Borrowed Ember (13 page)

16 -
Honor does not Know of Good or Evil

The White King had never loved Sala but he’d thought of her as his. An Ifrit with powers of seduction even greater than the Succubus Lilif Jinn, Sala could entrance a human man with just one look. To be able to seduce a Jinn, a Lilif had to have something extra special, extra charm and sensuality, to penetrate the defensive magic of one of her own.

Sala wasn’t even a Lilif and she could charm the harem pants off any Jinn.

Of course her eyes, eyes shared by their daughter, had drawn White to her when he’d encountered her on a trip to Marrakesh. A fairly old and extremely powerful Ifrit, Sala of course was reluctant to give up her freedom and join him in Mount Qaf as part of his harem. That only made him want her more. She was stubborn, inteligent, chalenging. However, she was inteligent enough to know that she was no match for a Jinn King. White stole her from herself, placed her as his favorite in his harem, al the while plotting to use her against Asmodeus.

But White’s arrogance was what had gotten him into trouble, and he could admit that to himself now. So pleased with himself upon acquiring such a find as the beautiful Sala, he’d not only flouted her before Asmodeus in the hope of sparking his interest, he’d paraded her before his brothers.

And Red could not resist.

White had learned of Red and Sala’s affair. He liked to believe he knew everything that went on around him. Unable to punish his brother for the transgression, he’d beaten Sala into submission, and when she was wel again, he’d thrown her at Asmodeus, and even the lofty Lieutenant had succumbed to her seduction.

Love was the one thing he had not accounted for. It had not even occurred to White that Red would have been foolish enough to fal in love with Sala, and to then enlist the help of Glass to save her from her imprisonment. White refused to believe Sala actualy had any feelings for Red. His brother was nothing compared to him.

Nothing
.

He had to find Sala. He wanted to flail her to
nothing
too and then stick her back in the damn bottle where she belonged. Only this time she’d be dead.

She was proving elusive, but there was that word again. Love. He had not realized that Sala had such a deep attachment for their daughter. He could understand it to a certain extent. Ari was extraordinary for a human-raised child. He liked to believe she had much of him within her. Sala loved the child. Everything she’d done up until this point was to protect the child, which meant she was stil protecting her. White was sure where Ari went, Sala would folow.

A hiss and a slight breeze blowing against the fabric swathed around his window, fabric that had only moments ago been perfectly stil, alerted White to his visitor.

He turned slowly, his insides churning with an impatience that quickly transformed to irritation when his black gaze clashed with The Shadow King’s equaly dark one.

His long black hair was wound back in a braid and his robes had been replaced by a leather vest and trousers. It was his warrior’s garb. White tried to be intrigued but… Shadow was such a bore.

“What?” he asked blandly. “I am a little busy, brother, if you don’t mind.” He gestured to the door for him to leave.

Shadow made a face at him, that petulant look of barely concealed hurt that he’d never managed to rid himself of since childhood. “Actualy I do mind.” Shadow marched determinedly towards him, his eyes glittering with some kind of triumph. “Red came to see me. He said something to me, and although I would quite like to rip his larynx out through his nose, there is a smal chance that he may have had a point.”

Growing steadily more annoyed by Shadow’s presence, White quirked an eyebrow as if to say ‘And?’

“His point being that I sit around and wait for you to tel me what to do. Wel, no more, brother. I have a stake in the outcome of this war too.”

“You intend to make me your enemy?”

“No, of course not. Contrary to popular belief I am no fool. In fact, my little spies tel me you have discovered Sala escaped from her prison.”

A flare of anger cut across his chest. White realy didn’t want to be reminded of his failing. Pretending indifference, he shrugged. “Your point?”

“Wel, my spies also tel me you were going to use Sala as a peace offering to Ari. To encourage her to help you.”

“Who are these spies of yours, and who have they been talking to?” White would have to kil them immediately.

As if his thoughts had been spoken aloud, Shadow smiled at his brother. “I wil tel you who within your palace likes to gossip if you wil listen to my idea.”

“Fine.”

“You need to kidnap Ari’s guardian. Jai Bitar. Use him to bargain with her.”

Trying not to sigh condescendingly and failing miserably, White turned away from his brother, his body language teling Shadow he was done. “If you knew anything you would know that Ari can no longer be bargained with by threatening the lives of those around her.”

“You are thinking of the sorcerer. Charlie, is it? Because Ari turned down your offer to save him at the trial?”

