“Please, join me inside the lamp, Master.” His playful tone had turned into a beg.

An animalistic part of me groaned, urging me to go with him. I was curious to visit the lamp and the world of a genie. Was it cramped? Full of silk pillows? A smoky haven? But the sensible, suspicious side of me wanted more answers, to ensure mine and Ali’s lives weren’t in any more danger than we were already in.

I pulled my hand away and shyly looked away. “What if this is a trick to trap me inside so you three can have your freedom?”

Kaza pointed to Dahvi. “She’s smart and feisty. I like her more than any other master we’ve ever had.”

Wow. I wasn’t sure how to take his comment. Was it a compliment? Or sweet talk to butter me up and trick me? Either way, my “suspicion radar” was on full alert.

Dahvi sighed behind me as if he were giving up. “If a master commands the lamp, she rules our inner flame, and we may not hurt her.” Sincerity rang loud and clear in his voice.

In my line of work, I had to be in tune with my instincts. My gut was well accustomed to warning me of trouble. Of the three genies, I trusted him the most because he gave me the impression he would never lie to his master. That I was safe with him and he would die to protect me.

Kaza gestured with his finger. “Show her, Brother.”

Like a striking viper, Dahvi snagged the knife from the kitchen bench.

“Hey, what are you doing with that?” Heart racing, I stood between the genie and Ali.

Dahvi lunged at me with the sharp tip.

I froze and screamed.

The knife connected with a bright-blue force. Light exploded outward, thrusting him into the wall. The blade dropped from his grasp and bounced onto the floor. Where he crashed left an imprint of his body in the bricks.

“Whoa!” cried Ali, scrambling to help Dahvi to his feet.

I rocked back on my heels as the force field evaporated.

Dahvi groaned and rubbed his head.

“Told you,” Kaza said matter-of-factly from beside me.

How quickly he had moved left me shaken. So much so I kept dropping the knife when I picked it up from the floor. At last, I got a firm grip and returned it to the cupboard. “Don’t ever do that to me again, understand?”

Dahvi gave me a weak smile and rubbed his neck. “Just trying to prove a point. We can’t harm you.”

While this was somewhat reassuring, it didn’t stop the palpitations stemming from the knowledge that the vizier could still kill me using other means.

Kaza hissed and clutched his leg.

Crap. I had to get him back into the lamp to slow the deterioration of his wound. “Dahvi, please protect Ali while I will escort Kaza.” I kissed my brother’s head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kaza’s eyes twinkled,

promising me trouble…just not the kind I was used to. The yellow-vested genie vanished in a golden haze, leaving me wondering how the hell I was going to go in after him.

“Azar,” said Ali, his lips pressed into a cautious line. “Are you sure about this?”

No, I wasn’t. A part of me didn’t want to go inside the lamp because I was scared of what I’d find. What if I had trouble coming back? After all, I wasn’t a genie. What if I was trapped in it? The rest of me begged to explore the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At that moment, I felt like an excited child had taken control of me. It battled with the wary, older me for dominance. This was so unlike me. I didn’t trust others so easily, but something about these genies left me unable to control myself and excited to visit a whole new world.

“If they try anything funny,” I whispered to my brother, running a hand across his head. “Take control of the lamp, and get me out.”

Concern burrowed behind his eyes, but he nodded.

I stood in the center of my hovel. “Okay. I’m ready to go now.”

Dahvi took both of my hands and stroked the back of my wrist with his thumb. His breath quickened at our connection, as did my heartbeat.

I pulled away. My mind sprayed icy water on the warmth pooling below. What were these three doing to me? It was like a spell had settled on me. Was it genie magic?

Dahvi cleared his throat. “Ready to go into the lamp, Master? It doesn't hurt. Promise.” He caressed the skin across my wrist with his thumb. “Feels like this.”

The fun part of me, the one I hadn’t released in years, wanted to giggle and delight in the chills running up my arm. But I bit my lip, held it in, and nodded.

