Chapter 30

Aahil"sbeautifulambereyes bore into me, focused, aimed like a weapon. There was a serious weight to that glare, as if he was trying to ask me something important, some burning question only I could answer. But I wasn"t telepathic.

"Strip," he said, his voice and his entire posture melting into a dangerous, sensual purr. "But leave the top on."

I wanted to push back—it was kind of second nature for me to wave the middle finger at anyone who thought they should tell me what to do. I had battled all my life to prove that I was my own person, not whatever the fuck other people expected of me based on my family. But this was a different battle all together. My playing submissive was part of the war plan. My even being here, begging Aahil to work through his issues, that was the power move.

So I toed off my socks, disconnected my insulin pump, and slipped my pants and underwear off, tossing everything in a heap, leaving myself standing there in nothing but my stretchy black cropped camisole. I had no idea why he wanted me to leave that on. It wasn"t lingerie by any stretch of the imagination. But I was a frumpy, boring single—until recently—witch, whereas Aahil was a jinn with some serious sex magic. His imagination was a fuckton better than mine.

The jinn circled me, reaching out to draw a single black claw along my skin, from the area just above my breast and below my collar bone, around my shoulder, across my back and to the other side. "You"re here, naked and pleading for attention, pet," he said in a thoughtful voice, that undertone of darkness lingering at the edges. "A witch, here at my mercy. What should I do with you?"

The pretty white markings of the bindings he had seared into my skin when I freed him from the bestiary flared to life, his burning magic rising around us, lifting his silky black waves from his shoulders, sparks coming to life in the red streaks hidden in his black hair. "A part of me wants nothing more than a good old-fashioned bonfire, you know?"

"No magic," I said, lifting my eyes to meet his just this once before sliding a glance toward Hasumi. "He can do anything he wants to me, as long as I survive it. But no magic."

Hasumi"s glittering turquoise eyes flicked from me to Aahil, running over the hot, compact jinn thoughtfully before the water weaver nodded. "I think that"s a good limitation. No magic, Aahil." Then the weaver flicked their elegant fingers and snuffed Aahil"s power under a wave of water magic.

Aahil growled, his glare piercing me like flaming daggers, little sparks flaring in those golden eyes. "You don"t control my power, witch. I do."

I swallowed and fought the urge to lift my chin and yell. Instead, I tilted my head down and glanced at him from under the curtain of my messy green hair, keeping my posture meek, but letting my emotions show on my face. "Exactly," I said softly. "I don"t want your magic, Aahil. No games, no getting high on jinn seduction magic. I"m not here because of that bullshit. I"m here for you."

He froze, his leanly muscled dancer"s frame going absolutely still. Yeah, I"d hit home with that one. After all, it was clearly what he was most afraid of. That all anyone ever wanted him for was his power, his magic. Maybe his beautiful body. He had been ensnared and used for those things over and over, most recently by my relatives. But as much as he had to hate the thought of being used again—as much as he raged and blathered on about that—there was a bigger fear that the boogeyman had just revealed to the jinn and to anyone who had heard the man"s terrified sobs as he woke from his nightmare.

Aahil was afraid he was his magic and all the things everyone wanted to use him for. He was afraid that without that, he was nothing. And if no one wanted him for his power, then that must mean no one wanted him at all. He was no one.

I wanted to reach out for him, pull him in against me and hold him the way I had down there in the courtyard when he was coming apart in my arms. But I knew better. I bit my lip and waited, trying to be as still as the startled, dangerous jinn.

He moved like the flame he so resembled, fluid and quick, one warm hand pressing into my chest just above my breasts as he pushed me backward. "Sit."

The back of my legs hit the mattress and I sat suddenly, catching myself with my hands. Aahil looked down at me, a wicked smile curling the edges of his perfect bowstring lips. "I"ll refrain from using my magic, pet. But in exchange you agree to do everything I say, no hesitation and no yapping. If you piss me off, I won"t need magic to punish you. Do you understand?"

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. But other parts of me were decidedly wet. Fuck me and my twisted Lovell blood, I loved it when the snotty little jinn threatened me. Mostly because I knew he wasn"t joking.

"Do I get a safe word?" I couldn"t help but snark.

He closed the distance between us, one burning hand landing on my shoulders, sliding up my neck to tangle in my hair and yank my head back, forcing me to look up at him at an awkward angle. "No."

"I"ll be able to monitor your emotions at all times," Hasumi said easily.

Until I heard that melodious voice, I kind of forgot they were there. The taller elemental appeared behind Aahil, leaning over the jinn"s shoulder to whisper in his ear. "If you push her too far, I"ll stop you. But if I have to stop you because you can"t control yourself, you"ll be punished—at the time and place of my choosing. Do you understand?"

There was just a tiny little hint of a smirk in that beautiful voice as Hasumi repeated Aahil"s words. The jinn growled, his magic flaring up in reaction before he pushed it back down. "Am I fucking you too? Or are you just here to blather on like an idiot?"

