Chapter 10
It began with a foul odor as they played Scrabble. The stench was unbearable and Samosa began to choke. Where did it come from? Was there a terrible leak somewhere? Sugar Rocks came into the study, whining and woofing, his lips were curled back. Samosa looked to Stone whose eyes lit up immediately, a shine glittered from his iris and she wasn’t sure what he could do since his powers were stripped, but anything he could do would help.
“What is it Stone?”
“Something’s not right,” he leaned down to Sugar Rocks and stared into his eyes. “What is it boy?” The dog replied in a high pitch whine and Samosa felt her own body respond. It was different. Like a jolt of electricity has just been poured into her from an unseen socket. She looked down at her nails and they grew a couple of inches-stained black. Stone looked at her and nodded.
The lights flickered. The room’s window revealed that a sudden storm was approaching- it was gusty and windy outside but very dark and a cool air passed from the window through Samosa’s bones. She stood by Stone.
Then she heard a tick-ticking noise. Like nails walking across the floor upstairs. “What is that?” She whispered loudly. “Someone’s upstairs?”
“Look.” Stone said calmly. He pointed at the window. Samosa saw what looked like moths or Cicadas, flying into the window as if they couldn’t see. The lights finally went out with a whomph and a quick beep sound. Now she could see nothing but those bugs which seemed to be illuminated from inside their thorax. They were like glow bugs but the nails clicking upstairs and the bugs flying into the window were scaring the hell out of her.
“I smell death,” Stone reported backing away from her and Sugar Rocks. “Stay down here.”
“No. I’m going up there with you.”
“Sam. Stay here. I don’t like this,” he gritted from closed teeth. Sugar Rocks let out a low growl. This time the dog stayed near her. Apparently there was a threat greater than her in this house.
________
Stone flew up the stairs, ashamed he was even scared in the first place. He was a jinni, not a scared human. Lately that was what he felt like though- human. Frail, depressed, and hopeless.When he reached the last step upstairs and saw a shadow move in his bedroom from lamp to bed and to the balcony. He knew what and who it was.
Usually the scent was not as strong and usually more…enticing, but he knew that the large shadow that bobbed at the window as if drifting on an ocean was the Grand Marid. Just as quickly, the shadow burst into pieces and the hum of the insects from around the house ceased.
“What was that?” Samosa said Sugar Rocks right alongside her. Stone looked at both of them and the lights came on, revealing a large white envelope on the bed.
He picked it up, aware that Samosa had moved to his side.
Enjoy her while you can. The stench of death is upon your woman…GM.
“GM?” Samosa shook her head confused.
“It was the Grand Marid,” Stone’s face balled into fury. “He just paid us a visit tonight. Right at home again.”
“There must be something we can do.”
“Negative,” Stone balled up the envelope with the crisp cardstock letter and tossed it across the room. With a few words he caused the wad of paper to flame to a crisp- startling Samosa and Sugar Rocks.
“I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” He took her hand and stroked the back of it across his cheek. It felt so good to have her skin on his. His purring always excited her and he did so now, watching her cheeks flush.
“You haven’t told me something very important,” she murmured.
“What is that, Kitten?” Stone fixed his eyes on Samosa’s large, dark ones. They were no longer honey colored, or that shimmering melty gold he loved. But it was still her and that’s what mattered.
“The Grand Marid. What’s his story? Who is he exactly?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Her hand forcefully slid from his and he rolled his eyes heavenward. “Will knowing that help you. Will it help us?”
“It just might.” Samosa slipped into bed and crossed her legs like a toddler awaiting story time except she was thirty and she was putting on a pout that turned him on.
“I can tell you what I have been told about him-rumors mostly, but the Grand Marid is as mysterious as they come.”
Samosa bobbed her head, ringlets of curls all over the place.
Stone began…
“There was no creation story written about the Grand Marid. One is not even sure he was ever naturally born. Jinn are fashioned from smoke and fire- none of this explains their very human-like bodies however, but the Grand Marid has been around longer than any other “living” jinn. In fact, he could very have been here since what religious leaders call “The Fall of Humanity.”
So it goes that the Grand Marid was wandering a planet, maybe earth as a wisp of spirit, perhaps inhabiting the bodies of animals and whatever creature was on earth at the time and he lived quite normal taking part in every piece of nature.
Until one day, an old man named Solomon asked his Lord for something unselfish and justified. He asked for wisdom to lead his people. The Grand Marid had kept watch over this individual’s family line for some time. Maybe he found them interesting? Who knows, but Solomon began to have such insight, he was becoming very astute and perceiving things in the heavenly realms.
It was on one dark day that Solomon “caught” a spirit creeping by his window and he went to find out what it was. In those times, what you would call OT or B.C., the word evil actually could be termed ‘ra’ and belief in the afterlife was not adequately explained in most stories.
What Solomon saw was Something from the other side- he could feel it.
He grabbed a lamp, prayed over it, blessed it and went out into the night. With the lamp he caught GM-could it have been the GM’s ancestor or him? Who knows-? He cast the Grand Marid into the sea.
For ages the GM remained in that sea until he was released. Who released him and how is a mystery.”
