41. Chapter 41

"Ifeel like we"re just putting a piece of duct tape over a hole in a life raft," Oleander said as she chewed on the eraser end of the pencil she was holding. "Damn it, why does everything have to be so precarious all the time?"

Dyre was resting in the back of our shared conscience, observing, but letting me "drive," as it were, while we studied an ancient text that the Lovells had no good reason to have hidden away in their library. We had been searching for ideas, but now that we had a solution to the problem, I was just reading out of curiosity. The Lovell family had apparently been awful people, but unfortunately clever. The margins of the book I was studying were filled with tidy, cramped handwriting—notes that bordered on fanatical nonsense, but were also interspersed with wretchedly genius ideas. Dyre was curious too, but he had given the task over to me, because it was easier for me to read and translate the archaic language the book was written in.

I glanced up at our Oleander to find her scowling at her handwritten notes as if the paper had offended her somehow. We had been working on the problem of the hole in the pocket world for the last couple of days, and had come to a solution that should buy us time, if nothing else. We could apply a patch, of sorts, hopefully without disturbing the magic of the original spell and killing us all. The others were off gathering information and making plans to visit the Angelic realm, but our two witches" deep magic and inventive minds were best applied to this more pressing problem, so we were alone in the workroom.

"It will work," I assured Oleander, not for the first time. "You are clever. Dyre is well-versed in bonding different magic signatures together. You are both very strong witches with deep magic wells. And I am here. The solution we"ve come up with won"t fail."

She ran a hand through her tumbled green waves and let out a deep sigh. "You"re right. But we all know it"s only temporary. Eventually, this little bubble of safety I threw together is going to collapse."

Ah, that was the actual issue here. She felt time pushing in on her, all of our current challenges tightening like a noose. "Everything fails eventually," I told her with a sage nod. "All things die. No need to worry about that now."

Very comforting,Dyre commented in our mind. I was well versed in his sarcasm by now. He thought I had said the wrong thing. I refused to let him take control, however. I could fix this on my own. I could comfort our witch, too.

Pushing my chair back from the table, I patted my knee, eager to prove that point. "Come here, witch."

She arched a brow at me, and I held out my arms, patiently waiting. Shaking her head, she did as she was told, standing and coming over to stare at me with her hands planted on her generous hips. I pulled her onto my lap and stroked her hair.

See?That was what the others would do to comfort her, correct?

You"re going to get slapped, Dyre commented silently.

But he was wrong. Andy didn"t slap us. She was stiff in my arms for a moment, but then she relaxed against my chest with a little huff of sound. "Not that I mind cuddling," she mumbled, "but why am I over here?"

I patted her back. "I am comforting you because Dyre insists that telling you we will all die was the wrong thing to say."

She shook with soft laughter. "I see. Well, you can continue comforting me all you want. But I"m not actually that distressed by what you said. You"re not wrong. It"s just my puny mortal limitations that make death an unpleasant idea. I get it."

I patted her back proudly. My witch was very intelligent. And now I had her in my lap, her herbal scent and her soft curves filling my senses. I could not get enough of this particular mortal experience. I bent to press a kiss to her cheek. And when she turned her head to allow it, I nuzzled her hair aside to whisper in her ear, delighting in the little shiver that produced. "Good witch. Clever witch. I knew you were not so fragile."

She wriggled about on my lap at the praise, making my cock stand up and take notice. I was just about to suggest that we take a break from our arduous research and brainstorming to celebrate the solution we had created. But fire magic swelled in the room, tiny sparks swirling and coalescing into the familiar form of a jinn.

I could feel Dyre"s wariness as we watched the other man appear. Aahil was an interesting man. Small and compact, yet brimming with potent power. I could feast for ages on a bright soul like his. But I shared Dyre"s wariness whenever Aahil was in the room with us. Mortals always confused me. Even those who were so powerful that they were nearly immortal. But of all Andy"s allies and lovers, this man was the most confusing being I had yet encountered.

Emotions were hard for me to read and interpret at the best of times. Feelings were a foreign language that Dyre had slowly, painfully taught me over the passage of hundreds of years. But the jinn"s feelings and his actions never aligned. His emotions were tangled and concealed and often denied. It was exhausting just attempting to parse out his motives at any given moment. I didn"t know how the others managed.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, his silky voice full of what I thought was snide disapproval as he prowled over to the desk where Andy had been working moments before. His every move was sensual, as if he existed to draw the eye and to lead the mind toward lusty thoughts.

It was really no wonder Dyre found him so attractive.

What the fuck did you just say? My host demanded.

I shrugged, but responded silently. I said nothing. I merely thought it.

I am not attracted to that conceited little pest. He"s a fucking asshole.

