Despair kept White on his knees;
self-derision kept his head bowed. He’d been so blinded by his love for his mother, so blinded by the falsities she’d shown him, the need to resurrect her had become irrational and illogical. It had taken her less than an hour to gather her strength after he’d punched the ring into her chest to awaken her.
And here she was …
“For centuries, White,” she spat in
outrage, “I have waited for my time. Trapped by Azazil’s making and forced to live in darkness until Ari.” She shot him a look. “You created something remarkable in that one, son. Very clever of you. My time inside her was most edifying. I have seen what has become of you all, what has become of this world. Of Asmodeus, even.” Lilif shook her head in disgust. “My poor brother has lost all the meaning in his life. You all have. But I can return it, just as you wished me to.”
She bent down on one knee to gently
lift White’s chin, tilting his head so he had to meet her unbalanced gaze. “I will keep you alive, son, in compensation for your service to me. You were always my most faithful.” She stroked his cheek tenderly before pinching his skin with her harsh grip. “But your brothers must die. It is the only way to continue to break the threads. It is the only way to welcome our souls into The After. And now that I have the powers of the Seal at my command, nothing will stop me.”
Despite the disbelief coursing through his veins, White managed to keep his expression blank as he nodded in acquiescence to his mother. While she offered him a smug smile, he did the only thing he could. He began telepathing as loudly as possible to the one brother who might be smart enough to save them all.
Red gritted his teeth, the blast from White’s telepathy taking him to his knees as he clutched his head, trying to breathe through the pain and listen to the message.
Lilif has awakened! I’m
sorry, Brother. You were right. Worse, the power of the Seal remains within her. She’s coming for you all. I will warn Gleaming and Shadow. You warn the others.
“Red?” Ari’s concerned voice drew his watery gaze from the floor. He turned to find her kneeling beside him, her hand anxiously clutching his arm. When their eyes met, he saw her genuine worry for him and felt a wave of fierce protection grip him. With a reassuring nod at Ari, he glanced up at his brother who seemed to sense the news before he’d even heard it.
Red rose to his feet, bringing Ari with him. “That was the White King.”
“Telepathing you?” Ari asked him, confusion in every syllable.
“It seems Lilif wasted no time in revealing her true nature to him. He was calling to warn us. She is keeping to the old plan.”
Glass’s eyes narrowed. “To kill
us.”
Red nodded grimly. “Yes. And worse, she has the power of the Seal at her command. White is warning Gleaming and Shadow. We will warn Lucky and Gilder and have them meet us at Father’s. If we combine our power, we should be able to keep her out of the palace until Father regains his strength. We will strategize where to go from there.”
“You’re leaving?” Trey took a step toward them but his anguished eyes were on Glass.
Red sighed, watching his brother’s expression tighten as he realized he’d have to leave the young Hunter here.
When he shot a look at Red, he didn’t even have to telepath the question. Can I bring him?
Red looked at Ari, wishing he could bring her also. But they couldn’t. It would be far safer to be away from them while they were Lilif’s targets. As if Glass realized this at the same time, he clasped Trey’s face in his hands. Watching the tenderness in his brother’s eyes sent a wave of grief over Red. But at least Glass had the reassurance of knowing that since the incident in Rancocas Park, Trey would be safe, as long as Lilif never laid a hand upon Glass.
“Look after Ari,” Glass told him
softly. “And yourself. I’ll come back when this business with Lilif is resolved.”
“I want to fight with you.” Trey
shook his head stubbornly. “If she … if something happens to you …”
And from that point on, their
conversation was silent. Red assumed love words were being exchanged using the privacy of telepathy, so he turned to his beautiful niece and laid an affectionate touch upon her shoulder, drawing her gaze from the lovers.
Her soulful eyes, the exact image of her mother’s, pierced him. He found himself telling her fiercely, “No matter what, you must protect yourself. It would be prudent for you and Jai to go into hiding until I give the all-clear.”
Ari took a step closer to him, her head craning to meet his eyes. “No.” She shook her head defiantly. “I’m not leaving the Guild alone to face whatever is coming.”
Red closed his eyes briefly, trying to rein in the need to order her about. It would not be useful. Ari was too much like her mother, and Sala did not take orders well. Opening his eyes, he touched Ari’s cheek and sighed. “Fine. But watch out for one another.” His eyes lifted to Jai. “Keep her safe.”
The Ginnaye gave him a militant nod, and Red knew he could rest a tiny bit easier knowing the Guardian would die in a blaze of glory to keep his niece alive.
13
Immune to Your Charms
Three days had passed and still no word from her uncles. At this point Ari would’ve been happy to be dreamwalked by Asmodeus, so long as it meant receiving some intelligence on what the hell was happening. It horrified her to know Lilif was out in the world using the Seal as she pleased.
International news had reported a large influx of weather phenomenon. None of it was as disastrous as the earthquake in Ethiopia, but if Lilif got anywhere near Azazil or the Jinn kings, Ari feared they could kiss the world goodbye.
She needed to know what was going on.
