Hell on earth, and all in my little apartment. Was nothing sacred anymore?
Chapter 7
Cadmus
I stared at a male version of Ellie in helpless fascination. Good Light, but Ellie was his spitting image. Ethim had the same high cheekbones, the same stubborn nose and strong chin, identical bright blue eyes, though his glowed with a fierce anger that had Arim braced for attack.
The Djinn’s aura was Dark, so much so that I had no trouble seeing it. Yet the Darkness of the man in no way detracted from his physical presence. Ethim il Ruethe looked like a walking piece of art.
It was all I could do not to reach out and touch the man to see if he was real.
He had unnaturally attractive features. I’d just spent the last few weeks among the Djinn, but I’d never seen a creature so physically striking. Well, except for Ellie. Glancing at her, I noted the guarded look in her eyes as she stared at her father.
Interesting.
I’d known from her many comments she had no close ties to the man. But watching the two, I thought perhaps her distance had been of her own making. Ethim glared at Arim and me, but his gaze softened with love and worry when it lit upon his daughter.
“I asked what you’re doing here.” Ethim’s tone shifted, seeming to echo throughout the small room, commanding obedience.
“I don’t think so.” Arim waved his hand, and the compulsion to answer the Djinn faded.
“Don’t think you can come in here and take charge like you try to do everywhere else. This situation goes beyond the Light Bringers now. At least, it’s beyond you.” Ethim looked past Arim to me and nodded. “Jonas mentioned some of your troubles, but I have to admit I never thought he’d bring you back here.”
I thought it telling that Ethim had yet to address his daughter.
“Why are you here?” she finally asked, her voice flat.
Ethim drew himself up to his formidable height, and his features tightened. “I just wanted to see for myself that you were all right. I know you’ve been having trouble with the university and wanted to offer my assistance.”
Ellie blinked. “You did?”
“You didn’t think I would notice your troubles? I see everything, Elliara.”
She blushed and darted a glance at me, and I did my best to look uninterested. Elliara? A beautiful name and one that spoke of Djinn ties, a connection that for some reason she wanted to sever.
“It’s Ellie, Ethim.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but after a glance at Arim and me, he changed the subject. “Are these two bothering you? I’ve found a suitable place where we can stash the Earth Lord until a time where he may be of some use.”
Arim’s expression darkened. “It’s funny you mention his use. What exactly do you intend for my nephew? The last I knew, Jonas was doing us a favor by keeping Cadmus safe. Now, it seems there’s an agenda we know nothing about.”
I shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I have no clue what you’re talking about. I had a slight altercation in Foreia, so Jonas whisked me away. If you’d open the doors to Tanselm, we could take care of everything right now,” I challenged my uncle.
But oddly enough, I didn’t want Arim to make it that easy.
For over a year, I had been dying to return to my homeworld. But being around Ellie again made me long for some alone time with the woman, without distraction. If Arim took me back home, I’d have no excuse to stay behind with Ellie.
“You know you can’t return home without an affai,” Arim explained matter-of-factly. “So work your magic and find her. I have the feeling time is moving us toward something we’re not quite ready for.”
“I know.” I had felt a shift in the possibilities of the future for some time. My clairvoyance had deserted me of late, and the only visions I now had involved sex with the alluring blonde next to me. “But I can’t see what’s coming, no matter how hard I try.”
“Would one of you care to explain just what’s going on here?” Ethim asked again, this time with more patience. “If you’d like, we can take this conversation someplace safer. I have space in Foreia that would be perfect for you, Earth Lord, while we?—”
“No,” Ellie blurted, surprising all of us. “Cadmus is fine here, and with everything otherworldly happening around me, I feel safer having him around.”
She wouldn’t meet my gaze and refused to respond to my mental questions.
“Safer with him around?” Her father sounded as incredulous as I felt. But satisfaction danced through my soul. Ellie didn’t want me to leave. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
