25. One Wish, Two Wish, Red Wish, Blue Wish

Jovat The Adorable

Jennie had no idea what she was offering me. Scooping her up, I carried her toward her bedroom, all the while wondering how to navigate her request.

She couldn't wish me free, not exactly.

"You didn't answer." Her arms looped around my shoulders as I carried her. "And I can walk."

"I like carrying you." My arms tightened around her small body. "Are you still hungry?" I asked, wanting to be sure she went to bed one hundred percent happy, satisfied, and as well taken care of as possible.

She nodded her head as I lowered her onto the edge of her bed.

"What would you like to eat?" I asked, my heart still tugging as I thought about her wanting to free me. Not only had no one ever treated me like a living, breathing being, no one had ever given a thought to me, my life, my wants, or my desires.

I was a tool to be used, nothing more. So when Jennie had told me she wasn't special… I couldn't have disagreed more.

"I'll get you anything you want," I prodded, wondering why she was hesitating.

She tried to speak, but sounded almost as if something was caught in her throat. Was she regretting her choice to try and free me?

"I didn't hear you," I said, kneeling before her and peering up into her eyes.

The tears welling there had me reaching for her face and wanting to comfort her. "Fettugenie."

I stared at her in shock for a second as a smile spread across her face.

"Get it? Fettu-genie?" A laugh broke from her lips and she fell back onto the bed, literally rolling with laughter at her terrible pun.

She was adorable, incorrigible, and the kind of woman I could imagine spending my next thousand years with. My lips twitched as I schooled my face into a playful scowl. She giggled until tears streamed down her cheeks.

Chuckling under my breath, I shook my head and willed her request into existence. A table set for two, wine, and fettuccine appeared beside the bed.

The joy in her face as she took in my work lit me up from inside, making me feel light on my feet.

"Is wine okay?" I asked, glancing over to see her pushing herself into a sitting position, a wide smile on her face.

She nodded. "I'd rather have a… have a…"

I recognized the telltale scrunching of her nose that preceded her little jokes, and I patiently waited to see what she came up with this time.

"A Djinn and tonic." Unable to keep a straight face, she dissolved into laughter.

I couldn't help joining in her little game. "I think you'd better have a Djinn-ger ale instead."

The room went silent.

I froze.

She froze.

We stared at one another for a moment.

Then we burst into loud, wheezing laughter. Had I ever laughed this hard? I didn't have to think hard about the answer. No one had ever brought this much joy into my life.

"Okay, come sit down." I pulled out her chair for her.

With her shoulders still shaking, Jennie slipped off the bed and sat down. I scooted her chair in. Even though I knew it went against her desire to stay home all day, I willed us to a new location.

Jennie let out a little yelp, gazing around. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the seat of her chair with both hands.

Wanting to calm her fears, I reassured her. "You're safe. No one can see us. And you can't fall."

Looking down, she studied the surface of the calm lake that was about fifty feet below us. Her stunning face was illuminated by the soft reflected glow of the stars and the candles dancing in the air around us. Off in the distance, mountains reached for the sky, their peaks white with snow. Her gaze finally drifted back to me after taking in her surroundings.

"This is beautiful." She breathed the words, and I internally sighed with relief.

And I was done holding back. I wanted to win her heart. "You are beautiful."

I took the chair opposite her and sat down. The darkness around us—lit only by stars—offered just enough glow to see one another as she smiled.

"It's the shadows playing tricks on your eyes." She picked up her wine glass.

"I can't be fooled, love." The second I said the words, she went still, watching me.

I'd called her love. If she'd had any doubt about my feelings for her, she wouldn't now. Swallowing back my nerves, I picked up my wineglass and lifted it toward her.

Jennie blinked, then touched the rim of hers to mine with a delicate tink before taking a sip, her gaze never leaving my face.

"So, how do I free you?" she asked, picking up her fork and swirling noodles around the tines.

After I'd granted three wishes for my previous owners and they'd believed I was useless to them, they'd tossed away my home as though it had been trash. But Jennie had witnessed my power, and she still wanted to free me.

Why didn't she want to keep me captive? Why didn't she want to beg me to do this for the rest of her life?

Who would pass up the opportunity to be spoiled like this every day for the rest of their lives? I'd told her the truth—that I could do this forever.

Unless she freed me.

I sipped the fruity wine. I had no need to eat, but over the centuries, I'd learned people found someone sitting with them at a meal and not eating rather unsettling. Now that habit gave me a chance to pause, reflect, and try to figure out what to say and do next.

"It can't be done," I said.

Her smile fell away, and her eyes shimmered with tears. "You're trapped forever with no way to escape?" The waver in her voice sliced me to the bone and nicked my heart.

I needed to be honest. "It's a question that has been asked since the dawn of Djinn. The answer is that we cannot be freed, but we can be wished human."

"I wish—"

I lifted a hand, cutting her off before she could say the words. "But I'll be human. Not a Djinn. I'll grow old like a human, I'll eventually die like a human, and I'll never be able to grant another wish as long as I live."

The gravity of my statement seemed to strike her like a physical blow; she sat back in her chair, watching me as I waited for her response.

"Is that what you want? To be human? Or, if you had the choice, would you stay a Djinn forever?" Her eyes searched my face as a slight wind we couldn't feel because of the protective barrier I'd put around us stirred the waters below us.

What did I want? I searched my mind, but the only answer I could dig up was that I wanted her.

But would she want me if I no longer had magic? When I could no longer will her desires into existence, would she still be interested in me?

"I… would want to be free." The honest words left my lips, and she nodded. "But wait until we're back home, because I don't want to go for a swim and have to figure out how to get us back."

Jennie laughed, then reached out and put her hand on mine. "Agreed. Let's enjoy this delicious meal. When we're home, I'll wish you free."

As she spoke, pain flashed across her face and I wondered what caused it.

"Are you okay?" I interlaced our fingers.

Her expression cleared, and a smile curved up the corners of her lips. "Yes! I'm excited. Now, tell me more about what you're going to do when you're human."

"Well, I think I'd like to find love, settle down, maybe think about having a family." I shrugged, trying to appear relaxed.

In truth, my heart was thumping at the possibility of being free. Warmth flooded through every vein, along every nerve end, from the top of my head to the tips of my fingers, to the bottom of my feet and into my toes.

I'd never dreamed this could happen for me.

"Settle down, Romeo," she teased, taking a bite of her food. Despite her humor, there was a sad note in her voice that I was struggling to decode.

"I'm sure you're going to find someone who deserves you and loves you more than anything." Her fingers squeezed mine, then she pulled away.

That thought hurt. I wanted her to be the one I enjoyed life beside. But maybe I'd read her all wrong.

As we finished out our meal, she rubbed her hands down her thighs, watching me with an open expression. "I think it's time."

With a nod, I willed us back to her home.

"Are you ready, Jovat The Adorable?" she asked.

I took a moment to gather myself, then blew out a long sigh. "Yes."

She took my hands in hers as we stood face to face. "I wish you free, whole, and happy, and for all your dreams to come true as a human."

I hesitated.

"Did it work?" she asked.

I shook my head. "You might want to remove the part where all my dreams come true."

If all my dreams came true, she might find herself in an uncomfortable situation. My magic was powerful and I could absolutely make people fall in love.

I wanted Jennie, but I didn't want her to love me for my magical abilities… or because the magic made her believe she loved me back.