Ari wrinkled her nose. You make me sound soft. I’m not soft. I’m… hopeful.

“What are they doing?” Michael asked.

“Oh, they’re talking telepathicaly,” Falon answered lazily, “They do that a lot.”

“Yeah, it’s annoying,” Charlie added.

Ari flipped him the bird.

Michael groaned. “Why do I feel like I’ve just adopted another Falon Roe? One is enough.”

Laughing, Ari shared an affectionate smile with Falon. “I’l take that as a compliment.”

A while later, after being introduced to Falon’s mother, Caroline, and shown to the room across the hal from Falon’s, Ari finished washing up and quietly took the stairs down to the second floor of the fairly large house Falon had been raised in. Jai was staying in the guest bedroom along from Michael and Caroline’s suite. Dinner was waiting for them downstairs, but Ari wanted to see Jai alone. They hadn’t been alone since what happened with Yasmin at Luca’s.

He opened the door at her telepathic message to let her in and Ari lost her breath.

How could he do that to her stil? She saw him every day. But those eyes, so green and pretty with their dark lashes, were a hot contradiction to the chiseled jaw-line and cheekbones, and the sulky hardened pout of his mouth. He was beautiful, powerful, loyal and mature. Wel when Charlie wasn’t in the vicinity. Sure, he wasn’t the chatty type, but everything was in Jai’s actions. He was good. He was good and true and she trusted him like she trusted no one else. Every time— every time—she looked at him… yeah… he took her breath away.

She smiled a little tremulously, suddenly overwhelmed by the depth of her feeling for him. “I just wanted to check in before dinner. I haven’t felt Ms. Maggie yet. I’m a little worried.”

“I wouldn’t be. She’l turn up. Maybe you could get her to show herself this time.”

“I am getting curious about her.”

“Finaly.”

At his dry tone, Ari shifted uncomfortably. “We’re okay, right?”

Checking the hal to make sure they were alone, Jai took her hand and led her inside. His room was bigger than hers. So was the bed.

Hmm.

Jai’s hands on her shoulders drew her attention back to his face. He stood so close she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. “What happened with Yasmin? I mean, I know what happened but why couldn’t you control it this time?”

Bowing her head in mortification and shame, Ari sighed. “I don’t know. It was like this time I got angry so quickly I didn’t have time to feel the darkness take over.

One minute I was me and the next the Seal was controling me.”

“Why?”

Ari made a face at him, her cheeks stil flushed with embarrassment. “Because it was you.”

He scowled. “What does that mean?”

“My emotions are little high strung right now okay… because of you. And she was saying al these things about you, about us… I wanted to hurt her because they al hurt you and I guess the Seal used that against me or something. I don’t know, Jai, I don’t know how it works. How can the Seal be like a sentient thing, you know?”

Trembling so hard, Ari sunk into Jai’s solid hold as he cupped her cheeks in his large hands and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know,” he murmured against her skin.

“Maybe we should think about training you. Sparking triggers and training you to push the Seal back down.”

“Do you think that’l work?”

“It’s worth a try. Right?”

Sliding her arms around his waist and sinking into his embrace as his own arms wrapped around her shoulders, Ari nodded. “Yeah. I don’t want to feel that way again. Or have you feel that way about me again.”

Shoving her gently back, Jai frowned at her. “Feel what way?”

“You were… mad. Disappointed.”

“No. I was upset. I don’t like feeling helpless, and not knowing how to help you makes me feel like crap, okay.”

“Realy?” Ari asked doubtfuly. “Cause, you kind of had your scary, don’t talk to me, don’t even look at me, thing going on when it happened.”

“That’s my helpless face.”

“Oh. It looks a lot like rage.”

“Yeah, I only have three expressions. Blank. Pissed off. And polite boredom.”

Ari laughed and he smiled softly at her. Self-deprecation was something she hadn’t seen on him before. She liked that she was beginning to see a side to him she suspected only Trey knew existed. “Wel, I balance you out, so don’t worry about it. I’ve been told my face is an open book.”

“I don’t know.” Jai shook his head as he tucked her hair behind her ear and stroked her waist with his other hand. “Not so much anymore. Sometimes I’d love to know what you’re thinking.”

Grinning flirtatiously, Ari stepped into him until their bodies were pressed tight against each other. “Can you guess what I’m thinking now?”

