The Vampire's Genie (The Wish Series Book 1) Read online

  The Vampire’s Genie

  Teresa Gabelman

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Also by Teresa Gabelman

  The Vampire’s Genie

  Copyright 2018 Teresa Gabelman

  All rights reserved. The right of Teresa Gabelman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Gabelman, Teresa (2018-12-27). The Vampire’s Genie

  Editor: Hot Tree Editing

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter 1

  “Dean!” Reed all but fell into the room, skidding to a stop in front of the large oak desk. “We found it!”

  Dean didn’t even look up as he stared at the numbers on the sheet of paper he wished he could burn with his eyes. “Found what?”

  “It!” Reed jumped up and down. “Honestly, I don’t know why I’m so damn excited since I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s here.”

  With a sigh, Dean dropped his pen as his darkening eyes rose to stare at his human steward. Why he hadn’t killed him yet, he had no idea. Okay, that was a lie. He was turning a new leaf, or whatever in the hell that saying was. He wasn’t killing anything that didn’t need to be killed. Yes, that was right. Dean Frye was turning over a new leaf.

  “Dude, did you hear me?” Reed threw his hands in the air.

  Fuck the leaf. “If you call me dude one more time, I’m going to stick your head up your ass without your body attached.” Dean glowered as he leaned over the desk, his eyes going solid black.

  Reed seemed to think about the logistics of that for a minute, then frowned. “That would be a bad day… for me.”

  Practically falling back in his chair, Dean gave up. He did like the kid. Why, he had no damn clue, but Reed had proven his loyalty—even for a human—since Dean had saved his ass. Now he couldn’t get rid of him. Counting to ten with his eyes closed, he kept them shut when he tried once again. “What did you find, Reed?” Then he held his finger up, eyes still closed. “And if you say ‘it,’ your head will go up your ass.”

  “Yoga will help with the anger issue,” Reed grumbled, losing some of his excitement at his boss’s grumpy mood. “The thing, man. The thing you’ve sent Castel searching for has been found and is heading this way as we speak.”

  That got his attention. Dean’s eyes shot open. “Don’t fuck with me, Reed.”

  “Would I do that?” Reed asked, as if offended. He snorted after a minute of thought. “Okay, I would and have, but not about this.”

  Hearing the front door open, Dean stood, careful not to get too close. It was daylight, and the only room closed off to the light was his office.

  “Castel!” Dean bellowed, stretching his neck to see out the door.

  Castel, who was Dean’s best friend, stepped into the office carrying a wooden box. “You owe me big, bud.” Castel glared at him as he hurried toward the desk. “I’ve almost died… not once, not twice, but six fucking times, and I’m a damn half-breed. Do you know how hard it is to kill a half-breed?”

  “How hard is it?” Reed glanced from the box to Castel with questioning eyes.

  “Well, it’s ah…” Castel set the box carefully on the desk then glared at Reed. “…fucking hard.”

  “Why?” Reed continued with his questioning.

  “What? You writing a book?” Castel growled, then looked at Dean. “How in the hell haven’t you killed him yet?”

  “I have no idea,” Dean replied absently, staring at the box. “It is really in there?”

  “Yeah, it’s really in there.” Castel grinned and pulled off the top of the wooden box.

  Inside, surrounded by shredded packing paper, lay a red box. It was plain, but what was inside was priceless. Carefully, Dean reached in and cursed silently at his shaking hands. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Spent a fortune in search of what he was about to hold in his hands.

  Setting the red box on his desk, Castel removed the wooden one. Forcing a steady hand, Dean lifted the lid, and the beauty that lay encased inside the box with golden cloth shimmered.

  “Holy wow!” Reed leaned over, his eyes wide. “Is that real gold?”

  As soon as Dean touched the lamp, he knew he had found what he had searched for; he felt the power within his hands. The lamp shimmered with tiny jewels at the top and swirls embedded into the solid gold. It was spellbindingly odd, and he couldn’t look away.

  “What is it?” Reed walked around to get a closer look then reached out to touch it, but stopped when an inhuman growl came from Dean’s throat.

  “That, Reed, is a genuine genie lamp,” Castel answered, also mesmerized as he stared at the sparkling gem in Dean’s hand.

  “The fuck it is.” Reed snorted, rolling his eyes, but when no one said anything, his brows dipped. “You mean to tell me that you guys believe in this shit? Ah, come on.”

  “How does it work?” Castel ignored Reed, as did Dean.

  “I’m not sure.” Dean frowned, studying the lamp carefully, taking in each angle.

  Having walked around to sit in Dean’s office chair, Reed spun the chair. “Okay, assholes, I’ll play.” He stopped the chair to look at them. “I guess neither of you has ever seen I Dream of Jeannie.”

  Both Castel and Dean looked his way with blank stares.

  “Shocker.” Reed shook his head. “Anyway, you rub the damn thing, and the genie is supposed to come out and grant anything her or… his master desires.”

  “His or her?” Dean frowned over his shoulder at Reed.

