8. The Servant

{Naya}

"Mistress, wait! Don't run away!"

"Get away from meeeeee!" I howled over the pleas of the monkey. That damn beast pursued me all around the interior of the hookah bowl, leaping over and dodging around every piece of furniture I knocked into its path. Soon I would run out of stuff to use as barriers.

"I only wish to serve you! Mistress!" The demon cried.

As if! The only thing this perverted creature is interested in is groping my chest!

I must have looked ridiculous scampering around in circles from something that was a fraction of my size, but I had no choice. For some reason when I tried to leave the hookah, I couldn't write the incantation no matter how hard I concentrated.

"Uriel!" I cried for the zillionth time right before I tripped over one of the upturned coffee tables.

"Oof!"

Thankfully, there were plenty of pillows to soften my fall, but it gave enough time for that damn monkey to catch up. Horror washed over me as it latched onto my back and said, "Please try to understand. These hands are only meant to please you."

The demon's tiny fingers squeezed the underside of my boobs.

"Touch me one more time and I will kill you!"

I seized him by his tail and ripped him off my back. The demon tried to take my shirt with him.

"That's enough, Ritsu."

Never had I been so happy to hear that voice. I dropped the monkey and spun around to face Uri. Despite my relief at his arrival, I barked at him, "What the hell were you thinking leaving me with this perverted freak? And did you turn off my powers or something? Why can't I leave the pipe?"

Calmly, Uri explained, "Ritsu probably thinks that you desire sexual favors. You need to make it clear to him that you do not. As for your second question, no, I have not sealed your exit out of the hookah. You just used up all your magical reserves today. There is a limit to how much magic you can use willingly, you know."

A limit to how much magic I can use?

"Mistress, do you not wish for me to satisfy your body?" The demon asked tentatively. He stood on his hind legs with his shoulders pulled forward.

I closed my eyes and massaged my temples.

"Absolutely not. I don't know where you even got that idea."

Ritsu said, "My last mistress was in need of such service . . . as was my master before her."

My throat made an involuntary retching sound.

Ritsu cleared his throat. "I wasn't in this deplorable form, I'll have you know."

"Whatever," I said. "If you touch me again, I'll make sure that you no longer have a form to call deplorable or otherwise."

The little monkey exhaled a deep sigh. "Thank you for releasing me from this responsibility, Mistress. I was not looking forward to pleasuring such an ugly woman as yourself."

I lunged for the demon. "SAY WHAT NOW?"

Before I could get farther than two steps, Uri hooked his arms under mine and yanked me back. He sat me down on an ottoman and took a seat across from me.

"Control yourself, Naya. Regardless of what he says, Ritsu is meant to serve you. He will carry out your commands as long as you are clear about what you want from him."

Ritsu waddled up to us and said to Uri, "Why is my mistress a buffoon? It seems that she lacks the basic knowledge to survive as a djinni."

I felt the vein in my temple surfacing again. "Uri, make this perverted primate shut the hell up."

"He's right though," Uri said. "I've failed to explain our world to you. Even if you will only have this body for a month, you need to know certain things."

I spread my hands. "Fine. I'm all ears."

To my surprise, Ritsu monkey-walked over to where I was and curled up by my feet. Even though he was a jackass, his white-faced capuchin form was too cute to ignore.

I turned my attention back to Uri, who said, "From the dawn of creation came three sentient beings: angels, humans, and djinn. Angels are made from light, humans from earth, and djinn from fire."

That wasn't what I was taught, but I guessed by now that Uri and I came from very different places.

"This means that all of your magic as well as your energy is fire-based."

I had to admit that I thought this was pretty intriguing. Uri must have noticed the interest in my expression because he smiled. "Do you have any questions so far?"

I reached down and picked up Ritsu, who didn't seem to mind being held and stroked like one of Portia's cats.

Shaking my head, I said, "I'll let you know when I need clarification. Go on."

"Anyway," Uri continued, "like humans, djinn were designed to have free will. However, many djinn use their magic to make deals with humans. Over the centuries this has led to the enslavement of djinn as well as humans. That brings me to my next point. There are two types of djinn – Djinn-born and djinn-made. A djinni-born is one who began life as a djinni. A djinni-made is one who began life as a human. There are not many differences between the two groups. Djinn-born tend to be older and have a deeper understanding of magic, but other than that, we are all the same."

"Which one are you?" I asked. "Born or made?"

Like I expected, Uri didn't reveal this particular piece of information. He only smirked and went on with his explanation.

"Djinn exist in dimensions parallel to this one. Most of the time, we can see humans, but they cannot see us. Only djinn and demons have the ability to stretch themselves past the dimensions."

I was beginning to feel like I was sitting through a lecture on quantum physics.

Uri paused and said thoughtfully, "I'm trying to think if there is anything else you should know."

From my lap, Ritsu said, "Don't skip over the magi."

Uri's expression darkened. "I almost forgot . . . Naya, there are also sorcerers – humans that know about us and use our magic to gain power. Most sorcerers are humble magi, who are not as much of a threat. They mostly study djinn and some even help djinn to break free of their enslavement. The other type of sorcerers are called collectors."

"Nasty sons of bitches," Ritsu added with a growl.

I said, "You mentioned them before. Do they collect djinn or something?"

Ritsu answered for Uri. "Collectors will turn anything that moves beyond the Known into a slave and drain them of their power. They're gluttonous and merciless. As are their djinn."

Uri added, "A collector will usually spend all of their time working to gain complete control over very powerful djinn. They can do this by forming deep bonds with their djinn and feeding them lesser demons."

"So how do we avoid these guys?" I asked.

Uri said, "As dangerous as collectors are, they are rare these days. Collectors don't like other collectors and have murdered one another for their treasures. Either that or they are consumed by their own djinn. All the same, there are always some lurking around, pretending to be normal people. It is not uncommon for them to be extremely wealthy."

I nodded and said, "Watch out for djinni-gluttonous billionaires. Got it."

By now Ritsu was snoring in my lap. Once again, Uri and I were alone.

"Do you have any other questions?" he asked.

"I still don't really understand how my magic works. Why couldn't I make money today to pay that taxi driver?"

"It's complex magic that you haven't yet learned. Just leave the money to me."

"Speaking of which," I said, "we need to open a bank account for you. When you're a human, you can't just draw cash out of thin air. I suggest that you make as much as you think you'll need to get a headstart and we'll deposit it in a savings account."

Uri agreed, "That sounds like a good idea. In the meantime . . . what do you like to eat?"

I blinked. "Besides pistachios?"

"Yes. I would like to make you breakfast sometime in the future."

Is he wringing his hands? Play it cool, Naya!

"Banana pancakes." I fumbled with my words, so it sounded more like banafa pamcakes.

I corrected myself and added, "And um, eggs. Over easy."

A genuine smile spread across the djinni's face. I momentarily lost myself in his deep brown eyes until he finally spoke.

"I have no idea what a pancake is."