The Wendigo Inn

I'm lying on a bed draped in sheer curtains, with clouds of incense in the air. Daji straddles me, glaring down at me. I glance at her, freaked out, looking for signs of a leash.

Instead, she fastens a leather collar around my neck.

Really?

"A leash, too?"

Her eyes glitter. "The collar is just a warning. A reminder to behave, since you can't keep yourself out of trouble."

I sigh. "Look, it was just an innocent remark. I wanted to reassure them there was no hard feelings. And you have no business putting a chain on me when you didn't bother to tell me my grandparents and all my family went through this djinn test. What's different about me? Why should I be the exception, huh?"

Her lips press together.

"YOU should have told me," I argue.

"I thought they would wait," she muttered. "You're so new. They didn't test your grandparents until at least a year after they took over the inn. They must have seen something in you.'

"Like what? I only made the owl disappear on my second try?"

"The owl? Never mind. Your grandparents had much more trouble with the test!"

My head spins.

"That's not what the djinn told me." I try to disentangle from Daji but she settles on top of me, her elegant body stretching out over me. "They basically gave me the djinn version of trash-talking and reverse psychology. 'Bet you can't do as well as your grandparents.'"

This is news to me. "You're not saying I'm some godling with the power to save the world, are you?"

She snorts. "Why do mortals always think that whenever we tell them they have a bit of magical ability?"

"Pop culture tropes and an all-or-nothing mentality?"

"Yes. Binary thinking. You either have godlike powers or there's no magic in the world and certainly no spiritual gifts. Nothing in-between."

She stretches out on top of me still, pressing her body against mine, running her fingers down my sides. "You have magic in you. All humans potentially could."

"Except we get in our own way."

Daji strokes my ribs, one by one. She has no idea how much heat she generates when she does that. "You understand."

"I'm a nerd and an introvert, not antisocial. I watch people. I watch them give up their power to politicians. To the economy. To whatever Hollywood or social media tell them. I watch them chase things that'll never make them happy. I used to want those things."

Daji snorts. "Liar. You never fell for such shoddy deceptions."

Hearing those words makes me flush even more with heat. "How do you know?"

"You accepted the role of innkeeper, the guardian of the flame. You turned your back on a career people would understand. Tech entrepreneur. That fits on a business card."

I chuckle, stroking her soft ears. "Yeah, and there are hundreds of those floating around."

"You see my point. You chose to play host to mythical beings. You chose to have a quiet life in central California, away from it all."

I grin. "I figured I'd rehab the place while working remotely. Piece of cake."

Daji kisses me, amorously. "Exactly. You decided to live a life off the beaten path."

She levers herself up and lowers herself onto me, enveloping me.

Oh God. Whichever God, it doesn't matter.

"Shodfui wanted you to himself," she whispers in my ear. "I know you don't swing that way, and I'm grateful."

"I think he was just living up to his name, 'the Friendly.' Oh God. … Goddess, you feel wonderful. Wonderful."

She rocks with me, surrounding me. "I'm going to make you fly, like a genie, or a magic carpet. I'm going to make you forget the wonders in this palace."

I know what's what, and I know by now that I need to make my woman feel special. "If there's a room in this place where the jewels hang from vines like fruit, and there are rivers of gold and gardens full of exotic animals … it's been a long time since I read 1001 Arabian Nights, but this palace must have all of that."

"It does." She doesn't sound too interested in the fairytale surroundings. "So, you find such things appealing?"

"Please. I have an actual goddess." I squeeze her buttocks and bite her on the shoulder in the way that she loves. "None of the wonders of this palace can compare to you."

Moaning, she moves with me, undulating, taking me deeper. I'm in heaven. "You're such a sweet talker."

"It's true! You're worth all the treasures in this palace."

I haven't seen any of them, and it doesn't matter. The exotic setting is driving me wild.

Daji moans contentedly and strokes my collar. "I like this on you. You're my master, my dominant partner, but every time you wear this collar under your green shirt, you'll know who you belong to."

"I've … ooh … got a good idea."

Growling, Daji proceeds to show me who I belong to. Who I crave. I forget about getting back to the hotel. All that matters is this beautiful bedroom with the white veils and the incense, creating this dream with Daji, from which I don't want to wake up.

After we've gotten our fill of each other, we wander through the palace, the cream-colored walls surrounding us. It looks light and airy, like a dream palace. And we do see rivers of gold flowing through, and the exotic animals prowling, and plants everywhere.

"Where are the djinn?" I ask, because we haven't seen a soul.

"Gone back to the hotel," she answers. "And I know you want to get back there. But first, Shodfui promised you a reward."

I wiggle my eyebrows. "I thought I had that last night."

Smirking, she plays with my hair. I never thought of my hair as anything special until her hands made me feel like Brad Pitt. "Well, that was toe-curling, and tail-curling. All my nine tails got curled very nicely. But you don't yet have your reward, a gift for the collection."

"What's my reward?"

I stop dead on the marble floor when Daji answers.

"The permanent powers of the djinn for real. All you have to do is bathe in that golden river."

"Daji ... hold on. I'm not sure I want them ... and you said I already have the djinn powers."

"Not all of them. And you need them. So get in the river."

"DAJI!" I dig in my heels, but she picks me up with goddess strength. "Can't we talk this over? This is a bad idea."

She dunks me in the golden river before I can say another word.