The date turned out to be one of the most awkward ones that Audra had never been on. Of course, it wasn’t a date exactly, but it felt like one anyway. She kept reaching out to touch Darius without thinking about what she was doing. Then she’d pull back hastily, and he’d give her a funny look, and whatever stilted conversation they’d been making died on the vine. Finally, they gave up on talking altogether and just stared at Chad. He seemed to bask in the attention, although eventually Rebecca got annoyed with his preening and snapped at him.

At least the food was good. Despite all of her kind words to Darius, Audra had been a bit skeptical about the calamari. She didn’t think eating anything with tentacles was natural, but it turned out to be delicious. She might have to rethink her stance on tentacles from here on out.

Darius seemed to feel the tension too. He wouldn’t stop fiddling with things. His spoon. His water glass. The lemon from the calamari plate. He fiddled so hard that he squirted lemon juice into his eye on accident. He winced, putting down the lemon and rubbing at the offended orb with his napkin.

“Darius, are you okay?” she asked, tentatively. “You seem really upset.”

He wiped his hands on his napkin and set it down. Then his eyes met hers.

“I’m sorry,” he responded. “I’m just worried about Rebecca. I know she’s a big girl, and she can take care of herself. But what if Chad uses a wish on her? Makes her…I don’t know. Do things she doesn’t want to. Or act different than she normally would.”

“Like wishing she’d fall in love with him?”

Audra wrinkled her nose. The idea was disgusting. Even more disgusting than she’d thought tentacles were.

“Something like that.”

“I don’t think that’s what Chad wants. He’s looking for quantity, not quality. Although maybe that’s not very reassuring.”

“What Rebecca does for fun is not my business, so long as she’s choosing to do it,” said Darius firmly.

“Well, yeah.” Audra nodded. “My point is that I don’t think Chad would waste a wish on anything that didn’t improve his own position. Obviously, he’s appealing to Rebecca without a wish. Why wish for her to fall for him, when he could wish to be irresistibly charming and get tons of women and jobs and accolades?”

Darius shook his head, a look of incredulity on his face. “Honestly, Audra, what did you see in the guy? He’s not fit to shine your shoes.”

“I…” Her first instinct was to evade the question, but Darius deserved the truth. Besides, hiding from it was what had gotten her into untold messes in the first place. “My last few boyfriends cheated on me. I seem to have really poor taste in men. I think…” She hesitated again and then forced herself to go on. “I think they can tell that I really want it. My parents have this epic romance, even to this day, and I want what they have. I want a lover who’s my best friend. Someone who will be there, even when I have the flu and my breath smells and I’m cranky. It’s like…it’s like guys like Chad sense my desperation. They know I’ll make excuses for them.”

Darius was quiet for a while. Long enough to make her nervous. But then he said, “That’s very insightful.”

“Beef gave me a stern talking to, after Chad,” she said. “I’m not sure I can take credit for it.”

“I don’t know about that. You could have gotten defensive and dug in. But instead, you took what he said and thought about it for yourself. That’s a mark of strength in my book.”

The firm nod he gave her made her warm inside. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes again, but Darius was different, wasn’t he? His good opinion was worth earning, regardless of their romantic status or lack thereof.

“I really do wish this was a real date,” she blurted without thinking. “You’re different from anyone I’ve ever been with.”

His face went a little red, and he rubbed a hand over his head.

“So you’ve never dated a bald guy before?” he joked, trying to make light of the situation.

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. A guy like Chad would have met a confession like hers with egotism. Chad would have tried to exploit her honesty rather than employing self-deprecating humor like Darius. She found it incredibly refreshing. Like hanging around with Beef, only with the added possibility of something more. And she wanted something more with Darius.

There. She’d admitted it.

Although she’d made the vow not to date any more, she didn’t feel like she’d broken it. She’d wanted to stop seeing guys for the wrong reasons. Blindly trying to force intimacy hadn’t worked, and it wasn’t going to. But when something blossomed despite her best efforts to kill it? That was something strong. Something worth pursuing to see where it took her.

Her relationship with Darius felt like that.

So she drummed up her courage once again and said, “No. A nice guy.” He shot her a stricken look, and she laughed again. “I know that’s stereotypically considered to be the kiss of death, but I don’t think it is. I think—”

He held up a hand, apology written clearly on his face.

“I don’t want to be rude, but they’re leaving. We need to pay the check.” He sat up straighter, trying to catch the eye of their waiter. He was taking an order just a few tables away and held up a finger to indicate he’d be with them in a minute. But they didn’t have a minute. “Damn. I should have been more prepared.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten into this conversation now. Not while the lamp is still missing. I’m sorry,” said Audra.

