Falling for the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 1) (17 page)

It’s morning. Sebastian and I fell asleep on the couch, in each other’s arms. His last words before I drifted off played over and over in my head. I don’t want to let him go, either. Ever. The fact that he used up a lot of his energy to take me back in time to see Daisy means the world to me, but I don’t like that he sacrificed some of himself. I wish he would have told me. As much as I wanted to see my sister one last time, I don’t want my time with Sebastian cut short.

Looking to my right, I don’t find him sleeping there. Scrambling off the couch, I rush to my room to fetch the lamp, the walls of my stomach closing in.
Please don’t let him be gone
.

The lamp is sitting in its usual spot on my night table. I examine it. The swirls aren’t there, which means he’s not inside. The pounding in my head and heart slows down. He’s still here. I slump against the wall to catch my breath. Then I stand up sharply. He’s not in the lamp, but he’s not in the living room, either.

I peek into the kitchen and find him at the table, seeming to be deep in thought. He doesn’t notice me standing in the doorway, not even when a creak sounds from my feet. Is this about him leaving?

“Sebastian?”

He turns his head, his eyes empty and worn out, like he hasn’t slept. Has he been sitting here all night? He’s worrying me.

Stepping closer to him, I say, “Are you okay?”

He nods.

I reach the table and lower myself onto the chair near him. I take his hands. They’re ice cold, as if he just stepped out of a freezer. I rub them, trying to warm them up, but his body seems to refuse to accept my warmth.

Don’t tell me this is a sign he’s leaving…

My throat gets stiff, like a rubber ball is rolling around inside. “Please,” I choke out. “Tell me what’s going on.”

He slides one hand out from between mine and fingers my bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Tears enter my eyes and spill down my cheeks before I can stop them. I pull my head back, causing his hand to drop. “No. This isn’t goodbye. No.”

“Lily—”

“No.” The tears are so strong that I can hardly see anything. My heart is more than shattered. It’s been stepped on and smashed to bits by a herd of wild beasts. I can actually
feel
it bleeding inside me.

A million thoughts attack my brain, most accusing me:
why are you crying? You knew this would happen
.
Be strong. Accept it.

I shake my head, shutting them out.
I don’t care. I don’t care. He’s not going to leave me. He won’t
.

He takes me by the back of my neck and tilts my head so I’m looking up at him. “Not yet,” he says.

My heart soars. Hearing him say that brings music to my ears.

You’re just delaying the inevitable,
that voice inside my head reminds me. I toss it into my mental garbage can.

Sebastian takes my hands. He doesn’t look happy or hopeful that we still have time together, but dejected. Whatever pain he’s feeling, it’s eating him from the inside out. “Lily.” He shuts his eyes for a second. “I need to tell you something. I haven’t…” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I haven’t been honest with you.”

Dread fills me. “What do you mean?”

He presses his forehead to mine. “About my life.” He strokes my cheek. “I want to tell you everything, but I’m afraid you’re going to hate me.”

I place my hand on his, stopping his strokes. “I’d never hate you. You can tell me anything. Everything.” I kiss his hand.

He shifts in his chair. Opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks at me, to the floor, then back at me. I’m bursting with curiosity, but I need to be patient. Whatever he has to tell me isn’t easy for him. Whatever it is, I won’t judge.

Taking my hands again, he clears his throat, his gaze back on the floor. “The truth is, I didn’t just appear here. I was…” His eyes meet mine. “Sent.”

“Sent?”

He nods. “Exiled.”

“I don’t understand.”

He shifts again. “I come from a world called Ortarus. It’s part of Earth, but in a different dimension.”

What
?

I open my mouth, but he holds up his hand. “Let me continue, please.”

I nod.

He takes another deep breath. “Ortarians look like humans, but we have magic.” He glances down at himself. “No golden skin, no tattoos. But we’re nothing like humans. Ortarus is nothing like Earth.” He stops, letting this sink in. It can’t sink in. He’s from another
world
? All this time I thought he was a genie who just appeared. Now I find out he’s a completely different person.

