She didn’t argue at his use of the word “home.” Perhaps she was in shock, or perhaps her sorrow wouldn’t allow her the strength to fight him. At any rate, she gave a quiet nod, and so he tightened his arms around her, then blinked them back to the house in Malibu, out to a part of the parklike grounds where she could stand on green grass and be surrounded by trees, and let some of the abundant life there help to drive the visions of death from her mind.
To his surprise, she didn’t attempt to pull away from him right away. Perhaps she needed the comfort of someone — anyone — at this time, even if that comfort was offered by a djinn. She stood there for a long moment, quiet in the circle of his arms, then raised her head and looked around at the trees, at the carefully clipped hedges. He ha
