The Glowing Sands (Sons of the Sand Book 3)

by Kimberly Loth

  Gabe headed toward the checkout, but I turned the other direction to the shoes. I didn’t bother to see if he was even behind me, but the spell he cast probably wouldn’t allow me to get far. I’d only gone a few steps when I heard him behind me.

  “You can’t do that. You’ll end up on flat on your face.”

  I ignored him and picked out a pair of four-inch black heels.

  Gabe eyeballed them. “Are you sure you’ll be able to walk?”

  I glared at him and reached for the six-inch heels instead. That’d show him.

  I grabbed some makeup at the Clinique counter and a flat iron. Gabe paid for everything and sat outside the bathroom while I got ready.

  I was pretty proud of myself for taking less than an hour. I stepped out of the door, and Gabe’s head snapped up. There was something like desire behind his eyes, but also a sadness.

  “Wow, you look… gorgeous.” His shoulders fell. “But not like the Liv I knew.”

  Good. I didn’t want him thinking there was a possibility of a future with us. By the time I was through with him, he’d be stuck in a bottle for the rest of eternity, and he’d never know his Liv again.

  He waved his hand, and his clothes changed into a dark suit with a tie that matched my dress. I swallowed. There was no denying his looks. If I didn’t know about his past, I’d probably be falling all over him.

  “Shall we?” he asked, holding out his hand. Together, we looked like a Hollywood power couple.

  I slid my hand into his, and we appeared outside a tiny church in Vegas. Was my family the kind who married in Vegas, or was this some kind of last minute thing? I tried to remember any of my family, but nothing came, except the emptiness of knowing my parents were dead. Because of Jinn. And here I was stuck with one when I should be finding the bastard who killed them.

  We slipped into the back and stood among a few people chatting. The whole chapel was full, and my heart fell. Here was my brother getting married in a roomful of people who loved him, and I was here as a stranger. I took out a tiny notebook from my clutch.

  Should I know anyone here?

  Gabe looked around. “I don’t think so. I don’t, but some of Ty’s friends—you might’ve known. Obviously, your grandmother isn’t here.”

  A man in a tux walked in. He had wavy blonde hair, and he smiled at a few people. He was good looking. He was the man from the pictures. I should know him, but nothing stirred within me.

  “That’s Ty,” Gabe said.

  “I know,” I muttered.

  I searched his face as he shook hands with a couple in front of us. There were some similarities between the both of us, but aside from that, I had no memory of him.

  I don’t recognize him. At all. A sickening feeling settled in my stomach. How could I not recognize him? He was my brother. I wanted to know him. This wasn’t fair.

  He approached us. “Gabe,” he said shaking Gabe’s hand. “You made it. Thanks. Not many people came out from Michigan. Who’s your gorgeous date?”

  “This is Liv,” Gabe replied.

  Ty gave me a grin. “Nice to meet you.” He moved on to the couple behind us. There wasn’t even a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Though I shouldn’t be surprised. Blinking back tears, I pulled out my notebook again.

  I want to leave.

  “Why?” Gabe asked with concern in his eyes.

  Tears threatened to spill over. I had to get out of there.

  Please, let’s just go.

  Gabe didn’t move. “But this might work, and you’ll get your memories back.”

  It’s not going to work. I’m a stranger here. I have no recollection of anyone. To me this is going to be a painful wedding.

  “If you’re sure.” He stood and took my hand. I followed him out of the chapel. Standing in a tiny room off to the side was a bride in an empire waist dress. An older woman fawned over her, and she laughed. This was the happiest day of her life, and I had no idea who she was. Did I like her? From the texts I’d read between me and Ty, I was encouraging him to get married. I hoped this was the same girl.

  I only wished for Ty to be happy. We might not remember each other, but he was my brother, and we probably loved each other very much. I needed to get my memories back. My whole life had been stolen from me. Once I had it back, I was going to hunt down whoever took it from me. They were going to pay for what they did. I had a lot of vengeance to exact.

  Without warning, we appeared in the kitchen of the mansion on the beach. I was grateful to be back there, but now I wanted to get away from everyone.

  Ali jerked his head around. “That was fast.” He looked me up and down. “Wow, Liv, you look amazing.”

  Can you take the spell off me? I couldn’t stand one more minute in Gabe’s presence, and as long as that spell stood, I’d had to remain within ten steps of him.

  “Done,” Gabe said. I turned to go back upstairs, but Gabe caught me. “Hey, I’m so sorry. I really hoped that would work.”

  Yeah. Me to. I swallowed the lump my throat and raced from the room. Ali’s voice floated out of the kitchen behind me.

  “I’m impressed she can run in those shoes. Are you certain that’s Liv?”

  In another life, I might’ve laughed, but now, I found no humor in it. In my room, I flung off the shoes and collapsed onto my bed. Everything had turned upside down. Before I left the sanctuary, I didn’t even know what I was missing, but now I knew. I had a brother. Friends. A boyfriend. A life.

  I was someone completely different. Maybe I was weak. Maybe I didn’t want to know her. She was a stranger.

