“You look pensive.” Charlie cocked his head to the side, his face expressionless. “Does that mean you’re willing to cooperate or that we’re about to become mortal enemies?”
Wearily, Ari got to her feet. “Do you really think after everything that I wouldn’t cooperate?”
Something dark flashed in his gaze and he clenched his fists. “You need to learn when to give up.”
“Are we doing this or not?”
He raised an eyebrow at her tone but nodded. “Them for my freedom, right? So, do you have a plan, or are we going to put our heads together and work it out?”
Ari bristled at the innuendo in his voice. It was so smarmy, so not Charlie. “I have a plan. All I need from you is to lure the Ghulah and Pazuzu out to Rancocas State Park in two days’ time, at dusk. The park is beside the New Jersey Turnpike.”
Charlie curled his lip. “And where in the park am I to lure them?”
“Somewhere in the middle, away from the creek. I’ll be able to sense you.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “This wouldn’t be a trap, would it?”
Instead of answering his question directly, she replied with utmost sincerity. “I don’t want you to die, Charlie.” Her eyes glittered at the thought and he gave her a sharp nod.
“I believe that.” He shook his head as if he didn’t understand her. “Fine. I’ll get them there and then I’m gone.
You’ll keep those assholes off my back?”
“Yes, I will.”
“You’ll have backup tomorrow, right?”
Ari smirked at him. “What? Do you still care after all?”
“No. If you die, I have no one watching my back as promised. So, do us both a favor and bring some backup.” He scowled at her and let the flames of the Peripatos engulf him.
For what could have been a minute or an hour, Ari stared at the space where Charlie had stood, feeling brittle and restless at the same time. She wanted this to be over. She wanted him to be okay. If she couldn’t get him through this and out onto the other side, Ari would never be able to forgive herself. His life had come to this because of her, because her mother placed her with Derek in Sandford Ridge, Ohio.
Ari had to change it. This couldn’t be Charlie’s ending.
Fire exploded in the room, shaking Ari out of her maudlin thoughts as a giant of a man stepped out of the flames.
Her heart surged into her throat.
“Red,” she breathed, shocked he was there but relieved too.
He gave her a small nod. “Ari.”
Ari took a step toward him and faltered at what she found in his eyes. They were colder somehow, and they still held grief. He mourned her mother, Sala.
At the thought of Sala, Ari felt overwhelming loss and regret. She never got the chance to get to know her mother—a Jinn who’d loved Ari so much. Sala had also loved Red, and he had adored her back.
“How … how are you?” she asked softly.
“I am well. And you?” He gazed around her room, taking everything in. Ari was sure it was so he didn’t have to look at her. She shivered, hating this strange, formal distance between them.
Her uncle had made so many mistakes, most regarding Charlie, but he’d also been her closest ally among the royal Jinn. Ari wasn’t even 100 percent sure he was her ally, but with little else to hold on to, she’d always needed to believe that he was friend, not foe.
“I’m all right.”
“I brought you this.” He stopped and held out a strange wooden box with Middle Eastern arabesques and motifs carved into it.
Ari tentatively took it. “What is it?”
“Trey confided in Glass of your plan with Pazuzu and Charlie. This is a Secretum. You need it, yes?”
Sighing, Ari nodded. She should’ve known Trey would turn to the Glass King. He trusted him far more than Ari did.
And yet, Glass and Red clearly trusted one another. So, if Ari trusted Red, surely she could trust her other uncle. “Thank you for bringing this.”
“You’re welcome.” He frowned.
“Please be careful with Pazuzu. The three of you must work together closely.”
“We will.”
He turned sharply, his long, bright red plait swinging across his lower back. “I need to be going … unless there’s anything else I can help you with?”
“Actually, yes.” Ari took a quick step toward him and he flinched, causing her to screech to a halt. Hurt pierced through her at his reaction, but she managed to stifle it from her expression and tone. “Asmodeus keeps visiting my dreams. I don’t know why. It’s unsettling to say the least.”
