Jillian Stone - The Miss Education of Dr. Exeter

“I see him.” Exeter checked the exits. Without Ping and Tim, and Oakley’s trap, there wasn’t much reason to stay, not with a powerful wizard on the prowl, one who knew they had escaped. They must fall back, regroup, attend to Phaeton and America. The newborn needed protection—more than the troll could provide. He hoped that at least one of the Nightshades was with them at the hotel—Jersey Blood.

Where was everyone? Tim had given him a device earlier this evening, the communicator. At this moment, he’d give anything to have it hooked around his ear. Exeter glanced over his shoulder; no wizard to be found. He didn’t like the way Prospero looked at Mia. As if he had come to this soiree for a reason, and was determined to leave with a party favor.

To exit via the grand stair required them to maneuver through a tangle of fornication. He found a side door, which led to a terrace cordoned off from the risqué revelry. After being in a hot house full of writhing bodies, the cool breeze refreshed. Lacing his fingers through Mia’s, he guided her along the length of the balcony hoping to find a staircase.

“She is in no danger from me.” Prospero shut the French door and sauntered toward them. His expression was neutral enough, though guarded. A slight upturn at the ends of his mouth signaled goodwill, which was almost entirely directed at Mia.

Exeter studied Prospero study Mia, and something clenched in his gut. From the moment the wizard entered the room, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her.

“I enjoyed watching your bliss.” He continued to admire her. “Not nearly as much as I would have enjoyed giving you—”

“What do you want?” Exeter cut in.

Reluctantly, his gaze finally met his. “Hello, Doctor Exeter.”

When he didn’t respond in kind, Prospero exhaled a sigh. “Do you mean—what do I want besides the Moonstone and the child, Luna—and of course, Mia?”

“You can’t have them.”

“But I already have—all of them—even Mia.” There was a cruel twist to his smile and those silver eyes turned as dark as pupils could possibly dilate. “We showered together in my bedchamber.” Rather triumphantly, he returned his black gaze to Mia. “I soaped your breasts.”

Exeter lifted a clenched fist and struck Prospero with a blow that would cause most men to stagger backward, and all it did was turn Prospero’s cheek.

He moved to push Mia behind him and was struck by a force that lifted him through the air and slammed him against a wall. A cloud of crumbling mortar and dust enveloped him as he landed in a crumple on the ground.

“Your potent force is badly depleted, Exeter,” Prospero loomed over him. “I have no quarrel with you—nor do I wish to punish you needlessly. Unlike what many say about me, I am not a heartless fiend—you listen to Noggy and his twin Oakley. Just give me what I want.” The wizard appeared to tire—he was after all in their time, not his own. “Give up the girl, and we will leave peaceably,” Prospero’s quiet voice returned.

As he struggled to regain his breath, Exeter scanned the balcony. Mia was nowhere to be found. “Like I said, you can’t have her.”

Where exactly was Mia? Something sprang from the roof edge—a black shadow flew across the moon and knocked Prospero down. She pinned the spread-eagled wizard to the terrace, her large paws locking his arms in place with the aid of potent force. Careful, Mia.

The cat snarled her reply.

“Allow me to do the honors.” Ping stood behind the wizard dressed in the most stunning black dressing robe ever seen.

Exeter rose to his feet, and Mia quickly retreated to join him.

Intricate, knotted closures remained open on the velvet wrapper. Mandarin collar and cuffs were embroidered with yellow and red flames. Ping wore a waistcoat of crimson silk without a shirt underneath. The vest was unbuttoned enough to display two delicate mounds—Jinn’s breasts. Her long dark hair blew about the finely featured face under a black opera hat. Perfectly arousing and so very androgynous. Completing the exotic picture, Ping wore a velvet demi mask.

Lips blushed with rose opened to full effect, as the fascinating creature spoke in singsong harmony. “Greetings, Prospero.”

The wizard picked himself up off the floor. “We meet at last, Julian Ping—or is it Jinn?”

The jinni dipped a curtsy, parting the velvet robe like the wings of a butterfly. A theatrical display of erotic delight, starring Ping’s penis.

Exeter had never seen such an exotic androgyne. In the past, the jinni was either Ping or Jinn, but this creature was something even better—a stunning hermaphrodite. As a doctor, he was enthralled. A quick glance at Prospero revealed a mesmerized wizard. The panther backed away, with a hiss.

Displayed for all to see, Ping’s manhood angled upward with a good deal of bobbing and waving about. Nearly twice as large as one might have guessed, given his stature and build. The perfectly helmeted head was pierced with a golden ring and run through with a red satin ribbon, which Ping tossed into the air.

Spontaneously, Prospero reached out to catch the ribbon. There was a sudden yank—and for an instant Exeter glimpsed the surprise in the wizard’s eyes. He’d been hooked. A great, mysterious fish on the end of a powerful jinni’s line. Ping stepped aside as a violent force dragged a disintegrating Prospero across the balcony floor and into the cylindrical tube, which opened and banged shut with a reverberation that shook the balcony.

It was over so quickly, no one spoke for a moment, not even Ping. The three of them stared at the trap—wordless, motionless. The curious canister turned blacker than black, and appeared to absorb all light, while reflecting none. Not more than a foot long—and yet it held one of the most powerful wizards of the Outremer.

Exeter caught up the silver chain attached to the emerald collar and inched forward for a better look. The tube shimmied across the floor, causing Mia to hiss and Ping to place his foot on the rollicking apparatus. Exeter had been assured the trap was strong enough to hold the formidable wizard—but for how long?

Ping read his mind. “Oakley is fairly sure this will hold him. We even got a thumbs-up from Gaspar, at least—what could be seen of his thumb.”

“Fairly sure?”

Ping shrugged, rather good-naturedly. “The trap works on the same principle as an oil lamp or bottle or—jar. All of which are excellent containers for Moonstones or jinn or wizards.”

Exeter nodded. There were times when he found Ping and Gaspar’s version of the occult beyond mystifying. Still—what they had accomplished was impressive. Exeter shook Ping’s hand. “Honestly, I’m not sure how that could have gone smoother.”

With a great swish of her tail, Mia sat on her haunches beside Exeter. We were all mesmerized.

Nodding to Mia, Ping reached inside his robe. It was no surprise the jinni would be receptive to her thoughts. He removed a familiar Noggy device—the portable portal—from an inside pocket. “Best I return this unit to Oakley’s storage facility, posthaste.”

Exeter held up a finger. “One more thing—you wouldn’t happen to know what happened to Tim and Jersey?”

“They’re back at the hotel, with Phaeton and America. And of course, baby Luna.” Ping’s eyes sparkled just speaking her name. “I have heard her—she has healthy lungs.”

The cat looked up at Ping. She is special, isn’t she?

The jinni tucked the black cylinder under his arm. “Luna is a daughter of the moon and stars—she will become a great healer and peacemaker. It is her destiny.” Ping pressed a button and was gone.