t die at your hand?”

  My heart tightened. I never wanted to leave her.

  I leaned closer. “Do you want me to go away?”

  She sucked in a breath. “No. But I’d love to be with you without worrying that you might accidentally kill me.”

  “Then someone else would die. Is that what you want?”

  She paused in her work and shook her head. She was silent for a bit. “Back to your story. So you would just kill the mother instead?” Her jaw tight.

  “Yes. But then the child lives.”

  Liv’s shoulder tensed, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. “I know, but I still find this so abhorrent. How do you decide that one life is more valuable than another?”

  “Children were the only human life we valued at all. Maybe that’s wrong, but that’s our reality.” Now that I started talking, I wanted to get it out. Let her know the very worst of me and see if she’d still want me.

  “Find me some blue ones.” She waved her hand toward the box. Thunder rumbled outside.

  “Samir started seeking out girls who had barely entered maturity. They were all twelve, maybe thirteen. He set me on the task of finding them as young as possible. His vessel was supposed to go to a girl who’d hit maturity days earlier. I was to take her older sister. What we didn’t know was there was another sister, Sabah. She was only nine. She’s the one who picked up Samir’s vessel.” My voice cracked. I clenched my fists, the glass digging into my palm. The images of Sabah’s face still haunted me.

  Liv lifted her head. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “If I had gotten the younger of the two, I would’ve gone straight for the mother, but Samir took her life without hesitation. I can still hear the mother screaming, and Samir became a monster.”

  Liv gulped. “What happened to the girl you had?”

  “You mean Nala? What about her?” Liv was asking all the wrong questions. She should be asking how awful it was for me to allow Samir to take the life a child. Or what happened to him afterwards.

  “Your vessel was in the hands of Nala, so what happened to her?”

  “She died.”

  “You mean, you took her life,” Liv said, her voice raised a few octaves.

  “Yes. Liv, I don’t know how to explain that this was my whole existence. Taking a human life is not morally wrong in my world.”

  “But the life of a child is?” Her eyes pleaded with mine as if she wished what I’d done couldn’t be possible.

  “There have been two occasions in my entire existence that have truly changed me.”

>   She scooted closer. “What’s the other one?”

  “The day you kissed me on the beach.” That was the best day of my life. The feel of her lips on mine, the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at me. It was that moment that I knew I could never live without her.

  She seemed to hold her breath, her eyes wide. “How did that change you?”

  “I fell in love.”

  Chapter 3

  Liv

  Time stood still. Kole had told me he loved me thousands of times. Mostly when he wanted to get laid, but other times as well. He could be sweet when he wanted to be, but it never hit me the way Gabe’s words pierced my heart. Love. This was the real deal. My heart raced.

  The air in the shop suddenly went up like a thousand degrees. The burning metallic smell of the solder, the heady cologne of Gabe. I snapped my cinnamon gum, and Gabe raised his dark eyebrows.

  I stared at his face. His eyes bore into mine, and his lips curled into a half smile. He knew exactly what he did to me. Did I do the same thing to him? No way. He was a sex god, and I was, well, I was only human.

  He was more than that. He was a genie and otherworldly. He could capture the heart of any girl on the planet, and he chose me. He loved me. What had I done to deserve such love? Nothing, which made it all the more special. I should tell him that I loved him too. But that felt so fake. Like I’d just be saying it because he did.

  I nearly leaned up and kissed him, but that would ruin the moment. There was something deeper than a kiss here. Something about the way his eyes held mine. We said a thousand words in that moment, and yet, neither of us spoke. This moment would be ours forever.

  A crack of thunder shook the workshop. We both jumped. He chuckled and stood up, inches from me. He took my hand and drew me against him.

  My skin sizzled against his, and the way he held me made me feel as if I never wanted to be alone again. I wanted him with me always. Touching me. Kissing me. Loving me. Forever.

  He stroked my cheek and held my gaze. I licked my lips. The kiss at the beach was full of lust, but this one would be full of love and eternity.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice husky. No. I desperately wanted him. More than he could possibly understand. I couldn’t accurately explain that.