Smokeless Fire (26 page)

Rolling his neck, feeling the satisfying crack, Jai had to draw on all the patience and professionalism he could. Punching Charlie would just upset Ari even more than she already was and that was last thing he wanted. After she’d told them she was going to allow them to show her the way to her magic last night, they had all returned to the house. Without a word, Ari had locked herself in her bedroom, and The Red King had assured Jai that for tonight he was allowed to leave her alone in her room. Charlie and Jai had slept downstairs. The Red King had left after promising Jai he’d contact him as soon as Azazil gave him the information on the Shaitan. For now he left Ari in Jai’s ‘capable’ hands. He was the one who was to show her the way to her abilities — a prospect he did not look forward to as he was still suffering a splitting headache from the contact he’d made through the realms.

It was ten in the morning. Jai and Charlie had already washed and eaten breakfast, and had been waiting and waiting for Ari to open her door. Still nothing.

Not that Jai could blame her. He would have hoped after giving Charlie a copy of the book he’d conjured for Ari to read that he
too
would now understand the gravity of Ari’s situation. He’d cursed enough about it last night as he read the book, keeping Jai from a good night’s sleep every time he came across something that affected Ari directly. If Jai had had to listen to him mutter, “Ari’s father is such a dick’ one more time he had seriously considered finding an enchanted bottle and trapping the douchebag in it for good.

Understanding Ari’s state of shock, the crazy, unbelievable reality of who and what she was didn’t seem to be affecting Charlie like it should. Jai didn’t like the look in his eye, his impatience, his excitement.

“Give her time,” Jai hissed. “She said she’d do this and she will, but back off and give her time to deal with this stuff.”

Charlie shook his head, shooting another concerned look at the door. “Giving her time will just make her think about it too much. She might decide not to go ahead and then what’ll Derek do?”

Jai narrowed his eyes, his suspicions crawling in his veins and nudging his intuition awake on their journey. “Derek? Is that really what you’re worried about, Charlie?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I don’t think you give a damn about Derek. I don’t know what your game is here but I will find out.”

The kid took a step towards Jai, his jaw clenched, his eyes blazing at the accusation. “Who the hell do you think you are? I’m here for Ari.
Ari
!” He shook his head, his eyes washing over Jai disdainfully. “I’m not fooled by you, dude.” He leaned in to Jai, whispering his next words, “But just so you know… she’s been
mine
for a long time.”

You little piece of fu
—

Ratbag little
—

Jai took a deep breath, trying to control the desire to deck the jackass. Instead he leaned in just as threateningly as Charlie had and cocked his head mockingly. “Yours?”

When Charlie pulled back, his expression changing, softening, as if he realized he was acting like a jerk, Jai unfortunately could see the glimmer of the good kid in his eyes that Ari was so hung up on. He shook his head, his messy hair flying around his face, his dark eyes full of self-directed derision. “I meant she’s my friend. She’s been my friend for a long time. Long before
you
came into her life.”

I can’t get caught up in this crap.

Before Jai could say something, anything to assure Charlie (and himself) that his only part in Ari’s story was that of the guardian, Ari’s bedroom door swung open. She looked more together, her hair freshly washed, her eyes bright with determination. Jai dropped his gaze, not needing to look at her for too long.

“I’ve been in there trying to psyche myself up for this,” she explained, coming out and shutting the door behind her. “That would have been easier if I hadn’t had to listen to you two bicker outside my door for the last half hour like two old woman fighting over the last can of corn.” She brushed past him, her bare arm sliding against his and sending the hair on his forearm up in tingles. She smelled of the rich, exotic
Dior
perfume she wore all the time, a scent Jai would never be able to smell again without thinking about her. As he and Charlie followed her downstairs he noted the change in her gait. Ari was one of those rare girls who seemed to float from place to place when she walked, graceful and feminine. Today her steps were heavier, as if the emotional burden of discovering who she was, was an actual physical weight. He felt a sharpness in his chest at the thought and ignored the splice of some unknown but ugly feeling rip through him as Charlie caught up to her at the bottom of the stairs, pulling her into a hug before she could say anything more.

Her small hands slid around his back and for a moment she held tight to him. Jai felt the ugliness grow darker and deeper, like a stone caught at the back of his throat. He eyed the floor determinedly, waiting for the rustle of clothing to tell him they’d stopped embracing.

“I’m fine, really,” Ari told them quietly and Jai raised his head to see her eyeing him warily. “I’m ready to learn.”

Glad for his stoic professionalism, Jai jerked his head towards the living room. “Let’s go in there, sit down, relax into this.”

She heaved a sigh and turned to Charlie. “You should go.”

Ha-ha, loser.

Oh real mature, Jai. Real mature.

Charlie’s jaw dropped, his comical expression giving Jai more satisfaction than it should. “What? No way!”

“Charlie.” Ari’s face crumpled as she reached for him, her palm pressing on his chest above his heart. She was so comfortable and affectionate with him it made Jai want to gnash his teeth on something.  “I can’t have anything happen to you. And being around me… not good. Starting now I have to walk away from all of this. From Ohio. From Dad and Rachel and Staci… and you.”

Panic lit Charlie’s eyes and for a moment Jai almost felt bad for the guy even if he did think Ari’s sacrifice of her friends and family was the logical thing to do.

