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"He’snot what I would have expected" The Djinn had always had a touch of the eldritch about thea seemednormal His eccentricities were enius who’d cashed out of the Internet gaolden parachute

The door to the guesthouse swung silently open for us as alked up the steps Night-bloo flowers poured perfume out into the air, and I stopped to drink it all in The cool ocean breeze The clear night air Rolling surf

David, gilded silver by the ?" he asked me, and stepped close Our hands entwined, and I crossed the sether, curves and planes He let out a slow breath and closed his eyes "Oh That’s what you’re thinking"

I put my arms around his neck "I’d be crazy if I wasn’t," I said "Look, it’s been driven ho in a bubble If it’s not the dae, it’s the Sentinels trying to wipe us out If we have even a second of safety and solitude, I don’t think we should waste it"

"I’ve been wanting to get you out of that dress all day" His voice dropped low and quiet, barely a murmur in my ear I felt my pulse juo on like this I can’t stand knowing that at any ain If I lose you - " His hands ent and possessive "If I lose you - " He couldn’t finish the sentence

We both knew that he was going to lose me, in the end But it was the fullness of time, the richness of ti so

"I love you," I said, and his mouth found mine He tasted of tears, but I saw no trace of the I’ether"

"Yes" Another soul-deep kiss that left o inside Security cauards"

"Mmmmmm" He’d destroyed my ability to form words that didn’t include adjectives, such as faster and more

David picked me up and carried me across the thresholdand stopped He had no choice The entire roo, rows and rows and rows of thea!" he bellowed, and let me down "Dammit - "

The other Djinn popped in with an audible displace outside the door He looked past us, at the makeshift warehouse, and seemed a little embarrassed Just a little "Well," he said, "I did warn you that I needed to clean up"

That wasn’t messy; it was obsessive-compulsive I’d met a Djinn with a behavioral disorder Now that was new

Ortega did so I couldn’t quite follow, and two columns of boxes disappeared - probablylook, then sighed and repeated the maneuver with all the boxes in view

"Any other rooa’s eyebrows rose "Please," I added "Umm - bathroom And kitchen"

"Done"

And it was The areas I could see, at least; I had no doubt that if I opened up a closet (or for thatfetish, but right now, the only things that a aiting for soht a hint of so not quite in sync with the harmless human exterior he projected "I have what you asked me to find," he said "When you’re ready to see it"

David had been looking at aze cut sharply toward the other Djinn "You have it? Here?"

"In the main house It’s warded I can’t open it myself"

"What is it?" I asked If I’d only left it alone, webait and go on to a fevered night of fulfilling every delicious, decadent fantasy, but noooooo I just had to ask

Ortega’s face brightened "The Ancestor Scriptures "

David went very still I sensed whatever chance we had to forget all this and hit the sheets vanishing like ive it up?"

"No" The Djinn’s s us to join him, but David didn’t, and I had no idea ere s about "I persuaded the Air Oracle to let ive up for that"

I’d met the Air Oracle once; it wasn’t one of my most treasured memories I’d had lots of scary encounters, but the Air Oracle had been one of the strangest, most remote, most a had char out of hilanced at y in his expression before he said, "I have to take a look This could be i, but my brain tried to be "I know Mind if I look, too?"

"I want you with me," David said, and he meant it on a whole lot of levels I sa, aiting with a polite, attentive sa nodded and blipped out, then alrined "You can’t travel so quickly, can you?" he said to ize We’ll walk"

The stroll back to the main house was just as lovely as the first time, only with less anticipation of fun to co; when Ortega led us through the front door, I was struck once again by the incredible scale of the place The massive chandelier overhead, loaded doith an entire year’s production of Swarovski crystals, glittered like a captured galaxy The ceiling was as tall as any respectable opera house lobby, and the foyer was just about big enough to stage a road-show production of Aida, corand staircase, of course, with all the usual any features

What didn’t quite fit in this oh-so-upscale setting was the clutter Boxes piled randos (nice ones, at that, to ainst the boxes, knickknacks, and gadgets strewn over every flat surface It was like walking into one of those clutter stores, craains and cool finds, if only you can contain your sense of claustrophobia long enough to find the

If every rooed "There’s never enough room This way Watch your step"