He followed her through the trees and along the banks of the lava river. Since he felt no heat coming off the red stream, he relaxed as they made their way up a hill.
“This is my favorite view,” she said, eagerly.
Once they reached the crest, she stopped and motioned below them.
It was as if they had climbed a very tall mountain. The view below them was so vast that he couldn’t distinguish where the land disappeared. There were many rivers of fire below them that all filled into one larger river that flowed away from them to the right. He could just make out small hills and valleys as he scanned the horizon.
“Does anyone live here?” he asked her after figuring out why he found the landscape odd. There weren’t any houses or roads.
“Not that I’ve seen. I used to be afraid when I was younger. I’d imagine all sorts of creatures hiding, ready to jump out and gobble up a small girl like me.” She laughed. “But then I realized there wasn’t so much as a mouse or bug.” She motioned around her.
He frowned as he turned to her. “Your brother wants me here to wake up the devil? Does that mean, somewhere, out there”—he waved his hand over the view—“he’s sleeping now?”
Selene frowned and shivered. Instead of answering, she took his hand and as fast as they had arrived, they were back, standing on the deck with Mia, who was sitting in the exact same place she had been when they’d left.
“It worked.” Mia smiled.
Selene sat down and sighed as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if to get warm.
“Did something happen?” Mia asked when he sat down and remained quiet too.
“No.” Selene shook her head. “I guess I’m just tired from the long day. I might take a nap.” She stood up. “Thanks for this,” she said to Mia.
Mia nodded.
“I’m going to let you rest,” Scott said as he lifted his soda and took a sip.
When they were alone, he turned to Mia. “She’s afraid,” he said clearly.
“Yes.” Mia nodded. “If she’s going to survive what comes next, she’ll need to get over that fear.”
“How does she do that?”
Mia ran her eyes over him. “You’re her strength.”
“I am?” He almost laughed. Then he realized it was true. So true, his chest started to ache.
Mia’s smile grew. “I knew there was something special about you when I first saw you move into the building.”
His eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you do for a living that you can afford to take off?”
She laughed. “This is it.” She motioned around. “Djinn don’t need jobs.”
He shook his head. “Why live in the city then?”
“Okay, so I do have a job. I actually work at the coffee shop as a barista, but it’s not really…” She shook her head. “My real job is to help people. I’m like a lightning rod. People who need my help the most are drawn to me. Which is why it pays to work in a public place. Normally, I can spot them as soon as they walk in. I’ve been keeping my eye on you for a while. Then, when Selene showed up, I knew why you were special.”
He frowned at this bit of information. No man wanted to hear that they were only special because of someone else. Still, hadn’t he always felt that around Selene?
He knew other people saw her as strange. She normally wore all black, kept to herself, and never got close to anyone other than him. If he hadn’t known her, he would have thought her strange too.
But to him, Selene was… well, just Selene. Someone he couldn’t imagine life without.
“I have some lessons for you as well,” Mia said, shifting. “Hold out your hands.” She held her hands out.
After a moment, he shifted and set his hands in hers, palms up.
The moment his eyes met Mia’s, the entire world seemed to tilt and then shift. He felt as if he was on the Tilt-A-Whirl, one of those old carnival rides he and Selene had snuck onto as kids.