Open this bottle, open your heart, whisper your wish and find him. Surrender to passion for three nights, but only true love can bind him.
"You've got to be kidding, Aunt Sophie."
Dr. Lauryn Meade scoffed as she read the translation of the bold calligraphy. She flipped the sheet of parchment onto the dining table beside the box it came with.
"Open the present, dear girl, and we'll see."
Lauryn tucked the telephone receiver between her chin and shoulder as she eagerly opened the package. Sophie's gifts were always beautiful and unique, even though they never possessed the magical qualities her aunt claimed.
"It's incredible." She sighed out the words. "Thank you so much!"
Sophie's tone was smug and indulgent. "I'm delighted that you like it, Ryna. And what's inside is even more incredible."
Lauryn carefully removed the delicate glass bottle from its packaging, admiring the graceful curves and gold inlay. She raised it toward the light and peered straight through the jewel-colored glass. "The bottle is empty, Sophie."
"Look again. The little man who sold it to me swore it contained something wondrous and magical."
The corners of Lauryn's mouth twisted into a frown. She wondered how much Sophie had paid for the bottle and the line of bull she'd been sold along with it. Although Lauryn couldn't bring herself to hurt her aunt's feelings, she wasn't going to encourage her, either. "I'm sorry, Sophie, but there's nothing inside."
"Hrmph. That souk merchant said the contents always led to extraordinary passion. If anyone needs passion in her life —"
"Don't start, Sophie." She gently pried out the glass stopper, thinking perhaps some fragrance lingered in the bottle's depths. "Extraordinary passion doesn't exist. It never has for me. I wish it did."
"Well, dear girl. Perhaps if you spent less time at the hospital and more time…"
Lauryn rolled her eyes and tuned out the latest in a long series of lectures about her nonexistent love life. She carefully laid the bottle inside the box then turned to figure out where to display it.
She felt a strange, electric anticipation that raised the fine hairs at the nape of her neck. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light, followed by a whirl of red smoke.
"Lauryn? Are you there?""Aunt Sophie, something weird…" Her voice faded into silence as she stared into her living room. The apparition that appeared by the love seat robbed Lauryn of speech.
The man was absolutely amazing.
His large, muscular body looked as though it had been sculpted from polished bronze. The bare skin of his shoulders and chest gleamed in the dim light. Intricately engraved bands of gold encircled both bulging biceps. His long legs were sheathed in white cotton pants, and he wore no shoes.
Raising her eyes to his face, Lauryn gasped. Luxuriously dark hair flowed back from his forehead, emphasizing the almond shape of his golden brown eyes. The air continued to crackle with electricity as the man returned her stare. After what seemed an eternity, she managed to tear her gaze away.
Lauryn's hand trembled, and her voice was just as unsteady, when she spoke into the phone. "Sophie, I need to hang up and call the police. There's a half-naked guy in my apartment."
She heard her aunt's reply just before she broke the connection. "Oh, the legend is true!"
Certain he was no longer in Arabia, Kalid Amunemhat steeled himself for what was to come. The abrupt onslaught of sights, smells and sounds was almost painful after seventy years of deprivation. The human realm had greatly changed, and he wanted to take it all in at once, as a drowning man might gasp for air.
Instead, he held rigidly still and drank in the vision of his latest mistress. By the gods, he could not look away. Had her visage borne any greater resemblance to Shenukhét, he would imagine the sorceress herself stood before him.
She was tall for a woman, pleasing to look upon, and her odd garments revealed strong, sun-kissed limbs. Her cinnamon-colored hair was worn short, in the style of a young boy, and framed a lovely face. She had a pert nose and moist, full lips he instinctively knew were quick to smile. The woman held his gaze with dark-lashed eyes that had seen too much at the healing center where she worked.
Ryna. The name drifted across his thoughts, accompanied by brief images of her life. Night Magic usually enabled him to discern the secret longings of his mistresses and bring them into being. Yet Ryna's mind remained closed to him and he wondered why.
