Prologue

Xerxes

 

As I look around the dimly lit room in the wine cellar of my father’s castle, a knot of worry sits just between my shoulder blades. It’s the eve of my twenty-fifth birthday and one of the most important days in the life of a male djinn. Instead of celebrating it with my family, however, I’ve been summoned. A servant delivered a note to me from Lady Jasmine, who has forever been trying to win my favor in the hope that she may one day be my lamp keeper. She still doesn’t understand that it is not the djinn who picks the handler, but the magic—magic that is still only understood by a few. Only the magi know the magic that is involved, and it is their responsibility to bind a genie with their lamp, who will then only be released once it has picked a lamp keeper.

 

This rule applies to all except for the three of us. We are the future rulers of the djinn kingdoms, and as such, we will not be permanently bound to a lamp. How would we run the kingdom if we were? None of our fathers are. 

 

My eyes go to the djinn I consider brothers in every way but blood. They have been my best friends for many years, and they have also received a note.

 

“I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed to find the two of you here,” Gazi jokes as he leans against a wall. He may appear to be casual and relaxed, but he’s already taken up a defensive position by putting his back to the wall. “I thought I was coming down here to get my cock sucked, and here I find you two bastards instead of the delicate flower I thought I would.” 

 

The heir to the Western Kingdom is dressed in traditional garb—a sleeveless, thigh-length tunic, which gapes at the chest, baggy trousers, and bare feet—for the upcoming ceremony. His is blue, correlating with the water element of the Western Kingdom. 

 

“So, which one of you will be doing it instead?” 

 

I roll my eyes as he pushes his hand back through his dark curls. 

 

“I was told there was suspicious activity in the wine cellar that needed my immediate attention, so no cock sucking will be taking place until I have checked the room.” Sargon, the heir of the Eastern Kingdom, has his shamshir out and is peering around the various racks, looking for intruders. His black, shoulder-length hair is pulled back and tied by a leather strap at the base of his neck, and he has leather gauntlets tied around his wrist. Sargon is always on high alert for trouble. 

 

“But there will be cock sucking?” Gazi sounds hopeful and uses his hand to shift his dick.

 

“I think we have more important things to worry about today rather than cock sucking,” I tell him, and his face drops.

 

“All clear.” Sargon returns his sword to its scabbard and joins the two of us back in the middle of the room. “What do you think this is about? Who dares to summon the heirs of the kingdom on such an important day?” Sargon always acts so formal when he’s back in the djinn realm. On Earth, you wouldn’t guess that he’s the heir to the air kingdom, but when he’s home, his father’s old-fashioned influence shines through. 

 

That man is an asshole—well, all our fathers are. It’s why I’m looking forward to this next step in our journey. We’ve attended the djinn university and mastered our powers, and once we are assigned lamps, which will strictly be a ceremonial gesture for the three of us, it will soon be our turn to lead, and our fathers will step down. It’s how it has always worked. Djinn lead such long lives that rulers don’t have children until they are close to the end of their term. A ruler’s term is capped at a hundred and fifty years so that no one rules indiscriminately for eternity. Now, since our fathers have ruled for the last one hundred and fifty years, it’s time for some fresh blood and new attitudes. 

 

Up until now, male children have traditionally had their powers activated at the age of twenty and are then bound to a lamp at the age of twenty-five once they finish their schooling. Female djinn don’t have powers, so they become lamp keepers. Djinn often have intimate relationships with their keepers, and up until now, our fathers have never considered that the djinn or the keeper might not be heterosexual. They have never been open to same-sex relationships, unlike other races or even humans, but it’s something my friends and I plan on changing, among other things. From what I understand, once upon a time, both men and women had powers, and a specific ritual would select whether someone was a djinn or a keeper, but that seems to have been perverted over the years.

 

“Who knows? Obviously someone is playing a prank on us. Let’s go, or we’re going to be late for the ceremony at the university,” I tell them, smoothing my hands over my green robes. It’s tradition for the djinn to wear the colors of their kingdom for graduation. 

 

Once this year’s class graduates, and if their lamp is matched with a keeper, they will be assigned places in the human and other supernatural realms. The djinns who are already out there are free to continue their assignments, but some will be given the chance to return home. All djinns return home once they decide to have a family to raise their children in their homelands. 

