Chapter 15
Stone sat in front of the fireplace with legs crossed. To Korin and Gondlavin, he was too pale compared to his normally dusky olive complexion. His eyes looked dark and depraved. They told him as much and he only shrugged- bristled more like it.
Jinn spells and Korin’s foreign prayers formed a barrier across his home to keep him inside.
It kept him from Samosa.
It kept him from tasting her soul again. He scratched his chest, alleviating an annoying itch. She should be here with him. Why would she leave at Korin’s insistence? Because he was the Golden Boy and seemed so pure?
Stone growled at the fire and slammed his fist into the palm of his hand.
“Are the others being obedient and drinking their elixir?” Korin asked Gondlavin.
Gondlavin, one of the most trustful bowed his head slightly.
“Good.” Korin scratched his chin. What is the story on the pale one? The one with wolf eyes?”
Gondlavin chuckled for a few moments then sobered quickly; his large ebony body settled down in one of the white couches in Stone’s room. “I think Stone knows him better. That Lex is too quiet and he doesn’t play fair.”
“He’s quickly becoming the GM’s favorite.” Stone murmured from his spot. “He is ruthless, merciless, and he doesn’t know his place.”
“You’re one to talk,” Gondlavin interjected, serious. “We are drinking nasty concoctions from Chef Boy R. Jinni here all so you can form some sort of official bond with a woman?”. Gondlavin shook his head. “Lex, like the rest of us knows his place well. Better than most. Even though he is a prick.”
The way Gondlavin spat out woman cut Stone in small ways. Did all jinn think humans or any other species across the galaxy were just animals? Beneath them? They who were slaves to species all over the universe?
Gondlavin wasn’t through: “The women here are different…warm for sure. But you use them then toss them away. That’s what any of the human men do anyway.”
They all shivered at the thought. Some jinni had male genitals while others had none and gravitated naturally to what was polar opposite of them, but some jinn actually became mates with those of their same sex. It was heard of but not quite common. The only union is supposed to be one of “master” and slave. That was all that mattered. Or should.
Stone knew all of this since he first knew what he was. Since the beginning of the knowledge of what he was.
He knew this since the first day as a young genie with small holes in his chest and a small ink of a lamp branded onto where his heart was located. Right above his left pectoral.
He knew he was a slave when the Grand Marid branded him and told him he was “his for all eternity and he could end his puny life at any moment”. His mission: Collect the souls, send them up to the Grand Marid. He then eats those souls, causing him to be stronger, faster, and more powerful.
Some said he was the Devil.
Stone believes he is Satan.
Either way, Stone and the other jinn were horrible entities and this union he wished for him and Samosa to pursue was a pain to endure. But there seemed to be too many obstacles. GM, those minions, and Samosa’s ex which he knew still called her and tried to email her recently. Through Korin’s invisible third “sight” he could see the man dialing numbers from his cell at his condo, pleading into his cell for Samosa to return his love. Begging her to give him a second chance.
Is she with Lyle now? Would Korin know?
Better yet-would Korin tell him?
“You’ll never get it, Squirt.” Stone thought. He and Samosa had a deep connection no one could sever.
Although he did his best to keep an eye on Korin who may have a thing for Samosa.
“You have a lot on your mind, Brother.” Korin took the liberty to sit right next to Stone.
“You invading my thoughts?”
“Nope.” Korin popped into his mouth what looked like a Rolo caramel candy. “Samosa is safe. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Who was behind her attack at the hotel then? All these tricks and games and you say it still doesn’t have GM’s stamp on it?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Gondlavin rubbed his long nails against each other, making gentle clacking sounds. “Either way this is just one of the many consequences to trying to form human bonds.”
“I know. But I love her. Can’t help it.”
Korin pat Stone’s back once in affection. “I’m looking into it, but I tell you. The trail doesn’t smell like GM. It’s…something else. Someone else. I don’t trust Lex at all.”
“That man-child?” Gondlavin stood. “He’s like Napoleon with a girl’s demeanor.”
It was Stone’s turn to stand. “He ain’t Napoleon. He is one of us. And he ain’t no girl.” Stone hated that jinni. He was one who always competed with him. At least for the last twenty five years. He had to be newly created for no one really heard of him, but he and Stone competed for girls and souls on this planet.
“Either way, I need to get back to the one I’m working on.” Gondlavin’s eyes glowed like embers in the dark night of the woods. So did Korin’s.
“You have a soul to get?” Korin asked politely.
“I do.”
“Well, I will see you and the others at the end of the week.”
