Gale Force Read Free Page A

reach.
    Being married wouldn’t lessen that risk, but it was a symbol, a trust.
    It all came down to trust. His, and mine.
    ‘‘This is crazy,’’ I breathed. ‘‘What the hell are the Djinn going to say?’’
    ‘‘Nothing, if they know what’s good for them.’’ There was a glimmer of coldness to his tone. David was the leader of about half of the Djinn—the good half, in my opinion, although there were exceptions. The other half was led by a Djinn named Ashan, an icy bastard who didn’t like me very much and wasn’t especially warm toward David, either. ‘‘If you’re worrying what it will do to my standing among them, don’t.’’
    But I had to think about that, didn’t I? It wasn’t just the two of us. The Wardens might have a thing or two to say about a human marrying a Djinn, too. And what minister was going to bless this union, anyway? Aside from their religious beliefs, most ministers didn’t believe in the supernatural, at least not in any good kind of way. And I knew David. He’d want complete honesty in this, no matter how difficult that would be.
    The day was getting darker, the sky turning from denim to indigo. On the horizon, the sun was nearly down, pulling its glorious trailing rays with it.
    Black, greasy smoke drifted into my eyes, and I blinked and coughed. David glanced at it, annoyed, and the smoke disappeared—moved elsewhere. The air around us was fresh and clear.
    ‘‘Jo,’’ he said, ‘‘you don’t have to answer now. I just . . . had to ask the question.’’
    I ought to say no. I knew that. I just knew .
    ‘‘Yes,’’ I said, and something in me broke loose with a wild, silent cry. I was off the cliff now, I realized, with a fierce joy, and that felt good. It felt free.
    His eyes ignited into a color found only in the heart of the sun. ‘‘Yes?’’
    ‘‘Yes, already. I’ll marry you. Yes. Hell, yes. What am I, stupid?’’
    The phone rang again. David let go of my hands, picked up the extension, and thumbed it on without looking away from my face. ‘‘Mr. Garrett, I’m taking my lover to bed,’’ he said. ‘‘If you know what’s good for you, you’ll reschedule your deadline.’’
    And he crushed the phone as if it were made of marshmallow crème and dropped the smashed pieces on the patio table.
    ‘‘Oh,’’ I said faintly. ‘‘Problem solved. Good approach.’’
    On the horizon, the fire in Alligator Alley continued to glow. I discovered that I didn’t care at all, as David’s hand pulled me to my feet and into his arms.
    I woke up hours later to the sound of screaming sirens. The Wardens had majorly screwed up—again. My apartment complex was on fire. We were being evacuated.
    That was it. I was never going on vacation again.

Chapter One
    Getting married was like planning a military invasion of a distant foreign country, only instead of moving soldiers and guns, you were organizing bridesmaids and bouquets.
    Of course, my bridesmaids were bound to be pretty tough chicks. I couldn’t really be sure there wouldn’t be guns.
    ‘‘You know,’’ said my best friend, Cherise, staring thoughtfully into the mirror and smoothing her hands down the clinging lines of her dress, ‘‘there’s a math formula for wedding dresses.’’
    I blinked at her. I was trying to figure out if the layer cake of tulle and lace I had on constituted romantic excess, or if it looked like I’d fought off a demented pastry chef and barely escaped with my life. ‘‘What?’’
    ‘‘The problem is, this dress looks totally fabulous on me. And the better the bridesmaid’s gown looks on her, the fuglier the bride’s. I’m just pointing it out because I’m a kindhearted person, you know.’’
    She was right—she did look totally fabulous in the dress. The color was a dark rose, one that wildly complemented Cherise’s blond hair and beautiful skin. It was a simple sheath dress, clinging in all the right places, and it ended at the right length for