In hindsight, pacing the carpet in Rook’s apartment was not the best decision, but since I did not trust myself to take part in the meeting below without succumbing to my temper, and with the tech in the bedroom set up to alert me to any mischief, I hadn’t really considered alternatives.
“Did you think it would take them a few minutes to decide the fate of world?” I mutter to myself, followed by a dry laugh.
I conjure myself a glass of water and force my body to sit on the arm of the sofa to drink. Out the door and one flight below me are a collection of forty Djinn and magicians. Those who heeded the call and felt compelled to add their voice to the final outcome. The others signed magical contracts drawn up by Dira overnight that bind them at their word to abide by the decisions made so long as it didn’t cause them or their loved ones harm.
Personally, no binding contract will ever sit right, whether it uses blood or not, but I understood the reasoning, so I let it go with the last caveat included. No matter what, the thought of so many powerful beings in a populated area has me on edge. Literally on the sofa edge, I suppose.
With a sigh, I send my empty glass to the sink and begin pacing again. It doesn’t feel right just sitting here while everyone decides our fate. I trust Rook and Taj, and even Leela, but what of the others? Maybe I should have gone…
I review once again in my mind the backlash that the rogue unleashed less than forty-eight hours ago. By the time I reached Rook, he’d seen the news reports of the giant that attacked Manhattan. We’d held onto each other through the night, watching the news with the rest of the human world as journalists debated whether aliens or government experimentation was a more likely culprit. Thousands across the world panicked, taking or endangering others’ lives in the certainty that it was the prophesized end times. By the time midnight rolled around, Rook had taken a call from Taj in his bedroom, and within an hour, he was back on the couch with a smirk on his face.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Watch.” Rook gestured to the television where Taj’s face appeared, interrupting the footage I’d seen a hundred times of the rogue Djinni knocking the top of a building down onto the crowds below.
“Don’t try to adjust your television. This is being broadcast on all devices across all languages,” Taj said. “My name is Taj, and I am Djinn. I’m here to bring you answers about what happened tonight. My kind has existed in the shadows for thousands of years. You’ve heard of us in popular culture and storybooks. You’ve been taught to fear us, and I’m sorry to say that jerk who attacked New York fed into that. But the truth is we don’t want to hurt anyone. We just want to live in peace. We’ve been hunted by humans for far too long but didn’t want to come out publicly because of fear. I guess the one thing he did was force us to get over it. So here we are. We use what you call magic. There are other types of magical beings as well, including humans with powers. The individual who attacked earlier was an anomaly. I guess even humans have serial killers and school shooters. Anyway, he’s been detained by us and is no longer a threat. I just wanted you all to know that we aren’t bringing the end of the world or a great war or anything like that.”
The TV flashed, sizzled, and the footage resumed. I remained speechless as Rook whooped his hands in the air and did a hip-swerving dance around the room. Soon the footage of buildings crushing innocent people was replaced by visions of Taj’s face and more human debates.
And here we are, just over a day later, figuring out how to organize ourselves so that we can approach the leaders of humankind collectively.
As I reach for the door, unable to take another second of waiting, the knob twists, and it’s thrown open to reveal Rook, his face flushed, his aura a dizzying swell of rotating color, and his lips pinched closed. I can’t decide if he is elated or angry, and I’m about to shout at him to say something when he sweeps me up into his arms and answers me with a mind-blowing kiss that melts away all the anxiety I’ve built up over the past several hours.
I barely recall where I am as he releases me to slip down onto my own two feet. Then it all rushes back as he bursts into a mile-wide grin.
“I take it things went well,” I say, unable to keep from matching his enthusiasm.
“Better than I could’ve imagined,” he says, taking my hand and leading me over to the sofa as the door softly shushes shut.
“Tell me.”
“There is a new magical governing board. It’s got elected positions that rotate every four years, sort of like the American system. Taj refused to call it a council, so we’re dubbing it the OEM, Order of Elected Magic. Of course, he’s the president. Dira is vice-president. They wanted to nominate you, but we respected your decision to stay out of politics.”
I narrow my eyes, recognizing the glint in his. “Do I detect a ‘but’?”
He laughs, a deep and musical sound that makes it difficult to stay suspicious. “You’ve been appointed a very special position.”
Before I register what’s happening, I stand and open my mouth to argue. Rook holds up a hand to stop my tirade before it starts.
