The Reaper Rescues The Genie

by Kristen Painter

  She stopped before turning onto the road. “Which way?”

  He shrugged. “Whichever way you want.”

  She looked in both directions, then at him. “You go for a lot of late-night drives, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then take me on your favorite one.”

  “I can do that.” He pointed. “Go that way.”

  She checked for traffic one more time, then pressed down on the accelerator, snapping them both back into their seats.

  “Whoa,” Imari said. She gripped the steering wheel harder, and her breathing picked up.

  “Too fast?”

  “Nope. Too fast for you?”

  “No such thing.”

  She was smiling, grinning really, from ear to ear, and that made him smile. “Push it harder, then.”

  “For real?”

  “Sure. Take it through its paces. I’ll tell you where to turn.” He did just that, calling out rights and lefts and following a familiar route that wound into the hills of Nocturne Falls. He’d driven it many times, mostly because it was a course with lots of twists and turns that really showed off the car’s agility.

  Twenty minutes later, he slowed her down as they approached the largest property in Nocturne Falls. The road in front of it was one of his favorite stretches for laying on some speed, but not today. He didn’t want to do anything to anger the home’s owner.

  Imari glanced out the window at the sprawling estate. “That’s Elenora Ellingham’s mansion.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Have you ever been inside?”

  “Once.” He thought back. “When I first decided to move to Nocturne Falls. Have you been in?”

  “Yes. I won tickets to one of the Black & Orange Balls through the spa a couple years ago. It was a lot of fun. And the house is pretty nice.”

  He snorted. “Pretty nice?”

  She shrugged and gave him a quick, coy look. “No indoor pool.”

  He shook his head.

  Imari went back to watching the road. “What if she doesn’t agree to help us?”

  “She will. Her grandsons will persuade her.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Lucien did too.

  She seemed so at ease behind the wheel. It was pretty sexy watching her drive. She caught him looking and smiled. “Where to now?”

  “Home, I guess. Unless you want to keep driving?”

  “I’m good. It’s been a very fun ride, but I have a lot of thinking to do.”

  “Okay.” He’d hoped to take her mind off all that, but there was only so much distraction he could provide.

  When they got back, she helped him replace the targa tops, then they walked into the house together.

  “Thank you for letting me drive. That was incredible.” She paused at the living room. “I’m going to my room to think. I need to sort this all out in my head.”

  “Sure. Take all the time you need. I’ll let Hattie know too.”

  “Thanks.” With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she went off toward the guest room.

  Lucien found Hattie in the library, reading through a cookbook. She looked up when he came in. “You’re back sooner than expected.”

  “Imari needs to do some thinking. She’s in her room and would probably like to be left alone for a bit.”

  Hattie nodded. “I won’t bother her until dinner.”

  He tugged a chair toward hers to sit closer. “I would like you to be at this meeting with the wish merchant. I wouldn’t ask if I thought there was a chance you could be harmed. Your presence would mean a lot to Imari, I think. She likes you very much.”

  “Of course I’ll be there. I like her very much, too.” She smiled at him, a little sadly.

  “Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. A little tense maybe, but he’s going to figure out pretty quickly that he’s been caught and the game is up.”

  “That’s not…I was just thinking about you and Imari.”

  “What about us?”

  “What a nice couple you make. How she makes you laugh and smile and how I haven’t seen that in so long I thought I’d forgotten the sound of your laugh. Or that you’d forgotten how.” She reached out to touch his cheek even though she was in ghost form. “You deserve happiness, Lucien.”

  He didn’t want to argue with her, and while he loved the new light Imari had brought to his life, he couldn’t bring himself to agree that he deserved it. Not while looking into the eyes of the woman he’d turned into a ghost. “I don’t know about that, Mémé.”

