Perhaps a lot more, she shuddered, thinking of some of the vile things Lilif had put in her head, the feel of her fury in her veins and the taste of it on her tongue. That woman was apocalypticaly bad. Ari could only hope that al White’s horses and al of his men couldn’t put Lilif back together again.
“Here,” Kit offered kindly, holding out a bowl of what looked like broth. “It wil give you some energy.”
“Thanks.” Ari took it from him. “For everything.”
He bowed his head in acknowledgement of her gratitude, the silver strands of his hair shimmering in the low lighting. Together they sat in silence as Ari finished her broth.
He was right. She did feel better.
Ari had barely put the bowl down on the floor beside the mattress when the familiar hiss and crackle of flames signaled someone’s arrival through the Peripatos.
Asmodeus stepped out, dressed al in black, the Seal hanging from thin, black leather rope around his neck. Unlike the replica he’d worn before, the real ring throbbed with an invisible energy that drew the eye of any Jinn strong enough to feel it. The Marid flicked a look at Kit as Ari’s heart pounded at being back in his presence. She felt sick with fear and to her surprise her palms were sweating. It was weird Jinn could stil sweat even when they didn’t feel temperature change. Must be a nervous thing.
Nervous, Ari guffawed . Try terrified.
It had suddenly occurred to her that having the Seal within her had diminished her fear in situations like these—the power she’d wielded was a shield between her and anyone who could do her harm. That was gone now. There was just her and her normal Jinn power and the training Jai had given her.
“Leave us,” Asmodeus commanded Kit, an ordinary command and not from the Seal, for Kit—though his eyes were wide with fear—shook his head.
“His Highness, The Red King, asked me to guard the young lady in his absence. I folow his orders, sir, not yours.”
Ari eyed the healer. God, he was brave.
Asmodeus took a menacing step toward Kit and Ari automaticaly stepped in between them, holding a hand up to halt Asmodeus. Heart banging away against her
ribcage, Ari threw Kit a pleading look over her shoulder. She didn’t want him hurt. Go get Red, she telepathed.
For a moment she didn’t think he was going to comply, but after a second of hesitation he nodded and hurried from the room before Asmodeus thought to stop him.
Ari was alone with the Lieutenant.
She straightened her shoulders. She may not have the Seal anymore, but she stil refused to be intimidated.
“Stil foolishly self-sacrificing, I see,” he mocked.
Ari glowered at him, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She felt like she’d gotten to know Asmodeus over the last few weeks and showing your fear of him only irritated him. “Is this another self-sacrifice? You’ve come to try and kil me, again?”
“Oh never fear, Ari, if I wanted you dead now, you would be.”
“Then what do you want?”
“A little gratitude maybe.” He flashed her a wicked smile, and since it was the first proper grin he’d ever given her, she noticed his white teeth were slightly crooked, adding a certain imperfect charm to his beauty that she wished it didn’t. “I did save you from Lilif’s poisonous power.”
Eyeing him carefuly, Ari considered him. He seemed different. A little lighter. Happier? No. Not happier. She didn’t think he was capable of ‘happy’, but he was definitely lacking his usual doom and gloom. Was it the Seal around his neck? Was having Lilif’s essence close to him affecting the balance within him just a little?
“You would have put me in a coma if Red hadn’t arrived with his healer,” she snapped back at him, the memory of his apology as he’d ripped the Seal from her making her voice die out on the last word. Had he realy apologized? And if so… why?
“However, I did let him heal you,” Asmodeus argued. “I could have stopped him, but I didn’t.”
“How generous of you. And why exactly was that again? I thought I was too ‘dangerous’ to be around?”
He took another step towards her and Ari refused to back up. “You’re so young. Realy just a child,” he mused. “But I’ve lived long enough to recognize a
complication when I see it, and you are a complication.”
“A complication?”
He gave her a nod, a cruel smile twisting his wel-shaped lips. “You have your mother’s unusual beauty, but you’re even stronger than her. You fight even when you are frightened and you care even when you should not. You have integrity. You have grit.”
Trying not to blush under his assessment of her, Ari’s body took an involuntary step back as if it sensed what she didn’t. “I thought those qualities are ones you despise?”
“On the contrary,” his voice grew low and deep and Ari shivered at the feel of its caress across her skin, “I’m always intrigued by people like you.”
“Why?”
“Because you remind me of how I once was.”
Unwanted sympathy tugged at Ari’s chest and she tried to keep that emotion hidden from her voice as she replied, “Can’t you be that way again?”
Asmodeus smirked. “So innocent. No, Ari. I cannot. Since I lost Lilif, I have done things that have changed my soul. There is no going back.”
“No, there’s no going back,” she agreed. “But you could go forward. You could try to be more like the old Asmodeus. From what I saw, he was wise and
sometimes even kind...”