I chuckled. Even after all this time together, my host still seemed to think he could lie to me.

"Is something amusing to you, wraith?" the other man demanded, his golden eyes narrowing and his magic drawing closer, as if he was preparing to set us on fire.

I shrugged again. "Simply a conversation with my host," I replied. "Nothing important."

That didn"t seem to smooth things over. In fact, he looked even more angry. Was it anger? Or suspicion? I could not parse the tilt of his lips or the hard expression in those watchful eyes.

Pissy, Dyre supplied tiredly. The word you"re looking for is pissy. He looks pissy. Because he"s a fucking brat.

Ah. This is a good emotion? I asked, finally understanding.

What? No, it"s not. Dyre replied, exasperation in his thoughts. Pissy is the opposite of a good emotion.

Then why do you like it so much? I asked curiously.

I will fucking exorcise you, I don"t care if it kills us both, Dyre replied flatly.

It was all very confusing.

"You"re not interrupting anything," Andy said to the jinn, pulling me away from my internal dialogue. "Did you need something?"

She slid off my lap to go stand closer to the jinn, and I fought the urge to snatch her back into my arms and hold her close. He absolutely was interrupting. But I was learning that I couldn"t be too greedy when it came to our witch"s attention. Aahil slid a look my way that made me think he knew exactly how I felt. Why should I be so easy to read, when he was a mystery? To steal a common mortal complaint: it wasn"t fair.

His attention focused back on Oleander, and he reached up to touch the charmed locket that hung from his neck. "I want to get rid of this," he said easily. But something in his voice made me think he was anything but at ease. "I don"t need it anymore."

The jinn took the necklace off, his shiny black and red hair sliding over the chain in a way that was just as sensuous as all his other motions. I knew it was a sensual move, because of the way Dyre"s attention shifted. My host was trying so hard not to notice what the other man did that it was almost comical.

"You have beautiful hair," I observed, just to make Dyre squirm.

The jinn"s gold gaze met mine and his eyes narrowed. "Are you feeling unwell, wraith? Did someone you ate disagree with you?"

I stood and paced closer to Andy and the jinn. "We are well. It was simply an observation. You may already remove the suppression charm at any time. So I assume you mean you wish us to destroy it?" If he simply wanted to use his powers for a time, he could take off the necklace and do as he wished. It was a measure of freedom that we had purposefully built into the charm. I could understand that much, at least. Freedom was vitally important to everyone who had been imprisoned in the Lovells" cursed bestiary. But apparently, that measure of freedom was no longer enough for the jinn.

His gaze slid away from mine and to the locket he held in his hand. "I don"t need it anymore," he repeated. Then he lifted his head and squared his shoulders, his expression defiant. "I control the flames."

Andy reached out and took his hand in both of hers, cupping the locket between them. Her pretty gray eyes searched the jinn"s face. "If you say it"s time, then I believe you." Then she smirked, breaking the tension between them. "And I"m so proud of you!"

He bared his teeth at her. "Shut up, witch. Do not start in with that nonsense again. I don"t need your pride. I need your magic to break the spell." He glanced my way and his expression once again smoothed out. Apparently, I was not welcome in their banter. "And the creepy necromancer as well, since he was involved in its casting."

Dyre bristled at being called creepy. But he didn"t come to the forefront of our consciousness. He was content to hide and let me handle the jinn. Surprisingly cowardly of him.

I pulled myself up to my full height and drew on a bit of my power, letting it change us, make us seem taller and more dangerous. Letting the powerful, yet mortal, jinn glimpse just what lived inside Dyre"s flesh shell. "Do not insult my host," I advised softly. "I will tolerate much from those who are close to Oleander. But I will not tolerate Dyre"s pain."

The jinn blinked up at me, his stunning gold eyes going wide for a moment in surprise. This was typically when most mortals would cower or cry. But the jinn simply… pulled inward, putting up some kind of wall that hid every hint of fear. This creature"s strength of will was fascinating.

He waved a graceful hand in a dismissive gesture. "Dyre calls himself creepy all the time. Besides, given the shit that comes our way constantly, I"d consider creepy an asset, rather than an insult."

It wasn"t an apology or a promise not to insult us again. But for some reason, Dyre was satisfied and turned down my silent offer to suck the jinn"s soul from his body and use it to fuel our power.

Very confusing. And disappointing. The jinn"s energy would be deliciously spicy.

Andy just shook her head and stepped away, taking the locket over to the worktable. "We can unweave the charm for you, Aahil. It"s not a big deal." She stopped and glanced over her shoulder in my direction. "And I happen to like creepy." She winked.

I made a mental note of all the things I would do to her when she let us touch her again.

