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EVIDENTLY, CLEARING Luna’s portal of the curse hastened its functioning. As soon as Iksander and Connor stopped flying against the current, they sped through the final distance in no time.
Sunshine smacked them in a brilliant wall as they burst out the other end.
Iksander stumbled and laughed at the same moment. He’d turned physical as they were spit out. His knees had hit grass. Their surroundings were warm and bright and—though he blinked blindly at the change in light—everything smelled like home. They’d made it. And they seemed to have landed exactly where he’d planned.
He turned to help Georgie up.
“Oh,” she said, peering around as she extended her hand to him. “Look at the people! Connor was right. Your city has woken up.”
He looked and tears sprang hotly to his eyes. His wonderful, vibrant citizens moved again. The portal had thrown him and his companions into a curve of flowering bushes not far from Victory Park’s center. Everywhere he looked, throngs converged toward the paved plaza. The djinn seemed fine, nearly untouched by trouble as they conversed and smiled. A gaggle of children darted through slower groups, shouting happily, playing a game of chase with each other.
That was so beautiful he had no choice but to cover his wet cheeks.
When Georgie hugged him, he buried his face in her soft red hair.
“You did it,” she said, holding him as tightly as he wished. “You broke the curse.”
“We broke it,” he said. “You and me and Connor.”
The angel embraced them both. That felt good, but Iksander soon straightened. He had matters to see to—discovering if his friends were here, for one. He dragged his scorched sleeve across his face, at which the angel grinned.
“I think everyone is heading toward that tent with the light blue flags.”
Iksander spied the smallish tent he’d gestured to, its flaps pulled back to form openings on opposite sides. The white silhouette of a rearing leopard, traditional symbol of Iksander’s family, emblazoned the pennants. Lines massed up to both the entrances.
“Listen up,” someone addressed the crowd. “If you want a shorter wait, two new stations have opened by the lotus pool and the rose garden. All the staffers are scroll-networked. No matter where you’re from in the city, you can obtain assistance at either.”
“We like this station,” a djinniya heckled good-naturedly from the line. “We want to hug the guardian.”
“Which guardian?” the staffer wisecracked back.
Iksander’s blood leaped beneath his skin. Arcadius was the Guardian of the Glorious City. Was he in that tent? There was only one of him. What did the djinni mean by “which?”
Georgie touched his shoulder, bringing his gaze to her.
“Go,” she said, her eyes bright with shared emotion. “See if your friends are here. Come get us when you’re ready.”
He couldn’t just leave like that. He kissed her first, then Connor—long and deep enough that both his lovers were flushed when he released them.
Probably, he was flushed himself. His heart skipped a little when Georgie and Connor reached for each other’s hands. Iksander must have been feeling better. The intensity of the link between them—and him—stirred a tantalizing mix of memory and anticipation for the future.
Not that he had time for that this minute.
“I’ll be back,” he promised and broke into a grin. “I can’t wait for my other friends to meet you.”
This was the simple truth, despite the complexities that were certain to arise.
Lacking patience to walk, he jogged toward the tent instead. His people didn’t recognize him as he passed. His trademark long golden hair was shorn, his ridiculous foreign outfit dirty and bedraggled.
“Young man!” an older matron chided, clearly concluding he was trying to cut in line.
“Pardon,” he replied, oddly tickled by the scold. “So sorry. Been in a fire.”
He slid into the second slot without more trouble.
As luck would have it, Arcadius manned the camp desk he’d queued in front of. Iksander had forgotten how giant his shoulders were. His dark-locked head was down, his brows drawn together in concentration above his nose. He wore worn military garb, casual but official—appropriate for reminding citizenry their protector was on the job. His large bronzed hand held a magic quill poised above a neatly squared stack of scrolls. His fingers, as ever, were surprisingly dexterous.
“Name,” he said without looking up.
This tickled Iksander too.
“I know I’m dressed like an idiot, but don’t you recognize your old friend?”
Arcadius’s head jolted up. “Iksander? Is it really you?”
He laughed at the other man’s amazement. “Yes. I made it back, though not as quickly as you, apparently.”
“You made it back.” Arcadius blinked rapidly. “Where have you been these long months? We waited and waited for you to answer our coded newspaper ad. We feared—” He cleared his throat. “We feared something terrible had happened. Oh. Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Belatedly recalling to whom he was speaking, he jumped up and began to bow.
“Shh,” Iksander said. “None of that today.”
Because the male was still stunned, Iksander stepped around the desk and pulled him into his arms.
