Page 73 of Mistaken

“That’s good,” Lindsay said. “But…you’re really going to stay there, just like that?”

“I am,” Sarah replied. She took a step forward, and something in her expression turned almost pleading. “I know this must look crazy to you — and probably to just about anyone else. But he loves me, and I love him. In the end, what else really matters?”

Lindsay had seen that look before, on the faces of the Chosen in Santa Fe who were head over heels for their djinn partners. Hell, she’d probably worn it herself, once upon a time, back when she thought she was in love with the djinn Rafi…only to realize after he was gone that he’d probably cast a glamour on her so she’d be willing and compliant.

But there was nothing compliant about Sarah’s expression now. In fact, there was maybe just a hint of defiance in it, as if she’d known she might come up against some resistance and was now willing to fight the good fight if necessary.

Not much point in that, though, not if the object of her affection was a little something more than a djinn. He hadn’t accompanied her on this mission, true, and yet Lindsay knew that the elders could come to Los Alamos if they absolutely had to, even though being around that many of Miles’s devices was painful for them. There was no reason to think that Sarah’s otherworldly lover wouldn’t come in search of her if she was held here.

Lindsay wouldn’t do such a thing, however. Sarah Wolfe was a grown woman with her own free will, and even if other people might think she was making a foolish decision, it was hers to make.

“Do you need to go to your house and get anything?” she asked then, and something about Sarah’s stance seemed to relax.

She’d obviously guessed that Lindsay wasn’t going to throw up any roadblocks to keep her here.

“I already did,” she replied at once. “A ring that belonged to my grandmother. There’s nothing else in that house that I need.”

She stopped there, but Lindsay thought she understood. Like so many others — like herself — Sarah had run from the djinn reavers in her hometown with pretty much the clothes on her back and not a whole lot more. Some might have wondered why she hadn’t acquired some more personal possessions during her time here in Los Alamos, and yet there had always seemed to be something about her that held back despite her outer friendliness, as if she’d never truly allowed herself to become a part of the community.

Which meant she might be making a wiser choice than Lindsay had first thought.

“Then I guess all I can do is wish you good luck,” she said.

Sarah smiled then. “I already have good luck. That’s why I found Abdul. But thanks.” A pause, and she added, “Oh, and I’m going to leave the truck I’m driving at the place in La Chuachia that we used as our rendezvous point. It’s a really good truck, but I’m not going to need it after today, and I figured maybe someone here would.”

Obviously, a truck conjured by her djinn — Abdul — so Sarah could drive here in style to say her goodbyes. However, Lindsay wasn’t about to turn down the gift. While they’d done their best to switch over to electric vehicles as much as possible, they still needed to maintain a fairly sizable fleet of trucks and SUVs to do any real hauling or other heavy-duty work. Having a brand-new vehicle to add to that fleet was welcome news.

Not that a truck would ever replace Sarah, of course.

“We can definitely use it,” Lindsay said. “Thank you.”

A quick smile, and Sarah turned to go. As she was halfway out the door, however, Lindsay couldn’t help calling out a final question.

“Are we ever going to see you again?”

Sarah stopped and appeared to consider for a moment.

“I don’t know,” she said at last.

He had always known she would return to him, and yet he couldn’t ignore the leap of joy in his heart as the big black truck came rumbling down the highway. The sun had risen further as she was gone and now rode high in the clear blue sky. A mortal would perhaps have been hot as they waited here, especially if they had been garbed as he was in his black clothing, but djinn did not suffer from the heat and the cold, and neither did he.

The truck came to a stop, and Sarah climbed out. More than that — she hurried over to him as soon as she was on solid ground and threw her arms around his waist so she could hug him close.

“That’s done,” she said, and he bent down and kissed her, tasting the sweetness of her lips.

Yes, she was sweet, but sweeter still was the realization that she truly did love him, and had returned of her own volition.

“Lindsay did not try to stop you?” he asked after he ended the kiss.

Those green-blue eyes seemed purer and clearer than anything he had ever seen, clearer than the sky overhead or the rushing waters of the Rio Chama, a hundred yards or so from where they stood.

“Well, I could tell that she didn’t completely understand,” Sarah replied. “But she didn’t press me, and she didn’t call for backup to keep me there or anything like that. She had a djinn partner once — he was killed by some rebel djinn years ago — so at least she knows a little about this kind of thing, even if our situations are very different.”

Abdul knew something of the rebellion mounted by Khalim al-Usar and his followers. A messy, bloody business. It was unfortunate that Lindsay had lost her partner to that violence…but her past had also apparently provided her with enough context to understand that Sarah was only following her heart.

“Then are you ready to go home?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Very.”

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