  “Yeah, genie’s can be a dude or—so they say if you believe in this shit, which I don’t—or a woman.” Reed snorted again. “Go ahead and rub it, man. I want to see the look on your face when nothing happens. How much did you pay for that fake-ass thing?”

  “More than you can even imagine,” Castel replied as he stared closely at the lamp.

  “Wish you’d have talked to me first. I would have saved you a few bucks, sucker.” Reed snorted then slammed his crossed feet on Dean’s desk. “Go on, rub it.”

  “Are you fucking with me?” Dean’s eyes narrowed, his voice turning hard. “Because if you are, I will take your ass out once and for all. And get your damn feet off my desk before I permanently remove them for you.”

  Reed quickly removed his feet but continued to sit in his boss’s chair. Dean didn’t have the energy to battle him, too intrigued by the lamp and the possibility it offered. “Why in the hell do you need a damn genie anyway?” He spun around in the chair again, but this time with his arms wide. “You already have everything you need. Money you could burn without worry, beautiful women who will fulfill your every desire, and you’re immortal.”

  Dean looked back to the lamp with a frown. Reed was right. He did have everything he’d ever wanted or needed, but it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t a selfish man. He gave to so many charities he’d lost count. The women who came into his life left wanting nothing because all was provided to them and the money… well, some things money couldn’t buy.

  Slowly, his free hand rose to the lamp, his body vibrating with anticipation. Placing his palm against the smooth part of the cool gold surface
, he moved his hand back and forth slowly. A puff of smoke swirled from the top. He watched, amazed as it danced in the air and grew as it continued to come up and fill the space in front of him.

  “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit.” Reed gasped as he slowly rose from the chair. “If a genie appears, I’m going to eat my hat, I swear it.”

  “You don’t have a hat,” Castel said absently.

  “Then I’ll eat your hat.” Reed glanced at Castel’s very expensive Bushman’s hat with a grimace. “It’s an ugly-ass hat anyway.”

  Dean dragged his eyes away from the swirling smoke, annoyed at Reed’s interruption. The frustration grew thick in the room. “Reed!” Dean warned.

  “Touch my hat and I’ll eat you,” Castel growled, then looked back to the lamp.

  “Both of you stop!” Dean really tried to ignore Reed and Castel’s constant bickering, but some days that was impossible to do. His focus returned to the swirls of heavy fog-like smoke. It started to take shape until a beautiful woman stood in front of him with eyes the color of a clear ocean and hair as black as a raven’s wing. Before he could form any more thoughts, she gave him a half smile.

  “What does my master wish?” Her voice had a mesmerizing softness to it, and for the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words.

  “Holy shit!” Reed’s whispered words echoed in the room. “Give me your damn hat.”

  Chapter 2

  Janelle sat cross-legged on her pillows trying not to vomit at the sway of motion. She wished whoever carried her would put her down and leave her the hell alone.

  She couldn’t see anything but darkness outside her lamp and knew she was in a box. Damn humans. Was it too much to ask for a simple master who took care of her, only summoned her once in a great while with an easy wish? Apparently, yes, it was.

  Standing up, she tried to walk, but it was useless. It felt like she was on a boat in rough seas. With a sigh, she sat back down and waited. She couldn’t do anything while in motion, and it seemed like days had passed with only an hour here and there that was calm enough to let her do anything.

  A sudden drop had her coming off her pillows and then slamming down hard as all motion came to an abrupt halt. Faint voices reached her as she managed to stand. Walking toward the walls of her prison—as she liked to call it—she stood and peered out. Disappointed, darkness greeted her. Usually, she could peer out and take in her surroundings, one of the perks of the magic of her lamp, especially as no one could see in.

  Pressing her head against the coolness of the wall, a deep voice reached her ear, soothing her in a way she had never felt before. Usually fear and anger at being tossed around from person to person filled her soul, but this was different. How it was different, she didn’t know, but it was. Janelle hoped that it was the man with the voice who now owned her lamp. Not owned her, but her lamp.

  Okay, who was she kidding? As per her fate, the person in possession of the lamp owned her too. She prayed one day that she would find the person who would set her free, yet after a hundred years or more, that had not happened, but a girl could dream.

  Hearing another voice talking about I Dream of Jeannie took Janelle out of her own thoughts and had her rolling her eyes. If she had a penny for every single time she’d heard “just rub it,” she’d be rolling in dough.

  Clearing her mind, she peered out of her glassed-in dungeon. No longer in the dark, her eyes moved to the man who had picked up her lamp. He was beautiful. Shock reverberated through her; she had never thought of a man as beautiful before. Handsome, yes. Beautiful, nope. This was a first, but even through the distorted wall, she could see the perfection of his features. And his eyes, golden in color, had a kindness to them that called out to her.

  Even as he argued with another man, his oddly colored eyes remained kind and focused on her lamp.

