As You Wish Read Online Free Page B

in a brotherly greeting.
    Rafi walked forward, closing the door firmly behind him. He was a few inches shorter than Vander, but one hardly noticed when confronted with the sheer muscle mass of his body. Rafi resembled a football player on steroids.
    His handsome, tanned face was twisted in a scowl, as he ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. “The rogues are on the move again according to one of the High Council scouts. Eventually, they’re going to find a way to tap into Nadine’s power and then—”
    “Then, they’ll have unlimited access to an unmonitored portal,” Vander finished. “The entire balance between dimensions will undoubtedly be at risk.”
    “So, tell me you’ve finally made contact with her daughter,” Rafi said, grabbing a sweet biscuit on the oak table by the fireplace.
    “I did. You know I just got back here.”
    Rafi popped the entire biscuit into his mouth. “Right…so why aren’t you with her now? We’re running out of options if we’re going to get a step ahead of the rogues.”
    “There were some complications,” Vander stated, sitting down heavily on the leather couch.
    “We don’t have time for complications. We need…what’s her name?”
    He flashed his friend a narrowed look. “Karis.”
    Rafi nodded. “Well, we need Karis now… You should go and bring her back.”
    “She’s not ready. I don’t think she could handle the journey.” He poured a neat scotch and tossed it back in one swallow.
    Rafi frowned. “What?”
    Vander looked up at his old friend. Both of them had been trapped into the Djinn brotherhood, Rafi almost a half of century ago. He trusted Rafi with his life and knew he held him in the same regard.
    “You heard me. She hasn’t been trained in her gift…doesn’t even believe she has any supernatural abilities. Because of her mother’s wish, she discovered my vessel but she was scared and in complete denial of my arrival.” He continued as his friend stared back at him in disbelief, “I kept trying to convince her she wasn’t having a nervous breakdown. I’m still not sure she believed me.”
    “Unbelievable.” Rafi finished another biscuit. “Nadine is one of the most gifted humans on the planet and yet her daughter has no clue how to use her power?”
    “Nadine never wanted to force her. She encouraged Karis to live her life the way she wanted, but now she no longer has that luxury.”
    His friend shook his head. “And you just left her alone? You know she’s not safe. It’s only a matter of time before the rogues find her.”
    “I will go back very soon and now that she is summoned me you know I am aware of her every move. I wanted to give her a little time to let it all sink in. With all she has to face, I thought she deserved at least that much.”
    “Yeah, well, how are you going to help Karis embrace her natural abilities?”
    Vander raised an eyebrow. “You and I both know there is only one way to bring about results the fastest.”
    Rafi stopped chewing. “ Sex …you’re kidding, right?
    “It’s also the only way to assure the least amount of risk to her.” He stood to face his friend.
    “You know how volatile this could be for you and her. There’s got to be another way.”
    “There isn’t and you know it as well as I do.” He crossed over to the large window overlooking the approaching shadows on Shere Lake . “I’m not worried. I can control the situation.”
    Rafi scoffed. “What if you become attached or worse, if she does? Are you prepared to let her go when this is all over?”
    “I am,” he answered quietly, watching the sun dip into the calm waters of the lake. He wasn’t concerned about attachment issues with any female, least of all a human.
    “And Niri…does she know what’s going on? What you’re about to do to help Karis?”
    The biting question hung in the air as he turned from the window to meet Rafi’s hard stare. “I have no ties to Niri.” He knew the words sounded cold and they were