As You Desire (12 page)

The sun was slipping behind the dense foliage of the forest and Lona vaguely wondered how much time had gone by. A branch brushed against her leg, snagging the material of her sundress, but she kept walking.

There was somewhere she had to be.
Lona shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
What was she doing out here in the woods all alone?
Never mind, there’s some place I have to be.
She kept walking, one foot in front of the other, weaving through the trees with a sense

of purpose and direction she didn’t understand.
Think, Lona…remember.
She’d been staring at the lake, thinking about Rafi’s reaction to her ‘
Now I remember what

The admission had caught her off guard, too, and her suggestion to swim had been the perfect way to break up the heavy silence that had followed. Once Rafi had left, she’d been lulled by the beauty of the spot to sit down and watch the water ripple towards her. She’d been replaying every single erotic detail of making love to Rafi with the birds singing in her ear, when…

Lona frowned.
Why couldn’t she remember?
Twilight had taken over and a hush had fallen over the woods. She felt like she was the

only person around for miles. Her head ached, the throbbing amplified with each step she took. Finally the trees thinned, revealing the back of the huge estate where the High Council convened.

What am I doing here?
Lona walked forward, unconcerned.
This was where she was supposed to be.

She waited behind a large oak tree for the tall guard to stride by. When he was out of eyesight, she ran to the wooden door she knew would be unlocked. Her hand closed around the metal handle and she pulled it forward. She froze as the old door creaked, waiting to see if someone would appear.

