So smart.
Yeah. He was getting smarter every day.
Charlie groaned, burying his head in his hands. He needed to get back home. He wanted to see Jack and start training again. He wanted to hang out with Falon, and not have to pretend that he didn’t think about taking his vengeance 24/7.
“Charlie?” The Red King’s voice broke through his musings and Charlie froze, surprised to hear Ari’s uncle’s voice on the other side of his door. Slowly, curiously, he strode towards the door, remembering that the last time he and Red had spoken in private he’d happily accepted Red’s offer of a wish. Something Ari stil didn’t know about. Charlie squelched down the guilt at that, seeing how much Ari was coming to trust the Jinn King. She’d definitely stop trusting him if she found out, and Charlie reckoned Ari needed a Jinn King on her side more than she needed to know the truth about where his sorcery had come from in the first place.
He opened the door, standing aside to let the king in. Red nodded at him to close the door and Charlie did so, watching him al the while. “Is this about what I said at the table? Because I know that was dumb.”
“It was stupid,” Red agreed, “But I believe it did nothing to change Azazil’s… opinion of you.”
Not sure he liked the emphasis Red put on the word ‘opinion’, Charlie crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “So why are you here?”
The room seemed to crackle with power and Charlie was astonished when he heard Red’s voice in his head. To give you this, Red dug into his robes, and when his hand came back into view he was clutching a silver chain. And sparkling on the end of it in the low light was a briliant pendant of pure emerald.
Charlie’s eyes widened as his blood thrummed and surged towards the gemstone. “Why?” he whispered, unable to unglue his eyes from it.
Because… you will need it. It will protect you… when I cannot.
Reaching out for the chain, Charlie felt the power surge through him as soon as he touched it, his head blowing back with the impact. His whole body shuddered as heat flooded him from the top down, like lava spewing down volcanic rock. It was so blistering Charlie was surprised it felt good rather than painful. Eventualy it stopped and he chuckled in wonder as he finaly met Red’s gaze. “That was amazing.”
Keep it hidden, Red warned him. Use it only when you really need to. Say… if someone were trying to track you for breaking a law.
Realization dawned and Charlie felt a surge of overwhelming gratitude. Red knew Charlie wasn’t going to give up on his vengeance and rather than want to punish him for it, he was giving him a chance to escape punishment. The emerald would make him more powerful. It would help him to evade capture. “Thank you,” he replied, hoping Red could see how much this meant to him.
You are welcome. Just try to stay alive. That means no more smart ass comments at the dinner table. With one last look of rebuke, Red swept from the room, leaving Charlie with the temptation of the emerald.
Even though its glitter was like droplets of crystaline water to a parched man, Charlie shoved the chain deep into his pocket. He would be smart this time. The emerald was for after… after he took his revenge against the Labartu that kiled Mike.
Ari did a twist and then a turn for the fifteenth time and pummeled her pilow in frustration. She couldn’t sleep. Her brain was way too busy. What Charlie had done at the table bothered her most. It was like the idiot had a death wish. And then there was what White had said about Azazil… how Red was just Azazil’s puppet and Azazil had an agenda. She’d noticed the Sultan cutting Red off anytime he was in the middle of educating them about the Jinn… like he wanted to keep Ari ignorant. She wondered if Red was in trouble for saying too much. She hoped not. She was beginning to believe – despite White’s warning – her uncle realy did want to protect her.
And then there was Jai.
She knew she had major problems right now. Like al those Jinn today finding out who she was. And also the ever-growing evidence that she was somehow going to have to be Charlie’s freaking keeper until he started acting like a sane person again. But… she was in love. And not the girlish, best friend love she had for Charlie. This was potent, enthraling, want to touch Jai al the time, can’t stop thinking about him for a second, want to crawl into his mind and body kind of breath-stealing love. She missed him. Lying there, across the hal from him, she actualy physicaly missed him.
She was that girl.
And Ari knew they were supposed to be keeping their relationship on the down-low but now that Charlie was in the clear, she could be with her… boyfriend?... in private without feeling guilty. Right?
Her comforter was thrown off without another thought. Ari conjured her jeans and a tank top and tiptoed out of her room. The pulse in her neck was throbbing and her heart was banging against her ribcage. Jai, I’m outside your door.
There was no reply. Ari waited a second, feeling deflated. He must be asleep.
Turning to leave, Ari stifled a gasp as a strong hand shot out of his now open door and puled her inside. Jai grinned down at her as he used her body to press the door shut.
Unfortunately he was fuly clothed.
What are you doing here? he asked, reaching out to curl her hair back over her ear. Ari shivered and leaned into his touch.
As if he didn’t know why she was here.
I couldn’t sleep. She placed her hands gently on his chest, tracing little patterns on his t-shirt and enjoying the feel of him under her fingertips. Is this what you
sleep in? she asked doubtfuly, eyeing his jeans.
He stepped into her wandering hands, closing the distance between them. His hot gaze pinned Ari to the door and she slid her hands up around his neck to anchor herself. Her legs were beginning to feel a little wobbly. I put them on when you came to the door.
She smiled at this gentlemanly act although she was disappointed in his modesty. So what do you normally sleep in when I’m not there?