Free Tales of the Djinn: The Double by Emma Holly Page A

on him without permission. In the worst of his grief, Iksander hadn’t forced himself on partners who were considered his property. The least Yasmin could have done was offer Joseph a choice.
    Given his reaction, she couldn’t doubt what the choice would have been.
    Her claws scrabbled on the pipe as she squeezed back through the drain into the harem grounds. Per usual, no one noticed her. They didn’t notice when she smoked back into her room either. The sultan’s mother was a harridan, but Yasmin wasn’t on her list of girls to keep a close eye on. Maybe this was surprising for a girl as attractive as Yasmin, but she was no troublemaker. She did as she was told.
    She hadn’t ever found that as depressing as she did now.
    Back in her normal form, she flung into her luxurious bed and pulled the soft covers up. She thought of the many people who would be grateful to have that much.
    You should be grateful , she told herself.
    She tried to be—and maybe she succeeded. She relaxed enough to fall asleep, where her dreams were filled with images of Joseph the Magician writhing in ecstasy.

Chapter Four
    ARCADIUS jerked awake at dawn and didn’t know where he was. The shadowed room was too large, the mattress beneath him too comfortable. His heart was racing, his cock hard enough to pound nails.
    That, at least, was familiar.
    “Mmph,” said a female voice. “Is it time to get up?”
    Elyse pushed up on her elbow from the pillow next to him.
    He gaped at her. What was Cade’s human doing in bed with him?
    “What?” she said, shoveling back her curls. “Has my hair gone crazy?”
    She thought he was Cade. Belatedly, he recognized his surroundings as Iksander’s grand bedchamber. Had his and Cade’s spirits recombined while they were asleep? Maybe Joseph had stumbled upon a cure. Arcadius tried to force his brain to work logically. He could remember what he’d done the day before but not a thing his double had experienced. That suggested their consciousnesses were separate. Something else must be happening.
    “Your hair is fine,” he said cautiously to his accidental bed partner.
    Elyse rolled her eyes and sighed. “You always think it’s fine.”
    Was this cause for complaint? To him, it sounded like diplomacy.
    Elyse shoved the covers down her body and sat up.
    Arcadius’s heart did a funny flip. He was a man, and seeing a naked woman was rarely a bad thing. That aside, he didn’t expect to like Elyse without her clothes. She was lithe rather than lush, her breasts small but nicely shaped. Her nipples were relaxed, their color the same soft pink as her cushiony mouth. His morning erection pulsed, urging him to grab her and kiss them.
    “Now that’s a flattering look,” she said.
    His gaze jerked to hers. Her crooked smile was seduction personified. She lifted one eyebrow.
    “Want to join me in the hot tub?” she invited. “I’ll let you scrub my back.”
    It was a lovely back, from what he’d seen of it. He wet his lips as he hesitated. What were the rules of engagement in situations of this sort? Was it possible for her to cheat on him with him?
    She laughed at his slowness and started strolling toward the bathing room. The sway of her hips suggested she was aware he watched. He couldn’t stop watching, though he should have. His view of her ass and legs made his mouth go dry.
    She had one deep dimple atop each cheek.
    She tossed a tease over her bare shoulder. “Feel free to follow when you make up your mind.”
    Had a woman ever taunted him with this much confidence? Many females had flirted, but never so surely. He realized he didn’t awe Elyse. For whatever reason, his arousal surged higher. His lust had been hot already. More than a little maddened, he threw off the covers before he could stop himself. Three bounding strides brought him close enough to catch her slender arm.
    One quick tug spun her nakedness to him.
    She made a startled noise, her hands bracing automatically on his chest as