“I’m not afraid to get burned, djinni. And from where I’m sitting, it looks like you have a job to do.” She glanced at his hips, where the stirrings of an erection pressed against the soft cotton of his pants. Oh, he still wanted her. That was another plus in her favor. Djinn, after all, were ruled by their desires.
Dragging her gaze back up to his full lips, she smiled wider and added, “I think it’s time you stopped arguing about something we both know you want and got on with it.”
* * *
Ashur’s heart pounded as he stared down at Claire, laid out over the couch like an offering for his most wicked desires.
The months of training, of denial, of sexual frustration coalesced inside him until the blood pounded in his ears and throbbed in his cock.
He gathered his strength. Black smoke swirled around him as he transported his body from the middle of her hut to the beach outside. He needed a minute to think. Needed to get away from her so he could do that.
Soft granules of sand cradled his feet. He breathed deep and looked out over the rolling waves.
She wasn’t going to release him—that much was clear. And he couldn’t go back to Zoraida until he’d accomplished his goal. But he
wouldn’t
open himself to the possibility of her stealing his powers either. His mind swirled as he scanned the water’s surface. He wished he’d paid more attention in school. Nasir was the thinker, not him. He had no doubt Nasir would know exactly what to do with a celestial being like Claire.
He tried to recall everything he knew about her realm. Angels had no free will. Each performed a job for Allah. But some could take human form, and sometimes Allah sent them to test souls to see if they could be corrupted. He’d heard stories of djinn who’d fallen prey to these types of tests in the human realm. Djinn who’d gone with the intention of toying with a human soul only to have their powers stripped by an angel in disguise. And the way they’d done so was in that moment when the djinni opened himself up, either emotionally or physically.
Indecision warred as he looked back at the hut. And his entire body hardened when he remembered the way she’d looked at him, the sparkle in her eyes when she’d all but offered herself, the intensity with which she’d climaxed earlier.
Fallen or not, she wanted him. He didn’t know if it was a result of free will or simply a test, but maybe…
If she wasn’t bound to the opal, then there was a strong possibility she couldn’t command him, not like a bound human. Which meant that until he corrupted her soul, he could do whatever the hell he wanted, and she wouldn’t be able to protest.
And an idea took root. One that grew in strength and possibility with every second. It was wicked. It was dangerous. But she’d said she wanted to be thoroughly seduced. He knew one surefire way to do that. The only question was whether or not she truly had any powers left.
The only option was to find out for himself.
* * *
Claire stood at the window and looked out over the empty beach. Where had he gone this time?
With a frown, she flopped onto the couch and stared up at the thatched ceiling. So much for seducing him. She’d done exactly what she’d told herself not to do. She’d freaked him the hell out again.
She closed her eyes. Drew in a breath, let it out slowly. She just needed a minute to think of what to do next, but before she could get a grip on her thoughts, darkness descended, a black cloud that seemed to pull her under. Something in the back of her mind warned now was not the time to take a nap, but she couldn’t stop herself from floating.
A haze rolled in, almost like fog. And through the swirling smoke, she saw images. Fantasies. Those things she’d read about in books and seen online since she’d been banished. Wicked things. Erotic things that shifted and changed in front of her. And somewhere close, a voice whispered,
Oh yes, we can do that too
.
She didn’t know where the voice came from, but she liked the sound of it. Liked the accent and the way her whole body tingled in response. Liked the heat consuming her skin and the flutter in her stomach that told her something was coming. A darkness she craved. One she didn’t even care could just lead to her downfall.
Her body grew light, her mind empty. The couch shifted beneath her, and then air slid along her spine, as if she were moving.
For a moment, her mind recoiled, but she couldn’t open her eyes. And then softness cradled her limbs again.
She sighed, snuggled down against the cushions, tried to stay awake but couldn’t.
Hours later—it felt like hours later—that same sinful voice echoed close. “Wake up, Claire.”
Claire turned her head, tried to open her eyes, but they weren’t working.
