Could he have killed her? Imari wasn’t sure. She was immortal, after all, but this wasn’t some standard mortal way of dying, like having a fatal illness or being in a car accident or falling over a cliff.
This was a real, live grim reaper she was dealing with. His job was collecting souls. And she had one of those.
But they’d touched now more times than she could count, and she hadn’t felt the slightest hint of her final destination looming in front of her. Not a single day of her very long life had flashed before her eyes.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t angry. She was. And she did kind of want to punch him. But kissing him was much more enjoyable. And it was easy to see by the conflict on his face that confessing this truth to her had cost him dearly.
What kind of response he’d expected, she wasn’t sure, but it hadn’t been a good one. That alone explained so much about him. The pain in his eyes. The torment that seemed to rock him constantly. The seeming need to isolate himself.
But then he’d accidentally taken his grandmother’s soul. Imari couldn’t imagine how she’d go on if she’d been the cause of a loved one’s demise.
Even more painful, Hattie lived with him. No doubt having her close was a comfort, but it was also a constant reminder of what he’d done to her.
Imari’s heart broke for Lucien. For this burden he carried. The weight of it must be crushing him, she thought. No wonder he was afraid to touch and be touched. That he never left the house. And yet somehow, he’d found the courage to not only do all he’d done for her, but to share this burden with her.
She could very easily love a man like this. She might already, just a little.
Instinct drove her forward. She embraced him, pulling him against her. “I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through.”
He sucked in a breath and stiffened, his voice thick and cracking when he spoke. “You still want to touch me?”
She pulled back enough to see his face. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“But—”
“But nothing. I’m immortal. All jinn are.” The mood needed lightening. And he needed to know all was not doomed. She lifted one shoulder and gave him a mischievous look. “Your powers clearly aren’t broken enough to do me in.”
But his expression shifted to one of dismay. “This isn’t something to make light of. If I were to harm you, I could never forgive myself.”
“You can’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know that.”
She stepped back, then took his hands and placed them on her face. “Look. You’re touching me and I’m not dying.”
“This isn’t a joke.” He tried to pull away, but she held his hands there.
“No, it’s not.”
He shook his head, the odd look in his eyes unreadable. “You don’t know what this does to me.”
“Then tell me.”
He swallowed. “When we touch, I can see color again.”
A new wash of shocked revelation swept through her. “What do you mean again?”
Another sigh left him before he spoke. “My color vision was taken from me when I became a reaper.”
She grimaced. “Are you serious? No color? None?”
“Just black, white, and shades of gray.”
“That’s awful. That’s unlivable. How could they do that to you? Color is everything. Color is the world around us. It’s emotion. It’s beauty and joy and happiness. It’s life.”
“That’s how. Because it’s life. And life was not my job.” His hands relaxed to cup her face. “I was assigned to a division known as the War Angels. Our job was to patrol the battlefields of the world, reaping the souls of the soldier and civilian casualties. Being unable to see color, specifically the color red, was supposed to make our job easier to bear.”
She layered her hands over his. “I cannot imagine how hard that was.”
“I’m glad you don’t have to.” He leaned in ever so slowly and put his forehead to hers. “I can’t believe I can touch you. It’s been so long…”
Since he’d touched anyone. She understood that’s what he was saying, but it didn’t detract from the specialness of the moment.
Then he pressed his lips to the same spot. “I’m so glad it’s you.”
She smiled. All was forgiven in that instant. How could she not after all he’d done for her? “Hey,” she said softly. “As reluctant as I am to end this moment, we should go out and sit with Hattie or she’s going to come in here looking for us.”
He chuckled. “That she will.”
They went out to the living room. Hattie was hovering in her chair, engrossed in her show, but she materialized to tap the pause button. “Bigger job than I thought, apparently. You missed the whole opening.”
“We’ll catch up,” Imari said. She waited to see where Lucien would sit. He took a spot at the end of the couch. Good. She sat in the middle.
Hattie pressed play, and as the show started up again, Imari coasted her hand across the space separating her and Lucien and curled her pinky over his.
He glanced at her, a little surprise in his gaze.
“It’s a very colorful show,” she whispered. “You’ll see.”
Understanding filled his eyes, and he smiled.
That smile melted parts of her. It was dazzling and warm and made her breath catch in her throat. She smiled back without trying.
Had he always been so handsome? Maybe it was knowing what he’d been through and understanding the weight of what he was carrying that made her see him in this new light. Whatever the reason, she was content to be at his side, fingers interlaced, doing nothing more than watching television with his grandmother. The grim reaper, the genie, and the ghost. What a trio they were.
It wasn’t anything she’d ever thought she’d be doing, this kind of domesticated scene, but it was peaceful and comfortable and gave her a happiness inside unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
Was this what married life could be like?
She’d balked at marriage since her arranged betrothal, but then, that future had always included Khalid. It still did, and she still didn’t want it. But this? This was different.
This was good.
So were the next day and a half.
While they waited for Willa to complete the bottle, she and Lucien (and often Hattie) enjoyed life. They watched movies in the theater room, played billiards and cards, lounged and read in the library, cooked, ate, and laughed.
