Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) (19 page)

Someone shakes my shoulder. “Lily,” Sebastian whispers. I open my eyes and look around, not knowing where I am. Then it hits me. The dark clouds, waking up in Ortarus. It wasn’t a dream. Sebastian and I are really here.

It’s still dark out. I don’t think I was asleep for long. Sebastian places his finger on my lips, eye signaling to the left. I follow his gaze and see two men dressed in a yellow and brown royal uniform and matching helmets. The king’s guards. My heart skips a beat. They’re trudging through the grass and are only a few feet away from us.

“Can you use your magic?” I whisper. “To hide us or make us invisible?”

He moves his hands around, but nothing happens. “I only have my Ortarian magic, not my genie one,” he tells me. “Which isn’t much.”

Something gets clogged in my throat. “What do we do?” I ask, my voice shaking.

He covers me with his body. “I’ll protect you.” He stares into my eyes. “I’m going to reveal myself to them. You run.”

“What? No!”

“They’ll be busy with me and that should give you enough time to flee. You’re fast. Find somewhere where you can stay hidden. A cave or something like that.”

Tears fill my eyes. I’m not going to abandon him. “Sebastian…”

He rests his forehead against mine. “Please do as I say, Lily.”

“I won’t leave you.”

He gives me a quick kiss. “I’ll try to find my way back to you. I promise. I love you, Lily. Forever.”

“What if they kill you?”

He doesn’t say anything as he strokes the back of my head.

“Seb—”

“You’re going to survive,” he whispers. “You’re going to get back to Earth.”

“How?”

“You’re strong. You’re a survivor and I know you’ll find your way back.”

We must be talking a bit too loudly because one of the guards turns toward our direction. He says something to the other, who nods.

Sebastian kisses me passionately before jumping to his feet and waving his arms around. This is my cue to leave.

I scramble to my feet and am about to run the other way, but I stop and turn around as I’m filled with something. Determination. I’m not going to flee, won’t abandon the man I love. If he’s going to die, then I’ll die along with him. I don’t care if he told me to save myself. I’m going to die trying to save the both of us.

The guards shoot magic at Sebastian, freezing him in place. Not taking their eyes off him, they circle him, most probably trying to figure out who he is. They ask him questions, but he doesn’t answer. One of the guards, the bigger one, raises his hand to strike Sebastian.

No
! My mind yells. My hands lift and a lightning bolt shoots at the guard, hauling him a few feet away and burning him to a crisp. I stare at my hands.

“Lily!” Sebastian yells. “Run!”

“Who’s there?” The shorter guard’s head whips around, but he can’t see me due to the tall grass. The guard makes sure Sebastian is still frozen in place before he weaves through the grass in search of me. “Where are you?”

I back up a bit, causing the grass to rustle and the guard’s eyes to land on me. His lips curl into a smirk as he raises his hand. Fire shoots out of him. I hold up my hands, sending my lightning at him and causing our beams to slam into one another before shooting up to the sky. The guard is distracted and I use the opportunity to strike him, first with my leg, then with another lightning bolt. He falters back, burned like his partner.

Sebastian’s invisible hold seems to vanish and he drops to the ground. I jump into his arms and kiss him hard and strong. “You’re alive,” I say, kissing him some more. He pulls me closer, molding his lips against mine, like this is our last kiss. Because it almost was.

He draws back and takes my face in his hands. “How did you do that? That…that magic?”

I lift my hands and gape at them. “That was…magic?” I guess I didn’t see it that way. I was just protecting my boyfriend.

He says, “There are many different kinds of magic in Ortarus. Some are stronger than others. Fire is very strong, but lightning is even stronger. It can kill someone in two seconds. I don’t understand how you were able to use it.”

“Maybe it was just a one-time thing. Or maybe I’m feeding off your energy.”

He shakes his head. “Poor Ortarians have minimal magic. I’ve never been able to do something like that.”

I stare at my hands again. Sebastian takes my right one. “We don’t have time to think about this. We need to leave this place and get to safety.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. We’ll find something.”

With our hands clasped, we head to…wherever, scanning around to make sure there are no guards.

“Lily,” Sebastian says. “Thank you for saving me.”

I smile. “I’d never let anything happen to you. You have no idea how important you are in my life. I love you more than anything.”

He holds me close. “I love you more than anything, too. I promise I will get you back home.”