  “You do. Your powers being on the fritz aren’t a measure of what you deserve. Stop punishing yourself for something that happened accidentally. Imari likes you. In fact, I think she loves you. Or she would if there wasn’t that bothersome issue of her already being promised to that Khalid person.” Hattie shook her finger at him. “You need to fix that.”

  He choked out a laugh. Khalid was more than a bothersome issue, but Hattie had her own views on most everything. “I’ve already married her, and I’m not sure that’s going to make a difference. What else can I do?”

  She swatted his arm. “I’m serious, Lucy.”

  He sighed. “I know you are. So am I. And I plan to do everything I can. I’ve already told her I’m going to go with her to explain everything to her parents and Khalid. But she says I don’t understand her world. That nothing will stop her parents from disowning her. And that Khalid will just want to fight me. And still marry her.”

  Her hands clenched into fists. “So fight him back. Stop him from marrying her. You’re one of the deadliest creatures on the planet. You’re a grim reaper, for crying out loud. You carry a scythe capable of taking men’s souls.”

  He held his hands up. “First of all, I already told her I would fight him if that’s what it comes to. And secondly, it’s not like you to be so bloodthirsty, Mémé.”

  She smoothed the front of her silk blouse. “I just think your happiness, and Imari’s, matters more than some stupid old tradition.”

  “So noted.” He doubted Imari’s parents or betrothed would think their traditions were stupid.

  The phone rang, distracting them. He got up. “I’ll take that in my study.”

  He answered the phone on the fourth ring. “Hello?”

  “Lucien? It’s Sebastian Ellingham. Elenora’s in.”

  Relief coursed through him. It was like he could breathe again. “Excellent news. When will she be ready?”

  “Tonight soon enough?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, I’d advise you to become sure as quickly as you can. When Elenora wants something done, she wants it done immediately.”

  “And Alice, her witch?”

  “Also in. Corette too. All we need is you and Imari.”

  Imari sat on the guest room bed and ran her hands over the gems embedded in the filigree on her bottle. They were beautiful. Everything in the jinn world was. Precise and beautiful and all according to tradition. Everything had to be just so. It was the main tenet of jinn life. Order kept order.

  Which was why she’d undoubtedly end up marrying Khalid. Sure, her life would be ruined, but at least the ceremony would be spectacular.

  She picked the bottle up by the neck and jerked her arm behind her, about to throw it across the room. Then she stopped and set the bottle down.

  There was no point in that. It wouldn’t break. Genie bottles were indestructible. All she’d end up doing is damaging something in Lucien’s home, and he didn’t deserve that.

  A knock on the door made her jump. “Sorry to bother you, but I have some news.”

  Lucien. She got up to let him in, happy for the distraction despite all she still needed to sort out. “It’s okay. What’s the news?”

  He leaned against the door frame. “Elenora is going to let us use her jewelry. And she wants to do it now.”

  “Now? You mean tonight?”

  “No, I mean immediately.”

  Imar
i glanced back at the bottle on her bed. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this. But I guess I have to be.”

  “You can pick out the car we take, if that makes you feel any better.”

  It didn’t, but it was sweet of Lucien to offer, so she pretended like it did. “Okay. The Lamborghini again.”

  “Perfect, since you already know how it handles.”

  “Why would I—are you going to let me drive again?”

  “Yes.”

  Her smile became absolutely real. Now that was how to distract someone.

  After being introduced to Corette, then her fiancé, Stanhill, who was Hugh’s rook (a new term for Imari and one that was explained as a human who’d been half-turned into a vampire), and Hugh’s brother Sebastian, Imari stood next to Lucien and just sort of watched. She’d never been around so many vampires before, and it was fascinating.

  Not as fascinating as Elenora’s opulent mansion, however. But what struck Imari, despite all the richness of the place, was that as extraordinary as Elenora’s house was, her library didn’t impress Imari like Lucien’s did. As soon as she’d stepped inside his, she’d known he was a man who loved books and valued the experience they could give a reader.

  Elenora’s library looked as if the books had been mostly chosen to complement the color scheme and impress visitors.

