“He does.” Adrian spoke with a smile. “But he also sits on companies for me that sponsor excavation and restoration of temples here in Egypt. It was part of our deal – he works for me, and I put in money to protect Djinnic works in the human world that lack protection. Many of the restoration projects happening throughout Egypt continue because of my investments.”
“You never told me you were a philanthropist.” Layla smiled, her heart brightening as she saw how much pleasure shone in Adrian’s eyes while speaking of protecting the ruins.
“He’s not!” Yousry joked with a pleasant laugh. “He’s a robber-baron who enjoys old art. All the better for us Djinn, and all the better for Adrian. His pledges to us Rogue Djinn have given him access to many places in the desert he otherwise wouldn’t enjoy as a Desert Dragon, our historic enemies. Alas, he has money and most of our clans do not – even though we can often predict smart investments, we Djinn are quite terrible at hoarding money that isn’t worn right on our persons. Except myself, of course. Yousry is an anomaly in many ways.” Waggling one hand with its plethora of gold rings and bracelets, Yousry gave a bright laugh, and Tarik echoed it.
“Come, young friend.” Tarik spoke pleasantly, throwing an arm around Yousry’s shoulders. “Let us allow these three Dragons to get settled in while we go smoke a pipe. I wish to hear tales of your travels these past moons. Come.” With that, Yousry and Tarik laughed themselves away, brightening and fading and brightening again as they swirled off like winds in the desert.
“So those are Djinn?” Layla blinked, watching them go, impressed.
“Those are Djinn.” Adrian chuckled as he stepped to her side, admiring the view beyond her windows. “They’re impossible to pin down and ridiculously hard to best in a fight. How do you fight something that can just become wind? I promised myself long ago that I’d make friends with some, and it’s paid off over time. The Rogue Djinn and even some of the Egyptian Djinn are becoming friendly to me, though unfortunately that doesn’t include the Moroccan Djinn yet.”
“If Rogue Djinn travel like nomads, why does Tarik keep this hotel?” Layla asked, gazing around her opulent suite as Dusk meandered to the pass-through and had a glance in his rooms – similar to Layla’s but decorated in midnight blues, royal purples, and gold.
“Tarik’s the Rogue Djinn Clan First, but it means something different to Rogue Djinn than other clans,” Adrian commented, still gazing out over the incredible view of the Luxor Temple. “A Rogue Djinn Clan First is the person who acts as the touchstone for all the other Rogue Djinn. He’s the anchor to their winds, the keeper of their stories, and has pledged himself a steady center and place of rest for all. Tarik will keep this hotel until he dies, and is replaced by someone else who takes the pledge. The Rogue Djinn First isn’t necessarily their strongest member, and doesn’t have to fight for the position. It’s someone who loves peace, serenity, and storytelling – an expert negotiator and host. Tarik’s mate Jaleera used to be their First, but she passed on about a hundred years ago. Now Tarik keeps this hotel with his son Ahmes and his daughter Amira. Amira is Tarik’s likely replacement as First when he dies – I’m sure we’ll see her later during dinner.”
“Ahmes.” Layla’s brows knit, suddenly thinking of the young bellhop with the electric blue eyes – the same blue eyes as Tarik. “Was he one of our bellhops?”
“The one who winked at you.” Dusk confirmed as he moved back into Layla’s suite with a wry grin. “Boy needs to learn to keep his winks to himself. He’s harmless, though. So. What does everyone want to do now that we’ve arrived?”
“Looks like there’s a bazaar happening out in the temple’s courtyard,” Adrian commented with a flash of a smile and a nod out the window. “Anyone up for a little shopping and then maybe hit a hookah bar for a smoke and some mid-afternoon coffee? Tarik’s making dinner here, so we should be back by suppertime. And apparently, Amira’s dancing during dinner tonight.”
“Amira’s dancing?” Dusk blinked and Layla saw him visibly tremble, though not in a bad way. His glance flicked to Layla, his slow smile handsomely deviant as his sapphire eyes flashed. “Well, none of us should miss that. You’ve not ever seen dancing until you see a Rogue Djinn woman do it. At night. Before the fire. In the Courtyard of Dancing Winds. Enough said.”
Layla laughed. Dusk was so effortlessly sexy and cheeky that she moved to him, throwing her arms up around his neck with joy. His sapphire eyes lit as he wrapped his arms around her, and he wasn’t shy about giving her a deep kiss this time, even though Adrian looked on. As they kissed, his soft lips pressing hers, he passed a sexy rumble into her body. His earlier mood at the mention of unrestful spirits in his homeland had been completely banished back to his excitement from the jet by their bright welcome into Tarik’s guesthouse, and Layla was glad. As they finished their kiss, Adrian cleared his throat, and corralling her close in his arms, Dusk turned Layla to face her Desert Dragon.
Adrian blushed hard at the kiss Layla had shared so openly with Dusk. His vibrant aqua eyes were hot as he stared at the two of them, his full lips parted. A scintillating wind swept through the room from the open window, scented with jasmine and cinnamon, cardamom and sandalwood musk – and it wasn’t from the garden. As Layla saw Adrian stand there watching Dusk corral her closer, kneading her waist with his strong hands, Layla saw it set Adrian on fire. Hot jealousy was in that look, but also dark passion – and as Layla held her hand out to him, Dusk wrapping her closer in his arms as he softly kissed her neck, Adrian came.
