The Reaper Rescues The Genie

by Kristen Painter

  “See you in the morning, dear.”

  Imari left, her head filled with all kinds of new thoughts and questions. Hattie was an expert in saying a lot without saying anything. What kind of sacrifices had Lucien made? What had he suffered? And why was touching him a bad thing? Was that because he was an angel of death? Maybe touching them was off-limits. Angel-of-death etiquette hadn’t been covered in any of the schools Imari had attended.

  She did know, however, that she should not be kissing him. She was promised to Khalid, and even if she had no intention of going through with that marriage, which she didn’t, it wasn’t right to carry on with another man until that situation was dealt with.

  She returned to the guest suite and climbed back into bed. She pulled the covers to her chin and closed her eyes, hoping for a peaceful sleep. The rest would help, because she and Lucien were going to have to talk again in the morning.

  About a lot of things.

  Lucien had been out earlier tonight at Imari’s, and he often went out at night for a drive, but tonight’s venture was different. Tonight was more of a mission.

  It felt like the old days. When he’d had purpose. When there’d been a soul in desperate need of relief, a soul in need of transport to the afterlife.

  Tonight, however, he wasn’t planning on reaping any souls. Unless the wish merchant did something stupid.

  He’d taken Hattie’s Range Rover. Not his typical choice, but the midnight blue SUV blended far better than any of his exotics, and the tinted windows gave him some added privacy. Looking around at the other cars in the Excelsior’s lot, he could have gone a little more upscale, but there was a good mix and the Rover blended in well.

  He was slouched in the driver’s seat, parked in the far corner of the lot. From here, he could see the lot’s entrance and the door into the lobby with ease. The lobby’s front half was entirely glass, too, making it possible to keep an eye on anyone coming or going.

  If the wish merchant showed up here again, which felt like a high probability, Lucien would watch him, then follow him back to wherever he was staying.

  The downside of keeping a low profile in town was that, outside of his own club, he didn’t know much else about where things were. That just wasn’t something his lifestyle allowed him to learn.

  On the rare occasions he’d traveled to Elenora Ellingham’s, or her grandson Hugh’s home, he’d gone at night. Or used the Basement access. The underground passageways that lay beneath the town were perfect for him, and they should be. He’d financed a good part of them in order to have access to them whenever he needed.

  The night wound on with no sighting of the man. Which left Lucien with a lot of thinking time.

  But only one person to think about. She was the reason he was here after all.

  Beautiful, intelligent, intriguing Imari.

  He scrubbed a hand over his face and gave in. Fighting was pointless. His head wanted to replay over and over the kisses they’d shared. His heart wished they’d gone on longer. Each time, warmth spilled through him. Each time, he could feel her mouth on his as if it was happening all over again. Smell her perfume. Taste her sweetness.

  See color.

  How did she do that?

  Maybe genies had a way of making wishes come true without trying. Because while he’d never spoken the words out loud, being able to permanently see color again would absolutely be a wish come true.

  But he wasn’t the kind of man to spend energy on the impossible.

  And yet, here he was, thinking about what life would be like with Imari at his side. He snorted in disgust at himself. Hades, he was pathetic. What would she want with him? What kind of life could he offer her? She was a bright, blooming flower.

  He was a choking weed that lived underground.

  Hattie would say he was being too hard on himself, but pretending helped no one. He preferred reality. All reapers did. It was part of the trade, part of their makeup. Life and death, black and white, wrong and right. There were no shades of gray in his life.

  Just in his vision.

  But he’d seen the way Imari had looked at his home. Her compliments had been sweet, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew they’d masked her distaste. At least, he thought they must. She couldn’t be happy in a home like his.

  Could she?

  He rolled his eyes. He was really losing it. And over a woman. Considering how well that had turned out the last time, he knew better than to think a relationship was worth trying again.

  An expanse of air wobbled beneath one of the parking lot lights. The sheen of glitter sparkled bright.