Gondlavin sighed and disappeared leaving sulfurous smoke behind. Korin allowed a temporary rip in the barrier he made for Gondlavin to exit. But not unstable Stone. How ironic was that? He laughed a little, then added a huge laugh. Then he doubled over, ruptured in laughter. He was Stone, but he couldn’t remain stable enough to keep Samosa. Steady as a rock, eh? Whatever.
Korin must have taken his laughter as hysterics for he began to silently chant and to Stone’s surprise, he opened an old worn brown bible.
Samosa’s bible; and began to read from it.
_________
Sunlight spilled across her bed sheets and she smelled bacon, eggs, and something else sweet: Cinnamon rolls! It was officially Christmas and Samosa swiveled her legs from her bed like a little child, slipped into some pink bunny slippers and wearing nothing but her long pink nightgown, she swept down the stairs and found her adoptive mother, Anna for all intents and purposes- pulling huge cinnamon rolls from her large black oven.
A body stood next to her.
A bald headed, black business slacks polo shirt wearing buff body.
Lyle.
She groaned and turned around to head back upstairs but was suddenly caught around her waist and whirled in the air, then placed back on the floor.
“Merry Christmas!” Lyle said his eyes sparkling and his finger kept pointing up. Samosa didn’t get it until she saw the Mistletoe dangling over head by the front door.
Her mother walked in and saw them in that same state. “Good morning, Merry Christmas honey!” She went over and kissed Samosa’scheek, winked at Lyle and went back into the kitchen.
Samosa’s eyes froze on the Mistletoe. The green sprigs with the pine cone hanging off the side. Every year. Every single year, Lyle would visit her mother and would sweep Samosa off her feet while kissing her under the Mistletoe.
And for a second she was caught up in that moment. A time frozen here and now. A moment that has always been as natural to her as her own skin, as her own breath. This was normal- standing in Lyle’s possessive arms, looking into his handsome brown face and them singing silly Christmas tunes, both off key and her mom getting down in the kitchen with enough food to feed a football team.
But her life was entrenched in Stone and jinn now. Gorgeous beyond belief genies, beasts, a dark hunger.
“You gonna kiss me?” Lyle tried pulling her closer.
“Uh, what? No!” Samosa tried to pull from him but even with her newfound strength, nothing kept her locked as his eyes did at that moment. They were betraying a man who was starved, longing, a man who was so very, very sorry for all that he has done.
She gave up her struggle. Defeated. “
Lyle, any other time I would give in to my feelings,” she began. But I’m- ”
“Shh,” Lyle ran a hand in her hair. His hands smoothed her hair down then the pad of his thumb traced her lips. He looked at her transfixed. “I love you. I know you’re with someone else but I still want you.”
“We can’t do this.”
“Don’t you forgive me?”
Did she? In a way, yeah she did. But not to go backwards.
“I forgave you already, I just don’t need to do this.”
“I’ll kiss your cheek then-like friends. We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” Lyle said it, but he didn’t mean it. She knew him all too well. And for the life of her, she wished she wore something less revealing than a thin slip of a nightgown. Pretty in pink and here she stands with the guy she fell in love with forever ago, the cocky guy with charm and intelligence with numbers.
He leaned and gave a quick peck on her cheek.
That’s when she heard the loud Whomp Whomp of Korin’s phone from all the way upstairs.
“I have to get that.” She wiggled from his grasp and headed upstairs. The red, green and gold ribbons twirling around the rails and the landing were shiny and slick and caught hints of light from the windows downstairs. A few loose ones stuck to her bunny slipper nose.
The phone glowed on the nightstand. She grabbed it up just as her door slammed close. Turning, she saw Lyle lean against the door with arms crossed, a smug look on his face. “So answer it.”
“I am, but get out.”
“If I am not that important in your life, you should be able to answer a phone with or without me present- hey! What kind of phone is-“
“Hello?”
“Why no video chat this time, chica?” Korin teased.
“Huh? Oh, I was…busy and not, um, dressed.”
“Oh. Well, someone wishes to speak with you.” Samosa waited as Korin got off the phone and soon enough, replaced with her genie. Her mate. For life. Hopefully.
“Hi, Sam.”
“Hey hon’.” Samosa could barely contain herself. Stone’s voice sound raw. “Are you… okay?”
“Fine. You?”
“Good.”
In the background, Lyle(purposely) sighed aloud.
“What was that?” Stone asked.
Samosa forgot that his psychic sense may have been dulled but not his super sense of hearing.
“That’s Lyle. Mom must have invited him.” No sense lying.
“Why the- how- he get in the house?” Stone growled. “Korin! Why haven’t you blocked him from coming by? Do I have to kill him?”