Red’s face darkened and he gave her a tight nod. “I’ll look into it.” And without a goodbye, he disappeared into the Peripatos, leaving Ari feeling more alone than ever.
7
Dancing with Giants
The visit with Ari was surprisingly painful.
Red sighed wearily. She looked so much like Sala. The hurt brought on by this very physical reminder of his lost love was compounded by guilt. He should be taking better care of Ari in Sala’s absence, and now that his father was no longer interested in Ari, he didn’t even have loyalty to Azazil to excuse the distance he’d created between himself and the girl.
With that in mind, Red found himself back in his father’s palace for the first time in weeks. He marched through the cold corridors, barely acknowledging the bowing heads of the Shaitans he passed. The visit to the palace was for Ari’s sake. Asmodeus was dreamwalking Ari. Not good. Any attention from the Sultan’s first lieutenant was never good.
Red had to discover the reason behind the visits and somehow dissuade Asmodeus from toying with her. That might not be a problem, unless Azazil interfered.
The Shaitan who led him to his father knocked on the grand double doors of Azazil’s guest parlor. The doors swung open abruptly and the Shaitan slid away from view. Red gazed into the large, elaborately decorated room to find his father, Azazil, seated quite casually on a black leather chaise.
Asmodeus stood near him by the empty fireplace.
“Son,” Azazil smirked at him. “What brings you to see me on this fine summer day?”
While autumn was coming to an end in the human realm, summer burst to life on Mount Qaf. Not that it made much difference to Red and his kin as they felt little of the changing temperatures.
“Too many weeks have passed, Father. I thought I’d pay you a visit to see how you fare.” He strode into the room and gave Asmodeus a curt nod before settling into the chaise opposite Azazil.
His father raised an eyebrow.
“Finally stopped mourning your little Ifrit? Sala, was it?”
Ignoring the Sultan’s condescension, Red glanced up at an impassive Asmodeus. “Any news of my brothers?”
Asmodeus sneered. “The White King’s determination to find the whereabouts of Lilif’s body proves inexhaustible.
Fruitless but inexhaustible. Your brothers Shadow and Gleaming have openly joined the cause.”
“Not surprising. They’ve made their allegiance known for centuries,” Red murmured, turning his gaze on Azazil. “I take it they’ve not come close to discovering her whereabouts?”
He grimaced at the thought. “Of course not. He’s aided by fools.” Azazil sighed. “I must admit to being rather bored lately. I’m thinking of planting a clue just to make things a little bit more exciting.”
“Father, you are joking, aren’t you?” Red was aghast at the thought. He could never tell when his mercurial father was being serious.
He laughed at his son’s expression.
“Of course I am. I’m bored, not a fool. I’ll find something else to entertain me.”
A moment of silence passed before Red finally said, “Speaking of,” he looked up at Asmodeus, “any reason you’ve been dreamwalking Ari Johnson?”
Red did not like the way the
lieutenant’s eyes glittered at the mention of Ari’s name. He did not like that at all. “I’m merely
getting to know her.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.” His mouth twitched, his expression antagonistic. “I find her quite lovely. Beautiful face, stunning body. I’m thinking she’d be a nice addition to my harem.”
For not the first time, Red felt a fatherly protectiveness rush over him—his blood heated at the thought of Asmodeus anywhere near Sala’s daughter. “She’s not for you, Asmodeus. She belongs to someone else. Leave her alone.”
“Hush now, son.” Azazil chuckled.
“Leave Asmodeus to his fun. The girl means nothing to us now. Let him do as he wishes.”
Jaw clenched, Red faced his father and tensed at the look in his eyes. Although Azazil’s tone was playful, his eyes were not. His was a command to leave Asmodeus alone to his games with Ari. Inwardly cursing the two of them, Red could do nothing but nod his acquiescence.
***
As Ari snuggled in Jai’s arms, she feared she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. It was the night before her battle with the Ghulah and Pazuzu, and although Jai had done much to take her mind off it, when he drifted to sleep with his arms wrapped around her, Ari was still awake.
