Chapter 11

CHAPTERELEVEN

Ezra didn’t know what to expect from a djinn party, so she wore what she usually would for work. Leather pants and a dark red silk top that matched the hidden streaks of scarlet in her hair. She wore it up because the night was humid, fixing her heavy curls into place with two silver clips. Dark-rimmed eyes and a slash of burgundy lipstick finished off the look. She wasn’t there to impress anyone; she just needed to blend into a crowd, get Zahir the crystal, and get out again.

"You can do this. It’s a party like any other," she told her reflection.

Outside, the night was warm with the scents of the sea and people cooking. The men who had been watching the house were gone, but Ezra didn’t think that she was alone. She hurried through the square and into the narrow streets.

Ezra heard the party long before she reached it. It was on the edges of the district where Wands met with Swords. The house was lit up on the inside, music pounding hard through the walls. Two men were guarding the front door where a line of people formed.

Ezra let her magic trickle out and confirmed that both of the guards were human and not djinn. In fact, she couldn’t see one djinn at all. She double checked the address she had scrawled on a piece of paper to make sure she was in the right place.

A guard spotted her and gestured her to come forward. Frowning, Ezra moved from the line and up to him.

"Boss said to let you in straight away. He said you will find him on the second floor," he said and opened the wooden door for her.

"Okay? Thanks," she replied and hurried into the dimly lit hallway.

The music pounded, the walls vibrating with an Arabic pop. The air above her was stained with metallic colors, and she wondered what the hell they were smoking. She could feel the djinn hidden amongst the party goers, their magic sending a buzz through the air that was intoxicating all on its own.

A large black djinn appeared in front of her. "Ah, the pretty girl from the boat has come to party with us," he said in his deep bass voice. "I am Asim."

"Ezra," she said with a smile. "I’m sorry about making you all high, but it was an emergency."

"Not to worry, butterfly," he replied and laughed brightly. He conjured a bright pink cocktail. "For you, lovely. Don’t worry, it’s only alcohol and magic. You are a favorite of the king, and no human or djinn will harm you in this place."

"Thank you." Ezra drank some of the cocktail, and raspberries burst onto her tongue. It made her feel like they were laughing all the way down her throat. "I don’t suppose you know where the king is? He asked me to meet him."

"Just follow the magic, butterfly," Asim said and disappeared with a laugh.

Ezra pressed her way through groups of people, searching the dim lights for Zahir before giving up and letting her magic search for him like Asim suggested. A vortex of restrained, burning power pulsed back to her, making her magic tingle as it brushed playfully against her.

Ezra followed the sensation until she found a crammed dance floor. She couldn’t see Zahir. Her body began moving to the beat of its own accord.

When you can do nothing else, you dance. Ezra gave herself over to it, swaying her way into the crowd before letting the music drown her senses. She registered the spicy desert scent before an arm came around her waist.

"Fancy meeting you here," Zahir’s deep voice purred in her ear. "Are you having a good time?"

"I couldn’t find you, so I thought I’d blend in and let you find me," Ezra said, her heart rate picking up its pace. She didn’t move his hand away.

"And now I have. This is a familiar scene to you with all your Florence work?" he asked.

Ezra kept swaying. "Why? You want to hire me?"

"I might. Show me what you can do, little sparrow." The King of the Djinn wasn’t asking. His hair was mussed, and eyeliner was smudged around his eyes in a way that made him appear more casual and less intimidating than she had last seen him. It made her feel bolder than what was good for her. Ezra turned slowly in his embrace and put her arm around his neck. His hands dropped to her hips, his dark eyes flashing with magic.

"Watch so you don’t miss it," Ezra said. She couldn’t resist the urge to show off a little. She held up a finger, and her magic traced a glowing golden sigil in the air. It wasn’t necessary to reveal the shape of it, but there was something dangerous about Zahir that made her want to impress him. She gave the hovering sigil a little flick, sending it up to the ceiling before it exploded in a rain of tiny glowing stars. The crowd went crazy, trying to catch them like snowflakes. Wherever they hit, a little buzz went through them, djinn and human alike.

Ezra laughed at Zahir’s dazzled expression. He was staring at her in a way that made heat bloom in her stomach.

Little stars were glowing in their hair before one landed on her mouth. Zahir lifted her chin to look at it.

"Incredible," he said.

Ezra’s breath caught as he bent his head and licked the star off her bottom lip. Heat and magic burned through her, blowing out her pupils with the rush of it.

Zahir hummed and tugged her closer. "We need to get out of here without raising any suspicion, so play along, sparrow."

Ezra nodded, her brain incapable of forming words. Zahir smiled, placed both hands on her flushed cheeks, and kissed her. Ezra’s hand went to his waist, drawing him closer to her as he tasted her lips in a slow exploration.

Her breathing was erratic. She knew that this was a terrible idea, but her body wasn’t listening to her. She let the Djinn King hold her in an unbreakable grip and take whatever he wanted.

Ezra made a point of getting kissed often, but this kiss made her bones feel like they were melting. Her brain was flashing red lights at her. She ignored them and leaned into it. Zahir let out a low, husky sound before yanking her closer and deepening the kiss. It was rough and taking, and Ezra had never been kissed like it before. His magic was swamping her, his body so hard and warm pressing into her. His tongue slipped into her mouth, his piercing creating a strangely pleasant sensation. She tried not to think of what it would be like licking other parts of her body. Her hand was sliding into his shirt when he pulled back.

