Page 49 of Reluctant Rogue

“It’s not actually transparent, what we’re seeing is…” Jacinth paused, frowning a little. “More like a television screen? I can see anywhere I like in real time. Here, I’ll show you.”

A moment later, the Grand Canyon lay spread before them, the setting sun casting colors and shadows across the rock formation. A collective gasp went up. A moment later the scene faded, to be replaced with a view of the inside of Troy’s barn, the horses stabled for the night. The mare closest to them lipped lazily at her hay, while out of sight, another horse snorted loudly, moving about in its stall.

Talya tugged at Jacinth’s sleeve. “Can we see the compound?” Her eyes were dark with emotion, and Naomi could see the lines of stress around the girl’s mouth.

Jacinth smiled at the girl, stroking a hand over her ruffled hair. “Of course. I think you’ll like what you see.”

The scene turned to desert, with foothills rising beyond. The sky was dark, but faint moonlight showed the ground before them held nothing but rubble. There were a few partial walls standing, but for the most part the buildings were collapsed, the desert already encroaching, drifting against the fallen walls. It was clearly uninhabited, and uninhabitable.

The teenager’s eyes widened. “It’s gone!”

Jacinth nodded solemnly. “It is. Kieran placed a ward on the land, as well. Even if there are any of the men who escaped capture… although, we don’t think there are… they will never be able to rebuild here.”

“Kieran,” Naomi echoed, her brows drawing together as she searched her memory. “I’ve heard that name.”

“He’s a prince of the Djinn,” Jacinth explained. “An elder Djinn, very, very old.”

“And very powerful,” Douglas interrupted.

Jacinth nodded. “Yes, that is so. He’s also a member of the Djinn High Council.”

“Right, because every paranormal, um, species?” Naomi started, then continued as Liam nodded at her, “has, like, a governing body?”

Douglas jerked a little. “Do werewolves have a Council?”

Jacinth heaved a dramatic sigh. “Douglas, I swear, you are obsessed with werewolves. You and Troy both.”

Beside Jacinth, Talya pulled her knees up tightly to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She shivered, glancing around nervously. “Werewolves like in the movies? I’ve seen some of those movies.”

Aiming a glare at Douglas, Jacinth accused. “Now see what you’ve done!”

She put her arm around Talya, reassuring the girl. “There’s not many, and they’re not out running around doing bad things. The shifters work on helping them live normal lives, making sure they’re in a safe place during the full moon so they can’t hurt anyone, including themselves.”

“I think we got away from the original topic,” Liam prompted.

“So we did!” Jacinth laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Douglas, carry on.”

“I don’t even remember the original topic,” Douglas confessed. “All I can think of is werewolves.”

Talya spoke up. “How you and Jacinth met.”

“Oh. Right, yes.” He cleared his throat, his gaze meeting Jacinth’s, and his arm went around her, pulling her close. The couple smiled at each other. “I came home and started a steak in the broiler, and came here to the sofa to wait. I was holding the teapot, examining it, and suddenly… there she was.”

“His dinner was burning,” Jacinth said. “I warned him. And then he burned his hand pulling it out of the oven.”

Douglas nodded. “Which she then healed, as well as fixing my steak so it was perfect.”

Jacinth’s eyes sparkled. “Then he tried to throw me out of the house.”

Talya giggled. “Did you really?”

Jacinth grinned nodding. “He did, really. Then he tried to return my teapot to the antique store.”

“I drove all the way back to Manhattan,” Douglas concurred. “That’s when I met Julian and Alessandra. Julian owns the shop. So I gave it back to him and told him I didn’t care about a refund. But then when I’d get into the car to head back home, it’d be back in the front seat. Twice.”

Naomi grinned at Jacinth. “Persistent. I like it.”

Jacinth’s return grin was the epitome of mischief. “I finally let him get all the way home, and was waiting for him in the living room.”