“No. Promise you’ll get the two of us back home.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll try to get the two of us back home.”

We walk some more. I don’t know for how long, but it feels like hours. My feet are starting to hurt, but I force myself to be strong. The only way Sebastian and I are going to survive this is if we stick together.

We remain quiet because we don’t want to attract the attention of the guards. Since it’s dark and the grass is so tall, it’s hard to see if someone is hiding in the bushes. We need to be as discreet as possible.

Something slams into Sebastian and he crashes to the ground. I’m about to yell for him when I feel something latch onto my arms, fastening them together. I can’t move a muscle. I’m thrown to the ground, too.

I’m about to look up to see who’s attacking us, when a black sack is thrown over my head and a foot rams into my stomach, so strongly that I start to see stars.

“Lily,” Sebastian calls, his voice weak and desperate.

Pain explodes in my head before I feel myself losing consciousness.

***

“A human,” a male voice says. “How intriguing.”

I try to open my eyes, but they feel like they’re glued shut. My body aches all over, as though I was run over by a train. Fingers skim over my face, my hair, and my arms.

“Don’t touch her!” The second voice belongs to Sebastian. He sounds like he’s right beside me. I want to reach out to him, but my hands are tied.

“How did she get here?” The other voice is filled with wonder. “A human on Ortarus?”

“I said don’t—” Sebastian’s words are cut off and he groans loudly. The other man must have hit him.

“Seb…Seb…” I sputter. My mouth is dryer than wood. Actually, it feels like sawdust is trapped inside. I desperately need a drink.

The sounds of a door opening echoes throughout the room. “Hastus, I told you not to harm them!”

Now two pairs of footsteps leave the room, shutting the door behind them.

“Lily?” Sebastian asks. His voice is weak, like he’s wincing from the blow that other guy gave him. “Are you hurt?”

My mouth opens and closes, but I can’t get a word out.
Weird magical powers
, I say in my head.
Give me the strength to open my eyes.

It’s as if a dark veil is lifted from my face. I can see everything, though it’s a little dark in here. I’m in some sort of dungeon. The kind you’d find under a castle. My stomach churns. We must have been taken by the palace guards.

“Lily.”

I turn to the left and find Sebastian in the cell with me. He’s tied to one side and I’m tied to the other. As I look between the steel bars of the cell door, I don’t see anyone out there.

Footsteps march from one end of the dungeon to the other. That must be a guard.

“Sebastian,” I say, my voice weak. I try to shift in place, but that sends a surge of pain to every part of my body. I yelp.

“Lily.” Sebastian’s voice is laced with pain. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

“Seb—” I’m cut off by the sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps. A man stands before us, dressed in armor. Everything except for his brown eyes is hidden.

Sebastian gasps. “Alaric?”

“Hello, Sebastian.”

Sebastian looks like he wants to slam his fist against the bars. “I trusted you!”

The man doesn’t say anything as he stares at him. He must be the elder who helped Sebastian get back to Earth. I want to grab him by the front of his shirt and demand to know why he’s doing this. Why send Sebastian to Earth? What’s his agenda?

“What do you want from us?” I ask.

His eyes move to mine and they fill with interest. He steps closer to the opening of the cell. “Lily Richards.”

How the hell does he know my name?

“Tell me, how were you able to travel to Ortarus?”

“Don’t answer any of his questions!” Sebastian says. He turns to the man. “Do whatever you want with me, but leave Lily alone. She doesn’t belong in this word.”

“Oh, but she does. We have something very special planned for Lily.”

My breath gets caught in my throat as a chill runs down my spine. Something special planned?

Alaric presses his face to the bars. “Tell me how you got here.”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

The man holds up his hand and pain sears through me. It feels like he’s burning every brain cell, and I cry out.

“Leave her alone!” Sebastian yells.

The pain intensifies, but I won’t give in. He can kill me, but I won’t tell him anything.

He lets out a grunt and the next second, Sebastian is crying out in pain, thrashing around as though he’s being burned alive.

“No!” I shout. My eyes fill with tears as his cries sound throughout the room, so loud they nearly cause my ears to bleed. He sounds like he’s being torn apart. These people can torture me all they want, but I won’t let them hurt Sebastian.

“Shadows,” I say. “Shadows engulfed me and then Sebastian and I came here. I gave you what you want, now please don’t hurt him.”

