Wish For Me (The Djinn Order #1) (12 page)

Irving killed the raptor’s engine and dismounted the bike. He held his hand out to me, and I took it to balance myself as I climbed off behind him.

I yanked off my goggles and cap. “Where in the hell are we?” I asked, staring up at the glittering sphere in awe. The guards didn’t move a muscle or acknowledge us in any way.

Irving chuckled and looked at me like it should have been obvious. “This is the Sultan’s palace. Welcome to Shrinelyn, Glory.”

“We’re in
Shrinelyn
!?” My head jerked back and forth like a cartoon character, trying to figure it all out. “How in the hell…”

“Don’t try to work it over too hard, Glory. Just take my hand and let me open your eyes to this beautiful place that I call home.”

“But I thought humans weren’t allowed here!”

He grinned. “I lied about that because I was trying not to like you.”

“What happened to ‘lies are for cowards’?”

He wiggled his brows in a shameless confession of his cowardice. “That’s exactly why I lied.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Irving had finally admitted that he’d been too chicken to say he was digging me when we first met. I thought it was cute.

“But I like you now and so I’ve brought you,” he said. “And now I want you to meet the Sultan.”

“The
Sultan?
” I looked down at what I was wearing. “I’m not dressed to meet any Sultan!” My pants were too tight and my shirt was too short, exposing my pierced naval. With all my tattoos and gothic jewelry, the Sultan was sure to think I was just some dirty rocker chick who’d lucked up on a Djinn and hadn’t utilized any of her wishes to make herself look presentable, despite the fact that the guards had more tats than I did.

Irving smiled and grabbed my hand when I refused to offer it. “You look beautiful, Glory. As always. Now come. The Sultan waits.”

I allowed Irving to lead me up the staircase toward the entrance to the palace. The armed guards each dropped to a knee as we ascended and the two stationed at the twenty foot tall doors pushed them open to allow us access to the palace. We entered and I almost passed out from awe. The Sultan’s palace was beyond my imagination.

On the way to the Sultan’s assembly chamber, which apparently was where he took meetings and met with the Grand Council, I looked and admired, and tried to not breathe too hard as to not disturb any of the plush beauty I was surrounded by—the exotic flora, the golden effigies, the glittering light fixtures. I walked on my tiptoes because the rich red carpet that covered the floors looked like it cost a fortune, and I didn’t want to leave a single footprint, let alone any dirt from my shoes.

I could never have imagined such luxury, let alone ever dreamed I’d be in the presence of it. Everything glittered and sparkled. What wasn’t made of gold was made of diamonds. And what wasn’t made of diamonds was replaced by rubies and emeralds and jewels with colors I couldn’t name. I felt unworthy of being there and wanted to curse Irving for bringing me. Why was it so important I meet the Sultan, that he would bring me into this realm and taint it with my commonness?

Giant tapestries made from silk decorated many of the walls we passed, but the walls leading to the assembly chamber were the most spectacular. They were palatial water walls, back lit with the most serene glow. The water drained into a steel basin that ran along the bottom edge of the wall. Where it went, I couldn’t tell, but who cared? They were beautiful and the trickling sound of the water made me want to curl up on the comfy floor and nap forever.

Four guards stood at the end of the corridor in front of a set of humongous doors. Each was bare-chested with a saber hooked to their waist. They bowed as we approached and pushed open the doors to let us through.

“The Sultan is referred to as ‘Your Grandness’.” That was the only thing Irving said to me before we entered the assembly chamber.

The Sultan sat alone at a desk in a chamber so big my parents’ entire house could have fit inside it. The lush red carpet continued on inside and spread over the space, closing it in a bit. Statues, paintings and books filled up the space, and as with the rest of the palace, gold covered everything. Even the Sultan’s marble desk and throne were accented with the stuff.

At our approach, the Sultan lifted his head, which was shiny and bald. A smile lit up his aged face.

The first thing I noticed was that the Sultan’s left eye was amethyst, just like Irving’s. His right eye was an iridescent marble surrounded by a
gold-plated eyelid.
The Sultan had a mechanical eye. I shivered to think about what could have happened to his real eye and wondered if no one had ever considered just giving the Sultan an eye patch. It would have been far less creepy than what he had going on now.

“Irving, my boy!” Setting aside his work, the Sultan stood with the help of a cane and stepped around his massive desk to greet us. Pure white robes edged in gold lace adorned his thin frame and on his feet were equally white slippers that curled up at the toes. I almost laughed. His shoes were just so…
genie.

“Hello, Uncle!” Irving exclaimed, opening his arms to embrace the Sultan.

I started, forgetting all about the Sultan’s shoes.
Uncle?
This lying bastard ass Djinn…

I glared at Irving while I dipped into a little curtsy for the Sultan who was staring directly at me.

“Whatever is the problem, child?” the Sultan questioned me as he pulled away from Irving. He gave me a small smile and I immediately felt at ease in his presence.

“I apologize, Your Grandness,” I said. “I was just a bit surprised. Irving didn’t tell me he was your nephew.”

“Didn’t I?” Irving said with a smirk.

I wanted to throw decorum out of the window and punch him in the ribs. After a moment, I decided that I would. I punched him. “No!”

The Sultan burst out laughing. It was a hearty laugh for a man so frail. “I like your human already. It is about time you met a female not afraid to put you in your place!”

