The Assassin the Djinn and the Hundred Year Wish Read online

“Tonight.” She smiled at him. “I don’t know if you have any plans, but I’d quite like to curl up on the sofa and maybe have another glass of wine.” She motioned to the bottles. “Maybe watch a crappy SyFy movie with the word mega twice in the title?”

  Marsh laughed. “At least you didn’t suggest Minotaur.”

  She shrugged. “That film has a certain plausibility. Who the fuck knows what happened back in the good old days of sacrifice? Well, you might.” She chuckled. “I want to switch my brain off, and I’m pretty sure a mega shark could never jump out of the water high enough to eat a plane.”

  Marsh gathered the picnic basket up and steered Jane towards his Mercedes. “You’re an assassin for demons, I’m a Djinn, and there are Vampires in this world. You seriously don’t think Mega shark could do that? Woman, stranger things have happened. Let’s continue this conversation back at your place, okay? The less people hear that I know about that damn film, the less those people have on me.” He winked.

  “Uh huh.” She smiled knowingly at him as they arrived at the car. “All I’m saying is there’s no reason for it to attack a plane.”

  “It doesn’t have to have a reason Jane. Sharks are god’s oldest killing machine… they don’t need a reason to jump out of the water and snatch a plane out of the air like a fly. Especially one that’s the size of an ocean liner. Are you going to tell it that it can’t?” He shook his head.

  Marsh helped her into the car and closed the door, then walked around to his side. He slipped in and turned on the car. “I mean, really, since when do you know the wants and desires of mega sharks?” he deadpanned. “Unless you have some special powers you have yet to tell me?”

  They both laughed as he pulled away from the vineyard and started driving back to civilization. Marsh watched her out the corner of his eye, noticing how she came alive when he teased her. And she could take it as well as dish it out. Good thing too…a woman with no sense of humor was not for him. The next hundred years were looking better and better.

  Chapter Six

  They were getting on perfectly. Days later, she was still waiting on Kolo to get back to her with the information she had requested. She had expected him a lot sooner; his silence only proved Marsh right as to the rarity of the Djinn race. She’d tried over the course of their time together to pick Marsh’s brain, but he was always one step ahead of her, changing the conversation or teasing her. He always managed to remain tight-lipped.

  She was in bed by herself, alone for the first time in hours. Nick had left to the city; apparently he’d had to pick up something. When she’d questioned him about it, he’d only smiled and said that it was a surprise. The memory of him filled her with warmth, and she closed her eyes. The man was a mystery, which was probably why she was so interested. Nothing like a good intrigue. He played everything so close to his chest. She had to admit that was part of the attraction. That, and the fact that he was just drop dead gorgeous.

  Dark almost shoulder length hair giving him a rakish air, tawny skin of a man used to being in the sunshine, body of a god, and the most stunning, unusual eyes she had ever seen. Violet did not occur in nature, not the vivid brightness his eyes produced, or how startling they were when he was aroused, almost glowing. She supposed it was his magic, but it made him even more sexy if it was possible.

  She was exhausted. She’d been on the go, pretty much non-stop since she’d met him. Her body felt wonderfully used, but it was beginning to take its toll. She’d had bad indigestion all day and fatigue set in. She sank back into the mattress, and let sleep take her away.

  Something stirred her, touching her exposed belly. The feeling was so good as it trailed slowly up and down, flicking wet heat over her flesh. It started an intense pleasure, which spread through her body like wildfire. She kept her eyes shut, stretched slightly, and licked her lips. The sensation started to creep tantalizingly lower; she could feel hot breath dancing over her. She whimpered and arched into it, her eyes still closed. It was then she heard the familiar smooth voice.

  “You know, pet, it just occurred to me I had yet to taste your charms, which is ill done of me.” He bent his head and snaked his tongue between her soft folds, finding her clit, and sucking. He groaned and worked her slowly, nibbling, before delving deeper, truly sampling her secrets.