 

“I want to watch the bonding ceremony for our classmates,” I tell my friends. Graduation is the only time when anyone actually gets to see the ceremony, and even though I will not be going through it, I want to honor my classmates by overseeing theirs. 

 

As I go to move away from the middle of the basement, though, something lights up on the floor underneath me.

 

“What is this?” Sargon draws his weapon once more and moves closer to Gazi and me as we both draw our own swords. 

 

Looking down, I frown as I study the glowing red marks underneath us. I can’t read them, but I think it is the ancient language of the magi. I try to step away from the marks, but I’m bound to the spot. “What the hell?” 

 

Gazi and Sargon are also bound and on high alert, looking out into the shadows of the cellar. 

 

“Who’s there? Show yourself to your prince,” I command, hoping that someone will shed some light on what is happening.

 

Someone chuckles in the shadows. “Ah, Prince Xerxes, it seems you have gotten a little ahead of yourself. You boys have been making waves, and there are people who are not happy about it—people who wish to see tradition remain.” The voice is unfamiliar to me, and when I glance at my friends, it seems that they also don’t have any idea who is speaking. “The same people who made sure that the last time someone suggested change, they were unable to get a foothold in society.”

 

What is this person talking about? “The last time saw the downfall of an entire kingdom.” He must be talking about the Northern Kingdom. “The fire king died many years ago without an heir, and a kingdom without a king cannot be,” I argue, and once again, it chuckles.

 

“Yes, that was the story that was told, just as there will be a story about the princes who all disappeared on their way to their graduation ceremony. They will be searched for, of course, but later, they will be declared dead, and the kings will continue to rule for another hundred and fifty years until they are allowed to have more children.”

 

Djinn rulers are not bound to their lamps, thus they have no need for a keeper and are allowed to choose whom they marry or don’t, as the case may be. Our fathers chose to pay surrogates to birth us and nannies to raise us in another bid to keep power out of women’s hands. Because the djinn are so long lived, they are only allowed to have one child. Exceptions will be made for our fathers, however, because heirs are needed.

 

The three of us struggle, but it is futile. Not even our powers work, the glowing writing underneath us making them impotent. 

 

A lamp slides out of the shadows, obviously pushed by the owner of the voice. It’s a plain, polished silver lamp with no jewels decorating the surface, although an elegant scrawl is punched into the metal. 

 

“The kings couldn’t kill you, since the universe forbids it, and they wouldn’t risk sudden death to do it, so they came up with a different solution. You will be bound to a lamp.” 

 

My heart pounds with anxiety, but a solution still gives me hope. We can escape if a keeper chooses us. 

 

The voice chuckles again. “Don’t look so hopeful, Prince Xerxes, for that would be too easy. I plan on binding you to a lamp together.”

 

The hope in me drains away. Being bound together in one lamp means that there will be no hope of ever being chosen by a keeper. There is one keeper for one djinn, and three keepers would never share one lamp.

 

“Yes, I see you understand this. Your lamp will be hidden in plain sight, never to be chosen by a keeper because there are three of you. It is fitting that three best friends share the same lamp, no?” 

 

I can’t even tell if the voice is male or female, but there is an insidiousness to it that sends a shiver up my spine. 

 

I drop my sword and lower my head, my breathing ragged from struggling. Once my breathing calms, I raise my head and peer into the darkness. “You will pay for this, I promise,” I vow to the shadow, and once again, they just chuckle.

 

Sargon and Gazi continue to shout and struggle, but I know it is a waste of energy. I just send up a prayer to the old gods that, one day, we can be saved.

 

The voice starts to chant, and the writing below us changes from red to a blinding white as I feel my body dissolve into particles of sand—a form of my kingdom’s element. Still able to see through whatever magic controls this, I watch Sargon turn into air and Gazi into water. As the chanting reaches a crescendo, I watch as smoke drifts out of the plain lamp and wraps around our elemental forms before dragging us into the lamp. The last thing I see before darkness descends is a pair of red eyes under a black hood—red eyes that will be etched in my memory until I can extract my revenge. 