Hasumi slid their fingers down Aahil"s naked spine as they drew away. "I"ll watch."

The water weaver sank into a chair off to the side and I felt the little tremor that went through Aahil"s body and into the hand that held my hair. Then the jinn returned all that scathing, sensual focus right back to me. He released my hair and trailed his fingers down from my shoulders, claws scraping over my skin, a dangerous, titillating reminder of what I had just signed up for.

I sat still as Aahil pulled the straps of my camisole down to the middle of my upper arms. Then he tugged down the front of the fabric until it lay under my breasts, shoving them upward like an underbust. "Such perfect, heavy tits," he purred, pausing to palm one of my breasts, kneading, then squeezing hard enough to make my breath catch. "Hmm… sensitive too. I wonder how they"d look with my dick between them."

I sucked in a breath as Aahil"s other hand lifted to pinch my other nipple. "Oh, goddess, yes let"s do that," I begged.

He lifted one winged brow. "I warned you about the yapping, witch." Then he slapped the side of my breast, leaving a perfect, stinging red handprint behind. "Last warning."

I jumped at the impact, but he hadn"t hit me too hard, just enough to make a noise, leave my skin tingling, and make me yearn for his warm palm to smooth it away. Yeah, surprised the fuck out of me too. But here we were.

Aahil"s flowing harem pants slipped to the floor in a billow of red and gold. I bowed my head, letting my eyes skim over him. Goddess, he was perfection. His red-brown skin was smooth and nearly hairless, stretched over lean pecs and taught, flat abs. The piercings in his nipples and belly button glowed a warm gold in the soft afternoon light. I hoped someday I"d get to play with them. My eyes trailed downward, then got stuck, riveted on the sight of his hard, glistening cock.

"See something you like, witch?" Aahil purred, reaching down to stroke himself. I licked my lips as his foreskin rolled back, revealing more of the hard, damp head of his dick with its gleaming piercing. I suddenly recalled in vivid detail what it had felt like to have him fuck my mouth, and I was more than game for that.

"Too bad," he said with mock sympathy. "I"m not here to be used for your pleasure, Lovell. This time, you"re my toy."

Oh, that sounded both sexy and awful at the same time. I glanced up, meeting his burning, flame bright eyes.

"That"s right," he said softly, a smirk lifting one corner of his lips. "You want to prove something with this whole submissive act of yours? Fine. I"ll use you in any way I see fit. But I"m not here to make you come."

I felt my eyes go wide. Ah, shit. That was not my kink.

Aahil dematerialized, then reappeared behind me, gripping my elbows and pulling them together, binding them with a length of some kind of rope he"d gotten from goddess knew where. The jinn"s movements weren"t hurried, but he was efficient, and I soon found my arms bound behind me, rope twining around them in some intricate pattern from wrist to shoulder.

Then he appeared before me once more, smiling happily to himself. "A lovely, lush, little Lovell, wrapped up like a present just for me."

He moved too quickly for my eyes to follow, returning to me with a vial of something golden, which he waggled before my eyes with a taunting look. His magic flared, just for a moment, and whatever was in the vial bubbled.

A slender hand appeared around the strong, graceful column of Aahil"s throat, long fingers pressing into his skin, just over his pulse point. Glittering turquoise eyes met mine as Hasumi spoke, their fluid voice barely a whisper. "No magic, jinn. That is the second time. I won"t allow it again."

Aahil smirked. "So sorry."

Hasumi squeezed harder, the force of their grip denting Aahil"s beautiful skin. "You will apologize when you"re done with this."

Then the water weaver was back in their chair again, long arms crossed over their chest and expression bored as they looked over at us.

Aahil ignored the water weaver, uncorking his little vial of liquid with his teeth. Then he stepped closer, dribbling the oil over my tits. It was hot. Just this side of too much. But the liquid heat sliding over my sensitive skin did things to me.

Aahil tossed the vial aside and reached for me, hands sliding over my breasts again, teasing for a moment, coating them in hot, slick oil. Then he wiped his hands on the bedsheet and cupped my breasts, pushing them together, the more than generous weight of them filling his hands.

I watched without breathing as he gracefully slid his dick between my tits, slowly fucking them, his golden eyes riveted downward, watching. My eyes slipped closed, and I leaned into him, unable to do anything other than take whatever he was willing to give. My core clenched, wishing he was fucking me there instead. But the smooth glide of his rigid heat was sexier than I"d expected.

"Look at me, witch," the jinn commanded, his voice devoid of magic, but compelling all the same.

I opened my eyes, my gaze locking on his as his thrusts sped up, the top of his cock tapping the base of my throat. "You are mine," he purred. "This plump, delicious body of yours belongs to me."

I knew what my answer was supposed to be. I was here to give him my trust, to let him have his way and see that he wouldn"t lose control after all. But this was me we were talking about. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up.

