Hope's Wish Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Hope’s Wish

  Blurb

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  Thank you for reading!

  Note from Lexxie

  eBooks by Lexxie Couper

  Lexxie recommends … Dakota Cassidy

  Excerpt

  James stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of the room, looking out at a dense redwood forest, his back to the door, his hands pressed to the glass.

  Tahlee stopped, studying him.

  His fingers flexed and flattened, over and over, as if he were trying to claw his way through the smooth glass. His shoulders bunched. He shook his head, an almost imperceptible side-to-side motion, before he curled one hand completely into a fist and thumped it loudly against the window.

  She jumped, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

  In a blur of bruised-purple smoke, he was in front of her, nostrils flaring, eyes pure white.

  “James?” she yelped, staggering back a step.

  A raw sound tore from him, his eyes shimmering back to green, and he dug his fingers into his hair, retreating a step. Another.

  “It’s better you not be in this room right now, Hope,” he ground out, turning away.

  Grief choked his voice. And hate.

  She’d heard it enough throughout her career to recognize it now.

  She’d never heard it in James’s voice before. It tore her apart.

  “Talk to me, James,” she ordered, chest tight. “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head, fingers still in his hair, and walked back to the window. No, almost stumbled back to the window, at times solid, at times a smoky blur.

  “You shouldn’t be here.”

  An icy finger traced up her spine. She frowned, watching as he planted his palms to the window again. Tension hunched his shoulders.

  “Why not?” she asked. A tornado of butterflies swirled in her stomach.

  He won’t hurt you. You know he won’t hurt you.

  His right hand curled into a fist on the window. The air seemed to vibrate as a faint purple smoke eddied around him.

  “James?” She took a step forward. She refused to be scared. Not of James. Never of James.

  His shoulders bunched more. “There’s a darkness to all djinn. Part of our creation. We are born from want and desire, good and bad.”

  “Okay.” Her voice scratched at her dry throat.

  His head dipped as a raw sigh tore from him. “While you slept, I found… a place. Found someone who wanted something. Granted his wish.”

  The icy finger previously trailing up her spine sank into her heart. “What… what was his wish?”

  He pulled in a deep breath, the sound of it rough in the quiet room, and turned his head a little. Enough for her to see his profile. To see the muscle in his jaw knot. “It doesn’t matter. He got what he asked for.”

  She swallowed. What did that mean? “Is he…” Oh God, did she really want to ask this?

  No, but she had to.

  “Is he still alive?”

  The question fell in the silence between them.

  “Yes. A djinn cannot kill the wisher. Even if we want to.” He turned back to the window, fist unfurling until his fingers splayed over the glass. “But I let the darkness out.”

  She blinked. Took a step back. “Darkness? I don’t… What do you mean, you let the darkness out?”

  “Almost all magic is born from darkness,” he said, without turning, his voice low. “Regardless of its origin. It may reside in the magical being or the practitioner as little more than a kernel, but it is the beginning of it all for them. The fight for those who value humanity and life is to repress that darkness, ignore its allure and potency. A djinn’s darkness however, is more terrible and powerful than most. We are beings born from concentrated want, after all. Such selfish emotion can only give birth to venal power. If unleashed, if fed, a djinn’s darkness can destroy the fabric of reality.”

  “Destroy—” She stopped, rattled. Destroy reality? Could anything be that powerful? Could James? “So you let your… darkness out on a person?” She licked her lips, her throat dry. “Did he deserve it?”

  A short, humorless laugh shook his shoulders. “I’ve prided myself on always giving the wish that’s deserved.”

  “Will he be okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you?”

  He turned, and Tahlee gasped, the haunted torment burning in his face shearing through her heart.

  “Are you in control now?” she whispered. “Of your darkness, I mean?”

  His eyes closed as his expression twisted with grief. “Yes. I’ve controlled mine for centuries. Because of one person. One pure, beautiful person. Until tonight, I controlled my darkness to be better for her.”

  Tahlee’s head roared.

  “For who?”

  Rose. The name slipped through her mind, wrapped in a gossamer-thin rope of jealousy.

  “For you, Hope,” he whispered.

  “For me?”

  For centuries?

  That didn’t make sense. She hadn’t known him that long.

  And yet, she’d always felt like she’d known him forever.

  A cold prickle razed her skin. “James… have you ever used your magic on me?”

  His jaw bunched. “I’ve never used my djinn magic on you, Tahlee Hope.”

  She swallowed. Something itched at her at his answer, but what? “Why me?” she asked. “I mean, if you’d never met me, would you be… a dangerous djinn?”

  A wry smile pulled at his lips. “All djinn are dangerous.”

  “Answer the question, James.”

  He ducked his head and let out a shaky breath. “The darkness is powerful, Tahlee. And addictive. It’s raw and absolute and freeing. And until I met you, I believed it was my only existence.”

  “Until you met me?” She frowned, heart thumping in her throat. “In the pub in Piccadilly?”

  His jaw knotted again. “Until I met you. You changed everything for me. From the very moment you smiled at me, the darkness… it lost its allure. From the moment I met you, I controlled it. Always for you. Only for you.”