“Don’t worry. It’s something I think you’ll like, and if not, you can respectfully decline.”
I cock my hip and fold my arms. “Go on.”
“Really, there are two positions that would fall under the heading of security. One is what we’re calling the Monitor, and the other is the Enforcer. I’m the Monitor.”
Understanding dawns, and I relax my stance. “Then we’d be working together?”
Rook nods, watching me carefully for a reaction.
“Enforcer.” I roll the word around, liking the feel of it. “Yeah, that’s kind of badass.”
“The way you handled the rogue the other night, well, that took some quick thinking and skill. You really found a balance between physical force, mental acuity, and kindness. If you don’t mind my saying so, Mira, the story was pretty hot. I wish I’d been there.”
I smile as he pulls me down to the couch with him, and I straddle his lap, letting my hair shield our faces. “I don’t ever mind you saying I’m hot.”
I brush my lips against his in a tease as we nuzzle our noses together. I slide my palm down the center of his chest, but he sets a hand on mine, halting me.
“One more thing first.”
I groan, letting my hand slip to the waistband of jeans so that I can at least enjoy his ragged breathing as he continues talking.
“I thought you should know that Leela and Jered have important roles too. They’ll be the public faces of the magical community. They’re perfect, a family unit representing Djinn, magician, and hybrid.”
I sit up straight. “Isn’t that dangerous? What if some whack job thinks they’re spawn of the devil or some shit and goes after them?”
Rook takes my face in his hands. “Then it’s even more important that we do our jobs to protect them. I’m going to start setting up the equipment first thing tomorrow so that we’ll be alerted the second something happens. Don’t worry, babe. Your sister knows the risks, and we’re going to keep them safe.”
I nod and allow him to finally pull me in for the deep kiss I’d been hoping for. But even as my body responds in kind, my mind buzzes with the information he’s just given me. The whole world has changed in what feels like a moment, and Rook is excited about it.
“You’re worried,” he says, reading my thoughts, probably literally. He strokes my hair and searches with empty amber eyes.
“I don’t understand how you aren’t,” I admit.
“Of course I am. But my hope is stronger than my doubt.”
I lean into the space between his shoulder and neck, inhaling his scent. “I was a slave for over a thousand years.”
He rubs my back, slowly drawing his hands up and down my spine as I try to get the words out.
“I lost hope many times over. The hardest part was gaining it back for a brief but beautiful heartbeat. It was so difficult because the part that came after pulled me further down like a riptide each time. So when I ride that wave, high above into the swell, I know all too well what waits for me in the dark depths below.”
“Mira.” Rook takes my upper arms and pushes me upright so I can see his face. “You keep riding the waves anyway, and that’s what makes you so amazing.”
I harrumph but keep listening.
“You’ve been through things I can’t even imagine. The scariest of situations. But you are the one who ultimately came out on top.”
“What if that’s only true at the moment?” I ask, pressing my forehead to his. “What if I crash and burn worse than ever?”
“You’re mixing metaphors again,” he teases.
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Look, I can’t guarantee anything about the future. You know that, and I’m not going to pretend it’ll all be okay. But I can tell you that living each day like we’re on top and loving freely, well, that’s where happiness lives. In the moment.”
“In the moment,” I agree, leaning in once again to meet his lips. This time the kiss continues as I slide against him, feeling him grow beneath his clothes and enticingly near my center.
We tear at each other’s shirts and pants until we are bare, and he guides me down to the couch where he takes each nipple in his mouth and rotates his tongue around them until they stand erect and I squirm against him, needing more. Happy to comply, he works his mouth down over my stomach, gripping my hips firmly to hold me steady as he explores the heat between my legs, dipping his tongue into the folds of flesh and working it over the swollen nub that’s crying for attention.
“Take me,” I command.
He guides me to my knees, facing the back of the sofa and enters me from behind, rough, hard, and all at once. I growl with intense and overwhelming sensation as he fills me fully and then pulls out maddeningly slowly before filling me again.
“You’re going to torture me?” I ask, gripping the cushions before me.
In response, he places one hand over my breast and one over my clit as he begins driving inside me faster and faster, bringing me to the edge and then spilling over again and again until he too is spent and we remain a quivering mass of flesh on the couch.
“You’re incredible,” he says over my mouth.
“Ditto.” I cup his butt in my hand and squeeze, teasing him into another round.
We may have a busy day tomorrow, but right now I plan to ride the crest of this wave all night long.