  I liked who I was now. I could kill with any weapon, and I could rock six-inch heels. After my training, I was going to be a badass Jinn hunter, and vengeance would be mine.

  Whoever I was before was different. She was in love with Gabe.

  I sat up.

  I was not in love with Gabe, and he’d taken my voice.

  But I’d trained in other weapons. Maybe there was another way to kill him, and I just didn’t know it. I’d try everything I could find.

  I would escape.

  And I would kill Gabe in the process.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Gabe

  Liv snuck into the kitchen while we ate dinner and slunk around the counter. I studied her, but didn’t say anything. The wedding had upset her, and I didn’t have a clue how to comfort her. She still wore that red dress, but the mascara lines on her face made her look like a psychotic prom date.

  Melissa lifted her head, a sympathetic smile on her lips. “Can I help you with anything, dear?”

  Liv ignored her and rummaged through a drawer. I watched her carefully. She rarely came downstairs at all, and I’d assumed after the wedding, she’d want to hide for a while. She was up to something. But was it something that would draw us closer together or drive us further apart?

  The way things were going, it was definitely further apart.

  She slammed a drawer and spun around, knife in hand. I didn’t realize the wedding had been that bad. But I should’ve known it impacted her somehow.

  Melissa’s face fell. “Now, that’s not necessary.”

  But Liv wasn’t looking at Melissa. Her murderous gaze was turned on me. Shit.

  I stood to put myself between her and the others. Her eyes were dark and scary. She whipped the knife back and flung at it me. It hit me right where my heart would’ve been if I was human. I staggered back. It stung, but it wasn’t awful. I pulled the knife out. She was desperate at this moment. She knew this wouldn’t kill me, so why had she done it?

  “Ali, get Melissa out of here,” I said.

  They rushed from the room, and I approached Liv cautiously and handed her the knife back.

  “That won’t work. Nice aim though. ”

  She shoved the knife into my stomach, and I doubled over, pain searing through my gut.

  I wrenched the knife out and threw it away from her, allowing myself a few seconds to heal. Before she could fin
d another weapon, I took her hand, and we appeared in a room that was nothing but walls and a floor.

  Then I gave her voice back. I was ready to get to the bottom of everything. She might not have her memories, but I could at least make sure she would tolerate me.

  “Tell me why you hate me so badly,” I said.

  She sneered and pointed to her throat.

  “You can talk, but you don’t have anything you could use as a vessel, so you can’t hurt me.”

  She took a couple of steps back and brought a hand to her throat. She coughed once, and her eyes widened.

  “You asshole,” she said.

  I grinned. That was the Liv I knew, even in a dress.

  She glared at me, and I leaned against a wall. “I’m waiting for you to tell me why you are intent on killing me.”

  “You’re a Jinn. Isn’t that enough?” Her body was wound up tight, liable to snap at any moment. But there was nothing in here she could use to hurt me.

  “Maybe, but I have a feeling this is more than that. You haven’t tried to hurt Ali.”

  Liv rolled her eyes like it was obvious. “Ali didn’t kidnap me and take away my voice.”

  “That was for my own protection. I have a feeling this has to do with Natalia.”

  She paced the room. “You think? After what you did to her?”

  “Please enlighten me as to what I did to her, because it was a long time ago, and I can’t remember.”

  She wouldn’t buy it, but it might actually get her talking. I had to understand Natalia’s lies so I could tell Liv truth. My face burned in shame. No one knew the truth.

  She barked out a laugh. “You can’t remember? How about that you were the one who discovered the Jinn could take life force from girls, and you told her if she told anyone, you’d kill her sister. When the abuse got to be too much, she kicked you out, and you murdered her sister. Then you convinced all the Jinn to feed off girls.”

  No wonder Liv hated me. I would’ve too if I were in her shoes. That story Natalia wove for her painted me in the worst possible light. Though, I was about to tell her something no one else except Samir knew.

  “You know, Natalia lies.” I clenched my fists. Natalia had sure made a mess of things.

  “No. I don’t believe that. You are the one who lies.”

  I stalked toward her. “Let me enlighten you to the many crimes of your precious Natalia. You are correct, I killed Natalia’s sister, but the rest of your story is wrong.”

  “Why would you kill her sister?” Liv’s eyes flicked around the room, her shoulders tense.

  “Because I was weak and had no choice. Now, if you’ll sit down, I can tell you the real story, but you need to relax.”

  “Are you effing kidding me? You trapped me in a room that has no exit. You could do anything you wanted to me. I’m not going to relax.”

  I rubbed my eyes. She had no idea how difficult this was for me. I was about to tell her the worst story of my life, and I’d had a long life. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to protect myself because you can’t promise me the same thing.”

  “Damn right.” She hadn’t moved.

  I took a step toward her, which was probably dumb. “Liv, please. Just give a chance to explain.”

  She backed into the wall and crossed her arms. “Fine. Explain.”

  “Can you sit, please? We’re going to be here awhile.”

  I sat cross-legged on the floor in the hopes that she’d join me. Of course she didn’t, but at least she didn’t try to attack me.

