“Relax. It’s my ass, not yours, that bothers him.”
“What?”
“Inside joke.” He handed me my clothing.
We dressed in amicable silence. I couldn’t believe how much I looked forward to the future. With Cadmus by my side, life looked much more pleasing than it ever had. I believed in him, in his power and what he stood for. He had more right than most to hold onto prejudice against the Djinn, yet he looked beyond his pain at the truth. And he had pushed me to accept me heritage when he could easily have steered me the other way.
“Ellie,” he said softly as he guided me towards the pavilion’s entrance. “Believe me when I say I want you exactly the way you are. You’re my little Djinn, no matter how tall you are, and you always will be.” He smacked my ass. “Now get a move on. And if you liked that smack, just wait until I get you alone again.” He wiggled his eyebrows and had me laughing as we left the gazebo. “I love you, affai.”
Unfortunately, Jonas was not the only Djinn awaiting our exit.
My father, my cousin, and what looked like at least fifty Djinn warriors stood behind him, grimly clutching weapons.
Chapter 23
Jonas: A Masterful Djinn
I stared from Cadmus and Ellie to Ethim. Shit.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried to warn the Earth Lord. But no, Cadmus had been too busy to pay attention. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore exactly what Cadmus had been doing with Ellie. Suffice it to say, the Storm Lord and his affai had no idea their bliss had become public knowledge.
“How do you explain all this?” Ethim growled, waving his arms around the forest surrounding the pavilion. The Djinn behind him grumbled as well, but honestly, I felt Foreia’s joy with the situation.
Before, thinning trees and just-blooming vegetation had dotted the landscape. Now, full-flowered bushes and shrubs, thick blue grass and trees that seemed to have grown several feet in the span of little more than an hour flourished all around us.
I couldn’t help being impressed. Cadmus was, of course, an Earth Lord. But I’d never appreciated what the annoying Storm Lord could really do. Foreia thrilled under his touch, or rather, thrilled under Cadmus loving Ellie — a Darkling.
Foreia, like Tanselm, was a rare land, a place of magic and sentience. The land spoke to those who would listen. Right now, we were hearing an earful about the wonderful pairing of a Light Bringer and Djinn daughter.
“Sarqua,” I said softly. “I think perhaps you should listen to the world around us.”
“You stay out of this.” Ethim glowered, his eyes like blue flame, uncomfortably reminding me that Lexa would need to know about this right away, that is, if she didn’t know already.
“But Sarqua —”
“I’ve tolerated a lot to save our world and Tanselm from the Dark Lords. But to give my daughter to a Light Bringer forever?” Anger seethed in Ethim’s energy, spreading throughout the Djinn. “That goes too far.”
“Your prejudices are showing,” Lexa murmured, her light blue eyes appearing before the rest of her filled in. A soft hush settled over the rest of the Djinn, and we backed away respectfully. “Come now, Ethim. We talked about this. Ellie is better now than she’s ever been.”
“Terrific. As if the Djinn weren’t bad enough.” Cadmus sounded more entertained than worried. Great. Not only was Ethim in a major rage, but Cadmus appeared to enjoy it and made no effort to hide his amusement.
“Who is that?” Ellie asked Cadmus, who sighed.
“That is a Dark Lord.”
Instead of cringing, Ellie stared at Lexa with curiosity. “There’s something about her that looks familiar.”
“Elliara, I’m pleased you seem so interested in Foreia’s riches,” Ethim interrupted, his jaw clenched. “But tying yourself to a Light Bringer is not necessary. I never meant to let you go to one of them.”
Ellie’s features tightened, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with defiance. “You’ve got a lot of nerve telling me what to do considering —”
“Ellie, Sarqua, perhaps there is a better time and place for such discussions.” I tried to stop before they really got started.
The Djinn behind Lexa watched the drama unfolding with unapologetic curiosity. I knew they had Ethim’s best interests at heart, not to mention quite a few of them must have harbored fantasies of mating with the Sarqua’s daughter. Though Ellie hadn’t visited Foreia until now, Ethim had often sent his warriors to the mundane plane to protect her in secret. Word about her beauty and vivacity had spread like wildfire.
“Jonas is right.” Lexa smirked at the lovers holding hands. With a wave, the crowd of Djinn behind her suddenly disappeared. “Relax, Ethim. I just sent them back to the training fields. This conversation is one that should be held between family.” She nodded at Ellie and bowed her head, shocking us all. “Welcome, Elliara Storm, to the beginning of the rest of your life.”
Ellie frowned and took a step toward Lexa. “I know you, don’t I?”
