by Carina Cook
Beef had been leaning down with one hand tented on the desk to get a better look at her face. With careful deliberation, he pulled back, wiping his hand on his pant leg.
“I’m very happy to help. What do you think? Dinner tonight and vacation planning? We could order Chinese and spend the evening rating resort pools on a scale of one to holy shit I want to move in.”
Audra winced. Even after years of friendship, Beef didn’t know that she was an elementalist. Back in Ohio, it had seemed like a moot point. She’d spent a lot of vacations with Uncle Grey, learning how to control and develop her powers, but she rarely used them at home. And when she did, she could always make an excuse. She’d manipulate the elements—maybe putting out a fire gone out of control—and throw a little dirt on it for verisimilitude. Or she’d blame it on the wind. Beef had always bought her stories, or so it had seemed.
But then, after Uncle Grey died, everything changed. Now, her magic was a part of her job, and she couldn’t talk about it with her best friend. She’d always been so good with excuses, but now she was running out, and she could tell he was becoming suspicious. She was going to have to handle this question carefully. She couldn’t have him here during the drop off, so she needed a good excuse. Luckily, she came up with one quickly.
“I’ve got the security guys coming to repair one of the cameras after hours,” she said, pointing toward the corner. “There’s a dark spot in the feed that I don’t like.”
He didn’t seem to think anything of that. “No problem. China Dragon will deliver to the shop. I’ll keep you company.”
“It’s silly for both of us to be stuck here. And honestly, I’m not very hungry. I’m too busy pining away for Chad.” She put the back of her hand to her forehead, and while he laughed, it seemed forced. “What if I came over once they’re done? You could do a little preparatory research if you want, and we’ll look through whatever you’ve found. I’ll bring frozen custard.”
“Now you’re just trying to bribe me.”
She nodded. “Shamelessly. Is it working?”
“I suppose,” he said airily. But he still didn’t look thrilled.
“I’ll see you around 11,” she said. “Thanks for understanding.”
He nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Audra didn’t like that, and she didn’t like hiding things from him. But Uncle Grey had made her promise not to tell anyone about the artifact storage at the shop, and she’d kept her word. Her mother knew enough to send her to her uncle when things got strange around the house, but they didn’t talk about it at home either.
Then again, Uncle Grey wasn’t around anymore. And Chad had found out about her magic by listening in on one of her phone calls, and the world hadn’t ended. If someone as untrustworthy as Chad knew her secret, what harm would it be for her to tell Beef? None, she decided. She would tell him tonight and demonstrate a little so he didn’t think she was having a psychotic break, and then they could plan their vacation and he’d understand when she was a little squirrely about her schedule.
Everything would be fine.
Darius Carson dragged his artifact into the building on a dolly, stopping it in front of the counter with a grunt of effort. Audra couldn’t decide what impressed her more, the fact that he could move what looked like a giant block of granite without assistance or the fact that he didn’t seem to expect her to be impressed by it. Chad had always looked for the reaction every time he did something remotely difficult.
Audra told herself sternly that she really needed to quit thinking about Chad.
Instead, she would think about Darius, in a completely detached, I’ve-sworn-off-dating kind of way. He seemed like a competent sort of person based on her limited experience. When he’d called to make his appointment, he’d easily answered all of her questions about the artifact rather than hemming and hawing like maybe she could figure it out herself if he just stalled long enough.
“You say you dug this up in the desert?” she asked, leaning on her elbows to get a better look at the block of stone over the counter.
He nodded. “Yeah. My coworker wrote up some notes on the discovery, and we’ve got a map printed out for you too so you can find the site yourself if you want. Your uncle used to ask for all of that, but I forgot to ask if you wanted the same information. Damn. Now I feel stupid.”
He ran a hand over his bald head. Audra reflected that it was a good thing she’d sworn off men, because Darius was giving off a serious Dwayne Johnson vibe. He was built like the Rock, and he had the same tanned bald head, and the same solid good looks. But the Rock smiled all the time, and she still wasn’t sure if Darius had teeth. There. That was a good reason not to be interested in him. He was probably all gums and saliva. Like Beef had said, dating just came with too many bodily fluids.
“No, that’s good,” she said. “At least for now, I’m continuing to do things like Uncle Grey did. Eventually, I’ll find my own way of running it, but I think it would be stupid to rush into changes just to make my mark on the business.”
He nodded and smiled a little. Damn. He did have teeth, and they were pretty good.
“Makes sense to me.”
Yeah, Darius was hot. She was saved from making a fool out of herself by the appearance of the so-called co-worker, who was a stacked redhead with wild curls and a self-assured walk. She sauntered in with a manila envelope in her hand, came right up to Audra, and thrust out her hand.
“You must be the new elementalist,” said the redhead. “I’m Rebecca. Nice to meetcha.”
“Audra.”
They shook.
“Here’s all the info on the find. Did Darius tell you that we already talked to Carl Hammond? I’m assuming you know him since medicine men get around. He stopped by the site while we were hauling it out of the ground and said it’s definitely not a Native construct.”
“I was just getting to that,” murmured Darius.
“Sure you were,” Rebecca shot back.