  “I’m not starting the story until you sit down. I’ve got all day.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She sank to the floor and leaned her head up against a wall. I let out a breath. She would either believe me, or she wouldn’t. Either way, she was about to learn something no one else knew. I knew it was risky telling her this story. But I really had nothing to lose. The story she thought was true was worse than the actual truth.

  “Long, long ago when gods walked with man, Natalia grew bored of her husband, and she took on lovers. Her husband was a very jealous man, and he caught her with her favorite lover and killed him. Natalia was distraught, or at least that’s what I thought. I found her down by the river crying. She wove a tragic tale for me.

  “Natalia was beautiful, and I was young. We became friends and eventually lovers. It was only a matter of time before her jealous husband found us too. Natalia laughed in his face. She said, ‘I’d like to see you try to kill this one.’

  “And he did. I defended myself and accidentally took his life force. I had no idea what I’d done, but I craved it after that. Natalia would bring me people who’d displeased her and watch while I killed them. At first I resisted, but you have to understand, the life force is like a drug. I craved it. And Natalia enjoyed watching me take it.

  “In the process she’d lock me up, allowing me to only come out to take a life force or sleep with her. I was madly in love with her and blinded by my own addiction. To her, I was an assassin. She was the one who controlled me, not the other way around. She grew paranoid that someone was going to take me away from her, so one day she rounded up all my old lovers and made me kill them.

  “Then she locked me up and didn’t let me out for weeks. Time all ran together. I managed to escape, and I was delirious and craving life force. Her sister was the first I came across, and I took her life without even realizing who she was. I had no idea what had become of myself, and I went straight to Samir.

  “Yes. I was the one who discovered how to take life force. I told Samir because he was my leader, and I wanted to be rid of the desire to take life. I didn’t realize that Bast was going to trap us in this state. I didn’t want to be a monster. But I couldn’t live without the life force.”

  Liv pursed her lips and glared at me. “But you are an evil Jinn. I don’t care how that story played out. You still killed hundreds, maybe even thousands of innocent people.”

  I let out a breath. “Maybe. But I haven’t since I’ve met you. I love you. I never want to take another life again.”

  She wouldn’t look me in the eye. My shoulders fell. She didn’t believe me.

  Liv fiddled with her ring and took it off and stared at the deep blue stone. I gulped. It was hollow. If she figured out she could use it as a vessel, I’d be toast.

  “Liv, what’s up?” I asked.

  She shoved the ring back on her finger, and met my eyes. “Did you give this to me?” she asked.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “It’s pretty,” she said. Her face was impassive. I had no idea what she was thinking.

  “Where is this room?” she asked.

  I looked around. “I don’t know. I just pictured it in my mind, and we appeared in it. It’s possible we haven’t even left the house in Egypt.” Probable, actually. I only pictured a room where we would be safe.

  I watched her carefully. She was up to something. She’d never voluntarily talked to me.

  She stood and paced. “Why would Natalia lie to me?”

  “Probably to get to me. All the goddesses knew you and I had a connection of some kind. If she was suspicious of our relationship, she might lie to get you to trust her or to betray me.”

  She smirked. “Huh. Well, it worked. Didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it did.” I approached her, desperate to know if I’d gotten anywhere with her. “Do you believe me?” I asked, hoping against hope that maybe she did.

  “I… I… don’t know. I need time to think.”

  It was something at least. Maybe progress would come from this. At least she wasn’t looking at me with that murderous gaze again.

  “Okay. We might as well go back now.”

  “Wait,” she said.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want you take my voice away yet.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “I can’t give it back to you outside of this room. Surely you understand that.”

  She rolled he
r eyes. “No. I don’t actually.”

  “You just tried to kill me.”

  “Yeah, well. You proved that wasn’t possible.”

  “All you’d need is a vessel, and poof I’d be gone. For a while anyway.” No need to let her know that I was Djinn. That would be one secret I’d keep from her as long as possible. I was surprised she hadn’t figured it out already, but then again, she wasn’t exactly looking for it.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, you’re right. You would be. But I miss talking.” Her voice went up a couple of notches. Something wasn’t right.

  I took a couple of steps closer. “So talk. I like listening to your voice.”

  Her fist twisted, and she held out the ring. Shit.

  “Gabriel, I command…” I couldn’t let her say anything else. I closed the space between us and pressed my lips against hers. At first she didn’t react. She just stood there frozen. Then she wrapped her arm around my neck, and her lips moved furiously against mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Liv

  Flashes of memory crossed my mind. All kisses. All as good as the one he gave me now.

  On the beach.

  A school hallway.

  A late night in my room.

  I shoved him away.

  “Liv, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t let you…”

  I held up my finger, wanting him to shut up. The memories floated in my head for seconds and disappeared. I wanted those memories back even if they were all of him. I threw myself at Gabe and pushed my lips against his again.

  At first nothing happened.

  This kiss was sweet, and Gabe twisted his fingers in my hair, but then a sharp pain flashed across my forehead, and I pressed into the kiss, fighting the pain. Gabe teased my lips with his tongue, and I let him in, needing him.