Darkness, Kindled (2 page)

“You’re right.” Ari replied, her 
smile wan. “I did them a favor. Who gives a crap what they think?”

“Good.” Jai nodded, his expression hardening again. “Now let me clean up this guy, call the Guild to come take care of the human Sam Shepherd, and then we can get you home. How’s the rib?”

Ari looked down at the Qarin, her

stomach feeling a little steadier. “It’s healing. I’m … okay.”

To Ari’s relief, 
she 
and Jai were kept busy cleaning up the mess, handing human Sam Shepherd over to the rest of the Guild to brief him before sending him back into the human world. Then she and her boyfriend had to return to Michael’s to debrief him on the situation. Talking it out helped her deal with the immensity of what she’d done. Michael’s eyes grew fatherly and concerned when he learned Ari was the one who did the killing, and Ari wanted to ask what the hell he was playing at.

He wanted her to assassinate Jinn, and when she did, he went soft on her about it? It was nice that he was concerned … but also confusing.

Ari didn’t say anything, though.

After losing his daughter Fallon in Charlie’s war against the Labartu, Ari hadn’t the heart to call him out on his convoluted leadership skills with her.

Caroline fed them while they gave Michael the rundown. When it was over, they sent Ari and Jai on their way with another concerned look. The fact that Ari had chosen to shack up with Jai and Trey in the house they’d bought a couple of blocks away from Michael’s worried them. Yeah, Ari was eighteen and legally could make her own decisions, but they were worried what their other employees might think of a young girl living with two extremely hot, slightly older men.

They could think what they wanted.

Trey was one of her best friends now. And Jai, well … Jai was being weird.

Hence, the pissiness earlier.

Still shaken from the day’s ordeal, Ari was too exhausted to deal with her frustration regarding Jai. They entered the quiet four-bedroom house and immediately sensed Trey wasn’t home. Not surprising. With him serving as a combat instructor for the Guild—and because he was Trey and blessed with an abundance of charm—he’d made friends easily among the Hunters and was probably out at a bar with a few of the guys.

“You should eat,” Jai told her as she headed toward the wide staircase.

Dragging herself upstairs, she

shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“Ari …”

“I’ll eat in the morning.” She

turned around at her door. Her bedroom was down the hall from Trey’s and directly across the hall from Jai’s.

The root of her exasperation with him?

When they’d moved in two months ago, Ari had been touched by Jai’s thoughtfulness when he opened the door to the largest bedroom in the house and said it was all hers. By giving her her own bedroom, he was telling her he wasn’t pressuring her into having sex, or forcing their relationship to move too fast. It was thoughtful and considerate and so sweet.

But two months of barely there

kisses from him and no sneaking into her bedroom at night was driving her insane! Okay, so the kisses weren’t anything to scoff at, but anytime things got too heated, he’d back off and tell her to go to bed like she was a kid.

There had been none of the good stuff like what happened months ago on Mount Qaf after Charlie’s trial. He’d barely freaking touched her since, and she was beginning to feel like a not-so-hot leper.

The gentle touch of Jai’s knuckles stroking her jawline brought her out of her fog. She took hold of his hand, her eyes catching his. His were searching, worried about her. She felt a rush of love, lust, and confusion.

And she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.

She’d killed an evil Jinn.

Boyfriend trouble would have to take a back burner for the night. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She pulled away from him, dropping his hand.

“Hey.” His fingers gripped her 
bicep a little tighter as he eased her back toward him. Jai frowned down at her. “You need me to stay with you tonight?”

Tonight of all nights, 
he asks? When I’m so exhausted I can barely stand?

Ari shook her head, biting back her frustration. “I just want to sleep. I’ll be fine.”

His strong fingers flexed around her arm and he stepped closer until his chest was brushing hers. He gave her a rueful, unsure smile that didn’t quite eliminate the vulnerable expression in his gorgeous eyes. “Can I get a kiss goodnight at least?”

An ache throbbed in her chest and Ari felt her lips curl softly at the corners. “For future reference, that’s a question you never have to ask me.”