His dark gaze intensified, the silence between them thickening awkwardly. Ari wondered franticaly where Red was.
“See,” Asmodeus murmured, taking another step toward her, “A complication.”
Chest tightening with panic at his proximity, Ari held up a hand to halt his progress towards her. “What do you want, Asmodeus? Why are you here?”
Those eyes of his flashed and Ari knew that look. She’d seen it before in the eyes of both Charlie and then Jai. Charlie’s look had been too late, and Jai’s had always been welcome. Asmodeus’ was definitely unwelcome despite the skittering of her heart and the strange flattery she felt that an immortal like Asmodeus could want her that way.
“A little birdy told me you were leaving.” He grew closer stil. “Azazil is alowing you to return to the mortal realm. I didn’t want you to leave without a proper goodbye.” He stopped now, his chest inches from her face and Ari had to tip her head back to meet his gaze. His energy crackled al around her, and Ari couldn’t deny the unfaithful spark of attraction between them.
But that was al it was, she reminded herself. It was al it would ever be.
She cleared her throat. “Goodbye then, Asmodeus. I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but I think we both know I’d just be placating you.”
He smirked at that and Ari flinched when he reached out to touch her cheek, his long fingers brushing along her jaw before stopping to clasp her chin a little too firmly. “That is not the kind of goodbye I had in mind.”
Desperate to stop him, Ari blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “You know you’re technicaly my grandmother’s brother.”
He laughed again. “There’s centuries of blood between you and Lilif. That distance means something to the Jinn, we don’t think like mortals do with their short lives and strange social structures, especialy when al I want is a kiss goodbye.”
“You can forget it,” she snapped now, trying to pul away. But Asmodeus held firm, his eyes stil laughing at her.
“It’s just one kiss, Ari. The Ginnaye need never know.”
“I would know.” She yanked her chin out of his grasp, but he was quick, his arms banding around her back and pressing her flush to him.
“So damn honorable.”
“Let me go.”
“Kiss me.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed and Ari’s widened as the brass part of the Seal around his neck began to glow. No! The son-of-a-bitch! “I thought you said you didn’t need to force unwiling women, Lieutenant,” she bit out, her panic visible in her expression as she glared at the Seal.
“I haven’t nearly just kiled most women I want in my bed, so I am thinking you might need a little push. Kiss me,” he commanded.
Ari froze, disbelief chiling her blood.
She felt… nothing.
“Do that again?” she whispered and she felt Asmodeus’ arms relax from around her as his gaze grew shuttered with understanding.
“Kiss me,” he commanded more forcefuly.
Ari pushed at him and he stepped back in surprise.
“It didn’t work.” She grinned triumphantly. “It doesn’t work on me.”
Asmodeus made her jump with the abrupt snap of his fingers. Immediately folowing the gesture came a light tap at the door. It swung open at Asmodeus’ command to enter and a male Shaitan stepped inside. “Yes, Master?” he asked, not meeting the Lieutenant’s gaze. It was something al the servants did out of respect for the Sultan, his sons and Asmodeus.
Asmodeus strode towards the Shaitan, his whole body tense and Ari suddenly felt very uneasy.
Out of nowhere the Marid produced a short, curved dagger and handed it to the Shaitan. “Slit your throat with this,” he commanded.
The Shaitan’s eyes widened with horror but with a trembling hand he reached for the dagger.
“No!” Ari screamed, rushing towards him.
It was too late.
The blade sliced across skin, blood spiled, and the sickening thud of his body colapsing to the floor echoed around the room in the wake of Ari’s scream.
Eyes blurry with shock, throat thick with helplessness, Ari watched Asmodeus turn to her with narrowed eyes. “Wel, we know the Seal is working.”
“Why?” she spat in disgust. “You didn’t need to kil him!”
He ignored her reproach and marched towards her with violence in his eyes. Even though her whole body was shuddering with fear and revulsion at what he’d just done, Ari stood her ground. He took hold of her left arm in a bruising grip, puling her body into his. “How is it possible?” he breathed angrily. “How can you withstand the command of the Seal?”
“Maybe the same way you can,” she countered aggressively, hating him in that moment and longing to be far, far away from him. She longed to be near Jai’s
comforting, protective presence. “You had the Seal around your neck for centuries, and I had it inside of me for eighteen years. Go figure.”
His eyes glittered dangerously. “You are not leaving here now.”
“What?” Ari hissed, puling at his grip. “No way!” They were not keeping her.
The crackle of flames was a welcome sound as Red stepped out of the Peripatos. His expression darkened at the sight of Asmodeus accosting her.
“Let her go, Asmodeus.”
“The Seal does not work against her. She cannot leave until I know why.”
“Wrong.” Red blurred across the room, his body coming back into focus beside them as he forcefuly pushed Asmodeus away from her, his own hand gentle around