  “You do taste like sugar everywhere, Janey,” he said, as he looked up at her from between her thighs, then went back to his task.

  She moaned and arched higher into his mouth. “Mmmm, god baby. So good,” she whispered, as he lapped at her. His hands traveled over her breasts, pinching and teasing them. She gently bit her lower lip, sucking it into her mouth.

  “My dear, you are addictive.”

  She opened her eyes and gazed down at him breathlessly. “Speak for yourself, killer.”

  “I know. I’m addictive,” he said between flicks of his tongue. “It’s my nature. It’s how I live and how I survive. You, you’re pure.”

  “Pure? You really think?” She took a sharp intake of breath and threw her head back, spreading her legs as wide as they could go, allowing him deeper access.

  He groaned and lifted her waist off the bed, pulling at her clit once again and slipping a finger inside her. “Pet, you honor me with your response to me,” he said against her swollen flesh.

  His tongue was amazing. The combination of his gentle pressure on her and the naughty digit that was ever so slowly working her was driving her closer. She bucked against him, clamping her muscles tightly around him. Her body was teetering on the edge. She was completely at his mercy as she writhed in his arms.

  He stopped his ministrations and smirked at her. “Tell me what you want, pet.”

  “Oh, god…please don’t stop!” she panted.

  He nodded , slipping his tongue into her wetness, then out, keeping his attention on her clit. He devoured her and hummed, almost a contented purr.

  She screamed as the first wave of orgasm hit her, and her back arched hard as wave after wave slammed into her. Her whole body shook as she gulped in air. Her hand went to his head, running her fingers through his hair. “Good lord!”

  He growled as he tasted her tribute to him, her come coating his lips. “That’s it, pet,” he said, as he licked them and pulled his finger out of her. “You want to taste?” He took his come-coated finger and passed it over her bottom lip, leaving a wet and creamy trail.

  She gave him a dreamy look through heavy-lidded eyes. Her tongue darted out, tasting her essence thoroughly. She sat up as much as she could and snatched his hand. She brought it to her mouth, sucking his finger deep and rolling it with her tongue. “Yummy,” she purred as she released him.

  “Purely addictive,” he murmured as he planted a kiss on her now glistening pussy, snaking his tongue out once more to slurp up her sweetness.

  Her body jerked, and she smiled down at him. “Nick, you’re amazing…truly perfect.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Can’t have you hating me for the next one hundred years.”

  She chuckled. “No, we cannot. Although, I can hardly imagine hating you.”

  “Stranger things have happened, pet,” he said, as he crawled up her body and kissed her. “Why are you still abed? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed finding you here, but it’s four-thirty in the afternoon.”

  She guiltily avoided his gaze, not yet wanting to reveal her weakness. She hated admitting it. That was one of the reasons that her illness was a carefully kept secret. It made people uncomfortable, especially the immortals. Demons tended to fear and despise death; most of them avoided it at all costs. Not only that, it made her look weak, and in a world of predators that was the last thing she needed.

  Although she was covering the foul stuff in one of her wishes, she just wasn’t ready for him to know. She didn’t want to drive him away, for him to see her as damaged goods. “You wore me out, killer. You immortal types might be able to run on no sleep, but I’m only a little human.”

  He arched an eyebrow.
“Right. My momma didn’t raise no fool, pet; at least, she wouldn’t have had she raised me.” He regarded her. “So, tell the truth and shame your genie.”

  “Well, it’s nothing really. I’m just kind of ill,” she said, avoiding his eyes and crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

  “Ill? You’d never know it,” he said, watching her closely.

  “Yeah, there are spells…heavy ones. They can’t mask everything though that’s why I look pale and tire easily. It’s not a cure, but magic’s much more proficient than human medicine. Kinder, too.” She stared intently at the floor not wanting to see his reaction.

  “Indeed, pet, indeed it is.” He reached out and lifted her face so that her eyes met his, and he kissed her sweetly. “I should let you rest then, pet.”

