Page 37 of When Monsters Rise
Chapter17
RUE
Jilyanawas the woman from the dreams thatI’dhad while in theGoldenCity.Thedetails were fuzzy, but her face, not thatIsaw it, was familiar.
Thiswas the djinn who’d betrayedShem.He’dbelieved her to be human and fallen in love with her.Butbefore that…beforeanyof that, she’d been in love withMichael.Thecelestial had handed her over to theDominionwhen he discovered her true nature.He’dbetrayed her for his duty.Forpower, no doubt, just as he betrayed us.ApatternIshould have considered, but he’d fooled me completely.
Hadhe fooledJilyanatoo?Luredher into a trap and handed her over to theDominion?Theway she’d attacked him at the mall…Therewas rage there and justifiably so.
Shestared at me, her amber eyes scrutinizing me as if searching for something.
Shemplaced himself between us, shielding me with his body so thatIhad to peer around his bicep to see her.
Shewas tall and regal, emanating power.Ishould have been afraid, butIwasn’t. “Youwere in my dream.”
Shesmiled at me. “Youremember.”
“Don’tlook at her!”Shemsnapped atJilyana. “Youspeak only to me.”
Jilyana’ssmile fell. “Youwere always so protective,Shemyaza.”Hergaze flicked back to me. “Butyou have no cause to worry.Imean your human no harm.”
“Idon’t believe you,”Shemreplied.
“Liar,” she said. “YouknowIspeak the truth.”
Hisjaw clenched. “Idon’t know anything about you.EverythingIbelieved to be true was proven to be a lie.Youlied to me, andIfailed to hear it.”
Herthroat bobbed. “I’msorry.IfI’dhad a choice…Itmatters not.Whatis done is done.Wemust move forward.”
“Youcan start by explaining how you got into the mall,”Sarqsaid.
“IfollowedRue,” she replied. “Onceshe helped me escape theGoldenCity.”
“What?”Shemlooked from me toJilyana.
Whatwas she talking about. “Ididn’t help her escape.I…Ididn’t…”
“Yes, you did,”Jilyanasaid. “Althoughyou probably don’t recall it.Itwill come back to you now thatIexist fully on this plane.”
Animage flashed in my mind.Asmall square room with no windows or doors, every inch of wall, floor, and ceiling covered in runes.Thedream…She’dbeen trapped there. “Theyhad you trapped inside a cage of runes.”
“Notmy first prison, but certainly my most elaborate.TheDominionheld me captive one way or another for decades.Yousee, the divine light closed off the doorway to my world a long time ago, but there was a window through which some of us were able to pass.Ispent much time among humans, playing at being human.Ienjoyed their company.ImetMichaelduring one of my sojourns.Hewas playing human too.Wefell in love…at leastIthought we did, but whenIshared my truth with him, he revealed his identity and betrayed me.Hegave me to theDominion.Theyshould have passed me to the higher echelon to send me home,Iknow that now, but they kept me.Theytold me lies.Theyset conditions for my return.”
“Theyasked you to trickShem.”
“Yes.Theyasked me to make him fall in love with me.Totrust me and open his heart and mind to me so thatIcould possess him.Theytold me that destroying theMorningstarwas theonlyway for me to go home.Theonly way to open the doorways kept locked by the divine being.”
Opensome doorways for sure.Thebastards.
“Andyou believed them?”Shemasked incredulously.
“Yes.Idid.Andwhen it was all said and done, they did not send me home.”
“Ofcourse they didn’t,”Sarqsneered. “Thedoors to the djinn realm are sealed byGodhimself.Onlyhe can open them.”
Somethingabout her story wasn’t clicking. “TheDominioncouldn’t send you back to your world, but why did they have you locked away in a room covered in runes?Whynot just let you go?”
Hereyes were pools of sadness. “Becausewhen theMorningstarshattered…when the fragments were propelled out of their haven and into this world, one fragment made its home inside me.”