Oh, how he came. Like a sidewinder over desert sands, Adrian strode to her fast, seizing her waist as his other hand cupped her neck possessively. Pulling her close to his hot, lean body, he stared down at her with disastrously blue-gold eyes, desire burning them to the quick. Layla saw the green in Adrian’s eyes brighten as Dusk kissed her neck again, growling a deep rumble into her body like a challenge to Adrian. Adrian’s jealousy flared like spiced winds, flowing over Layla’s skin, but it was a pleasurable sensation rather than biting. Dusk’s possession of her made him hot, Layla realized as Adrian dug his fingers into her waist and pulled her closer to himself – Dusk subtly fighting with a growl to pull Layla back.
As she was caught between them, deliciously fought over by both her mates, Layla felt those sensations of battle and carnal lust please both her men in a rolling wave of heat and magic. Just like before, as if the excitement to fight and fuck powered their Dragons a hundredfold, Layla gasped between them as she felt their powers riot. Caught between their coils, she was deliciously trapped, and with wide eyes, she saw Adrian’s gaze go molten as she stared up at him, his full lips lingering near hers. Something cruel was in his eyes, and something so deeply pleased that it made Layla instantly wet. Her knees were weak as Dusk kissed another low rumble into her neck, kneading her with his strong hands, while Adrian’s spiced winds eased from his lips, licking sweetly into her mouth and sighing down her throat.
It was hot; hot and thick as Adrian pressed his winds into her mouth, sliding them over her tongue and pressing them against the back of her throat. Layla was forced to swallow, feeling him slide inside her; coiling up deep in her belly and sex. With slow breaths, Adrian maintained his riveting eye contact, pressing his magics deeper inside her; stroking her most intimate, unseeable places. Layla made a sound as her whole body shuddered and her knees buckled – both her men catching her from collapsing to the floor as she was sundered by their magics.
Adrian’s eyes were fierce with desire as he flicked one hand to the doors, slamming them all shut and locking them with a gust of wind, though he left the window-screens open to the sunlight. Moving in close, his eyes dug into Layla like talons as his soft lips found hers. And then they were kissing, his lips so sweet and full, yet furious with barely-restrained passion. As Dusk poured a basso growl through her neck yet again, as both her Royal Dragons fought to have her with their bodies and magics, Layla realized they fought each other because it was what they liked to do.
In the bedroom, as much as out of it.
CHAPTER 12 – OFFERING
Layla was just heating into the moment, eager for what was about to happen between her, Adrian, and Dusk, when Dusk suddenly pulled back. Just as he’d done before, Dusk blocked that power even as it rose between them all. As Dusk disengaged, Adrian ceased kissing Layla, glancing up at Dusk with a far sharper look than his usual. It was a look of concern and wariness knifing though Adrian’s lust. But with a hard shake of his head as if to clear it, Dusk stepped back with a hard out-breath, letting Layla go. Raising his hands as if touching her would pull him back in, he took a few deep breaths, as Layla turned in Adrian’s arms to see him.
“I’m sorry, I just… this is too dangerous. I don’t want to get you both involved in my shit, in a way that will get you hurt by my King. I can’t.” Dusk spoke, putting his hands on his hips and getting ahold of himself. Layla felt his energy still rumbling through the floor; even with his glamour, he was flushed from his Dragon. But as he reached one hand up, ruffling his artfully-styled dark hair in deep conflict, Layla saw a flash of iridescence show through Dusk’s glamour.
Even as she saw it, Layla watched gold glimmer on his high cheekbones – his magic so heightened right now with the sudden passion between the three of them that he was burning off his glamour, fast. Rachida had helped Adrian create the glamour for Dusk just this morning; it should have been good for another few days. But Dusk was burning energy hard right now with all his conflicting emotions about his past, present, and future. Wrapped in Adrian’s arms, Layla reached out and set a hand to Dusk’s, and he let her. Glancing at her, he gave a wry smile, deeply pained.
“I think I need some air.” He spoke quietly.
“Sure.” Layla nodded, smiling gently as she felt her heart open for him and everything he was going through, even though her Dragon still roared inside for passion. “We talked about going out to the bazaar in the Luxor Temple, would that do?”
“It would.” Dusk nodded with a smile of relief, his jangled energy smoothing. “Let me just shuck my jacket and burn off this glamour and I’ll be ready. Fucking itches like you wouldn’t believe now that it’s breaking. Just a sec.”
Turning, Dusk moved towards the pass-through that led into his suite and opened it, then disappeared into the room adjacent. Layla watched him go, then glanced up at Adrian, only to see Adrian watching the pass-through also, frowning. Turning, Layla wound her arms up around Adrian’s neck as he glanced to her.
“I’m worried about him.” Adrian spoke quietly, not loud enough to be heard in the next suite where Dusk was now doing some kind of breathing exercise to burn off his glamour. “It’s not like Dusk to back away from a sexual encounter, especially one he wants.”
“He’s dealing with a lot right now,” Layla frowned, thinking back over her conversation with Dusk at Riad Rhakvir. “He doesn’t want us to hit the radar of his King if shit goes down.”
“Whenshit goes down.” Adrian glanced to Layla again, smoothing a lock of her curls back from her cheek. “I’m not a blind optimist, Layla, and neither is Dusk. You and I are already involved in all this, both because of the Bind, but also because he and I are resonating in our magics. Assuming we can get Dusk in to the Crystal Plateau and he’s actually strong enough to send a pulse out to attract new clan members, King Markus will be interested in all three of us. He may summon Dusk specifically, but he’ll be keeping an eye on you and me. Dusk knows that. And he also knows we’d be stronger together if we can manifest more combined magic by becoming closer in our Bind. I can feel passion rioting all through him, Layla. He wants to have a threesome almost more than you and I do. But he’s afraid of it. And his fear is stopping him.”