For hours she lay there, staring into the dark, her stomach churning with nervous anticipation. And then, as though her lids could take any more weight, they drifted closed and Ari ventured into unconsciousness …
“Finally. Took you long enough.”
Ari burled around at the familiar deep voice, her whole body tensing.
Asmodeus.
She was back at his cove, dressed in the white dress he seemed to like so much. “Again?”
Instead of smirking at her snarkiness as he would’ve done in the past, his eyes narrowed and he approached her slowly, in a way that made her take a step back. There was something more menacing than usual about him.
“The Red King paid me and Azazil a visit today.”
Ari nodded. Red had promised her he’d find out what the hell Asmodeus wanted with her. She’d hoped that would mean the lieutenant wouldn’t be paying her any more visits. Clearly that hadn’t been the outcome of Red’s social call on Mount Qaf. “Yes. I told him I was concerned about your visits.”
He shrugged, coming to a stop inches from her so that Ari had to crane her neck back to meet his gaze.
“I’m merely trying to get to know you.”
She swallowed. “And if I don’t want to get to know you?”
He raised a hand and Ari flinched. His expression hardened at her reaction, but it didn’t stop him from brushing his knuckles across her cheek. Ari shivered. “Do you, like Red, think my intentions nefarious?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Yes, you do.” He bowed his head, bringing his mouth to Ari’s ear. The hand at her cheek unfurled against her skin and she trembled as it slid down and around to grip her tightly by the nape. “I want you.” His lips grazed her jawline and Ari tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let her. Suddenly, he was there, his nose brushing hers, his eyes searing into hers. They narrowed again as he squeezed her nape.
“But someone has already had you.” He gripped her close and bent her head away from his. Ari raised her arms, pushing at his chest in an effort to get him to release her.
“Stop,” she snapped,
feeling like a kitten caught in its master’s grip.
“You slept with the Ginnaye.” The disappointment was evident in his eyes, in his taut features. And just like that, he let her go. Ari stumbled and tried to steady her balance in the sand.
“That’s none of your business,” she huffed, her anger fueling her power and her intentions. For the first time she felt her energy tingle within Asmodeus’s dreamscape. The White fabric wrapped indecently around her body disappeared and Ari replaced it with jeans and a T-shirt.
She threw her head back in triumph, her ever-changing eyes defiant against the lieutenant.
Expecting anger, Ari was taken aback to find him staring at her with a soft smile. It was so unlike him, and for a moment he reminded her of the man she knew he’d once been.
“You’re growing powerful, Ari,” he murmured, his thumb brushing his lip in thought. “Perhaps all is not lost yet.”
Confused as all hell, Ari shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
He shrugged lazily. “I will not lie … I coveted the thought of seducing you first. I find now, however, that it does not matter. You were meant for more than the mortal realm, Ari. You were meant for more than a Ginnaye. I’ve always found patience to work in my favor. Your boredom will send you to me in time.”
Shocked that Asmodeus had openly declared his real intentions for her, and even more frightened by the intimacy of those intentions, Ari shook her head, trembling the whole time.
“I love Jai. I won’t ever leave him.”
The lieutenant smiled viciously. “We’ll see.”
Ari shot up in bed, chest heaving, head spinning with disorientation.
“Ari,” Jai murmured. She felt the mattress shift as he drew up beside her, his gentle fingers brushing her hair back from her face. He turned her chin and she looked into his sleepy eyes.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
Remembering her promise to not keep secrets from him, Ari’s stomach flipped with guilt as she pressed her forehead against his. “Bad dreams about tomorrow. That’s all.”
He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her down so her head rested on his chest. “It’ll be okay. I promise we can do this.”
She nodded, swallowing hard, praying that Asmodeus would grow tired of his infatuation. Of course he will. I’m just a girl. He’s a centuries-old Jinn. And I’m not that interesting!
