The Binding Stone (The Djinn Series) by Lisa Gail Green Page A

Sophie says, playing with the bottom of one pigtail.
    “He
thinks if she could, you would have had Leela save her.”

The Beginning
     
     
    “ hat
would you do for me?” Achan asks, running a finger lightly down my arm. I close
my eyes, letting the shivering sensation pour through my body. Does he not
already know the answer?
    “Anything,”
I say. “I would do anything for you, Achan.” And to make certain he knows it, I
thread my own fingers through his thick black hair and pull his face to my own.
    He
lets the kiss go on, caressing my body as I work against his mouth greedily. I
tilt my head back with a moan of longing, and he laughs gently, his dark eyes
twinkling in the starlight. He sits back on his heels, letting the strange
colors that now surround him cover me like a blanket. It is like a million
tendrils of pleasure careening over and through my body. I cry out in ecstasy.
    “Pleasing
you is easy, Little One.”
    “Only
for you,” I say. “Not everyone is so lucky.”
    “It
is only the sheep and me whom you talk to, so yes, I hope so.”
    I
hit his shoulder playfully, and join in the laughter. It is hard to imagine
anything more perfect than these nights with Achan in the desert.
    “And
have I not pleased you as well?” I ask, climbing to my knees to run a finger
down his arm.
    “Yes,
you have,” he says, and his dark eyes grow cold as he takes my hands. “And yet,
I know so little of you. Where did you come from? It is none of the villages we
visit on our route. So where then? And why have you come? What bit of luck
brought you into my life?”
    “It
was not luck, but fate,” I say, studying the way the tent wall behind him
billows against the wind. It will not break free; Achan has tied it down
expertly.
    “See?
You haven’t answered one of my questions about your past. Do not look so
worried, Little One. I am content that you are here.” He folds me into his
arms, and I lay my head against his strong chest. Breathe in his scent. It is
the scent of our desert. Of our love. “I do have a favor to ask,” he says.
    “Anything.”
    “Will
you come with me to the Council?” he asks, tilting my chin up so that I look
into his eyes. Their usual spark is back now.
    “You
want me to come to the Council?” I ask, unable to keep the surprise from my
voice.
    “Yes.
I want to introduce you to the others. Show them my good luck charm.”
    “Of
course I will come, Achan.” A smile breaks across my face. He wants me to be a
part of his life. A part beyond our nights together. He is proud of me.
    The
rest of my thoughts are drowned in the urgency of his kiss.

An Expert at Causing Pain
     
     
    “ou
heard about me in your father’s thoughts?” I ask Sophie. How much does she
know?
    She
nods, sucking in her bottom lip. Her blue eyes grow wide like she’s afraid
she’s said something wrong. I put my hands on her shoulders and smile
reassuringly.
    “It
is good that you tell us what he thinks, Sophie.”
    “But
he’s my daddy. I don’t know–”
    “He’s
my daddy too,” Jered says, kneeling down until he’s eye level with the child.
“I want to be sure I understand how he feels.”
    Sophie
cocks her head to the side and narrows her eyes at her brother, concentrating.
It’s no good pretending, she’ll know what he’s really thinking.
    “You’re
scared,” she says finally.
    “I
am,” Jered says.
    “Sometimes
he scares me too,” she says, letting her gaze fall. Jered lifts her chin so she
can see his face.
    “Did
you hear anything else about Leela?” Jered asks.
    Sophie
looks up at me, and my stomach twists into a knot. I find myself holding my
breath as she considers me with twinkling blue eyes. I cannot remember a time
I’ve feared a six-year-old child.
    “He’s
afraid of her,” she says, finally. “He wants to go upstairs to the attic and
get something he thinks will protect him.”
    Jered’s
head snaps toward me, eyes wild with fear. I focus on my face, being