Strangely, White remembered her reply to his offer with an inward smile. Her strength of character was to be admired and her old-fashioned sense of honor almost made a father proud. “She has proven she cannot be swayed.”

“I believe when it comes to a certain Ginnaye, she can be.”

Casting him a wary look over his shoulder, White nodded at him to continue.

“My spies watched an intimate scene between Ari and Jai only hours ago. They declared passionate love for one another, brother.” He smirked, obviously pleased with himself. “The words that were spoken lead me to believe that your daughter wil do anything for
that
Jinn.”

Not one to swalow information such as this so easily, White narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Ari can feel Jinn hiding in the
Cloak
. How did your spy even get close enough to witness such a scene?”

“I used a human, White.” Shadow clucked his tongue disapprovingly at him. “You know for someone who is so bent on trying to maintain the balance of this world and theirs, you are awful prejudice against mortals. They have their uses you know.”

Flicking his comment aside as if it were a mere fly, White felt the tightness in his chest gain some relief. If this was true… “You are sure? Ari and the Ginnaye are secretly together? She loves him? Enough to do anything to save him?”

“I believe the words ‘I wil only ever belong to you’ were used.”

White snorted. “Sounds… serious.”

“Oh I think serious enough for our purposes.”

White sighed, thinking, “I would wait until I could get him alone but he never leaves Ari’s side. So I wil need to arrange for the two to be alone and grab him and get the hel out of there before she can command me to do stop.”

“How do you hope to accomplish that?”

“By putting them in a situation that requires him to take Ari somewhere safe. Somewhere they
need
to be alone.” White offered Shadow a smal smile as a plan began to form. “And I think we should irritate father while we’re at it.”

He took a moment to lay out his thoughts to Shadow. When he was done, his brother was frowning. “Is that not a little risky? Ari could come to harm.”

White shook his head. “Not if we plan this out to the very last detail. Plus, I’m counting on something I never counted on before.”

“And what is that?”

White grinned now, feeling more energized than he had in weeks. “A mother’s love for her child.”

“You’re a difficult
being to find, Kadeen,” The Red King announced softly as he prowled into the cave. It was buried deep in the Tibetan mountains near Mount Kailash. Red appreciated the significance of the location. In Hinduism, Mount Kailash was considered to be a place of eternal bliss.

Kadeen realy had grown tired of the Jinn world.

Kadeen gazed back at him calmly, his pale blue eyes startling in the candlelight. Red had to give it to him, the Marid had made the place quite comfortable. The stone floors were covered inch by inch with thick Moroccan carpets and oil paintings had been nailed to the craggy wals. Old English furniture scattered the large space, including a huge, ornately carved four poster bed that sat in the middle of the room with a sort of majesty one did not expect to find in a cave. “Clearly not that difficult to find,” Kadeen answered smoothly, gesturing to the armchair in front of him.

Red smiled at his answer and sat down. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his preferred jeans and t-shirt for Kadeen. If he remembered correctly, Kadeen hadn’t realy been one for tradition. “Perhaps you
were
easier to find than I thought you’d be. Your daughter was most forthcoming.”

At the mention of his only child, Kadeen narrowed his eyes on Red. “I told her that if a Jinn King ever demanded my whereabouts she was to tel him the truth. My sanctuary is not worth her life.”

“A father who puts his child before himself. How novel.”

“Only amongst Jinn royalty.”

“Touché.”

Kadeen cocked his head to the side, a habit he’d probably picked up from Azazil. It was funny that he stil had it even centuries after leaving the Sultan’s side. “You have come to see me for a reason, Master Red?”

“You were one of my father’s favorites. His affection for you is the only reason he alowed you to leave in peace.”

“Yes.”

“You must have witnessed things, Kadeen, heard things—perhaps private things?”

“Make your point, Master Red. I am not getting any younger.”

Red acknowledged his comment with an amused smile, but underneath he was anxious—anxious for knowledge. “I wasn’t there when my father produced the Seal.

He has never trusted my brothers as he trusts me, but even with
this
I do not have his trust.”

“This?”

His suspicions of the Seal’s true origin burned in his eyes. “The Seal, Kadeen. Do you know where it came from?”

Darkness fel over Kadeen’s face as though al the candles had been blown out. He shook his head and stood to his feet, his lanky, trembling frame belying his age.

Kadeen was a Marid coming to the end of his life. “I know nothing of this. Please leave, your majesty.”

Unconvinced, Red stood to his feet, towering over the Marid by at least four inches. “You are dying, Kadeen. Who wil protect your daughter once you are gone?”

