22. Sinbad

{Naya}

Something heavy weighed against my chest when I awoke.

"Can't breathe," I wheezed.

Ritsu's sleepy voice reached me from across the room. "Mistress? Is everything all right?"

"Uhh –" I opened my eyes to see what the hell was anchoring me to the floor and saw . . . a grown man?

I didn't recognize him at all and had no idea how the hell he got there. Or why he was using me as a mattress.

I screamed.

"Mistress!" The monkey came bouncing in our direction.

My outburst startled the stranger. He rolled off of me and popped to his feet.

"Ho! Who goes there?!"

Before I could demand what he wanted with me, Ritsu let forth a feral screech and flung himself at the intruder's face. I was impressed by how the small demon held his own against this muscle factory of a man. During their skirmish, I blinked a few times so that I could fully take him in.

I tilted my head to the side.

Damn.

Whoever he was, he looked like he belonged in one of those Desi romantic comedies. As the dashing leading man of course. Too bad his pretty face was currently being mauled by a possessed monkey.

In a voice that was so dark it was almost comical, Ritsu demanded, "What do you want with my mistress, you slimy pervert!"

The stranger struggled to free his face from Ritsu's claws. "Demented beast, I have no idea what you are talking about! One minute I'm in the middle of a voyage and the next I wake up with my face between some pillows!"

Is he talking about the cushions or my –

"What the hell is going on in here?"

I nearly screamed again at the sight of Uri materializing on the balcony. There was no way I was ready to face him yet.

Shit!

I panicked, wondering how he got past my locks on the pipe. Then I remembered that I had been asleep all night, which might have hindered the bonds of the magic.

Speaking of magic, I suddenly felt very drained. As if I had spent the entire night conjuring spells.

Uri approached me, concern warping his expression. "Naya, what's happened? Who is this man?"

I took one look at Uri and turned away. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Enough of this!" The stranger bellowed as he finally tore Ritsu from his face and flung him against the wall. He stalked up to Uri and declared, "Who am I? Who are you to demand such things of Sinbad, conqueror of the Seven Seas! Yes, that's right! It is I! Sin–" The hunky pirate crumpled under Uri's right hook.

I was not . . . expecting that.

The djinni turned away from the unconscious man and blurted, "Naomi, we need to talk."

I gaped at the intruder. "You just punched him. For no reason!"

Uri rolled his eyes. "For the love of fire, Naya, can you please stop running away from your problems and face them for once?"

I crossed my arms. "Fine. Let's talk."

Uri lifted his eyebrows. As if he hadn't expected me to agree to a civil conversation. He dragged his hand through his hair while trying to form the first crucial words. I could tell that he was working out a way to be honest with me without it resulting in me fainting, screaming, cursing, or having a nervous breakdown.

I huffed, "It's all right, Uri. Just say what you have to say."

That seemed to comfort him somewhat. I held my breath as the djinni started, "Oh Naya, there is so much we need to talk about. What happened last night was . . . I wish I could take it all back."

"What you're describing is time travel," I mocked. "Impossible. Remember?"

Uri ignored my jab. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you about the guitar. And the last thing I wanted was to drag Erin into all of this or hurt her in any way."

"Yes, your actions made it very clear that the intention was to hurt me." I didn't want to keep interrupting him like this, but my mouth just wouldn't stay shut.

He bristled. "Naya, I am trying to apologize to you!"

"I know it doesn't look like it, but I am trying," I reached for his hand, "to accept your apology."

Uri's gaze softened as he curled his fingers around mine. It was then that I felt his unnatural heat dancing just under the surface of his skin. My own inner flame seemed to react to it. Together Uri and I watched our hands as our flames fought to break free from their shells of flesh.

"What's happening to us, Uri?" I whispered. "Last night Ritsu said that we were bonded. What does it mean?"

Uri sighed. "That's the part that I don't think I can properly explain. All I can say is that we are in danger. But there is someone who can help us. He can provide temporary protection while we figure out a way to work through this. He may be able to help us with the Sinbad problem too."

"Uri?"

Those dark eyebrows went up again.

"Why was a man who thinks he's from Arabian Nights sleeping on top of me this morning?"

Uri closed his eyes and smirked a little. "Did you happen to have the book open when you fell asleep? Was your skin touching the pages?"

I tried to remember. "Probably. Why would that matter?"

"You unconsciously summoned him in your sleep. His heroism must have impressed you to some degree. And I suspect that after my actions last night, you would have wanted to be in the company of any other man besides me."

My head felt lighter than ever. I steadied myself and said, "So when he said all that stuff about being Sinbad of the seven seas –"

Uri nodded. "The reason he believes he's Sinbad is because he is in fact Sinbad the pirate in One Thousand and One Nights."

Ritsu had made his way over to us and began to prod the unconscious man with his foot. Then he looked up at me and flashed some tiny, but formidable fangs.

"Mistress, shall I kill him?"