The man blinks, and Sebastian’s head falls back, his breathing growing heavy. “Sebastian,” I say, wishing I could take him in my arms.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” the man asks. If I was able to, I’d punch him. He turns to Sebastian. “Sebastian, if you would cooperate there wouldn’t be a need to hurt anyone.”

Sebastian, who seems to be regaining some strength, sits up and glares at him. “Leave Lily alone.”

“Like I said, she’s needed.”

“Why?” I ask. “What do you want with me?”

He chuckles. Is he responsible for bringing me here? If so, why would he ask how I came?

“You’ll learn in time,” Alaric says. “Until then, I have someone special for you to meet.”

The door opens and once again, footsteps sound. This time they belong to a woman. She’s dressed in yellow and brown, just like the palace guards. She wears no expression on her face.

Sebastian gasps.

As I take a good look at the woman, I notice she looks very familiar, with black hair falling into her deep, blue eyes. She’s younger than I first thought. She can’t be more than sixteen.

As I stare at her some more, I recognize who she is.

Sebastian’s little sister.

“Renaya,” he says.

Stay tuned for Book 3, coming 2016.

Chapter One

That’s one hell of a fire.

X-Ray parks the jeep on the side of the road and the three of us pile out. The heat latches onto my skin. Smothers me. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea.

“We doing this?” Stretch asks, scratching his eye mask.

I stare up at the apartment building. They’re alive, the flames. I’ve seen infernos on TV, but standing fifty feet away from one is something totally different. Saliva gathers at the roof of my mouth, under my tongue, between my teeth. But I don’t swallow, because I’m not afraid. I came here for one purpose and one purpose only: tonight, I’m going to be a hero. Yeah, I’m fourteen and saying that makes me sound like a little kid. But I can dream.

“Let’s go,” I say.

The guys follow me as I edge closer to the last place any sane person would think of nearing. They huff behind me. Some firemen stand around, others hose the place down, a few are on a ladder. A group runs inside. Bystanders are around, too, as well as the cops and news reporters. Lights flash from the trucks and police cars.

I nod to X-Ray. “Anyone inside?”

He steps forward and squints his eyes. They get as black as his uniform. Looks freaky, like he’s possessed. He raises a hand to the top floor. “A girl and a baby. Trapped in the bathroom. Firemen can’t find them.”

“Is there a window?” I ask.

“Backside.”

We’re not supposed to be here. If word gets out, we’ll be in a crapload of trouble. But the guys and I are sick of sitting on the sidelines. Tonight we’re doing what we were born to do.

“Hang on,” Stretch says. He raises his arms over his head, stretching them along with his torso up the back wall while his lower body stays on the ground. X and I climb him like a ladder.

“Hey, you kids!” a fireman yells. But we’ve already reached the top of the wall, so it’s not like anyone can stop us now.

Phase one, complete. Now on to phase two.

I cough as smoke enters my lungs. Stretch slides over to the bathroom window, with X and me hanging onto his shoulders.

“Hurry up,” he says.

The heat makes me sweat in my uniform. Ashes cover us. It might be a problem having to explain the conditions of our uniforms to the League’s housekeeper, but forget about that now. I’ve got to focus on the civilians trapped inside. The baby’s screeching and the girl’s yelling for help.

I’ve got to do this, save them. Be a hero.

Sticking my fingers under the window’s ledge, I heave it open. The girl is crouched in the tub with the baby on her chest, and the shower curtain is wrapped around them. There’s hardly any air in here.

I jump down and am about to push out my chest and announce, “Kale Zenith is here to rescue you!” But I stop. Now’s not the time to show off.

I take the girl in my arms and she clutches tightly onto the baby. Her eyes are big and terrified, but I’ve never seen anyone so thankful. Like I’m her guardian angel or something. I hand them over to Stretch, who makes a blanket out of his body and tucks them close. X reaches for my hand to help me up, but just as I’m about to haul myself out the window, the flames blast the bathroom door open with so much force that I’m knocked off my feet.

My back crashes against the tub. Dammit! That hurt. My head rings like a million bells are vibrating against my skull. I can’t move anything. Are my bones broken? Crap. This wasn’t part of the plan.

“Get him out!” Stretch yells.

Too late. I’m burning all over. My arms, my legs. My face. I’m smoldering like the coals from last night’s barbecue.

At least I did one thing right tonight. I was a hero.

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