Irving tried to scowl, but his smile broke through. “Your Grandness, this is Glory St. Pierre, my master in more ways than one.” He winced and rubbed his ribs. I rolled my eyes at him. He wasn’t hurt and he knew it.

The Sultan smiled and his marble eye rolled toward me. “I have heard much about you, Glory St. Pierre.”

“Have you, Your Grandness?” I side-eyed Irving. “How bad was it?” Irving snorted and waited for the Sultan to reply.

“I have heard nothing but wonderful things about you,” he said. “Irving is quite the admirer.”

“Watch out, Uncle. This one has an ego and already thinks quite highly of herself. Please do not encourage it.” Irving threw me a playful wink and I stuck my tongue out at him, hoping to cover up how giddy the Sultan’s declaration had just made me.

“I am sure Glory is equally as taken by you, my boy.” The Sultan smiled, but his expression grew serious a moment later. “So my nephew has informed me of the attack on your lives this past moon rise. Are you positive you were not harmed in any way?” He looked me over as though he expected to find parts of me missing.

“I appreciate your concern, Your Grandness. But I’m perfectly fine. Irving did a good job of protecting me.” I smiled at my Djinn, who smiled in return.

The Sultan appeared relieved. “I am happy to hear it. I have always thought Irving would make an exceptional solider, but he does not agree and instead spends his time fiddling with his gadgets and toys.”

“They are not toys, Uncle,” Irving said, a hint of irritation in his tone. “They are works of art. They are how I express my love for this kingdom, and how I will leave my mark on the realm. And I will do just that. I will fight for our kind. I will protect them at all costs and I
will
be remembered for it.”

The Sultan smiled and patted Irving’s shoulder. “Spoken like a true Sultan.”

Irving frowned at this statement and answered it with silence. But the Sultan didn’t seem to find this as rude as I did and I wondered why.

“So Glory,” the Sultan said as he returned to his throne. He sat and his cane resumed its position leaning against his desk. “Here is a question I ask all humans whom I have the pleasure to meet: How has it been accepting that Djinn exist?”

I picked up on his amusement and smiled. “I
haven’t
accepted that Djinn exist, Your Grandness. Still blows my mind, and now I have to wrap my brain around the fact that Irving is not only a Djinn, but he is also a prince.”

“He’s more like an ugly rogue, if you ask me,” a voice said right into my ear. I nearly jumped out of my skin and turned to see who the hell was just asking to get punched in the face.

I found Djinn. Two, in fact, and they had literally appeared out of nowhere. The scented clouds dissipating into the air gave them away.

To my right was a beautiful, young male Djinn with the same violet eyes as Irving, the Sultan, and the guards. Clearly, all Djinn had violet eyes. His face was almost youthful, but his build and smile could charm the panties off any woman. His black hair was short and neat, a total contrast to my Djinn, but it fit him. He was wearing leather pants and boots just like Irving, but instead of a duster, he wore a dominion vest made out of a black tapestry print and velvet with gold buckles that lined from his chest down to his waistline. It was a very handsome look and I had to agree. Irving looked like a rogue when compared with this Djinn’s refined appearance. But ugly? Hell no. Irving was beautiful and I loved the fact that he was all
man.
He reeked of maleness and all the pleasures a real man could bring a woman. But I couldn’t deny that this new Djinn could give Irving a run for his money in the right situation.

The female Djinn standing to my left was an entirely different story. She was gorgeous, but she scared me. No, she
terrified
me. The goosebumps covering my arms proved that. It was her domineering presence and the way her violet gaze refused to let me go, and I knew, without a single doubt, that if I ever crossed this beautiful Djinn, she would crucify me. That’s how scary she was.

“Be careful sneaking up on her, Edwin,” Irving said with a laugh. “This human likes to use her head as a weapon. Trust me, you want no part of it.”

The male Djinn, Edwin, waved Irving off. “Glory would never seek to harm me, now would you?”

“Depends,” I said, “on if you’re as much of a butthead as Irving is.”

Irving glared at me but Edwin laughed. “Oh yes, I like this one.” He placed a hand to his chest and bowed. “It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Glory.” He gestured to the young female with him. “This is my sister, Ada.” Ada didn’t bow, however. She just stared at me.

“Nice to meet you both,” I said, though I wasn’t too sure if it was nice to meet Ada yet.

Edwin crossed his arms in front of him and looked me over. “Hmmm, I think it is quite clear to me why Irving is so enamored with you. And I say, it is not for your intelligence.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Irving growled and took a swing at Edwin’s head. Edwin ducked and missed being knocked on his ass by an inch. With a laugh, he rushed Irving, caught him around the waist and a wrestling match ensued. While the boys played, Ada adjusted her single eye monocle and gestured for me to join her about fifteen feet from where I stood, which was definitely a move to get me away from the Sultan, who had returned to his work and was ignoring us as though this was all normal. I did as I was told and with every step I took, Ada’s violet stare grew more and more intense.

I found myself returning her stare with a green-eyed one of my own
.
She was just so freaking
gorgeous.
Beneath an incredible top hat, her jet black hair was pinned and twisted into a style that she wore to perfection. Her skin was the same sienna as Irving’s except there was a bronze shimmer all over hers, making her glow. Her billowy top exposed her shoulders while her jeweled corset cinched her waist into the perfect hourglass shape. She had legs a mile long and they were housed in black leggings and knee-length boots with so many holes and laces that I became cross-eyed looking at them.

Again, she was beautiful and I was the vagabond who had only yesterday believed she had beauty and style.