  Lucien ducked lower in the seat as two people appeared in that very spot. The wish merchant and the genie under his command, Adira.

  Lucien’s pulse kicked up. The prey had arrived. The wish merchant glanced around the lot. Was he looking for Imari? Or for Lucien?

  The man’s gaze settled on something and he smiled. Lucien followed his line of sight. He was looking at a Toyota Camry.

  The wish merchant thought Imari was here. He jerked his thumb at the car while looking at Adira. She nodded in response. She looked the same. Tired, worn down. Sad.

  Lucien felt for her. If she was living the kind of life Imari had described, being the wish merchant’s property, which it seemed pretty clear she was, then Lucien would do his best to free her as soon as he could. No one deserved that.

  The pair made their way toward the lobby. Lucien got out, shut the car door quietly, and followed, keeping a safe distance. The lot was well lit, but he skirted the pools of light cast by the overheads and stuck to the shadows. If need be, he could disappear into the shadows altogether, but the wish merchant’s attention wasn’t on the parking lot.

  He and the genie approached the doorman. The pair must not know which condo was Imari’s. The wish merchant asked some questions, but the doorman shook his head. The wish merchant pressed him. The doorman looked upset. He reached for the phone. The wish merchant snapped his fingers, and the genie bobbed her head.

  The doorman relaxed like he’d been put in a lucid coma. His hand left the phone to fall back to his side. Then he pointed to the elevators and said something. A number. Imari’s condo number.

  With a mocking smile, the wish merchant gave the man a salute, then put his hand on Adira’s back and urged her forward.

  Rage filled Lucien. He didn’t want that man in Imari’s condo, riffling through her things, touching what didn’t belong to him.

  But he couldn’t justify reaping the man’s soul, either. Not when there was no immediate threat to Lucien’s well-being. There were strict rules for a reaper about when a soul could and couldn’t be taken. Much like Imari’s wish power, a reaper was never to take a soul in anger or for personal reasons. Reaping a soul before its time resulted in serious consequences.

  Because of his unreliable powers, he’d been strongly advised by the sitting council to wear gloves to keep any further accidents from happening. He did his best to abide by that. Not only did he have no desire to inadvertently take another soul, but the inquisition after his grandmother’s death was not something he wanted to repeat unless absolutely necessary.

  But he had other tools at his disposal. He stuck his right arm out and pushed his sleeve back to reveal the scythe tattooed there. Then he opened his palm, commanding the weapon into being.

  A second later, the ebony wood handle filled his grip and the deadly metal blade gleamed under the parking lot lights. He called up his reaper form and let it take over completely.

  His suit became a loose, voluminous robe. His face and body took on the skeletal shape of his kind. And as he approached the lobby’s glass walls, he could see in their reflection that the transformation was complete.

  His eyes glowed like embers.

  He was, once again, a War Angel. Not complete. He no longer had his horse. But for the sake of his mission tonight, he had everything he needed.

  He glanced up at Imari’s condo and used his reaper power
of instant transportation to travel there.

  Imari didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, just that she had and that she’d slept remarkably well. The luxurious bed had helped, but the biggest factor had been her peace of mind. Knowing the wish merchant couldn’t find her or her bottle while she was here had done wonders.

  Lucien, for all his peculiarities, had done her a solid.

  She got up, showered, and dressed in her spa uniform, a tranquil sea glass green tunic and pants. They were sort of like fancy scrubs, and the outfit was very comfortable, which was important, considering her job was one of the more physical ones at the spa.

  She headed out to the kitchen, happy to see Hattie already there. The window video showed a bright, sunny day. “Good morning.”

  Hattie turned from the stove, smiling. “Hello there. How did you sleep? Tea is made, so help yourself. Breakfast will be along shortly.”

  “I slept very well, thank you. And you?” Imari made a face. “Sorry, I don’t know if you sleep or not.”

  “I rest. I can get tired, but it’s not like what I used to feel. What wears me out now is being corporeal for too long. I mostly save that for when I go out. Getting groceries, seeing a movie, those sorts of things.”