  Her heart threatened to break out of her chest. She couldn’t let him leave. She started to panic. “No, please…stay.” She took a deep breath to steady herself hating this weakness. “I have another wish.”

  That apparently got his attention. “Another wish?”

  She nodded and forced a smile. “Uh-huh. I’ve got two left, right?”

  “Yes you do, pet. Though, what would bring this on now? You do still have three days, you know.”

  “Well, I want to be better. Feel better; I need to enjoy everything that we have together fully. I can’t live with this hanging over my head any longer. Knowing it’s there.”

  He listened silently, nodding his head.

  “So, I wish that the cancer and all the symptoms were gone. Completely removed, never to return.” She asked tentatively, looking up into his eyes.

  He smiled. “Done.” he said, his voice reverberating like an echo through the room. “One left, pet. I thought you should make it count a bit more than the first.” Marsh dealt with this wish like most others, aloof and unaffected. You never let a wisher know they have surprised you; that would give the game away.

  She blushed. “Well, I did want to get home in a hurry…and who was to know you really were what you claimed to be?”

  “You hungry?”

  She grinned and thought about his question. She was hungry, truly hungry. For the first time since she could remember, she was starved. “Famished.” She pulled him into a deep lingering kiss. “But we could order in.”

  “My thoughts exactly, pet.”

  She pounced on him, feathering kisses over his face and neck. “So, Nicky, what can we do to make you feel better?” She grinned.

  His thoughts were dark, and she could see it in his eyes. “Pet, there will be a time for that as well.”

  “Oh yeah?” She asked teasingly as she nipped his shoulder.

  “Yes, pet.”

  “Good, I’m looking forward to it.”

  He smiled and kissed her back, growling and rolling her over. “First dinner, pet, then dessert.”

  She pouted and wriggled against him. “We’re clever, imaginative people. I’m sure we could do both at the same time.”

  “We could, but it’s more fun to deny you and see you pout.”

  She stretched over and bit him. “No fair.”

  “Oh no, I think it’s very fair. Can’t very well give you everything you want, can we?”

  She pressed up against him. “You could, and it would be very fun.”

  “Only for you, pet. Get dressed. I’ll call for some dinner.”

  Marsh left the room as Janey got out of bed, and he sighed audibly. He was falling for the human, and there was nothing he could do about it. She was strong, and amazing, living with magic as the only buffer between her body’s total surrender to that nasty disease. Neither Demons nor Djinn liked the killer; it was one of the things they both considered unnatural, brought on by humanity’s progress in technology and its destruction of the natural world. Cancer was just another way humanity was killing itself. That she was only thirty two and dealing with something so devastating, and that it was close to killing her…the world would have been less bright without her. He couldn’t believe his luck.

  This woman was indeed far more than he deserved. Given that he was sent in to break her, and keep her pliable to the Demons’ causes, he really didn’t feel like this was work. He liked her, and she liked him, even if his magic was what bound them together.. He was well on his way to having the companion he secretly always wanted.

  Smiling to himself, he grabbed the phone and dialed for takeout.

  Kolo contacted her shortly after her second wish. She and Marsh had just finished dinner and were discussing movies when her phone rang. She excused herself with a wink and took the phone into her office.

  She was unsurprised to hear the panther’s deep voice. “I have your information. At least, everything that I could find, short of locating one myself and…interrogating him.”

  The corner of her lip twitched into a smile. Typical Ko. “So, are you close by?”

  He was silent for a while. “No, I got caught up at the office. I don’t have much time.”

  She frowned, but decided not to ask. “Well, go on then. Tell me about them.”

  He took a deep breath. “The Djinn are all male, and they are the most powerful of all the wish races.”

  She nodded. “Okay.” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

  “They are related to Demons, but aren’t Demons,” he continued. “They are more a neutral race, solitary and broody.”

  She heard the flicking of paper as he skimmed through his notes. “They are very secretive and selective on whom they use their powers, and they procreate only by finding their consorts.”