Static electricity burst all over me. Pale-blue smoke swirled around me, filling my nostrils with the sweetest scent of dates and wine. I felt a tug at my core and was sucked away. Next thing I knew, I stood on top of a slab of marble decorated with a satin recliner, pillows, lamps, and that had what looked like a rectangular pool in the middle. The space wasn’t very wide. Maybe thirty feet square. I crossed to the edge, curious about what lay beyond it.

I gasped and jumped back.

The marble hovered atop a whirlwind extending from a bunch of clouds.

Gods. My throat squeezed with terror that I might fall off, and I stepped away from the verge.

Not exactly the luxurious palace I had imagined the genies had spent their last few hundred years.

“Master!” Kaza leaped up from his lounging position on a satin recliner. Being on his feet obviously caused him pain, as he winced and moaned.

“Sit and rest.” I wrapped my arm around his waist and helped him lie back down.

“I’m glad you came.” His gorgeous, golden-eyed gaze trailed across my face, setting my body alight.

Gods. Maybe coming in here with just him hadn’t been such a great idea. I felt as if I was losing control. That wasn’t me. The feeling was frightening, overwhelming, and exhilarating at the same time.

I guided him down into the pillows. “Rest.”

Please, let him go to sleep as soon as possible. Being so close to him was making me nervous and giving me hot flashes.

“I’ll rest with you.” He inched up, grabbed me with his strong arms, and pulled me beside him. The action brushed one half of his yellow vest aside.

Waves of golden, static electricity crackled between us, and he smiled. I had to use all my self-control not to reach over and touch his chest to see if it was as rock hard as it looked.

I nudged him with my shoulder. “You snuggle next to all your old masters, too?”

“Of course.” He nudged me back, smirking. “Especially the smelly ones.”

We both laughed. His honey tones drove me crazy. I couldn't remember the last time I chuckled out loud. It felt freeing to let loose and relax for a change. Being around Kaza made me forget my troubles and responsibilities for a brief moment. He brought out a sense of fun in me that I had buried long ago. For that, I owed him the world.

“This…I don’t know what to call this place.” I pointed to the slab of marble we were on. “How is it floating?”

“Magic,” he said with a waggle of his brows.

I crossed my arms and huffed. “But you’re weak. Was bringing me in here all a ruse?”

Kaza offered me a goblet of wine. I wasn’t taking his damn drink until he explained himself.

“Relax, Master,” he said as if it was nothing. “It’s something I created long ago. To remind me of home.”

I scoffed. “You lived on a floating city?”

“Yeah.”

He gave me that wicked grin of his, and I felt like I drifted into the clouds.

“You should see Zand’s room. All volcanoes and fire. He likes it hot.” The last line earned me a wink as he sipped from his goblet.

The way Kaza said “hot” had sounded incredibly sexy.

“What do you do for a living, Master?”

Kaza rubbed the end of my ragged kaftan between his fingers, and I blushed.

“You don’t smell like a fishmonger.” He grabbed my hand and inspected it. “Your fingernails are too dirty to be a seamstress.”

He was toying with me, I could tell, but I let him keep guessing.

“Far too beautiful for a princess,” he rambled.

I coughed.

“No. I'm serious. Most royalty I've met would make you want to bring up your lunch.” He whispered in my ear. “Inbred.”

That had me clutching my stomach and laughing.

He winced a little as he folded his arms behind his head. Obviously, the lamp did not steal away all his pain.

“I bet your talents lie in strategy, quick thinking, and keen observation,” he continued.

Now he was really playing.

I began stroking his hair to shut him up. “Shh. Go to sleep.”

He moaned and closed his eyes. “You're a thief,” he said as if struggling to get the words out. “That's how you found our lamp.”

I tucked my head, my cheeks blazing hot as a bonfire. How could he read me so well? Was I that much of a giveaway? Right then, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him knowing my profession. Did he judge me for stealing from others? I’d never let what someone else thought of what I did to survive bother me before, but now, for some reason, I cared about this genie’s opinion.

His fingers interlocked with mine and squeezed. “You must be a hell of a thief because you stole my heart from across the room.”

I laughed and punched him in the chest. “Do you say that to all the girls?”

He rubbed a lock of my hair. “Only the sweaty ones who have lots of moles.”