“Humans are kind, compassionate,” he continues. “Unlike Ortarians.” He shakes his head. “The truth is, I’m happy I’m not there, but I miss it.” He clears his throat, his eyes flicking to me. “I was sent to Earth because I committed a crime.” He fists his hands through his hair. “Murder.”

My entire body grows rigid. He didn’t just say murder. He
didn’t.
My genie would never murder anyone. But as I gaze into his eyes, I see he’s telling the truth. My lungs feel like they’re going to burst. The room starts to spin as the words ring in my head.
Murder. Murder.
The guy I love killed someone.

And I’m sitting here with him. Alone.

“Lily…” He reaches for my hand.

I jump to my feet and rush to the door, to get as far away from him as possible. When my hand is on the doorknob, he says, “Lily, please. Let me explain. It was an accident.” He stands up and heads toward me.

My hand slides off the doorknob. An accident? Should I believe him? He’s never behaved violently toward me, but he could have been pretending to be a nice guy. Yet as I study his face, I see how sincere he is. I should give him a chance to explain. If I try to run, he’d catch up to me, anyway. He could have killed me all this time, but he didn’t. Why tell me the truth if all he wants is me dead? I need to hear him out. “You
killed
someone,” I say.

He nods solemnly. “Yes, and I’ll tell you everything, if you’d just listen. I beg you.” His eyes fill with sadness. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lily. Trust me.”

A large part of me does, including my heart. I nod for him to talk. He motions toward the couch, asking me to sit down. I shake my head. He seems bothered by that, but he obeys my wish and keeps a few feet between us.

“I live in a magical world.” He forces a laugh. “One would think that’s amazing. To have magic and do whatever you want. Live however you want. With no hardships or worries. That all you have to do is snap your fingers and that’s it.” He snaps. “All your problems go away.” He stops talking as he stares at the walls in front of him. Then, “But Ortarus is a terrible place to live in.”

“Why?”

“We’re not all born equally. Some are born as nobles, others poor. And of course there are those in between.”

“Like any society,” I say.

“Yes, but we’re treated based on our status. The nobles are revered while the poor are looked down upon. They’re treated like they’re lower than dirt. It’s the less fortunate ones who serve the nobles. Many serve in the palace.”

Palace? “You have a king and queen?”

“Yes. The king is a ruthless ruler. He’s the only one with the power to control the magic. He allocates the magic to Ortarians based on their status. Which means the poor don’t have much magic. They’re forced to do many tasks by hand.” He pauses, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “My real name is Sebastian. I didn’t lie about that. I was born in the lowest class.” His voice wobbles a bit.

Even though it might not be a good idea, I move closer to him and place my hand on his. He might be messing with my head, trying to get me to lower my guard, but I don’t care. He glances at my hand that’s on his before looking at the floor.

“When I was five years old, I started working in the palace as a servant boy. I didn’t have a lot of magic and would work very hard to please the royal family. The servants who were above me would beat me when I didn’t do something right, or when they felt like it.”

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. But what happened to your parents?”

He scoffs. “My parents? They gave me and my sister up to the palace so they could get more magic, more status. From the day I left home, I no longer had parents.”

That’s terrible, that his parents would give him up just so they’d have status in their society. That’s crazy! I rub my hand over his. “Sister?”

He nods with a pained smile. “Renaya. She was two years younger than me and started working at the age of three. I watched over her and protected her as much as I could. As she grew older, she became Prince Soren’s personal maid.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “He was just as terrible as his father, though less compassionate. We feared what would happen once he ruled. There were rumors he had dreadful things planned for the lower class.”

Murderer or no murderer, I believe him. Every word. My heart goes out to all these people. “No one can stop it?”

He shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the floor. “It’s not like here, where you have a democracy and things like that. In Ortarus, the king’s word is gold. He has all the magic, all the power.”

I place my hand on his chin and raise his head so our eyes meet. “What happened?”

He sighs, shutting his eyes. His mouth opens and closes. “I can’t.”

“Please.”

He runs his hand over his eyes. I notice they’re a bit glassy. “He liked to…mess around with my sister.”

“The prince?”

