vicinity of my stomach. I walked faster, looked harder.
Nothing.
''Excuse me,'' I said to the guy behind the counter. ''I came in with a guy, a little taller than
you, brownish hair, kind of long-''
''He left,'' the guy said. ''Said he'd be right back. I figured he'd just gone out to the car or
something. He's not out there?''
I checked again. No sign of David anywhere. I waited out in the darkness, indecisive, and paced.
Manolo Blahniks weren't meant to be paced in, but I wasn't taking off my shoes on the stained
concrete of Moe's All-Niter, either.
I finally stopped and said, ''David?'' Just in case he was there and watching, though why he'd
do that I couldn't imagine.
Someone answered me, but it wasn't David. ''He's gone,'' said a little girl, standing in the
shadows at the edge of the building. She didn't move, but she emerged from the darkness, as
though the lights had brightened around her, and I saw that it was Venna. Venna was one of the
most puzzling Djinn I'd ever met, and that was saying a lot; she was the only one I'd ever seen
who preferred the form of a child, and she usually liked to dress in Alice in Wonderland-style
blue, with a white pinafore. Long blond hair, held back by a simple band, and big china blue
eyes.
There was absolutely nothing human about her right now. The clothes-the body-were a
disguise.
I took a long step toward her. ''What the hell did you do to him?'' I blurted. ''Where is he?''
Showing aggression probably wasn't the smartest thing to do in this situation; Venna could be
deadly, although she'd also been my friend more often than not, and saved my life a few times.
Putting her on my bad side wasn't a good career move.
But I couldn't stop myself.
She didn't react. Her hands stayed folded, but her eyes flashed a more intense blue, just for a
second, and I found myself unable to advance. My heart raced, and I shuddered in every muscle,
trying to fight, but it was useless. She had me shut down.
''Ready to listen now?'' she asked mildly. ''I'm sorry, but you're angry. I'm just trying to be
sure you don't hurt yourself.''
I hadn't known Venna was capable of doing this. I hadn't known any Djinn could do this, not so
easily. Not against someone of my strength level.
As if she were reading my mind, too, she smiled. ''Don't be scared,'' she said. ''It's only
because you have so much power, so many ways to get inside you. If you were any other
Warden, I couldn't do it at all.''
''Except for Lewis,'' I managed to say, and her smile took on dimples.
''I'd never do this to Lewis. Lewis would never make me.''
As always, there was this subtle tone in her voice when she mentioned his name-all the Djinn
had it, a kind of puzzlement, or awe. I'd gotten to my current status as a triple-threat Warden,
controlling weather, fire, and earth, through a series of circumstances– died, reborn as a Djinn,
then reconstituted as a human, then granted Earth powers by my half-Djinn daughter turned
Earth Oracle.
Lewis had just been born that way. One in a thousand years, I'd been told, and nobody since the
original-Jonathan, later leader of the Djinn-had displayed so much raw power from the outset.
If I were Lewis, that comparison alone would make me very, very nervous about my future.
Venna studied me for a moment, then nodded. I felt the force gripping my muscles let go. I
lurched forward, then got control and glared at her. It had all the impact of an ant glaring at a
galaxy a few billion miles away.
''David has been summoned,'' she said. ''He'll return to you as soon as he can.''
''Summoned? Who summoned him?''
That earned me a pitying look. ''Who can?''
Oh. Mother Earth. I couldn't fight that, and neither could he, whatever his original intentions.
''Why would she do that?''
''Her reasons are her own. Perhaps she wants to keep him away from you for a while.''
''Why?''
Venna shrugged. ''Some say you're corrupting him.''
''You're sure Ashan doesn't have some ulterior motive here?'' Because for better or worse,
Venna had gone with Ashan when the Djinn had split between Old and New; I didn't think she
belonged there, because she seemed genuinely curious about humanity, if not exactly caring.
''What's going on?''
Venna shrugged. Not her business to wonder such things. ''I was just dispatched to reassure
you.''
''You're doing a great job so far.''
She cocked her head, her gaze growing sharper. ''Is it true? That David intends to pretend to be
human for the rest of your life?''
I cleared my throat. ''We're getting married, if that's what you mean.''
It obviously was. Her cute little-girl face scrunched into a frown. ''Why?''
''If you have to ask, there's no way I can explain it.''
''Are your sexual encounters not currently satisfying? ''
''Venna! I know you're not a child, but really, that's just creepy. And personal.''
She looked surprised, then thoughtful. ''So many rules,'' she sighed. ''All right. I accept that I
will not understand your reasons. But do you understand the risks? There are many of your
people who won't approve. Many who don't like the Djinn at all, and want us to leave you
alone.''
''Can't imagine why,'' I said dryly. ''You're all just so darned nice.''
There was that smile again, mischievous and dimpled. I thought she must have copied it from a
young Shirley Temple, but for all I knew, it could have been a young Cleopatra. She didn't take
the bait.
''How long is he going to be gone?'' I asked. She shrugged. ''Well, should I wait?'' Another
tiny shrug, as if it didn't even matter enough to her to waste the energy on a gesture of
indifference. ''Let me say it another way: Can I go?''
Venna rolled her eyes, a shockingly human gesture for her. ''Please,'' she said. ''Go. I do have
better things to do.''
And she misted away, just like that. I was on my own.
I felt alone, driving away from the truck stop; I'd entered it feeling peaceful and excited and
happy, and now I was back to living on the edge. All because Mommy Earth had yanked David's
leash. That could happen any time, and I'd forgotten about it, or wanted to. The car felt empty
without him, and I felt exposed. So much for my 24/7 protection, I thought, but then I felt guilty.
Was that why I wanted him? To make myself feel safe? Boo. Boo on me.
Sunrise dawned warm and clear, and by the time the heat grew oppressive I was upstairs in my
apartment, eating a small container of yogurt. Exhaustion was blurring my eyes, and I didn't care
much about eating-hence the yogurt, which wasn't really eating, per se. All I wanted to do was
take a shower and nap. Can't do anything until David comes back, I reasoned. Might as well rest
up.
Instead, after my shower (which was every bit as wonderful as I'd anticipated) I ended up, phone
book and phone next to me, parked in front of the Internet, obsessively researching so I could
cross off items on my wedding checklist. I was puzzling over the catering problem-$18.95 per
plate for a meal that was going to be served on plastic? Really?-when the phone rang. I picked
it up immediately, thinking it would be a callback from the florist.
Instead, it was Cherise, and man, was she pissed. ''You don't trust me,'' she said. ''I can't
believe you!''
''Where are you?'' I asked in alarm, because I'd left strict instructions that Cherise could not be