Gods. That made me snort. I hadn’t expected to have such an enjoyable time with him.

“That’s very sexy, Master,” he said.

I shoved him in the chest for joking with me. “What makes you think I’m a thief?” I asked, curious how he had me pegged.

He gave me that dazzling smile that took my breath away. “Call it genie magic. When your breast grazed our lamp, we all knew it.”

Gods. Not the breast thing again. I swear he said that to get a rise out of me. It was my whole chest, not just my boobs. I had the bruises to prove it!

My gaze dipped to my filthy, ratty clothes and picked at them. Curiosity chewed away at me like a rat. I wanted to know what else the lamp had told him.

But first I had to explain myself. “I steal to feed my brother. I’m not proud of it. We don’t have a trade or an education. My brother is sick often and I can’t hold down a job if I have to look after him.”

Not once did he blink, look away, or even make a face to indicate his disapproval. Who would have thought the joker had a serious side to him?

“Twelve years ago, Ali and I left the orphanage because they abused us,” I continued, unable to end my blabbering. “The master used us as slave labor, rather than putting us through school like the sultan demanded of every orphanage.”

Kaza brushed away my dangling hair. My whole body buzzed. I didn't want him to stop talking or touching me.

“The thief title is nothing to be ashamed about, my beautiful master.”

Despite his confident words, I didn’t agree with him. In Utaara, I was a filthy street rat, nothing more. But I had much more to give Haven.

Wow. What a mood killer. I hadn’t expected to share my life story. Half of this I’d never even told my close friend Scarlet. But I felt so at ease in the genie’s company. As if we’d know each other forever. Talking about all this stirred up my deep-rooted grief and anger. Any second now, those emotions threatened to burst from me like a flooding dam.

I cleared my throat and asked a question to divert the conversation away from me. “How’d you become a genie?”

He examined me for a few moments as if he expected my story to continue. Then he rolled onto his side. “That’s easy. A sorcerer summoned me and bound me to a lamp. That’s why I have these golden wristbands. They hold me captive to the lamp.”

My heart twisted at the darkness to his words. I didn’t blame him for being resentful. I’d be pissed, too, if someone had stripped me of my freedom.

“Are you human?” I said, using the question as an excuse to pan my gaze along his fine body. “Where do genies get their magic from?”

For the briefest instant, I caught a red flash of anger in his golden eyes, and he bristled. “I come from a tribe known as djinn.”

Kaza’s sudden shift in mood, from playful to serious, took me aback. Had I touched a nerve? Maybe I should have just stuck to the jokes.

“Under djinn law, those who serve a human are condemned as traitors to our kind and are banished from our realm.” His voice took on a hard edge.

My chest tightened with remorse for him. He was forced into slavery and didn’t agree to it. Could never return home even if I freed him. Never see his family again. Gods. I couldn’t begin to imagine the pain of it.

“That’s not fair,” I said, sliding my arm beneath him and snuggled closer, hoping to take away some of his anguish and restore his cheer.

“Careful, Master," he said, turning back to me, slipping his arms around my waist. "You might get used to this."

Yes. Yes, I could. I didn't want to leave the warmth he radiated. From the promise of fun. Having him so close had my heartbeat skyrocketing.

Before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine, hungry and passionate. I turned toward him, pressing my body closer, unable to help myself. Not that I wanted to stop when I’d been thinking about kissing him since the first moment I saw him.

He moaned, and I broke away.

“Did I hurt you?” I asked.

“You could never hurt me.” Kaza's hands glided down my lower back.

I trembled, aching to have him closer. Kaza made me feel irresponsible, fun, and carefree. I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d been until today. Too focused on my brother and not myself. Having him beside me stripped my loneliness away. I needed this moment more than my next breath. Maybe a small reprieve from the stresses of life wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

He leaned in to kiss me again, his tongue pressing against my lips and parting them. I groaned and grabbed his arm. He held on to my hips and pulled me toward him, never breaking our kiss.

My hands ran down his hard and chiseled stomach.

Firm hands squeezed my ass, and I mewed. He nibbled at my neck, placing soft kisses there. Fire raged between my thighs.