“My daughter?”

Red nodded, his jaw clenched with determination. “You would do anything to protect your child, would you not Kadeen? I understand this. I am also trying to

protect a child. Tel me where the Seal came from, or I wil slaughter your daughter and al of her children.”

Pure hatred sparked in Kadeen’s eyes. “This is why I left. There is no honor among you anymore. This war, this infantile, mindless war has poluted what was once resplendent about the Royal Seven and their Sultan. She should have been torn limb from limb for what she created.”

“My mother you mean?”

“Lilif. Doesn’t it always come down to Lilif.” Kadeen shook his head sadly. “I wil tel you what you want to know if you promise to protect my kin.”

“You have my word.”

“And does that mean anything anymore, Master Red?”

Red sighed, his chest twisting a little at the bitter truth in Kadeen’s distrust. “Today it does.”

17 -
One Red Riding Hood and Too Many Wolves

The revelations of the last few days stil clung to Ari, but as she sat in a junior English class in the wel-funded Emmett Bradford High School, she tried her best to shrug it off and concentrate on her assignment. Being back in school was weird, especialy pretending to be a junior and pretending to be a new student. She’d never been a new student. She’d grown up surrounded by most of the same people her whole life. Sitting at a desk, barely listening to a teacher drone on about Fitzgerald reminded Ari of Staci and Rachel. A pang echoed in her chest as she thought about her friends, wondering how they were doing. They’d be heading off to colege now and Ari couldn’t quite believe that it had been a whole summer since she’d seen them last…

…since she’d lifted the comforter off the world and saw what was lying on the mattress.

A whole lot of scary.

“And what about you, Marissa?” the tal, skinny English teacher was asking her, her face pinched as if she knew Ari hadn’t been listening to a word she said.

Ari sat for a moment, deciding which way to play this. It wasn’t like she needed the class. And she’d always been such a good girl. Maybe Marissa was a pain in the ass.

Roling her eyes, she shrugged. “I have no idea.”

The teacher scowled now. “You have no idea, or you can’t be bothered to answer the question?”

“Yeah, that one.”

The class snickered and the teacher threw them a blistering look that quickly shut them up. With a disapproving click of her tongue she flicked Ari away dismissively with a wave of her hand. “Pretty girls need to be educated too, Marissa, no matter what those glossy magazines tel you.”

Ouch.

The real her wanted to blush like crazy because she’d never had a set-down from a teacher before. The Marissa her, was just going to persevere with the

disapproval because frankly she didn’t have time to do homework assignments, so why set the precedent that she would?

***

“So?” Falon asked her as soon as they met in the halway after second period.

Ari shook her head, lowering her voice as they headed slowly down the halway in amongst a throng of students who were peering curiously at the new girls. “The new kid in my class is just that: a kid.” Ari snorted. “I also played the part of slacker girl. It’s kind of fun when your whole future isn’t dependent upon good grades.”

To Ari’s surprise, Falon didn’t laugh. “Be careful,” she replied softly, her expression stern. “We want to blend in as much as possible. Now I know those eyes of yours make that kind of hard—speaking of which, we should have gotten you contacts— but we can’t draw attention to ourselves by being the funny, hot, slacker girl.

You have to be bland, you have to blend. We don’t want this Jinn getting suspicious of us.”

“He or she is going to feel us anyway.”

“Yes, but perhaps conclude that we’re just ordinary, human-living lesser Jinn. So less slacker girl, more Ari, okay?”

“I’m surprised.” Ari sighed. “I thought you would have liked doing the slacker thing.”

Laughing, Falon nodded. “I would love to do the slacker thing. But I love doing an assignment
well,
more.”

“Gotcha.” Ari nodded in agreement. “No more Slacker Marissa. She was fun though… for al of two seconds.”

“Next class?” Falon peered at her schedule. “Ugh, you have Calculus.”

“Yay me. You?”

“Computer Lab.”

“I can’t wait for lun-” Ari cut off mid-grump, her whole body tensing as a wave of familiar energy hit her.

Jinn.

She spun around, her eyes searching through the throng of students as they miled between classes.
Nope, not him, not her, not him, not her, not-

Ari’s gaze colided with an older man. A teacher? He narrowed his eyes on her, as if he knew her but couldn’t quite place her. With a slight widening of those eyes of his, he backed up and turned on his heel, heading down the halway in the opposite direction.

Heart pounding, not quite believing they’d found the son-of-a-bitch already, Ari folowed the Jinn, pushing past students without care.

