Page 49 of Releasing the Djinn
His words felt like a shot to the gut, but Nadira did not relent. "Don't you dare try to put this on me. If you would have just told me-"
"If you would have just trusted me," he countered with a snarl.
"Trust you?! How can I just blindly have faith when you tell me nothing? How dare you even say that?" Tears threatened to choke her words but Nadira savagely pushed them away as she pointed at him. "I'm already the fool for you. I love you so much and it makes no sense. I love you despite you betraying and attacking me. I love you even though we aren't even the same species. I love you even though you have the power to snap your fingers and make me forget that you ever existed if you decide you have had enough playing house with me."
"I would never do that to you." The intensity in his bright gaze and the heaviness of his solemn words crumbled the wall of her pride with one fell blow.
Sinking to the bed, Nadira sat wilted with her legs folded underneath her. She didn’t want to argue, and she didn't want his anger, she just wanted to understand and reach a common ground together. "I'm sorry I put on the stone. I shouldn't have run away."
His eyes narrowed at her words, and he turned to look out the windows in their room towards the dark sea beyond. "The stone? Was that how you hid from me?"
Nadira hung her head at his words. When he said it like that, it made it sound so much worse. "Yes. The first time it happened was purely accidental. But this time I just wanted-"
"To leave me," he bit out savagely. Idrak didn't even turn to look at her. Still facing the window, his hands were clenched into fists, his claws digging into his palms.
Her gaze sat longingly on his muscled bare back, willing him to turn and look at her again.
"I thought you were trying to hurt me," she explained. Couldn’t he see this from her point of view? Wouldn’t anyone think the same thing?
"Trust me, I should," he muttered bluntly.
Choosing to ignore that statement for the sake of progress, she thought of the stone. "I think after I released you, you must have wished to never see the stone again or something. At least I think that's what I think happened. That could be why when I put it on, you could not see me."
"Mmm, that makes sense," he said thoughtfully as he turned from the window. "I can't tell you how many times the slip up of that phrase has gotten me in trouble over the years."
Nadira felt a tremulous glimmer of hope at that and decided to grasp onto her chance. Scooting forward on the bed until she was at the foot of it, closing the distance between them she gave him a pleading look. "I don't want to fight anymore."
For a long while, Idrak said nothing. He just stared down at her past the bridge of his nose, his empty white eyes shining imperiously at her. Eventually, his chest rose and fell with a grumbling sigh that vibrated the air around them. "Neither do I."
Sweet relief flooded her bloodstream. Reaching for his hand, she wrapped her fingers through his and felt her heart quicken when he responded, allowing his fingers to close over hers in return.
"I want to hear it from you," she began. "What are the marks on your skin and the ones I cannot see on mine?"
Indignation flashed in his eyes, but he did not let go of her hand. "If you think I'm going to let this drop completely, then you-"
Irritation so hot and fierce sparked to life within her and she reacted before her brain could stop her. With a quickness, neither one of them knew she possessed she grabbed the base of one of his beautiful black horns and yanked him forward, cutting his words off with a startled growl. Pulling him to face level, she gave him a furious look.
"It has been dropped," she said firmly, "and you will tell me, Idrak. I'm tired and I have been through too much tonight to have even one more shred of patience, I want the truth."
Grumbling something under his breath he obliged her. Sinking onto the bed beside her, they both sat face to face.
"At the very beginning of your grandmother owning the necklace, she would only wear the necklace occasionally, but one time for whatever reason she wore it to the ocean on some sort of cruise, I believe."
"I remember that." The cruise had been won in some sort of contest at her community center. "She was so excited about that cruise too, I think she went to Jamaica and a few other little islands."
"Mmm," Idrak nodded, "and during so she dropped the damn stone into the water."
"Oh no!" Nadira jerked back.
"Oh yes," he groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "As soon as the stone touched the water Calypso, the goddamn witch of the seven seas found me immediately. She thanked me for watching after her bastard son and then gave me the spell she promised me that day, long ago, to shield me from all future warlocks."
Sinking down beside him, she didn’t resist the urge of letting a hand trail down the hard muscled striations of his flanks. "But that's a good thing, right?"
"Yes, Calypso did exactly as she promised and then returned the stone back to your grandmother's belongings—with me still trapped inside."
"Oh," her voice dropped in disappointment.
"The evil witch said releasing me was never a part of our bargain but told me to be patient, because she saw something in my future."
