“When I could feel her through our bond, yes, I felt her pain at being separatedfromme.”
“Help me find that,” Thadrick saidgruffly.
“What? A woman whocripplesyou?”
“Yes. And who aches for me in the samecripplingway.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know many femaledjinn.”
“I’m not talking about djinn,” Thadrickresponded.
“Can you even be with someone who isn’t djinn?” Daltonasked.
Thadrick frowned. “I don’t know. There is no history of one of my species being with another. But that does not mean it isn’tpossible.”
“We can’t just go traipsing around different realms looking for a female.” He growled. He felt like he was dealing with a much too intelligent and sophisticated toddler, but a toddlernonetheless.
“Whynot?”
The djinn was serious. Think like a toddler, Dalton thought to himself. “Because we are needed here. And there’s a bad sorcerer out there who wants tohurtus.”
The djinn’s face was blank as he stared at him. “Why are you speaking to me in thatmanner?”
“Because you are acting like achild.”
“Fine, we will not go now. But I want your word that when you are free to leave Perizada’s realm, you will assist me in finding my ownfemale.”
“You do understand that females aren’t just lying around at the end of rainbows,don’tyou?”
“I liked you better when you were a dog acting like a cat,” Thadrick saiddryly.
So he had understood Dalton’s wolf’s behavior. Who knew? “I liked you better before you left whatever lamp you crawledoutof.”
Thadrick made a sound that made it clear he was insulted. “We don’t live in lamps. That would beridiculous.”
After several minutes, Dalton realized Thadrick had no intention of going away. Figures. He wanted to allow in the anguish of being apart from Jewel, not babysit an ancient being that was behaving like a teenager consumed by raginghormones.
“I’m bored,” Thadrick said suddenly. “Come,” he said as he turned to head back down the hill. “You will sparwithme.”
“I don’t really feel like sparring right now,”Daltonsaid.
“And I don’t feel like waiting to find a female, but those are the cards we have been dealt at the moment.” Thadrick stopped and turned to look up at him. “You are a sad excuse for a male. Perhaps when Jewel comes back, she will seeIam a more capable male to careforher.”
Dalton phased without even thinking. His wolf saw red at the djinn’s taunting. His paws hit the ground at a dead run, and he chased after his prey. Thadrick appeared only to be trotting away, yet Dalton never gainedaninch.
When they reached the sparing circle, Dalton launched himself at the large djinn. Before he knew what had happened, he hit the ground with a loud thud. Apparently, he wasn’t allowed to die by letting himself waste away, but death by djinn wasacceptable.
* * *
He was stronger.Just having his blood in the two gypsy healers had made him much stronger. He was now tied to their magic and could use it as if it was his own. It wasn’t something that he’d known would happen. Volcan smiled. Being stronger meant he wouldn’t have to hide out in the draheim realm much longer. If only his two healers would get busy making the witches, things could move forward. Without the witches, he would not be able to wipe Perizada and her pack of dogs fromexistence.
Perhaps it was time to give Jewel a little motivation. He walked over to the cage that was sitting in the corner of his study. The woman inside stared back at him. There was no fear in her eyes. There was no indication she cared one way or another what he did with her or to her. It was infuriating, but he had to wait. He couldn’t take his frustration out on her. He would leave that task toJewel.
Yes, it was time for him to pay his little witches a visit and bring them home for some motivationalconditioning.
Chapter8
“Did you know, one of the things the Puritans used to convict a person of witchcraft in Salem was a cake? It was called a ‘witch’s cake’ and was made out of rye flour and the urine of the accused and then fed to a dog. If the animal showed the same symptoms as the individual in question, the accused was considered guilty of witchcraft.” ~Jewel