“That’s it,
noor
.” Something soft brushed her calf. “Open those eyes for me. I know you’re tired, but fight it. I promise it will be worth your while.”
Claire rolled her head the other way, tried to stretch her arms out to the side, but met resistance.
What the
…?
“Come on.” Another flutter of softness, this time against her kneecap. “Come back to me.”
She knew that voice. It was rough. Sexy. She’d heard it whispering in her dream. Wanted to hear it again. She flexed her fingers, tried to shift her leg so she could roll to her side, but again met resistance.
The whisper-soft touch traced the inside of her knee, moved down to her ankle and back up the outside of her leg. Tingles ignited all along her spine.
A chuckle echoed to her ears, then the voice—his voice—whispered close, “You like that, don’t you? Open your eyes, and I promise you’ll like what you see even better.”
She fought against the haze. Finally managed to pull her eyelids open. Soft light blinded her. She blinked several times. Strained to see. Slowly, the watery image above came into view.
Wood beams. A flickering, warm light against a thatched roof. And beneath her…silk.
She was in her hut, the one she’d rented in the Marshall Islands. She tried to move her arms again. The bite of rope against her wrists brought her head up.
“There you are.”
Her head snapped around. Ashur was standing at the end of the bed, wearing nothing but the same black cotton pants he’d had on earlier. Darkness pressed in from the windows, making her wonder how long she’d been asleep, and candlelight flickered off his muscular torso. But the feather in his hand, the heat brewing in his eyes, and the menacing grin across his rugged face warned her to be careful how she reacted right now.
She tried to move her legs. Rope ground against ankles. She tugged on her arms again, but they didn’t budge, and in an instant, she realized she was tied to each of the four corners of the bed. “What—what’s going on?”
“You said you wanted to be seduced. I’m only doing what you desire.”
Her heart rate sped up, and she watched as he waved his hand over the table to her right. A series of objects appeared out of nowhere. Strange, rubber, phallus-shaped objects she’d only read about but recognized from the descriptions.
Unease shifted through her. She pulled harder on the ropes, desperate to get free. Pain spiraled up her limbs. “Um…this isn’t what I had in mind.”
He chuckled again, reached over and lifted the slim purple dildo. “No? I think you lie. I think purple was even your color of choice.”
Oh shit. She slowed her struggling. Her cheeks heated as she stared at him. He couldn’t possibly know about her fantasies. She’d never shared them with anyone. She—
Her unease jumped. “Are you…Ghul?”
He chuckled once more, an arousing yet dangerous sound, one that shouldn’t send a flutter through her stomach but did. “No. I hail from the Marid tribe.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief. Marid were powerful, yet reasonable when it came to negotiations. They kept to themselves, were considered honorable amongst the djinn race, and they rarely crossed into the human realm unless coerced. It was Ghuls one had to worry about. The most depraved of all djinn, they could read minds. Loved to, in fact, use that strategy to torment humans and decipher a soul’s weakness.
“But,” Ashur said, his eyes locked on her, his free hand sliding the length of the dildo, “my master has taught me a few very convenient Ghul skills.”
Her eyes grew wide as she watched him stroke the dildo as if it were his own cock, and her pulse picked up speed until it was a roar in her ears.
He’d tapped into her fantasies. That hadn’t been a dream at all.
Panic set in, spread beneath her ribs. She struggled in earnest against the ropes. “Untie me. Right now. I command it.”
He moved around the bed and leaned close to her ear, so close his musky scent overwhelmed her senses. “What was that? I don’t think I heard you right. Try again,
noor
. Command me.”
There was just enough venom in the way he said
noor
that she knew this wasn’t going to be a sweet seduction. He was pissed that she hadn’t freed him. And now he was using her fantasies to torment her. Ghul or Marid, it didn’t matter. He’d obviously learned more than just pleasure skills from his mistress.
That panic grew stronger, more intense. She willed him to back away, but he didn’t move. And then he chuckled once more. A sound that sent a tremor of fear straight down her spine.
“You’re not bound to the opal,
noor
. Only me. And that means your seduction is mine to choose.”
