Her last glimpse of her parents. Her last magic carpet ride. Her last visit to the well.
Her final one thousand wishes.
It was a lot to process. Too much for the moment, really. She’d probably have a good cry when she returned to Nocturne Falls, but for now she had to concentrate on the present. That was the only way to get through this.
The carpet landed near the Well of Wishes, and she and Lucien got off. The carpet rolled itself up and kept rolling across the sand until it came to rest on a pile of rugs.
She stared at the well.
“Do you need me to do anything?” Lucien asked.
“No. This won’t take long.”
He nodded and took a step back, like he was giving her space.
She appreciated that. He seemed to know what she needed and when. How different he was than Khalid. In so many ways.
The water in the well was crystal blue and inviting. The surrounding guards, not so much.
She approached the edge of the well. The guards eyed her, but didn’t move. She let out the breath she’d been holding. They weren’t going to try to stop her.
The well maidens rose to greet her. “Sister,” they said in unison.
“Sisters,” Imari greeted them in return. They didn’t feel like sisters to her, but what did it matter? She’d never see them again.
She stepped up onto the stone edging and stared down into the water. From here, the steps that led into the well were visible.
One last replenishment. One thousand wishes more.
That might seem like a vast quantity to most people who weren’t immortal, but a thousand wishes could be used up incredibly fast if a genie wasn’t careful.
Fortunately, she knew how to be careful with such things. She’d already been careful for many, many years, guarding her one last wish.
The water rippled as a faint breeze crossed the surface. No point in waiting.
She stepped into the water and went down the steps until she was completely submerged. The water was cool on her skin, just like she remembered it. She lingered a second longer, then she came back up and walked out, leaving the well behind.
The water evaporated off her as she went. It was magic, of course, bespelled so that no water would leave the well with her.
By the time she stepped back onto the stone edge, she was completely dry again, right down to her hair.
It was done. And it couldn’t be undone even if the mediator changed his mind.
She smiled. Having her wishes refilled almost made her giddy with the excess of it all. A thousand wishes. It felt like a windfall. Like she’d won the wish lottery.
But she knew better. She’d still have to guard each one, making a studied decision before using a wish. Because there would be wishes used.
Lucien deserved a big handful of them, although she wasn’t sure he’d want any.
She rejoined him.
“That’s it?” he asked.
“That’s it.”
“Hmm. And you’re already dry.”
“It’s jinn magic. No water can leave the well.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” His brows lifted for a second, then narrowed in concern. “Are you ready to go?”
She stared up at him, overwhelmed by all she was feeling. “Yes. Ready.”
“How do we get back? I have no idea how to return to Nocturne Falls from here. Although I suppose I could take a crack at it. My powers do allow me a kind of teleportation.”
“No, I’ve got it.” She smiled at him. Surprisingly, she didn’t even have the urge for one last look. She slipped her hand into his and wished them home.
They reappeared outside of Elenora Ellingham’s estate.
Lucien seemed surprised as he looked around. “This isn’t where I thought we’d end up.”
Imari pointed at the Lamborghini still parked in the drive. “The car is here, so I figured you’d want to get it home.”
“Good thinking.” He paused a moment, looking at the bottle in her hands. “So that just appears and reappears as you travel? Because it wasn’t with you in the other dimension.”
“Something like that. It’s jinn—”
“Magic. Right?”
“Right.” She laughed and tucked the bottle under her arm, a little less concerned with the bottle now that it wasn’t as important. As long as she was married, no one could command her wishes but Lucien. And it couldn’t take her home anymore. Her parents would put the magic in place to prevent that very soon. If they hadn’t already.
He held up the keys. “You want to drive home?”
“No.” She had too much on her mind. Too much to deal with. She was afraid her head would wander, and she’d end up damaging the car.
“Okay.” He unlocked the car, opening the passenger door for her. He waited until she was in, then shut it and joined her on the other side.
The vehicle rumbled to life.
He pulled out and got them on the road. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, then he broke the silence. “I’ll call the sheriff when we get back. Make sure everything’s in order with the wish merchant. I’m sure they’ll want a statement from you, but that can probably wait until tomorrow.”
She nodded, half with him and half lost in thought. That wasn’t fair. Lucien deserved her full attention. “Thank you for everything. You’ve just been amazing. Without you…” She laughed softly. “I owe you a lot.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“Lucien, you can say that all you want to, but it doesn’t change the facts. Without you, my life would be a prison. Instead, I have my freedom and my happiness. And I no longer dread my future. I owe you, plain and simple.”
“You don’t—”
“Stop it. Or you’re going to make me mad.”
He smirked. “All right, then. But I don’t want you to feel obligated to me.”
“I don’t feel obligated. Just very, very thankful. More than I can express with words.”
“You’re welcome.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I guess I owe Greyson, too. Without him, I never would have connected with you.”
Lucien slanted a look at her. “Technically, we’d already met.”
“True. But I had no idea who you were.”
He seemed to think about that for a second. “Why weren’t you afraid of me? Everyone else has been. Even my ex-wife was when I first met her.”
Imari shrugged. “I’m immortal. And I’m old. Wish merchants aside, there’s not much in this life that scares me.”
“Marriage to Khalid.”
“Yes. Ugh. Can you imagine?” She shook her head. “That was truly terrifying. Say, is he going to be like Hattie now? A kind of ghost? Or something else?”
“No, he should be completely himself again. I reaped his soul with my scythe. Hattie’s I took by touching her, something I didn’t know was possible until it happened.”
“That’s good. He’d be extra cranky if he was a ghost.”
When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, more solemn. “Are you going to miss your home?”
She didn’t hesitate. “No. This is my home now. Has been for a while. What my parents did to me hurts, a lot. No one wants to think that their family would choose wealth or status over them.”
“Hattie would happily adopt you, you know.”
Imari laughed. “I might take her up on that. I love Hattie.” She looked at him, her heart nearly bursting. “And I love you, too.”