Free djinn wars 02 - taken by Christine Pope Page A

got bowled over by Dutchie as she went rushing past me so she could sniff around the room before coming back to paw at my leg.
    “Looks like someone was missing their mommy,” Evony said as she came in as well. I noticed she was holding the little backpack I used to carry all of the dog’s supplies. I also noticed that she’d had time to get spruced up; her dark hair gleamed in sleek waves over her shoulders, and she’d changed into a festive red sweater just a shade brighter than the color she wore on her lips.
    “More like she wants her dinner,” I replied, bending down to scratch behind Dutchie’s ears. After taking the backpack from Evony, I got out the dog dishes and filled one with water and the other with dry food, then placed them on the floor. Dutchie set to immediately, tail wagging.
    “Speaking of dinner,” Evony went on, giving my drab ensemble a jaundiced look, “you are not wearing that to go meet all those Chosen and their djinn, are you?”
    “Well, sorry. I guess I plum forgot to pack any party clothes.”
    She sighed. “I figured. Let me go get you something.”
    “It doesn’t matter — ” I began to protest, and she held up a hand.
    “It matters to me . I don’t want to show up with someone who looks like something the cat dragged in.”
    “What, am I your date now or something?”
    Her lip curled. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
    I couldn’t help grinning, and she went back out. Since Dutchie was occupied with inhaling her dinner, I went over to the window and looked out while I waited for Evony to return. There was actually more to see than I thought; snow still fell, but the lights in the garden area outside were on, illuminating the bare trees and shrubs, and the thicker, darker shapes of the pines and junipers that dotted the landscaping. It was probably very beautiful in the spring and summer, but right now it just looked bleak, abandoned. I also had to wonder about the electricity. Were the djinn powering the grid somehow? Had to be; all this couldn’t be running on stored solar energy alone.
    Since I hadn’t locked the door, when Evony came back, she let herself in. In one hand she held a small makeup bag, while a bright kelly-green sweater was draped over her other arm.
    “I don’t think we have time for a makeover,” I began, but she ignored me and went into the dressing area in the bathroom, then set the makeup bag down on the counter.
    “This isn’t a makeover,” she said. “Just a quick sprucing-up. Take off that trash bag you’re wearing and put this on.” She tossed the sweater to me, and I caught it. I would’ve said that she and I were roughly the same size, although I was about an inch taller, but that sweater looked too small for either of us.
    From the glint in her eye, I could tell she was poised and ready to counter any argument I might give her, so I decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. Instead, I took the sweater and pulled the one I was wearing over my head, then drew on the one she’d given me. As I’d feared, it was tight. Not “I can’t breathe” tight, but a lot more snug than anything I’d worn for months, even the slinky black dress I’d put on for Thanksgiving.
    But I shouldn’t have thought of that dress, because then I recalled how Jace’s eyes had lit up when he caught sight of me, the way he’d told me I was beautiful. While I was keeping myself busy, I could stop myself from worrying about him, but if I let my guard down, like in moments such as this…well, I could feel the worry seize me again, the sharp burn of tears at the back of my eyes.
    Don’t, I told myself. Just don’t.
    So I managed to swallow, hard, and force the tears back to wherever they’d come from. At the same time, I twitched the sweater more or less into position. Since I was wearing jeans tucked into knee-high boots, it didn’t look too mismatched. I hoped.
    “Come here,” Evony commanded, so I went into the dressing area. She eyed me critically and