Satisfaction left her as the road cleared. The SUV sat between her and Charlie. And in front of the SUV were six human men. They formed a line before them, strong, tall, and lethal looking. Slumped at one of their feet was a familiar figure. Ari’s eyes washed over Jai, checking for injury. Why was he just sitting there looking dazed? A syringe in the attacker’s hand caught her eye. “What did you do?” she demanded, taking a step toward him, violence in her words. It was to cover her fear. These men were human. She had no power over them. The Red King had been right. She needed to learn self-defense.
The guy shrugged, his muscles rippling with the movement. Jeez, all of them looked like they were on steroids. “I just injected him with a homegrown concoction that includes a heavy dose of harmal.”
Ari shook her head in confusion. “Harmal?”
The guy snorted at her. “Wow, you really know nothing. Harmal is a jinn repellant. The little concoction I’ve got doesn’t repel… just incapacitates.”
“Jai,” Ari whispered, and took another step toward him.
“Ari, stop!” Charlie called to her and she turned to watch him shrugging out of his suit jacket, stony-faced. He faced the human men without a hint of fear and suddenly he didn’t look so much a teenager, but a powerful man. Still, Ari was frightened for him. For them both. Without Jai, they were toast.
She shook her head at him. “Charlie, don’t…” do anything stupid.
Seeing the obvious aggression in Charlie’s actions, the human guy nodded at his companions. “Get her. Make it quick.”
The men started toward her and Ari stumbled back, her brain blanking as her heart took over, thudding and pounding as adrenaline rushed through her. Thankfully, that adrenaline saved the day, and Ari felt her magic flood into her hands as she focused. She watched her palms glow a mesmerizing gold color and she pushed the energy outward, using it to blast the men off their feet. Unused to using her powers for defense, Ari miscalculated and only three of the guys were forced onto their backs. The other two merely stumbled and righted themselves quickly.
Ari jumped feet first, letting her body slide along the bonnet of the SUV, so she landed on her feet next to Charlie. He shoved her behind him, ignoring her yelp of protest. The two guys rounded the car and Charlie moved to meet them. The taller of the two swung at him and Charlie ducked, throwing a forceful punch into the guy’s gut just as the other man’s foot swung at Charlie’s hand. Charlie raised his other hand and Ari saw the glow of magic in his palm. The man’s foot pulsed against it and fell as if he’d hit a wall. Eyes almost as wide as Ari’s, Charlie was distracted by his magic and, unfortunately, didn’t miss the fist that flew into his face. He fell back a little and Ari ran at the guy, throwing a punch so that her magic connected with his face instead of her fist.
Catching on, Charlie got to his feet and cornered the other guy, and together they pummeled the attackers with magical fisticuffs. But it wasn’t long before the other three had recovered, and just when Ari thought she’d dealt with one guy, another was on her. It was possible her magic was stronger than Charlie’s and that’s why he appeared tired more quickly than her. It was as if he had to force the magic out. And perhaps that was why one guy was able to find a gap in Charlie’s defense, his huge knee connecting with Charlie’s solar plexus. Distracted as Charlie fell to his knees, his face paling like he wanted to puke, Ari made a move for him and didn’t see the guy come up behind her. He punched her in the head and her vision cut out for a minute, like lights flickering off and on. She slumped, a sickening pain rushing down her neck and into her legs.
Something felt hard against her back and the lights flickered back on. Why was the sky in front of her?
Who is that? She wondered, feeling dazed as a smirking face appeared above her. The guy had dark eyes that glittered scornfully down at her. She felt hands pressing down on her thighs, inching her black dress up. “Master Dalí cannot wait to meet you,” he said as he squeezed her leg painfully. “I can see why.”
The sky brightened above her and Ari broke free of a hold that had been pressing her arms into the ground, strength surging through her as if someone had injected her heart with adrenaline. The human dudes, Ari, they’re attacking you! Ignoring the dull throbbing in her skull, Ari whipped an elbow up and cracked it across the guy’s face. He cried out, grabbing his gushing nose and Ari pushed him with as much force as she could, channeling magic into it to help her knock him over. She scrambled over him, trying to get to her feet, and screamed in frustration as powerful arms hauled her back, fingers biting bruises into her upper arms as her legs were dragged over one captor and back onto concrete.