Reassured, she stepped inside the dim hallway, absent-mindedly noticing the doors with bars for windows as she strode steadily forward.
She was in the prison quarters, not the holding cell floor where she’d been kept.
A frisson of fear snaked around her heart.
This is so very wrong.
And yet she couldn’t stop walking—she was compelled to keep moving to the last door on the right. A sheen of sweat broke out on her brow, but she wasn’t hot…no, she was ice cold as she stopped in front of her final destination.
Don’t, Lona…
She couldn’t stop herself from stretching on her tiptoes to peer between the bars into the cell. Her heart began to race as two rings of purple light grew brighter and the shadows within the small space grew smaller. She knew whose face would be illuminated as the lazy smile she’d seen in her nightmares came into view.
Rue!
“Hello, Lona. It’s so nice to see you. It’s been a long time.”
Rue laughed and the crazed sound echoed within the tiny chamber where he was being held.
No, dear God, no! I hate you!
Her lips moved, but she couldn’t give voice to the thought racing through her mind.
Rue flexed his hands with a hiss of pain.
“How I wish I could just touch your hand. I’ve missed the softness of your skin.”
Lona’s blood recoiled in her veins as she stared at him. She shuddered, imagining his lips pressed to her palm. He looked so haggard and run-down she hardly recognised him as the man of power and wealth he’d once been, but his eyes… Those cold, calculating eyes were exactly the same.
“Do you know why you’re here, Lona?”
“To help you escape.”
A parrot.
She sounded like a parrot, but trying to say anything else tightened the mind-numbing vice around her head.
“Yes, to help me escape. Do you know how you’re going to do that?”
Lona blinked and nodded as Rue’s plan unfolded in her mind. She lifted both hands and stuck them through the bars, her palms facing in Rue’s direction. He needed her to help him break free of the magical bonds around his wrists.
“I want you to concentrate now, Lona. Concentrate on me…on giving me all of your energy.”
Please, someone has to help me.
The guard.
She could hear the sound of heavy footsteps getting closer.
“Do it now, Lona. Just relax your mind to the sound of my voice…that’s it. Let me take complete control.”
His rough voice invaded her mind, clouding her judgement and making it hard to hear her own thoughts.
She couldn’t remember why what Rue requested was a bad idea.
It was what she was supposed to do.
No!
Her soul cried out against the evil claiming her, draining her of her strength. Lona resisted him with everything she had within her and was rewarded with the sound of Rue’s sharp groan of pain.
Her eyes widened as a crimson rivulet of blood dribbled from Rue’s nose.
He’s weak and I’ve just hurt him.
The comforting thought was short-lived as razor sharp tendrils of pain squirrelled into her cranium.
“You
will
do this.”
Lona moaned as the knives poking at her temples dug in a little deeper.
She would do this.
The heavy footsteps in the hallway grew louder as she focused all her thoughts and energy on Rue’s escape. A whimper of relief escaped her lips as the agony in her head lessened.
She was so tired.
There wasn’t much more to give.
There would be nothing left of her…nothing left of he—
“We did it, Lona!”
Lona slumped to the floor, exhausted.
She was so cold. Her eyelids were so heavy but she kept them open with sheer willpower.
She would not give in to the darkness…not yet.
“Lona?”
She didn’t even look up as Rue opened his cell door, pushing her body out of the way with the weight of the door. He crouched down beside her and Lona shivered with disgust as he stroked her cheek with his finger.
“This took more out of you than I anticipated. I am sorry for that.” Rue stroked her hair. “I could save you. Just nod your head and I’ll take you with me. After one healing session, you’ll feel better.”
Lona stared at him, her breathing laboured and slow. Even nodding her head seemed like too much of a task, even had she been inclined to do so.
“I don’t see a nod.”
And you won’t, you bastard.
Rue shrugged. “Never mind. I planned to take you along with me no matter what. I kinda liked the way things worked between us.” He paused, listening to the jingle of keys somewhere around the corner. “We must hurry now. The guard will be down this end of the hallway any second.”
No!
Rage boiled up within Lona, making her entire body shake as she opened her mouth.
“No!”
Rue blanched in the face of her sharp cry. He jumped to his feet, cursing as he bent down to lift her up.
“Nooo!” She would rather die than have him take her—death would be better than being kept under his control.
“I should kill you for this!” Rue hissed once she was in his arms.
He crushed her body against his as Lona closed her eyes.
She didn’t have the strength to fight him anymore.
“Stop!”
Lona’s eyes flickered open to see a guard rushing forward and his voice sounded so far away as Rue lifted his hand and sent a blast of raw power down the hall. She squeezed her eyes shut, cringing as Rue laughed.
There was a heavy thud along with a grunt of pain and she didn’t have to see to know that the guard had fallen. Her head jostled against Rue’s smelly shirt as he hurried towards the door she’d entered through unseen. Once he walked through it, Lona knew she’d never see Rafi or anyone else she knew ever again.
Rue would make sure of it.
There was no one to help her.
Rue was in complete control of the situation—soon he’d be in complete control of her again.
A piercing blast of light penetrated her eyelids with an accompanying wave of heat.
“Put her down, Rue.”
Each word felt like a nuclear blast of pure fury.
Rafi!
“My, my, my… There must be something in the water around here. First Vander and now look at
you,
getting so territorial with these females.”
Lona barely groaned as she was unceremoniously dropped to the floor, too dazed to react to Rue’s harsh treatment. Her eyelids flickered upwards to see Rafi and Maurelle with their palms outstretched, ready for battle.
“Your abilities have weakened, Rue. Don’t take this any further.” Maurelle’s lyrical voice was calm and steady, as if she were talking to a wayward child.
Rue gave a hard laugh.
“There’s no way out of here. So let’s make this easy.”
The sound of Rafi’s voice brought tears to Lona’s eyes. Whether she lived or died now seemed not to matter, as long as he was near her.
“You know nothing in this life of ours is easy, but I never minded the hard stuff as long as I’m calling the shots.”
“You’ve got three seconds to drop your hands and surrender, Rue.”
Rafi’s voice was deceptively quiet, but Lona could sense the rage rolling off him in waves.
“Surrender? That’s all I’ve done since becoming a Djinn. Aren’t you sick of surrendering your life for the good of the Brotherhood?” Rue scoffed in the silence that followed his question. “Don’t bother answering… I can see it in your eyes.”
“You’re a disgrace to the Djinn Brotherhood.”
Lona wouldn’t have recognised the menacing tone of Rafi’s voice if she hadn’t been staring him in the face.
“Yeah, well, at least I’m not pretending I give a damn about it.”
“You can’t overpower both of us.” Maurelle’s soft voice was edged with anger.
“I don’t plan to. I’m sure Lona’s got enough reserve left in her to help me through that door. It’s amazing, isn’t it? How her unusual gift can heighten my own.”
Rafi took a step closer. “If you do that again, you’ll kill her.”
“Don’t come any closer.” Rue clucked his tongue. “She’s stronger than you think. Try to stop me and I’ll kill her on purpose.”
Lona moaned as Rue directed one palm towards her. She could feel what was left of her draining away as the bracelets around Rue’s wrists began glowing brighter. He was gaining strength from her to use against Rafi and Maurelle and there was nothing she could do to stop him.
She watched in horror as Rue slung a ball of blue light that went whizzing by her. It hurtled forward, heading directly for Maurelle.
No!
Lona tried to sit up as Rafi jumped in front of Maurelle, taking the energy hit himself. She screamed, fully expecting him to fall to his knees.
Rafi stumbled but stepped forward, unleashing an animalistic roar of rage that filled the hallway and made Lona flinch. She covered her face as Rue was struck by two blinding balls of blue light in the centre of his chest. He didn’t have time to react before Maurelle followed suit, hitting him with two white spheres of light that shifted, growing larger and larger until he was immersed within the glowing, pulsating bubble.
Rue howled and screamed as his body began to slowly disintegrate, until Lona could see through him. She longed to close her eyes, but she couldn’t look away from the brilliant vortex spinning faster and faster until Rue disappeared in a swirling mass of particles enveloped in light and wind.
He’s dead.
The knowledge and relief coursing through her body gave her the strength to lift her head in Rafi’s direction. She wanted to see his face up close once more. She longed to feel his touch upon her face one more time.
I’m dying.
She tried to say the words as he rushed to her side, lifting her up into his strong arms. Her mouth opened to try to tell him again, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was too busy asking Maurelle how to help her.
It’s too late.
Lona could feel her heartbeat slowing down.
Using what energy she had left, Lona lifted her hand to touch Rafi’s chin.
There…finally, he was looking at her with those gorgeous brown eyes she loved so much.
“Rafi…”
I’m dying.
The last two words were suddenly too hard to say and she was so very tired.
Her eyelids fluttered closed as her heart slowed down even more.
“Nooo!”
She felt Rafi’s arms tighten around her, his deep voice full of anguish.
You saved me, Rafi.
She wished she could tell him it was okay.
She wished—