“No!” Charlie shrugged away from her. “You can’t—” he threw a dark look at Jai, cutting off whatever he was about to say. To appease him somewhat, Jai took a stroll into the kitchen where he could still hear them arguing in the hall, but at least it gave Charlie the pretense of privacy. “You can’t do this, Ari. You’ve spent the last two years being there for me even when I didn’t deserve it, even when I didn’t want you to. I get it, OK, I do. After Mike, I knew how messed up I was and I wanted you far away from me, from
that
. I wanted the best, purest thing in my life to remain that and I couldn’t guarantee that would happen if you stuck around. But I couldn’t get rid of you. You wouldn’t let me. You have been there for me, Ari. And I didn’t realize how much I need that until the night you disappeared. I took you for granted and I’m sorry. But please… please don’t give up now. Please don’t push me out of this.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“By leaving me?” he asked hoarsely. “You’re all I have.”

“Charlie—”

“I’m all you’ve got. It’s always been us. I’m not scared of anything. And I take full responsibility for whatever happens to me, for whatever goes down. Just please… Ari… you’re my best friend.”

Jai groaned inwardly when he heard her whisper ‘OK’.

He’d thought he was rid of the tool.

“OK then.” Jai clapped his hands, striding back into the hall. “If the after school special has come to an end…can we get on with this?”

Although her heart
was still racing too fast at the thought of Charlie being caught up in the enormity of her situation — her very
dangerous
situation — the selfish part of her was glad he wanted to stick around. He followed her into the living room as she took a seat opposite Jai. He stared back at her emotionless, waiting for her signal to begin. It was so nice of her guardian to turn into a cold asshat just when she needed him to be her friend. Ignoring the hurt that spiked through her every time she thought of the way he looked at her now, Ari drew in a shuddering breath.

Jai’s face softened infinitesimally, the sun beaming in through the window turned his eyes a startling golden green. “You ready?”

She nodded and then glanced over at Charlie one more time. “Last chance to get the hell out of here.”

He grinned at her, that yummy, adorable smile of his that never failed to make her feel good. “I’m not going anywhere. I called my mom last night and explained about Derek, said I’d be staying with you for a while.”

Ari quirked an eyebrow. “So you’re still getting wasted at Rickman’s but communication with your mom has improved. That’s good, right?”

“Are you seriously going to lecture me about that right now?”

“No, she’s not,” Jai snapped. “Come on people, let’s focus.”

He was really starting to piss her off. Ari shot him a hateful look. “What crawled up your butt? Did you find out you were the Seal of Solomon and the most sought after weapon in the history of the Jinn?” she mocked. “Oh no, wait, that was me.”

Rolling his eyes at her Jai made her feel about six years old. “You’re breaking rule number one.”

Another stab of hurt.

Nice.

“What, we’re back to rules again?” she huffed at him, ignoring Charlie watching them cautiously. “And technically I wasn’t insulting you, I was mocking you.”

“Technically will you shut up so we can do this?”

“Hey don’t talk to her like that,” Charlie snapped.

Ari shrugged. “Jai doesn’t mean anything by it, Charlie. He was raised like a wolf among people.”

The deeply hurt look Jai used to pin her to the couch stuck through her like a big sharp pointy needle. She gaped wordlessly, remembering him confessing his upbringing with a family who didn’t want him. Jai hadn’t gone into the details but she could guess it hadn’t been good. Or affectionate. Probably like a wolf among people.
Crap
. He thought she was throwing his vulnerability back in his face. Despite his earlier, baffling coldness, she wanted to reach out and touch him, to reassure him. To apologize. “Jai...”

He smoothed his features again and when he spoke his voice lacked any emotion. “Forget it. Let’s just get started.”

Still feeling awful, Ari bit down the nerves and exhaled. “What should I do?”

“Speak to me,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Huh?”

“Using your mind.”

“OK what?” Charlie interjected.

“You.” Jai pointed a finger at him without breaking his concentration from Ari’s face. “Can’t be doing that. You read that book last night, right?”

“Yeah… I just… I guess I keep forgetting Ari is Jinn. It’s too weird.”

“Gee, thanks Charlie.”

“You know what I mean.”

Ignoring him, Ari leaned forward, her elbows braced on her knees as she stared deep into Jai’s eyes, trying not to flush at the immediate tension she felt coiling within herself trapped under his exotic gaze. “So… I what?” she whispered hoarsely. “Just direct thoughts at you?”

“Exactly.”

“It can’t be
that
easy.”

He smirked arrogantly. “Try it.”

OK, what do I say to him? Um… you look nice in a towel?
She flushed.
Jesus Christ don’t say that!

Clasping her hands together and bracing her chin on them Ari bore her eyes into his, imagining the words floating out of her brain across the living room and in through Jai’s forehead.
What’s up with the grumpy?

His mouth quirked up at the corner ever so slightly.
Didn’t get much sleep last night.

“Holy—” Ari slid back in her chair in fright as his voice echoed around inside her head as clear as if he’d spoken right into her ear.

“What? What did it work?” Charlie asked excitedly, but Ari couldn’t even look at him. She was amazed. In awe. A bubble of laughter floated up out of her and tinkled into the air and there was no mistaking the little spark of something in Jai’s eyes at the sound.

Curious, and eager to continue, Ari leaned back into him.
Seriously. What did I do?

The spark promptly sputtered out of his green depths.
Nothing. I’m just doing my job, Ari.

You’re being a tool.

What did I say about the name-calling?

Jai.

Ari.

“OK, guys this freaking me out,” Charlie said, finally drawing Ari’s gaze. His eyebrows were practically at his hairline. “Can you do it? Are you a telepath now?”

A slow smile slid across her face and she nodded. Yeah she was a telepath. And it felt weird and strange and unbelievable.