"For now," I sniped. "But if this is all you"ve got…."

He didn"t frown or glare at my inability to follow directions. Oh, no. Not my jinn. Instead, he smiled. It was an expression of pure joy. Because I"d just given him an excuse to give in to his darkness.

He released my breasts and grabbed me by the front of my camisole, yanking me off the bed with one hard pull. I couldn"t use my hands to catch myself, so I hit my knees, the impact only slightly softened by the rug underneath me. Aahil didn"t give me time to get my balance before he was there again, hand in my hair, yanking my head back. "You were warned about the yapping," he said evenly. "Open. And if you scrape your teeth, I"ll spank that fat ass until you"re begging for mercy."

I opened my mouth, debating if I should just scrape my teeth on purpose now or wait a little while.

I expected ruthlessness. Punishment. And he was rough with me, but nothing I couldn"t take. I leaned into his thrusts, moaning a little because this wasn"t the punishment that he thought it was. There was almost a freedom in this. I didn"t have to worry about what to do next. All I had to do was be here for Aahil, taking everything he gave me.

I was surprised when his motions slowed. Aahil"s touch was surprisingly gentle as he pulled out to tease me, sliding the hot, damp tip of his cock across my lips before slowly slipping back inside my mouth. His grip on my hair was firm, but not painful, and I took a moment to catch my breath and to fully drink him in.

He smelled like some sort of pleasantly smoky incense, and he tasted of cinnamon and something sweet. I wasn"t sure how much of that flavor was him and how much was the oil. My eyes met his and warmth uncoiled inside me as when I saw the intensity there. He was battling his darker instincts and his trauma, torn between that thing inside him that insisted on destruction and something else—maybe the real Aahil, the one who wanted to share this with me, rather than play dominance games. And he was winning. I swirled my tongue around his shaft and let out a little hum of encouragement.

The jinn"s eyes slipped closed, and he thrust deeper, well aware of my tolerance level, since this wasn"t the first time he"d had his dick down my throat. I swallowed around him, wishing my hands were free so I could grip his hips, maybe fondle his balls, so I could give to him, rather than just taking what he allowed. He could do this. He could let me love him without getting lost in his memories.

The wet sounds, the little puffs of his breath as he chased his own pleasure, it was enough to have me throbbing inside, wanting more. But when I felt the soft nudge of awareness that reminded me we weren"t alone? I glanced to the side, caught an intense, lust-drenched turquoise gaze, and I moaned.

Aahil"s movements slowed, and he followed my gaze. "Enjoying the show, weaver?" he asked, his voice husky and full of promise.

Hasumi shrugged one elegant shoulder, as if their gaze wasn"t dripping desire. "It would be better if you untied her and let her touch you, the way she"s dying to do."

Aahil froze, pulling out completely and staring at the wall, as if it had the answers to all of life"s deep mysteries. Then his gaze returned to my face, his hand running through my hair, stroking the tumbled waves back from my forehead, his mask gone and his hesitance clear. "Is that really what you want, pet?"

But what he was really asking was if I really thought he could do it.

I nodded emphatically. "It"s fun to do this stuff sometimes." I chuckled, my cheeks heating up. "Okay, so I"m really fucking into it apparently. But Aahil, I just want to…be with you without all this drama. No one really has to be in charge, you know." That was the wrong thing to say, and I backpedaled when his expression started to shutter. "I"m not saying you have to give up control. Just…I"d really like to touch you. Please?"

"No magic," he said softly, his hand still stroking through my hair, as if the rhythm was soothing his nerves.

I nodded my agreement. "No magic. Yours or mine. I promise. I"m not here to hurt you, Aahil."

He just…disappeared, leaving me to stare at Hasumi. Was that a no, then? How long was I supposed to sit here naked with my arms tied behind my back? It would be just like the asshole jinn to leave me here as punishment for trying to make him face his emotions.

"Don"t worry," the water weaver said with a mischievous smile. "If he doesn"t come back to this plane soon, I"ll untie you myself. Then I"ll finish what the jinn started. I"m certainly not afraid of intimacy with a beautiful, generous witch." Hasumi winked, and the wave of emotions they sent my way had my core clenching and my clit pulsing. "And I won"t leave you wanting, believe me."

Aahil re-appeared behind me, his hands busy undoing the bindings. "Ha. As if I need a water freak"s help to drive a simple witch mindless with pleasure. Who the fuck do you think I am?"

Maybe Hasumi"s magic was helping, or maybe I was just more aware now. But under Aahil"s snarky, arrogant comment, I could hear the truth. The question of who he was without all the weird walls he"d put up had him seriously worried.

My arms ached a bit when they were free, but Aahil slid his hands up from my wrists to my shoulders, massaging them briskly as he used the excuse to whisper in my ear. "I"ll allow you to touch. But I"m still your master, witch. Remember that."

I huffed a laugh. I could hide my emotions too. "Anything you want, as long as it ends in mutual orgasms."