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Natural causes?

Derek is dead

The roo It had been for nothing She hadn’t saved hi? Derek is dead

"I really do love you, kid I guess I just never loved you enough"

"The White King?" she whispered hoarsely, hitting the floor with a painful thud when she uely aware of The Red King’s strong hands wrapping around her upper arrass He sat her down on the bed and took two careful steps backwards Ari found herself focusing on those very blue eyes of his "The White King?" Her father had done this? Deliberately?

Dad

The pain exploded out of her in soul wrenching fury as she screa sobs She couldn’t feel her liony in her heart and burning fire in her throat There were distant sounds all around her Hurried footsteps growing louder Fa it all The Red King’s voice was there, authoritative, flat, in control After a long while her cries began to slow, to ease, to quiet, and she becaainst her wet cheeks Ari blinked, the world returning to her in painful gulps She was lying on her dad’s bed It was dark outside now Her swollen eyes looked over, following the Jinn presence she felt in the roo her They were alone Ari could have sworn Jai and Charlie had been in the roo down her cheek

Her dad was gone Why?

The Red King reached over, brushing her hair froesture that added another crack to her already broken heart "My brother’s plan ofold One, killing Derek was revenge for you outwitting hieance for what he’s done, if you kill the Jinn who did this, you will be forced to Mount Qaf to be tried in court Once The White King has you in Mount Qaf he’d use that opportunity to manipulate you to his will"

Ari let that settle on her for a moment

A e She sat bolt up, her body suddenly firing with energy "I’ to useI’ll stop hiratified to realize that the threat did not sound stupid or empty It was real After all, she was the Seal of Sololared at hiht you were on s of Jinn to your side, Azazil will see that as a threat and it won’t matter what side I’ all he can to destroy you"

"Then I’ll co threw her a condescending look "In that book that Jai gave you… did it not tell you the full of extent of Azazil’s importance?"

"What do you mean?" she asked warily

"Azazil is the father of our kind, the first The balance of order is contingent upon his existence; life, destiny, chaos, destruction are all bound to him Even I, his son, do not know the depths of Azazil All I know is that he is connected to all the realine He is known in many worlds, and in many cultures, and he has h to coh to deal with the consequences if a being connected to the balance of life itself falls in supplication to a teenage girl bent on revenge"

"Oh" Ari’s heart pounded in her chest in realization "No That wasn’t in Jai’s book"

"I ahed and Ari looked at hiht she found it but after what Jai had told her, Ari wasn’t sure she could trust this man

"What aazed around her dad’s rooo from here?"

"My advice?"

"Yes?"

"You deal with your dad’s funeral and we get you out of here This is only the beginning You can’t sit idly by in this house and wait for my brother to come to you We need to plan our next move But you," he brushed another strand of hair off her face, "Have barely had ti Ari into reality She glanced at the phone on her dad’s bedside table and then looked back at The Red King He nodded sole dread filled her as she reached over and picked up the receiver

Even though she knew, even though she’d expected it, it was horrifying to listen to the police officer tell her that her dad was dead She was given instructions to coue to verify that it was his body She let the receiver drop and sed back vomit It burned her throat and she waved a weak hand over the bedside cabinet, ie It appeared before her and she took a swig, thinking about what Jai had told her

"You ic," she whispered