  That stopped her. “Huh?”

  He sighed deeply. “I don’t know. I’ve been sifting through legends and folklore for days. That’s all I have,” he admitted angrily.

  She winced. If there was anything the huge shifter hated, it was ignorance. “Well, I suppose that I’ll just have to figure it out by myself.”

  “Good luck. So, I don’t suppose I get to ask how this all happened?”

  She thought about her first meeting with Marsh and blushed. She could barely admit to herself how stupid she’d been. He’d just taken her, and he kept doing so. She shuddered, swallowing hard. Oh, gods, if he wasn’t perfect! He could play her body so well; he knew exactly how she would react, and her body always reacted to him, like she was in heat.

  Part of this, she knew, was his magic. She didn’t care about that, though. His magic was just an extension of him, and she loved him.

  Love at first sight wasn’t something she believed in. Lust, sure. She believed in lust, and they both had their fair share of it. She did want him, but there was something else as well. Underneath it all, she enjoyed his company. She enjoyed spending mornings in bed with him, playing slave. She loved sitting on the floor, wrapped in a huge blanket, having a heated discussion over movies. Spending endless hours trying to dig information out of him.

  She loved it all. She loved him.

  “I don’t think you could take it, Ko. I’m not normally careless but I don’t think this is something I’ll regret anytime soon. But, hey, at least I’ll see next year.” She hung up the phone letting the big cat process the information on his own.

  Did she love Marsh? Really love him? Wow, that was a question. One for another day perhaps, though deep down she knew the answer was yes. She walked back to the living area to find Marsh on the floor, remote control in hand, with his trademark smirk on his face.

  “And what is it you look so smug about?” she asked.

  “You’re checking up on me. So? What did you find out?” he asked and grabbed a glass of wine from the side table next to him and took a sip.

  “Not much more than when I quizzed you, myself. Apparently your race consists of a bunch of secretive recluses.” She copied his smirk. “Must be a trait.”

  “It’s a living…” he said and looked at her. “Seriously, what did your people dig up?”

  “Why?” she asked, sitting next to him. “You worried?”

  �
�Hardly. But think back to your issue with the wishes, pet. I told you about Wes Craven when we met right? Movies corrupt the mind with ignorant knowledge. So do television shows. Since I know what information is out there that is correct, I can either confirm or deny. So take a sip of your wine and then tell me.”

  She obliged him. Wine wasn’t her normal drink of choice, but she found herself enjoying a glass or two in his company. “Well let’s see, you’re all male…”

  “Yes I am,” he said, putting his hands behind his head and giving her a smug look. “But you already knew that.”

  “I had an inkling.” She grinned.

  “So? What else?”

  “That you’re not demons, that you’re the most powerful of the wish races.”

  Marsh nodded. “I’m impressed. That’s more than most would uncover. Your people are pretty good.”

  “The best, it’s what they do. So what’s this about consorts and having kiddies? It was mentioned that you only procreate by finding a consort. You’re not planning to do that while you’re with me right? I mean, I’m not a youth appropriate person, plus I get jealous. Another woman around, yeah I would probably shoot her.”

  Marsh looked at her, emotion flashing in his eyes for a few heartbeats and then he shrugged. “I have never had children, and I’m not looking to start, Jane. As to consorts…” He took a sip of his wine. “That’s not on the table either,” he said quietly. “So? What hellish ‘steal two hours of my life that I will never get back’ movie are you going to suggest we watch?”

  She watched him for a second; despite his words, the subject obviously meant something to him. His words held a bitter edge to them rather than its usual cockiness. Every instinct in her screamed to prod, but she decided against it. Now wasn’t the time. Still, it was going to come up, she needed to know more about this concept.

  “I don’t know about two hours but I think I’m sure I recorded something with the word crocosaurus in the title.” She flicked through the pages until she found what she was looking for. “There, exactly ninety minutes.” She handed him back the remote.