The back and forth banter reminded Audra of her and Beef, and she grinned, relaxing in a way that she usually didn’t when it came to her supernatural clients. They were usually so stuffy and emo. They made her want to roll her eyes most of the time, but so far, she liked these two. Based on what Darius had told her over the phone, he was a shifter, and she was shifterkin. She took a moment to muse on what he might turn into, but it seemed like a rude thing to ask out of the blue. Whatever it was, it was probably bald and sexy.
But she’d sworn off dating.
She distracted herself from the dangerous thoughts that had begun to rise in her mind and looked over the paperwork Rebecca had handed her.
“This looks all in order. The seal is intact after transport, yes?” she asked.
“I didn’t see any cracks in the rock when I took it out of the truck,” said Darius, “although I didn’t take a particularly close look at the bottom. Do you need me to?”
“No, I’m actually wondering if you wouldn’t mind breaking it open, though. I could do it myself, but I’d like to keep my attention on containing whatever is inside. The help would be welcome.”
His teeth flashed again. “I admit I’m pretty curious to see what’s inside. Sure, I’ll help. Tell me what to do.”
“Well, Rebecca, would you mind taking some pictures? I’ve got the camera all ready. I’d like to document the process, just in case someone in the future runs into a similar construction.”
“Sure thing. Where do you want me?” said Rebecca readily.
“How about we put you in the corner over there? There’s a step-stool, if you need the height to get a good angle for pictures. And then…” Audra looked thoughtfully at the dolly as she came around the counter. “Let me see if there’s a flaw in this marble…”
Slowly and tentatively, she put her hand to the smooth surface of the cube. It practically seethed with magical power beneath her hands, making her fingertips tingle. But she pushed that aside, feeling instead for the rock beneath her fingers, letting i
t talk to her. It felt almost tired—no wonder, considering the constant magical onslaught it must have endured for lord knew how long. It would give way for her gratefully, and now that she’d made a connection with it, she knew exactly where to strike.
“Here,” she said, pointing to a seam that looked exactly like all the others. “I’ll get you a hammer. Hit it here, and the whole thing will crack open. But first, I’d like you to turn the cube. I want the opening to face away from the door.”
Darius arched a brow but did as requested, laboriously turning the dolly. “Why is that?”
“If something comes out, it can’t escape this room,” she said simply. “I don’t want to give it a clear shot at the door. Not likely, but I’d rather be prepared. And if something does come out, don’t touch it. I’ll contain it.”
Darius opened his mouth as if to ask something else, but she shook her head, handing him the hammer. Time was wasting, and as nice as Darius and Rebecca seemed, Audra didn’t really feel like giving a lesson on elemental magic right now. She just wanted to get this over with so she could put the artifact into storage and pick up her frozen custard.
She stood between the cube and the door, preparing herself. The magic rose up within her. Gently, she placed her hands together and then slowly opened them to reveal a crackling, shimmering ball of energy between her fingers.
“Now,” she said.
Darius needed no further urging. He swung the hammer with considerable strength, striking at precisely the spot she’d indicated. The marble cube made a sound like an enormous gong with a crack running through it. It hummed uncomfortably, making her teeth ache. But there was no time to dwell on that. He struck again, sending spider cracks through the stone, running along the flaw she’d found. Just as she’d anticipated, it was enough to break open the hollow structure. As the two split pieces of the cube began to fall away, she felt a wave of dark energy ooze from whatever had been contained inside. She pushed her hands forward, enveloping the darkness in the crackling energy of her protective shell. For a moment, the dark thing inside pushed against the shell with a strength that surprised her. But she was a master of void magic, one of the best Uncle Grey had ever seen, and she adjusted to the assault quickly. It wouldn’t get through, now that she’d learned how it moved.
“What is it?” asked Darius, his voice full of quiet awe.
Audra stepped a little closer to glimpse the shape behind the shimmering force field. It felt like something she’d seen only once before, but she wanted to be sure.
An ornate oil lamp floated in the shimmering ball of light.
“Crap,” she murmured. “It’s a djinn.”
CHAPTER 4
Darius spent the drive to Rebecca’s condo lost in thought. Other people might push him to talk before he was ready, but not her. She was used to his need for silence. He’d talk when he’d figured out what he wanted to say, but not a moment before, and he appreciated that she didn’t pressure him. They might have gone the entire drive without a word if his stomach hadn’t intervened. It gurgled loudly with hunger, and Rebecca laughed at him.
“You want to come in and have something to eat?” she asked as he pulled into a parking spot outside of her building.
“Dunno. Do you have anything other than ketchup and beer?” he said, lightly teasing.
It wasn’t just an idle dig. The last time he’d been at her place, the fridge had been empty except for exactly those two things. And it hadn’t even been good beer.
“Actually, I drank all the beer, so it’s just ketchup. I hear you can make a nice soup out of it. Or we could say to hell with that and order a pizza.”
He shook his head with a reluctance that was at least half real. “I shouldn’t. As interesting as ketchup soup with a pizza chaser sounds, I’m pretty wiped. It’s been a long day.”
