Wish For Me (The Djinn Order #1) by A. Star Read Free Book Online Page B

a hand around the steel shaft, apologized for what I was about to do, and yanked.
    Irving’s roar could have been heard for miles. I didn’t even stop to wonder what my neighbors might be thinking was happening in my apartment at that moment.
    I tossed the arrow aside. “Okay, Irving. It’s out. Everything is going to be all right now.”
    Irving’s mouth flopped open a few times before he was able to gasp, “ Hunters. ”
    Then his body went limp in my arms as he slipped into unconsciousness.

    There was no way in hell I could lift Irving’s massive body onto my bed all by myself, so I made him as comfortable as possible on the floor. I removed his duster and unhooked his suspenders so they wouldn’t irritate his injury. After cleaning his bloody face, I stuffed one of my pillows under his head then laid down beside him on the blood-soaked floor to wait. I was covered in blood now as well, and couldn’t return to my bed. And I was worried. I didn’t want to leave him alone despite how disgusting I felt. If Irving died because I was vain, I would never forgive myself.
    He was out for three hours before I saw him stir, but it took him another hour to fully come to. His eyes fluttered, and he groaned as they opened and adjusted to the light I had on in my room.
    “Hey, you,” I said, pushing myself up until I was kneeling beside him. Without even being conscious of it, I brushed his hair out of his face and cupped his cheek in my hand.
    “Hey,” he croaked, his voice catching on what had to be raw vocal chords.
    “Hold on.” I ran to the kitchen to fetch Irving a glass of water. Once back in my room, I helped him drink it even though it appeared he was recovering much better than I’d expected. The bleeding had stopped and the hole the arrow had made in his left shoulder was almost healed. There was definitely some freaky Djinn magic at work here.
    “How are you feeling?” I asked anyway.
    “Much better. Thank you.” I nodded and moved to set the glass on my nightstand, but Irving grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned back to meet his burning violet eyes. “I mean it, Glory. Thank you.”
    I smiled at him. “You’re welcome. Though I didn’t have much of a choice. There was no way I was getting my security deposit back from the apartment complex if I let you die in here.” He smiled at me and just nodded. I hoped that meant he understood that this was my awkward way of accepting his gratitude and relaying how afraid I’d been of losing him.
    I rose and finally put down the glass. “Are you able to move? I’d feel loads better if you were comfortable in my bed.” I didn’t care about Irving destroying my sheets if it was what was best for him.
    He shook his head. “As much as the idea of being in your bed intrigues me, I would prefer not to stain your bed coverings with my blood. Is there a place where I can bathe?”
    I could hardly ignore the part about my bed, but I chose not to acknowledge it out loud. I nodded and pointed at the closed door across the room. “You can take a shower in my bathroom if you want.”
    “Yes, I think that would be best.”
    I nodded again and then bent down to let Irving use me as a crutch as he climbed to his feet. He may have been healing at an impossible rate, but he was still weak and cringed with pain when he was forced to move his injured shoulder.
    “Glory, I am—” Irving started to say once he was on his feet.
    “I know, Irving,” I said.
    “Yes, I am sure you do. But please allow me to say it.”
    I nodded and waited.
    “I am sorry for the way I treated you before. You were right. You did not deserve that and I should not have said what I did about you. It was wrong of me and I hope I can be forgiven for it.”
    “Irving,” I said with a shrug, “it’s all good.”
    “Is it really?”
    “Yes.” I bent over and retrieved a clean towel from the floor, the only one I had left. “Let’s just start over and move forward from here, yeah?” I