Moving toward her, Kalid felt the Hunger growing within him. It began as heat in his blood, an aching pressure in his loins. The Hunger intensified until he was afire from wanting her. He had to touch her, take her, hear her pleasure moans.
As he reached for her, though, she retreated. The pulse beat rapidly in her throat, and her eyes narrowed warily, her body poised to fight or to flee. Resentment stabbed his heart, for it was always so.
Shenukhét's curse made him insatiable for his current mistress while he fulfilled her every sensual desire. And though he might find release, never would he experience the Joining. Such was his fate, his punishment.
"Have no fear, mistress. I will not harm you."
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
He offered a low salaam of greeting. "I am Kalid, your bed servant for the next three nights."
"You're not staying here another three seconds, buddy!" She began to push the buttons on the object in her hand.
With a wave of his fingers, the strange object flew across the room. "It is the way of things, mistress. I may not leave you until your three nights have been fulfilled."
Ryna arched her brows in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Kalid lowered his gaze to hide the mounting Hunger. "I have come to take you to the heights of sensual pleasure, to bring you passion as you have never known before. Shall we begin?"
"In your dreams, pal," Lauryn said curtly. "I don't know how you got in here, and that was a cute trick with the phone, but you've got the wrong lady. I don't believe in this grand passion you're offering."
"Ah, but you don't believe in me, either," Kalid said softly. "And yet, here I am." Gracefully, he moved his hand as if to present himself, and Lauryn had to fight to keep her gaze from following his hand and then dipping down to where his pants rode low on his hips. If ever a man could have tempted her to have sex with a stranger, this was that man.
Then he reached out to touch her hair, and Lauryn jumped with surprise. Maybe Aunt Sophie really had sent some magic her way. What else could explain the champagne bubbles of pleasure that trailed across her skin in the wake of his hand?
She looked at Kalid. "What do you want from me?"
"Your willingness," he said softly, "to play a little game."
"What kind of game?" she asked suspiciously.
"A very simple one." His voice was as soothing as warm honey. "You grant a wish of mine, then I grant one of yours."
Lauryn felt a flicker of excitement. "I'll go first," she said, and he nodded. "Tell me how you know me," she asked.
"I don't," he answered slowly. "And yet, you remind me of someone I knew long ago."
"Did you love her?"
There was a long silence. "Yes," he said finally. "Though I didn't know it at the time."
His eyes were bleak, and Lauryn felt his loneliness reach out to touch her soul. She couldn't bear to see such sadness.
"Your turn," she murmured. "What do you want me to do?"
He gestured toward the sofa, and Lauryn was amazed to see exotic garments of golden silk displayed there.
"Put those clothes on," he said, his voice husky.
In her bedroom, Lauryn's fingers fumbled from nervousness. The clothes were as insubstantial as sunlight, shimmering lightly over her body. They made her feel incredibly sexy and free, and she knew that Dr. Lauryn Meade was slipping away along with her staid medical uniform.
She opened the bedroom door and almost screamed in shock at what she saw. Dizzy and disoriented, she felt as if she had fallen down a rabbit hole like Alice and awakened to find herself in a new, sensual world, a world as unlike the pragmatic world she inhabited as could be imagined.
She was standing on the threshold of a huge, opulent room. Large windows sparkled with the lights of a city that she knew immediately was not her home. Soft music thrummed gently in the background and the seductive scent of sandalwood and roses permeated the air. The overstuffed furniture was upholstered in cream and gold velvet. And white candles flickered all around the room, producing the effect of a fairyland.
Kalid was the only dark presence in the room, a large sensuous force who had finally managed to upend Lauryn's world.
"Wh… where are we?" she stammered.
"Paris," he replied, not without a little satisfaction.
Lauryn walked to the window and looked out over the city lights. When she turned back to Kalid, he handed her a long-stemmed goblet of wine. Raising his own glass in salute, he spoke calmly. "My turn."
"Didn't I miss a turn?" she asked in surprise.
"You have always wished to visit Paris, have you not?"
Lauryn knew suddenly that she was in trouble here, in danger of succumbing to something unreal that could completely destroy her hard-won, carefully ordered existence.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked tremulously.
