Read Tales of the Djinn: The Guardian for Free Online
Authors: Emma Holly
good.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” Elyse said.
“We’ll have sushi and spaghetti.”
“I shouldn’t horn in on your evening.”
“Please do,” Arcadius said politely. “We’re
all new acquaintances.”
Cara looked at Elyse. “Is it okay? I wouldn’t
mind taking a load off.”
“You’re always welcome,” Elyse assured her.
“You know where the closet is. Hang your coat and I’ll set another
place.”
Before she went to do it, Cara gave Arcadius
and Joseph a onceover with her eyes. The swiftness of the survey
didn’t keep Arcadius from feeling like he’d been stripped. This
woman was a smart cookie, not to mention more confident with men
than her relative.
When she returned, sans coat and packages,
her stride put her considerable charms in fascinating motion. Not
even to fit in could Joseph watch her knee-length knit dress cling
and shift around her hips. Arcadius wasn’t shy. The garment’s
fawn-brown color set off Cara’s hair perfectly, as did three long
amber-studded, antiqued gold chains that draped her lush bosom. The
polished stones were good quality: honey-clear with sparkling
inclusions.
“So,” she said, smoothing the dress around
her bottom before she sat. “How do you two know my cousin?”
“We’ve rented the basement unit,” Arcadius
said, doubting his aide would be able to speak just yet.
“Really?” Cara flipped a cloth napkin across
her lap. “I’d begun to doubt anyone would take that place.”
“Cara,” Elyse scolded. As nimbly as a
magician, she set her cousin’s offering on the table, each sort of
sushi arranged on a separate attractive plate. “People want
different things out of apartments.”
“Of course they do. Most just avoid
habitations with curses attached to them.”
Joseph coughed and Elyse rolled her eyes. To
Arcadius’s surprise, Joseph leaped up to pull out Elyse’s chair. He
hadn’t performed the courtesy for her cousin . . . not that he’d
have had the nerve to get close to her.
“May I?” Arcadius asked their hostess,
indicating the open wine. She nodded and he poured for everyone. He
timed his next question for when he reached Cara’s glass. “Why do
you say our living space is cursed?”
He looked straight into her eyes, which were
green like her cousin’s. Suddenly, she jumped but not on his
account. From the sound of it, Elyse had just kicked her under the
table. Arcadius was curious to see if Cara would obey the
warning.
She flicked a wary glance at her cousin
before answering. “Oh, you know, it didn’t rent for a long, long
time. That’s as good as a curse in this neighborhood.”
Finished pouring and not fooled, Arcadius sat
back and smiled. Cara fiddled with one of her necklace’s amber
beads. He couldn’t decide if she truly was prettier than her cousin
or just had a different style. Her cosmetics were as skillfully
applied as a concubine’s.
“Arcadius and Joseph are from Turkey,” Elyse
said conversationally.
“Ah,” Cara said, possibly not recovered from
being kicked.
Elyse turned to him and Joseph. “Our family
firm does business there.”
“Your family firm?” Joseph asked.
“Solomon Brothers Imports,” Cara answered.
“Our fathers started it together. I work there too. We specialize
in Mediterranean and Near Eastern goods.” She lifted one of her
neck chains to demonstrate. “Elyse’s father was our main buyer
until he fell into a volcano.”
Elyse wrapped one hand across her eyes and
sighed. She seemed not to like this topic any better than
curses.
“He fell into a volcano?” Arcadius was
startled enough to ask. This struck him as an exotic end for a
human being.
Cara forked a delicate bite of salad into her
mouth. “In Sicily. Mount Etna. My dad tried to warn him he was too
old for daredevil tourist stunts.”
“He wasn’t a daredevil!” Elyse burst out. “He
hired a professional guide. It was an accident.”
Elyse’s lovely green eyes welled up with
emotion. Seeing
“You’re welcome to join us,” Elyse said.
“We’ll have sushi and spaghetti.”
“I shouldn’t horn in on your evening.”
“Please do,” Arcadius said politely. “We’re
all new acquaintances.”
Cara looked at Elyse. “Is it okay? I wouldn’t
mind taking a load off.”
“You’re always welcome,” Elyse assured her.
“You know where the closet is. Hang your coat and I’ll set another
place.”
Before she went to do it, Cara gave Arcadius
and Joseph a onceover with her eyes. The swiftness of the survey
didn’t keep Arcadius from feeling like he’d been stripped. This
woman was a smart cookie, not to mention more confident with men
than her relative.
When she returned, sans coat and packages,
her stride put her considerable charms in fascinating motion. Not
even to fit in could Joseph watch her knee-length knit dress cling
and shift around her hips. Arcadius wasn’t shy. The garment’s
fawn-brown color set off Cara’s hair perfectly, as did three long
amber-studded, antiqued gold chains that draped her lush bosom. The
polished stones were good quality: honey-clear with sparkling
inclusions.
“So,” she said, smoothing the dress around
her bottom before she sat. “How do you two know my cousin?”
“We’ve rented the basement unit,” Arcadius
said, doubting his aide would be able to speak just yet.
“Really?” Cara flipped a cloth napkin across
her lap. “I’d begun to doubt anyone would take that place.”
“Cara,” Elyse scolded. As nimbly as a
magician, she set her cousin’s offering on the table, each sort of
sushi arranged on a separate attractive plate. “People want
different things out of apartments.”
“Of course they do. Most just avoid
habitations with curses attached to them.”
Joseph coughed and Elyse rolled her eyes. To
Arcadius’s surprise, Joseph leaped up to pull out Elyse’s chair. He
hadn’t performed the courtesy for her cousin . . . not that he’d
have had the nerve to get close to her.
“May I?” Arcadius asked their hostess,
indicating the open wine. She nodded and he poured for everyone. He
timed his next question for when he reached Cara’s glass. “Why do
you say our living space is cursed?”
He looked straight into her eyes, which were
green like her cousin’s. Suddenly, she jumped but not on his
account. From the sound of it, Elyse had just kicked her under the
table. Arcadius was curious to see if Cara would obey the
warning.
She flicked a wary glance at her cousin
before answering. “Oh, you know, it didn’t rent for a long, long
time. That’s as good as a curse in this neighborhood.”
Finished pouring and not fooled, Arcadius sat
back and smiled. Cara fiddled with one of her necklace’s amber
beads. He couldn’t decide if she truly was prettier than her cousin
or just had a different style. Her cosmetics were as skillfully
applied as a concubine’s.
“Arcadius and Joseph are from Turkey,” Elyse
said conversationally.
“Ah,” Cara said, possibly not recovered from
being kicked.
Elyse turned to him and Joseph. “Our family
firm does business there.”
“Your family firm?” Joseph asked.
“Solomon Brothers Imports,” Cara answered.
“Our fathers started it together. I work there too. We specialize
in Mediterranean and Near Eastern goods.” She lifted one of her
neck chains to demonstrate. “Elyse’s father was our main buyer
until he fell into a volcano.”
Elyse wrapped one hand across her eyes and
sighed. She seemed not to like this topic any better than
curses.
“He fell into a volcano?” Arcadius was
startled enough to ask. This struck him as an exotic end for a
human being.
Cara forked a delicate bite of salad into her
mouth. “In Sicily. Mount Etna. My dad tried to warn him he was too
old for daredevil tourist stunts.”
“He wasn’t a daredevil!” Elyse burst out. “He
hired a professional guide. It was an accident.”
Elyse’s lovely green eyes welled up with
emotion. Seeing