He nods. “She was his servant and he did whatever he pleased with her. One day he took it too far and when I found out I…went after him. Confronted him.” He scoffs. “Me, a low-life servant starting up with the prince. He was alone in his room when I barged in and accused him. We started to fight and he was going to use magic to kill me. He came charging at me and I dropped to the floor to avoid him. He tripped over a chair and crashed down onto his glass table. He died instantly.” He slowly brings his eyes to me. “I never meant to kill him.” He rests his hand on my cheek. “Please. Believe me, Lily.”

I take his hand and fit my fingers through his. “I do.”

He smiles a little. “Thank you.”

I lead him to the living room, where we sit down on the couch. I lay my head on his shoulder. “What happened next?”

His hand clenches and unclenches at his sides. “I was accused of murdering the prince and needed to be punished. Most Ortarians demanded I be put to death, but the king thought that was too easy. He wanted me to suffer.” He swallows. “I was sentenced to the human world, to use magic to serve humans as a genie and be bound to the lamp.”

I feel awful for him and wrap my arms around him, hugging him close, and muttering how sorry I am. Sebastian buries his face in the side of my neck. “Thank you for believing me,” he says in a low voice.

“Of course. Can I ask you something?”

He draws back and squeezes my hand. “Yes.”

“What happened to your sister?” My heart aches. He hasn’t seen her for so long. Then it hits me. “Hundreds of years have passed. Oh… she’s….”

He shakes his head. “Time is different on Ortarus. A hundred years here are only a few months there. My sister should still be alive.”

I jump to my feet. “We need to get you back there so you can rescue her.”

He looks at me with grief clouding his face. “There’s no way back. I committed a crime, I’m destined to be a genie and serve humans forever.”

I sit back down. No, there has to be a way. Sebastian accidentally killed the prince. He doesn’t deserve this. He needs to be back home. He needs to be with his sister.

“Even if I were to go back,” he says. “They’d kill me.”

I bite my lip, running my hand through my curls. “There has to be a way to fix this.”

Sebastian puts his hands on either side of my face. “Thank you, but I’ve learned to live like this. Though I miss Renaya more than anything. I worry about her every day and wish I could protect her.” His face contorts in pain.

“There’s got to be a way.”

“No, my freedom was taken from me the day I murdered the prince.” He lowers my head to his chest, playing with my hair.

I don’t know how, but I’m going to get him back home.

The rest of the day goes by…in a weird way. Things are a bit off between Sebastian and me. I make lunch for myself, and he stands at the door. When I watch some TV, he remains in my room. We hardly exchange more than a few words.

I’m not sure how I feel about everything. How I feel about him. On one hand, he killed someone. On the other, he was just protecting his little sister. He didn’t mean to kill the prince. I know how sincere he was, how he truly didn’t intend to murder him. And how much he regrets it. He needs me now. I won’t shut him out.

He’s not the guy I thought he was. He’s from another world, a world I never knew existed. And he’s trapped on the human world, away from everything he’s ever known. I can’t bear to think how hard it was for him the first time he got here. I need to get him back, but how?

I already tried to wish for his freedom. That didn’t work. What if there’s no way? It hurts me that he’s all alone and that he misses Renaya so much. I know he’s going to leave me soon, but I’m determined to get him back to Ortarus. He said he’d be killed there. Is it possible to find a way around it? There’s got to be.

After shutting off the TV, I head for my room and find Sebastian sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall. He turns his head and looks at me. I don’t want things to be weird between us. “Hey.” I step into the room. “How are you doing?” I sit down next to him. Real close. I don’t want to be distanced from him.

“Lily,” he says, a hint of sadness in his voice. “I never apologized for lying to you.”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I’m worried you think differently of me now.”

“I’m not going to lie. I do, but it’s not, like…I mean, I still love you.”

“But?”

I’m quiet for a few seconds. “You’re like a different person. You’re still you, but you’re not. You understand what I mean?”

“I think so. You feel a little betrayed and hurt that I kept this from you. I didn’t tell you at first because I didn’t know you. You were just my master, but then we got friendly and I suppose I should have told you, but I didn’t want to lose you. I thought the second you’d find out what I did, you’d run.”

Which is almost what I did. “You can’t really blame me, though.”

