Bad Luck Genie: An Urban Fantasy Folly Page 16

  “My client doesn’t make your typical wishes and burns through djinnis faster than a gambling addict and his monthly rent.” The Curator loaded djinni shackles into the launcher and aimed it at me. “You and I have a score to settle.”

  My throat closed, my heart froze, and my feet were cemented to the ground. I stared into the barrel of the shackles launcher. Would the djinni silk tear from the shackles, or trap Lucy inside my bottle, too?

  “Go ahead,” Lucy shouted through chattering teeth. “Take your best shot.”

  I smelled her magic right before the Curator fired. The gold shackles shot past me and latched onto the djinni holding Lucy. An olive oil bottle materialized in a puff of white smoke and sucked the screaming djinni inside.

  “Holy shit!” Penny gaped.

  The intense fear paralyzing me shattered. I sprinted to Lucy, twined my fingers with hers, and shifted to smoke. She smoldered beside me a moment later, and we zipped toward the Pacific Ocean. We needed to hit Hawaii on the way to the Philippines.

  Gunfire thundered. I glanced through the smoke behind us. Penny was covering us. Djinnis howled in pain; she still had gold bullets. We might just make it. Penny caught up to us, and there was no point falling back and firing. They knew I was out of gold.

  Gamblers’ Road stretched before us as an electric highway through San Diego. I didn’t hear the whoosh of smoke chasing us. Warmth suffused my limbs, giving me extra energy. We were in the clear; we’d make it.

  The road dead-ended.

  We blew out our smoke at the same time. I growled in frustration.

  “What’s wrong?” Luce’s fingers tightened around mine.

  “Fuck!” I raked my free hand through my hair. “Gambling’s illegal in Hawaii.”

  “Surely there are some illicit games going on,” Penny said.

  I pulled Lucy to the nearest casino in southern California. It’d be safer to step out of Gamblers’ Road while we planned our quickest route to Hawaii, then to the Philippines. I opened the door to the Seven Mile Casino and the Iron Realm.

  It was loud even with plugged ears. I worked my jaw to relieve the pressure as I got my bearings. Women walked around the slot machines, passing out free beers. We made a chain and hurried toward the exit. A door banged behind us. I didn’t look but felt Lucy and Penny slow behind me. I tugged Luce’s hand. I knew the Pit Boss and the Curator would follow us. We didn’t have time to confirm it.

  I weaved us through blackjack, poker, and craps tables, between bar and grills, and finally into the hotel lobby. The afternoon sun glared through the tall glass doors. Lucy and Penny met my pace as we hurried outside.

  “What do we do now?” Lucy pulled her hand from mine and hugged herself. “How’re we gonna get to Hawaii, let alone Manila?”

  Penny retrieved her phone, thumbing over the screen. Her mouth formed a tight line. “There are apartments for rent nearby.”

  My stomach froze. “You want to take Realty Lane?”

  “How else will we get to Hawaii?” Penny snapped.

  Lucy nodded. “Okay, sure. That sounds like it’ll work.”

  “It’s dangerous, Luce,” I said.

  She chuckled. “More dangerous than Gamblers’ Road?”

  “Yes.” Penny clenched and unclenched her hands. “But we don’t have a choice. It’s two in the afternoon. Sigvald’s probably already in the Philippines.”

  “How is Realty Lane more dangerous?” Lucy asked.

  Penny tucked her phone away. “Because there are so many doors, it teems with gangs, and most of the fae lurk there, looking to trap djinni. A lot of—”

  “It’s the easiest way to trap a human,” I said.

  “Cheese and crackers,” Lucy breathed. “Good thing I’m not human. Let’s go.”

  Penny pointed Lucy in the direction of the apartments. When she was out of earshot, Penny met my eyes. “I have one clip of gold bullets left. I’ll hold off anyone who tries to snag her. You have the best chance of getting her to Manila alive. If we get separated, I’ll meet you at the church.”

  “Right, but try not to break from us. Lucy’s stressed enough.” I jogged after the djinni silk.

  “There they are!” someone yelled.

  “It’s the Pit Boss!” Penny pulled her gun and spun on them. “Don’t forget I’m still loaded with gold, boys.”