“Iksander,” Arcadius said, squeezing him tightly enough to crack a rib. “I’m so, so glad you’ve returned.”
Iksander clapped his back. “As am I, old friend.” He pushed back and smiled. “We have a lot to catch up on.”
For some reason, this observation caused his friend to grimace uncomfortably. “As to that, I should—”
Their exchange had drawn attention. The djinni at the desk behind Arcadius, the one handling the line at the second entrance, suddenly scraped back his chair and rose. As he turned, the hair on Iksander’s nape prickled. He was seeing double. The male whose astonished eyes he stared into looked like Arcadius too.
“Good Lord,” this second Arcadius exclaimed. “Your Majesty. You’ve returned.”
Did they have to be so surprised he’d survived? He shook his head to throw off his annoyance. Clearly, more important issues required his notice.
“There are two of you,” he said, stating the obvious.
“He was my statue self,” the Arcadius nearest him explained. “When I returned, our spirits were unable to recombine. Joseph theorizes my experience among the humans caused my character to diverge too much. Under the circumstances, we decided two individuals could share my duties as well as one. I go by ‘Cade’ now, if that makes matters easier.”
Iksander coughed out a flummoxed laugh.
“We are both whole people,” the statue Arcadius said. “Our spirits have . . . filled out from the attenuated portions they were before.”
“I see,” Iksander said, though he didn’t quite.
“If you wish to name only one of us as your guardian, of course you are welcome to.”
Iksander smiled at the stiffness with which this was offered. “You seem to have made a sensible decision. I only hope I don’t have to become accustomed to there being two of me.”
He was joking, but the Arcadiuses exchanged an uneasy look.
“We’re sure that won’t happen,” Arcadius said.
“Almost sure,” Cade qualified. “Your statue woke this morning, along with the second half of the populace.”
“The second half?” Iksander asked. Henri and Eleanor had behaved as if the entire city were petrified.
“The first woke when we smashed Luna’s statue. We had some trouble locating it. She replaced herself with an imposter so she could slip into the palace secretly. We finally found her stone form outside the treasure room, where you’d escaped through the portal. We assume she tried to speak to you one last time. Because she’d only left part of her energy in the statue, smashing it didn’t wake everyone.” Cade quirked a dark eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you know what the rest of her consciousness has been up to and how she was destroyed.”
“I do know, but it’s a long story.” Iksander scratched his temple. He’d been convinced he’d coded the door correctly, but he seemed to have mistimed a trip again. More had happened in the interval since leaving Luna’s city than he could make add up. But maybe his longing to see his friends bumped their arrival to when they could meet up. He scrunched his shoulders. Trying to sort this out was giving him a headache. He was here now, and they’d make the best of it. He returned to the question that troubled him. “Is something wrong with my statue self? Has its spirit portion been damaged?”
“We don’t believe so,” Arcadius said. “Joseph is keeping it company. It, um, refuses to leave the treasure room where we left it for safety. I suspect the percentage you left inside it was simply small.”
“You’re leaving something out of that explanation.”
“Your statue woke in a better state than our friend Philip’s. He must have left even less of his spirit behind. I hear from Murat that his double is comatose.”
Murat was Iksander’s vizier and Philip’s father.
“Philip’s projected self hasn’t returned from the human plane?”
Arcadius shook his head. “We haven’t heard from him since we four escaped. We’re concerned but holding onto hope. Joseph thinks if he were dead, his statue wouldn’t have transformed back to flesh.”
“All right,” Iksander said slowly. “You remind me I’m fortunate. I suppose I’ll see my double for myself and deal with what I find.” Because he hadn’t greeted the second Arcadius properly, he reached for the djinni’s hand. With only slight hesitation, the male accepted and returned his double clasp. “I’m glad you’re well, Arcadius, however many of you there are. I’m certain my heart has room for another dear old friend.”
The second Arcadius bowed formally. “Your Majesty. I speak for both of us when I say we’re grateful two of us can serve.”
The “Cade” Arcadius rolled his eyes, seeming to have more of a sense of humor than his double. “We are grateful. For many things.”
“You’re also busy,” Iksander said, observing a bit of restlessness in the waiting lines. “I presume you’re helping these people reconnect with friends and relatives.”
“Among other things. As you might imagine there were disruptions, what with half the populace walking around and the other half locked in stone. We’ve had to . . . adjust city services somewhat.”
Cade seemed to think his sultan might disapprove.
“Cade,” Iksander said, testing the new name. “I’m sure you haven’t changed so much that your decisions would horrify me.”