Jai’s smile deepened, melting Ari’s insides. “Good to know,” he murmured against her mouth before softly pressing his to hers. She expected it to be sweet and short. Instead it was … emotional.

Jai held her to him, his hand 
wrapped around her nape. Ari let her lips fall open as Jai brushed his back and forth over hers, his tongue teasing her lips before licking inside—light, quick strokes against her tongue that made her breath catch and caused the weariness to flee. She arched her body into his and breathed him in, her heart accelerating at the hot taste of him.

But Jai refused to speed up the 
kiss. It was a seduction of deep strokes, teasing, nibbling, brushing … an imprint of him on her. A possessive kiss without the aggression. He was handling her gently but telling her she was his.

As he reluctantly pulled back,

Ari’s hands fluttered to his chest, her eyes closed, her lips tingling and swollen. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he told her hoarsely, clearly as affected by the kiss as she was.

Ari sucked in a breath at the heat in his expression. There it was. Every time they reached the point in fooling around when his eyes got that scorching, I-want-to-ravish-you-like-a-dude-in-a-romance-novel look in them, Jai backed off.

With a predictability that was growing annoying, he took two steps back. “Night.”

She gave him a half-hearted smile 
and hurried into her bedroom. After a few seconds, she heard Jai’s footsteps move away and his door open and close. She sighed and flicked on the light.

The room Jai had given her was as 
beautiful as it was huge. A massive four-poster bed sat in the center, flanked by a large wardrobe, vanity table, and matching bedside cabinets. The furniture was modern chic with a twist of Morocco. She had her own bathroom and even a walk-in closet. He was trying to give her a home again, and for the most part, he was succeeding. But Ari was growing tired of that strange distance between them. It wasn’t just about sex. It was about his family. Every time she tried to talk to Jai about his dad keeping him locked in that bottle for the White King, he’d shut her down and tell her he was fine. She knew he wasn’t fine. How could you be fine after a momentous betrayal like that?

Head pounding, lids drooping, Ari 
decided tomorrow was a new day to worry about this stuff. Thankful she was too tired to dwell on the Qarin she’d assassinated, Ari clumsily stripped and reached for her new silk nightie. Once she’d slipped it on, she dove under the covers and snuggled her head deep into her pillow, smelling her own perfume on it. Comforted, she let the world disappear …

The water was still in the moonlit lake. The surrounding mountainous rocks provided privacy to the mystical cove. As soon as Ari took it in and felt the rough sand against her skin, she groaned. She’d been here before.

Dammit.

“Asmodeus,” she griped, spinning around from her seat in the sand to peer into the dark.

As expected, he melted out of the shadows, coming toward her wearing loose black pants, nothing on his upper body except for a bronze circlet around each strong bicep, his long dark hair flowing freely over his broad shoulders. Ari tore her eyes from his ripped physique and glared into his hauntingly beautiful face.

It was so unfair 
someone so psychotic was so fantastic looking.

Asmodeus smirked at her as he approached, his bare feet kicking the sand. Ari stood, scowling at the revealing white fabric he’d dressed her in. It showed a lot of cleavage and a lot of leg. Disgusted, she crossed her arms and tilted her head back to stare up at the handsome giant of a man.

“Stop messing with my dreams and let me out of here. For the hundredth time.”

His smile deepened, a flash of white teeth in the dark as he stepped around her, two fingers sliding down her arm.

Ari shivered and pulled 
away. “I’m serious.”

“I know,” he replied 
nonchalantly as he came to a stop.

“Why won’t you stop 
tormenting me?”

For the last two 
months, Prince Asmodeus had been ripping her out of her own dream world and pulling her into his. At first he’d been determined to know why she was impervious to the command of the Seal of Solomon, but he’d soon discovered that she was as clueless as he was. And Ari knew Asmodeus was clueless as to why the Seal did not work on him. He wouldn’t have been so desperate to seek answers from her otherwise.

Upon discovering she knew nothing, Asmodeus continued to keep returning her here. There seemed to be no purpose to these visits other than to tease and try to charm her, and occasionally threaten Jai’s life.

