Charlie held out a hand. “I prefer Charlie.”
Trey shook it heartily and threw Jai a look, his eyebrow raised in a way that Ari recognized. She suddenly remembered Jai confiding in her that Trey was bisexual. Apparently he thought Charlie was hot. Stifling a laugh at Charlie’s obliviousness, Ari looked up at Trey. “Are you joining us for the training session?”
“Training session?” he looked over at Jai.
Jai nodded. “You heard we were back, obviously. Did you hear why?”
Trey shook his head.
His pleasant expression disappeared as Jai told him how they’d been attacked by humans and had a dark sorcerer on their tails. Trey’s face darkened as Jai finished and Ari suddenly realized that under Trey’s charm and flippancy was a guardian Ginnaye just as protective as Jai. “You were lucky Charlie’s power woke up or Ari would have been alone. What the hell kind of drug did they come up with?”
Charlie cleared his throat. “Not to change the subject or anything but any chance someone might show me how to tap into more of my power?”
“No,” they all replied in unison.
Charlie glowered back at them. “You all suck.”
“What we will teach you is how to be more aware of your surroundings and how to channel and control your defensive power.” Jai strolled towards the door. “Let’s go kiddies. Time to get your asses kicked.”
13 - I Would Reach Through Time…
The comedy played on the small cinema screen in the movie room. Charlie and Trey were laughing raucously at the insane farce about a bunch of guys’ bachelor party gone wrong in Las Vegas. Normally Ari would be rolling around on the floor laughing too, but she’d already seen the movie and she just wasn’t in the mood. Training that day had gone well. She and Charlie had sparred with Jai and Trey and learned how to better control the kind of magic they’ d used to fight off their human attackers. More importantly, they’d shown them how to create large air cushions so their attackers couldn’t get so close to them, and how to use objects around them as weapons without losing focus on the attacker. They’d also shown them how to listen and study the energy and air around them for change, to see the warning in the stillness of a room before an attack came. While Jai was stern and focused, Trey was forever cracking jokes and distracting them. For some reason that didn’t bother Jai. He just laughed right along with everyone else. Ari loved seeing him smile and decided Trey might possibly be the best person she’d ever met. Charlie liked him too. The two of them had a similar sense of humor and Charlie seemed relaxed for the first time in forever. There was no way she was telling Charlie that Trey was gay. Some guys could be weird about that, and while she’d like to think Charlie was more evolved than most, she wasn’t going to chance spoiling the good time he was having making new friends. She eyed him carefully. He did look so much happier. This warmth and energy had seemed to appear all around him since they’d started using their magic. Something niggled her down deep inside as she thought about how much Charlie got off on using his power.
“You want a tour?” Jai’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.
Ari blinked, looking over at where he was sprawled across an armchair. “Huh?”
He gestured at the screen and then eyed Charlie and Trey who were laughing again. “You don’t seem into it?”
“I’ve seen this movie.”
“So a tour then?”
“Of the house?”
Jai smirked. “No, of Mount Qaf,” he replied sarcastically and Ari threw him a dirty look. “Yes, the house.”
Alone time with Jai? “OK.”
They told the guys where they were going and Ari ignored Charlie’s gaze boring into her back as she left the room with Jai. They strolled quietly down the hallway, their footsteps echoing loudly around the tiled floor and walls. The whole place was so cold. Jai had just opened his mouth to speak when a tall figure appeared before them.
Ari came to a halt eyeing the man. Decked out in black slacks and a white shirt rolled up at the sleeves, he reminded Ari of someone, except for in the eyes. His eyes were cold. Ah Luca. Of course. She shifted her feet uncomfortably. This guy looked like Luca except younger, perhaps in his late twenties.
One of Jai’s half-brothers?
“The spawn returns,” the man bit out, his lip curling up in distaste as he eyed Jai.
“Hey,” Ari snapped and took a step forward. Jai’s hand immediately wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back.
Ari, don’t, he telepathed and something in his voice pulled at her heartstrings.
“What’s this?” the guy flicked a look at her. “Is this it? The Seal?”
Jai’s hand tightened around her wrist. “You’ll refer to her as Ms. Johnson, Tarik.”
“Or what?”
Seriously, how immature is your family?