 

 

Fifty years later

 

 

Chapter One

The silence of the water is only broken by the sound of my furious kicking and my arms pulling me through it as I complete my hundredth lap of the pool. I gulp in air every time I turn my head, but then I expel it back into the water, causing bubbles to fizz up around me in my wake. There’s something incredibly relaxing about swimming, where I can just let my body do all the work and allow my mind to run free. Usually, I think of nothing but the number of laps I am doing and getting from one end to the other. 

 

It’s how I’ve always done things—putting one foot in front of the other and taking things in their logical sequence. I think it comes from growing up with two flighty parents who let their whims rule their actions. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, my parents are great, but responsibility is not high on their agenda. Sure, my dinner is ready on time, and I go to school like everyone else, but apart from that, I don’t have a lot of rules. I think they really wanted me to experience life, because they knew that this day was coming. My responsibilities are unavoidable, and, well, they wanted me to have fun before I couldn’t anymore. 

 

Thus, I had no curfew or rules, and I was allowed to do basically anything I wanted, but I rebelled against that. It was the only way I could rebel. While my friends were out drinking, smoking, and sleeping around because their parents imposed rules and curfews, I was the one who was home earlier than planned or the designated driver because I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have blinked twice at me calling them drunk, needing a ride home, or even better, needing bail. They would have just praised me for embracing life and getting worldly experience.

 

I prefer the library to the mall and reading over movies or online shopping. And boys? Well, they are all idiots. I couldn’t understand how my girlfriends were all changing themselves to fit a mold and be the one who was asked to prom, out on dates, or to meet under the bleachers. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, I like orgasms, but the vibrator my mom gave me on my sixteenth birthday does the trick and doesn’t expect me to tell him he’s the most awesome football player I’ve ever seen. 

 

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m into older guys. I blame my dad. He spoiled me for all young adults with the way he treats my mom like a princess. Seriously, he worships the ground she walks on, and I guess he just set that bar way too high for a high schooler to even get close to, let alone over. 

 

Kicking off the wall, I swim the last of my lap as fast as I can. I touch the side and stop, my body shuddering with the exertion. Breathing heavily, I hang onto the edge of the deep end. My feet can’t find purchase, and I’m too tired to tread water now.

 

“Soraya, honey.” The gentle voice has me looking up at my mother. Her dark blonde hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, and she’s wearing a pair of cutoff denim shorts that accentuate her slim legs, and a pretty blue tank top that sets off her eyes. My mom is the typical all-American girl, and the woman hasn’t aged a day since she turned twenty-five. She often gets mistaken for my best friend because we don’t look anything alike. 

 

I look like my dad. He’s Persian by birth, and he’s this rugged, tall, dark, and handsome man with piercing green eyes, all of which I get from him. Well, I’m not rugged, but I’m taller than average at five-eight, and I have olive skin and dark brown hair. I even have the same slightly hooked nose he has. Yup, his genes were certainly dominant in this family. 

 

“It’s dinner time, love.” My mom smiles down at me as my breathing starts to slow. “You were pushing yourself hard tonight. I know you’re worried about tomorrow, but you shouldn’t be. Everything is going to be fine, you’ll see.”

 

The smile I give her doesn’t feel genuine to me, but she must believe it, because she turns on her heel and heads back inside.

 

“Oh, and go get your dad, will you? He’s watching sports.”

 

I’m too exhausted to pull myself out of the water, so I swim back to the shallow end and use the steps to get out. The evening has cooled down, and goosebumps break out across my skin as I grab my towel off the nearby pool lounge. Pulling my goggles off my head, I dry my face before squeezing the water out of my braid, and then I wrap my towel around my body. 

 

My bare feet are silent as I make my way inside and through the kitchen, which smells amazing, to my father’s game room. It’s a real man cave, with ridiculous arcade games, a pool table, and a fully stocked bar, as well as a giant flat-screen TV with a ridiculously huge sofa in front of it. That’s where I find my father sprawled out in front of a hockey game, shouting at the television.

 

“Fucking goalie, couldn’t stop a puck if it was the size of a car!”

 

A chuckle escapes my lips, and my dad turns quickly. 

 

A huge smile lights up his face when he sees me. “Raya, my pretty princess, have you been drowning your worries?” He takes in my damp form with a slight frown before he grins again. 

