had driven Luis mad with her demands, and I had watched, bemused, as he ran out of ways to try to deal with her patiently.
“That’s enough,” he said, when she shoved the latest game—some sort of puzzle—off the table onto the kitchen floor in a petulant tantrum. “Enough, Isabel. Stop acting like you’re two.”
“Stop pretending like you care,” she shot back. She folded her chubby arms, tucked her chin down, and glared at him, and at me, as I watched from a safe distance. “It’s boring. This is all boring . You’re treating me like a little kid.”
“Then what would you like to do?” I asked her.
“Go somewhere.”
“Where?”
She sighed dramatically. “Anywhere!”
I exchanged a glance with Luis, but only a brief one. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I didn’t really need to know. The glance was only to warn him not to interfere. “Would you like to ride on the back of my motorcycle?”
He frowned at me, and silently mouthed, What are you doing? I shook my head slightly in response, and he subsided.
Ibby, regardless of her trust (or lack of it) for me, brightened immediately at the prospect of doing something implicitly dangerous. “Yes!” She wriggled down from her chair and dashed away.
“What the hell, Cass?” Luis asked, as soon as she was out of earshot. “You’re not going to take her—”
“No,” I said, knowing what he was asking. “Not directly. I’m taking her to see an object lesson.”
“Where?”
“You won’t like it,” I said. “It’s best I don’t tell you about it. Not yet.”
“You want me to come with?”
“No,” I said, as gently as I could. “This needs to be just the two of us. I’m sorry.”
That was asking for a great deal of trust, and I saw it warring inside of him, but he finally bent his head stiffly and said, “Okay.” He wanted to say more, but at last he let it go. “Girl talk. I get it.”
Ibby came back. I couldn’t see that she’d done anything at all to prepare for the trip. “You have to change clothes,” I told her. She was wearing a pale pink flowered dress, one more suited to a party than a motorcycle ride.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll be on a motorcycle. A dress is not suitable for a motorcycle.”
“Why?” Ibby’s dark eyes were wide, and the set of her mouth was dangerously stubborn.
“Because your dress can blow up.”
“So?”
“It’s not appropriate to—” I struggled for an explanation, and glared at Luis as he started to laugh. “Just put on pants, Ibby.” Impossible as it seemed, I found myself being concerned about the child’s appropriate attire.
How the Djinn would have laughed.
Isabel stomped off to change clothes, frowning, and Luis chuckled and leaned over to kiss me lightly on the forehead. “Very good,” he said. “Outstanding. You’re getting the hang of this parent thing.” I felt myself frowning, which made him laugh and kiss me again, this time on the mouth. That felt warm and wet and delicious, and I wished that I hadn’t committed myself quite so quickly to taking Isabel out. Surely we could find something to occupy such a young child for an hour ... or possibly two.
I found myself winding my fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss. The strands felt like warm silk against my skin, and I had a flash of sense-memory that told me how good it would feel brushing against my skin ... elsewhere.
Luis pulled free with an appreciative gasp. “Later,” he promised, and put his finger across my damp lips. “Wish I didn’t have to say that.”
“I wish you didn’t, either,” I said. If I’d still had my powers as a Djinn, I would have stopped time, created space, made a secret hideaway for the two of us. There we could have done as we both wished, for as long as we wished.
Djinn were indulgent, easily seduced creatures. I missed being a Djinn.
A racket of noise from down the hall made us step apart even farther, and Luis shook his head. “A gang of bikers
“That’s enough,” he said, when she shoved the latest game—some sort of puzzle—off the table onto the kitchen floor in a petulant tantrum. “Enough, Isabel. Stop acting like you’re two.”
“Stop pretending like you care,” she shot back. She folded her chubby arms, tucked her chin down, and glared at him, and at me, as I watched from a safe distance. “It’s boring. This is all boring . You’re treating me like a little kid.”
“Then what would you like to do?” I asked her.
“Go somewhere.”
“Where?”
She sighed dramatically. “Anywhere!”
I exchanged a glance with Luis, but only a brief one. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I didn’t really need to know. The glance was only to warn him not to interfere. “Would you like to ride on the back of my motorcycle?”
He frowned at me, and silently mouthed, What are you doing? I shook my head slightly in response, and he subsided.
Ibby, regardless of her trust (or lack of it) for me, brightened immediately at the prospect of doing something implicitly dangerous. “Yes!” She wriggled down from her chair and dashed away.
“What the hell, Cass?” Luis asked, as soon as she was out of earshot. “You’re not going to take her—”
“No,” I said, knowing what he was asking. “Not directly. I’m taking her to see an object lesson.”
“Where?”
“You won’t like it,” I said. “It’s best I don’t tell you about it. Not yet.”
“You want me to come with?”
“No,” I said, as gently as I could. “This needs to be just the two of us. I’m sorry.”
That was asking for a great deal of trust, and I saw it warring inside of him, but he finally bent his head stiffly and said, “Okay.” He wanted to say more, but at last he let it go. “Girl talk. I get it.”
Ibby came back. I couldn’t see that she’d done anything at all to prepare for the trip. “You have to change clothes,” I told her. She was wearing a pale pink flowered dress, one more suited to a party than a motorcycle ride.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll be on a motorcycle. A dress is not suitable for a motorcycle.”
“Why?” Ibby’s dark eyes were wide, and the set of her mouth was dangerously stubborn.
“Because your dress can blow up.”
“So?”
“It’s not appropriate to—” I struggled for an explanation, and glared at Luis as he started to laugh. “Just put on pants, Ibby.” Impossible as it seemed, I found myself being concerned about the child’s appropriate attire.
How the Djinn would have laughed.
Isabel stomped off to change clothes, frowning, and Luis chuckled and leaned over to kiss me lightly on the forehead. “Very good,” he said. “Outstanding. You’re getting the hang of this parent thing.” I felt myself frowning, which made him laugh and kiss me again, this time on the mouth. That felt warm and wet and delicious, and I wished that I hadn’t committed myself quite so quickly to taking Isabel out. Surely we could find something to occupy such a young child for an hour ... or possibly two.
I found myself winding my fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss. The strands felt like warm silk against my skin, and I had a flash of sense-memory that told me how good it would feel brushing against my skin ... elsewhere.
Luis pulled free with an appreciative gasp. “Later,” he promised, and put his finger across my damp lips. “Wish I didn’t have to say that.”
“I wish you didn’t, either,” I said. If I’d still had my powers as a Djinn, I would have stopped time, created space, made a secret hideaway for the two of us. There we could have done as we both wished, for as long as we wished.
Djinn were indulgent, easily seduced creatures. I missed being a Djinn.
A racket of noise from down the hall made us step apart even farther, and Luis shook his head. “A gang of bikers
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