76. Beautiful Hell

{Naya}

I couldn't believe it. Zayn had come clean to my mom about everything. Literally everything! She even knew that Sinbad came out of a book and it was all my fault. And then the two of them threw another curveball my way. Apparently after Mom had passed out from learning that her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend were both djinn, her own boyfriend was a magus, and we were all trying to outsmart a kidnapping sorcerer, she recovered and proposed to Zayn.

Just when my life couldn't get any weirder.

Don't get me wrong, I was beyond happy and excited for my mom and Zayn's engagement. But that still didn't change the fact that I had to find a way to use Vishmar's powers to my advantage and free Uri.

On the plane ride back to the States, I made sure to tell Zayn everything that had happened in the desert. I danced around the part about Ritsu settling my fire. Zayn knew that Ritsu was in his true form, but like everyone else, he couldn't see him. I hid my affliction with Aqua by excusing myself to the bathroom. Ritsu would follow. We would take care of the Aqua problem in the tiny airplane stall.

I was so thankful that no one in the area could detect Ritsu's presence, but I had a feeling that it might change once we reached Zayn's estate. He was a magus afterall. He probably had all sorts of instruments that could reveal Ritsu, or at least make him somewhat detectable.

After I gave Zayn and my mom the whole story, I fell asleep and was pretty much knocked out for the rest of the plane ride. I came to consciousness a few times, absently searching for the warm fuzzy body that I was so used to occupying my lap. Ritsu must have known that I was looking for him because he would take my hand, give me a gentle squeeze, and encourage me to go back to sleep.

When we arrived in Tennessee, I felt a lot better now that I had finally gotten a chance to rest. Still, I didn't know what my next move would be. Zayn promised that we would talk everything over at dinner and that I should just relax until then.

Even though Zayn's mansion made me feel safe and grounded, there were rooms in the house that I simply could not enter. My room was one of them. I also couldn't bear looking at the courtyard that led to the pool. The library was another room that I completely avoided all together.

A few times, I had to sneak off with Ritsu and "take care of" my inner fire. Afterwards, Ritsu massaged my shoulders and said, "It's going to be all right, Mistress. This too shall pass."

I silently leaned my cheek against his cool chest. He wrapped his tattooed arms around me and held me like that until we both heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

Mom's muffled voice came through. I cleared my throat, praying that she hadn't heard me talking to Ritsu.

"Hold on. I'll be right out."

I took a moment to fix myself in the mirror. This whole time I had done my best to not break down in front of her, but I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up. I didn't want her to see me like this.

"Hey, Mom!" I put on a smile as I opened the door wide enough for Ritsu to slip through. I still thought it was weird how he could walk past my mom without her noticing. I mean, he was seven feet tall, topless and covered in tattoos.

As soon as he disappeared around the corner, I noticed that Mom started hugging herself and warming up her shoulders.

"Did you feel that? Feels like a draft just came through here."

I guess I was wrong. On some level, maybe she could sense Ritsu's presence.

"Yeah, it is a little chilly. So, you wanted to talk?"

Mom took me by the hand and said, "Honey, I know you're going through a lot right now. I can tell. Now, you don't have to tell me everything if you're not comfortable, but just know that you can talk to me whenever you want. I'm all ears."

I sighed. "I know, Mom. Thanks."

I meant it. If she could handle learning that her boyfriend was a magus, her daughter was a djinni, and that magic was real all in one day, then I shouldn't really have anything to be worried about.

"Also," she added, her eyes brightening, "I want to show you something."

I let Mom lead me to a part of the estate that I've never been before. I had seen something that resembled a tower from outside on the courtyard, but I always thought that it was just decorative architecture.

Once we got to the top of the iron wrought staircase, it became clear that the tower was home to a panoramic studio made just for my mom. It was mostly bare except for a few art supplies and some canvases mounted on easels.

On the far side of the room, I spotted a piece of art that looked complete. Before I could get a better look, Mom left my side and skipped over to it. She raised it off the easel and turned it so that it was facing her chest. Then she walked back over to me. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and the art clutched against her chest.

"I didn't have a lot of time to make this, so it might be a little messy. But after Zayn told me everything that you and Uriel have been through . . . I don't know. Something just came over me. And I made this."

She turned the canvas around so I could get a proper look at it.

"I didn't intend for this to become anything. I was just painting. But when I finished, I suddenly knew. This was meant to be yours."

After the reverend had kicked out my mom, he pretty much cut off any communication I could have with her. The only way that I could connect with my mother was through her art. With the help of the internet, I followed my mom on her journey around the world, viewing her galleries from a distance. It was one of the things that kept me connected to my music as well. Seeing how my mom was capable of creating such beautiful things after the hell my dad had put her through gave me the strength I needed to keep writing lyrics and playing my guitar.

Even after all those years of keeping track of my mom's many art pieces, none of them had been able to spark the same kind of emotion in me as the one she was holding in that moment.

At first I thought I was looking at the night sky. Swirls and strokes of varying shades of indigo, lavender, and black blended and intertwined. They were peppered with jeweled drops of silver fashioned like stars. My eyes scanned the center of the painting where the night sky was interrupted by a contrast of color. Nothing in the painting was moving, yet it felt like a supernatural fire was right there dancing before my eyes.

The fiery colors deepened at the flame's core, blending to a shade that was identical to Uri's aura.

"Mom, this is . . ." I didn't have the words.

She shook her head and chuckled, looking down at the painting as if she couldn't believe that she had made it in the first place.

"I still don't know what to call it."

I took the painting from her hands and studied it some more. Tears were running down my cheeks. Aqua was heating up my core, but it would be a while before she could melt through Ritsu's fresh layer of ice.

Mom reached and pushed a few curls behind my left ear. She gently touched the sharp point before brushing a tear away with her thumb.

"It seems like Uriel is in a lot of trouble and the odds are against both of you. But I've seen you two together. Your love is strong. It's magical. Quite literally." We both laughed a little.

Mom added, "What I'm trying to say is, I have faith that you can get through this. Uriel was right to choose you as the person who could help him overcome all of this and gain back his humanity."

I appreciated her words, but the weight of every screw-up I was responsible for grew heavy on me. What would Mom say if she knew that I was making out with Ritsu behind Uri's back? Or that I had all this power from a marid, but had no idea how I could use it to my advantage?

"Mom," I said, "I'm not as strong as you think."

"You know what? You're absolutely right," she said.

I looked up. To my surprise, there was a smile on her face.

"You're a lot stronger than you or I could ever imagine."

I matched my mom's smile with one of my own.

"Beautiful Hell."

Mom blinked. "Sorry? What –"

"That's the name of the painting." I lifted it up higher so the light from outside could illuminate the rich colors.