“Every time an emerald is chipped out of the rock,” he said suddenly, running a hand over the wal he’d stopped beside, “another emerald appears in its place.” He turned and shot her a boyish smile so disarming it immediately made Ari suspicious. “One of the few mysteries in these worlds.”
Why had he brought her here? Ari heaved another big sigh at the feel of her chest constricting, pushing the first symptom of her panic attacks back down. Red had promised her Asmodeus couldn’t hurt her. But then again, Red had also gone behind her back and destroyed Charlie’s future.
“It shouldn’t be possible.” Asmodeus shook his head as he studied her.
“What shouldn’t be possible? The emerald?”
His eyes narrowed and he ducked his chin, his gaze so focused Ari had to fight off a shiver of intimidation. “I have a theory I’d like to test.”
Wel, that didn’t sound good. That didn’t sound good at al. “A theory?” Ari asked, her feet wanting to back her away from him, but her pride teling her not to let the bastard know he frightened her. “What theory?”
He responded with a lazy shrug. His thick silence began to pop the oxygen molecules in the room until Ari’s breathing grew shalow again. Finaly, his lips tilted up at the corner in a smirk she thought she was beginning to understand. The threat of him—of whatever it was he wanted from her—was back. “Before you made the deal with Azazil for the Ginnaye’s safety… White tortured Jai.”
If he’d fired a shotgun bulet into her, it would have had the same impact. Ari staggered back from the words, their suggestion as powerful and as painful as being hit by that Haqeeqah. “No,” she breathed.
“Oh yes.” Asmodeus was walking slowly towards her now. “He strung him up and started with the basics. A cat-o-nine-tails ripped at his back until the stubborn brute finaly let out a grunt of pain….”
No. Ari shook her head, the cavern beginning to spin around her. No.
“…and I think you were probably taking your first amusing little trip around the marketplace when White puled out the tar. Oh that must have hurt…”
“Stop,” she whispered hoarsely, feeling her limbs grow hard as the Seal fought for dominance. “You’re lying…”
“…then there were the nails in the feet. Oh and don’t forget the starvation…”
Let me out, Ari. I’ll make him stop. Together we can make it stop. Stop him! Stop HIM! STOP HIM!
“… I think I most admired when White shapeshifted to look like Jai’s father as he beat him with a belt. He used al those painful memories to torture that boy’s soul.
That’s realy when the screaming started. There were even tears. And you were here, playing guest, doing nothing to stop it-”
“STOP!” she shrieked, the noise causing the cavern to tremble.
And suddenly it was as though she were looking out through someone else’s eyes, buried behind the thoughts and emotions of another person.
Asmodeus had stiled, his eyes wide with surprise as his mouth fel open. “I knew it.”
The person she was inside opened the mouth of the body they shared, and Ari could feel the strange but familiar woman’s triumphant thoughts as she began to
command Asmodeus to his knees.
The words didn’t even get a chance to fal from their shared lips.
He was a streak, a blur of movement towards them before the curtain fel and everything grew dark and silent.
***
The familiar feeling of a hard floor beneath her brought Ari to consciousness with an aching head and shoulders. She groaned, curling onto her side, feeling every muscle twinge and bone creak as she did so. As the fog of unconsciousness lifted, Ari became aware of Azazil’s powerful presence pulsating across her body like waves lapping at the shore. Quickly she tried to remember what had happened, images of Asmodeus and the cavern flying across her vision.
Jai.
Her eyes slammed open and the pain in her chest was back as she remembered what Asmodeus had told her.
“Relax,” Azazil’s deep voice captured her ears. “Asmodeus was lying to you about your Ginnaye, Jai. He was never harmed by my son. Only imprisoned.”
Hope gloated at her, teling her she weak as she lifted her head and turned to look up at Azazil. He was seated on a glass chair in front of a barren fireplace.
Casting a quick glance around, Ari found herself in the smal chamber. There was little furniture or decoration, just cold stone wals that glittered with emeralds and flagstone floors beneath her. She stiled, her eyes narrowing in hatred as she became aware of Asmodeus’ presence. He stepped out of the shadows to stand by