  “Why?” It was a stupid question, but the only one she could ask. A creature with powers beyond her comprehension stood before her, telling her she was the reason for denying the malevolence within. What chance did she have of processing that?

  He closed his eyes, that sheepish grin she loved so much playing with his lips. “I am better with you. I want to be better for you. I like who I am with you. Because of you.”

  Oh wow.

  The sheepish smile faded. “But tonight, I let the darkness out. I had to. The torment over what I’d brought to your life, it’s almost destroying me. If I could undo my own existence I would do so without hesi—”

  She closed the distance between them, took his face in her hands and silenced him with a slow kiss. Ended the words before they could tear her apart. A life without James in it? A world without him? No, it was too horrific to consider.

  She kissed him.

  Gave him her heart.

  Hope’s Wish

  Guarded Souls, Book 2

  Lexxie Couper

  Published 2019 by Book Boutiques.

  ISBN: 978-1-949797-28-2

  Copyright © 2019, Lexxie Couper.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recordi
ng, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Book Boutiques.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or events is wholly coincidental. The names, characters, dialogue, and events in this book are from the author’s imagination and should not to be construed as real.

  Manufactured in the USA.

  Email [email protected] with questions, or inquiries about Book Boutiques.

  Blurb

  A fearless investigative reporter, a djinn with a heartbreaking weakness, a vengeful curse, and a promise spanning the centuries. This is not your normal love story.

  Be careful what you wish for…

  Investigative journalist Tahlee Hope is fierce, stubborn, and doesn’t pull punches. Having overheard a political assassination plot, her life is now in serious danger. No biggie for Tahlee. All in a day’s work. She’s not prepared, however, for the security agent assigned to protect her—James Hastin, the man who changed everything in her life three years ago, and then disappeared without a trace.

  Summoned and trapped by a desperate sorcerer, James Hastin has been living amongst mankind for centuries. Life as a secret djinn in today’s society isn’t all that bad. Addicted to the rush of granting wishes, he’s never felt the need to tap into his darker side, and he loves his job at Guarded Souls Security and Protection. Of course, there’s the little issue of the fatal curse placed upon him by the bastard sorcerer, but as long as he’s careful, he should be okay. And then Tahlee Hope—his only weakness—enters his life. Again.

  Their history will either make them stronger… or bring about the end of the world. No, seriously.

  Dedication

  For my eldest daughter, Peanut. Because she noticed I hadn’t dedicated this book to anyone and told me I had to dedicate it to her.

  Acknowledgements

  Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs, Tibbs Design

  Prologue

  “I summoned you to save my village, not take my daughter from me!”

  Narrowing his eyes at the man raging before him, Barqan shook his head. “You killed Rose, Syrin. I tried to save her.”

  The sorcerer snarled, hate and grief boiling in his eyes. The spell—his spell, the one he’d cast to end Barqan’s existence—was devouring him from the inside out with greedy haste, turning him into an empty shell devoid of life. Killing him. As it had killed Rose.

  Barqan couldn’t stop that, no matter how desperate the man’s unspoken wishes. And they were so desperate, screamed so loudly by his dying soul, Barqan could barely hear anything else.

  “She wasn’t yours,” Syrin yelled. “She was not part of our covenant!”

  “I loved her,” Barqan stated. In his chest, his heart clenched. Such a fragile thing. How did humans survive the pain of it?

  The thick purple smoke churning around him grew denser, the fraying control he had over his physical state beginning to vanish. Soon his corporeal form would cease to exist. If the sorcerer was still alive when that happened…

  He curled his fists. Every molecule of his body thrummed. Soon he would be without solid substance, just ancient intangible power. “And she loved me!”

  “Love?” Contempt twisted the sorcerer’s face into a grotesque mask. “A miscreant like you doesn’t deserve love. You didn’t deserve Rose!” Malevolent rage contorted his face further. “And with my dying breath, I will make sure you never love again!”

  The molecules of Barqan’s body grew frenetic, wild.

  Just as Syrin began his incantation…

  Just as Barqan surrendered to the smoke…

  Chapter 1

  1400 years later

  David Bowie.

  That’s all a man needed to decompress.

  David Bowie singing “Space Oddity.” Add a cold drink to the mix—tonight it was a gin and tonic—and a bowl of pretzels and, in James Hastin’s humble opinion, the night could go on forever.

  He’d experience more than one night that felt like it would never end during his time in this world. Until Bowie came along, those dragging nights were torturous.

  “Why are we at a karaoke bar again?”

  Letting a smile curl his lips, James threw the man sitting beside him a sideways look. “I’m feeling generous, Kitt.”

  Kitt Newton winced, the bar’s muted overhead lights flickering in his amber eyes. “I’ve been told the last time you felt generous, William Shatner was nominated for a Grammy.”

  James laughed, plucked a pretzel from the bowl in front of him—a bowl that never emptied, regardless of the fact the barkeeper never topped it up—and tossed it into his mouth.

