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“Now I release her.”
Ryshi felt an odd flutter of nerves as he rose to his feet. He wasn’t sure how his sister would react. Would she blame him for abandoning her? Maybe even want to punish him?
There was only one way to find out.
Grasping the top of the box, he broke the seal holding the lid closed and pulled it open.
Less than a heartbeat later, a curl of smoke rose out of the box, twirling faster and faster until a tall female with flowing black hair and eyes as dark as a midnight sky formed. She was wearing a sheer gown that revealed her soft curves and she had copper bands around her wrists and ankles.
Blinking as she tried to get her bearings, Zena gasped as she caught sight of Ryshi.
“Brother!” Throwing herself into Ryshi’s arms, she gave a cry of relief. “I knew you would come for me.”
Ryshi hugged her in a tight grip, allowing her familiar scent to heal the guilt that had haunted him.
“Always,” he swore in a rough voice.
For a long moment they simply clung to one another, both relishing this long-overdue reunion. Then, blindsiding Ryshi, Zena shoved her hands against his chest, making him stumble backward.
“What took you so long?” Her dark eyes flashed with anger and her expression was accusing. “I’ve been in there forever.”
Ryshi heaved a sigh. Well, some things never changed. “The same Zena, I see.” His lips twitched with rueful amusement. “I missed you.”
Zena’s anger melted as swiftly as it had appeared. “I missed you too.” About to put her arms back around Ryshi, Zena froze as she caught sight of Sofie. “Leech.”
There was a blur of motion as Zena launched herself toward his mate, and with a burst of magic, Ryshi was shifting into his smoke form to wrap around his sister in a strangling grasp. Dammit. Why hadn’t he realized that Zena would strike out at any vampire? She’d been trapped for years because of one of them.
“No!” He used his mental connection to communicate with the female struggling to break out of his hold. “Zena, stop this.”
Zena narrowed her gaze. “You would protect that creature?”
“She’s my mate.”
“Who cares?” Zena was a typical jinn. She had no comprehension of what it might mean to be eternally bound to another. “I want my revenge.”
“I won’t let that happen,” he warned. “Not even if I have to return you to that container.”
Zena froze in shock at his threat. “You choose that…female over your own sister?”
Ryshi released his hold, shifting back to his solid form. Then, deliberately stepping next to Sofie, he placed a protective arm around her shoulders. He needed Zena to realize the price of hurting Sofie.
“She’s my mate,” he said out loud. He wanted Sofie to hear his words. “I will always choose her first.”
The sweet scent of chamomile swirled through the cell, but Ryshi never took his gaze from his sister. Zena wasn’t helpless. She could create enormous destruction if she decided to punish him.
Instead, she stomped her foot like a thwarted teenage human. “You haven’t changed at all.”
He met her glare for glare. “Neither have you.”
“Are all jinn this immature?” Sofie asked in dry tones.
“Shut up, you,” Zena hissed.
“Zena.” Ryshi shook his head. “Sofie’s right. You’re acting like a spoiled brat and I’m reacting like an overbearing father.” He paused, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he recalled their endless petty squabbles. He’d promised himself if they were ever reunited he wouldn’t let that happen again, but here they were, repeating the same old pattern. “I spent years searching for you after you disappeared. I regretted telling you to leave the moment you walked out the door. I’m sorry.”
Zena blinked, a portion of her outrage fading at his apology. “I’m…I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
He removed his arm from around Sofie’s shoulders and stepped forward to gently take Zena’s hands in his.