His gaze seemed to caress her, touching her breasts, her naked belly, then going lower as if he sought to pierce the silken veil of her trousers.
"Try your own magic," he said softly. "Read my mind."
"I can't do that," Lauryn protested, but even as she spoke, she was hearing his deep voice in her head. Remove your top, he was saying. I long to touch you, to bring you pleasure.
Her shocked eyes flew to Kalid's, and she saw amusement there, and something far hotter. He nodded once and then he spoke, for real this time. "Believe," he ordered gently.
Lauryn felt the sizzle of excitement fly along every nerve she possessed. And she knew that she wanted to seize this chance to transform her life, even if only for a few days. Her hands reached for her top and in one swift movement, it was gone. She heard the sharp intake of his breath and she felt the sudden urgency in the room.
"I want to touch you, too," she breathed, claiming her turn.
"As you wish, mistress," he answered, his eyes heavy-lidded now, and she reached for a golden armband. Then, boldly, she reached both hands to caress the bulging muscles restrained by the bands.
"My turn," he breathed. He picked up his wineglass and tipped it slightly over her breasts. One drop of garnet red wine spilled out to fall, first on one puckered nipple, and then on the other. Then he leaned his dark head down to slowly lick the wine off each nipple. When he had aroused her into a state of trembling ecstasy, he stepped back.
"Your turn," he rumbled.
Oh, this was the magic of fantasy, Lauryn thought, a dream from which she never wanted to awaken.
"What is your wish, my Ryna?" he repeated hoarsely.
"I want…"
"Say it," he urged darkly. "Reach for the stars."
Her words were the stars, Lauryn thought. She could almost see them sparkling. "I want you…"
"Ah, that completes the game," whispered Kalid into her soft hair. His right hand slowly stroked her breast, and he felt her nipple stiffen, as though straining for contact.
"It does?" Lauryn's voice sounded thick, as if passion swelled her throat.
"Yes. When our wishes are merged into one, the game ends and the feasting begins."
In one swift movement, Kalid cradled Lauryn and moved toward the plush sofa. The Hunger was all-consuming; Kalid had never felt such urgency. His whole being throbbed to the insistent pulse of his desire. Lauryn twined her arms about his neck. Her breath came quick and shallow. She released him as he laid her on the sofa, and the rich heavy velvet enveloped her form. Her breasts rose and fell with eager rhythm.
Swiftly, Kalid untied his linen pants, and they fell to the floor. Lauryn gasped as she beheld his perfectly formed and muscular thighs and the powerful member between them. She moaned softly and held out her arms.
"Kalid, please," she said.
Bending over her, he took the golden silk between his fingers, slowly peeling it down as though she were a ripe and delicate fruit. Her legs were parted now, and Kalid had to control himself from taking her then. The sight of a star-shaped birthmark on Lauryn's hip caused Kalid a moment's hesitation, but the Hunger was too strong to deny.
Moving up he began to kiss her breasts, slowly and voluptuously, taking his time over each delicious mouthful. Lauryn arched with delight as Kalid's lips traced a path from her breasts down to her abdomen to the soft mound that radiated her desire. He teased her with his tongue, and she grasped his head and held him to her.
But with a smooth advance he was up, covering her. Their desire reached a feverish threshold, and Lauryn eagerly guided him inside, bringing them both to exquisite rapture.
Resting on his elbows, Kalid gazed into her languorous eyes.
"So this is feasting," she murmured.
"The first course only," he purred. "There is still dessert to come."
It was near dawn and Lauryn lay peacefully in Kalid's arms.
"Kalid?"
"Yes, mistress?"
"Who are you?"
"Does that matter? I am here to serve you; is that not enough?"
Lauryn propped herself up on her elbow. She traced a question mark on Kalid's chest.
"Maybe it should be enough, but not for me. I would like to know you."
Kalid was silent. Few of the women he served expressed interest in him beyond their own wishes. They were inevitably sorry to see him leave, but for selfish reasons. He looked at Lauryn. Could she at last be the one foretold?
