Feeling vulnerable, Ari pulled at the hem of her dress where it had ridden up slightly. “Jai…?”
“No,” he growled at her, his eyes flashing angrily now. “It never happened. I was worried about you and I just… shit!” He hit a palm off the tiled walls.
Unsure of how she should react, Ari slid off the counter with as much grace as she could manage. She felt stupid. And frustrated. And angry.
Hurt.
Alone.
Jai shot a look at her and winced at her expression. “Ari, I’m so sorry,” he apologized hoarsely. “The last thing you need is an older guy treating you like crap. You deserve more. And I can’t give you more.”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ari stiffened her spine. She smoothed her hair and pasted on a blank expression. “We better get back to work.”
After a phone call to Luca that Jai and Ari were not privy to, Chris and Jenn were huddled out of the club by her security team leaving Ari and Jai feeling sheepish. The couple had assumed they’d both left their posts to make out in the bathroom and while it might have looked like that, there really was no way of explaining the truth. In the end, Ari followed a stone-faced Jai outside and into the car, her legs blasted by the arctic cold breeze blowing off of her guardian. Her insides were a mess but on the outside she was strong and determined. She was done.
The forty minute drive in the car with Jai heading out had been fine. Heading back. Not so good. Ari shifted uncomfortably a million times which only seemed to irritate Jai. She just wanted to get back to the mansion so she could hide.
Driving along the PCH Ari’s mind was turning over and over as she stared out at the ocean. Her thoughts were abruptly pulled back inwards when Jai made a noise like a growl from the back of his throat. The car sputtered and Ari’s eyes widened as her head snapped around to look at her guardian. With a choke and cough and spluttering of bile, the Mercedes rolled to a stop on the strangely silent highway. “What’s going on?” she whispered, dread filling her. This was all too familiar.
Jai looked ahead up the darkened road, his eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. “Get in the Cloak and get out of the car,” he ordered.
With fear immobilizing her it took Ari a moment to shake herself into concentration. What the hell was coming for her now? Was it The White King? Had he decided to attack again even though he’d said he wouldn’t?
“Ari,” Jai snapped.
“I’m doing it, I’m doing it,” she whispered and closed her eyes, imagining her whole body was light and transparent. The air around her crackled with her magic.
“Get out the car,” Jai said and Ari turned to see he was gone. Well, in the Cloak too. The driver door slammed and Ari scrambled out of the car, almost tripping as she tried to get used to not seeing her legs.
What now?
Look ahead of you.
Eyes widening, Ari watched as a group of humans strode out into the road. Like last time they were tall and rangy men, their eyes fierce with determination. This time they had weapons. Guns.
Bastards.
Ari shivered, feeling exposed even knowing they couldn’t see her. What do we do?
As much as I’d like to teach these a**holes a lesson, we’re going to walk past them as quietly as possible until we’re out of their sightline. Then we’ll head into the Peripatos.
Why can’t we just head into the Peripatos now?
Because our flames give us away and that’s just enough time for one of the cowards to put a bullet in us.
OK. Let’s go then.
“They’re gone!” The guy closest to the car called over his shoulder.
“They’re in the Cloak,” one yelled back and Ari’s heart sunk as her eyes adjusted enough to see what he was dragging. A girl.
Shit. Jai cursed, seeing her too.
The guy stopped in front of the car’s headlights, the girl pressed against his body, a knife digging into her neck. She only looked about fifteen or sixteen. Her cheeks were pale with terror, her eyes wide and red from crying. Ari noted a tear in her shirt and felt her blood boil with rage. The ugly knot in her chest started forming, pulling up away from her heart and morphing into that dark separateness that longed to do damage. “I think they’ll step right on out when they realize I plan to kill this girl if they don’t. A guardian like Jai Bitar won’t be able to walk away from an innocent in trouble. Right?” He grinned cockily, his eyes washing over the entire area with the thoroughness of a true predator. “All Master Dalí wants is the girl, Mr. Bitar. Hand her over and we let the little one go.”
Someone sounds like they’ve watched too many bad Hollywood action flicks, Ari laughed nervously, trying to cover up the fact that she was furious and scared to hear that Dalí knew exactly where she was.
Someone is a cocky bastard, Jai hissed back and Ari felt his anger pounding around her head.