djinn wars 04 - broken (23 page)

“Who else?”

Not if you should hold me here until the stars fall from the heavens,
Zahrias thought, but he only said, “A thousand pardons, Lyanna, if I ever left you with the impression that we might one day rekindle the fires we once shared. Truly, it has been so very long — I had heard that you had found comfort in the arms of others many years ago, had moved on with your life.”

She flicked a heavy lock of hair over one shoulder. “Perhaps I thought I had. But a person may move on far enough that she eventually comes back full circle. And truly, I could find no one who could ever match you — just as I thought you had found no one who could erase me from your memory. Why else would you have lived such a solitary existence for all these centuries? This mortal you think you love — she can know nothing of what it means to share these passing years, to come to one another in the fullness of our existence. Her life is but a flyspeck to one of us.”

Yes, that was how it would seem to Lyanna, for she thought the same as the majority of their people, that humans were at best something to be used and discarded as it amused them, and now were only an obstacle to be removed so the djinn might enjoy Earth’s bounties for their own. But Zahrias knew that although a mortal’s life might seem fleeting and finite, it was also a thing composed of its own beauties, its own triumphs and tragedies.

If you had only made Julia your Chosen, her life would not be fleeting at all. It would have been something we could have shared unto eternity.

And she would not have been made a target by Lyanna, for the Chosen were supposed to be untouchable. There were some who had rebelled against those strictures, such as Khalim and his followers, but they had been punished for their transgressions. Zahrias doubted Lyanna would have ever thrown her lot in with them — not because she scrupled at killing Chosen, but because she enjoyed her life of luxury and would not have done anything to jeopardize it. Hunting and murdering Chosen violated the laws laid down by the elders, laws intended to keep those few remaining mortals safe, whereas bringing him here had her standing on much shakier ground. Her behavior might be frowned upon, but it did not violate any specific rules. Kidnapping was a time-honored tradition among his people, one with many uses, although Zahrias had never thought he would be made a victim in such a way.

He shook his head then and opened his mouth to reply, to tell her that she was wrong, but Qadim forestalled him, saying, “Some of what you say is true, sister, but I have come to realize that there are at least a few of them who are worth saving. And since you have Zahrias here now, I think I will take your advice.”

Her arched eyebrows lifted that much further. “You will?”

“Yes.” Qadim’s gaze slid over to Zahrias, both mocking and triumphant. “I will return to the mortal plane, and claim Julia Innes as my Chosen. Then you two will be free to enjoy one another.”

Rage flared in Zahrias, and he began to lunge toward the other djinn, forgetting in his fury that the tapestries of
ni-khar
would prevent him from using his powers. Laughing, Qadim disappeared from the audience hall, even as several of the other elementals who had watched from their guard positions along the walls descended upon Zahrias.

Wearing an unpleasant smile, Lyanna backed away. “I fear there is nothing you can do for her, Zahrias. Qadim will take her and make her his…and then you and I will have the leisure to take as long as it requires to become a loving couple once again.”

Chapter Twelve

Julia guided the pickup truck southbound on the 285, although she planned to avoid going into downtown by cutting off onto Artist Road and then winding around until she picked up Canyon on the eastern side of the city center. Not too many of the djinn had settled out in that direction, as far as she could recall, and it seemed safer to take that route. Even if the spy — whoever he or she might be — didn’t see her, someone might note her passing and wonder why she hadn’t come in to town to collect Lindsay and Miles.

The 285 had just turned into St. Francis Road, and she was just beginning to pass the National Cemetery on her left, when a figure appeared in the middle of the street in front of her. She couldn’t make out exactly who it was, because the sun was in her eyes, although she knew from the flowing robes that the person must be a djinn. Out of instinct, she slammed her foot down on the brakes, tires squealing and smoking as she came to a stop.

As the smoke began to clear, however, she realized she shouldn’t have braked. If anything, she should have sped up.

Because the djinn standing in front of her was Qadim.

He held up a hand, and abruptly the truck’s engine died. Frantic, Julia pumped the gas pedal, hoping against hope that she might be able to bring it back to life. But the truck wouldn’t respond. Its doors had locked automatically as she pulled away from the house in Pojoaque, but she somehow doubted those locked doors would do much to keep the djinn away from her.

And then she saw Miles’s device, sitting next to her duffle bag on the passenger seat. Just as Qadim’s fingers were closing on the handle of the driver-side door, she grabbed the device, turned it over, and flicked the “on” switch before dropping it back on the seat.

At once the djinn staggered backward, as if someone had punched him in the gut. His dark eyes fastened on her, wide with surprise. Of course he had known about the devices, but, judging by his expression, this was the first time he’d encountered their effects in person.

Smiling grimly, she pumped the gas pedal again. This time, the engine turned over right away. She was just about to floor it and roar off when she hesitated. Qadim must know something of what had happened to Zahrias. She would never get a better chance to question him, since now he was too weakened by the device to do anything to her.

Still, she hesitated for a second or two before turning the key and shutting off the truck’s engine. Then she opened the door and got out.

Qadim stood a yard or so away, panting as if he had just run a marathon. Surprise flickered across his features as he stared at her.