On the second day after breakfast, Lucien and Imari swam in the pool that was indeed on the lower level. And what a pool it was. There was a slide, a grotto, fountains, and a video screen system that covered the walls and ceiling, making it seem like they were outdoors on a sunny day beneath a brilliant blue sky. The space was as large as the garage and filled with a variety of palms and exotic flowers that were thriving under sunlamps. The ambient sounds of a gentle breeze and tropical birds completed the feeling of being somewhere far away.
And just for fun, an enormous inflatable swan bobbed in the center of the pool.
Hattie had waved them off, claiming she had errands to run, so Imari and Lucien were left to lounge and swim on their own.
And get a really good look at each other in their bathing suits.
Lucien’s trunks, no surprise, were charcoal gray with a few black stripes down one side. The trunks hung low on his hips, showing off his trim, muscled body. He was, in a word, mouthwatering. The tattoo she’d spied peeking out from his sleeve turned out to be a scythe. Which made sense, given what she knew about him now.
One of the suits that had shown up in Imari’s pile of things was a bright blue floral. The other was a softer turquoise with splashes of hot pink. She chose the bright blue bikini, and as she dropped her robe onto one of the chaises set around the pool’s edge, a rare emotion swept through her.
Shyness.
How odd.
Lucien’s eyes were on her. Just like hers were on him. The muscles in his stomach tightened, and he shoved a hand through his hair. “That suit looks good on you.”
His voice was low and gravelly and drew a finger of pleasure down her spine. She shivered from it. “Thanks.”
“Cold? I can adjust the temperature.”
“No, just…feeling a little exposed.” She laughed softly. Nervously. How odd to be this old and this experienced and yet suddenly feel like an unchaperoned teenager.
He turned away, a little smile on his face. “Get in when you’re ready.” Then he took three long steps and dove into the pool, cleanly slicing through the water with one easy, graceful motion.
He surfaced several yards away and turned. “The water is fantastic, in case you were wondering.”
“Good to know.” She had no reason to be shy. The suit looked good on her. Lucien had said so. Or he was just being kind, but seeing as how he couldn’t stop staring, she believed him. He wasn’t so hard to look at either.
She was being silly. She put her shoulders back, walked to the edge, and dove in after him. She had to swim a little to meet him since he was halfway to the swan now. “The water feels amazing. I can’t believe you have a pool like this.”
“I don’t use it as much as I should.” He glanced toward the giant inflatable. “Race you to the swan.”
“Okay.” She took off without waiting for him to say go. It was the only chance she had, but he beat her handily. She liked that he hadn’t let her win.
He hoisted himself onto the inflatable, making it wobble, then offered her a hand as she approached. She took it, letting him pull her aboard. He held on to her hand and looked around. “Wow, the colors are really something.”
“Have you ever seen this room in color?”
“Never. None of my house. Except for what I’ve seen when you’ve been touching me.” He lay back to stare up at the projected blue sky, tugging her back with him.
She glanced at him. Their fingers were still entwined, but they were touching at the shoulders and hips too. It was nice. Very nice. She went back to looking at the ceiling sky. The moment was so surreal she had to say something. “You realize you’re a grim reaper, I’m a genie, and we’re lying on a giant inflatable swan that’s floating on a pool two stories underground and yet we’re staring up at a sunny, blue sky.”
“Three stories. Insomnia, then the house.” He snorted. “I guess it is kind of odd, though. But it’s one of the best mornings I’ve had in a long time.” He turned to look at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled at him. “And thank you. You’ve done so much for me. You know, you should let me give you a massage. I’m really good at it, and I think it would do you a world of good.”
He propped himself up on one elbow. “How about now?”
“We’d have to get off the swan. I need to work on a stable surface.”
He lay back down. “Later, then. I’m too happy to move at the moment.”
That suited her just fine.
A few moments of quiet passed, the sounds of the lapping water and the feel of the manufactured sun sending Imari into a blissful state. Holding hands with Lucien didn’t hurt either.
“The sting is all set, by the way.”
It took her a second to realize he meant the plan to catch the wish merchant. “Is that what you were working on yesterday morning?”
“Yes.”
She was almost afraid to ask the next question. “What’s my role in it?”
“Nothing. You don’t need to be there, nor should you. It’s too dangerous anyway. I’m not even going to be there.”
She leaned up on one elbow to look at him. “You’re not?”
He shook his head. “No. The wish merchant knows me. Too much chance he’d figure out it’s a setup and ruin the whole thing. And after our last meeting in your apartment, he knows his genie can’t control me.”
She hadn’t asked him for the details of that evening, but that conversation was coming. “Who’s doing it, then?”
“Greyson.”
“You’re going to end up owing him another favor.”
Lucien frowned. “Don’t remind me.”
She poked him in the chest. “Hey, the first one didn’t turn out too bad.”
He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. “No, it didn’t.”
Hattie suddenly appeared above them. “Lucien!”
Imari jerked back, so startled by seeing a woman hovering over her that she fell off the side of the inflatable. Lucien’s now unbalanced weight caused the swan to tip over and pitch him into the water as well.
He bobbed to the surface, spitting out water. “Hattie, what on earth is going on?”
Imari grabbed hold of the swan, which had righted itself. “Are you okay?”
Hattie nodded. “I’m fine, but there’s trouble. Big trouble. Willa just called. Her shop was broken into and the bottle’s gone.”