“We’ve taken over your rooms,” Arcadius blurted in confession, startling him.
“My rooms?”
“The royal suite. Cade and Elyse and I are sharing it. She’s a human Cade met in the human world. She helped us, and we’re both in love with her.”
“My God, you’re a blabbermouth,” Cade huffed. “You couldn’t let Iksander catch his breath before you burst out with that?”
“We’ve been sleeping in his bed. And she’s human. Some djinn have trouble accepting them.”
Iksander yielded to his urge to laugh. “Sorry. Not laughing at you, just the situation. You can decide how much trouble I have with humans after you hear my tale. In truth, you may decide I’ve one-upped you. —Later,” he added. “Your task here takes precedence. Why don’t I see to my business, and we’ll reconvene this evening over dinner—perhaps in your former chambers? If you’re not currently using them?”
“I’ll have someone make sure they’re in good order,” Cade promised. The tiniest flush of shyness washed up his chiseled face—not a standard look for him. “Your Majesty? If you’d like to meet our fiancée Elyse, she’s helping staff the tent by the lotus pool.”
That was interesting information. Not only had their Elyse been entrusted with a public job, but Cade thought her confident enough to handle meeting Iksander by herself.
“Bring her to the meal tonight,” he said. “I’d like to meet her after my breath is caught. As it happens, I have friends to introduce as well.”
His guardians’ eyes widened identically.
“I’ll reveal all tonight,” he pledged jokingly, to which the pair bowed respectfully.
He snorted in amusement as he walked off, back toward Connor and Georgie. His life had turned more peculiar, and more pleasing, than the wisest seer could have predicted.
~
GEORGIE WATCHED IKSANDER approach with a definite bounce to his long-legged stride. Gosh, he was handsome, even in his crazy King of Versailles outfit. His grin added even more appeal to his looks. His happiness warmed her like the abundant sunshine she was still adjusting to.
Connor’s sigh of contentment suggested he had the same response.
“You found your friends,” she said once Iksander was close enough.
“Two of them,” he confirmed, which for some reason made him laugh. He kissed her hand and patted Connor’s arm. “They’re too busy for introductions at the moment, but I’ve arranged for us all to break bread tonight. In the meantime, I have an errand I can’t avoid at the palace. I don’t know how long it will take. Do the two of you want to come with me?”
“If the palace is that big white sprawl with the golden domes, wild horses couldn’t keep me out. I can’t wait to see inside.”
“Good,” Iksander said, amused. “My errand might be tricky. I’d be grateful to have you there.”
“What is it you need to do?” Connor asked as they began to walk together.
“Rejoin my statue double. The four of us who escaped the curse left a piece of our spirit behind ourselves. That way, any enemy who found our stone forms would assume we were trapped and harmless—the same as everyone. From what Arcadius said, my double woke somewhat enfeebled.”
“Hm,” Connor said, interested but apparently not finding any of this too strange.
They were interrupted before Georgie could ask questions.
“Your Majesty!” someone hailed. “Please allow me to transport your illustrious self and friends!”
“Ah,” Iksander said. “My incognito status must have expired.” Chagrin aside, he inclined his head to the djinni on the flying carpet that had landed beside them. “You honor us. We’d be grateful for a lift up the hill.”
The driver chattered excitedly the whole way. His wife would never believe the passenger he’d picked up! Was the sultan familiar with recent goings on? The driver was so thankful Iksander had returned! Praise God their city had clever leaders! Despite the awful empress’s efforts, hardly anyone had died. They’d be back on their feet in no time, he was convinced. Wasn’t it odd, though, how that Elyse woman the guardians planned to marry fascinated young people? Probably the human was tolerable. The driver heard she’d uncovered a criminal ring that was abducting orphaned teenagers. His daughters were obsessed with her. Kept asking if he’d carried her as a fare.
“As if the palace doesn’t have its own drivers! Girls get their fantasies, though, don’t they?”
“I suppose they do,” Iksander said, glancing back to wink at Connor and Georgie. They, apparently, were passing for members of his race. “I do think it’s nice when young people keep open minds.”
“Certainly,” said the driver. “Though my girls’ minds are so open sometimes their brains smoke out.”
He set them down in a grassy courtyard within the palace walls. A quartet of guards ran out from the colonnade that surrounded it. Iksander gestured to them that the unofficial driver’s presence didn’t pose a security risk.
“Sir!” one of the younger soldiers blurted. “What happened to your hair?”
