Even Crazier

by Eve Langlais

  “Have you wondered why they took the bottles?” Not only taken them but stoppered them. Because while it didn’t take a rub to get a djinn out of his safe place, they could be imprisoned with a magical cork.

  “To smash them for fun? Who knows why those murderous creatures felt a need to attack us,” Jamaal said.

  But Tariq had a feeling the why was important. If it were simply about killing the djinn, then why not smash the bottle right away to release them? The djinn were mortal in the presence of demons, and none of them remembered how to fight. They would have been easy to slaughter. But the demons chose to steal the bottles with the djinn inside instead. Why?

  And why did they chase after Tariq and his family still? What did the demons want?

  “I’m going to speak to the queen.”

  “Sure, you are.” Jamaal rolled his eyes. “Not that I blame you. I’m tempted to try for a piece of that ass myself.”

  Tariq’s fist shot out before he even realized he’d drawn it back.

  It earned him a glare from Jamaal as he rubbed his jaw. “What was that for?”

  “Watch your mouth when you speak of her. She is our hostess, not a common whore.”

  “She is a blood sucker. A leech.”

  “A woman with intelligence and character. And who are you to call her leech? Are we not the same?”

  “We don’t feed off people.”

  “No, but we do feed from everything else around us.” Djinn were creatures of magic, and magic was all around. Just the act of breathing in air fed them.

  “We are not the same,” Jamaal insisted.

  “You keep telling yourself that and you keep pretending you can’t fight. Me, I’m not giving in without an attempt. Maybe you want the world to end, but I’ve discovered I’m not ready for that yet.” Not ready to stop living. Especially now that he’d found a woman who intrigued and drew him.

  The wards at her bedroom door didn’t stop him. He entered her pink sanctum to discover she wasn’t in her room, but rather outside on her rooftop deck. She sat on a cushioned bench, staring at the stars and didn’t startle at his approach.

  “Perhaps you were in your bottle too long to remember, but it’s considered common courtesy to knock,” she said without turning around.

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “And you considered that cause enough to barge into my room. Again.”

  “Admit it, you’re happy to see me.” She might not have the heat of a human infusing her veins, but even a vampire had tells. The way she forgot to breathe. Her hands too calmly folded in her lap. The stillness of her frame.

  “Why are you here?”

  “How is Ella?”

  “Fine. She’s already awake and basking in the overbearing attention of her mate. Really quite disgusting the way he coddles her.”

  “He loves her.” An emotion Tariq had studied and understood in essence. He loved his brother, his grandfather. But they were family. He’d never loved a woman. Enjoyed? Yes. However, none ever had the power to engage him for long.

  Until now.

  “Zane’s affection makes him weak.”

  “I doubt he’d agree.”

  Felicia sighed. “Because he’s a fool.”

  “A fool who is your friend.” Another thing he didn’t have. Tariq had spent much of his life observing the world. Learning about it. Sleeping for decades out of sheer boredom.

  “He and Ella are both friends, which is why I’m pretty sure I’m going to regret having agreed to let you and your family visit.”

  “The demons are coming regardless of our presence.” Although the djinn being in her home might hasten it.

  “Much as I hate to admit it, I know you’re right. That they’ll come no matter what. Doesn’t mean I can’t blame you.” Her smirk in his direction brought an answering smile.

  “Rather than blame, we need to create a plan.”

  “What kind of plan?” She spread her hands. “You said it yourself. We kill the host; the spirit moves to another. You can’t fight them without exposing yourself.”

  “And yet, a long time ago, we managed to conquer them and seal them away from this world.”

  “Do you know how they did that?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. The knowledge of it remains hidden for the moment. But I’ve been searching. I think your soul sorceress is the key.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it. Ella is special. Exactly what do you think she has to do with all this?”

  He shrugged. “My research thus far hasn’t born fruit.”

  “If you do find something, let me know.”

