Chapter 24

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

The Vianello Publishing House was a short ferry ride down the Grand Canal to Dorsoduro. Ezra had felt a djinn following her, and the tension in her shoulders after the mage’s visit had eased a little. Zahir was keeping his promise to watch over her.

Ezra had dressed and put on makeup to ensure she looked presentable when she arrived at the publishing house’s door. The district was Coins, so it was mostly humans and earth mages, but houses on the Grand Canal were expensive no matter what district you were in. It made her put in the extra effort, especially because Stella was no longer a Vianello. She was an Aladoro, and that meant something in Venice.

Ezra was shown upstairs by a helpful woman with a round face. Stella was in an office, arguing with an older man about a new shipment. She looked up and saw Ezra, and her expression brightened.

"Ezra! I’m so glad you’re here. I need to get out of here before I knock my head against the wall," Stella said and looked at the old man as if saying that he was the reason why.

"I am still your father, and I have been in this business longer than you. You should listen to me," he complained.

Stella threw up her hands in defeat. "Do it then, but don’t cry to me when it doesn’t earn out."

Her father waved at her to leave. "Go and eat something, girl. It will help you think clearly and prove that I’m right."

Ezra couldn’t help but smile at their interaction. Stella grabbed her handbag off a hook.

"Let’s go, Ezra. I’m starving. How about you?" Stella said and led the way through a back entrance and into a narrow street.

"I used to argue with my father like that too," Ezra said with a soft laugh. "I think their stubbornness has something to do with the fact that they always will see us as children."

Stella nodded and hooked her arm through Ezra’s as they walked through a small square and down a tight street. "Maybe Dom is right, and I should be focusing more on my magic than arguing with my father."

"Well, your husband is very handsome. I am sure that he could present a very convincing argument about the matter," Ezra replied with a smirk. Dom Aladoro was gorgeous. She was woman enough to admit that he could probably make her do whatever he wanted.

Stella snickered. "I’m sure he could, but he knows better than to try to tell me what to do."

"Handsome and wise. There aren’t many of those around," Ezra said with a grin.

Stella opened the green door to a tiny restaurant with only five tables. There were photos and paintings on the walls of different time periods in Venice. A tall man wearing glasses gave them a friendly wave from behind a cash register and pointed to the table by the window.

"I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. The food is my favorite in all of Venice." Stella looked across the table at Ezra. "Now, what brings you to my doorstep? Is everything okay with Zahir?"

"When I saw him this morning, he seemed fine." Ezra didn’t know where to start. She needed advice from a woman, and Stella was the closest thing to a friend she had in Venice.

"Ah, I have a feeling this conversation is going to need wine." Stella went up to the counter and returned with two large glasses of red wine.

"We seem to only have wine conversations," Ezra said, accepting her glass.

Stella took a large sip and hummed. "Only conversations worth having, in my opinion. Why don’t you just tell me that you slept with Zahir? Rip it off like a bandage, and then give me all the juicy details."

"Is it that obvious?" Ezra groaned.

Stella threw back her head and laughed. "You are positively glowing, my dear. Tell me, was it transcendental as it is rumored?"

"Most definitely. In my defense, I had a terrible day yesterday, and I really needed a pick-me-up."

Some of Stella’s mirth disappeared. She reached across the table and put her hand on top of Ezra’s and squeezed. "What happened? You can trust me, Ezra."

Ezra had a large mouthful of her wine and ended up telling Stella everything, including the vision she’d had when she touched the obsidian chip. She couldn’t hide any details from her if she was going to ask for help.

Ezra’s heart hurt as she thought of the colored roof of Zahir’s ship and the years he’d spent as a slave. She wouldn’t let Zahir be caught by the Cabal, even if it meant lying to him to keep him out of it. The golems would be the least of their problems if the Cabal weaponized Zahir.

Ezra wasn’t one to give graphic details on her lover’s prowess, but Stella was sneaky, and she had a few details that left Stella giggling. They ordered pasta, and Ezra presented Stella with her plan.

"I saw the mage this morning and gave him theoretical papers and formulas to back up what I told him," Ezra said and leaned her elbows on the table. "If my plan works, they will take me to the workshop tonight. I will be able to either destroy all the golems with a spell, or if that’s too dangerous, I will give them another trick sigil to keep them happy. As soon as I am out of there, I will be able to lead Zahir to it."

