Page 11 (1/2)

"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 wouldher any more visits Clearly that hadn’t been the outcome of Red’s social call on Mount Qaf "Yes I told hied, co to a stop inches froaze

"I’et to know you"

She sed "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 hi his knuckles across her cheek Ari shivered "Do you, like Red, think my intentions nefarious?"

"I don’t know I don’t knohat you want fro his ainst her skin and she trehtly 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 soripped her close and bent her head away fro at his chest in an effort to get him to release her

"Stop," she snapped,

feeling like a kitten caught in its rip

"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 tile 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 triuainst the lieutenant

Expecting anger, Ari was taken aback to find hi at her with a soft smile It was so unlike him, and for a moment he reminded her of thepowerful, Ari," he ht "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 noever, 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 htened by the inti 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 ers brushing her hair back from her face He turned her chin and she looked into his sleepy eyes

"Baby, what’s wrong?"

Re her promise to not keep secrets frouilt as she pressed her forehead against his "Bad dreams about to arms around her and pulled her down so her head rested on his chest "It’ll be okay I pro hard, praying that Asrow tired of his infatuation Of course he will I’irl He’s a centuries-old Jinn And I’ 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 theaze drifted fro, jaw clenched tight, to Ari who gazed out into the gardens orry 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 see in the Cloak He’d still be there but … he wanted Charlie to knoas 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 al particularly overprotective toward Ari The thought of anything happening to her on his watch knocked the wind right out of hiain to find her in his ar to touch her, Jai placed his hand over hers When she offered only a lukewarly "It’s tih and stood "Okay

You guys will be right behind me and you knohat to do?"

"We’re all set," Trey assured her

Jai nodded his agree 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 hi 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 oing to be easy