He covered her hand with his warm one for just a moment. “I’m not.”

She felt herself brighten up and squeezed his fingers.

“I’ll follow them to the parking lot while you get the bill,” she offered. “Maybe the lamp is in his car. I’ll give you money later for my part of the food.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Darius said, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if he meant her plan to follow Chad or the offer to pay. Then he said, “What if he sees you?”

She grinned and pointed at herself. “Air mage, remember? He won’t see me.” Then she stood. “I’ve got this. Come out to the parking lot when you’re ready.”

He opened his mouth as if to protest, but she was already gone. There was no time to argue, and she was determined to prove herself. She was Uncle Grey’s heir, not just because she was the only one in the family with magic, but because she was good at it. For the first time since she’d gotten to Las Vegas, she felt fierce instead of nervous. No one was going to let a djinn loose under her watch.

 

It took a good fifteen minutes for Darius to make it out to the parking lot. The restaurant was packed to the rafters, so the delay didn’t surprise her. Chad and Rebecca had already left. They’d sat in the car for a few minutes and made out some, but then Chad had started talking smack about Darius and Audra, and Rebecca hadn’t responded well. She’d asked him to take her home, and when he’d refused, she’d demanded it.

They hadn’t seen Audra. She bent the air around her and walked right up to the car, careful to position herself where she wouldn’t get run over. In bright daytime light, it wouldn’t have worked. But in the dim recesses of the parking lot, no one would spot the telltale shimmer in the air that accompanied her magic. Chad and Rebecca didn’t, although she did sniff the air a few times once Audra arrived, like maybe she’d scented Audra’s perfume.

If she’d been able to get into the car, she would have. But there was no way to get in without opening a door, and no amount of air bending would disguise that. So she let them drive off, secure in the knowledge that she and Darius would follow along soon.

When Darius finally walked out of the restaurant with his hands in his pockets, looking around, she said, “They already left.”

He nearly jumped out of his pants. She’d forgotten to make herself visible again, and she did so now with a sheepish feeling.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He grinned. “You’re full of surprises, Audra. Let’s get the truck. Do you know where they’re going?”

“Chad was being an ass, and Rebecca demanded that he take her home.”

“Okay, we’ll drive past her place and make sure she’s okay, and then we’ll hunt down Chad. Yeah?”

Audra nodded. She thought there was a very good chance that Chad would attempt—and maybe succeed at—talking himself into her apartment. He was good at making up for faux pas, even without the djinn’s help. He’d had plenty of experience. So the chances were pretty good that he’d still be at Rebecca’s place, although she didn’t say that to Darius.

He was already good and pissed off when they approached the truck only to see two flat tires.

“Damn it!” he said, slamming a hand on the back of the truck. It was the first display of anger she’d ever seen from him, and she had the feeling he was holding back. He could have left a handprint on that truck, she’d bet. “Stupid punk kids.” He paused. “Unless you think Chad did it?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think he had the time. I wasn’t that far behind them. And besides, do you think Rebecca would have stood for that?”

He shook his head. “I suppose not.” Then he checked his watch. “Well, damn. Derek and Citrine aren’t available for hours yet. I don’t suppose you can…like, air magic us there?”

She shook her head. “Bending light is one thing. Creating enough lift to fly is another. I could maybe make you hover for a couple of seconds, but the bus would be quicker if we’re talking cross town travel.”

He knelt down to examine the tires. The knife marks were visible on the right driver’s side, where the perpetrators slashed the tire to shreds. But the rear tire bore no visible marks. Maybe someone had come along before the punks could finish the deed. The truck was parked at the edge of the lot, making it an ideal candidate for such a spur-of-the-moment bit of vandalism.

“If I change the front tire, I think a can of Fix-a-Flat might handle the other one enough to get us to your place. We could pick up your car and head on from there,” Darius said, frowning. “I don’t like the delay, but I think it’s the best we can do. What do you think?”

“I don’t have anything better. What can I do to help?”

He directed her to get the jack out of the back and made relatively quick work of the tire. He was a competent mechanic, efficient and careful. Every bolt was tightened to precise measurements that Audra didn’t exactly understand, but she appreciated the precision.

She was handing him the last bolt when he suddenly stiffened. His nostrils flared as he scented the air, and red embers burned in the depths of his eyes. For the first time since she’d met him, Audra felt like she was in the presence of a shifter. He always kept the animal part of him locked down so tight, but now it swam to the surface.

The back of her neck prickled, and she froze instinctively. Something was very wrong. She wanted to ask him what was happening, but she didn’t want to make a noise. It felt like an incredibly bad idea to do so.

