“You’re okay?” she asked instead, patting him firmly on the back before puling out of his embrace. She studied Charlie’s face as she took a step back beside Jai.
Charlie looked exhausted.
“I am now.” He grinned shakily and then nodded at Jai.
Jai nodded back warily. “Good result.”
“Yeah.”
A tense silence sprung between the two of them and Ari shot a look at The Red King who was smirking back at her in amusement. Ignoring his teasing, Ari
telepathed to him. I would seriously hug you right now but I have a feeling Azazil wouldn’t like that.
Her uncle grinned. Good call.
Another prickle of awareness tingled on the back of Ari’s neck and she turned around to folow the feeling, only to meet The White King’s gaze. She was shocked to see he was looking at her as if he found her a perplexing puzzle. One he was determined to solve.
He nodded at her and then stepped back into the Peripatos.
Frowning, Ari turned back to her uncle, aware of al three men’s gazes upon her, waiting to see how she’d react to her father’s appearance. “Why did he do that?”
she asked Red quietly. “Why did The White King help after I refused to be blackmailed?”
Red shrugged. “It was a matter of honor. No matter your answer, he was always going to help free Charlie because it would piss off Gleaming. Gleaming betrayed White when he alowed Dalí to go after you. White couldn’t let that pass without seeking justice.”
“You mean revenge.”
“Despite what you may think, sometimes the two are one in the same.”
Charlie smiled at Red. “I tried to tel her that once.”
“Then you’re both wrong,” Ari snapped and sidled even closer to Jai. Charlie narrowed his eyes on them and Ari sighed, crossing her arms over her chest
defensively. “Never mind. What you’re saying is that we shouldn’t be grateful to The White King?”
Her uncle snorted at the thought of it. “Not to his face.”
“Wel, I don’t care why, I’m just glad I’m free,” Charlie replied, rubbing wrists that looked a little tender. Ari frowned. Those shackles must have been heavy. She shuddered at the thought of Charlie in those shackles again. God, there had to be a way to convince him against taking his revenge against the Labartu. Surely, this trip to Mount Qaf must have scared him a little. Enough to make him think twice?
Worried for him, Ari shivered. “Can we go? Can we go back to our world?”
“Technicaly this is your world,” a deep, rumbling, ancient voice answered and they turned to see Azazil standing inches before them, his huge figure casting Ari in shadow. She tried not to feel intimidated, but the Sultan stood so close she could smel the strong scent of citrus and pomegranate that seemed to linger continualy in his hair. She could feel that powerful wave of energy hit her again, the one that seemed determined to sway her off of her feet. Pride forced her not to gulp as her gaze drifted from the massive shoulders of the white-haired sultan to his dark-haired Lieutenant, Asmodeus. As soon as her eyes locked with the Marid a strange need tightened in her chest, a familiarity, a longing. She tried to suppress it, blowing it off as some kind of consequence of the dreams she’d been having about him. The fact that he wouldn’t take those sinfuly dark eyes off of her wasn’t helping.
“Master.” Red bowed his head, and when Jai folowed suit, so did Ari and Charlie. “Did you enjoy the trial?”
“Quite entertaining. But what is this talk of you leaving so soon.” Azazil grinned, a scary flash of teeth that made Charlie flinch beside her. “Let the boy have a night of fun in Mount Qaf. He’l have some fine food and sleep in a fine bed. You’l dine with us tonight, get some rest, and then return to the mortal realm in the morning.”
Even as Ari’s shoulders hunched towards her ears at the unwelcome invitation, she heard Red’s voice pounding into her head. Don’t even think about saying no.
Defeated but pretending otherwise she grumbled back, I’m not stupid.
Trying to keep her expression as blank as possible, Ari looked up at the Sultan Azazil and immediately fought the urge to gag at the way he looked at her—as if he could see and understand her very insides. “Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty. We’d be glad to accept your hospitality for the evening.”
Pleased, Azazil smiled and bowed his head before turning on his heel and heading across the amphitheater with his robes bilowing behind him.
Asmodeus hadn’t moved. He gazed at Ari unflinchingly and she felt as if he too were trying to probe his way inside her. Jai shifted his feet, his eyes flicking back and forth between Ari and Asmodeus unsurely. Finaly, just as Jai’s eyes narrowed and his body tensed, Red stepped in front of them al and came face to face with Asmodeus.
“Is there something you need, Lieutenant?” he asked quietly, an unbreakable steel in his words that Ari so admired.