He glanced up at me with a wicked grin as he tugged the end of my kaftan up.

I snapped a hand across my chest. “Hey.”

Kaza smirked. “Don’t be shy around me,” he said, and I let him slide it off.

I shook, unable to find my words, and my insides burned.

Carefully he slid down the strap of my bra, exposing a breast. His touch left a string of goose bumps in its wake.

“I have a surprise for you.” He lifted me into his arms and carried me across the pool.

“What are you doing?” I dug my nails into him. “I don’t know how to swim.”

The last thing I wanted was for him to throw me in thinking it was fun. The thought of drowning terrified me.

“It’s okay, my desert queen,” he said using a soothing voice. “I won’t do that. I’m just going to bathe you.”

Oh. I felt a bit silly and tucked my head. I hadn’t been bathed by a guy before. The idea excited me. I hadn’t had a wash in a week. Smelling like a fat old man’s armpit was not a turn on. I didn’t want anything getting in the way of having more fun with Kaza.

The genie winced as he set me down gently.

“You shouldn’t have carried me with you sore leg,” I said, getting lost in his gorgeous sunny eyes.

“Anything for you.” He brushed away my hair covering my chest to examine my body. I did the same to him.

Water in the pool reached my knees. It was a brilliant aqua and glimmered as if the sun shone down on it. I doubt I could drown in liquid that shallow.

“Dip in the water,” he instructed. “Then rest on that step there.”

That was easy. I did that in the river to wash myself. Holding my breath, I lowered myself to my shins. The water went up to my lower ribs. I gasped as its cold touch.

“That’s it,” said Kaza, lifting me up and walking me to the seat.

Kneeling on the step below me, he cupped water into his hands and let it dribble across my naked chest. I trembled with anticipation as his he rubbed the liquid across my breasts and shoulders. Over and over he did this, wiping me clean, wearing a wicked grin, as if he imagined what he was going to do to me. I didn’t mind at all, and repaid the favor, brushing water across his hard stomach and his chest.

When he was finished, he squeezed my breast. “The perfect size for my mouth.” He leaned closer and clasped his mouth over it, sucking deep, his tongue flicking my pebbled nipple.

I drifted on a cloud, euphoria trickling through me, diving fast to my libido. I fisted his hair. “That feels incredible.”

He licked my nipples, tickling them.

I broke into a half laugh, half moan.

“Sexy.” He devoured my other breast, his hands grasping my ass, kneading my cheeks.

My breaths quickened from his touch. Blood rushed to the fiery apex between my clenched knees. Every inch of me ached for him.

He released a nipple and glanced at me, arousal in his gaze. His hand sailed down my waist, across my stomach, and parted my legs. His thumb passed over my mound and found my inner lips, silky and ready.

He stared at me as he slid two fingers along my folds. “So wet.”

Shyness gripped me, and I was torn between wanting to look away and beg him for more. I swallowed the boulder in my throat, unable to find my words as I rocked back and forth over his fingers. Everything happened too fast. I couldn’t think straight and drowned in the excitement owning me.

“You’re so beautiful. I want nothing more than to worship you, Master.” His devilish smirk had me wetter.

A small cry fell from my throat as my body responded to him. He inserted two fingers into my sex, and I gripped his shoulders, falling apart under his spell as he pumped into me.

I screamed, my body convulsing as Kaza kept his fingers locked within me. He silenced my moans by kissing me. I needed him like I needed air. Right now, I’d let him charm all of me.

“You liked that?” he asked, pulling out of me.

“Damn…yeah.” I labored to breathe and quivered from his touch. Muscles in my pelvis contracted as warmth spilled through me.

Our mouths met again, and he lifted me with ease, my legs snaking around his hips. Golden rings blazed in his eyes as he carried me back to his sofa, laid me on it and spread me wide. He lowered himself over me. Wildfire from his skin grazed mine. The tip of his hardness pressed into my entrance, and I moaned. His excitement pushed into me, stretching me, widening me, hurting in all the best ways.

I pulled him tight against me with my legs. His fingers intertwined with mine, and he pressed my hands against the cushions. Each of his plunges brought on a fresh wave of pleasure. A groan rumbled in his throat.