Stella toyed with her wine glass. "Have you run this grand scheme by him at all?"

"No. I can’t. He was talking about wrapping me up in a feather blanket and not letting me out of his sight again. I can’t risk telling him because he will try to stop me," Ezra replied. She tried to ignore the squirming feeling inside of her. She didn’t like lying to Zahir or potentially upsetting him.

"He is only trying to protect you. He cares about you. Anyone can see that," Stella replied.

"I don’t want to hurt him, but I want these guys stopped. They will lead me right to them. You’re a Raven. Would you pass up such an advantage?" Ezra asked.

"No, I wouldn’t, but it’s my job. Arkon has the Inquisitors arresting two of the Cabal members. Would it not be worth it to see what they say?"

Ezra shook her head. "No, because while they are being convinced to give up their Cabal’s names, the rest of the members could be shipping the golems out and scattering. We will miss them, and I can’t handle the thought."

"Is that why you are telling me all this? Do you need help?" Stella asked, giving in.

Ezra nodded. "Sort of. I need someone to know of my plans if anything should happen to me. The djinn that Zahir has watching over me might tail me if the mage comes for me, but I don’t know what kind of warding they have up. It might stop them from being able to get close."

"Okay, well, how about this? I won’t tell Zahir of this plan if you let me keep an eye on things. I can follow you to the workshops and let Arkon and Zahir know where you are once you are inside. They will be able to close in on the place while you are distracting them," Stella replied. It was a good idea, and it would mean that Ezra was already in the workshop. She could try to disable the golems, and if all else failed, Stella would send in backup.

"Agreed." Ezra shook Stella’s hand. "But no telling Zahir about this. He will interfere, and I can’t have them hurting him."

"Can you blame him for wanting to protect you? He’s besotted. It must be quite a scary thing for an immortal like him to care about a fragile little human," Stella said with a knowing smile.

"I’m trying to protect him right now. It’s more important." Ezra’s cheeks were hot, and she couldn’t afford to entertain her growing feelings for him. "And I don’t think he cares about me the way you are suggesting. We are friends at most, and we are still caught up in the magic of the bargain."

"Wow, you really can’t accept the idea that he cares about you," Stella said with a shake of her head.

Ezra groaned. "Because it makes no sense. He’s the fucking King of the Djinn! Why would he see me as anything but a distraction?"

"Because he was with you for a second time, and that’s not something he ever does with lovers. He actually slept in the same bed with you, too. That doesn’t sound like a mere distraction to me," Stella replied, and a spark of jealousy shot through Ezra. She didn’t want to think about Zahir being with anyone else. She kind of hated herself for feeling so possessive of someone that she could never be with.

"So what? It’s not like I can have a real relationship with him," Ezra said, her temper flaring. "I doubt he’s capable of fidelity, and I wouldn’t be able to handle not having it. I’m too smart to fall for a fucking djinn."

"And I was too smart to fall for a shedu. Look how that turned out," Stella said, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"He’s your mate. That changes everything. It’s a bond that goes beyond station and normal attraction." Ezra drained her wine, feeling way too cynical for her own good. "My parents were like that. So in love with each other. It was like they shone with it. When my mother died, my father was completely unmoored. He lost his foundation. I vowed never to love anyone like that because I’m the most like him. If I relied on anyone to keep me steady and I lost them, I would go even crazier than he did." Ezra let out an awkward laugh, embarrassed she had said so much. Stella looked thoughtful and sad, and Ezra couldn’t handle it.

"Look, I’ll deal with whatever is happening between Zahir and me after the Cabal is stopped. One disaster at a time, yeah?"

"You’re right. Just don’t close up your heart to something that could be great," she said with the soft smile of someone who was in love already.

"Whatever you say, Raven," Ezra replied with a roll of her eyes. She needed Stella to drop it. It hurt too much to think about because the truth was, she did want something with Zahir. To love a djinn was like loving a star—absolutely pointless because you could never possess them. To hope for anything more was to court disaster, and she’d had enough of that in her life already.

Hope is like wishes. Both are likely to backfire and leave you worse than before, Ezra thought glumly. She would never have Zahir. Not in the way she really wanted. She would enjoy what time they had left and then bow out with as much grace as she could when it was over.

Even Ezra didn’t believe that lie, but what choice did she have?