His superior clouted him as Iksander laughed. “Forgive me for not speaking to you now,” he said. “I promise I’ll address that oversight tomorrow.”
The soldiers bowed with disciplined synchrony.
Wow, Georgie thought. Iksander really is the top banana here.
He led them into a residence so opulent her senses struggled to take it in. Every ceiling was a twinkling gem-studded vault, every corridor gleaming with polished stone. The arches alone presented the most fanciful yet harmonious Ottomanic vision she could have imagined. Unlike the regents’ fortress, which couldn’t escape its own darkness, here every beauty was light-filled and fairylike.
The mosaics were spun sugar for her astounded eyes.
“I feel like I’ve walked into the Arabian Nights,” she murmured.
“That’s because you have,” Connor laughed.
“True!” she said and chuckled along with him.
Iksander smiled indulgently. “If you’d like to continue, the treasure vault is a couple floors down the next stairway.”
“A treasure vault!” she exclaimed, practically skipping after him.
At the stairwell’s final door, he paused. His hand rested on the knob without turning it.
“Sorry,” he said. “Just remembering how terrified I was the last time I came down here.” He shook his head. “Running for my life and everyone else’s too.”
“You made it through that challenge,” Connor reminded. “Whatever you face now, you’ll never doubt yourself as badly as you did then.”
Iksander’s beautiful eyes tilted with his smile. “You do have a knack for saying the right thing.”
When he turned the knob, they walked through together.
Halfway down the narrow hall, a door like a bank vault’s hung open. Its pure gold construction—and never mind the diamonds encrusting it—guaranteed it couldn’t be overlooked. Their footsteps must have alerted whoever was inside. A young dark-haired djinni stepped into the corridor. Like most of Iksander’s kind, he seemed handsome to Georgie. Honey-gold eyes gave his sharp-featured, narrow face extra charisma.
His expression remained austere until he recognized who approached.
“Your Majesty!” he exclaimed, breaking into a wide bright grin.
“Joseph,” the sultan returned warmly. He clasped the young man’s shoulders and kissed his cheeks in turn. “How good it is to see you again!”
An overflow of emotion prevented the djinni from speaking.
Iksander laughed and patted him. “I hear you’ve been playing nanny to the me I left behind.”
“Sir,” Joseph said, embarrassed. “I wouldn’t call it—“
“Oh, never mind explaining. We’ll see for ourselves, shall we?”
Since he said “we,” Georgie and Connor trailed after him into the treasure room.
The vault was large and octagonal, the shelves that lined it piled with precious objects too numerous to count. Admiring them beyond a glimpse was impossible. A man who looked exactly like Iksander slumped dejectedly on a small velvet stool. He hadn’t glanced up at their entrance.
He seemed to be talking to himself.
“Why should I try to help the city?” he said as if continuing a conversation nothing could interrupt. “I’ll only mess things up. I’m not even a whole person. Arcadius and the others are better off without me.”
Joseph went to the double and rubbed his bowed shoulder. “Your Majesty, see who’s come to make you feel better.”
“I don’t deserve to feel better. I only let people down.”
“Good Lord,” Iksander burst out. “Am I really that mopey?”
“Of course you’re not,” Joseph said. “This version of you isn’t a complete copy. I’m only concerned that reincorporating him might depress your outlook. You may have, inadvertently, left the less confident part of your consciousness behind.”
Iksander’s snort startled the young djinni. “I’m pretty sure I brought my insecurities along. They chafed me more than once in the course of our adventures. I’m not afraid to let this . . . facet of my character join up with me again.”
His words caused the doppelganger to look up. “You’re me. The me who escaped through the portal.”
“That’s right. I did better than we expected. I held together when I had to, dug in, made new friends—ended the curse, if that interests you.”
The copy Iksander pursed his lips. “You ended it.”
“With help and stubbornness.”
The copy smiled faintly. “We are stubborn.”
“Very. Also strong enough to love again.”
The copy’s gaze sharpened. He seemed to notice Georgie and Connor for the first time. If them being male and female surprised him, it didn’t show. Georgie’s nape tightened at his perusal—and at the feelings Iksander had expressed. “You love those two?”
“I have that honor. They’re true and brave and extremely interesting.”
Evidently, the copy understood what this was code for. “You’re trying to seduce me to rejoin you.”
“We belong together. Good and bad. Strong and weak. That’s the nature of every created being.”
“The girl looks like . . .”
Iksander shook his head. “That isn’t why she calls to me. She’s her own unique self. I respect her. And him. They’re one of a kind in too many ways to count.”
