Of Wish and Fury (Seven Kings of Jinn)

Her skin was on fire as Jai’s kiss softened, his tongue teasing hers to deepen the deepest kiss. She trailed her hands over his hard chest, contemplating ripping the buttons off as he left her lips to trail devastating kisses down her neck. His large hands squeezed her hips hard and then brushed softly against her back before sliding chills up her spine. It was like he wanted to touch her everywhere all at once and Ari was happy to let him. Ari whimpered into his ear as he bit gently at her bare shoulder and Jai growled at the sound, his hand tangling through her hair as he grasped her head, cupping her nape like she was an offering. There was no thought in his expression, only need. His lips were on hers again and Ari held tight, her fingers biting into his shoulders, her legs climbing his hips. She wanted, she needed, she wanted, she couldn’t think, she—

CRASH!

They jumped apart at the sound of the bathroom door slamming open, their breathing hard, their chests rising and falling in tandem. Nobody met their wide-eyed stares, but Ari sensed the hum of Ms. Maggie’s presence.

“It’s Ms. Maggie,” Ari whispered hoarsely.

Jai looked back at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. He shuddered and Ari watched with a heavy heart as regret crept into his beautiful green gaze. Jai groaned, rubbing a hand over his short hair. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

Feeling vulnerable, Ari pulled at the hem of her dress where it had ridden up slightly. “Jai—”

“No,” he snarled at her, his eyes flashing angrily. “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. Rejected.

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 icy breeze blowing off her guardian. Her insides were a mess, but on the outside, she was strong and determined. She was done.

The forty-minute drive was horrible. Ari shifted uncomfortably a million times, which only seemed to irritate Jai. She just wanted to get back to the mansion so she could be anywhere but in his vicinity.

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 inward 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, 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 out of it. 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 of the car,” Jai said and Ari turned to see he was 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.

Ari shivered, feeling exposed even knowing they couldn’t see her. What do we do?

As much as I’d like to teach these assholes 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.