In answer Jai gripped the nape of her neck and puled her up to meet his mouth, his movement surprisingly fast and rough, his kiss overwhelming. Tingles of

excitement shot through Ari as she opened her lips to let his tongue touch hers. The kiss deepened and he groaned into her mouth, and as the vibration of it buzzed through her body, sparks were set off in places Ari didn’t know sparks could be set off in. Their mouths refused to break apart, their bodies taking over and screaming at them that they wanted to meld into one. Ari’s leg was climbing Jai’s, his hands were on her hips, keeping her tight to him, their breaths mingling as they remembered the night before and al the possibilities ahead of them. It wasn’t until Ari reached under Jai’s shirt, tickling her hands along the waist of his jeans that sense seemed to come back to him and he broke the kiss, panting heavily.

Ari’s own pants whispered across his mouth. She felt dizzy and disorientated, her eyes unfocused. Whoa. “You stopped,” she muttered in disappointment.

“Yeah,” he chuckled hoarsely, gently pushing her away from him. “Because we have dinner to get to and I don’t want to look like I just tried to get my client into bed.”

Laughing now at his physical predicament, Ari took a step back. “I see. Wel, if it’s any consolation, you were trying to get your girlfriend into bed.” With a cocky smile that smoothed Jai’s scowl, Ari sauntered to the door. “I’l leave you alone to cool off. See you at dinner.”

“You’re learning too fast,” Jai grumbled.

Ari stopped halfway out of the door. “Learning what too fast?”

His frown transformed into a wickedly sexy smile. “How to drive me crazy.”

Grinning, Ari shrugged. “It’s only fair. You drove me crazy for days sleeping on my floor, sometimes without a shirt on. It was a form of torture and I intend to get my vengeance.” Feeling lighter than she had fifteen minutes ago, Ari left Jai staring sensualy after her and took a few smug steps down the halway before she stopped, placing a hand over her racing heartbeat.

Maybe she needed a few seconds to cool down too.

9 - Giving the Pawn a Name Makes the Game a Little Harder

“I asked you to protect her as much as you could. Not encourage her to seek danger by becoming a hunter.”

Red glared at her, her admonishment raising his hackles. “You forget yourself.”

Scoffing, the beauty flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and eyed him unafraid. “Don’t use that tone with me, Red. You and I are past that.”

“Then don’t accuse me of putting Ari in danger. You’re being overprotective, Ms. Maggie.”

She scowled at the nickname. “Are you sure this just doesn’t fit into your father’s twisted plans? Like his plans for Charlie. Fruitless plans,” she laughed bitterly.

“Not fruitless. He stil plans for Charlie to kil the Labartu. As we speak, Glass is tracking the Jinn so he can lead Charlie to it.”

“So Azazil kils Charlie and puts Ari forward as a hunter… to die too? What is the meaning of this? What does he want?”

Trying to rein in his anger, Red turned his back on her and stared into the flames in his fireplace. Despite everything that had happened, she was stil able to make him feel more than anyone else in this world. Speaking slowly, calmly, Red replied, “Azazil has nothing to do with this. I did this for Ari.”

“Ari doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s just a child! And after that trial they are al curious about her. Questions have been raised. The old rumors about the Seal are resurfacing and it won’t be long before they come after her.” She cursed vehemently. “I wish I could trust that you care enough about her to put her first… like you put me first.”

“You can’t.” Red whirled around, eyes blazing into hers. “I can’t even trust that of myself.” At the sad despair in her eyes, Red desperately wanted to reach for her.

Instead he shook his head. “I… you care about her. You do. And you’re strong. Go to her. Protect her.”

Stunned, she took a tentative step towards him. “You said you didn’t want me putting myself in danger. You practicaly forbade it if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, wel…” feeling his throat close with emotion at the thought of anything happening to her, Red couldn’t meet her eyes. “I’m beginning to understand your need to protect Ari. I won’t hold you back from that anymore. You would only resent me if something were to happen to her.”

“Red…” she whispered longingly.

He glanced up sharply, desperate to be rid of her before he broke his tight control. “But remember I wil never forgive you if something happens to you…so stay hidden and only intervene if you absolutely must.”

She smiled sweetly, seductively. “Of course. I’m not suicidal, my love.”

A harsh wind tore through the State of Zubair, the land in which The White King ruled on Mount Qaf. Fabric snapped inwards from his balcony as the icy torrent tried to blast its way inside, seeking any warmth it found and snuffing it out in cruel triumph. White stared out at the balcony from his seat near the empty fireplace in his bedroom. The wind would find no warmth here—only a companion who understood its desperation and felt none of its brutal cold.