  There was no other choice. I shifted to smoke and whirled on Luce. She shifted too, and I had a moment of pride to see it didn’t take her nearly as long as before, but she still wasn’t one with her smoke. I gathered the djinni silk close and guided her toward the “apartment for rent” sign.

  We were nearly home free. The Pit Boss couldn’t encroach on another’s turf without sanction, and I was a betting man he hadn’t thought that far ahead. I pulled open the realty sign.

  Bang!

  Lucy tumbled from her smoke and landed face-first on the sidewalk, a spatter of blood stark against the pavement.

  Chapter 19

  They shot me. I couldn’t believe it. This happened to other people, not me. I sat up and craned my neck, gawking at my arm. Blood wept from the wound and it burned. My lungs constricted. I couldn’t catch my breath no matter how much air I gulped. I was torn between worrying I’d pass out—that was a lot of blood!—and wanting to grasp my arm.

  Mal hunkered next to me, his forehead wrinkling. “Let me see.”

  I gritted my teeth and shifted a little. My heart thundered in my ears. Shit-damn-fuck, it felt the same as when I’d put on those damned gold bracelets. A twist of green smoke roared to a stop, and Mom crouched beside me.

  “For the love of crystals, Tanaka,” she snapped. “I told you to watch her just a minute ago.”

  Mal probed my arm. I flinched, hissing breaths between my teeth. It hurt so much I covered my mouth, afraid I’d toss my cookies.

  “I think the bullet’s still in there.” He rubbed his brow, then dragged his hand to his chin. “You need to go to the hospital.”

  Gunfire ricocheted off a nearby car. I yelped, and we all ducked behind the vehicle. Okay, so the bullet wound wasn’t as bad as I thought. I hadn’t puked today. I could move, and I had control of my faculties. It was only the back of my arm, not something vital. I glanced at the sky. The bright sun steadily headed west. Sigvald the Supervillain wouldn’t wait for me to get better. We didn’t have time for a hospital.

  “I’m fine.” I clambered to my feet, but hunched over. I didn’t want to be a bigger target. “We should get moving.”

  Mom and Mal frowned at me, then at one another. Mal pursed his lips. “The Pit Boss won’t follow us on Realty Lane.”

  “I’d rather take her to a hospital,” Mom said.

  “I know, me too.”

  “I’m fine. We don’t have time to go to a hospital or explain a gunshot wound. The day is more than half over, and Sigvald is probably in Manila right now.” I looked between their skeptical expressions. “Hello! He wished for unlimited power!”

  More shots fired. I squawked, and we dropped to our knees. Mom squinted behind me, swore, and yanked opened the realty sign. I shifted to smoke and blew onto a smooth asphalt road lined by a picket fence on both sides and a hot sun at its zenith. Realty signs stretched into infinity before us with twists of multi-colored smoke darting along the road. I forced a yawn to pop my ears. That seemed to happen every time I entered a different realm.

  Mom zipped ahead, and Mal hovered at my side in a twirling twist of beige and green smoke. Maybe I finally understood what had kept her and Dad away from me as a child. Who’d want to watch over a cursed kid when they had secret worlds and expressways like this?

  Yet I still wished my mother had stayed beside me instead of Mal, and my stomach twisted in knots. I peeked at him, knowing he’d heard my wish, but couldn’t read his clouded expression. I wasn’t being fair to him. I worried I’d hurt his feelings, and the guilt mingled with the burning in my arm.

  Mal tugged gently on the djinni silk stretching between us. I w
asn’t sure if it was to urge me to move or to let me know he was there. How could I forget? Even in his camouflage-like smoke, he stood out as a plume of mystery to me. I chased my mother on Realty Lane, trying to convince myself it was the bond that made me hyper-aware of Mal. My mind strayed to last night and our almost kiss. Nope! Can’t think about that, not right now, not when he had a direct link to my brain.

  After what felt like hours, the smoke puffed away from me, stumbling me into a realty sign. Mal materialized and backtracked to me. I lowered my head, gasping for air with each throb of pain in my arm.

  I gaped at what was around me. Creatures with nightmarish features herded djinni and humans in chains along the sidewalk to a realty sign. Lavishly dressed and impossibly stunning men and women exchanged items with the creatures and took the captives inside the sign. I gulped, spinning around as more humans and djinnis fought against gold chains. My heart cried for them. That would’ve been me if my auction had gone to plan. Holy shit, we need to save them.