“Ari?” Falon hissed, grabbing at her arm. “What the…?”

“Didn’t you feel him?” Ari asked, stil moving quickly, not even taking time to look back at Falon.

“No.”

“It’s him. Come on.”

They turned the corner and Falon walked into her as Ari stumbled to an abrupt halt. This halway was almost empty. He was gone. Adrenaline pumping fast now,

Ari gestured towards the classrooms dotted al the way up the long hal. “Let’s start looking.”

Taking her at her word, Falon nodded. “No splitting up, okay.”

“Fine.”

They peered into every class, finding nothing of interest. Ari was ready to give up halfway down the hal since there was no buzz of Jinn energy at al, and then her feet stopped her in the open doorway of a classroom. The room was ful of easels and art supplies, and every wal was covered in carefuly mounted artwork that ranged from realy good to completely, unidentifiably bad. However, the colorful room wasn’t what had gotten her attention.

It was him.

He stood leaning over his desk, writing on a post-it before slapping it on top a pile of papers. As if sensing her presence, he glanced over at the door and then straightened. It was him. This was definitely the guy, but, there was no Jinn energy radiating off of him.

He smiled, a confused, polite stretching of the lips. “Yes? Can I help you with something?”

His brown eyes were warm and so human. He was probably in his forties and dressed the exact opposite of what Ari expected from an art teacher—a sweater over a shirt and tie, slacks, polished loafers. Short hair. The art teachers she had known had used their style as an expression of art as wel.

“Ari?” Falon whispered beside her, that one word filed with concern and confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Ari finaly managed to form words. A little flustered, she looked down at the schedule in her hands. “We’re new. We thought we had art now but clearly not.” She gestured to the empty class. “Not today.”

“Okay.” He smiled again, buying her lie. “Wel, I’m Mr. Shepherd, but I let you guys cal me Sam. Welcome. I look forward to seeing what you two can do with a piece of paper and a pencil.”

Returning his friendly grin, Ari shook her head. “Oh I wouldn’t.” And after giving him a little wave of goodbye, she grabbed Falon’s arm and bolted out of there, feeling like the world’s biggest dumbass.

“What the hel was that?” Falon growled, her pretty face pinched. “You had my blood pumping and ready for a fight.”

“I could have sworn I felt something from him in the hal. But then…
there
… nothing.”

“Wel, now we’re late for class. Check the signal on your radar, Ari. Jeez, so far you suck at this.”

“You know, I never realized it before but you can be realy mean for such a cute person.”

“I’ve always been mean.” Falon waved off her suggestion that she was anything else. “And I am not cute.”

Ari glanced at her schedule as Falon took off towards the east wing of the school. According to this, Calculus was west side, first floor. She started backing up from Falon, a smirk on her lips. “Cute as a button! Al the black,” She waved at Falon’s skinny jeans and black
Big Bang Theory
t-shirt, “Not fooling anybody, Snow White.”

Falon’s mouth dropped open a little, aghast. Then just as quickly she shut it. Scowling playfuly, she gave Ari her favorite insult. The middle finger.

Ari was stil laughing when she got to class.

Her Calculus teacher wiped the smile off her face as he tore her a new one for being late. Apparently being a new student counted for nothing.

Stupid high school.

***

Lunch period couldn’t have come fast enough. Ari realy hoped they found their Jinn soon, because she didn’t know how much of repeating high school she could

take. It was something that she was done with. She’d made peace with the end of her high school career before summer and now she knew why. She’d outgrown it.

Running for her life this summer had only made her disconnection to it even greater.

Ari shook her head at herself as she stroled along the main halway towards the front entrance where she knew Jai would be waiting for her. She had to stop being such a whine. This was what she wanted. An assignment. Wel, be careful what you wish for, right. Ari snorted and then shook her head again. She probably looked like a crazy person, but she didn’t care.

She was about to see Jai.

Footsteps pounded behind her and a shadow fel over her. Not Jinn.

Glancing up into the cute face of some tal, dark haired student, Ari gave him a wide-eyed, ‘do I know you?’ look.

He smiled down at her, reminding her a little of Nick. “Hey, um, you’re new right?”

Distracted by thoughts of Jai just yards outside somewhere, Ari just nodded.

