I meet his cold gaze and wonder what Rakan will see when he’s finally face to face with his brother. No doubt, not a murderer. Or at least, not just that.
My knees go weak, and I lean against the counter so I won’t fall over. I’m not in any danger. Rakan will never let any harm come to me. He’s made me a promise, and I believe in him. But it’s still hard to face Kasim, this twisted version of what my lover could have been.
I swallow past the sudden knot in my throat and force myself to speak. “Well, you seemed so convinced I’d want to enslave Rakan. I figured… How could I possibly resist?”
Kasim bares his teeth at me. The temperature in the cafe drops, frost blooming over the counters and displays. But it’s a testament to his ancient wisdom that he doesn’t lash out. Not immediately. “What have you done, human? Where’s Rakan?”
I reach underneath the counter and grip the lamp. It’s a beautiful piece, engraved with ancient Arabic script. But at the same time, there’s something solemn and quiet about it. Suitable for Rakan’s soul.
The moment he sees Rakan’s lamp, Kasim’s breath catches. “You… You didn’t. You couldn’t have.”
“He trusted me,” I tell him. “He placed his soul in my hands. And I made a wish he could never fulfill.”
Kasim’s eyes flash, and just like that, all the composure he’s displayed so far shatters. He lets out a loud roar, and cold fire explodes around him in an uncontrollable wave.
Even after seeing all of Rakan’s displays of power, I find this humbling. But I don’t run. I don’t have to.
The lamp in my hand turns hot, and all of a sudden, Rakan is standing there, right in front of me. Kasim’s cold fire crashes against him and dies.
“That’s enough, brother,” Rakan tells him. “You’ve done enough. You need to stop.”
Kasim’s lips twist into a crazed grin. “So… You are here, Rakan. Good. You’ll get to watch while I destroy this—”
“I won’t let you hurt her.” Rakan cuts him off. “Or anyone else. Ever again.”
Kasim shakes his head, like a parent disappointed in a naive child. “Don’t make me laugh. You can’t fight me, Rakan. I’ve always been stronger than you are.”
He’s not wrong. Rakan has admitted to this himself, to me, in private. But Kasim doesn’t need to know that, not when Rakan’s true strength lies outside his djinn ancestry.
Rakan leans against the counter, looking as relaxed as a merman in deep water. “You’re not quite as strong anymore. Face it, Kasim. You’ve lost your touch. And I’m not the boy you knew.”
It’s the same arrogant facade I’ve seen in him so many times. Once, it infuriated me, and I ended up lashing out at him, in my own quiet way. But Kasim doesn’t know his brother anymore. Or perhaps he doesn’t care, too focused on the threat to see Rakan for who he really is.
“No. You’re a slave to the human. But that will be remedied soon enough.”
Kasim lunges forward, and chaos erupts in the cafe. I duck under the counter, still holding the lamp close. The second lamp is hidden right next to my foot.
Rakan made me promise to reach for it now. To trap his brother again, like only a human could. But I hesitate anyway.
Kasim is a murderer who wears the face of my lover. It should mean nothing. It’s not Rakan’s face I fell in love with. But their lamps… They are so similar. And maybe… Maybe it’s not too late. For any of us.
Beyond the counter, Kasim roars at Rakan. Rakan snarls back, and something explodes in the cafe. From my small bubble of safety, I can’t see them. But I can feel the tension rising, the hatred crackling on my skin like static.
“Let me pass, Rakan!” Kasim bellows. “Let me free you! I can do it!”
Rakan retaliates, and glass shatters as the entire front of the cafe explodes. I can feel the echoes of the blast curling around the edges of Rakan’s ward.
“Iris!” Rakan calls out to me. “Do it now!”
I don’t touch Kasim’s lamp. Instead, I get up again. Everywhere I look, there is only smoke, Kasim’s cold fire warring with Rakan’s hotter one. But Rakan’s and Kasim’s straining forms are still visible, glowing like two beacons in the dark. They aren’t even bothering to throw magic at each other anymore. Without warning, Kasim punches Rakan in the face. Rakan recoils, then tackles his brother to the ground and grabs one of his horns.
His hand steams on the obsidian. Kasim writhes under him. It looks painful for both of them. And at that moment, I make my decision.
“Kasim, I wished for him to get his brother back!” I shout. “He can’t fulfill that wish, not if you fight him. If I force you into the lamp, he can’t fulfill it either. He’ll be bound to the lamp forever.”
Back in the penthouse, when Rakan held me so close, I knew this wish was what Rakan wanted. I also knew what it would cost, that it could very easily trap Rakan’s soul in the lamp forever.
But Rakan trusted me to do the right thing, and I couldn’t fail him. Maybe this means I’m breaking my promise. But he’ll just have to forgive me for making this final attempt.