Stone took a deep breath and watched Samosa’s changing expression. “Solomon. Like Solomon from the bible? How can that be? I was never taught that in Sunday School. What in the world…”
Stone sat on the bed, pat her leg. “Stories, darling. Just stories I’ve heard passed around for centuries.”
“Do you think he’s human?” Samosa bit her bottom lip.
“I’m not sure. I’m not so sure what I am. I just know that I am here and that I exist.”
“I am grateful you exist, Stone. Maybe one day you can tell me the real truth of your upbringing.”
Stone cringed. Telling a tale about GM was okay since it seemed to be a tale anyway, but telling Samosa about his horrid existence before and after Cyn will have to wait. Sure when he met Samosa he shared some safe stuff with her about jinn in general. But his life was filled with unbridled sex, painful ongoing slavery, bloodshed and hate. Many jinn endure this in their lifetimes but he could not tell her. Not just yet. Maybe that was one of the reasons Korin was looking for a new faith and considering leaving the Brotherhood of jinn. He was tired of being someone’s slave.
The craving to return to Samosa’s body hit him hard: he took her arms and wrapped them about his neck and he leaned over her, towering over her. His hair fell across her chest like dark serpents sleeping there.
Her eyes widened then fell close to slits in lust as she pulled him down, nibbled his bottom lip. Then she kissed him fully on the mouth smoothing her arms down his long back, touching his chest, which began to grow tentacles.
“Tentacles already? I haven’t made a wish yet.”
“I know,” he whispered and licked her graceful neck. “I just like being with you. I get excited around you and cannot help myself.”
Samosa’s fingers tickled his penile tentacles, bursting slowly from his dark tattoo. They wiggled like worms and she squeezed one of them and plucked it into her mouth like a gummy bear and sucked
on it.
Stone swam in a mixture of danger and delight and he was shocked to hear himself mewl. But then he pulled her head back. “This here is what’s changing you.”
“You started it, Romeo.” Samosa grabbed his head down. “And I’m finishing it.”
So she finished what he started.
________
Anna White prepared a small pound cake for her ex son in law. Even though he hurt her daughter badly, so badly in fact that Anna had to pray to God to forgive herself for hating him- she somehow found the will to forgive him.
It began a month ago when she received a phone call from Lyle. He was distraught and he was crying. She asked who it was and he told her, saying he was heartsick. What a liar, she thought. But that same night she had a vision of him smiling and holding Samosa’s hand. A small, brown baby swaddled in a yellow blanket. This meant Samosa will live. And surely she would be cancer free.
The other day, Anna taken a good look at her daughter. Her hair was shiny, smelled of shampoo and she had a vitality to her that was oddly different. She didn’t look one bit sick, although she seemed a bit skittish, jumpy and always had a Slim Jim or some beef jerky to chew on impolitely in front of her.
Then there was Stone.
In her late fifties, Anna did not know she could still swoon, but even as someone older and who knew better, Stone brought a palpable, sexual energy with him. It caused a wave, similar to a heat wave to reverb about the room. She had to back away from him. Something about him wasn’t right and she could tell he was deeply attached to Samosa. Lyle will have to watch out.
When the doorbell rang, Anna answered, saw how confident and happy Lyle was. “Did you like service today?” She asked him. Lyle was a new member of her church. Had been for almost two months.
“Wonderful Mrs. White. Just wonderful.”
“See any nice girls there. You still turn heads you know.” Anna fixed him a plate of Alfredo pasta and a side of roasted chicken breast. She was about to slice a pound cake for him.
“I couldn’t find anyone. They may be drawn to me, but you know who my heart belongs to.” Anna looked up at him, cake knife in midair.
“You still love my daughter?”
“I never stopped.”
“But you cheated on her. That’s one of the worst things anyone could do.”
“I know. Okay, so I satisfied my lust - I get that. I don’t love that other woman. Never did. I love Samosa.”
“That’s a terrible way of putting things, son. Women attach sex with love and emotion and all of those other special things. You messed up her world further.”
“I thought you were on my side.”
She pointed up. “I’m on my God’s side. I said I forgave you and I would like for you two to be together because that is what He, my God would want, I think but…I don’t know.”
“Stone.” Lyle said the name they were both thinking.
“He’s infatuated with my girl. I can clearly see that.” Anna watched as Lyle’s jaw ticked. He ate slowly, sipping up his noodles and cutting his chicken with murderous precision.
“Infatuated huh?”
“Yep.” Anna sat down and sipped her tea then bit into her moist pound cake. “Deeply. I wonder about them two though. I don’t know where she lives and I see her sometimes, but not much anymore. Lucky to see her twice a month.”
“Why were they here last time then? What’s going on?”
Anna couldn’t form the words. Samosa wanted to marry that- that beast of a man. And as much as Lyle claimed to still love her, Samosa was attached to Stone on a deeper level. A level Anna could not peer into.
“They’re getting married.”
Lyle suddenly hacked his noodles back up, the rhythm he had going was breached by the news. He downed his juice before speaking. “Married? To him?”
“I suppose so.”
“You gave them your blessings?” Lyle’s voice rose to a high pitch as if someone kicked him in the groin just then.
“No. I don’t feel right about their union.”
He relaxed a little. “I still can’t believe it. I need to stop her.”
“Stay out of it, Lyle.”
Lyle put down his knife and fork and stared down the woman he once called mother. “I cannot do that.”