"What would you like to know?" he asked cautiously.
"Well…" Her finger continued to trace lines. "You mentioned a woman, another woman from long ago. You could tell me about her."
Jealousy, of course, thought Kalid with a sharp pang of disappointment.
"She was a beautiful woman, but her beauty is cast into the shade by your —"
"No, Kalid, that's not what I mean. I want to know who she was to you. Were you happy together? Did you have a relationship?"
This was dangerous ground. Shenukhét's curse came clearly to Kalid:
Since you have disdained my love for you, I curse you thus:
In enduring servitude to woman I bind you
Three nights each shall have her pleasure with you
Thus shall you serve until one woman frees you
Relinquishing her desire to fulfill your need
Reveal the curse and your bondage is eternal.
"She was my mistress long ago. I did not treat her as I should have," said Kalid at last.
"Did she love you, Kalid?"
"Perhaps. But our ideas about love did not coincide." Kalid shifted and pulled Lauryn closer. "It is almost dawn, Ryna, and with the day I will return to my rest. But tonight — tonight, my little mistress, you will have your heart's desire."
As Lauryn fell into a contented sleep, Kalid found his thoughts drifting back to her unusual birthmark. A mark he had seen only once before….
"My heart's desire… Kalid," Lauryn awoke in her own apartment. She stared about, but she was in her own bed, alone. Lauryn had only known Kalid one night, yet she already felt as though she missed him. She looked at the clock and gasped.
"Noon! I've slept until noon!" Lauryn sat up. "What day is it?" she muttered and then remembered. "Thank heaven, my weekend off." She stood up and became aware of her body for the first time. She felt stiff muscles she never knew she had. At the same time she felt gorgeously replete.
At the door of her bathroom, she caught her breath in surprise. Instead of a tidy little four-piece, she gazed on cool marble and a sunken, steaming pool. The water was exotically scented and drew Lauryn to its rippling edge. As she stepped into the water, she felt its scent envelope her.
"Heaven," she murmured, immersing herself with closed eyes.
Almost at once, images came unbidden to her mind. She and Kalid, naked in the hot white sand of an empty beach, their entwined bodies cooled by the lapping tide. And later… lovemaking in the heavy indigo night.
Lauryn awoke full of desire from her fantasies. She felt the now familiar ache in her thighs. As she emerged from the bath, she was surprised to feel that her muscles were no longer stiff.
She noticed for the first time clothes laid out beside thick white towels. She slipped them on. The top was sleeveless and cropped to her midriff. The pants were full across the thigh and tapered to the ankle. The fabric itself was fluid silver, yet sheer, and as she moved, it was as though her naked body flashed in and out of moonlight.
Lauryn moved into her bedroom, impatient now for the afternoon to pass. She looked at the clock and blinked. Five forty-five p.m. She flew to the window, her senses heightened. The sun was low in the west. The time was near for her lover to return, for night magic to begin again.
Impatiently waiting for nightfall, Lauryn paced around her apartment, with the lithe grace and pent-up energy of a caged lioness. She stopped at one point to pick up Aunt Sophie's gift, and smiled to herself as she recalled her initial reaction to it.
"How could I have ever doubted you?" She held the beautiful bottle up to the waning light to examine the intricate carved design. "Not empty after all!" she laughed.
Retrieving the parchment that had accompanied the bottle, she scanned the message again. "Only true love can bind him," she read aloud. "Hmmm." Glancing at the clock awash in the orange and purple glory of the dying sun, she smiled in anticipation.
As she set down the parchment, she felt Kalid's presence behind her. Forgetting everything else, she turned to see him standing there.
"Mistress, I have returned to you as promised." The intensity of his gaze warmed her. "What is it you wish for this evening? How can I please you?"
Lauryn rose and went into his strong arms. As his lips closed over hers, she told him with her kiss what she wished for.
A cool breeze played over her skin as she opened her eyes and saw the shimmer of moonlight reflecting off the surrounding water. They appeared to be lying in a small sailing vessel.
"You wished to see my home, mistress?" Kalid inquired.