  “Speaking of Ella, I am pleased to hear the witch has recovered. Jamaal is worried Ella won’t heal him like she did Azzam.”

  “I am sure if she can, she will. Idiot girl likes to help people.” Said with disdain.

  “You say ‘help’ like it’s a bad thing.”

  “Because she has no sense of self-preservation. She’s too nice. Has yet to learn helping others weakens you.”

  “An odd comment for a queen. Surely you aid your subjects.”

  “My subjects help themselves. I merely keep them in line. Surely you have a king or something that does the same.” She cast him a querying glance.

  “No king or emperor. No one to govern us at all. We are a solitary people. Once we stopped being slaves to the wishes of humans, we withdrew. Pursued our own interests. We didn’t need someone to rule us. Merely caretakers to ensure we weren’t disturbed.”

  “Sounds…lonely.”

  For a long time, he didn’t think so. In all his centuries, Tariq had many sexual partners because djinn did enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, but he’d never found a mate. Never wanted to.

  He couldn’t imagine getting stuck with one person for the length of his existence. Because mating, a real mating with a djinn, wasn’t something done lightly. It bound them together, forever.

  Appalling really. Didn’t it get boring being with one entity for life?

  Isn’t being alone just as boring? He glanced over at the vampire queen. Her face turned away, giving him her profile. The sleek tilt of her nose, the fine line of her jaw.

  Beautiful, and yet, it was when she spoke that his mind truly engaged. He felt…alive.

  A strange sensation he didn’t understand.

  “Any ideas on what we should do about the demons?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure if we can do anything.” Something he hated to admit because it sounded hopeless. “You heard Azzam. It took a coven to seal the breach the last time it happened, yet by Ella’s own account, she is the only soul sorceress in existence. She won’t have the power to do it alone.”

  “But you said it yourself, it’s only a crack.”

  “A crack that could shatter at any moment.”

  “Then why hasn’t it?” Felicia mused aloud. “There must be something missing. Something they’re waiting for to bust out of their prison.”

  “An interesting observation.” As well as something Tariq himself wondered about. Did this have something to do with the bottles they’d stolen?

  “I’ll have Ella ask her ghost friends about it. Perhaps they know something.” The queen went silent, and yet he wasn’t ready to leave.

  “I don’t believe I’ve thanked you yet for granting us succour in your home.”

  “Don’t thank me. I was curious. Your kind aren’t exactly common.”

  “So you think me interesting?”

  Her gaze met his, and coyness curved her lips. “Maybe.”

  He leaned closer. “I’ve not had much interaction with your kind either. I find you”—Sexy. Desirable— “fascinating.”

  She stood and took a few paces, putting distance between them. “We are very different.”

  “Are we?” He heard her startled breath as he moved quickly, placing himself at her back, his words whispering on the nape of her neck, exposed by the hair she’d pulled into a messy chignon.

  “What are you doing
?” She whirled to face him.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He smiled. “You are very attractive.”

  “I’m a queen.”

  “Even queens have lovers.”

  “Is that what you want us to be, lovers?” She arched a fine brow.

  “Yes.” No point in being subtle. Who knew how much time they’d have together. “I think we would find much pleasure together.”

  “You might be right.”

  “I know I am.”

  Her lips quirked. “Let’s say I agreed. Our involvement wouldn’t mean I’d help you indefinitely. If I think you and your family pose a danger to my brethren, I will toss you to the demons myself.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to do any less. My queen.” He couldn’t help but add a low rumble to the words as his hand curled around the indent of her waist and drew her near.

  Her gaze remained intent on his, her lips parted. “This is probably a bad idea.”

  “I think it’s a worse one if we don’t explore it.” He dipped his head and claimed her mouth.

  A jolt went through him, a shock much like the first time they’d kissed. But this time, he didn’t intend to make it brief.

  He slanted his mouth over hers, testing its softness. Her body curved into his, a melding that would have been much nicer with no clothes. But he didn’t dare move too fast with this woman.