 

“Yup, but dinner is ready. Mom told me to come get you.” 

 

He stands up and waves his hand at the TV, turning it off.

 

“Well, let’s not keep your mother waiting.” He comes around, drapes an arm around my shoulders, and presses a kiss to my wet hair before leading me back through the house to the kitchen. 

 

I stop him before we get to the kitchen. “I’m going to run upstairs and get changed. I’ll just be a moment,” I tell him, trying to pull away, but he just waves his hand again, and my swimsuit and towel disappear, replaced with a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt, and my hair is instantly dried. He even remembered underwear this time.

 

“There, no need to go now.” He continues to drag me along with him, and there’s nothing for me to do but comply.

 

“Dad, I wish you wouldn’t do that,” I complain as we take a seat at the table. Mom has already placed all the food on it, and they both help themselves while I just sit there.

 

“Why not, sweetie? You need to get used to it. Your djinn will want to do those things for you as well.” My mom tries to reassure me, but I just frown. 

 

Tomorrow, we will be traveling to the djinn home realm, and I will be attending the djinn university to learn how to become a lamp keeper. That is how it has been for centuries now. Male djinn get all the powers, and female djinn are responsible for looking after their genie, making sure that they are not being abused by the ones who are granted wishes, and retrieving their lamps once the three wishes have been made. 

 

Djinns are only confined to their lamps while they are granting wishes, and then their keepers have the power to release them once the lamp has been retrieved. The djinn and the keeper are often mates, and any children they have will follow in their footsteps. They are limited to one child per union because djinn have such long lives. I am Mom and Dad’s only child, and since I’m female, I’m a lamp keeper. 

 

All my life, I wanted to be a djinn so badly, and Dad would tell me that if I wanted something badly enough that anything was possible, but powers never appeared. I appreciated his encouragement, but I was resentful when I realized it was all a lie. I was never going to be an all-powerful genie, and I was fated to look after one. 

 

Hence the resentment I now feel toward my future possible djinn, whom I may or may not get matched with once I have done my month-long intensive training. A keeper must present themselves on their twentieth birthday and then spend the next month learning everything they need to know about caring for a lamp and its contents. Then, there is a mysterious ceremony that no one speaks about that will match me with a lamp.

 

When I asked my mother about it, she explained that a keeper is bound from talking about it, but that it was nothing to worry about.

 

“But what if I don’t want them doing things for me? Surely they would end up being resentful. Not only are they bound to a lamp and must give wishes to everyone else, but on their days off, they must also take care of the mate they never picked. I kind of feel sick about it, to be honest. What if I don’t like the djinn I get matched with?” 

 

Mom and Dad don’t like to talk about it, but I have heard rumors in the community that it happens sometimes. 

 

“Oh, honey.” My mom reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “The ceremony is never wrong. The archive contains hundreds of lamps just waiting for their keepers. It is a fated connection.” She is saying all the right things, but the look she exchanges with Dad is not particularly reassuring. 

 

He sighs and puts down his knife and fork, finishing his mouthful. “You do like boys, don’t you, Raya?” he asks gently, and I frown.

 

“Yeah, in theory, I guess, but none of the ones I went to school with ever interested me. What does that have to do with anything?” I ask, feeling even more confused now, but he just shakes his head.

 

“Nothing. You will be fine, the magi don’t get it wrong. I have never heard of a match that has been unhappy. Now eat up. You will need your energy. The next month is going to be super busy for you.”

 

I scoff as he continues to eat his food. “Oh yes, learning how to look after my djinn is going to be such a strenuous task. Is Stepford Wife 101 one of the lessons?”

 

Dad frowns and stops eating once more. “I’m not sure where all this resentment is coming from, but there is so much more to being a lamp keeper than picking up after your djinn.” He looks from me to Mom, and my eyes follow his. She has a hurt look on her face, and I feel guilty. Fuck, I’m an idiot. My mom is one, so how could I be so insensitive?

 

“I’m sorry, Mom, it’s just that everything is so secretive. Neither of you have been particularly open about what it involves.”