As if on cue, she yawned, reaching for the door handle and pausing there. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. It’s late. And it’s been a crazy long day. Can you imagine what would have happened if we’d cracked that cube on accident and let a genie out on the work site?”
“Djinn,” he said, smiling slightly. “You’ve seen Aladdin too many times.”
“Impossible. It’s the best Disney movie ever made, but I’m disappointed to find that real djinn are more like Jafar than Robin Williams. Audra made them sound awfully scary. You think they really try to corrupt their masters, or was she pulling our leg? If they’re as bad as she says, you’d think they’d be more of a problem than they are, but I’ve never heard of anyone getting hurt by a rogue djinn attack.”
“Not if djinn are rare.” He shrugged. “But I was thinking on the way here that it must depend on the person making the wishes. If you go in with a bad heart, wishing for things you didn’t earn, then the djinn can corrupt you. But if you wish for things for other people, then I don’t see how it could get its claws into you. I don’t see how they could corrupt you if you’ve got a good heart. Not that I’d try, but it’s an interesting thing to think about.”
“Says you.” His stomach growled again, and she laughed. “You should go get some food. And call that elementalist tomorrow.”
He blinked. “Audra? Call her why?”
“She’s totally your type.”
“Why? Because she’s tall and pretty?” He shook his head. “I need a little more than that.”
“Nah. Because she’s way too serious. Like you. She’s probably still at that pawn shop, working with a dangerous magical artifact when it’s practically the middle of the night. A pretty thing like that should be out having a good time. You should take her out this weekend. Be that good time. It would be good for you both.”
“You’re nuts,” he grumbled. “Go drink some ketchup soup.”
She blew him a kiss, grinning. “You know I’m right.”
He didn’t answer as she got out of the truck, because he knew she wouldn’t rest until she had the last word. Really, it wasn’t worth arguing over anyway. He would feel stupid calling Audra for a date. What would he say? “Hey, I don’t even know you, which means any attraction to you is only superficial, but I’d like to take you out on a date and see if maybe it’s not.” Women didn’t usually respond well to his brand of blunt honesty, and it just didn’t feel right to be anything but honest.
But after about fifteen minutes of waiting in a not-at-all-fast food drive through line while the dude in front of him argued about the price of his combo meal, he began to think that Rebecca had had a point despite herself. Not about asking Audra on a date, because he didn’t know her well enough, but he’d like to get to know her better. And the more he thought about the fact that she was likely working alone in the Desert Oasis with the lamp, the more nervous the idea made him. He had no doubts about her skill, but dangerous jobs like that should never be attempted alone. If something went wrong, there would be no one to help. After over a decade working in the construction industry, he knew the value of the buddy system when it came to hazardous tasks, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he became.
When he finally got a chance to order, he added some extra nuggets and a drink to his usual. Audra might be the kind of person who turned up her nose at fried food, but it seemed like a nice gesture. He’d pretty much decided that he was going to swing by the Desert Oasis on his way home, except that it wasn’t on the way at all. The pawn shop was in the opposite direction of his house. But he wouldn’t feel better until he checked on her. It would be worth the extra drive time, and if she wasn’t there, he’d just eat the extra nuggets himself.
Just making the decision made him feel better. His stomach stopped churning with anxiety, although it was still plenty hungry. He shoved a burger into his mouth at a stop light in the hopes that maybe it would stop grumbling at him. Usually, he was good about eating on a regular basis, because his musculature combined with his overactive shifter metabolism required constant fuel. But the discovery of the djinn had thrown him off his schedule, and now he was paying the
price. He was starting to feel a little shaky from lack of food.
The shakes got even worse when he got out of the car in the lot behind the Desert Oasis, and for a moment, he couldn’t quite understand why. Then his brain caught up with what his senses were desperately trying to tell him. Smoke! His hyper sensitive nose picked up the scent from deep inside the building, although he couldn’t yet see any. Maybe it was nothing—he couldn’t hear any alarms—but if something happened with the lamp…
The bag of chicken nuggets fell to the ground. He rushed to the door without paying the food a second glance, all hunger forgotten. The smell was stronger here, and now that he was standing up close, he could see the minute wisps of smoke that escaped from around the edges of the closed door. He put his fingers to the metal with tentative care, but it wasn’t hot. So then he banged on it, hard, and pushed the buzzer with growing impatience and concern.
“Come on,” he muttered to himself. “Audra, come on.”
One car still sat in the lot, right next to the door. It had been there earlier too, a cute little red VW convertible. Maybe it belonged to someone else, but if it was Audra’s? Then she was still inside the building, and the building was burning.
He considered his options for a quick moment. He could call 911 and let them handle it, or he could break into the building. The first option would be much safer for him, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to live with himself if Audra got hurt because he was worried about getting arrested for breaking and entering. Besides, what if something had gone wrong with the lamp he’d just delivered? The timing was awfully suspect. If the djinn was loose, the mortal police wouldn’t be prepared to deal with it. It was his responsibility to do something.
His mind made up, he grabbed onto the metal door handle, called upon his shifter strength, and pulled. His body tightened with strain as his legs pushed against the wall. The door began to warp under the intense pressure, letting out a tortured screech as he pulled it out of shape.
