drove it right through Clay’s gut. Martine screamed. I remember that — her screaming like some chick from a horror movie or something. The lead djinn went for her then.”
“He killed her, too?” Zahrias asked. If someone didn’t know him very well, they probably would have said he was showing no reaction at all to Aidan’s story. But his dark eyes glittered, even though the rest of his features remained still, and I could see the way he was forcing himself to keep from responding. If he’d had the full use of his powers, no doubt he would have been surrounded by a veritable inferno of virtual flames showing his anger.
“No.” Aidan shifted on the bed, his head falling backward slightly, as if the strain of sitting up was beginning to take its toll on him. “The djinn grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. She was still screaming bloody murder and beating on his back, but it didn’t seem to faze him at all. He just laughed and said he’d take her as payment for our trespassing. This all happened in less than a minute, you know? I guess I was sort of in shock, but right then I started to yell at him, to tell him to put her down. He just kind of smiled at me, then said, ‘Give Lilias my love.’ And then that sword came up again, but this time he used it to slice up my face. It hurt like — well, I don’t know what it hurt like, because I’d never felt anything like it before. Like fire, I guess.”
The second he’d repeated the djinn’s words — “give Lilias my love — ” she’d gone ramrod stiff, all the color draining from her face. “This djinn,” she said faintly. “Did he wear purple? Dark, dark purple?”
Aidan blinked, seeming to consider. “Yeah, I think so. You know who he is?”
In answer, she wrapped both her hands around Aidan’s. Although she had looked far more composed this morning than the last time I had seen her, now she wept again, although silently, tears tracing their way down her smooth cheeks. Incongruously, I wondered how she managed to cry without smearing any of the kohl that ringed her big dark eyes.
“I knew him…once,” she replied after a noticeable pause. “But that was a long time ago. So long that I had hoped…I’d hoped he’d forgotten.”
Forgotten what, I didn’t know for sure, although it seemed clear enough to me that Lilias and this vengeful djinn — whoever he was — had some kind of a past together. I glanced over at Jace. He was frowning slightly, but I didn’t see anything in his expression that seemed to indicate he knew Lilias’ former lover. I supposed that was possible; there were some twenty thousand or so djinn currently alive, and that was a lot of people to keep track of, even if you had many, many lifetimes in which to do it.
Zahrias, however, seemed to know exactly who had killed Clay, mutilated Aidan, and kidnapped Martine. His brows drew together, and his eyes glittered. “Well, it seems Khalim has not forgotten. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. His was never a very forgiving nature.”
At these words, Aidan shifted on the bed, jaw tight with pain. “What…you were together?”
“A long time ago,” she said again. With one hand she reached up to wipe away the tears on her cheek. It was a brusque gesture, one made in such a way that I got the impression she was angry with herself for losing control like that in front of everyone. “Long before I chose you, Aidan. You must believe that.”
“Oh, I believe it.” He leaned his head back against the pillows and shut his eyes. Whether that was from exhaustion at having to recount the story to all of us, or because he didn’t want to look at Lilias, I didn’t know. Aidan and I had talked, but not about anything personal. Just logistical sorts of things, really. I couldn’t claim to know him well, and I had no idea how much Lilias had told him of her life with the djinn before she’d come here to Taos. If I had to guess, I’d say probably not much. Why
“He killed her, too?” Zahrias asked. If someone didn’t know him very well, they probably would have said he was showing no reaction at all to Aidan’s story. But his dark eyes glittered, even though the rest of his features remained still, and I could see the way he was forcing himself to keep from responding. If he’d had the full use of his powers, no doubt he would have been surrounded by a veritable inferno of virtual flames showing his anger.
“No.” Aidan shifted on the bed, his head falling backward slightly, as if the strain of sitting up was beginning to take its toll on him. “The djinn grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. She was still screaming bloody murder and beating on his back, but it didn’t seem to faze him at all. He just laughed and said he’d take her as payment for our trespassing. This all happened in less than a minute, you know? I guess I was sort of in shock, but right then I started to yell at him, to tell him to put her down. He just kind of smiled at me, then said, ‘Give Lilias my love.’ And then that sword came up again, but this time he used it to slice up my face. It hurt like — well, I don’t know what it hurt like, because I’d never felt anything like it before. Like fire, I guess.”
The second he’d repeated the djinn’s words — “give Lilias my love — ” she’d gone ramrod stiff, all the color draining from her face. “This djinn,” she said faintly. “Did he wear purple? Dark, dark purple?”
Aidan blinked, seeming to consider. “Yeah, I think so. You know who he is?”
In answer, she wrapped both her hands around Aidan’s. Although she had looked far more composed this morning than the last time I had seen her, now she wept again, although silently, tears tracing their way down her smooth cheeks. Incongruously, I wondered how she managed to cry without smearing any of the kohl that ringed her big dark eyes.
“I knew him…once,” she replied after a noticeable pause. “But that was a long time ago. So long that I had hoped…I’d hoped he’d forgotten.”
Forgotten what, I didn’t know for sure, although it seemed clear enough to me that Lilias and this vengeful djinn — whoever he was — had some kind of a past together. I glanced over at Jace. He was frowning slightly, but I didn’t see anything in his expression that seemed to indicate he knew Lilias’ former lover. I supposed that was possible; there were some twenty thousand or so djinn currently alive, and that was a lot of people to keep track of, even if you had many, many lifetimes in which to do it.
Zahrias, however, seemed to know exactly who had killed Clay, mutilated Aidan, and kidnapped Martine. His brows drew together, and his eyes glittered. “Well, it seems Khalim has not forgotten. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. His was never a very forgiving nature.”
At these words, Aidan shifted on the bed, jaw tight with pain. “What…you were together?”
“A long time ago,” she said again. With one hand she reached up to wipe away the tears on her cheek. It was a brusque gesture, one made in such a way that I got the impression she was angry with herself for losing control like that in front of everyone. “Long before I chose you, Aidan. You must believe that.”
“Oh, I believe it.” He leaned his head back against the pillows and shut his eyes. Whether that was from exhaustion at having to recount the story to all of us, or because he didn’t want to look at Lilias, I didn’t know. Aidan and I had talked, but not about anything personal. Just logistical sorts of things, really. I couldn’t claim to know him well, and I had no idea how much Lilias had told him of her life with the djinn before she’d come here to Taos. If I had to guess, I’d say probably not much. Why
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