I joined her at the table.Water sloshed over the rim as I filled two cups, sliding one toward her.She accepted it with a small smile.
“Jasila was the first person I met after crossing the Veil,” Mira continued, the cup hovering near her lips.“She was actually the one who questioned me.Who heard my story—my reason for coming into their realm.”
Her teeth worried at her bottom lip, her eyes growing distant.She was lost in the memory.
I placed my cup down with a soft clink and reached across the table, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She exhaled sharply, her shoulders dropping.“Anway… Jasila understood my reasons.She even sympathised with me, not in a pitiful way but in a wounded sort of way.”
We worked through the assortment of fruits, the silence punctuated by the occasional crunch or the soft sound of swallowing.The fruit here was sweeter, more intense than anything back home.Each bite was a small explosion of flavour.
“She always kept an eye on me, as if not truly trusting me,” Mira continued, rolling a grape between her fingers.“I honestly don’t blame her.Us mortals don’t have the greatest reputation among them.”
I nodded in agreement, selecting a slice of melon for myself.
“Once she saw I was truly not a threat, she went from keeping an eye on me to keeping an eye outfor me.”
The genuine fondness in Mira’s voice, the way her face softened as she spoke of Jasila, revealed layers to the woman I’d only known as hard and ruthless.It sparked a desire in me to earn more than just Jasila’s trust.I wanted to glimpse the person Mira clearly valued.
“Tell me, Mira…” I leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin resting on my interlaced fingers.“You’ve been here long enough.Have you ever… been with any of them?”
For someone who devoured detailed romance novels with such enthusiasm, Mira’s reaction was priceless.Blood rushed to her cheeks, staining them bright red.She cleared her throat, gaze darting to the door.
“Yes,” she admitted in a half-whisper.
I leaned closer, hardly restraining myself from bouncing in my seat.My own sexual frustration simmered just beneath the surface, a constant, maddening itch.
“Elira…” The way she dragged out my name sent excitement coursing through me.“Believe me when I tell you, you haven’t experienced anything until you experience being with a Jinn.”
The door burst open.
Theo and Tavrik strode in, Theo’s smile faltering as he caught my glare.They exchanged puzzled glances.
“Someone is in a mood.”Theo said, striding across the room and throwing himself onto the bed.He winked at Mira, who ducked her head, unable to hide her smile.
“You just annoy me,” I snapped.
I was indeed in a mood—my skin burning hot with unsatisfied desire.Every nerve ending raw and hypersensitive.I hadn’t dared try to sate my needs myself, haunted by Zaheera materialising in my mind at the worst possible moment.
I shifted in my seat, deliberately ignoring Theo’s death stare drilling into the side of my head.I turned back to Mira, forcing lightness to my voice.“Is there anything you want to do today?”
“Yes, actually.”She pushed back from the table with newfound enthusiasm, smoothing down her dress as she stood.“Did you want to join me to the markets?”
“There are markets here?”The words tumbled out before I could stop them.Of coursethere would be markets—what was I thinking?
Mira’s eyes lit up, her hands moving with excitement.“It’s so beautiful.The foods, the materials, the people.You’ll love it.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Theo said, springing from the bed.His feet landed with a solid thud, stance wide and ready, as if prepared to race out the door.
Maybe I could try to sense the stone while we were there.And even if I couldn’t, mingling with the crowd, getting fresh air beyond these confining walls—that alone would be worth it.
Tavrik stood watching our exchange.Something in my eyes must’ve communicated what I was thinking, because he nodded and smiled.
“Well, let’s go then.”Tavrik said with a grin.
Once outside, Mira led us in a new direction.Rather than going forward, we veered onto a winding path of sand-coloured gravel that crunched softly beneath our shoes.Tall trees lined the entirety of the route, their branches twisted and gnarled.A soft shimmer of sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting shifting patterns on the ground and providing the perfect amount of warmth and shade.
Mira squeezed my arm gently and pointed to her left, her slender neck craning as she peered through a break in the treeline.