  Imari walked over to the kettle to get herself some tea. “Don’t feel like you have to be solid on my account. It doesn’t bother me if you’re see-through.”

  “Are you sure? I know it can be a little off-putting.”

  “Not an issue, I promise.” Imari poured herself a cup and added a sugar cube. “I have a version of see-through myself.”

  Hattie remained corporeal, and Imari realized it must be easier to cook that way as the older woman added a big sprinkling of chopped herbs to the eggs in the pan. “Can you really? I didn’t realize genies could do that.”

  “Sure. It’s how we get in and out of our bottles. Sort of a cross between steam and smoke.” Imari sipped her tea. It wasn’t the Assam this morning. Instead, it tasted like Chinese black tea. “Is this Keemun? It’s delicious.”

  “It is!” Hattie grinned. “You know your tea.”

  “I’m a thousand years old. I’ve had time to learn. Plus, the red color gives it away.”

  Hattie’s mouth rounded. “A thousand? You don’t look a day over thirty.”

  Imari laughed. “If I had any wishes to give, I’d give you one just for that. Do you need any help? I’m a fair hand in the kitchen.”

  “No, I’m just about to plate things up. Actually, you can take the fruit to the table. It’s in the bowl by the sink.”

  “Done.” Imari set her tea at a place at the table, then retrieved the fruit. A blue stoneware bowl held chunks of peaches and plums, halved strawberries, whole blueberries, and red grapes. “This looks great.”

  “I hope so. And I hope you like eggs. Nothing too complicated this morning, just a scramble with some fresh herbs and goat cheese. Plus toast.” She slid the eggs into a serving dish, then took another plate from the oven. It was piled with thick slices of toasted, grainy bread shiny with butter.

  “Sounds perfect and looks even better. I can’t tell you the last time anyone made me breakfast.”

  Hattie brought both dishes to the table. “I make breakfast every morning for Lucy. I think if I didn’t, he wouldn’t eat.” She shook her head and frowned as she sat. “I don’t know what he’d do if I wasn’t here to take care of him sometimes.”

  Imari lifted her brows. “Should we wait for him to join us, then?”

  Hattie’s frown softened into something much more concerned, and she broke eye contact. “He’s, uh, sleeping in this morning.”

  That seemed very unlike Lucien. It seemed more likely that he was avoiding her. “Are you sure I’m not the reason he’s not at breakfast?”

  Hattie’s eyes widened a tiny bit as she looked up. “I…oh, I’m a terrible liar. Yes, you are the reason he’s not here, but it’s not a bad reason. He went to talk to the Ellinghams on your behalf this morning.”

  “What? He did? Why?”

  “Because the wish merchant was at your home last night.” Hattie’s hands fluttered like dizzy birds. “Oh, dear, I’m not supposed to be telling you all this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Lucien doesn’t want you to worry.”

  “Wait. Why did Lucien go back to my place last night?”

  Hattie rolled her lips in. “I shouldn’t say anything else.”

  “No, you’re right. I don’t want you to get into trouble. I’ll talk to him when he gets home. I’m sure he’ll have plenty to tell me. Especially if he sees me dressed like this and thinks I’m going to work.”

  “You’re not, are you?”

  Imari sighed. “No. I’m wearing this because it’s all I packed outside of pajamas. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my job. I can’t afford to lose it.”

  “You won’t,” came a deep voice behind her.

  Lucien.

  She turned in her seat to face him. He looked different this morning. At least, she thought he did. More handsome in some unfortunate (for her) way. She ignored that to ask, “And you know that because?”

  “Because I just came from discussing things with Hugh Ellingham. Due to your special circumstances, you don’t have to return to work until the wish merchant is no longer an issue, but you also don’t have to worry about losing your job. Hugh is going to speak to the owners and explain what’s going on.”

