Page 23 of Releasing the Djinn
Scenes of her mother and father laughing and smiling as they sat at a lavish table setting passed before her eyes, changing into scenes of herself dressed in a beautiful pink and white lehenga. Pressing a hand to her stomach, Nadira steadied herself as she watched in muted shock as the human version of Idrak stood next to her as the priest officiated their union.
Shaking her head, Nadira turned away from the happy images of her family. "This is all fake," she whispered aloud. Looking down at her feet, Nadira stopped. Yes, her clothes, that was it. Whirling back around to the demon, she pointed an accusing finger at him, this time her voice held conviction. "It is fake, I am still wearing my clothes from school."
The cool expression of satisfaction he wore as she watched his fabricated wedding slip away until those odd empty eyes of his hardened. "Yes, that's right, the very same clothes you were wearing when I plucked you from the path of an oncoming vehicle this morning."
A memory of falling into the street sliced across her thoughts, causing her to wince. In that moment she had been so afraid, she remembered calling out, but she didn't think anyone had heard her. Looking back to Idrak, she shuddered at the dark penetrating look he gave her in return.
"I…" The urge to thank him sat at the tip of her tongue, but Nadira stopped herself as she thought of his words. "This morning?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly in thought as she recalled her mother's words earlier. "My mother thinks we have been married for a week or so now, and I'm presuming my father thinks the same."
"Yes, as does your sister and her husband," Idrak bragged, arrogantly lifting his chin as he slowly began to circle her. "All of your family shares the same memories of our union."
It made no sense, Nadira thought, how could everyone think they had been married and off on their honeymoon when not even a full day had passed since she argued with her parents at dinner. Casting a glowering glance at the demon circling the room, inspecting the random items here and there as if he was a visiting emperor calling upon his subject's mud hut. Nadira froze when he walked past the mirror. Tall, black, and horned, the familiar sight of the demon she knew reflected back in the shimmering surface, for some reason, the sight comforted her.
As if sensing her defenses slip, Idrak turned back to her with a large smile. "Now, let us leave."
Crossing her arms, Nadira gave the disguised demon a blistering look. "I am not coming with you, and I am not your wife."
Nadira was proud of how commanding her voice came out despite the chill that ran through her at Idrak's darkening expression. Slowly the empty black eyes began to fade away until only the bright whites of his eyes remained. Swallowing, Nadira tightened her hold on her arms to keep herself from stepping back. With his true eyes glowing white and empty at her, Nadira remembered her foolish thoughts earlier that morning. She had wanted Idrak back, despite everything he did to her, and how badly he betrayed her. She had wanted the demon back in her life. Now here he was standing in front of her and she never felt like a bigger fool until now.
"You will come with me, Nadira, or I will happily burn down this house with your parents inside," Idrak threatened, his empty white eyes brightening as they swept over her shocked face.
"Why are you doing this?" she breathed, shaken by his sudden cruelty.
His eyes narrowed. "I'm doing this for you."
"No," she shook her head, doing her best to fight the tightening in her throat as unshed tears stung her eyes. "You aren't thinking of me at all, if you were, you wouldn't threaten my family."
"Family?!" Idrak scoffed at the word. "This is no family, Nadira. Family does not starve and enslave their children." He pointed one finger towards the kitchen.
Nadira stared at the accusing finger and looked back to the demon before her. Did he realize the temperature in the room had risen with his anger or that a long black claw graced the tip of his finger?
"That…that doesn't matter, I would have found a way out myself I would have…"
"Died," he growled through two rows of sharp gritted teeth as a long reverberating snarl rattled through his chest. Seeing him transform partially like this, seeing his terrifying true features break through his human façade was frightening. "No, Nadira, I tried leaving you on your own, and I came back to see you nearly die before me."
"You came back for me?" she asked quietly, all too aware of how desperate and weak she sounded, but she could not stop from voicing the words. "Why?"
Gathering himself, his claws and razor-sharp teeth returned to his human disguise, but his void white eyes remained. "You have somehow put a hold on me, my darling Nadira, I don't quite understand it myself. I was free to fly the skies, but I could not shake your pull." Looking away from her, he turned to the living room window that overlooked their front yard. "Without you, the world seemed…lacking, and besides, you need me, so I decided I shall quench this odd need and have you for my own."
Taken aback by the heartlessness of his final words, Nadira buried her nails into the couch as she desperately tried to make him see reason through her rising panic. "You would take me out of one prison and put me in another knowing how I feel, and after I gave you your freedom?"
Her words seem to hit him like a blow to the chest and his void white eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Enough," he barked. "You will come with me or this place burns, I will not ask you again. Make your choice."
No, this was some trick. He admitted to her in the past that he had tricked people with his words before, this was just another one of them, right? Shaking her head, she stood firmly rooted to the spot behind the sofa. He would not burn her, she told herself, not if he went out of his way to save her.
Giving her a knowing smirk, Idrak snapped his fingers.
Crackling from across the room tore her attention from the demon. Stepping to the side of the couch, Nadira nearly tripped as she watched the living room drapes catch flame. Crackling heat from behind her forced her to turn around only to see bright orange flames crawling up her mother's china cabinet.
"Idrak, stop this!" she shouted, turning to find the man standing nonchalantly with both hands in his pockets, staring with bored eyes back at her.
A scream from the kitchen pierced the air. Not looking back at him, Nadira ran into the kitchen and stopped short at the wall of flames blocking her path. Terror gripped her as she watched her mother huddle in the far corner of the room, her face frozen in horror at the flames surrounding her. Searing heat licked at Nadira as she tried to get closer, but the wall of raging fire only burned higher with each attempt she made to get to her mother. Another scream from her mother rent through the air, this time laced with pain.
Crying now, Nadira turned to run back but collided into a warm body. Looking up to see Idrak's face, she grabbed him by the shirt. "Stop this now!" she screamed.
Cocking his head to the side with chilling aloofness, his glowing white eyes stared down at her. "Then tell me you are my wife, and all will be restored."
