“Djinn rarely find a soul mate,” Myanin said. “And after all these centuries, wouldn’t I have already met him?”
“It seems like things are changing. True mates are no longer confined to the same race. Maybe your mate isn’t a djinn.”
Myanin’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. She looked at Lilly as if she’d just said the Order was the best thing that had happened since the invention of cotton candy.
“She seems to have a hard time with change,” Tenia said as she looked from Myanin to Lilly.
“Yeah, she’s going to have to get over that.” Lilly stood and walked over to the couch. She sat back down and looked at the two women. Tenia was simply staring back at her, but Myanin still looked as if she’d been hit by a truth bomb.
“How do I know this isn’t a ploy to get information to feed to the Order?” Lilly asked, though she really didn’t believe it was. There was too much grief and at the same time hope in Myanin. And Tenia, when she’d spoken of her child, had looked ready to crumble.
“I will make a blood oath with you,” Myanin replied. She appeared to be getting over her shock.
“From what I’ve learned over the years, blood oaths are a tad serious and usually dangerous,” Lilly said. She leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees.
“They are,” Myanin agreed. “But the oath will keep me from deceiving you. If I make a blood oath with you and break it, I will die.”
“Okay, wow. That escalated quickly,” Lilly muttered.
“I know I can’t undo what I’ve already done,” Myanin continued. “The Great Luna has forgiven me, and I’ve made things right with the elder I killed. But I don’t want to die with my memory tied to the Order. I want to help destroy them. I want Tenia to get her young back. I can’t change the past, but I can help now. I can make a sacrifice for my sins.”
Lilly stared at the djinn warrior across from her, who sat with her shoulders pulled back and her chin raised. Her eyes spoke of pain and regret, but her posture said she was ready to take responsibility for her actions. Lilly thought about her mate and how he’d worked with Desdemona because he’d been so desperate for a mate. Lilly considered all the things she’d done in her life because of pain and anger. Maybe she hadn’t killed anyone, but in her lifetime, she’d lied, she’d hated, she’d even wished pain upon another. Who could claim they were truly innocent of any wrongdoing? Were those things as bad as murder? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was not her place to judge Myanin’s heart. That was the Great Luna’s job. Lilly’s job was to protect her people.
“I’ll do the blood oath,” Lilly finally said. “I have conditions.”
Myanin nodded. “A wise queen should.”
“I won’t keep this a secret from Perizada,” Lilly said as she glanced at Tenia. The fae nodded as her eyes filled with the sheen of tears.
“I’ve brought shame to my people,” Tenia said, wiping her eyes.
“I don’t think she will see it that way,” Lilly said. “I’ll explain the situation to her after you’ve gone.” She turned to Myanin “If she showed up now, I can’t guarantee she wouldn’t try to kill you straight away. So how do I get in touch with you after I’ve calmed her down?”
“I have a cell phone,” Myanin said, sounding proud of herself. “You can get in touch with me that way.”
Lilly blew out a quick breath and prayed she wasn’t making a huge mistake. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Myanin pulled a short blade from her boot. She spoke in a language Lilly didn’t recognize. The blade glowed a bright blue.
“I said, ‘with my blood, I promise all of my intentions are for the benefit of Queen Lilly and those she aides. If, at any point, I betray her or her comrades, my life will be forfeit. I will die without honor and be sent to the next life without the blessing of my people.’” Myanin then ran the blade across her palm. She looked at Lilly and held the blade out to her. “Do you accept the terms of my oath?”
Lilly took the blade. Her mind ran through all the potential outcomes, one of which meant a horrible end to Myanin. “What if you’re forced by the Order to betray us? What if they find out you’re helping us?” Could Lilly really condemn the djinn that way?
“This is my choice, Lilly,” Myanin said, looking into her eyes. “You will hold no responsibility for what happens to me. The only way for me to make sure you know my intentions are pure is to do this. I am willing to take the risk.”
Reminding herself that Myanin was a grown woman and could make her own decisions, Lilly ran the blade across her palm. The sting was instant. For some reason, it made Lilly feel alive for the first time in weeks. She took a deep breath as she looked across at Myanin. The desperation in the warriors eyes cried out to a part of Lilly’s soul that understood Myanin’s pain more than the djinn could possibly know. The need to prove yourself worthy. The need to show that you can do what you need to do, but that it would be nice to have one or two people on your side, a constant wish at the back of your mind. Maybe the emotions made her reckless or maybe they just made her do exactly what she knew she needed to do in order to let Myanin know she had one more person willing to believe in her.
Myanin held out her hand to Lilly, and she clasped it in her own. “With my blood, I promise all of my intentions are for the benefit of Myanin and those she aides. If, at any point, I betray her or her comrades,”
