Furious did not even come close to explaining how Ari had felt in that moment. Heartbroken. Betrayed. Disgusted. At him. At herself. How could someone be so cruel? And how could it have taken her only minutes to answer? How could she even have given him an answer? “Jai,” she’d whispered, almost choking on her own guilt.
Azazil had smiled at her, a slight curving of the corner of his lips. What a cruel young man he’d appeared to be. But a cruel young man could be forgiven for being so young and unknowing. However, a being as old as the earth? Ari would have thought centuries of watching how love could make people do extraordinary things, would have chipped the cruelty out of him.
But then he’d also spent centuries watching how easily cruelty got its own way by turning love into a weapon.
“Jai it is then.” He had smirked at Asmodeus who’d gazed at Ari uncaringly. “I wil make a pact with you, Ari. You remain here with me, indefinitely, and I promise to make sure that no harm shal befal either of your young men.”
Her jaw had almost hit the table. “But why…” she’d begun before realizing she already knew the answer to her question. Why had he made her choose if he were going to save them both?
Because it amused him to toy with her emotions.
To watch her rip herself apart with the guilt.
“I want updates on them both.” She had raised her chin in defiance, her gaze flicking between the two immortals. Azazil had continued to smile benignly, while Asmodeus had sat back with a glimmer of something other than boredom in his eyes.
“Done,” Azazil had agreed.
“Then I’l stay indefinitely.”
It was a stupid bargain to have made. Ari knew that now. Three days had passed and she’d stil heard nothing about Jai or Charlie’s whereabouts.
She lay back on the luxurious bed she’d been given, staring at the ceiling carvings that had been painted over with gold. For once she was enjoying a moment alone from those insistent Shaitans. More like spies, she grumbled to herself, turning to curl up as her heart panged at the thought of Jai. Azazil had promised no harm would come to him. Did that mean he was free? If not, was he being treated wel? Time and time again, Ari had tried to telepath to him, but it only weakened her. It was useless. He was too far from her. And what of White? He wasn’t hurting Jai, was he?
At the thought of White torturing Jai, Ari shuddered in pain.
“You wil give yourself bad dreams if you continue on like that.”
Ari flew up into a sitting position, whirling around to find Asmodeus lounging on a chaise. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard or felt him enter her room. Tonight he was dressed in robes so dark his hair seemed to be lost in the silk as it spiled down his back. His long legs were stretched out in black leather, his upper body bare except for a gold torque around his neck. Dark, deadly eyes glittered at her, pinning her to the bed. She hated the way she felt around him. Scared, unsure… intrigued….
“What are you doing here?” she snapped, remembering Red’s promise that she could not be harmed by Asmodeus. Seven days she’d been here. Seven days in this
strange, dark, lonely world. Despite everything, she wished Red would come back.
“Now is that any way to greet a visitor?” Asmodeus purred at her, reminding her of a large jaguar. Beautiful, but one slash of those claws….
“If I remember correctly, last time we were alone you were threatening my life.”
“You misunderstood, that’s al.”
“What do you want, Asmodeus?”
“I’m bored. I am always bored, Ari. I thought you could entertain me.”
A new fear shot through her and she involuntarily slid back on the bed, her chest seeming to cave in on her.
The Marid roled his eyes at her. “Not in that way. I have a harem. I do not need to take unwiling females to bed. Although… it has been some time since I’ve shared a bed with a virgin.”
Fighting off a blush, Ari glowered at him. “I want you to leave.”
“I want to stay.” He shrugged. “I want to know more about the Seal.”
“The Seal? Surely you know everything.”
“No. I want to know about the Seal’s effect on you.”
Ari scrambled to her feet, trying to gain some equilibrium, but the room was so ful of tension it almost shoved her back down. “Why would I tel you anything?”
He moved so fast.