Nick and Staci drove off with Nick toward Ridge Heart hospital. Shivering, Ari wrapped her arms around herself, hating her father and her mother for doing this to the people she cared about. They might not have done this with their own two hands, but indirectly they had caused this. Their actions had put a dangerous being like Ari in among good, ordinary folks and she’d drawn evil to them.
A brawny arm came around her shoulders and she found herself pulled against Charlie’s strong chest. She breathed him in, clutching his Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. He smelled like lemons and damp soil and fresh musky sweat. She wanted to curl up with him and never let go.
“You didn’t do this,” he murmured against her forehead, pressing a soft kiss to her skin. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
“I’m trying,” she whispered.
He rubbed her arm in comfort. “Try harder. Nobody beats up on my friend Ari. Including my friend Ari.”
She smiled weakly, glad that at least one good thing had come of all this. Every second she grew closer to getting her old Charlie back.
Chapter 13
Years of stars I’ve yet to know
When Ari and Jai returned home that night, there was a message from Staci on her answer machine explaining that Nick had lost his memories from the last eighteen months and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. There didn’t seem to be any physical injury and there was no head trauma, so they’d kept him in overnight. She said she’d keep Ari updated and then quietly added that A.J. was wondering if they had told them everything that had happened in the parking lot.
“I’m really sorry, Ari,” Staci whispered, as if she didn’t want to be overheard. “But if my dufus boyfriend has his way, he’ll get the police involved. Nothing happened, right?”
Swallowing down the guilt, Ari deleted the message and listened to the one Rachel had left explaining how she had heard what had happened with Nick and was wondering if Ari was alright. Not one to hold a grudge against Rachel for her sporadic brattiness, Ari called her back and they arranged for Rachel to come over to the house in the morning to catch up. All the while, Jai sat on the floor reading another Sci-Fi novel. The only time he moved was when they heard her dad coming upstairs. Jai changed into the Great Dane in a burst of fire and flame and they waited with bated breath to see if her dad would knock on her door.
He didn’t.
His footsteps echoed on down the hallway to his bedroom and the door closed quietly. When Jai transformed back, she could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t want him to see her hurt or disappointment in her dad, so she grabbed up the leather-bound book he had given her, too wired to go to sleep. Her breathing eased when she heard him rustling back down into the sleeping bag to read. Suddenly realizing how selfish she’d been acting with Jai (he had to move when she moved, eat when she ate, sleep when she slept) Ari lowered the tome in her hands and let her gaze fall on Jai’s dark head. His hair was cut pretty close, almost military. He suited the severity of the cut, but she thought perhaps he’d look younger, softer, with longer hair. Feeling her study of him, Jai lifted his gaze from his book without moving his head.
His mouth quirked up at the corners. “Something wrong?”
“I haven’t been the best hostess, have I?”
His eyes glittered under the lamp on her computer desk, and the quirk turned into a half-smile that softened his hard countenance. She ignored the tiny flutter in her chest. “You’re not supposed to be a hostess here. I’m not a guest. I’m a guardian.”
“But if you’re tired and want to sleep, I’ll turn off the lights.”
“I’m fine, Ari. Read the book.”
“If you’re sure?”
He shook his head, lowering his gaze again. “Ari, unlike some folks, when I say I’m fine, I actually mean it.”
Smirking at that, Ari picked the book up. Opening the pages, she felt a shiver cascade down her spine. The crinkling of the paper seemed obnoxiously loud in the quiet of her bedroom. She stared down at the first page, her stomach churning. She was afraid of a book. Afraid of discovering more about her—
Say it, Ari.
Kind.
She wasn’t human.
Without meaning to, her gaze drifted over to Jai again. He wasn’t human either. But he seemed human. He seemed like one of the good guys. Of course, she couldn’t know that for sure, but she felt it somehow.
Her fingers trembled as she traced the bold black script on the page in her lap.
Jinn: A History
By Anonymous
Anonymous
Ari wondered who Anonymous was and why he/she felt the need to be anonymous. That seemed a little ominous to her. Maybe people weren’t supposed to write stuff about the jinn. Maybe the book was taboo. Shrugging off her unease, Ari turned the pages and read. The first few chapters were about the different races of jinn, the most powerful ones, the more common ones. Her eyes trailed over one list, and she wondered if she’d ever be able to remember this stuff.