"We have to stop," Zahir said against her lips. His grip on her slowly loosened. "Walk with me."

"O-Okay?" she stammered, feeling shaky. She knew she would feel ridiculous later, but it had been too good of a kiss for her to care much.

Zahir took her hand and led her through the crowd. Ezra followed him, still a little dazed with her body thrumming.

"Are you okay, my king?" a djinn asked, his aqua eyes surveying Ezra.

"Never better. I’m stepping out to take care of something," Zahir said with a devilish laugh.

"Have fun." The djinn nodded and pushed open a panel in the wall.

Magic tingled against Ezra’s skin as Zahir pulled her through the hidden door and into a corridor. She couldn’t be sure, but she had the distinct feeling they were no longer in the same building.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"The back way," Zahir replied before opening another door. They stepped into a bedroom covered in richly woven carpets, colorful lamps, and the biggest bed Ezra had ever seen.

Zahir shut the door behind her, and the music disappeared altogether. Her ears were ringing at the sudden silence.

"Drink?" he asked and began to pour something from a decanter.

"Sure," Ezra said, her mind still trying to reconcile the magic that it would take to build pathways to other places. She tried very hard not to stare at the bed.

Zahir pressed a glass into her hand. "You wanted to see me?" He was suddenly a completely different man from the one who had kissed her on the dance floor.

It was an act, you idiot. You are forgetting who you are dealing with,she scolded herself.

Zahir sprawled out on a couch, looking like the bored king she had first met. Ezra drained her drink, which turned out to be brandy, and pulled the crystal out of her bra. She didn’t trust it being anywhere else.

"I have managed to get a recording of two of the men in the Cabal," she passed him the crystal.

"Hmm, still warm," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Okay, maybe not a totally different man from the one she had made out with. He held the crystal up to the light. "What’s on it?"

"The man who put the manacles on me is on it. His lackey slipped and called him Zachariah. If you have the artifice, I can show you," Ezra replied, charging ahead. The kisses had left her confused and unsteady. She didn’t like feeling either of those things. It was like the Djinn King was designed to throw her off her game.

"No need. I can do it," Zahir said. He squeezed the crystal, and his power flared. Ezra’s screams echoed through the room as the projection came to life. She flinched and rubbed at her arms, trying not to relive the pain. Zahir’s expression darkened as he watched Zachariah and the artist question her.

"What did you give them?" he asked, letting the power go, so the crystal blinked out.

"I put their shem into the golem I made with my father. I know it’s faulty, but it bought me some time to get this to you. Do you know who these guys are?" Ezra asked.

"No, but I will find them," he growled. He got to his feet and took her hands, his fingers tracing over her skin. "Are you still hurt? You were screaming. I can take the pain away."

Ezra softened, feeling strangely touched. "I’m fine. It only hurts when the bonds are being interfered with. There’s no lasting physical damage."

Zahir’s frown deepened. "No, only psychological. Anything else?"

"I’m being watched and not only by you. I can’t do anything about it, but maybe you have some friends that can follow them? They might lead you back to other Cabal members. I don’t think I’ll have time to identify them all. I need to figure out ways to look like I’m co-operating with them without helping them," Ezra said. Zahir still hung onto her forearms, and she didn’t pull away.

"I’ll look into it. Anything else?" he repeated, fingers gently moving down her skin.

"I have a name. I don’t know who it is or if it will be much use. My father left me a message. He said the Cabal was planning to sell the golems to a Varangian man called Ingvar Hardrada. I’ve never heard of him."

"I have," Zahir hissed, his grip on her tightening. "If he is involved, we are in deeper shit than we both expected. This is getting too dangerous for you. I don’t like it."

"I don’t like it either, but I’m still your best shot at uncovering all of this," Ezra argued. She froze as Zahir stroked her cheek.

"I don’t want them to kill you, sparrow. Your magic is too interesting, and we have a bargain," he said. He lifted her arm to where the three marks were tattooed. He held her gaze as he kissed the spot, his stubble scraping deliciously against her skin. "Stay with me tonight. I can keep you safe, and you can work off one of these marks."

Ezra’s whole body screamed, ’Yes!’ but her mouth said, "Thanks, but I have other plans, and I don’t need protecting."

"What plans? With whom?" Zahir asked, eyes narrowing.

"Stuff. Plans. Work," Ezra stammered. "I need to be focussed, and all this has thrown out my concentration."

If Zahir kissed her again, she knew she would throw caution to the wind and stay. He didn’t. He only let out a frustrated sigh and released her.

"I will find out who the men are. Try to stay safe, sparrow." Zahir walked over to a wall and opened another invisible panel. "This will open outside the house. Go straight home."

Ezra felt her devilish side rearing its ugly head. He had teased her with the kissing, and she was in a mood to tease back.

"Don’t tell me what to do," she said haughtily.

Zahir’s eyes flared. "Do as you’re told, or I’ll be using one of those marks to teach you some discipline."

She paused by the door and leaned in as if to kiss him. Zahir sucked in a surprised breath, but she didn’t close the charged space between them.

"Don’t threaten me with a good time, my king," she whispered, pulling away and stepping through the door before he could stop her.