No answer. Crouched behind the sand dunes near the boardwalk, I couldn’t make out what the djinn were saying, only the faint echoes of their laughter made it to me over the sound of crashing waves.
Think, think, think.
I couldn’t take on that many by myself, not without a distraction. Even Kai’s shadows hadn’t helped him. Getting to him and Rani on my own wasn’t an option. Creeping backward, I spun around with the intent of finding Ezra, but the enemy found me first.
“Would you look at that,” the djinn crowed. “Just the little birdie I was looking for.”
Covered from wrist to ankle, he sported a black turtleneck, pants, and a pair of leather gloves. Full serial killer getup.
“Well, someone was prepared,” I muttered, and the djinn grinned.
“I’ve done my research.”
“Yay for you,” I deadpanned.
Fury made me brave. My usual MO was to fade into the background, to go unnoticed. Be docile. That flew out the window when they kidnapped my best friend and threatened my bonded. My glare only made the djinn laugh as he shoved me toward the beach.
“Be a good birdie and I won’t have to tie you up.”
The next several minutes were a blur of motion and vague landmarks. An inflatable raft tied to one of the jet skis. The tossing of my unconscious bond onto said raft. The spray of saltwater on my cheek. Thousands of stars. A giant boat. I tried to take in as much detail as I could, but there was no way around it. We were screwed.
Two beefy goons hauled Kai out of the raft and onto the boat. I winced at the sound and shoved their hands away when they reached for me next. Everyone wore gloves. Guess there was a secret memo about me shared among their little fan club. Goodie. The boat rocked on steady waves as I searched what I could see of the deck for any sign of Rani.
The front of the boat wasn’t visible from here, and no one stood at the wheel one level above our heads. Kai lay in a heap at my feet and four djinn surrounded us, including the one who kept calling me birdie. I rested a gentle hand on Kai’s shoulder and tried to nudge him awake.
“Hey! No touching!”
Yanked away, my arms were wrenched behind my back as the door to the cabin opened. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the man of the hour stepped on deck. Even the boat stilled as if the very waves were his to command. Or maybe it was an illusion like the now-familiar pit bull that trotted out beside him. I’d never hurt an animal, real or not, but if that dog took one more step toward Kai, I would eviscerate it.
Under the light of the moon, it was easy to make out Kol’s features. His hair was black and oily, with slimy strands hanging down to his ears. He stood maybe a couple of inches shorter than Kai, and had one eye that was slightly wider than the other. He wore jeans, a fitted shirt, and nice sneakers—why the hell was everyone so terrified of him?
“What is the meaning of this?” he shouted, voice carrying across the open water.
His men frowned at one another, and the silence stretched an uncomfortable amount. Finally, one of them got the courage to answer.
“You said to get them on the boat.”
“Alive!” Kol hissed, and his pit bull snarled. “I said to bring them to me alive.”
There was very real fear in these men at his reaction. The one holding me actually shook, and his clammy fingers kept slipping off my elbows.
“Sir, heisalive.”
Kol paused and gave Kai a long second glance, pursed his lips, and then looked at me. Whatever he saw on my face convinced him—perhaps my lack of tears. Surely Kai’s bonded would be out of her mind with grief if he were dead.
“Get them below and let me know the second he wakes.” That glare turned into a smug smile as I was led past him. “This will be no fun if our guest of honor isn’t aware of the festivities.”
Yup, that was definitely the same asshole who stabbed me. I didn’t put up a fight as they shoved me down the cramped stairs, through narrow halls, and into a humid room. I strained my neck but saw no sign of Rani anywhere on this damned boat. Aside from what looked like a closet or a possible bathroom, there was nowhere else down here to hide her. Kai was tossed on the bed that took up most of the space, and I was left to stumble in beside him. I spun to face the djinn just before he shut the door.
“Where’s my friend?” I demanded. “We held up our part of the trade.”
Technically, we were both caught rather than giving ourselves up, but hopefully, they weren’t sticklers for the details. At the very least, I hoped they’d let her go. What did they need with a human? The djinn looked annoyed that I questioned him, but I’d scream the walls of this boat down until I got answers if I had to. I opened my mouth to do just that when he finally responded.
“We tossed her overboard the second we had the Alantesheir.”And then he shrugged. Like admitting to killing someone was an everyday occurrence.
Like Rani’s life didn’t mean anything. Each breath sawed my chest in half, and it took all my concentration to keep the air moving so I didn’t pass out. Rani was a strong swimmer, but tossed in the middle of the ocean, at night, this far from shore? I didn’t want to believe it, even though an absolutely wrecked voice in my head screamed that she couldn’t have made it.
They killed her. The first friend I ever had. A true and loyal soul who had so much to offer— snuffed out. Rage like I’d never felt simmered in my gut, igniting a well of power I’d allowed to lay dormant. One I’d refused to tap into my entire life for fear of discovery. I burrowed into it now. I took my time drawing my magick from its deep slumber. Too much too fast and I’d alert everyone on this boat to my plans.