  “You okay?” He checked my forehead, and his expression darkened.

  I clutched his arms. “We have to help them.”

  He watched them, a shadow passing over his face. “I want to, but you’re more important, Luce.”

  “But those people aren’t free, Mal.”

  The skin tightened around his eyes. “If we don’t have time for the hospital”—his lips flattened, voice tight—“then we certainly don’t have time for them.”

  He was right, and I hated to agree, so I didn’t. Sigvald would use the bone and hurt everyone far more than what those poor souls across the street were experiencing. Mal stepped around me and lightly prodded the back of my arm. Spots danced in front of my eyes, and I clutched the realty sign. He knew I wasn’t fine.

  “You have a gold bullet in your arm. I can see it. You’ll catch gold fever if it’s not dealt with.”

  “What’s gold fever?” I hiccupped. “Will it trap me in a bottle?”

  He squeezed my good shoulder, shaking his head. “It’ll only weaken you. If you leave it for too long, you could die.”

  “How long is too long?”

  “A few days.”

  “Can you get it out?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  He scanned the signs. “I could, but where?”

  I sighed. I didn’t plan to leave the wound alone that long, but there wasn’t time for saving people or removing bullets. My mother whirled back toward us. If she found out I had a gold bullet lodged in my arm, I wasn’t sure what she’d do, but I was sure no one else would stop Sigvald from wishing for freewill. It’d be better for everyone if Mom had a good luck djinni again rather than Sigvald gaining unlimited power. I had to keep going at all costs.

  I flexed the fingers of my bad arm. It was difficult. “Don’t tell her it’s gold.”

  Mal gave me some serious side-eye. “I’ll need her help to remove the bullet.”

  “Just… don’t.” I didn’t want her fake fussing over me.

  “I don’t think it’s fake,” he murmured.

  Smoke billowed away from Mom, and she tilted her head, dark eyes darting between us. “What’s going on?”

  Mal crossed his arms. “Luce is just catching her breath.”

  “Catch it faster. We need to beat Sigvald to Rasputin’s bone.” She grimaced at my arm. “You’re doing so well, honeybee. I’m proud of you.”

  My cheeks grew warm, and I puffed out my chest. It was wonderful to hear her say that. “I’m good to go.”

  Mom beamed at me and shifted to smoke, waiting. Mal nodded, but his tight expression told me he knew better. He grasped my hand and shifted to smoke, the change encouraging my shift.

  We rolled down the lane together, but I couldn’t stop bouncing against the fence like a pinball. All I could do was keep moving until I couldn’t go any farther. I was tired and slowing them down. Carrying me taxed Mal, and my mother couldn’t hang on to me as smoke. Was it the djinni silk that helped Mal, or that my mother didn’t care enough? No. She cared. She was Mama Bear, and she and Dad had spent their lives searching for a way to break my curse—one I hadn’t known I had.

  Passing over the Maui Channel took effort, and my eyelids felt like they weighed a million pounds. The road wasn’t quite there, and I wasn’t physically touching the water. Yet I was propelled along the intangible road like I’d dove onto a Slip ‘n Slide. I could only go in one direction. Once the tip of my twister touched Maui, it became easier to move and breathe. We skipped over the Lahaina Roads onto Molokai. My arm pulsed with each bounce of my vortex against the sides of the road or into Mal.

  We traversed the Kaiwi Channel to Oahu. I gasped, forcing my smoke to stay around me, but it was unraveling. What would happen if I fell out of the smoke while walking over the ocean? I’d probably drown. Mal circled me. I don’t know what the point was, but I stayed straight until I tripped on solid ground.

  My smoke dropped. I fell to my knees and caught myself with my hands, liquid fire smoldering through my arm and it was covered in blood. I cried out. Mom stopped in front of me, and I couldn’t meet her gaze. Instead, I stared at her boots. She’d know by my expression there was something more going on with my arm.

  Mal’s hand rested on the small of my back. “You can’t keep going on like this.”

  “I have to,” I gasped. “Mom can’t go up against Sigvald alone, and you can’t go far without me.”

  Mom crouched in front of me. “The stretch of ocean from here to Manila is over five thousand miles—”

  “Mal can’t carry me that far.”

