its fury as it snarled at Blix and Larry.
I gaped in disbelief as adrenaline surged through every fiber of my being. “What the hell is that?” I already knew the answer. Oneiri looked like Blix on steroids. Madame Coumlie’s djemon was unmistakably a sphinx.
CHAPTER 15
The sight of Oneiri in the flesh thrilled my breath away. He turned his yellow eyes on me, and the menace of his gaze had me shaking where I stood. My cell phone rang, but I switched the darn thing to vibrate without answering. I sidled around the perimeter of the room for a better view.
“Voila; you see? Everything is so simple, chere . Oneiri here was a djinn once, like your petit pets. He came to me in my dreams, so long ago. Like you, I did not know about naming such a thing, and yet here he is made flesh.”
Another low growl rumbled and Oneiri gave a loud snort before sitting back on his haunches to await his mistress’s command. His resemblance to Blix was undeniable, but where Blix resembled a scrawny, hairless kitten, Oneiri projected raw power and predatory elegance. The difference between them defined unnatural versus supernatural. A near-human face glowered at me from behind leonine features. He vibrated with the force of barely contained energy and danger, a fantastically scary combination.
Awestruck, I could barely speak. “He’s real.”
His paws were the size of trike tires. I had no doubt that Oneiri would be as deadly as he appeared. Oddly, I had no fear of him, merely a healthy respect for Oneiri’s size and obvious lethal capabilities.
“ Oui .”
“He doesn’t smell.”
“A big bonus, non? Manifestation has many advantages.”
I ached to touch him, but didn’t dare. “How did he get so big?”
Oneiri shook himself, and the slithering of his ebony wing feathers sounded like the shuffling of cards. A genie on a flying carpet could not have enthralled me more.
“Where do you keep him?” I couldn’t contain my amazement. “He’s just so big.”
“Once named, everyone uses them,” Rhys said.
“The life force energy of their masters sustains them, chere, but they can also grow powerful from absorbing the life force of their victims.”
My heart skipped a beat. “He’s killed people?” The phone in my pocket vibrated, but I paid no attention. A million questions flooded my mind, and I desperately wanted to know more.
I edged my way around the sphinx until I stood next to my great-grandmother. Blix paced back and forth, intensely agitated. Even Larry seemed distressed, licking his eyes repeatedly with a long blue tongue. The rest of my herd remained motionless. I noticed two more fanged toads had joined the party.
Oneiri’s eyes were at the same level as mine, as big as tangerines. I raised my hand to pet him. “Hey guy.”
Oneiri lowered his head and laid back his pointed ears, each of which sported a single gold ring at the tip. I snatched my hand back and bit my lips. Better not.
“So this is what Blix will grow into? What about Larry? What about the rest? Why do I have so many?”
Rhys said, “Pay attention, Mattie. This is important. Every time you speak or think their name, they grow in power.”
Chastened, I realized Rhys was right. Blix had already moved away from the herd, and seated himself on my left side. Larry too, had taken a few steps closer. He stamped his stubby little feet and stared at me with new intensity.
“So how do I get rid of my djinn?”
“The unnamed ones can be compelled to return to their chamber, as I did long ago. Rhys, in the cupboard behind you, you will find a volume labeled 1930. Bring it to me.”
The opened armoire revealed dozens of dark green, leather-bound books; each marked with a hand-lettered date along the spines. Rhys selected one from the shelf, and handed it to her. She appeared to know what she was looking for,
I gaped in disbelief as adrenaline surged through every fiber of my being. “What the hell is that?” I already knew the answer. Oneiri looked like Blix on steroids. Madame Coumlie’s djemon was unmistakably a sphinx.
CHAPTER 15
The sight of Oneiri in the flesh thrilled my breath away. He turned his yellow eyes on me, and the menace of his gaze had me shaking where I stood. My cell phone rang, but I switched the darn thing to vibrate without answering. I sidled around the perimeter of the room for a better view.
“Voila; you see? Everything is so simple, chere . Oneiri here was a djinn once, like your petit pets. He came to me in my dreams, so long ago. Like you, I did not know about naming such a thing, and yet here he is made flesh.”
Another low growl rumbled and Oneiri gave a loud snort before sitting back on his haunches to await his mistress’s command. His resemblance to Blix was undeniable, but where Blix resembled a scrawny, hairless kitten, Oneiri projected raw power and predatory elegance. The difference between them defined unnatural versus supernatural. A near-human face glowered at me from behind leonine features. He vibrated with the force of barely contained energy and danger, a fantastically scary combination.
Awestruck, I could barely speak. “He’s real.”
His paws were the size of trike tires. I had no doubt that Oneiri would be as deadly as he appeared. Oddly, I had no fear of him, merely a healthy respect for Oneiri’s size and obvious lethal capabilities.
“ Oui .”
“He doesn’t smell.”
“A big bonus, non? Manifestation has many advantages.”
I ached to touch him, but didn’t dare. “How did he get so big?”
Oneiri shook himself, and the slithering of his ebony wing feathers sounded like the shuffling of cards. A genie on a flying carpet could not have enthralled me more.
“Where do you keep him?” I couldn’t contain my amazement. “He’s just so big.”
“Once named, everyone uses them,” Rhys said.
“The life force energy of their masters sustains them, chere, but they can also grow powerful from absorbing the life force of their victims.”
My heart skipped a beat. “He’s killed people?” The phone in my pocket vibrated, but I paid no attention. A million questions flooded my mind, and I desperately wanted to know more.
I edged my way around the sphinx until I stood next to my great-grandmother. Blix paced back and forth, intensely agitated. Even Larry seemed distressed, licking his eyes repeatedly with a long blue tongue. The rest of my herd remained motionless. I noticed two more fanged toads had joined the party.
Oneiri’s eyes were at the same level as mine, as big as tangerines. I raised my hand to pet him. “Hey guy.”
Oneiri lowered his head and laid back his pointed ears, each of which sported a single gold ring at the tip. I snatched my hand back and bit my lips. Better not.
“So this is what Blix will grow into? What about Larry? What about the rest? Why do I have so many?”
Rhys said, “Pay attention, Mattie. This is important. Every time you speak or think their name, they grow in power.”
Chastened, I realized Rhys was right. Blix had already moved away from the herd, and seated himself on my left side. Larry too, had taken a few steps closer. He stamped his stubby little feet and stared at me with new intensity.
“So how do I get rid of my djinn?”
“The unnamed ones can be compelled to return to their chamber, as I did long ago. Rhys, in the cupboard behind you, you will find a volume labeled 1930. Bring it to me.”
The opened armoire revealed dozens of dark green, leather-bound books; each marked with a hand-lettered date along the spines. Rhys selected one from the shelf, and handed it to her. She appeared to know what she was looking for,
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