  Pretzels fell into the “good” column.

  Salted peanuts, though? Those oily little bastards fell into the “bad” column.

  “I’m generous far more often than you realize,” he said around a mouthful of crunchy, savory deliciousness. “For instance, Taylor Swift.”

  Kitt shifted on his stool. James didn’t need to look at him to see it. The very air around the other man seemed to growl. “You’re telling me you’re responsible for Taylor Swift’s success?”

  Grinning, James threw another pretzel into his mouth and chewed.

  Kitt frowned, amber eyes catching the light again, and shook his head. “I never know when to believe you, Hastin.”

  “I never lie, Rover.”

  Kitt rolled his eyes and snagged a handful of pretzels himself. “Don’t call me Rover.” He ate the handful in a single bite and scanned the crowd reflected in the bar’s mirrored wall. “So who is it?”

  Lifting a just-be-patient finger, James closed his eyes and tasted the longing in the air. Flipped through the silent hopes, dreams, aspirations and desires wafting around him.

  So many cravings for sex in the place. So many wishes for an accidental brushing of boob on arm, groin on butt.

  So many wishes for a quickie in the alley out back, a tangle in the toilet, a blow job in the backseat of an Uber…

  Why an Uber?

  Didn’t matter. If a blow job in the backseat of an Uber was what the wisher wanted, who was he to point out the impact on their user rating?

  After the shit-fire madness he’d just been through helping out Guarded Souls’ resident fallen angel, he needed a rush. Needed to tap into an emotional high and wallow about for a bit.

  Was the high of oral sex in a moving vehicle the kind of rush he was chasing, though?

  “Are you still looking?” Kitt grumbled beside him. “Or have you gone to sleep?”

  He smiled, opened his eyes and turned on his stool to face the crowd. “There.”

  Kitt frowned at the writhing mass of people and took a sip of his Scotch. “Who? Which one? Male or female? Give me a clue, dude.”

  James smiled. “Patience.”

  She stood—or rather, fidgeted—on the dance floor a few feet from the unused karaoke stage. She was trying to look like she was dancing, but in her heart of hearts, she was wondering what her date (a firefighter who made her feel special and nervous and safe all at once) would do if she climbed onto the stage and requested the karaoke MC tee up Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”?

  Let’s see, shall we?

  James brushed the longing in her heart a little, his blood tingling as she caught her lip with her teeth and flicked a quick glance toward where he and Kitt sat at the bar.

  “Ahh.” Kitt nodded. “I see. How do you even pick ’em?”

  “Trade secret, Rover.” He smiled at the woman, dropped her a wink and tossed a pretzel into his mouth.

  “I really wish you’d stop calling me that.”

  James arched an eyebrow. “Do you really want to go with that particular choice of words, Kitt?”

  “Shit.” Kitt held up his hands. “You know that’s not what I meant. Stop being so literal.” He scowled and pivoted his stool back to the bar. “Remind me again why I hang out with you?”

  “Because of this,” James said, with another stroke to the woman’s longing
to sing, to throw caution aside and climbed up onto the stage.

  She looked over her shoulder again toward the bar, toward him and Kitt.

  Good girl. Good…

  With a quick word in her date’s ear, she walked over to the bar and rested her elbows on it, right beside James. “Can I get an ice water please?” she asked the barkeeper.

  The barkeeper nodded and went to work.

  “Thirsty?” James asked, reaching for another pretzel.

  She let out a wobbly chuckle and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “No. Yes. Sorta.”

  He could feel her heart racing as she gave the stage a glance over her shoulder.

  “You going to treat us all to a song?” He danced the pretzel over the back of his knuckles before tossing it into his mouth. “Belt out a tune? I was just saying to Rover here,” he clapped a hand on Kitt’s shoulder, “I feel a need to hear some Bon Jovi.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “‘Livin’ on a Prayer’?”

  “My favorite.” He squeezed Kitt’s shoulder with a grin. “This one here likes that old song from the ’70s, ‘Werewolves of London’.”

  Kitt growled.

  The woman chewed her bottom lip again and gave the karaoke stage another glance. James’s blood tingled. “I’d love to get up there and sing,” she said, as if sharing a profound secret. “But…”

  I’m not brave enough. And what if I can’t sing it as well as I do in the shower? Her thoughts tickled at James. And what if my date laughs at—

  “Your water.” The barkeeper placed a tall, beading glass in front of her on the bar, and she startled.

  “But… ?” James prodded. Two words. All he needed to hear were two simple words.

  She shrugged and took a sip, studying the stage in the mirrored wall. “I’m not that good. At least, I don’t think I am. I wish…”

  James smiled. Warmth began to spread through him. His blood didn’t just tingle, it rushed through his veins like liquid sunlight mixed with lightning. “You wish what?”

  Her eyes met his in the mirror and she caught her bottom lip again. “I wish I was brave enough to not care if I don’t sound like Adele, y’know? I wish I could just say to hell with what everyone thinks and go up there and have fun. And I wish, if I did, that I could actually surprise myself and sound amazing.”