  The tip of his tongue teased the seam of her lips, and she parted them wide enough for him to taste her. To mingle their bodily essences in a way that brought awareness to his skin.

  A tingle to his loins.

  A glow to his very soul.

  He lifted her off the ground, wrapping her in his arms, bringing her to his level that he might fully enjoy the kiss. Her arms laced around his neck, hugging him tight.

  There was a sense of rightness in their touch. An explosive need with each embrace. Despite the clothes keeping them apart, his senses were aroused. He took simple pleasure in the way she opened her mouth to him, tasted him.

  He began to walk with her back toward the bedroom, only to halt as they both detected a presence. They broke the embrace, and he instinctively tucked the queen behind him, bulking himself up with magical armor against an attack.

  Only there was no demon or hordes of humans with torches. Just a petite blonde wearing a man’s shirt.

  Ella’s eyes shone with ethereal light. Her words held a haunting otherworldly quality. “Upon the rising of the third night of the blood moon, and the sacrifice of magic, the seal shall break, and the legions will be free to feed upon mankind.”

  “Ella.” Felicia slipped out of his protective shadow and headed cautiously to her friend. “What are you doing here? Where’s Zane?”

  Shaking her head as if coming out of a trance, Ella smiled. “Sorry about that. The ghosts had a message to give you and insisted I tell you right away.”

  “You said something of the third night of the blood moon?”

  “Which doesn’t exist. Blood moons are a one-day thing. Two at the most. I’ve never heard of it happening three nights in a row,” Tariq remarked.

  “Because it’s rare, silly.” Ella rolled her eyes. “But it’s coming, and we need to get to the crack before it comes to seal it.”

  “You mean we still have time?” Hope fluttered where before despair had taken root.

  “Yes. So no more smooching. Get packing because we need to go on a road trip!”

  Ten

  “I forbid it!” Zane announced, trying to end the conversation.

  Ella ignored him and kept packing. Out of Felicia’s closet. Zane still wouldn’t let them go home. Ever since the shooting, he’d become quite irrational. Convinced of danger at every turn. The only reason they’d even left the hotel was because the poltergeists around Ella began to draw attention.

  They were agitated. Even now, they swirled chaotically. Urging haste. Begging her to hide. Cackling the end was nigh.

  “Run and hide, like a little mouse, before the hawks eat you.”

  “The prince of darkness comes, and humans will feed his legions.”

  “You can still stop the end of the world.” The one ghostly voice she chose to listen to.

  Even her husband couldn’t sway her otherwise. “You can forbid it all you like, but I am going. Are you coming, too?” Her husband might try to boss her around, and sometimes Ella allowed it. But, at the same time, Ella wasn’t that fragile little girl he’d rescued from the asylum anymore. She could protect herself. She could protect others. And she wasn’t about to let the world end because her husband was afraid.

  “Moonbeam.” He groaned her name. “You’re talking about traveling to the Middle East. Do you have any idea how far that is?”

  “Far. Which is why we’re flying.” Which Azzam declared was dangerous. However, they didn’t have time to waste. The blood moon fast approached.

  “Why must you vex me?”

  “Because, if I didn’t, you might not love me.”

  “He only loves you for your blood.”

  “Vampires don’t love.”

  “You—”

  He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, silencing the ghosts. Only his touch could do that. “I love you more than anything. Nothing will ever change that.”

  “I know, which is why you’ll come with me to be my shield as I battle the legions of darkness.”

  He groaned. “This is not a movie, Ella.”

  “I am aware of that. It’s more exciting than a movie, and more important, too.” She cupped his cheeks. “I have to do this, Zane. I’m the only one who can stop it.”

  “I hate that you’re so good.”

  “I know, and believe me, if it weren’t a matter of the world ending, I wouldn’t make you go. I know how much you hate the desert and the heat.”

  “Just so you know, I refuse to wear shorts.”

