Page 21 of Mistaken

He only nodded, then turned and walked away down the path. Sarah knew he could have blinked himself back inside if he’d wanted to, and guessed that he, too, wished to stay outside in the bright morning for as long as he could, even if he’d decided it was a good idea to give her some time alone.

For a moment, she stood there as she watched him disappear around a corner of the house, then shook her head.

He’s an odd one,she thought.

Even for a djinn.

The fresh air had been welcome, but now Abdul found himself glad that he was back inside, and alone. He had not thought it any great thing to let Sarah out of her room and to allow her to taste a small measure of freedom, and yet — even though he was the one who had provided the clothing — he had not been prepared for the vision she presented when she emerged from her suite after he opened the door. Her hair, which had been pulled back in a tight ponytail the day before, had lain, lush and full and just the slightest bit damp, against her bare shoulders, and everything about her appeared far more polished than he’d expected, from the faint hint of cosmetics on her face to the way the red silk gown he’d supplied had seemed to caress her body, hinting at the graceful form beneath even while revealing very little.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to provide her with pretty clothes. At the time, he had only thought that he did not want to look at his prisoner in the drab, unappealing garb that humans seemed to favor. He truly hadn’t believed that a dress would have made such a transformation in the woman who’d stumbled into his sanctuary.

No, he reminded himself, she had not stumbled. She had come here with a purpose in mind, one that was directly opposed to his plans for this place. Although she seemed friendly enough…perhaps too friendly, if he wanted to put a point on it…he could never forget that her people wanted to seize this land for their own, to very likely ruin it with their buildings and their vehicles and their ravening desire to take ever more and more from this world.

He would do whatever he must to prevent that from happening.

But still, he couldn’t quite ignore how lovely she’d looked as she stood there in the morning sunshine, hair glinting with hints of copper and gold against the deeper brown, or the way she’d smiled as she watched the ducks venture into the cool waters of the pond. There was something about her that seemed far more alive than anyone else he’d ever encountered, as if she needed to drink in everything and everyone around her.

And that was without bringing her voice into the discussion. They had carefully spoken about externals and nothing more, for he had no desire to share intimacies. However, even as he listened to her speak, his mind kept moving back to the preceding afternoon when he’d heard her sing as she made her way onto the property, trained and yet effortless at the same time, like a falcon diving from a great height as it returned to its master’s arm. While he certainly could not count himself an expert, he also knew enough to understand that people did not sing in such a way without a great deal of training.

Who had she been in the world before?

He was not sure whether he would ever find the courage to ask.

Some people might have taken off the sandals, hitched up their skirt, and made a break for it anyway, but Sarah knew that wasn’t a possibility. Sooner rather than later, her feet would be bruised and bleeding from walking on the rocky ground, and she doubted there was any way in the world she could make it far enough before Abdul caught up with her.

No, she had to be careful about this. Besides, her planned rendezvous with Lindsay and Carson was coming up the next morning. When she didn’t show, they’d certainly come in search of her.

Or…would they? Not that Sarah thought they’d abandon her — at least, Lindsay wouldn’t — but it seemed much more likely that they’d return to Los Alamos for reinforcements rather than go looking for her on their own. It just made sense to be careful, especially when dealing with the unknown.

So she knew she’d be here for at least a couple more days, maybe longer. That was all right. Abdul seemed to have backed down from his plan to keep her locked in her room at all times, and she supposed there were worse fates than being confined to a gorgeous property like this one and being fed whatever she liked…and getting to wear pretty clothes, the sort of stuff that hadn’t been on her back for almost five years.

Maybe that was shallow, but after all this time scrapping and working hard and not having much beauty in her life, she thought she’d roll with it for the time being. She could think of her captivity here as being on vacation, a sort of mini-retreat. True, a retreat that was watched over by a hooded djinn who was on guard for a single misstep, but still, things could have been worse.

It wasn’t as if he’d locked her in a dungeon or something.

When she came back inside, she didn’t see him anywhere, which didn’t mean much. She hadn’t explored the whole house when she first came here, only the great room and the attached kitchen and dining area, so she thought he was probably either in his suite or maybe one of the secondary living spaces. From what she’d seen of the exterior, she guessed this place had to be at least three thousand square feet minimum, maybe a lot more.

And that meant Abdul would have plenty of places to hang out where she couldn’t see him.

Just in case this was a test of some sort, she headed back to her room, although she left the door standing open. If he preferred for her to keep it closed, then he could come along and shut it himself — and lock it, although she didn’t much see the point when he’d already made it seem as though he was all right with her coming and going as long as she stuck close to the house.

After that time spent outside, it felt a little strange to pick up the iPad and settle herself back in the chair where she’d been sitting when Abdul came along, but she told herself that it wasn’t as though she could spend all day outdoors. No, it was better to know that she could read for a while and then venture back out to the courtyard or even the pond when she felt as if she needed a break.

He didn’t allow her even that much time, though, because after some fifteen or twenty minutes had passed, he returned, pausing just outside the door rather than attempting to enter the bedroom.

“Perhaps you would like some lunch?”

At once, she set the iPad down on the table in front of her. Although the blueberry muffin he’d provided for breakfast had been amazing, all the fresh air had done its job, and now she knew she needed something a little more substantial.

“That would be great,” she said, and couldn’t help smiling. “What did you have in mind?”

Oddly, Abdul found himself more at ease with Sarah than he’d been expecting, and, rather than informing her that he’d conjure a tray of food for her, asked if she would like to have their midday meal in the courtyard.

She slanted a look up at him, expression a little startled. However, when she replied, it wasn’t to demur, as he’d halfway expected, but to ask, “Is there a place to sit down and eat out there? All I saw were those Adirondack chairs.”

“I can summon whatever we need,” he said, which was only the truth.

So she smiled, expression sunny as the day outside, and replied, “Oh, right. I need to remember that stuff. I’ve just never been around a djinn before.”

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