“A second djinn? There weretwoin thebottle?”
“Yes, but fortunately, the second had a more kindly manner.” He paused and gazed thoughtfully at Annelise. “You truly believe this tale,” he said, as thoughamazed.
“Of course. It makes perfectsense.”
“Perfect sense?” he echoed, then flung out a hand. “There is nothing that makes sense about it! Whoever heard of a djinn changing a man to a wolf because he uncorked a bottle? Whoever heard of a man changing to a wolf atall?”
“One hears it all the time,” Annelisereplied.
“In children’stales.”
“And who is to say that they are not true?” she asked. Her spouse had no reply. “It only makes sense that if you insulted her, she would take offense and actaccordingly.”
“I did not intend to insult her,” he said. “She claimed to be a magical, often invisible being who had been trapped in that bottle for several centuries. Clearly, this tale could not betrue.”
“But you saw her come out of thebottle.”
He shifted uncomfortably and averted his gaze. “Yes.”
“And youdidbecome awolf?”
“Yes,” he acknowledged withreluctance.
Annelise smiled, sensing that his notions of the world were in tumult. “What happenednext?”
He paced as he spoke. “I was less than pleased when the second djinn arrived. You see, the first djinn’s curse had begun to takeeffect.”
“You were changing to awolf?”
Henodded.
“What did you say to her?” Annelise almost dreaded hisreply.
“I begged shamelessly for her aid.” He winked across the fire in an abrupt change of mood that made Annelise’s heart flutter. She knew that, in that djinn’s place, she would have been hard-pressed to deny him anything he asked ofher.
“A women might easily succumb to such an entreaty,” shesaid.
Her husband laughed suddenly, as though she had surprised him. “But notyou?”
“I am not certain. You have yet to beg me for anything,sir.”
Their gazes locked and held over the dancing flames. He smiled slowly, the expression softening his features and making her heart beat faster. Annelise was not fooled that his had been an easy life. She could see the evidence of his livelihood in the few faded scars that marked his skin. She recalled the well-used but meticulously maintained armor in the stables, as well as the fine warhorse. It was easy to imagine that her spouse would be a formidable foe inbattle.
But he smiled for her. He loved her sweetly andtenderly.
And he had given her his guarantee ofprotection.
It was enough to tempt a woman to lose herheart.
“And what did the second djinn do?” sheasked.
Her husband averted his gaze. “She changed the curse slightly and made me a wolf only byday.”
“That seems somewhat less thandesirable.”
He laughed. “It does! I was less than enamored of hersolution.”
“And you had already beggedshamelessly.”