“I know. I’m sorry I scared you. I should have chosen my words more carefully.” He shakes his head. “If you can’t forgive me, I understand. I just…I just don’t want us to part on bad terms.”

“Me, either.” I want his last memories of me to be good. I want him to remember how it was like to hold me and kiss me, not this. Smiling, I take his hand. “Of course I forgive you.”

He bends close as if to kiss me, but pulls his head back. I take his face in my hands, and plant a soft kiss on his lips. It’s not the same. He’s a little stiff, and I can tell he has a lot on his mind. As much as he must want to make this kiss perfect, he’s not succeeding. And that’s okay. Because all I want is him with me right now. Although I also want him to go back home, I’m glad we’re together. When I figure out a way to get him back, I’ll miss him like crazy, but it’ll be worth it.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, his hand stroking my hair.

I can lie, but I don’t want to. He opened his heart to me, without my asking. He didn’t feel comfortable keeping this huge secret from me. I won’t keep mine from his. “How to get you back home.”

He shifts on the floor. “Lily.”

“I know you said they’re going to kill you, but I’m going to find a way to get you back to your sister.”

He places his hand behind my neck and caresses it with his thumb. “I appreciate it, but there’s no way.”

“I won’t accept that.” I stand up and motion for him to do the same. “Sebastian, I wish you free.”

He just stands there, staring at me. Dammit. It didn’t work the first time and it’s not working now. I hoped that since I knew more about him and what brought him here, I’d be able to set him free. But I can’t.

“Lily, it’s okay.”

I gaze at the rug, thinking, thinking, and thinking again. What can I do?

Pacing around the living room, I consider everything that happened. Sebastian committed a crime and because of that he was punished to be a genie. What if that never happened?

I turn to Sebastian and find him watching me, confused. If his crime no longer exists, then he wouldn’t be punished. It’d be forgotten. Maybe the prince would still be dead, but everyone in his world wouldn’t remember Sebastian was involved. That means he could go back home. And see his sister again.

I have one more wish left. And I’m ready to use it. Clearing my throat, I return to Sebastian and bury my face in his chest. His arms come around me. I don’t want to think about how much I’m going to miss him.

“Lily?” He pulls off. “You’re crying. What’s wrong?”

I was too busy thinking about how much I’m going to miss him and didn’t realize. The salt on my lips from the tears are very strong.

I stare up at him, feeling the tears slide down my cheeks. “Sebastian I wish…” I shut my eyes.

His clutch on me tightens. “Lily, no.”

“I wish for you to be absolved of your crime.”

His face pales. Sweat shines on his forehead. He knows what I’ve done. We could have had more time together, but it’s all over now. He lifts his hand to my face and brushes his finger along my cheek. “Lily,” he whispers. Then, as if he’s being controlled by a puppeteer, he steps back and waves his hands around. “Your wish is my command.”

Smoke envelops him, growing thicker with each passing second. I watch it swirl around the room until it vanishes, leaving nothing behind.

Sebastian is gone.

I rush to my room and look around for the lamp. It’s gone, too.

Dropping to the ground, I hold the tears back. This is what I wanted—for him to be back home and be with Renaya. As much as I miss him, it’s for the best.

The room smells like him, as though he’s still in here. Lifting my head, I look around, only to see my old, boring room. A void is growing inside me, getting deeper and deeper with each passing second.

Sebastian. My genie.

Wait a minute. I remember him. Even though he’s gone, I remember him.

I jump to my feet and pace around my room. Why? I was supposed to forget him the second he left.

It must be that because I wished him to be absolved of his crime, he was never sentenced to Earth as a genie. So why do I remember him if I technically never met him? Is it possible the past only changed on his world and not on mine? That’s the only solution I can come up with.

Why did my wish work, though? I couldn’t wish him free. Maybe that was too general. I had to be specific, had to know the truth about him.

Does this mean he forgot about me? Tears gather in my eyes, but I blink them back. It’s better this way. All that matters is that he’s back in his world and is a free man.

Flopping on my bed, I stare at the ceiling. I will never forget him. He’ll always be in my heart, until the day I die.