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And then Luca murmured, "I’m proud of you, Jai Word of what you and Ari did is circulating the Jinn world and people are phoning to congratulate o that wouldn’t have been the case I would have accepted the congratulations asyou the goodnext to you once toldyou are despite me, and that I can’t take credit for the ht slowly disappearing "You said that?"

She nodded shyly and shifted closer to hiazes back to hi I rong I don’t kno you feel, or if you enjoy working with the Hunters, but I want you to know that I’d be proud to have you back--you, Ari, and Trey, of course"

For the first ti hi hi him to come back It didn’t make it all better--neither did sorry--but in that ood He felt even better to stand, hold out his hand, shake Luca’s hand, and decline his offer

Seeave Ari a respectful nod goodbye, and moved to leave

He stopped beside Jai, not looking at him, and clamped a hand down on his shoulder He squeezed it, the first real fatherly gesture he’d ever given him, and then without another word, he walked out of their lives

The weight on Jai’s chest that hit whenever he thought of the Bitars eased And when the smell of Ari’s perfuainst his back, her ar around his waist, her cheek pressed to his shoulder blade, that weight disappeared entirely

He wrapped his arms over Ari’s and leaned back into her

"You know, if you wanted to go hoone with you," she told him quietly "I’d follow you anywhere"

At those beautiful words, Jai turned slowly and gathered her close, his hand cupping the back of her head, holding her in place for a long kiss When he finally drew back to allow theeous lower lip and answered, "This is home You’re hoood people, Ari We’ll be happier here than we could ever be there"

She nodded and pressed her forehead against his chest "How do you feel?"

It took hiht words Finally, he decided on just one "Free"

21

Haunting Me

The ave Ari, Trey, and Jai a break for a while--a vacation of sorts--and kept the workload light It eird, but everyone went about their business like nothing had happened, like they hadn’t just averted an apocalypse Even Fallon

Even the Jinn kings were quiet Even freaking Asmodeus who, for all his threats of dire retribution, hadn’tan eye on hiht decide to spring on Ari

So far, nothing In fact, no one seemed anxious about it, not even Jai, usually the worrier in the group

Trey was definitely not worried

Trey was too busy in happy La-La-Land to be worried about anything Glass spent a lot of time at the house (another reason why no one orried about Asanize a show he’d allery in Trenton

Ari didn’t knohy she felt out of sorts while everyone else appeared to be settling into their lives She guessed it eird not to have so that she had to so with Jai, hanging out with Fallon, and learning how to speak Arabic Jai was teaching her Suffice it to say that often those lessons ended in a heated argu used to that She and Jai could be a little hotheaded around one another but the ive Jai so out with Trey at the gym Ari hadn’t shopped for what felt like forever, and she found, now that she was back doing it, shopping was kind of dull

She was about to give up when she saw Agent Provocateur She grinned instantly, a naughty thought coreen-eyed Ginnaye who happened to share her bed every night Her interest in shopping suddenly renewed itself

Ari wandered into the lingerie store and to search for so over one particular iteled and the fa around the store, Ari searched its customers and staff for the source It was none of them

It wasn’t like Ari should be alarmed

An entire Guild of half-blood Jinn Hunters lived in Burlington However, she could sense levels of power, and the Jinn she was sensing was not a half-blood

A full-blooded Jinn was in the mall, and she wasn’t sure she’d encountered hiht of kicking soerie, she walked with purpose out of the store, glancing right and then turning left S rushed over every inch of her skin as she stuazed up at the Jinn

The Jinn as kind of familiar, actually

Tall, dark-haired, cute in a boyish, innocent way "Whoa" He reached out to stop her fro too far "Sorry about that You okay?"

Ari eyed hi to politely brush his hands off "I’m fine"

"I sensed you here" He nodded his head to the lingerie store and his grin got a little less innocent and whole lothe wasn’t Jinn, Ari decided to dispense with any pleasantries "Who are you? What do you want?"

He frowned at her questions, looking more than a little displeased "You don’t reenuinely hurt Ari shrugged apologetically "I’ve met a lot of new people lately Sorry"

That appeared to appease the guy somewhat "I’m Beau," he said, as if she should knoho the hell he was

"Ulowered now "We o In Midland Connecticut"

Just like that, Ari reuy who’d flirted with her as bad-boy Jai waited in the parking lot Of course, that had been minutes before a bunch of crazy Jinnhad come after her