  As he took the other man’s advice and began rubbing, Janelle glanced down at herself to make sure she was in the custom clothing fitting for a genie. She guessed she might as well make her appearance and let him know that he didn’t have to rub, but only ask for her presence.

  The process of going from five inches to five feet tall was never a pleasant feeling. Janelle hated it every time she was summoned out of the damn lamp, knowing she’d be right back as soon as she satisfied whoever summoned her with a wish, or two, or a hundred. People were very selfish.

  The excessive tingling rippled through her body as she stepped back from the lamp to stand directly underneath the opening. Looking up, she closed her eyes and waited for the summons to be complete.

  Once outside, the scents and sounds almost overpowered her senses, but she opened her eyes and stared directly at the man who held the lamp in his large hands. He was just as she thought, just as beautiful outside the distorted walls of her dungeon.

  “What does my master wish?” Her voice as her duty demanded was light and docile, luring the holder of the lamp to make a wish that she would see come to fruition.

  “Holy shit,” a male voice said from somewhere off to the side, but her eyes remained on him. The one who held her future in his hands.

  Janelle was not your average genie. Most genies loved their lot in life; she despised it. She had dreams of her own, something genies weren’t supposed to have. Janelle had traveled the world, sure… but her travels were always lived inside her lamp, distorting the world around her.

  “What is your name?” the man with golden eyes and the blackest hair she’d ever seen asked, taking her by complete surprise.

  “My name, master?” Janelle heard the shock in her own voice and knew her eyes were widened.

  “Yes, your name.” A small smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “My name is Dean, not master.”

  Such a plain name for an extraordinary man. That sudden thought shocked her, but she somehow knew it to be true. This man was much different from her previous masters. His eyes hypnotized her so easily that she had to look away quickly. This was not the protocol of a genie, so she quickly shifted her gaze back. “I am a genie,” she replied, her clasped hands tightening together as her nails bit into her skin.

  “Yes, that I know.” Dean’s voice was deep with a sensual undertone she had a feeling he wasn’t even aware of, but she sure as hell was very aware of it. “But even genies have names.”

  “And you know many genies?” The words left her lips before she could stop them. Her kind did not have conversations with their masters unless it was their wish for them to do so. This man had made no such wish.

  Dean chuckled then shook his head as he glanced at the two men who stood quietly in the room. “Leave us.”

  “Ah, what the fuck, man,” one of the men said. Janelle realized it was the same person who had been talking about I Dream of Jeannie. “We found it, so we should be able to stay.”

  “We didn’t find anything,” the other man in the room shot back. “Come on, Reed, let’s go.”

  “Well, I could have helped if you guys let me in on it.” Reed frowned, then walked past Janelle before he stopped and turned to face her. “You sure don’t look like what I thought a genie would look like.”

  Janelle had to bite her lip from responding, but when the man named Reed just gave a snort, she couldn’t help herself. “Maybe one shouldn’t get their facts from a television show.” Her words were just above a whisper, but they all heard it.

  The man who was making his way toward the door laughed loudly. “She’s right about that.” He glanced her way and gave her a nod. “I’m Castel, by the way, and that’s Reed, who definitely watches way too much TV. Nice meeting you… Genie.”

  And with that, they were gone, and she was left alone with her new master.

  The quietness of the room was awkward, and she started to fidget, which once again was something a genie never did. But there was something about this man that put her on edge… in a good way, and that was very disconcerting because that had never happened before, ever.

  Her eyes once again we
nt to his, and he continued to stare at her as if he could see her soul. “If you want to make a wish, I can grant that wish to you.”

  “How many wishes do I get?” His voice rumbled through the room.

  “As many as you want as long as you are in possession of the lamp,” she replied, as she had done thousands of times before with the same question.

  A smile spread across his lips as his eyebrow cocked. “I wish to know your name.”

  The larger smile displayed sharp fangs she hadn’t noticed before. He was a vampire, which wasn’t anything she hadn’t encountered before and yet, it surprised her. He didn’t seem like a pompous ass like the other few vampires she’d had the misfortune to meet and serve.

  “Janelle,” she replied, wondering why Dean wanting to know her name sent a thrill deep inside her stomach and up to her rapidly beating heart.

  Chapter 3

  Dean had never seen a more beautiful woman than the one standing before him, and her name suited her. He set the lamp down, but his eyes stayed on it. He felt a certain power knowing that at any time he wanted his eyes to feast on her beauty, all he had to do was summon her. That was definitely a power he would enjoy very much.

  “Is that your only wish?” Her voice broke into his thoughts.

  His eyes shot to hers. “For the moment.”

  “Then I will leave you.” Before she could disappear back into her lamp, he stopped her.

  “Wait.” Dean wanted to know everything about this woman. Never had he been so intrigued by a human female. Well, kind of human anyway. She looked perturbed at not being able to vanish.

  “Yes?” Her tone indicated she was annoyed, and it made him smile for some strange reason.

  “I want to know more about you.” Dean crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. When it didn’t look like she was going to answer, he added with a cocked eyebrow, “I wish to know more about you.”