  “I can try,” Mal said.

  “That’s sweet.” Her sour expression said otherwise. “Japan is a thousand miles less. It takes a few hours and we can rest when we arrive, but we should try to find a place in Oahu to remove that bullet.”

  The realty sign I’d stopped at opened, and a large, beautiful, golden man stepped through. I gaped, taking in his sharp features, his glittering emerald eyes, and his curly blond hair. Where had I seen this man before?

  “Well, I didn’t expect you on your knees when the Pit Boss gave me the tracking charm for your bottle, but color me pleased,” he said in a melodious voice.

  Mom straightened, her dark brows converging over her nose. “Who’re you?”

  Mal jumped to his feet, clenching his fists. “Orpheus.”

  I dropped my gaze to Orpheus’s hip, seeing the golden sword. He’d been one of many bidding in the auction the day I forced Mal into being my master. It felt like ages ago. Had it really been only three days?

  “At least I got a lifetime supply of pies out of it,” he whispered enough for only me to hear.

  How could he joke at a time like this? I swallowed and stumbled to my feet. Mama Bear stood in front of me, but Orpheus ignored her.

  “What do we have here?” He smirked as he examined the three of us. His narrow nostrils flared. “Ahh… A blending djinni, a fortune djinni, and my tasty luck djinni.” He curled his full upper lip. “Oh, pity’s sake, you bonded yourself to a pathetic blending djinni?”

  “You can see that?” I blurted.

  “Indeed.” He smirked at Mal and Mom. “She must be new to this. Her display at the auction was fabulous. It’d been ages since I was so entertained.”

  “Back off, Summer fae,” Mama Bear growled.

  He clucked his tongue. “The Pit Boss is cross with you three. Especially the lightlighter.”

  “The Pit Boss can fuck off,” I muttered.

  Orpheus chuckled. The sound was beautiful. I bet angels received their wings every time he deigned to laugh. “Indeed, my sweet little morsel. Come, come. I don’t have all day.” He opened the realty sign and waved me through.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I gestured at the djinni silk stretching to Mal. “Not without him.”

  “Oh, right.” Orpheus rolled his eyes, then rubbed his pointed chin. “I can see it’s a touch complicated, isn’t it? Well, no worry. I can tear it for a favor.”r />
  The blood drained from Mal’s face. “Luce, it’s not worth it.”

  “Don’t you barter with my daughter, asshole,” Mom hissed.

  My mouth went dry. It was a way to free Mal. He deserved none of this. Mal turned to me, his dark, upturned eyes pleading. He wanted his freedom as much as I had. I needed to at least know what all my options were. Clenching my jaw, I faced Orpheus. “What kind of favor?”

  Mal grabbed my hand. “Luce, no. Not like this.”

  Orpheus’s face brightened as he studied me and my stomach flipped. He was gorgeous. “I tear the djinni silk, and you grant me three wishes.”

  My heart sank. “I’d have to be bottled for that, wouldn’t I?”

  “You’re new, but you’re a quick study.” His brows rose. “Yes. I don’t even care that your bottle is considered repulsive. I think it’s quaint.”

  “Why do you want me?” I whined. I couldn’t help it.

  “You’re a lucky djinni, girl. Not just any lucky djinni, but an Avalon. Do you know what people would do for you?”

  I snorted. “Sell me on the black market and chase me all over Gamblers’ Road and Realty Lane.”

  “And more. I’d do anything for those three wishes.” The longing in his voice made my soul pine for them.

  I swallowed. “But what about freewill? Would that be one of your wishes?”

  Orpheus laughed again, shaking his head. “Darling girl, freewill would use all my wishes. Who the hell would wish freewill to a djinni?” He glanced at Mal. “No one smart.”

  I crossed my arms, wincing at the pain. “Sorry to tell you, dude, but I’m an unlucky genie.”

  He gave me a condescending smile. “I truly doubt that. I found you, after all.”

  Mom glared at me, then pointed it at Orpheus. “She doesn’t accept your offer.”

  “C’mon, Luce.” Mal jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “We have to go.”

  In a blur of movement, Orpheus yanked Mom to him and held a knife to her throat. His friendly countenance disappeared, and he snarled at me. “I don’t think you understand. I’ve already paid for you. You belong to me.”