It wasn’t like this was random, everyday running-from-a-sorcerer-hunting-your-best-friend-getting-your-ass-kicked-by-an-ancient-demon issue. This was end-of-the-world stuff.
However, not even Asmodeus had visited, and Ari had the distinctly unpleasant feeling the lieutenant was furious with her for asking the epic favor from Azazil. Guilt had lodged permanently inside Ari, a heavy stone in her stomach, always there, never shifting. Guilt for demanding something so draining of Azazil. Guilt for still feeling happy that she’d done it if it meant Derek, Mikey, Fallon, and Charlie were alive.
She stared at the ceiling, wondering what everyone else really thought of her. Red and Glass seemed concerned about her safety before they fled to escape Lilif’s wrath, but that didn’t mean they weren’t disappointed in her for using Azazil’s power for her own selfish means.
What she had done … didn’t that make her as bad as Lilif?
Discussing her guilt was difficult.
She couldn’t with the Roes because they clearly were happy with her decision to manipulate Azazil’s power. She couldn’t discuss it with Fallon because she was working through her moroseness over Charlie, pummeling holes into training center punching bags. And Trey too was quiet these days, spending hours locked in his room painting and worrying about Glass.
There was only Jai, and he was convinced that she’d acted with a pure heart. How could she possibly feel guilty for saving four lives?
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” His sleep-roughened voice found her in the dark.
Ari turned her head on the pillow, her eyes so well adjusted to the shadows, she could see he’d turned on his side to watch her. “I can’t help it.”
“And nothing I say will convince you that this isn’t your fault?”
She shook her head.
“Ari,” he whispered sadly, his fingers trailing a shivery path across her bare shoulder and down her arm. “Baby, you made a decision to save lives. Azazil agreed. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s his.
And it’s the White King’s. And if you really want to get into it, it’s Azazil’s and Asmodeus’s fault for not destroying Lilif centuries ago when they had the chance.”
“They couldn’t. At the time … she was too connected to the world.”
“Not anymore.”
Ari nodded. “She can be destroyed now. If Azazil and Asmodeus allow it, that is.”
“I think they’ll have to. For now, I want you to stop worrying and stop feeling guilty. She may be powerful but she’s up against seven Jinn kings and Azazil and Asmodeus. Azazil will have regained his strength by now. I’m sure they’re dealing with it as we speak.”
“You can’t just say the words and expect me to stop feeling guilty. To stop worrying,” Ari insisted. “Azazil told me there might be consequences. I did it, anyway. I acted like Charlie, except I don’t have the excuse of being twisted by a piece of Mount Qaf emerald.”
Jai heaved an irritated sigh. “Now I’m getting pissed.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He sat up on his elbow. “Okay, your actions led to Lilif’s reawakening. Did you intend that? No.
You did what you did to save lives. Charlie’s actions lost lives and all to wreak revenge. How is what you did the same thing?”
Jai Bitar, you are a pain in my ass. Ari made a grumbling noise. “It’s not.”
“Are you going to stop feeling guilty?”
“Can we not talk about this anymore?”
“Ari—”
She reached up swiftly, pulling his head down to hers. The annoyed, hard kiss she pressed against his mouth to shut him up quickly grew soft and heated as he groaned and wrapped his arms around her.
“You don’t play fair,” he growled, trailing soft kisses along her jaw and down her neck.
Needing to escape for a while, Ari was overcome with an urgency to disappear inside him. She gripped his hips with her thighs and flipped him so his back was on the mattress and she was straddling him.
Jai smoothed his hands down her back and around her hips, a fire stirring in his gaze. Her lips hovered above his as she whispered desperately, “I’m going to make it so I don’t know where you start and where I end.”
Abruptly, Jai sat up, rearranging her on his lap as he held her tight against him. “We’re already there.” He kissed her softly. “We’re deep inside each other. That’s why I can’t bear to see you blame yourself. I feel it. I feel it when you hurt.”
Her eyes shimmered as she tenderly cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs stroking his bristly jawline. “Then I’ll stop blaming myself.”
“As easy as that?”
She brushed her nose along his, her bottom lip catching his top lip. “You’re the last person in the world I’d ever hurt. If hurting me hurts you … then, yeah. Easy as that.”
Jai’s eyes sparked in the dark and he hugged her tighter. “I love you. I need you,” he whispered frantically, his hands coasting around her hips to draw her nightgown up. “Now.”
Ari nodded, her cheek rubbing against his as she whispered in his ear. “I love you too.”
Leaning back a little, she raised her arms so he could draw her nightie off, and as soon as it was gone and there was nothing between them but air, Jai crushed her against him, kissing her breathless.
The sound of Jai’s cell ringing woke them. Ari sleepily lifted her head off his chest so he could reach for it on his bedside table.
“Bitar,” he mumbled into the cell.
Whatever the caller said bolted Jai upright. Ari instantly tensed, watching him.
“Okay. We’ll be right there.” He hung up and looked down at her, his expression unreadable. “Michael wants to see us. He has an assignment for us.”
Ari struggled into a sitting position, pushing her long hair out of her face. “Well, that’s good, right?