You"re killing me,Dyre complained half-heartedly. Can you please just focus?

Boring. But I supposed it was a fair request. I joined Andy at the table. The charm was a complex weaving, but creating it was the hard part. Breaking it was fairly simply. In no time at all, the locket was once again just a locket.

When it was done, Aahil scooped the necklace up off the table and turned to me, thrusting out his hand. "Here. Your pet witch will want that back."

I arched a brow at the jinn, wondering if this was a trick. "You are giving it back to us? To Dyre?"

He narrowed his eyes at me again. An expression that was coming to be… endearing, in a way. Clearly Dyre"s feelings were spreading like a contagion.

I don"t have any feelings for the jinn! My host insisted. For fuck"s sake.

I held out my hand to accept the necklace, studying Aahil"s face. He rolled his eyes and let the necklace spill from his hand into my palm. "I don"t understand why someone would be all hung-up on a human woman who ran away at the first sign of power. She sounds like a faithless wretch who didn"t deserve a witch of Dyre"s questionable greatness. But clearly it has some sort of sentimental value to the moron. So yes, I"m giving it back."

A slow smile curved my lips as understanding washed over me. "I see," I said, closing my hand around the necklace, while lifting the other hand to touch the jinn"s hot cheek. "You find Dyre attractive as well. You even care for his welfare."

Murderous gold eyes stared up at me while Dyre had an absolute fit inside our skull. The jinn knocked my hand away with a stinging slap, and I felt my dark power echo the fury of his fire. I couldn"t help the deep, echoing laughter that spilled from my chest.

The jinn growled at me and vanished in a shower of sparks, dematerializing and leaving the room in the blink of an eye. And still I laughed. Mortals were so very, very amusing.

Andy slapped my upper arm. "Goddess, stop making that sound. It"s making my hair stand on end." She shook her head. "Who knew that"s what wraith laughter sounded like? Fuck my life." She rubbed her arms furiously to get rid of the goosebumps there.

I attempted to rein in my amusement. "I apologize."

She stared up at me with a wary expression. "It"s been a long time since Dyre made an appearance. Is he okay in there?"

I finally gave in and let Dyre take over.

"Goddess fucking curse you to hell!" he blurted the moment he was free.

I started laughing again. This time silently, in our shared consciousness.

"Oh, just keep laughing, asshole," he threatened aloud. "See if you think it"s funny when I rip you out of there and toss us both into the void."

Andy snorted. Then she started laughing too, until she was wiping at her eyes, crying from the force of it. Laughter. It was something I hadn"t understood until Dyre. And it felt so good, now that I could feel such amusement.

"Oh, Goddess," Andy said as she tried to catch her breath, little bursts of laughter still escaping now and then. "Is Sunny… teasing you? That"s priceless."

Dyre tucked the locket into our pocket and crossed his arms over our chest. "Right. Super funny. Ha-ha. Apparently, his new pastime is fabricating lies and making me look like an idiot. A wraith with a sense of humor. Just great."

Lies? I was only telling the truth, I reminded him. It"s your reactions that are so amusing.

He gave me the equivalent of a mental shove. "Fuck you, Sunny."

Andy had gotten herself under control now, and she gave Dyre a pat on the arm. "I mean, the tension between you and Aahil makes a lot more sense now."

He looked down our nose at her. "Don"t be fucking ridiculous. I hate that stuck-up, snotty little bastard."

But Andy just smiled and patted his arm again. "Mhm. I"m sure you do."

He huffed. "I hate all of you right now."

"Mhm. Sure."

"Do you really think he"s safe without the amulet?" Dyre bit out, changing the subject as he glanced at where the jinn had been standing moments before. "Your wards will let you know if he goes up in flames, right?"

Her teasing expression melted into a more serious one, filled with something tender. Andy was easier to read. She showed her emotions honestly, for the most part. And I was bonded to her, could feel her in my aura.

"He won"t," she told Dyre. "He"s right. He has control of his magic now. And his confidence is finally returning. He"s healing." Then she grinned again. "Sweet of you to be so concerned about his wellbeing, though. I wouldn"t send flowers to win his favor in this case, if I were you. Maybe something shiny. Like a necklace to replace the one he just lost. He likes sparkly things."

Dyre wiped a hand over his face and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Don"t be disgusting, Lovell. I have no interest in wooing your damned jinn." Then he headed toward the door.

I halted him, and he let me take over for a moment longer. Turning back to Andy, I nodded. "You are correct. The jinn will be well. And we will patch the ward. We will have plenty more opportunities to amuse ourselves at Dyre"s expense."

Then I was firmly shut out by my host.

But it was worth it to see the confidence in Andy"s posture and the twinkle in her eyes.