  Which wasn’t Imari disrespecting the woman who was about to help her. It was merely an observation about how truly wonderful a man Lucien was. She wasn’t just saying that because driving the Lamborghini (for a second time!) had been absolutely thrilling, either.

  The pain of having him stripped from her life was going to hurt more than she could imagine.

  Because, while all of this had come together with great speed, leaving her a bit whiplashed by it, she didn’t need more time to know that explaining to her parents why she’d married him wouldn’t change anything. No amount of days or thinking would stop them from disowning her. The only thing that could stop that is her marrying Khalid and that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

  In fact, it was Khalid she worried most about. Namely, his reaction to her marriage. Lucien might be a grim reaper, but he seemed like a peace-loving man. Reluctant to use the deadly skills he had. She liked that about him.

  Khalid, on the other hand, was in charge of the well guards. He was as serious about his job as he was about everything. His honor included. She might not know him well, but she knew enough. And she’d known enough well guards to know his type. Their whole lives were spent keeping order.

  Order was everything in the Chaos Realm. Order and honor were practically interchangeable. Order was life. Order kept order.

  And Khalid was in charge of the men who kept order. He lived in a state of combat readiness. The only thing that matter to him more than his guards was that order. He would do anything to keep it intact.

  How was Lucien going to go up against a man like that? She feared the outcome. For both her and Lucien’s sakes. She didn’t want him hurt. Or worse. Lucien might not be ready for a real commitment, but that didn’t stop her from realizing she loved him.

  Maybe if she agreed to marry Khalid peacefully, he would let Lucien go unharmed.

  Life as Khalid’s wife would be an exercise in misery, but she hoped her time with Lucien would carry her through. That it would help her remember that true happiness, however brief, had existed in her life once upon a time.

  The library doors swung wide, and Elenora strode in, dressed in a navy blue and cream suit. Pearls and diamonds adorned her ears, neck, wrists, and fingers. She was elegant and handsome in a way that was both aspirational and intimidating. An older woman, dressed very practically, followed behind with a large leather case in her hands. The woman seemed more stern governess than ancient witch, but she had the rare air of great power about her. Was this Alice?

  Elenora answered that question without meaning to. She gestured to the small round table in front of her, which appeared to Imari to have been cleared off for this purpose. “Alice, if you would.”

  Alice set the case on the table, then went to stand in the corner of the room. Her gaze stayed on Imari in a rather unsettling way. Imari chalked it up to the woman’s protectiveness of her boss.

  Elenora put her hands on the box and looked at Imari. “How do you want this done?”

  Imari wasn’t immediately sure how to answer. “You mean…the jewels?”

  “Yes.” Her perfect eyebrows lifted a centimeter. “I’m certainly not dumping them onto the table.”

  “No, of course not. They should be displayed around my bottle. Touching it. That will create a pull on the treasure-hunting spell that’s impossible to ignore.”

  Elenora nodded, then looked around the room. “And everyone knows their parts? Because if any of my jewelry goes missing, you won’t like my response.”

  Hugh stepped forward. “It will be perfectly safe, Didi. Nothing leaves this room.”

  Didi? How did that nickname come about for Elenora? There was a story there. Especially because of the slightly sour pucker the moniker seemed to cause.

  “Except,” Sebastian interjected, “the wish merchant. He’ll leave in cuffs.”

  Elenora narrowed her eyes briefly, then lifted her chin. “Let’s get this started, then.”

  Imari understood that to be her cue. She pulled the bottle from its bag and set it on the table in front of the leather case.

  “That’s a beautiful piece,” Elenora said.

  “Thank you.”

  Elenora opened the case and started carefully removing some of her own baubles. First out was a heart-shaped pink diamond the size of a baby’s fist.

  Imari blinked at it. “That is stunning. And it’s probably all you’ll need to add.”