 

“There’s a reason for that, one you will find out for yourself. Just because you don’t see what your mother does for me when I need to do a job doesn’t mean it’s not important. A djinn is powerless without a keeper, which is why if they are not matched with a keeper, their lamp sits in the archive, waiting for the following year’s match day in the hope that they will match then. It’s the same with keepers who don’t match. They return home until the next year’s graduating djinn class.”

 

Hope races through me. “So I might not match? I might be able to come back and continue my life?”

 

“Yes, sweetie, it might not happen this year, but what makes you think you wouldn’t be able to continue your schooling even if you do match? Do you see me giving up my life for your father?”

 

I guess she has a point. Mom has a successful business helping new djinn/keeper pairings establish themselves in whichever realm they are assigned. She and Dad travel all the time. The headquarters that controls all djinn assignments is in Seattle, and it is very hush-hush. Even the royals are not involved in those assignments. They come directly from the powers that be, the gods that oversee each of the realms. Dad works directly for these gods. He is like a caseworker, checking in on the djinn/keepers to make sure they are completing their assignments. He then sends reports to these gods, but again, it’s all very hush-hush. He doesn’t get wish assignments himself anymore. In fact, he avoids going anywhere near the djinn home realm if he can help it. I’m pretty sure there is some kind of trauma in his past, but neither he nor Mom speak to me about it.

 

“Is there anything else you can tell me about what might happen?” I ask, begging my parents for any scrap of information they can give me. 

 

“I wish we could, but the magi bind us when we match so that we can’t influence our children in any way. You must go into this with an open mind and heart.” Mom grabs Dad’s hand, and he squeezes it reassuringly, much like she did with me.

 

“Can you tell me about djinn in general? You have been maddingly close-mouthed about it all except for telling me what we are.” As a child, it didn’t bother me that I didn’t know more, but now that I’m an adult and it’s my turn, I’m kicking myself for not asking more questions.

 

“Well, you already know that the djinn are broken up into three factions,” Dad starts, but I interrupt him. 

 

“But didn’t it used to be four? I’m sure I remember you saying something about four as a child.” Again, Mom and Dad exchange an annoyed glance, and Dad sighs.

 

“Yes, it was four. North, east, west, and south, or fire, air, earth, and water respectively. Together, the four kings ruled over their realms, but something happened, and the northern king perished.” Dad grimaces and exchanges another one of those mysterious looks with my mom. “Rumors flew around, saying he died from a broken heart after his keeper was killed. Others say he was betrayed by the same keeper.”

 

“But I didn’t think royals had keepers.” 

 

“This is one of those things that you will find out at school, so I can’t say much about it, except that it is a choice for royals. Anyway, the other three kings divided up his lands and people and absorbed them into their own. So, while there are still fire wielding djinn, they don’t have a land to call their own.”

 

“Enough,” my mom tells us both. “You will learn the rest at school. I think maybe you should head to bed, since you have an early start, and your first realm jump will take a lot out of you.”

 

“Are you both coming to drop me off?” I ask, and they assure me they wouldn’t miss it. I wish them goodnight and take my weary body upstairs, and even though I’m tired, my mind is still running through a dozen different scenarios. 

 

Eventually, I fall into a fitful sleep, my dreams filled with visions. 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

The next morning is a whirlwind of activity, and before I can even blink, we’re stepping through the portal my father created to Absomar, the djinn home world. 

 

It’s my first time using a portal, and my stomach lurches as the world around me goes dark and there’s a dizzying sensation. I stumble slightly but feel my dad grips my arm to steady me. Before I can even take another breath, my surroundings light up again, and a wave of hot, dry air blows over my face. My eyes pop open, followed shortly by my mouth. 

 

“Holy shit,” I whisper as I take in my first glimpse of Nemsou, the djinn capital.

 

My father releases my arm, and he and Mom flank me as I try to absorb what I’m seeing. I’m kind of thrown because Mom and Dad refused to talk about their homeland, and neither has returned for as long as I can remember, kept busy with supporting off-world Djinn, but what I see before me is hard to comprehend. 

 

I grew up in Seattle, home of Starbucks, grunge, and the Sea Hawks, with an awesome outdoor lifestyle. We hiked, kayaked, and camped in the great outdoors, but nothing I’ve ever done has prepared me for this. I feel like I’ve gone back in time to ancient Persia. Before me is a desert oasis straight from Arabian Nights. 