“I’m Beau,” he said, holding the door open for her and letting a soft breeze wash over her. Not for the first time, and perhaps for the milionth since activating her Jinn heritage, Ari wished she could feel if the breeze was a cool or warm. From the skirts some of the girls were wearing, and the board shorts some of the guys were wearing, Ari would guess it was a surprisingly hot day for September in Connecticut. “I’m a senior,” Beau continued as they stepped outside, students gently pushing past them. “I saw you earlier in the hals. With your sister?”

“Step-sister.” Ari stopped, turning to face him, squinting against the bright sunlight.

“Marissa, right?”

She almost blushed at the open appreciation in Beau’s eyes as they traveled over her body before returning to her face. He adjusted his backpack as it slid off his shoulder, his grin wide and handsome. She was being flirted with. Great.

Yes, Ari, great!

They were on an investigation and inside info would help—information from Beau the senior perhaps. Jeez, Falon was right. She did suck at this.

“Yeah, I’m Marissa.” She returned his warm smile and held out her hand for him to shake. His grip was surprisingly gentle for his size and at the touch of her hand, his smile widened. It occurred to her that this guy, who was only a year her junior, looked so young and so innocent.

“Anyone ever told you that you have the most amazing eyes?” he asked, so assured of his own charm and appeal.

Who’s the guy?

Ari blinked in surprise at the sound of Jai’s voice in her head. Twisting around, she spied him over her shoulder, leaning against his SUV that he’d parked in the front row only yards from the entrance. He was wearing dark sunglasses, a pair of wel-worn black jeans, boots, and a plain white t-shirt that showed off his honed physique.

Ari eyed the girls walking past him, craning their necks around to catch another eyeful and then turning to giggle with their friends. The whole scene was a total cliché.

Hot older guy at high school: the effect.

Cliché or not, it had an
effect
on her. Her gaze drifted back to him and her mouth went dry. Jai was hers.

That was never going to get old.

“My boyfriend actualy,” Ari murmured in reply to Beau’s flirtatious question. Although distracted, the thought of Falon’s earlier annoyance niggled at her and she turned back to Beau with an apologetic smile. “Maybe I can catch up with you later?” She stil might need him after al.

Beau’s gaze was on Jai now too. He looked a little bewildered as he answered warily, “Sure thing.”

Crap. Why did Jai have to be so intimidating?

Roling her eyes inwardly, Ari left Beau’s side, trying to strol casualy toward her boyfriend and ignore al the people staring at them. As soon as she reached him, Jai stood up off the side of the SUV and puled her into his arms, her shocked gasp lost in his possessively deep kiss. Grasping his biceps for support, her insides on fire despite the temperate cool of her skin, Ari kissed him back for al she was worth. When he finaly let her go, they were both panting a little.

Ari wasn’t sure if she could remember what words even were, or how to use them.

That was the first time they’d kissed in public.

“What was that?” she finaly managed, her voice low and husky.

Jai just shrugged, looking around the campus casualy. “Just playing my part as possessive boyfriend.”

“Playing or for real?” Falon suddenly appeared beside them, a huge Cheshire Cat grin splitting her face. “Guys, that was so hot! Months of pent up attraction huh?

Jock boy is stil staring by the way.” She gestured towards Beau with a lift of her smal shoulder.

Ari tried for surreptitiousness as she looked over her own shoulder and sure enough, Beau was stil standing staring at them, his expression warring between

disappointment and something else—something Ari couldn’t quite put her finger on. Two guys appeared beside Beau, clapping him on the shoulder in greeting and finaly drawing him away from them. Ari sagged in relief, wondering what that was al about.

“You know,” Falon sighed wearily, “Three guys have already asked me if my sister is single. I know you’re hot and al, but I think you’ve got some weird succubus vibes from your mom. It’s totaly depressing being your friend.”

It was like she’d slapped her with that careless comment. Ari frowned. Did she have some weird succubus vibes from her mom? Was that what Jai was attracted to?

Falon smirked at Jai before Ari could reply. “You’re going to have your work cut out for you playing possessive, jealous boyfriend, Gorgeous. Ari is a hit as Marissa.”

“I think I can handle it,” Jai replied gruffly, his eyes sparking a little too brightly with unnamed emotion as they searched Ari’s flushing face.

“You know, your epic non-romance is starting to piss me off.”

“That’s funny.” Jai shot Falon one of his scariest glowers. “Because you’re starting to piss
me
off.”

Falon just roled her eyes.

“Wel?” he asked. “Anything yet?”

Ari shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Not true,” Falon corrected her with a puckered brow. “You felt something earlier. Just because it wasn’t the art teacher doesn’t mean you didn’t feel something.”