“Can I wish for more wishes?” I asked with a half-smile.
Azir rolled his eyes. “Every human asks that. No, you cannot. One wish only.”
“Worth a shot,” I shrugged.
As I sat there contemplating, I realized there was something I wanted more than anything else. Something I’d been missing my entire life without fully acknowledging it.
“I think...” I began slowly, “I think it would be great to find someone who truly understands me. Someone I can connect with on every level. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually too.” The words surprised me as they left my mouth, but they felt right.
Azir’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected this particular wish. Then his expression softened into something almost like respect.
“An unusual wish,” he said quietly. “Most humans ask for wealth or power or revenge. Few ask for connection.” He floated closer until he was directly in front of me. “Are you certain this is what you desire above all else? If it is, you must say it properly.”
I paused for a moment, suddenly self-conscious. “Wait…” I said, holding up a hand. “I have a question first.”
“Of course,” he nodded. “Ask your question.”
I looked up into those glowing eyes of his that were so beautiful and mischievous. “What would you wish for?”
Azir’s smile faded. “I dare not say.”
“Please,” I insisted. “I want to know.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes darting between mine. “Freedom,” he said at last. “To be free of this lamp. That is what I would wish for.”
It was my turn to stare at him, his words hanging in the air between us.Freedom. Of course that’s what he would want. What being wouldn’t want to be free of their prison?
“Then that’s what I wish for,” I said firmly, feeling like it was the only right thing to do. “I wish for your freedom, Azir.”
The lamp grew scalding hot in my hand. I yelped and dropped it into the water where it sizzled and steamed. Azir’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open.
“You... you wish for my freedom? Not your own happiness or wealth or power?” His voice trembled slightly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I wish for you to be free of that lamp forever.”
The water around us began to churn and bubble violently. The golden symbols on the walls glowed with increasing intensity until they were almost too bright to look at. Azir threw his head back, his spine arching as tendrils of golden light erupted from his chest. His golden bracelets shattered, the pieces dissolving into sparks that swirled around us like fireflies.
A deafening crack split the air, and the lamp beneath the water broke into countless fragments that dissolved instantly. The water turned gold, then blue, then clear again.
When the chaos subsided, Azir stood before me, no longer floating, but standing in the pool, the water lapping at his thighs just as it did mine. He looked down at his hands in wonder, turning them over as if seeing them for the first time.
“Free,” he whispered. “After three thousand years... I am free.”
His eyes met mine, and the intensity in them made my breath catch. In a flash, he closed the distance between us, his powerful hands gripping my shoulders.
“Do you understand what you’ve done?” he asked, his face inches from mine. “Do you comprehend the gift you’ve given me?”
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how vulnerable I was. “I think so.”
“No human has ever...” He shook his head, seemingly at a loss for words. “In all my centuries, no one has ever used their wish to free me. They always want something for themselves.”
“Well, I guess I’m not like most people then,” I said with a small shrug.
Azir laughed, a sound of pure joy that reverberated through the chamber. “No, Waylon. You certainly are not.”
His hands slid from my shoulders to cup my face. “I am in your debt, a debt I can never fully repay. But I will try.” His thumbs stroked my cheekbones gently. “Allow me to show you pleasures unknown to mortals. Let me give you ecstasy beyond your wildest dreams. Let me show you what I’ve perfected over the last three thousand years.”
Before I could respond, his lips were on mine. The kiss was electric, sending shockwaves of pleasure through my entirebody. His mouth was hot, impossibly hot, yet it didn’t burn. It felt like drinking liquid fire that warmed me from the inside out.