Finally done, she took her empty plate to the kitchen and began washing it when Idrak appeared in the living room. Standing at the long kitchen counter that separated the living area and the kitchen, Nadira paused, still holding the sponge in one hand and the plate in the other as Idrak looked from one side of the living room to the other his eyes passing right over her.
Like a jolt to her nerves, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and his features sharpened. "Nadira?!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls with force.
Turning his back to her, he stalked down the hall to the library and stopped in the doorway as he examined the inside of the room.
What was going on? He just looked at her. Why was he calling her name and walking away? "Idrak," she called out.
Nadira frowned at her own voice just as the tall horned djinn blinked out of sight. Her voice sounded as if she was talking into the back of a fan, it felt echoed and warbled.
The sound of her name even louder now from above on the second floor startled her. Setting down the plate, she rushed to the stairs and skidded to a halt as a wave of furious heat crashed at her back. Spinning on her heel, she watched in shocked fear as Idrak reappeared in the living room. His face was sharp and angular in his rage, and his eyes…his eyes stole her breath as she backed up into the nearby wall. They were completely round, like two big white saucer plates that brimmed with crackling white light. Bending his knees, Idrak stooped with his clawed hands out to either side as if he was some sort of predacious creature about to strike.
Opening his mouth again, Nadira slapped a hand over her mouth as she watched the creature she loved open its mouth wide, revealing elongated rows of sharp white teeth as it bellowed her name with a wrath that made her want to sink to the floor.
He couldn't see her. Why couldn’t he see her? Looking to her right, she noticed the door to one of the spare bedrooms slightly ajar. With one last glance at the raging creature before her, she slipped into the room. Hiding in the muted shadows of the room, she watched as Idrak's magic shined before him like a transparent map. Images of the city blurred in and out of focus as he seemingly scanned every street, every person for her.
Her hands fluttered to her thrashing heart and stopped at the feeling of the stone beneath them. Realization hit her as she stared down at the stone. This had to be it, this had to be the cause! Thinking quickly, Nadira rushed to the connecting bathroom and flipped on the light and flushed the toilet before yanking off the necklace and tossing it into a cabinet.
She was walking out of the bathroom door with all the calm she could muster when the bedroom door opened with an explosion. Wood splintered and drywall crumbled as Idrak leapt into the room. Her startled cry was ignored as Idrak's painful grip appeared on both of her shoulders holding her steady before him.
"Where were you?" the creature snarled. His eyes closing from their large circular form to two malevolent slits.
Monstrous and nothing like his normal self, Nadira flinched and forced herself to answer as she looked away. "I was using the bathroom when I heard you. What's wrong?" she lied.
She wasn't even sure why she lied. The truth should have been fine to share, but something within her shuddered at the thought. She feared what his reaction would be. Maybe he would not see it as she saw it as just some harmless nostalgia. Maybe he would be insulted that she would wear what was essentially his prison for centuries around her neck so callously. She couldn’t be sure and it wasn't worth jeopardizing everything for a silly misunderstanding.
"I called for you, and you said nothing," Idrak's eyes were as cold as moonlight on ice. "I looked for you, and I did not find you." Though it was not necessarily a question, she could hear the demand for answers underneath each word.
Shaking now, Nadira shook her head. "Please Idrak, I was here, I'm not sure what's going on."
In a way that was true, she had no clue what was going on. Why did the stone conceal her like that?
She could feel his grip flexing against her shoulders in repetition, as he considered her words, his lengthened claws drumming against her skin like tiny needles, never breaking the surface.
Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything, Nadira pulled from his grip and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Please, Idrak."
Slowly Idrak's body returned to normal. His claws and teeth shortened, and his features lost their sharp, frightening appearance. But the change only stopped at his appearance. Still simmering with rage, he said nothing as she tried to coax him to talk. Upstairs in their bathroom, Nadira undressed both of them. She had led the silent, seething djinn into the deep tub that sat in the center of the master bedroom, hoping that the closeness of their bodies would soothe his anger. But Idrak remained silent. She could tell his thoughts were still on the event mulling over her disappearance, wondering why his magic could not locate her. With each silent minute that passed, Nadira felt her fear grow and her want to reveal the truth lessen and lessen. He would be furious, she was sure of that now. He would hate her if she confessed, maybe even abandon her. Her heart plunged at the thought. Wrapping herself around him, she sat boldly chest to chest with him as she wrapped her legs underneath the water around his waist.
"I'm sorry for scaring you," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Please, don’t pull away from me. This house, these clothes, money, all of it means nothing without you." The admission stung with the reality of the truth. Nadira needed him. She needed his stories, his mischievous wit, and she needed to wake up to his comforting heat each day. She couldn't just experience all of these wonderful things and have them disappear forever, she just couldn’t. "I love you."
Arms moved through the warm bubbly water and slipped around her back, pressing her tighter against him.
Burying his face into the crook of her neck, his voice caused her to shudder. "You can never leave me, do you understand that, my love. You are bound to me as I am bound to you."
"Yes," she cried happily. "I want that, I want you."
Lifting her up against his chest, Nadira's body wilted in relief as she felt his fingers impatiently part her folds and the head of his cock bluntly press at her opening. Sinking down against him, she inhaled sharply as her body slowly impaled itself on his length.
"Now tell me again," he whispered harshly into her ear as he lifted her back up in a bear hug before pushing her back down, causing the water to slosh at the sides of the tub.
With a feminine grunt from the harsh invasion, her eyes rolled back in her head as she clutched onto him tighter. "I love you, and I will never leave you."
Hours later, they both lay sated and pleased in their bed. Cuddled up to his body, Nadira made sure every inch of herself was pressed against his hot ebony skin. Late afternoon sun cast a warm tangerine glow across their room.
"I have been wanting to ask you something for a while now. But I am not sure if I should." Nadira's head lay against the djinn chest, and she could feel the minuscule lurch in his breath as he absorbed her words.