The copy stared at him as if peering into his soul. As he did, he sat straighter, his resemblance to Iksander increasing.
“Very well,” he finally decided. “You are who I want to be. I agree we should reunite.”
No ritual was required. Iksander’s double turned not to smoke but to a shimmer of sunny light that flashed over and into him.
Whole now, Iksander stepped back to catch his balance.
“Are you all right, sir?” Joseph asked.
Iksander touched his own chest. “Perfectly. I don’t actually feel different.” He smiled at Georgie and Iksander. “Falling for the pair of you was more of an adjustment.”
His hand had flattened on his heart. Georgie moved to him and laid her own over it. Her words came out throatily. “I believe I know what Connor feels, but I’ll speak for myself. I love you too. Meeting you was one of the top two lucky breaks in my life.”
“Top two, eh?” he repeated humorously. His eyes were shining, the spirit behind them as dear to her as Connor’s.
“I love everyone,” Connor declared, “but you two especially.”
Iksander laughed softly. “I’ll take that, my winged friend, and count myself as fortunate as Georgie.”
~
CONNOR WAS AN EBULLIENT being. Despite his naturally high spirits, his joy at dinner that night surpassed any he remembered. He loved Iksander, he loved Georgie, and now they loved each other. Beyond that, he loved the city guardian’s former quarters and the stories the sultan’s friends had told. The group who’d reunited was cozy: the commanders Arcadius and Cade, their human fiancé Elyse, plus the magician who’d guarded Iksander’s double in the vault.
Perhaps because Arcadius was a soldier, his dining room wasn’t as overwhelming as other parts of the royal abode. It was nice, of course. Djinn didn’t do unadorned. Tapestries draped the walls, the magic battles they portrayed vivid and intriguing. The ceiling was high and coffered, the long table quartersawn white oak. Remembering their days in salvage, he and Georgie had stroked it when they sat down. Comfort definitely reigned in the dining chairs, which were handsome but broken in. The antique china plates were a little chipped, the food delicious and plentiful. Connor had to watch himself with the wine.
Djinn, he gathered, liked their drink strong and rich.
Most pleasing of all were the new people. Their quick minds and passionate hearts drew him irresistibly. He found the two commanders interestingly different—like younger and older brothers rather than clones of the same person. Their human was very pretty with her black curly hair and her sharp green eyes. She was down to earth. A little shy but sneakily funny. To his great satisfaction, she and Georgie were eyeing each other like potential future friends. Joseph the Magician was most interested in him. The sorcerer had figured out Connor’s nature even before Iksander revealed it.
Connor could tell he viewed it warily.
“I hope you’ll get over your uneasiness,” he said. “I know djinn and angels have a fraught history, but I’m not the same sort of angel as when I started out—which isn’t to say my kind are your enemies. Becoming incarnate simply allowed me to experience preferences. At this point, I doubt I’m more different from you than Elyse or Georgie is.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Cade said. The younger of the commanders lounged with one arm slung along the back of Elyse’s chair. She sat between her two fiancées, her half-drunk wine cradled to her chest. One of her hands, Connor saw, rubbed the original Arcadius’s thigh. “We’ve learned to appreciate diversity.”
“The question is,” Arcadius said, “would you prefer to conceal your origins from the populace at large? That controversy might be better avoided for the time being.”
Connor considered whether the deception would bother him.
“I wouldn’t mind being treated like a normal djinni,” he decided. “If you think I can pass for one.”
“You almost can,” Joseph said. “You eyes . . .” He shook himself. “They really are a glimpse of heaven.”
“I try not to abuse my power,” Connor said, “but you djinn do get sucked in.”
Iksander laughed underneath his breath. When their gazes connected, Connor’s body warmed faster than the wine could account for. Oh, he was looking forward to further exploring the connection between the three of them. Pictures rolled through his mind of their trio finding new ways to have fun in bed. The arousal this stirred made him shift in his chair. Seated beside him, Georgie touched the small of his back, her fingernails scratching shiveringly across it.
He guessed his other lover knew why he was squirming.
“So,” Iksander said, pausing to clear his throat. “I guess we’ll keep the fact that you’re an angel under wraps for now. We have enough developments for our people to absorb.”
“You mean explaining how their sultan turned saboteur?” This jest came from Commander Cade.
“Georgie is responsible for that. I followed her lead like a good soldier.”
Elyse set down her delicate crystal goblet to lean toward Iksander. “What will happen to Luna’s city without their power plant? I know it produced a monster, but they’ll need some sort of energy.”
