Will Power: A Djinn Short Read Online Free PDF Page B

stepped lightly, but this house was new and nothing creaked yet.
    The second floor spilled out into a lookout over the lounge area. I could hear Pyke slamming cupboards in the kitchen.
    Only two doors to choose from … I opened the closest. It was the master bedroom with adjoining bathroom. The room was bare, like everything else in the house. I sniffed the air for any kind of scent that might still be lingering, but was only hit with an overpowering smell of cleaning products.
    I covered my nose and sneezed as chemicals burned my nostrils. I went over the bathroom, but it was even cleaner as if someone had dumped an entire bottle of cleaning agent on the floor and left it to soak.
    The other bedroom was smaller with no bathroom, just a built-in cupboard. The room was a simple square shape with a single window overlooking the street. This would have been her room.
    I glanced out the window and spotted a light shining from across the road in the neighbouring house. The purple curtains were drawn back, the walls covered with posters of topless boys with styled hair and cheesy poses. Sitting on the double bed was Tam.
    She wore purple pyjama pants and a singlet top. Her laptop was perched on her knee as she typed and giggled. She must have been talking to someone.
    I watched her and thought about earlier today. According to Mia and Pyke, Tam had been flirting with me, and I suppose they were right. I’d seen Pyke flirt with plenty of girls back at the compound. He’d move in close and run his fingers up and down their arms, which made them blush.
    Pyke got a lot of action. Mia said it was because he was a broken soul and girls like to think they could fix him.Don’t know why they’d waste their time.
    Was that why Mia liked me? Was I a broken soul because my father had left me and I couldn’t feel anything? Did she want to fix me? No girl could fix that.
    I knew what attraction looked like. I’d seen almost everyone around me attracted to someone at least once. But I’d never experienced it.
    Did it really matter, though?
    I was Guardjinn. Protecting and serving came above all else. Being attracted to someone wasn’t going to make me better at my job; it was a distraction.I knew from experience that relationships didn’t last and only led to heartbreak.Why would I want that?
    I had hardly ever felt the sensation of touch. I had my own way and it worked just fine.
    I turned from the window and stared at the empty room. I took another deep breath and chemicals stung my nose again, but there was something else too. The chemicals were bitter, but there was also the slightest hint of sweet.
    I pulled off my jacket and tee, undid my pants and shifted into dog form. It was easier to sort the different smells out this way.
    I sniffed the floor sifting through each scent. Carpet cleaner, dust, soap, coffee …
    Cinnamon and apples.
    I raised my head. It was coming from the cupboard. I shifted back and opened the doors. Empty except for a set of built-in drawers.I yanked each drawer open, but there was nothing aside from a fine layer of dust. I slammed the last draw back in place.
    Where is that smell? I sniffed. It was in here, somewhere.
    I ripped out the drawers, tossing them to the floor and letting them crack and splinter against the wall. I pull on the drawer frame, but it was bolted to the floor.
    “Will?” Mia entered the room with Pyke behind her.
    I ignored them and focused on my mission. I might not be able to feel anything when a girl touched me, but I could track down and save one from a vicious monster.
    I reached into the drawer slots and touched something. I pulled it free and buried my face into the material, taking in the scent.
    Cinnamon and apples.
    Kyra.
    It had to be her.

Chapter Eight

    “This town looks like a dump,” Mia said as we drove through the central shopping strip.
    I had to admit it was pretty bare with minimal shops and the houses placed few and far between. It seemed like the perfect spot