Lauryn took in the sandy riverbank, the distant lights of a village, the graceful palms swaying in the cool desert breeze. She was filled with a sense of confused recognition. "Where are we?"
"Look around you, Ryna. Look on the other side of the river," he encouraged.
"Ryna, your wish surprised me," his voice was husky in her ear.
They kissed passionately, tongues intertwining. The desert sounds and sights awakened something ancient and primeval in them both. Their kisses became more heated; their breath came more quickly.
Kalid's lips caressed her neck as his hand teased her breast through the feather-soft fabric of her top.
"Kalid," she whispered impatiently as he swept the blouse up and off. Lauryn threw back her head in delight at the sensation of the night air as it washed over her. He took first one dusky nipple, then the other, into his mouth, making Lauryn tremble with desire. She slid her hands down his muscled back and under the waistband of his trousers.
"More," she groaned. "I want more."
"Then, mistress, you shall have more," Kalid answered. He slipped her trousers off, then his own. She parted her legs, dangling them over the sides of the boat. Her toes trailed in the cool water. She felt incredibly sexy and free, almost wanton in her desire.
Kalid entered her with one swift thrust. Lauryn gasped with pleasure. It was as if their bodies had always known each other, so completely fulfilling was their lovemaking.
Later, as they lay side by side, limbs still entangled, Kalid watched as Lauryn looked up at the night sky. "Seba," he seemed to hear her say.
Kalid could not believe it. Had Lauryn just spoken in Egyptian?
"What did you say?" he asked, incredulous.
"I said 'star.' You once told me to reach for the stars, and I feel as if I have reached beyond the stars to heaven itself," she almost purred.
Lauryn slid her hands up his arms and over the gold band there. They felt heated, and seemed to glow in the luminous moonlight. "These gold bands," she said, holding her hands over them. "You take off everything else for me —" her voice trailed off, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight "— but not these. Are they your good luck charms? Or do you feel 'naked' without them?" She could not help but laugh at her joke.
Oh, Ryna, Kalid thought. If you only knew.
She reached to kiss him again. As their lips met, Kalid cupped her rounded bottom, and when his hand touched her birthmark, realization swept through him. He felt as if he'd been struck by lightning, yet he dared not hope.
"Mistress, it is almost daylight. I must leave you again, but before I do, I wish to leave you with a gift." Kalid slipped something over Lauryn's neck.
"Kalid, thank you." She was overwhelmed.
"Sleep, mistress, and dream of me. I will return tomorrow night." And with that, he was gone.
When Lauryn awoke in her own bed, she reveled in the memory of the previous night. She stretched luxuriously, like a contented cat.
She lifted Kalid's gift from her neck. In the clear morning light, she could see that it was in the shape of a scarab, sacred to the ancient Egyptians. She turned it every which way, admiring it, and when she turned it over, something caught her eye. There was something carved on the back. A star, a star inside of a heart.
Leaping up from her bed, she dashed into the living room and picked up the parchment again. Now the words began to make sense. Before nightfall she would have to make a very significant decision.
When dusk settled on the third day, Lauryn was prepared. She had spent a restless day — torn between despair, because this would be their final night together, and ecstasy over finding a lover that was so unselfish, so perfect.
The living room was aglow with candles. A bottle of champagne rested, chilling, in a silver bucket, and pillows were strewn over the floor. A fire was burning in the fireplace…and in her soul.
She had found her mate for life. Now she just had to keep him with her. If only she knew the words that would free him from this spell.
She had given some thought to destroying the bottle so he could not go back in, but would that work? Would it trap him inside instead? It didn't matter because the bottle was probably unbreakable. And the translation that came with the bottle had said that only love could set Kalid free. Lauryn knew she loved him, but would it be enough?
The atmosphere changed as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Lauryn felt Kalid's tremendous presence and turned to face her love. She offered up a quick prayer to anyone who might be listening that she was doing the right thing.
Kalid noticed the flickering candlelight and wondered what it meant.