Goodness.
“Babe, there’s no need for killing.” Samosa said, then Lyle’s hand grabbed her phone to say something, but in a flash, a blue light zapped out and shocked his finger causing him to yelp. Korin’s special phone held special powers. Yay.
“Sam, listen to me. Get him out of there.”
“It’s my mom’s house and you just have to trust me, Stone.”
“I know, I know,” Stone said annoyed. “I can’t wait for this to be over.”
“Me too.”
“One more thing.” He said.
“What?” Samosa could barely hear him over Lyle’s moans. She could still hear Korin guffaw in the background.
“Merry Christmas and I…I love you.”
Samosa melted, imagining him there beside her holding her, kissing her. “I love you back.”
They hung up.
Lyle looked up from her bed with a scowl on his face.
Stone said Merry Christmas. A day of the Lord’s birth. He also said love- something demons or jinn don’t dare let roll off their tongue.
Progress.
________
Stone peeked into the glass vase, Korin held up to him. Through it, they could see Samosa staring at her dinner while her mother prayed over the food. Christmas was very important to them. Korin said the birth of the Christ is the most important idea of all- gifts are a more commercialized version of the celebration.
Stone said he didn’t care. Everywhere he looked, he wanted to see her. The mirrors. The water. The glass vase Korin held up. Using Korin’s magic, they could keep a temporary eye on Samosa. Stone felt even more depressed when he saw her dressed in a deep dark green dress that hugged her curves in the right way and her black, leather boots with the spiky heels to go with it. Her hair was pinned up but with all that unruly hair, many fell out and round the sides of her face. She was so lovely.
“Soon, you two will be entwined and end this curse.” Korin sat the vase back on the window sill.
“Yeah-I’m counting down.” Stone continued to star at the vase sat against a world he could not creep out of. He still felt bouts of soul hunger but not as much. They just watched Samosa satisfy her physical hunger many times with plenty of second round plates and then apple pie to top it all off.
“Got word from Gondlavin that the Grand Marid hadn’t been on this side of the universe in weeks.”
“So he has henchmen doing his dirty work now.”
“Maybe,” Korin leaned against the counter, used his sharp nail to peel the skin off an orange. “I wouldn’t worry about him. Just keep up with the meditations I taught you. Read the Bible too.”
“There are other books to read besides bound scrolls.”
“True, but that’s the one Samosa believes in.”
Stone took his leather band from around his hair; and let his hair flow freely down past his shoulders. He took the book from one of the breakfast nook stools and picked it open, his hands turning the ever so thin, crisp white pages. The words were very small to regular eyes but he could “feel” them and those words bugged him. They hurt.
He slammed it closed and tossed it across the room. “Uh uh. I ain’t reading that.”
Korin chuckled softly. “Just be on your P’s and Q’s.” He disappeared after tossing back his white robe.
Who does he think he is?
_______
Lyle came by for dinner late, a silly grin on his face. Samosa scowled not wanting to know why. Whenever he wore a grin like that it meant he met someone or was about to talk about some female: what she wore that day, what she smelled like and if Samosa can get her hair did just like so and so’s. Blah blah blah.
Anna brought out the Apple Spiced tea. “Why the big grin?” She asked him. Samosas wish she hadn’t. Whatever he had up his sleeve, she did not want to know. At all.
“I’m happy to be here with my two lovely ladies for Christmas. I bought gifts.” He said and reached into his coat pocket. Bringing out one long, rectangle box and a small square one for Samosa. He handed her mother the rectangle box.
“Thanks!” Her mother beamed.
“I didn’t ask for anything and I hadn’t bought anything…for you.” Samosa said. She just gave her mom a gift bag of trinkets, some gift cards and wads of cash moments before she ate.
“I want you to have this.” Lyle opened the jewelry bag and pulled out a gray suede box and Samosa rolled her eyes. Then felt a cold chain being placed about her neck.
No!
She stood up, pushed Lyle out of the way. “I don’t want a gift, Lyle!”
“Honey,” Anne White stood between Samosa and the hall mirror. “Lyle go into the den please while I speak with my daughter.” Samosa’s eyes traveled to her neck in the oval by the patio door a platinum cross set in a ruby heart-lay on her collarbone. That had to be expensive.
“Even if it is over between you two- please. Be nice. Tell him gently you don’t want the chain.”
“I am not fifteen anymore. I am thirty! I don’t need this in my life.” Samosa pulled off the admittedly lovely necklace put it in her mom’s open hands. “Tell Lyle I am sorry but I belong to someone else. He can give that to whomever.”