  “That was very kind of you. Thank you.” Those words were harder for her to say than she’d expected. She wasn’t used to being beholden to anyone. It was a strange feeling. But it was also very sweet that Lucien, the man who never left his home, had now left it three times because of her.

  She smiled at him and pushed out the chair beside her. “Why don’t you join us for breakfast? We were just about to eat.”

  He looked startled by her offer. “I…could do that.”

  Hattie jumped up and got a plate. “Good. Sit. The eggs are getting cold.”

  Lucien didn’t move for a moment. When he finally did, he chose a different seat than the one Imari had pushed out. He settled into a chair that put him on the other side of the table from her and a little closer to his grandmother.

  Imari helped herself to some fruit and tried not to overanalyze his seat selection. He was a grown man. He could sit where he wanted to. If that wasn’t by her, well, then, that was her issue to get over.

  She looked at him from under her lashes, trying to watch him without him noticing. He definitely looked different this morning. More handsome, yes, but brighter in some way. It was a strange way to think of him, but the only thing that seemed to fit. She offered him the bowl of fruit. “Did you sleep well? Or don’t you sleep either?”

  He took the bowl. “I sleep. Not much last night.”

  “Lack of sleep looks good on you.” She speared a peach chunk with her fork. “Makes me look like a hag.”

  He scooped a helping of fruit onto his plate. “I doubt that very much. You are easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

  Imari stared at him. She hadn’t expected such a compliment from him. Or at all, really. “Thank you. I doubt that’s true, but it’s still a very kind thing to say.”

  Hattie grinned and slathered her bread with butter. “He’s right. You are the loveliest thing that’s ever walked through these doors. Even Kora isn’t as pretty, and she is quite beautiful. Of course, she’s usually rotten on the in—”

  Lucien’s sharp hiss interrupted her.

  Hattie’s mouth closed as her nose wrinkled. A second later, she took a big bite of her toast, chewing robustly while she stared at her grandson.

  Imari watched the tense exchange with interest. “Who’s Kora?”

  Lucien grimaced. “No one important at the moment. I was at your apartment last night.”

  That was an abrupt change of subject, but Imari let it be. She was more interested in hearing about Lucien’s second run-in with the wish me
rchant than one of his old girlfriends. “And?”

  “The wish merchant and Adira were there again.”

  Imari shrugged. “The doormen there are pretty strict. They aren’t going to just let people up. They always call first to announce a visitor.”

  “Except the doorman let me up a second time without calling. I told him I’d left something and he just nodded as I went by.” Lucien let out a breath. “And the wish merchant made Adira use her magic on the doorman. Didn’t take long at all and he let them go up to your condo.”

  Imari’s grip on her fork tightened. “What?”

  “That’s terrible,” Hattie muttered.

  “I watched them,” Lucien continued. “He ran the show, telling Adira what to do. She cast some kind of spell over the doorman that made him complacent. He gave them your condo number and off they went to the elevators.”

  Imari’s heart thudded. “But they didn’t get into my condo, did they?”

  He held her gaze. “They did. I was able to scare them off before they touched anything.”

  “Thank you—how did you get in? Did you follow them up?”

  “I can appear anywhere I need to. It’s one of my skills.”

  “Oh. Right. I guess it would be.” Walls couldn’t keep an angel of death out. “Well, I’m glad you were there. I hate that they were in my condo. I feel violated. Even if they didn’t touch anything.”

  He added eggs and toast to his plate. “You have every right to feel that way. It’s shown me something too. You won’t be free of this man until he gets what he wants.”

  “That’s very reassuring.” She punctuated her sarcastic answer with a sigh. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that tone. I’m just so upset and I feel helpless.”

  “I understand.” He glanced at her hand. Like he wanted to touch her. To comfort her. He didn’t, though. “I’d hoped to follow them when they left, to see where they were staying, but Adira poofed them away again.”

  Imari sighed. “Of course she did. That’s the easiest way for him to travel.”

  “I have an idea.”

  A tiny spark of hope flamed to life inside Imari. “You do? What is it?”