"What is this?" Kalid's voice was hoarse when he saw Lauryn dressed in the gold outfit he had asked her to wear on their first night together.
"It's my turn, Kalid." He was confused, but she explained. "My turn to fulfill your desires."
"It is not permitted, mistress," Kalid said sadly.
"All I want tonight is your pleasure. I want you Kalid. All of you."
Kalid tried to recall one time in the past 4,000 years that a mistress wanted something for him instead of from him and couldn't. He had known that Lauryn was different, but still couldn't trust himself to feel any emotion, except the Hunger. And It was growing. Deep inside his heart he wished he could love a woman, this woman, fully. Not just physically but completely, with his heart, soul, body and mind.
"Ryna." Her name was almost a prayer.
In answer, she came to him with her arms open wide. She placed his hand over her heart. "Tell me, Kalid. This is your night. We can do anything your heart desires. I may not be able to make this room into Paris or Egypt but I will give you all of me and anything that is within my possession." Her eyes spoke eloquently as her voice became huskier with need and love.
Kalid began to caress Lauryn, moving from her shoulder to the base of her throat. His hand rested on the necklace he had given her. This was the only gift he had ever given in all of his years as a djinni. She wore it for him. Something in his chest shifted and seemed to blossom. His hand still on the necklace, connecting them, he said softly, "I do not know what to say."
"Tell me what is in your heart."
So simple and yet… what would the consequences be? Instead, he brought her fully against him, her breasts resting on his chest, and began to cover her face with kisses.
There was an urgency to their desire that had not existed previously. A need to say things spiritually that could not be said verbally.
Lauryn's hand moved quickly over Kalid's bare back, as if she was trying to imprint him indelibly on her mind.
Kalid never wanted to let her go. Maybe this, then, was the ultimate limit of the curse. To care so deeply for another and be denied the opportunity to explore the possibilities beyond the three nights.
They made love with desperation. Pushing each other further and further until the world broke into a galaxy of stars.
Over the course of the night, they made love again and again, knowing that these moments would have to last them an eternity.
As they floated down from the stars after their third joining, Lauryn knew that for the first time, she would miss this man, not just as a lover but as a person.
Kalid lifted Lauryn's face to his with a fingertip.
"I'm so happy I opened that bottle." She gave him a watery smile. "You know, I've never dreaded a sunrise more than I do today."
He silenced her with his finger. "Don't." He paused and then whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked, baffled.
"For this night. I will treasure it throughout eternity. You are… very special to me."
Lauryn gazed into his eyes and saw his anguish and damned the curse that forced him to live in his bottle.
Suddenly, she realized that she had nothing left to lose. Dawn was approaching and before he left her this final time, she would give him her heart.
She retrieved a necklace from the table. She put it over Kalid's head and said formally, "Kalid, I had this made today while I awaited your return to me. It is my heart; wear it and think of me as I wear yours and think of you." At the last word, her voice cracked and she turned away.
Kalid looked at the pendant in his hand and studied the carving on the back. It was the exact opposite of his gift to her. A heart inside a star.
Kalid sat in a chair, and Lauryn came over and sat on the floor at his feet, resting her head in his lap.
"There is one other thing I must tell you." She looked into his eyes and still saw desire, now tempered with despair. She hesitated. The sky was lightening almost imperceptibly. "I love you, Kalid."
And the sun shone its first rays on the horizon.
"I love you, Kalid. With all my heart, I love you." She'd never felt this way about another man, and Lauryn knew in her soul that she'd never feel this tremendous passion again.
As the golden rays of sunlight touched their skin, Kalid raised her to stand beside him and enveloped her in his warm embrace. She desperately wished he could hold her forever. He nuzzled his cheek against her hair as she stroked her hands over his shoulders and down his biceps —
The gold armbands remained in place. Her love was not enough to break the bonds of his punishment. Her love was not enough. Sorrow like she'd never felt before welled up inside her. Their third night would indeed be the last.
Kalid tenderly cupped her face between his palms. His golden brown eyes reflected her pain. His gentle kiss was like a whispered promise, a promise she knew he couldn't fulfill. She felt his sadness, as well as her own disappointment that he hadn't declared his feelings in return.