“I expect they’ll try to bring the former plant back on line. Hopefully, their subjects will have a greater say in how the system’s managed. And, who knows, after the debacle Georgie set in motion, the regents might not last until their investiture. Without an endless supply of magic to buy the courtiers’ silence, the truth could get out. Or the Smoke Chamber could name someone else to rule. In the end, a more responsible faction might topple Henri and Eleanor.”
“Let us pray that happens,” Arcadius said. “Peace between our people would be agreeable.”
“Amen,” Connor agreed. He laughed at the startled looks this drew. You’d have thought he were uttering a curse. He supposed it would take a while before they truly relaxed with an angel in their midst.
They’d learn Connor’s prayers were the last things that would harm them.
“I’ll drink to that,” Cade said, ending the awkward pause by lifting his glass in toast.
“And to love,” Elyse added, “wherever we find it.”
“To Philip,” Joseph finished. “May our last, lost friend return safely.”
They clinked crystal rims and sipped. Connor admired the way Elyse’s guardians kissed her flushed cheeks from either side. Suddenly, the place felt like home to him—no matter how far they were from that.
Home is where I have beings to love, he thought. That had been his truth from the beginning.
Iksander wagged his head. “I still can’t believe I screwed up our arrival date.”
“Maybe you didn’t,” Georgie said. “Maybe today was the perfect time. If you’d returned before your friends, who knows if Elyse and the Arcadiuses would have saved those young people?”
“Yes,” Elyse agreed, mischief lighting her pretty eyes. “I like being a heroine. Georgie will too. We humans are practically rock stars here these days.”
“Don’t forget threesomes,” Cade interjected. “I won’t claim they’re universally accepted, but at least we broke the ice.”
“Fine,” Iksander surrendered. “I defer to your judgment on my screwup.”
Arcadius sat back thoughtfully in his chair, his hand gently rubbing Elyse’s shoulder. “You’ve changed. I think I like this more humble you.”
Arcadius was more deadpan than this double. Connor couldn’t tell if he were joking.
“The ‘more humble’ me is obliged,” Iksander drawled. “Just for that, I won’t deputize you to handle my mother tomorrow.”
“The valide sultana has bloomed in your absence,” Elyse informed him, her teasing unconcealed. “You might find her too busy to be handled. You certainly won’t find her much in the harem. With the challenges the city faced and half your officials trapped in stone, it seemed wise to give her a job or two.”
“Or two?” Iksander repeated, rubbing his jaw in shock.
“She’s good at taking charge. I’m not sure you’ll wrest those particular duties back.”
“You have a mother!” Connor exclaimed happily. “I haven’t met one of those before—not as a lover anyway. That will be exciting.”
“Oh God,” Iksander said, his sun-kissed skin paling.
Elyse found this hilarious. Once she’d recovered her breath from laughing, she turned to Connor and Georgie. “Don’t worry. The sultana is a likeable harridan. And a sucker for affection.”
“We can do affection. Georgie and I mostly liked Luna.”
“I guess we did,” Georgie said. Though she smiled at Connor, her eyes misted. He suspected she was remembering her role in Luna’s death. “For a while anyway.”
“I guess that’s a story for another night,” Elyse said kindly. “You two are planning to stay, aren’t you?”
Connor wondered that as well. Georgie turned to Iksander. Their gazes communicated, probably something to do with their disagreement over the empress’s punishment.
I don’t want to leave, Connor thought. I want you to forgive him.
He didn’t say so aloud. Georgie’s fate was hers to choose without pressure. She’d admitted she loved Iksander. That would count in her decision.
“That depends,” she said, causing him and Iksander to brace slightly, “on how long your glorious sultan wants us around.”
Iksander’s smile spread like honey across his handsome face. “In that case, you and Connor will be here a long, long time.”
# # #
Like paranormal romance? Have a peek at the opening for Hidden Talents, the start of my HIDDEN world stories.
WEREWOLF COP ADAM PROTECTS and serves the supes in Resurrection—but that’s not all. He also looks out for unsuspecting human Talents who wander in from Outside.
Telekinetic Ari is just such a wanderer. She’s hot on the trail of a crime boss who wants to exploit her gift for his own evil ends, a mission that puts her on a collision course with the hottest cop in the RPD.
Adam wants the crime boss too, but mostly he wants Ari. She’s the mate he’s yearned for all his life . . . though getting a former street kid into bed with the Law could be his toughest case to date.
“Hidden Talents is the perfect package of supes, romance, mystery and HEA!”—paperbackdolls.com
~