I writhed beneath him, unable to get enough air. But the need to draw a deep breath became less important when he plunged into me, the sensation pushing me closer to the edge of another orgasm. His hands were on my breasts, kneading them, and I moaned.

“Kaza… Oh, gods!”

Without warning, he rolled us until he lay on his back, me on top of him. I met his strokes, the full force of his desire against my pelvic wall. One of his hands found the curve of my back, and I arched from his touch. My movements brought out an even brighter flame in his eyes.

He gripped my hips, pushing his cock deeper into me. Our breaths merged, short and sharp. Every inch of me contracted, and my lower body shook. I was almost losing my mind at how I felt as if I floated in the heavens.

Our moans grew louder and faster as our bodies clashed in rhythm. Another orgasm rolled through me, fast and strong, washing over me like waves. I screamed, trembling against him, and then collapsed onto him as he kept going, holding me tight. He released a loud moan and stiffened as he came. We lay there, entwined, panting, Kaza stroking my hair.

Strange as it sounded, my world felt perfect…as if this was how being with a guy should always be.

An image of a golden flame flashed in my mind. The color of Kaza’s magic. I sensed his heart start, his desire surge, and the pain in his leg swell from what we’d just finished. He’d done something to me. Branded me with his magic.

“What did you do to me?” I said, panting.

“Our hearts are bound now,” he said, tracing the shape of a heart on my chest with a perfect finger.

“What does that mean?” I asked, my lungs heaving.

“I’ve let you into my heart.” He squeezed me. “You now feel what I feel, and vice versa.”

But part of me didn’t believe him. He was the joker after all. How could I let him into my heart when we only had a short time together? Once all my wishes were granted, I’d be alone again. For now, I just wanted to stay content, snuggling into his hard chest, listening to his heartbeat.

He pressed his lips to my neck, laying soft kisses along my ear. His heart whispered to me that he desired me again, called for me to curl in his arms and fall asleep afterward.

But I knew I couldn’t. I had to return to my brother. Get the genies well enough to create my wishes and heal Ali. I kissed Kaza on the cheek and got up.

“Where are you going?” He grabbed my arm.

I pulled away as much as I hated the idea. Part of me toyed with the notion of staying here for eternity and doing nothing more than lying with Kaza, but that was me living in a fantasy land. “I’ve got to get back to my brother.”

Disappointment stormed across his face. “Don’t leave. Stay.”

Our bond told me he didn’t approve of me leaving him. All the women he’d shared his bed with had fawned over him like puppies. He liked to be in charge. The one who’d leave the girls hanging, waiting for him. But I wasn’t a little puppy.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to go. Inside, I fought a battle between my heart and my head. I just wanted to let my hair down. Stay a little longer. Have that wine Kaza offered me. Play a few games. Laugh and joke with him. Definitely continue where we left off and have another round of mind-blowing sex. My heart pumped with such joy. I think I had a crush on him. That was confirmed when I glanced over at Kaza lying on the couch naked, winking at me, and I almost melted and jumped back in his arms.

But I’d promised my brother I wouldn’t be long. Zand might have returned with Kaza’s medicine. I needed the genies to save my brother. The responsibility weighed heavily on me. Eventually, my head won out over my heart.

“How do I get out of here?” I said, wading into the pool for a quick dip to wash the sweat and mess from me.

“Think it,” he said, “and it is.”

Okay… but I wasn’t exactly a magical being.

Once I’d put my kaftan back on, my gaze lingered on him for a few moments. His eyes called to me to stay. Ugh. It took every ounce of restraint to drag my lovesick, giddy ass out of there. I wondered if everything that had just happened replayed in his mind like it did in mine.

No. Cut it out. You’ve got to get back.

Fine.

I kissed Kaza on the forehead. “I’ll be back to check on you when I can.”

He grabbed my wrist. “Is that a promise?”

“To deliver your medicine personally.”

That brought back his delicious smile.

I thought about returning to my hovel and my brother. Smoke furled around me as if responding to my request. The last thing I saw before I was drawn out of the lamp was Kaza blowing me a kiss.