“It’s fun.”

“Fun?”

He shrugged.

“I’m too tired for this. Every time you visit my dreams, I’m exhausted in the morning.”

A wicked glint entered his dark eyes. “I think if you’re going to be exhausted, you should be exhausted for a reason … and since the Ginnaye isn’t willing to accommodate you, I’d be more than happy to see to any of your … needs.”

“Not even in your dreams.”

Asmodeus chuckled and 
crossed his arms over his chest, studying her. As they stared at one another, his smile slipped. “You killed today.”

Ari flinched back from 
him. “How did you …?”

“I make it my concern 
to know.”

“You’re watching me?”

“Whenever I’m bored, 
yes.”

Disgusted, Ari shook 
her head. “You’re a creepy son of a bitch.”

His demeanor changed 
instantly from relaxed to bristling. “Be careful.”

A shot of fear tingled down her spine and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying something even more foolish.

Satisfied, he turned and sat in the sand, his arms dangling over his braced knees. “Sit.”

“You have no manners, you know that, right?” Ari grumbled as she lowered herself to the ground, keeping a careful distance between them.

The Marid sliced her an 
amused look. “Stop deflecting. You killed today.”

Ari sighed. “Yes, I 
did. Am I in trouble?”

“Not with me.”

“With anyone?”

“There is no one to 
care about the Qarin’s demise.”

Ari breathed a sigh of 
relief. “Well, that’s good to know.”

After a moment’s 
silence, Asmodeus picked up a small rock and with a flick of his wrist sent it skimming over the water. “You shouldn’t be doing it.”

“Working for the 
Guild?”

“Turning yourself into 
an assassin.”

Ari tried not to wince at the word. “Why? I’m doing good. I’m ridding the human world of evil Jinn.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Is that worth the loss of your purity?”

“I’m not pure, 
Asmodeus.”

“Your soul was clean, Ari. You’re marring it with this need to hunt Jinn.”

“It’s not a need,” she lied. “It’s a want. Even before all this …,” she gestured to her surroundings, “I was a high school graduate with a serious identity crisis. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life. I didn’t know where I fit in. Despite all the bad stuff that’s come with finding out who I am, at least I’ve also found my place in this world.”

“With the Ginnaye, assassinating Jinn?”

“With Jai, hunting bad guys.”

He grunted. “You are so naïve, it physically pains me.”

“Then stop pulling me into your dreams.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

Ari tried desperately 
to rein in her irritation. “What do you want, Asmodeus?”

His regard was dark and fathomless. Ari couldn’t stop her gaze from roaming his strong face. Black eyes framed by long lashes, tanned, unblemished skin, sharp cheekbones, a strong but straight blade of a nose, and a perfect mouth—a full lower lip and a slightly thinner upper lip. If a human were to meet him, they’d think Asmodeus was an exotic but young twenty-something, not a twisted, ancient Marid who’d been around for God knew how many centuries.

“Tonight I wanted to see how you were faring after your first kill.” Surprise shot through her, forcing her head back. He caught her reaction, eyes glittering. “I’m not playing games with you.”

Ignoring the curiosity 
writhing inside, Ari gave him a cynical smirk. “Whatever this is, can we at least be honest with one another?”

“Okay,” he nodded, “I 
like playing games with you. But I’m not playing a game tonight.”

Ari found herself confessing. “I was sick at first. It was horrible. I didn’t expect to feel so ashamed.”

“And now?”

“Jai reminded me of all the things the Qarin did. I feel proud I was strong enough to do something about it.”

“So no guilt?”

She looked away. “There will always be guilt, Asmodeus. I’m quickly learning to set it aside for the bigger picture.”

He shot her a narrow 
look and drew up to his feet. “That’s how it begins. Setting aside things for the bigger picture.”

Confused as she always 
was after one of their encounters, Ari stood too. “Why do you care?”

When he reached out a hand, Ari braced herself from flinching back, knowing from past experience that he didn’t take rejection lightly. His fingers brushed against her cheek. “I can’t decide whether I want you to change.”