Oh shit, no
…
“Relax,” he breathed hot against her ear. “This is about to get fun.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire’s heart raced as Ashur leaned back, that victorious grin curling one side of his lips, making her stomach cave with apprehension over what he had planned.
Wide eyed, she watched as he moved back to the table, picked up the feather and a black strip of silk and brought them and the purple dildo back to the bed.
“Easy,” he said while she struggled against the ropes. “All you’re going to do is hurt yourself.”
He was right. If her wrists weren’t bleeding already, they would be soon unless she stopped her fighting. She tried to relax, but when he leaned over with the black sash, her breaths grew quick and shallow. “Hold on—”
He ignored her plea, only chuckled again, covered her eyes and cinched the sash tight behind her head.
Darkness descended, and that fear jumped another notch. But there was something else, some craving brewing in her veins. Something she couldn’t define.
Sounds echoed through the room—the springs on the bed creaking as he eased off the mattress, the floorboards groaning as he moved around, something clicking on the nightstand, as if he’d set an object down.
Yes, she’d wanted to be seduced, but not like this. Not every fantasy was meant to be lived out. That was why it was a
fantasy
.
“Ashur…slow down a second. I—”
“You’re not the one calling the shots here,
noor
. Get used to it.” The feather brushed against her kneecap again, and tingles shot up her leg. Hot, sensual tingles that felt so damn good. Way better than they should. She clenched her teeth as the whisper-soft tip moved up her thigh and skirted the hem of her shorts.
At least she was still wearing shorts. “Ashur—”
“Protest, protest, protest. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were acting.”
The feather trailed up her hip, then caressed the bare skin of her abdomen. And those hot, spicy tingles shot to her hips, making her bite her tongue to keep from groaning. “I’m…I’m not.”
The feather moved over her T-shirt, sending spirals of heat all along her rib cage. “Your nipples are hard.”
“Because I’m cold.” Oh, Allah, that is not from being cold. “Ashur—”
“I think this shirt is in the way. Don’t you?” The feathery sensation left, and then something clicked, followed by the cold bite of steel against her lower belly that made her entire body freeze and vibrate with excitement at the same time. “Hold still. I don’t want to accidentally cut you.”
Cut her?
Scissors snapped. A rasp echoed to her ears, followed by warm air rushing over her abdomen and the erotic realization that he’d just sliced her shirt open.
“Ashur—”
“Be still.”
She sucked in a breath while the scissors moved up her stomach, cutting away what was left of the thin garment. When he reached the top, the cotton fell open, and the gentle breeze washed over her bare breasts, making the tips even harder, sending a shockwave of arousal straight to her sex.
He chuckled again. “Oh, I think you’re definitely enjoying this.” A click echoed, as if he’d put the scissors on the bedside table; then the tip of the feather tickled her breastbone. “Tell me,
noor
, are you wet?”
She trembled against the sheet. She didn’t want to admit that she was, that what he was doing was the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced, and that the longer it went on, the harder it was for her to think straight. Because she
needed
to think straight. She was the one who was supposed to be doing the seducing and commanding, not the other way around. “Ashur, I don’t want—”
He trailed the feather to her right breast, circled the entire areola. “You don’t? Then use your powers and free yourself.”
She stilled. And her breaths quickened as his words permeated the sexual haze settling over her. “I don’t have any powers left. I told you that.”
“Then you truly are mine to do with whatever I want.” His warm breath washed over her other breast, and then something wet and soft—
oh…his tongue
—circled her nipple. “Do you want my mouth here? Like it was earlier? Remember how good that felt?”
Oh, she did. She hitched in a breath and reflexively arched toward his lips.
His mouth curled in a smile as he pressed soft kisses along the underside of her breast. “I’m going to make you beg,
noor
. Have you ever heard of erotic denial?”
She had trouble processing his words. Because all she could focus on was the wicked sensations in her breasts, the jolts of electricity they were sending to her sex and the need for him to suckle her as he’d done before.