“Where is he?” she demanded.

“Wha— ”

“Zahrias, you bastard,” she said. “Where is he? How do I get him back?”

The djinn shook his head, although Julia had no idea whether he’d done so because he simply didn’t know…or because he refused to tell her.

Mouth set, she went back to the pickup truck and around to the passenger side. After opening the door, she retrieved the rifle and headed back to where Qadim was standing, then held up the gun and pointed it straight at his chest.

“Where is he?” she gritted.

“I — ” Qadim paused to gulp in some air, distress showing in every plane of his face. Not that Julia much cared, but she realized then that the device must be broadcasting at its highest setting. It had been calibrated for lower strength and greater range when it had been in her possession, and so she guessed Margolis must have fiddled with it, thinking it would be better to more or less gut-punch Qadim with the thing if he’d decided to use it.

But the djinn had never given him that chance.

Since Qadim didn’t seem capable of speech, though, she decided she’d better dial it down a little. Keeping a wary eye on him, she backed away toward the pickup, then reached in with her free hand and ran a finger over the pressure-sensitive electronics on the face of the device, easing it up enough that he should be able to talk but wouldn’t have the strength to try anything funny.

She turned back toward him. “Better?”

He nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

The unexpected courtesy threw her off balance a little. Frowning, she set the rifle down, but kept her right hand wrapped around the barrel so she could bring it to bear in a second if she had to. “Where is he?”

“With my sister Lyanna.”

Julia had expected as much, but his reply still sent a chill down her spine. What might that unknown woman be doing to Zahrias right at this very moment?

“In the djinn world?”

“Yes.”

“And you just left him with her? Aren’t you worried about what he might do to a woman who had him kidnapped, especially if her big brother isn’t around to protect her?”

At that question, Qadim let out a rusty-sounding laugh. “Lyanna can take care of herself. At any rate, he can do very little. There is an element in our world that blocks the abilities of fire elementals such as Zahrias. Let us just say that it has figured prominently in my sister’s decorating scheme.”

Great. “So…it works like our little device?”

“No.” The djinn gulped in a breath. In the bright late morning sunlight, Julia could see a sheen of sweat on his forehead. “It is not…debilitating. He has his strength, his health, only he cannot use his powers to call the flames, or to carry himself away from that place.”

Well, that was a little better, but not much. Zahrias might not be feeling physically ill, but she didn’t want to think about the mental torment of being held somewhere and knowing that the powers he’d relied on all his life were suddenly inaccessible to him. “So why are
you
here?”

The dark eyes under the heavy brows didn’t blink. “I should think that would be obvious.”

Julia had to force herself not to look away. She hated him for what he’d done to Zahrias, for what he’d wanted to do to her, but even so, there was something in Qadim’s stare that made her wish circumstances had somehow been different. Not that she wanted to be with him, nothing like that…more that she could see he did feel something for her, and she didn’t know what she should do about it.

And he had saved her from Margolis. No matter what else, she knew she should be grateful that at least he had removed Richard Margolis from the face of the earth.

“You know nothing could ever happen between us,” she said, but she made sure her tone was gentle. From the resigned expression Qadim wore, she could tell he knew that all too well. “I love Zahrias, and I need to find a way to rescue him.”

“You can’t rescue him,” the djinn replied. As she opened her mouth to protest, he raised a weak hand and went on, “Not because I can do anything to stop you, but because you’re a mortal. Your kind simply cannot survive in the world of the djinn.”

“I refuse to believe that,” she said. “There must be something I can do.”

He shook his head. “You are an admirable woman, Julia Innes, but I doubt even you can bend time and space to your will.”

Those words struck a chord in her, and she went very still. Then she smiled. Of course.

“What is it?”

“Thank you, Qadim.”

The look he sent her then was merely puzzled, with nothing of desire in it. “Why are you thanking me?”

In answer, she hefted the rifle over her shoulder and began to move toward the truck. As she laid her hand on the door handle, she said, “I may not be able to bend time and space — but I think I know someone who might.”

He hadn’t seen luxury like this since he had come to live among the mortals, but Zahrias thought he would gladly give up all the marble walls, the cups of gold, to see Julia smile at him again. After Qadim had disappeared, Lyanna had her captive sent back to his rooms — to give him time to think, she said. A wasted effort, if she’d intended that time of meditation to be spent in considering her charms, because Zahrias’ thoughts only strayed to Santa Fe and the woman he’d left behind.

What would Qadim do? He had not, Zahrias recalled with some relief, been one who enjoyed forcing himself on women. During the years that Zahrias had been with Lyanna, Qadim had spent time with a number of partners, all of whom seemed willing enough. His face might not have been particularly handsome, but there were those who seemed entranced enough with his form and didn’t mind overmuch that his features were not as pleasing as they might have been.

So, while he wanted Julia, he might not be doing anything more aggressive than attempting to make her see that he was a desirable alternative to Zahrias. That was bad enough, but, he thought, ultimately would lead to nothing. Her heart was given to him. She would not bestow it upon Qadim, no matter how much he importuned her.