conviction. Maybe it was just that it felt so good to be talking to someone. Anyone. Even one of these fearsome elementals. Until that moment, she hadn’t even realized how lonely she’d been, how desolate. She’d made busywork for herself so she could try to ignore how the universe seemed to have forsaken her. That same inner voice taking on a fierce note, she told herself, He’s a djinn. His people destroyed the world.
Well, to be fair, they’d destroyed humanity. The world itself looked as if it was doing just fine.
“That is unfortunate,” he said. His lips tightened for a second, and then he added, “We are not all like that.”
You could have fooled me, Madison thought, but she didn’t reply immediately. For whatever reason, he’d helped her, and pointing out the murderous qualities of his fellow djinn didn’t seem like the best way of staying on his good side. “I guess not,” she said after a pause he must have noticed.
He didn’t comment, however, but only gave a small lift of his shoulders. Then he said, clearly changing the subject, “What is your name?”
“Madison. Madison Reynolds.”
An expression of confusion passed over his face. “Madison? This is a woman’s name? I have not heard it before.”
She allowed herself a grim chuckle. “Well, it didn’t used to be a girl’s name. It was supposed to be a joke in an ’80s romantic comedy movie, but enough people didn’t get the joke that it sort of became a real name.”
Now he looked even more puzzled, his brows creasing as he attempted to make some sense of what she’d just told him.
Relenting, she said, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. What’s your name?”
“I am Qadim al-Syan.”
The obviously Middle Eastern sound of the name surprised her somewhat, but she supposed it made some sense. The djinn had first appeared in that part of the world, or at least it was in ancient Arabia and its environs that those legends had originally surfaced. “Can I call you Qadim, or do you prefer the whole thing?”
A sudden light entered his eyes, and he almost smiled. “Qadim is fine. And is it also fine that I call you Madison?”
“Sure.”
He paused then, watching her so closely that she could feel a flush rise to her cheeks. It wasn’t that she detected anything leering or inappropriate in his gaze, only that she wasn’t used to being subjected to that kind of scrutiny. His next question was innocuous enough, however. “Are you hungry? Should I bring you something to eat?”
Maybe it would be a good idea to eat something to cushion the ibuprofen, but Madison knew her appetite had fled for the moment. She realized then how tired she was, how much she ached all over. Crazy as it might sound, what she really wanted to do was sleep. Normally, her survival instincts would have been screaming at her not to let her guard down, even for a second, but it seemed she had done her best to convince herself that Qadim didn’t mean her any harm. Otherwise, why would he have gone to the trouble of setting her shoulder and making sure she was settled in a comfortable bed?
Anyway, giving herself some time to rest was just good sense. She wouldn’t be able to accomplish much of anything — including getting herself away from here, if given the opportunity — with the way she felt right now.
“I’m not really that hungry,” she replied, and tried to ignore the flicker of disappointment in his eyes. “Is it all right if I just rest for a while?”
“Of course. It would be good for you to sleep, I think. I will check on you in a few hours, when it would be time for the evening meal. You can tell me then if you are ready to eat anything.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded, then got up from his chair. The briefest of hesitations, as if he’d intended to say something else. But it seemed he thought better of it, because he only offered her another nod before he went to the door of the suite and let himself out.
For a long
Well, to be fair, they’d destroyed humanity. The world itself looked as if it was doing just fine.
“That is unfortunate,” he said. His lips tightened for a second, and then he added, “We are not all like that.”
You could have fooled me, Madison thought, but she didn’t reply immediately. For whatever reason, he’d helped her, and pointing out the murderous qualities of his fellow djinn didn’t seem like the best way of staying on his good side. “I guess not,” she said after a pause he must have noticed.
He didn’t comment, however, but only gave a small lift of his shoulders. Then he said, clearly changing the subject, “What is your name?”
“Madison. Madison Reynolds.”
An expression of confusion passed over his face. “Madison? This is a woman’s name? I have not heard it before.”
She allowed herself a grim chuckle. “Well, it didn’t used to be a girl’s name. It was supposed to be a joke in an ’80s romantic comedy movie, but enough people didn’t get the joke that it sort of became a real name.”
Now he looked even more puzzled, his brows creasing as he attempted to make some sense of what she’d just told him.
Relenting, she said, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. What’s your name?”
“I am Qadim al-Syan.”
The obviously Middle Eastern sound of the name surprised her somewhat, but she supposed it made some sense. The djinn had first appeared in that part of the world, or at least it was in ancient Arabia and its environs that those legends had originally surfaced. “Can I call you Qadim, or do you prefer the whole thing?”
A sudden light entered his eyes, and he almost smiled. “Qadim is fine. And is it also fine that I call you Madison?”
“Sure.”
He paused then, watching her so closely that she could feel a flush rise to her cheeks. It wasn’t that she detected anything leering or inappropriate in his gaze, only that she wasn’t used to being subjected to that kind of scrutiny. His next question was innocuous enough, however. “Are you hungry? Should I bring you something to eat?”
Maybe it would be a good idea to eat something to cushion the ibuprofen, but Madison knew her appetite had fled for the moment. She realized then how tired she was, how much she ached all over. Crazy as it might sound, what she really wanted to do was sleep. Normally, her survival instincts would have been screaming at her not to let her guard down, even for a second, but it seemed she had done her best to convince herself that Qadim didn’t mean her any harm. Otherwise, why would he have gone to the trouble of setting her shoulder and making sure she was settled in a comfortable bed?
Anyway, giving herself some time to rest was just good sense. She wouldn’t be able to accomplish much of anything — including getting herself away from here, if given the opportunity — with the way she felt right now.
“I’m not really that hungry,” she replied, and tried to ignore the flicker of disappointment in his eyes. “Is it all right if I just rest for a while?”
“Of course. It would be good for you to sleep, I think. I will check on you in a few hours, when it would be time for the evening meal. You can tell me then if you are ready to eat anything.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded, then got up from his chair. The briefest of hesitations, as if he’d intended to say something else. But it seemed he thought better of it, because he only offered her another nod before he went to the door of the suite and let himself out.
For a long
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