 

There is a large, bustling city with buildings built from what looks like shiny limestone, fringed with lush foliage, and a crystal blue watering hole on one side, but beyond that is a red desert. If there were a pyramid in the distance, I could be looking at ancient Egypt, except there isn’t. 

 

No, the biggest building looks to be a gated stronghold of some kind in the center of the city. That building appears to shimmer with a pearlescent, light gold hue. The four pointed dome towers, one at each corner, are decorated in red, blue, green, and yellow. They must be for the four ruling factions.

 

The hot breeze blows across my face, bringing with it the scent of spices, smoke, and the unfortunate smell of animal droppings.

 

“Ah, Nemsou. There is nothing quite like that smell,” Dad remarks quietly, a smile stretching across his face.

 

“Hmm.” Mom’s nose is wrinkled. “It certainly is indescribable.”

 

I watch as camels and horses trek down a road to the left toward the large gates in the wall that surrounds the whole city. A shout has me looking around, but I’m unable to find where the sound came from, and Dad puts his hand under my chin and lifts my head. I had been focusing entirely on the ground, so I had missed the genuine flying carpet coming toward us with a man sitting cross-legged on it. It comes to a stop in front of us, and the man throws his arms out. 

 

“Ta-da! It is wonderful, no?” 

 

“Aziz, my old friend, you certainly know how to make an entrance.”

 

“Ahmed, you old rascal, we couldn’t have anything less for your little princess, now could we?” The man jumps off the floating carpet and hurries around to the front, reaching out to hug my father. He’s wearing a traditional, thigh-length tunic and baggy trousers in black with red accents. On his head is a red turban. He has black facial hair and dark, coppery brown eyes that sparkle with warmth and amusement. “It is so good to see you.” They exchange a long hug before he pulls away and turns to my mom, holding her at arm’s length. “Ah, Amira, you grow lovelier every time I see you.” He kisses her on the cheek.

 

“Aziz, it has been too long, and I see you are still a charmer. Where is Khina?” 

 

“She is at home. We have finally been blessed with a child of our own, and the mornings have not been kind to her.”

 

My mom and dad start talking rapidly in Absomish, a language they swear I will know instantly when I have my lamp keeper blessing in the water of the great lake. I don’t understand it, but I get the gist with all the laughing and kissing and back slapping. They are happy for him. 

 

Movement out of the corner of my eye draws my attention, so I turn away from the happy adults and just about swallow my tongue.

 

Traveling down the same dirt highway as the camels and horses is a cavalcade of beasts unlike any I’ve ever seen before. At the front of the procession is a herd of animals similar to a griffin, but different. They have the head of a lion, the body of a rhino, and the wings of an eagle, and they are the same color as the red sand that surrounds us. They would be perfectly camouflaged if they decided to lie down and take a nap. Each animal has a rider atop it, who are carrying different kinds of weapons like maces, pikes, and flails—all very medieval.

 

Behind them are three… I don’t even know how to describe them. I guess the closest thing would be giant sand caterpillars. Dark and mottled camo colored, they have long, huge bodies, at least two stories high, and they have hundreds of legs propelling their bodies forward. The cloud of dust kicked up behind the cavalcade could be seen for miles around. Perched on top of each caterpillar is a cloth-covered pavilion. I’m too far away to see what is beneath the pavilion, but I can only guess that there is seating with people up there. 

 

“The royal cavalcade,” Aziz murmurs as I feel the three of them step up behind me. 

 

My dad snorts. “Are they still parading around like that? It’s fucking ridiculous. Like a djinn would need to use those archaic weapons to protect themselves.” His words are filled with scorn.

 

“You know our kings. Change is like sand through an hourglass for them. Their term has gone on too long, but with the disappearance of their sons, what choice did they have?” Aziz says cryptically. We watch as the cavalcade disappears down the hill toward the city, their trail of dust lingering long in the air after their passing. 

 

“Now, let’s forget about them. They are not our concern for now. We must get this beautiful lady off for her lamp placement. You must be so excited,” Aziz gushes, and I turn away from the spectacle to find him beaming at me. 

 

“I mean, I guess,” I reply unenthusiastically, and his eyes almost bulge out of his head.

