certainly had not yet shown any signs of doing so. But she was not healed, and had suffered one shock after another. Time was the one thing djinn had plenty of, and so Qadim was prepared to give her whatever she required.
Assuming that Hasan al-Abyad did not make another unannounced visit. He would surely detect Madison’s presence, and things could get nasty. Or perhaps not. Qadim thought he might be able to convince the other djinn to let her alone for as long as she was in Qadim’s keeping. A few hints that Hasan could do as he pleased with her as soon as Qadim was finished should be enough to get the air elemental to retreat for the moment. Hasan didn’t have to know that Qadim planned to see Madison safely to Los Alamos once their relationship had run its course.
Yes, that sounded like quite a good plan. While she was here, though, Qadim knew he could not go forth and continue with the demolition of Albuquerque’s man-made features. The landscaping would have to wait, because he did not think she would be safe here if he left her alone.
Not that it mattered all that much. He had plunged into his transformation of the city because he had had nothing else to occupy his time. Now, though, he had something far more distracting to fill his days.
He moved out onto the sidewalk that remained and gazed upward, toward the floor where she now slept. Soon enough she would wake, and he’d begin his pursuit of her in earnest.
* * *
S leep was the farthest thing from Madison’s mind. After she’d locked the door to her room, she’d made sure all the blinds were firmly shut so no one — not even Qadim — would be able to see inside. Yes, certain things he’d said made it sound as if he was the only one of his kind remaining in the city, but what if those rampaging djinn she’d seen months before were still at large in Albuquerque, trying to sniff her out? Best to be safe, even if she had the completely unfounded impression that Qadim would do his best to protect her.
Right then she wished more than anything that she was back in the shelter so she could access the excellent map library Clay had gathered there, the really detailed topographical maps hikers used, along with super-accurate USGS charts. Then she could try to plot a course from Albuquerque to Los Alamos, see if there was some way she could take side roads and routes hidden in canyons and creek beds and manage to avoid any djinn interference.
But she was more than a mile away from the shelter, so that idea was out. For now, she’d have to rely on her own somewhat hazy memories of Los Alamos as she began to formulate a plan. In a few days, Qadim would let her go, and then —
What makes you think he’s going to let you go?
The thought popped into her mind so vivid and clear that she knew she couldn’t ignore it. She wished she could, but she’d never been one to avoid unpleasant facts, and she wasn’t about to start doing so now.
Yes, Qadim had been friendly. Maybe too friendly. No, he hadn’t seemed interested enough in humans to save one by making her his Chosen, but now that he’d had a human female basically dropped in his lap, it was entirely possible that he’d decided it might be a good idea to amuse himself with her for a while. He was probably waiting for her arm to heal itself. A one-handed lover could be somewhat limiting.
Oh, come on, she thought then, do you really think you’re that irresistible? Why have you when he could be with a djinn woman instead? She’d never seen a djinn female, but if they were anything like their men, then they were all probably extremely attractive as well.
That all sounded very sensible. But….
Coming to terms with one’s own beauty was always problematic. Madison had never paid all that much attention to her own looks, except for wishing on numerous occasions that she’d inherited her father’s nice straight hair instead of this curly mass that only did what it wanted to and seemed to laugh at
Assuming that Hasan al-Abyad did not make another unannounced visit. He would surely detect Madison’s presence, and things could get nasty. Or perhaps not. Qadim thought he might be able to convince the other djinn to let her alone for as long as she was in Qadim’s keeping. A few hints that Hasan could do as he pleased with her as soon as Qadim was finished should be enough to get the air elemental to retreat for the moment. Hasan didn’t have to know that Qadim planned to see Madison safely to Los Alamos once their relationship had run its course.
Yes, that sounded like quite a good plan. While she was here, though, Qadim knew he could not go forth and continue with the demolition of Albuquerque’s man-made features. The landscaping would have to wait, because he did not think she would be safe here if he left her alone.
Not that it mattered all that much. He had plunged into his transformation of the city because he had had nothing else to occupy his time. Now, though, he had something far more distracting to fill his days.
He moved out onto the sidewalk that remained and gazed upward, toward the floor where she now slept. Soon enough she would wake, and he’d begin his pursuit of her in earnest.
* * *
S leep was the farthest thing from Madison’s mind. After she’d locked the door to her room, she’d made sure all the blinds were firmly shut so no one — not even Qadim — would be able to see inside. Yes, certain things he’d said made it sound as if he was the only one of his kind remaining in the city, but what if those rampaging djinn she’d seen months before were still at large in Albuquerque, trying to sniff her out? Best to be safe, even if she had the completely unfounded impression that Qadim would do his best to protect her.
Right then she wished more than anything that she was back in the shelter so she could access the excellent map library Clay had gathered there, the really detailed topographical maps hikers used, along with super-accurate USGS charts. Then she could try to plot a course from Albuquerque to Los Alamos, see if there was some way she could take side roads and routes hidden in canyons and creek beds and manage to avoid any djinn interference.
But she was more than a mile away from the shelter, so that idea was out. For now, she’d have to rely on her own somewhat hazy memories of Los Alamos as she began to formulate a plan. In a few days, Qadim would let her go, and then —
What makes you think he’s going to let you go?
The thought popped into her mind so vivid and clear that she knew she couldn’t ignore it. She wished she could, but she’d never been one to avoid unpleasant facts, and she wasn’t about to start doing so now.
Yes, Qadim had been friendly. Maybe too friendly. No, he hadn’t seemed interested enough in humans to save one by making her his Chosen, but now that he’d had a human female basically dropped in his lap, it was entirely possible that he’d decided it might be a good idea to amuse himself with her for a while. He was probably waiting for her arm to heal itself. A one-handed lover could be somewhat limiting.
Oh, come on, she thought then, do you really think you’re that irresistible? Why have you when he could be with a djinn woman instead? She’d never seen a djinn female, but if they were anything like their men, then they were all probably extremely attractive as well.
That all sounded very sensible. But….
Coming to terms with one’s own beauty was always problematic. Madison had never paid all that much attention to her own looks, except for wishing on numerous occasions that she’d inherited her father’s nice straight hair instead of this curly mass that only did what it wanted to and seemed to laugh at
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