Kieran's broad shoulders lifted in an elegant shrug, and the oppressive chill began to dissipate. The frost on the tea glasses melted away as if it had never existed.
"Who can truly understand why Jacinth does anything?" His deep voice carried equal measures of exasperation and fondness. "She follows her own peculiar logic, guided by instincts and insights that often only make sense to her."
The way he spoke of Jacinth reminded Mandy strongly of how she used to describe her daughter Sabrina's more creative teenage escapades - that same mix of frustration and underlying affection. It was oddly comforting to realize that even ancient, powerful beings could be exasperated by their friends' antics.
"You're not actually angry with her, are you?" Mandy observed, noting how the earlier crackling tension had dissipated from the air around them.
"No." Kieran's lips quirked upward slightly. "Annoyed, perhaps. But Jacinth has an uncanny way of being right about these things, even when her methods are..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Unorthodox."
Mandy stared at her hands, watching them tremble slightly against the glass she held. Magic was real. Actually, truly real. Not just the stuff of her imagination or the stories she wrote, but tangible, measurable, right here in her living room.
Kieran watched her with those ancient silvery-blue eyes, his scrutiny both unnerving and oddly reassuring. With precise movements, he raised one elegant hand, his fingers flicking gracefully. Her glass once more filled itself to the gilded rim with steaming tea.
A surprised laugh bubbled up from her chest as she reached out to take it from the table. "You really do answer everything with tea, don't you?"
Heat bloomed across her cheeks as his intense gaze remained fixed on her. She dropped her eyes to the glass of tea, watching patterns form and dissolve in the steam.
"So..." Mandy chewed on her lower lip. "What happens now?"
"Now," Kieran's voice resonated through her small living room like distant thunder, "you make your wishes."
Mandy's head snapped up, her stomach doing a backflip. "Wait - what?" The words tumbled out in a squeak. "Right now? You mean... actual wishes? Like, right here, right this minute?"
She stared at him, her mind suddenly blank as a fresh sheet of paper. Three wishes. Real wishes. The concept that had seemed abstract moments ago now loomed before her like a tidal wave about to break.
His head inclined in confirmation, his silvery white hair catching the rays that spilled across her windowsill. The slight movement made the strands ripple, reminding Mandy of moonlight on water. His light blue stare remained fixed on her, the steady intensity of his look sent flutters coursing through her stomach.
"Just like that."
Three wishes. Right now. No preparation, no time to think it through, no chance to research the implications or think, or...
This couldn't be real. It couldn't. She had to be dreaming, or maybe the pain medication from the ER had some weird side effects. Any moment now she'd wake up and laugh about this elaborate fantasy her writer's imagination had conjured.
But the feel of cat fur beneath her fingers, the warmth of the glass she held, the spiced tea's aroma, the sensations were all too real, too vivid and complex to be a dream. The inlaid table before her gleamed with impossible perfection, its surface catching the late afternoon sunlight streaming through her windows. And Kieran... Kieran sat in her oversized armchair, his presence too solid to be a product of her imagination.
Those ancient silvery-blue eyes studied her with patient intensity as she struggled to process the situation. The power radiating from him filled her small living room like static electricity before a storm, making her skin prickle with awareness.
This was really happening. An ancient, powerful Djinn sat in her living room, waiting for her to make three wishes that could change everything.
"Oh my god." The words escaped in a breathless whisper. "This is actually happening. It's… real."
"What is your first wish?"
“I… could I have a little time?” she asked him, glancing up briefly to meet his gaze. “This is so huge, I can barely even wrap my head around it right now.”
“I understand.” He rose to his feet. “When you are ready, simply touch the vessel and call my name,” and he indicated the necklace she wore. "I will come."
One moment Kieran stood before her in all his otherworldly glory, silver hair gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight - the next, he simply... wasn't there. No sparkles like Jacinth's dramatic exit, no smoke or dramatic special effects. Just... gone.
Mandy sat frozen in her recliner, her hands trembling slightly as she touched the smooth surface of the pendant. The blue stone pulsed with gentle warmth beneath her fingers, somehow both reassuring and terrifying. Her writer's imagination supplied a dozen possible explanations for the afternoon's events - a vivid dream, a medication-induced hallucination, maybe even a mental breakdown brought on by chronic pain and isolation. But the pendant's steady warmth against her skin defied all rational explanation. She had three wishes. Real, actual wishes. The thought sent equal waves of anticipation and terror coursing through her veins.
Chapter
Five
Mandy pushedherself up from the oversized recliner, her joints creaking in protest. Her mind still whirled with the implications of Kieran's revelations, but her rumbling stomach demanded attention. Comfort food was in order.
She made her way to the kitchen and opened the pantry, scanning the shelves for the familiar red cans of tomatoes and tomato paste. Spaghetti sounded perfect - her to-go for all things stressful.