“What is this? All young djinn adults look forward to their placement very much. Why the frowny face?” He looks at my mom and dad, who at least have the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

 

“I’m afraid Raya was hoping she would develop djinn powers. I told her too many stories of the past, and I got her hopes up. Instead of watching over a lamp, she wanted one for herself,” Dad explains, and a wave of comprehension flows over Aziz’s features.

 

“Ah, yes. Well, it hasn’t been like that for a long time. It is a shame. Over four hundred and fifty years ago, we had female djinn, and one or two are still alive, but they are well hidden for protection.”

 

“Why do they need protection?” I ask, curious for the first time in ages. 

 

“Because they were hunted to extinction by a faction who believed that men were the superior djinn.”

 

“But how do you kill a djinn?” I ask, not knowing any of this. As far as I know, we are basically immortal once a keeper and djinn are linked.

 

“Why, by killing the source of their power of course.” Aziz can’t hide his surprise, and he scowls at my father. “You have not taught your daughter enough. She needs to know everything, not just the romantic fairy tales of the past.”

 

“And what is their source of power?” 

 

A stream of Absomish comes out of Aziz’s mouth, and again, I can tell he’s cursing even though I don’t get the complete gist of it. “Fuck, Ahmed, she doesn’t even know that much?”

 

“Don’t be mad at him. It is difficult for us. We don’t know what ears are on the wind. We had to be very selective in what we shared with her. When the time is right, she will know everything.” My mom comes to my dad’s defense, and I become even more intrigued.

 

“You are right, of course,” Aziz capitulates before turning to face me once more. “A djinn’s source of power is his lamp keeper. When a lamp keeper and a djinn become one, they become powerful enough to grant wishes,” Aziz explains gently.

 

Shut the front door. “And by ‘become one,’ do you mean… the bonding ceremony?” I ask, but I’m almost certain I’m going to be told something different.

 

“No, honey. The source of power for a djinn is the sexual relationship with their lamp keeper.” My mom drops that bombshell, and I feel my brain explode. 

 

“So, are you saying I’m going to have to have sex with whatever djinn I am matched with?” I ask, still not quite believing what they are telling me. I mean, sure, I knew most djinn and lamp keepers developed deep relationships that almost always end up in matrimony, but I had no clue that the djinn depended on their lamp keeper for their powers. This changes everything. It makes me see the lamp keeper role in a whole new light. They hold all the cards. No wonder a djinn will do just about anything to keep them happy. God, I hope I’m at least attracted to my djinn, or our relationship is going to be strained and forced.

 

“Yes, honey. If you want your djinn to be assigned tasks, then the two of you will need to have a sexual relationship,” Mom says as Dad scrunches up his face.

 

“This is not a fun conversation,” he mutters, and I kick the ground, looking anywhere but at them.

 

“You’re not fucking wrong.” 

 

“Now we must go, or she will be late for registration. You know if she’s late, she will have to wait until next year.” Aziz grabs my bag and tosses it onto the carpet before climbing back on. “I will see you again soon, my friends,” he calls to my parents.

 

My head jerks up to look at them. “You’re not coming with me?” I ask, suddenly awash with nerves.

 

“No, we can’t, but Aziz will take care of you. Keep an open mind, Raya, and know that we love you and trust you can take care of any hurdle that might appear in your path. We can’t wait to meet your djinn once you’ve matched. We will see you again on assignment day when all the new pairings travel to Seattle to receive their assignments from us.” Dad grabs my shoulders and kisses me on each cheek.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about any of this? Why am I only learning about it now?” I ask, and my mom embraces me, squeezing me tight.

 

“There are things we could not share. You need to tackle this with an open mind and no preconceived notions. We will talk more when we see you again. Be safe and work hard to learn all you must to protect your djinn. We love you.” 

 

Mom and Dad step back and watch as I climb onto the carpet. I expected it to give way beneath me, but it’s as stable as sitting on the ground. We rise into the air as a portal opens to allow Mom and Dad to return home.

 

“Be safe, my princess. We love you,” Dad calls as the carpet turns and heads toward the city, leaving my only family behind. 

 

“Do not worry, Soraya. You are destined for greatness, I can feel it, and old Aziz is never wrong. You will be fine, you will see.”