  An indulgent smile bent Elenora’s mouth. “Thank you. I’m happy to add a few more.”

  And she did. A chunky emerald and diamond ring. A strand of fat pink South Sea pearls that matched the white strand she was wearing. A starburst brooch comprised of white and yellow diamonds. A wide ruby and diamond bracelet that might have been from the art deco era. Then the surprise of diamond and sapphire tiara.

  Each was arranged carefully around the bottle so they all touched.

  Elenora closed the case and stepped back. “How long before this awful little man appears?”

  “Shouldn’t take long,” Imari said. “The genie he’s controlling will transport them here. Most likely right into the room.”

  Lucien stepped forward. “Everyone on their guard.”

  Hugh nodded at Stanhill, who’d positioned himself by the door. “Lights.”

  Stanhill hit the switch, pitching the room into darkness, but it didn’t take long for their supernatural vision to adjust to the moonlight filtering through the windows.

  Then the sizzle of approaching magic zipped through Imari. Jinn magic. “They’re coming,” she whispered.

  “I feel it too,” Corette added.

  Seconds later, blue-green sparks snapped through the air, and the wish merchant and Adira appeared in the center of the room.

  Imari’s heart pounded in her chest. She’d known clustering the gems would work, she just hadn’t anticipated how fast. The end was near. For the wish merchant and for her. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

  The wish merchant spoke. “I wish for lights, Adira.”

  “Yes, master.”

  But before Adira could magically turn them on, Stanhill did the job for her. “Don’t move, mate. The gig is up.”

  Panic filled the wish merchant’s face. “Adira, get us out of—”

  Corette and Alice both thrust their hands out at him and in unison proclaimed, “Stagnacio!”

  The wish merchant went utterly still. Not even a blink.

  Lucien stepped forward, and Imari followed. He held his hand out toward the genie. “You know me, Adira. You’ve seen me before.”

  She looked terrified, managing only a shaky nod.

  Imari understood how sc
ared and confused the girl must be. “We’re here to help you. I’m a genie just like you. And this is my…” She couldn’t introduce Lucien as her husband. Adira was jinn. She’d know how unlikely that was. “Very good friend. He’s not going to hurt you in any way. None of us are. We just want to free you from the wish merchant’s clutches. Where is your bottle?”

  “I-in the cabin where we’re staying. Up on Goblin Drive. Number seventeen.”

  “That’s maybe eight or nine minutes from here,” Sebastian said.

  Stanhill snorted. “Not if I drive.”

  But Imari hadn’t gotten all the information she needed yet. “Is the stopper to my bottle there too?”

  “Yes,” Adira said. “Both are locked in a case in his bedroom.”

  Imari let out a breath of relief.

  Hugh nodded at Stanhill. “Let’s go.”

  The two men left to retrieve the bottle and stopper.

  Adira glanced at the wish merchant before speaking to Imari again. “What are you going to do with him?”

  Sebastian joined Imari and Lucien. “We’re going to detain him and charge him with theft, breaking and entering, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping. He’s never going to enslave another genie ever again.”

  Adira went pale. “I-I did the breaking and entering. He made me. He has my bottle. I had no choice.”

  Sebastian, for all his sternness, managed an expression of kindness. “We understand that.”

  “You’re going to be freed,” Imari said. “But it would be good if you could testify against him.”

  Adira nodded vigorously. “Yes, of course.”

  A question popped into Imari’s head. “How long has he had your bottle?”

  “Almost eight years.”

  “Wow. How awful for you.” Imari shuddered at the poor woman’s fate.

  “Thank you.” Adira stared at her hands.

  “Do you have any idea why he’s been tracking me? Does he have a buyer already?” Because if that was the case, the buyer might need to be dealt with too.

  Adira took a seat on one of the couches. “I only have about a hundred wishes left. And he’s said repeatedly he’s tired of me and ready for someone new.” She frowned apologetically. “That was supposed to be you.”