He gestured toward the truck, like he wanted her to get inside, and she shook her head. Instead, she readied a ball of air between her hands, looking around to try and figure out what had them both so spooked. Once she saw it, she was throwing that ball of air at them. Getting hit by one was like taking a fastball to the face. She might not turn into a giant animal, but she could still be a formidable opponent. Even if her hands wouldn’t stop shaking with adrenaline and fear.

The truck was parked at the edge of the lot, near the black emptiness of an overgrown field. From the opposite side of the vehicle, off in the dark expanse of the field, she heard an ominous skittering sound, like something with too many legs.

With deliberate movements, Darius stood up and set down his tools. His fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, and he shrugged it off, followed quickly by his pants. Silk boxers followed suit, exposing a delightful amount of tanned, muscled skin. She was too afraid to appreciate the view properly, but she made a mental note to do so later.

“Stay behind me,” he said, and his voice hummed with an almost alien like tone.

She nodded, and he stepped out from behind the truck, out into the darkness beyond. Then he shifted. One moment, he stood there motionless, naked and muscled, and the next moment, black chiton boiled out of his pores. His entire form swelled, gaining at least a foot in height. Extra limbs sprouted from his ribs, segmented and alien. His hands grew, solidifying into claws.

When the transformation was over, a seven-foot scorpion stood before her. It let out an alien shriek of defiance, and Audra had a moment to wonder if real scorpions also made that kind of noise. Then, something from the field responded with a shriek of its own.

A wave of instinctive, primal fear came over her, and she ducked behind the truck, losing the concentration necessary to maintain her magic. Her breath came in ragged, frightened gasps. But she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. She drummed up every ounce of bravery she had and stuck her head out from around the bumper of the truck. She could summon another ball of air, but that felt suddenly insufficient. Hiding in the truck didn’t feel much better, though. The thing lumbering out of the darkness at Darius was just as big as he was, and it had even more limbs.

It was a giant spider. It stood eye to eye with Darius in his scorpion form. But it looked wrong somehow. Its body was peeling and moldy. One of its legs ended too short in a truncated knob. It lurched unsteadily, but was no less intimidating for its awkward motion.

To Audra’s eyes, it looked sick. Did spiders get rabies? She wasn’t an expert by far. All she knew for sure was that the creature scared the crap out of her.

Darius didn’t shirk from it, though. He reared up on his back legs, stinger poised and at the ready. The spider lurched forward, legs ticking audibly. He met it halfway, ducking down to gain leverage on it. Claws tore at the delicate underside of the beast, spraying ichor. The spider bore down on him, mandible darting toward one of his delicate legs, but missed by inches. His stinger darted toward the spider, which shied away, turning its back.

Was it retreating already? It seemed like a prime opportunity to Audra, and Darius didn’t miss it either. The giant scorpion darted forward, claws at the ready. But she quickly realized that the spider hadn’t been fleeing after all, but readying another attack. She opened her mouth to call out a warning, but it was too late. The spider’s body contracted, and out came a long strand of moldy smelling, gooey spider silk. It hit the scorpion smack in the face, and Darius reared up, letting out another of those angry shrieks.

The spider spun around, wobbled, and pressed its advantage with a swift attack. Although Darius tried to parry, the spider had too many legs to keep track of, and his head was covered in sticky goo. He tried retreating, to buy some time, but the spider pressed its advantage.

A long leg tipped with a sharp point darted up and then plunged down into Darius’s side. He shrieked again, and so did the spider. It sounded triumphant, as it should. Darius was pinned and unable to move.

Audra finally shook free of her shocked stupor, stepped out from behind the truck, and yelled, “Hey!” A ball of air appeared in her hands with ease, fueled by her anger and fear. The spider swung around to face her, and she flung the ball with every ounce of strength she possessed. It whacked the giant arachnid in the face, ripping it free of Darius.

The scorpion didn’t waste any time. It picked the spider up with its claws and threw it to the ground with bone crushing force. Before the spider could move a muscle, his stinger darted down and through the spider’s body, imbedding into the ground beneath. As Audra watched in horrified fascination, Darius impaled it again and again.

The spider exploded in a flash of green ichor and moldy smelling goo. It went everywhere, covering Darius, Audra, the truck, and a good portion of the field. But just as quickly as it landed, it began to dissolve away until nothing was left but the stink.

Darius’s form wavered and shrank into human skin. A wicked puncture wound leaked red blood down his right side. He went down to one knee, coughed painfully, and said, “Well, that was weird.”

Audra thought that was a terrible understatement. Before she could observe as much, he staggered toward her and promptly fell over. Any smart comments she was going to make were forgotten as she hurried over to help him.