Feeling how tense she was, Jai sighed. “Try to sleep. You’ll need all your energy tomorrow.”
Ari wished she could sleep, she really did. But she was scared of her dreams now more than ever, scared of where they’d take her. And worse, who they’d take her from.
***
They were tense, silence wrapped around them like an old friend. Jai’s gaze drifted from his best friend who was staring into his coffee mug, jaw clenched tight, to Ari who gazed out into the gardens with worry crinkling the corner of her eyes. He didn’t want her to do this. He knew that when she followed Charlie and the fiends into Rancocas, she would have to go in seemingly alone, with Jai and Trey hiding in the Cloak. He’d still be there but … he wanted Charlie to know he was there. He wanted Pazuzu and that bitch Ghulah to know that Ari had backup. Truthfully, he didn’t want Ari there. He’d rather handle it alone than put her in danger.
Since discovering what David had almost done to her, Jai had been feeling particularly overprotective toward Ari. The thought of anything happening to her on his watch knocked the wind right out of him.
The thought of never waking up again to find her in his arms … well, it killed him.
Needing to touch her, Jai placed his hand over hers. When she offered only a lukewarm smile, he squeezed her hand reassuringly. “It’s time.”
Ari heaved a sigh and stood. “Okay.
You guys will be right behind me and you know what to do?”
“We’re all set,” Trey assured her.
Jai nodded his agreement. Trey had confided in Glass what they were planning to do with Pazuzu; Glass in turn explained how they needed to focus their power to join their energies to create a force great enough against Pazuzu. Once they had him in their control, there was a binding incantation required to compel Pazuzu into the Secretum. Jai had done it before but it was a difficult task on an ordinary malevolent Jinn, never mind one as old as Pazuzu. He had no illusions that this was going to be easy.
Ari reached up and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips. When she stepped back, she smiled lovingly at him, the worry evident in her gaze. “I’ll see you back here with Charlie in a little bit.” At Glass’s suggestion that Ari, with her royal blood, may have the ability to take another person through the Peripatos
, Jai had volunteered to test it out.
And sure enough, his epically brilliant girlfriend could do it. Thus, she was in charge of the idiot who was Charlie Creagh.
“Be careful when we’re out there,” she continued, her gaze straying to Trey. “Both of you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Trey grinned cockily and winked at Jai. “Tell your old lady to stop worrying and get on with it.”
Shaking his head ruefully at his friend, Jai sighed. “You heard him.”
Without another word, Ari let the flames of the Peripatos erupt around her and then she was gone. Jai felt his heart begin to race as he turned to Trey and gave him a sharp nod. “Let’s do this.”
In seconds he was in Rancocas Park, hidden in the Cloak, following Ari as she hurried through the thick of the trees. Trey, you there?
Right beside you, following Ari.
Good. Jai focused on his girl now. We’re right behind you, Ari.
Okay, she answered, her voice shaking in his head. Charlie’s just up ahead.
They hadn’t even been walking two minutes when a blast of magic shot past Ari, barely missing her head. It exploded against a nearby black oak tree. The air rippled around her as she prepared her energy to defend herself. Needing to be at her side, Jai rushed toward her only to discover they had ventured into a small clearing. Charlie stood off to the side as Pazuzu and the Ghulah walked slowly toward Ari.
Jai tensed, remembering his last encounter with the ancient being.
Pazuzu’s face was part human, part lion. The flesh of his mouth curled in an upside-down heart shape, huge fangs peeking from between his lips. He had human-shaped eyes and nose, except completely flat where the bridge should be. His skin was almost black, his amber eyes glowing eerily against the rich dark chocolate of his flesh. His fingers were like long twigs. The creepiest aspect of his physical appearance was the way his left hand twisted downward and his right up.
The Ghulah, on the other hand, passed for an attractive human woman, until she opened her mouth and her jaw elongated to reveal huge, sharp teeth.
Ari, you bind Charlie and get him out of here. We’ll take care of these guys. Trey, you ready?