I was only a few feet away from it when an invisible force punched me in the gut. Winded, I flew backward. I landed on the sand, but I didn’t skip a beat. I shot to my feet and began running again.
“Benjamin!”
Nuriya’s voice.
It’d never sounded so irritating to me as it did then.
The jinni appeared directly in front of me. My limbs froze. I was unable to take a single step forward or even budge an inch.
Aisha appeared by Nuriya’s side, as well as the queen’s lover, Bahir.
“I command you to let me free!” I growled. The anger that boiled up within me surprised even me.
Nuriya exchanged glances with Bahir and Aisha, then fixed her eyes on me.
“You’ve tipped the scales, Benjamin,” she said quietly. “Now I must do what is best for you, my child.”
I cursed the jinni. I was filled with an overwhelming desire to rip through her throat, if that was even possible. If I’d had control over my limbs, I would’ve tried.
She looked toward Bahir once again, and nodded. Bahir looked directly at me and as he did, his upper body became as translucent as the mist swirling beneath him. The next thing I knew, he was hurtling toward me. A strong force hit my chest as he made contact with me, and then the most bizarre thing happened… the jinni’s body melded right into me. I felt a strange, though not unwelcome, sense of warmth in my bones—something I’d never experienced as a vampire. The rage that had been welling up within me calmed and then vanished completely.
Nuriya returned control over my body. I staggered backward and, looking down, I realized just how coated I was with blood. My hands were caked with it, my clothes soaked as if I’d just fallen into a lake of the red substance.
The haze lifted, for the first time allowing the reality of what I’d just done to settle fully upon me. The aftertaste of human blood in my mouth, sweet as it was, now tasted like the most despicable thing on the planet. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I spat on the ground, trying to rid my tongue of it in desperation. As though this act would somehow lessen the stabbing guilt. The crushing waves of dread.
“What just happened?” I panted, lowering myself on all fours and balling my hands into fists in the sand.
“You’ve had too much blood,” Nuriya said. “The Elder is now strong enough to influence you in a way that he never was before… But I’m sure he wasn’t counting on us assisting you. As subtle beings, we too can inhabit people. Bahir has entered inside you, and he is now attempting to smother the Elder’s influence. That’s why your mind has returned to you.”
It took several moments for her words to sink in. That jinni is inside me. Two supernaturals within me, battling for control. Breathing heavily, I forced myself back to a standing position and stared at Nuriya.
“How long can Bahir remain with me?” I asked. I wasn’t interested in much else other than how long I had before my mind was reclaimed.
“I’m unsure,” Nuriya replied, gazing at me with deep concern in her golden eyes. “Certainly, Bahir will not be able to stifle the Elder forever. This is only a temporary measure. He’s just stalled the Elder calling you back to Cruor.”
Cruor. Of course. That’s where the Elder wants me. That’s why I was racking my brain as to where the nearest gate was. He’s calling me back.
Once I got there, that would be it for me. There’d be no coming back. And not just for me. I knew the consequences for the rest of the world, both human and supernatural, if the Elders were allowed to rise to power again.
If I allowed them to rise to power.
The Elder’s influence had become so strong over me even without being physically present inside me. Once I arrived in Cruor, I assumed he’d be strong enough to enter me and use me as a vessel. He’d use me to nourish himself back to complete strength, and then gather new blood for the others to begin their recovery.
“No matter what happens,” I said, trying to steady my breathing, “you can’t let me reach Cruor.”
Nuriya moved closer and gripped my arms. Her eyes blazed with determination. “I know, my child. We have to find a way out of this. Your future is with us, not those monsters.”
As miserable as it would be, the thought of a life stuck with these jinn was almost appealing compared to what Cruor had in store for me.
But even with this time Bahir has bought me, what the hell am I going to do now?
As if Nuriya had read my thoughts, she said, “Perhaps you should go to visit Arron.”
I stared at her. “Arron?”
“Yes,” she replied. “He has great expertise in matters relating to the Elders—with Elders and Hawks being natural enemies, he made it his life’s mission to know everything about those creatures in order to combat them. For the many, many years he’s been alive, all the knowledge he has gained… some of it could be of use to us.”