Page 101 of Bewitched By the Djinn
My breathing is too loud. I stop for a second, trying to still my racing heart.
Bennet is in my mind, following my steps, staying silent like it will help me stay quiet as well.
Almost there.
The tug in my chest sharpens. So close.
Up here, the halls are narrower. Richer. The stones cleaner, the air colder. I crouch at the corner of a hallway, peeking around—and stop.
Two guards stand outside a wooden door with a heavy latch. Bennet’s behind it. No doubt in my mind.
But I can’t just waltz up and ask them to step aside.
Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your evil overlord shift, but I need my maybe-boyfriend. Could you scootch over a bit?
Bennet chuckles in the back of my mind.Maybe-boyfriend?His incredulity brushes against my senses.
It’s not like we’ve had the whole exclusivity conversation.
His response is dry.I would think the whole fated mates aspect of our relationship would supersede the need for such a thing, but I am willing to talk if you are.
Later. I blow him an imaginary kiss and press my back against the wall, heart thudding as I think. I need to get them away. Make them move. Make it believable.
Wait,Bennet says. His voice hums low and steady in my head.Let me try something.
There’s a pause. A quiet gathering of magic like a breath held beneath the surface.
Then, from inside the room, a loud crash—metal clanging against stone, followed by a snarl of pain and furious muttering.
The guards snap to attention.
“What the hell was that?” one says, hand drifting toward the hilt at his waist.
The other bangs on the door. “Hey! What’s going on in there? Lord Hugh said he would be out cold.”
More thuds. Something shatters. Then Bennet, voice perfectly pitched with desperation, calls out, “Help! I—I can’t breathe—something’s wrong?—”
The guards look at each other, curse, and one scrambles with the latch while the other reaches for the handle.
It opens and a rush of wind blows out, knocking them back and slamming them into the wall before they crumple to the ground.
I surge forward, passing the motionless guards.
Bennet emerges from the room, a smile lighting his face when his gaze connects with mine. The room is a mess, glass everywhere and a broken stool in the corner, but his eyes burn, fierce and bright.
He hauls me to him, mouth coming down over mine, the kiss savage and wild as the bond burns even brighter between us.
“Wow.” When we finally separate, my legs are shaky.
Bennet holds on to my waist, keeping me steady. “We must find Helen. He’s starting the ritual now.”
The pressure in the air shifts, like the sea pulling back from the shore right before a thundering wave. My breath catches, the hair on my arms standing on end. My magic, still buzzing from the bond, flickers wildly in my gut.
Bennet’s hands clench on me. “You feel that?”
“It’s like something’s trying to suck all the air out of the castle. What is that?”
“Power. The ring.”