Lauryn closed her eyes against the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. The kiss became urgent as she realized their time was fleeting. To her surprise, she once again heard his deep, resonant voice inside her head and felt oddly disoriented.
Ah, Shenukhét. I took your affection for granted without ever giving mine in return. Too late did I realize my mistake. I was selfish and blind to a gift that was offered with a true heart. I cannot undo this wrong, but by the gods, I am deeply sorry. And now the curse is thousandfold, for I cannot give this woman my love as I so desperately desire.
When Kalid broke the kiss and leaned back to look at Lauryn, for a moment her face seemed blurred, as though the past and the present had collided. And when she spoke, the voice he heard belonged to another.
Ana'm'samhaak, my darling. The curse is ended. B'ahebbak.He felt a tight, aching pressure in his chest. He was forgiven. Shenukhét had at last forgiven him and ended his punishment. Perhaps that would give him small comfort as he passed the rest of eternity without Lauryn —
There was a brilliant flash of light, and he was torn from her arms. As the room filled with swirling red smoke, he felt himself caught between reality and the astral plane. No! How could this be? As though from far away, he heard Lauryn scream in anguish, "Don't leave me!"
Heat seared his flesh. He felt time stand still. Then a great weight was lifted from him, and a sense of peace infused his mind. When the smoke dissipated, he was overjoyed to discover he remained in reality.
He heard Lauryn's sobs, felt her tears on his chest and her arms clutching his waist. He saw the sunlight gleaming on her cinnamon-colored hair and smelled the melon-scented cream she used on her silken skin. Finally he tasted, ah, gods be praised, he tasted the sweet passion of her kiss.
"They're gone!" Her voice was filled with wonder as she stared at his bare arms.
He looked down to find that indeed the golden bands were fading into nothingness. For the first time in many centuries, he was once again a man, nothing more but nothing less. The Hunger was gone, replaced by normal desire, and he could no longer read Lauryn's thoughts. The sense of connection, however, remained.
After laying her down on the bed, he draped his body over hers as she opened her arms. Her soft breasts flattened against his chest and he could feel her heart pounding in time with his own. He claimed her mouth while her fingers tangled in his hair.
When she parted her thighs, he pushed inside her, inch by inch, drawing out the moment as though it were their first time together. Kalid shifted his weight onto his elbows in order to look into her dark-lashed eyes.
"Ever have I loved you, Ryna, and I shall love you always."
He eased back and then slowly squeezed forward again, shuddering with the fulfillment of it. She arched toward him while he sank deeper still into her, their bodies becoming one. Lauryn whispered his name, whispered her love, and Kalid felt as though his soul were complete. This, at last, was the Joining.
"Hurry, dear girl. I can't wait for you to see what I found! It's really most amazing."
On the phone, Aunt Sophie waited impatiently for Lauryn to open the long, flat package that had been delivered from Cairo.
"Kalid is unwrapping it now." She covered the mouthpiece of the telephone with her hand and whispered, "I hope it isn't another glass bottle."
He chuckled and then said softly, "A djinni would be most welcome, actually. He could take over my lectures on ancient Egyptian culture so that I might have more time to teach Byzantine history."
Kalid carefully pulled the packing aside to reveal a papyrus. The scroll depicted a beautiful sorceress standing with a dark-haired prince and several children. He translated for her the black ink hieroglyphs written along the edge of the paper.
"With bands of gold your lives foretold; your future was fated from the start.
When love makes you wise, you'll realize true magic is created in the heart."
Sophie spoke excitedly through the telephone. "Isn't the picture incredible, Ryna? It's enough to make even you believe in magic!"
Lauryn glanced down at the intricately engraved band on her finger and then turned her head to see the tenderness in Kalid's golden brown gaze.
He placed his palm against the slight bulge of her tummy, smiling over the life growing there as he kissed her cheek. In Kalid's arms, she had found not only extraordinary passion but everlasting love.
"I believe, Aunt Sophie. I finally believe."
The End