Rafi could feel Lona slipping away from him and it broke him in half. With all his abilities he couldn’t save her.
“Damn it, Lona, don’t you do this to me!”
Her entire body trembled in his arms as he looked at Maurelle.
“I’m taking her back to my beach house.”
He didn’t wait to see if the other Djinn was following him as he transported Lona back to his own bedroom. The light on the nightstand came on with a silent command as he gently laid Lona on the bed. Ignoring the shooting pain in his head, he raised his hand in Lona’s direction, using magic again to replace her sodden sundress with a teal chemise.
Rafi pulled up the duvet, tucking it around her body while keeping a close eye on the unsteady rise and fall of her chest. Her eyelashes looked impossibly long and so dark against her uncharacteristically pale cheeks.
Live!
Lona, don’t go.
Please…live.
He pushed her with his mind, sending her the message over and over until his head throbbed as much as his chest. A trickle of blood ran from his nose and he wiped it with the back of his hand, noticing for the first time that Maurelle was standing quietly by his side.
“You can’t mentally push her any more, Rafi, without bringing harm to yourself.” Maurelle reached up to touch his shoulder.
“I don’t care!” He pulled away from Maurelle and fell to his knees beside the bed. “If she dies, it won’t matter what happens to me.”
Rafi took Lona’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips to kiss her fingers.
“Lona needs you to live, too.”
Rafi turned his face towards Maurelle, not surprised by the confirmation that she could read his thoughts.
“She’s holding on, but if you’re not there when she opens her eyes…”
Rafi knew she was right. He needed to keep it together, no matter the outcome, for Lona’s sake. If—no,
when
she opened her eyes, he would be there for her.
The surge of adrenaline that had been keeping him on a razor’s edge dissipated, making him realise just how much pain he was in. His entire body felt like it was being stripped with a cheese grater.
“She’s so cold.”
“You should lie with her—she needs your body heat and to know you’re close by. I could stay until you’ve had some rest.”
Rafi glanced away from Lona to look at Maurelle. The concern on her face sent another wave of fatigue through him.
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Maurelle nodded. “Then I will go. I’ll let Niri know what has happened, so that she can come and check on you both. Elfin medicine is best in these types of scenarios.”
These types of scenarios…
The female Djinn’s choice of words rattled around in his head.
“You don’t think she’ll make it through this, do you?”
“The human spirit is perhaps the most powerful spirit of all.” Maurelle turned her face to stare at Lona. “She’s still with us and each breath she takes will make her stronger. You being with her will make her stronger.”
It wasn’t a definite answer, but it made Rafi feel better.
“Rest now, Rafi. I shall return as well to see how you both fare.”
“Thank you for showing me where Rue was being held and helping me defeat him, Maurelle.”
“It was the right thing to do.” Maurelle held his gaze without blinking. “I won’t forget how you stepped between me and a glowing sphere of pure pain, either.”
Rafi shrugged.
It had been the right thing to do.
Maurelle smiled as her form began to shimmer. “Rest, Rafi.”
Her voice faded with the rest of her body, leaving Rafi alone in the room.
He stood, stripped and walked to the other side of the bed to slip between the sheets. Moving closer to Lona, he leaned up on one arm to caress her hair spilling out all over his pillow.
She was so still.
Rafi wished she’d open her eyes for just a moment.
Yeah, well, genies don’t get to make any wishes.
He froze as Lona’s eyelids began to flutter.
“R—Rafi?”
Joy of unparalleled heights soared through him as Lona struggled to open her eyes. “Shh! I’m here. Just rest, I’m here.”
She seemed comforted by his words. Her eyelashes once again rested on her cheeks as she drifted back to sleep.
Rafi caressed her face as his heart unwound a notch.
She was going to be all right. He couldn’t accept anything but the best possible outcome. No way was he going to suffer again through the anguish of losing the woman he loved.
Rafi paused, the full brunt of his feelings concerning Lona coming into crystal-clear focus. His finger slipped across Lona’s cheek to outline her lips.
Love?
Lona turned onto her side and Rafi scooted even closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Her soft curves fitted his body perfectly.
She fits me perfectly.
But love?
Yes.
Rafi closed his eyes, exhaustion pulling at him from all sides. He took in a few deep breaths, struggling to relax his mind and body.
“I love you, Lona,” he whispered against her hair.
He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.