Jacinth nodded and stepped away from the bed.
The monitors beeped steadily as Kieran leaned closer to the bed, his silvery hair falling forward. Mandy dozed fitfully, lost in fevered dreams. Her life force flickered dangerously. He was running out of time.
"Mandy." His deep voice carried the full weight of his authority as a Djinn prince. "You will wake and heed me."
Her eyelids fluttered but didn't open. His blue fire surged with urgency as he clasped her hand more firmly between his.
"Amanda Dupont." The use of her full name carried ancient power, demanding attention. "Open your eyes. Now."
Her eyes opened, her gaze feverish. Her fingers, hot and dry, clutched his hand.
"Mandy." He kept his deep voice carefully controlled as he leaned closer to her bed, his white hair falling forward. "Do you trust me?"
Her glazed eyes cleared a little. "Of course I do," she whispered.
There was no hesitation, no qualification - just that simple, unwavering faith that still managed to catch him off guard after all these months.
"Then give me your wish." His fingers tightened around her frail hand, willing her to understand the urgency behind his request. "Please. You must say the words."
Mandy's voice came out as barely more than a hoarse whisper. "I give you... one of my wishes... of my own free will."
Kieran's blue fire surged with triumph as the words of freely-given permission left Mandy's lips. In one fluid motion, he gathered her frail form into his arms, his magic automatically dissolving the medical equipment attached to her body, trustingin Jacinth to keep the hospital monitors under control. Her weight felt insignificant against his chest, her life force flickering dangerously weak.
His wings - rarely manifested in the human realm - burst forth from his back in a shower of silver-white sparks. The massive, ethereal appendages stretched wide, nearly spanning the hospital room. Their crystalline feathers caught the harsh fluorescent light, throwing rainbow prisms across the sterile walls.
Cradling Mandy's unconscious form closer, Kieran brought his wings forward. The feathers rustled like wind through ancient trees as they enveloped both himself and his precious burden. With a thunderous crack that shook the windows, both Djinn prince and dying woman vanished from the mortal realm.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Mandy drifted toward consciousness,wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and comfort. The sheets felt impossibly soft against her skin, carrying a fresh, clean scent that reminded her of spring mornings. She floated in that peaceful space between sleeping and waking, where reality hadn't quite solidified yet.
Something felt different, but in her half-awake state, she couldn't quite place what it was. The air carried a subtle sweetness, like jasmine blooming at twilight. Her body felt light, almost weightless, free from the usual morning stiffness and pain that had become such constant companions over the years.
She snuggled deeper into the plush bedding, not ready to fully wake up yet. This drowsy, comfortable state felt too precious to abandon. Her mind drifted lazily, like leaves floating on a gentle stream, not really forming coherent thoughts but simply existing in this moment of pure contentment.
She hadn't felt this relaxed in... she couldn't remember how long. Even breathing felt easier, each inhale bringing that sweet, fresh scent that seemed to wrap around her like an invisible blanket.
Memory surged through Mandy and she shot bolt upright in the bed, looking around in a panic. She'd been in the hospital,dying from pneumonia brought on by COVID, struggling for every breath while violent coughs tore through her chest. The sterile hospital room with its beeping monitors and harsh fluorescent lights had faded into darkness as exhaustion pulled her under. Jacinth had been crying, and Kieran... Kieran had asked for one of her wishes, made her say the words formally.
That was all she remembered. Now she found herself in what appeared to be a bedroom, but not any bedroom she'd seen before.
Mandy blinked several times, trying to process her surroundings. The walls stretched upward, white marble veined with gold catching the morning light and seeming to glow from within. Delicate arabesque patterns carved into the stone created an intricate dance of light and shadow.
The room itself was spacious yet somehow intimate, decorated in soothing shades of pale blue and cream. Plush carpets in similar hues covered portions of the marble floor, their patterns echoing the wall carvings in a softer medium.
Mandy's gaze swept around the room, taking in more details.
A cozy sitting area occupied one corner with plush cream-colored armchairs and a delicate mother-of-pearl inlaid table. Against the far wall loomed a massive wardrobe, its dark wood and intricate floral carvings a stark contrast to the pale marble surrounding it. Though the craftsmanship reminded her of museum pieces, this gleamed with fresh polish.
Matching nightstands flanked her bed, their surfaces adorned with the same detailed carving style as the wardrobe. Their drawers had delicate handles that appeared to be crafted from silver, catching glints of light when she moved her head.
At the foot of her bed sat a padded bench. Its velvet upholstery was a lovely sky blue, and its wooden frame bore those same intricate carved patterns that seemed to be a theme throughout the room's furnishings.
A gentle breeze stirred the semi-sheer ivory curtains at both the window and a doorway she presumed led to a balcony. The diaphanous fabric billowed and swayed like clouds given earthly form, creating an ever-changing pattern of light and shadow across the marble floor.
The effect was mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. Mandy found herself following the rhythmic movement of the curtains, watching how they caught and filtered the morning light. The breeze carried that same sweet jasmine scent she'd noticed earlier, making her wonder if there were gardens below the balcony.