  “Are you sure? You might get uncomfortably warm.”

  He glared. She grinned. The thought of her properly attired husband in khaki shorts showing off his glaringly white legs was funny.

  “You do realize we’ll be vulnerable in the daytime when Felicia and I must hide.”

  “So we’ll travel at night. No different than what we do now.” Only rarely did Zane go out in the day. Covered head to toe, face behind a balaclava, eyes shielded with sunglasses.

  “If the djinn keeps annoying me, I might eat him.”

  “If he keeps doing it on purpose, I’ll let you.” Because no doubt Tariq would keep nudging. The man didn’t seem to grasp that Zane wasn’t a human he could push around. What she did find interesting was the fact Felicia seemed to like the guy.

  “Do you have any idea what we’re supposed to do once we find this temple?”

  She shrugged. “Kill the mummy.”

  “It’s demons we’re facing, not reanimated corpses.”

  “I’m sure we’ll figure it out once we get there.”

  His lips flatlined. “In other words, you’re planning to talk to any lingering ghosts. You’re only one soul sorceress, moonbeam. You heard what Azzam said. It took thirteen last time.”

  “Thirteen to close a hole. This is just a crack.”

  “Has it occurred to you that getting too close to that crack will allow the demons an easier time possessing you?”

  “They can’t control me.”

  “They’ve spoken through you twice.”

  “Because I’ve allowed it. Think of it as me being a receiver for their message.”

  “How about not being anything for them?”

  She stomped her foot. “I’m doing this.”

  “Not if I tie you to a bed,” he grumbled.

  “That’s for later once we save the world.” She winked as she zipped her suitcase shut. “Right now, we’ve got a plane to catch.”

  A plane that Azzam refused to board. They stood on the tarmac, the plane at their back, fueled and ready to go. Except someone refused to cooperate.

  “No. It’s not sa
fe. Man wasn’t meant to fly in mechanical coffins.” Azzam shook his head.

  “We don’t have time to do it your way again, Grandfather. We must reach the temple before the blood moon.” Tariq kept his cool, but he couldn’t prevent the tic at his temple.

  “You won’t reach the temple at all if you insist on flying in that death trap.” Azzam glared at the private jet.

  “Your magic isn’t recovered enough to transport yourself, and you know I can’t bring you and Jamaal. Or is this your way of saying I should leave you behind? I’m sure I can handle a pair of vampires and a witch.”

  “We have to fly because no one can teleport,” Ella piped in. “The spirits are claiming the demons have blocked off that route.”

  “Your ghosts are mistaken,” was Tariq’s haughty reply.

  “Really?” She smirked. “Prove it. Go to Paris and bring me back a fresh croissant.”

  “If you insist.” Tariq nodded. Folded his arms. Stood still. Frowned. Shifted his weight. Frowned some more.

  Whereas Ella’s grin widened. “Told you. The demons have cast some kind of spell preventing it. Which means…” She cast an eye on the plane.

  Azzam protested some more, whereupon Jamaal sighed. “Someone get ready to catch him.” Jamaal clubbed Azzam on the back of the head, sending his grandfather down in a forced nap. Tariq nabbed him before he hit the pavement.

  “Was that necessary?” he snapped at his brother.

  “Yes.” Jamaal didn’t look one bit repentant.

  “If we’re done, can we get going? The sun won’t stay down forever.” The fact that they even managed to get organized enough to leave that same night was impressive. The power of money, Zane called it.

  Felicia made a few calls. Greased a few palms. And now, they were on their way on the luxury jet.

  With a room that held a bed!

  Which Ella immediately claimed.

  Eleven

  With the bedroom commandeered by a lusty witch and her vampire, that left the rest of them in the main body of the plane. Azzam was strapped to the couch, which flipped into a bed. Jamaal chose to sit in the cockpit with the pilot just in case he got possessed, leaving Tariq and Felicia more or less alone.