“You ready to do this?” she asked, ignoring Ari as she had done the entire time Ari had been with the guild.
Jai nodded and glanced back at Ari. “I won’t be long.”
Ari gave him a brittle nod, but her eyes narrowed on Anabeth. True, she didn’t like the way the girl flirted with Jai, but there was something off about her energy today. She bristled with it and her eyes darted around as if she were jacked up on drugs. “Be careful,” Ari murmured to her guardian, that ominous feeling inside her coiling into a tight ball. Something was off about this whole thing.
Ari sighed, rubbing a hand down her face as the two of them left the room. You’re so paranoid.
“He’ll be fine, Ari,” Gerard assured her. “He’s one of the best.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
I’D STOP MY HEART TO GIVE YOURS THE BEAT
The doors were locked, the windows sealed, the room dark except for one large candle on the floor between the two chaises. She laid opposite the Red King, her long beautiful figure draped in a red dress that matched his hair. The flickering flame illuminated her exquisite features, and Red felt the familiar pull of longing. It was rare he got to gaze upon her. It was such a pity she was so pissed at him.
“You promised,” she reminded him softly, too afraid to raise her voice in case someone overheard. Her strange eyes glittered with disappointment and fiery anger.
Red shrugged, pretending to be unaffected. It was their way. Their game. Pretending while underneath, both knowing how much they really felt. So much to feel. Any consequences were worth it to feel this way. “I’m doing what I can.”
“You sent in your brother. The Glass King. Red, he feels nothing. Why him?”
Frowning, Red tutted in disapproval. “Remember what he did for you. For us. And Glass feels much. Mostly loyalty. He is doing what I have asked of him.”
“Yes, you have asked of him.” She glowered, her long curling dark locks falling across her silken shoulder as she huffed in annoyance.
Shifting in his seat, Red forced himself to focus. “You know how it is. I am doing what I can.”
“But Charlie?” her eyes narrowed with frustration. “As much as the boy irritates me, Ari cares for him. She has lost too much. And you are deliberately trying to push them apart. I suspect you sent that marid to him, the one that granted his wish to be a sorcerer.” When he said nothing, unable to deceive her, she shook her head. “Must she lose Charlie too?”
“You don’t know that she will.”
“Are your promises made of nothing?”
Genuine anger flared through him, and the candle in the room sputtered out. With a flick of his hand, it reignited and she sat up, her chin held high but her expression wary. As if he would ever hurt her. “I am doing what I can,” he repeated.
“I have to protect her,” she whispered, clenching her hands together.
Sadness and frustration flooded him. “I told you that may be impossible.”
“But we will do what we can,” she murmured his words back at him as she stood.
“Will you be long from her?” Red asked, standing too. His fingers itched to touch her, but they’d both decided they couldn’t afford the distraction.
She shook her head. “I need to refuel, but I’ll be quick.”
A flare of jealousy ripped through him. “Who is to be your victim this time?”
“Well, it can’t be one of the team.” She must have seen the tautness of his features, the strain, for her gaze softened. “They mean nothing to me.”
“I know."
“I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention, so I’ll choose a man from the city. I’ll be back with Ari within a day.” She took a step back, preparing to enter the peripatos.
He smiled. “Until next time… Ms. Maggie.”
She grinned ruefully back at him. “Strange name to give me but… it’s growing on me.”
“It’s only taken you two years.”
Her glittering laugh disappeared into the fires with her.
Brett McConnell was a tall, wiry young man. Dressed in all black and limping badly, he greeted Jai and Anabeth at the entrance of the mausoleum that led into the main graveyard.
“Glad you guys could make it.” Brett grinned, his dark eyes tired and his face wan. “I didn’t even know the bastard had me cornered. He ripped my leg up pretty good and escaped to here. We were in Utah, so it’s been quite the chase. Thankfully, you guys were nearby.”
Yeah, it’s quite the coincidence, Jai thought, glancing around surreptitiously. Something was off about this whole thing. He didn’t think it was a setup. He could usually read people pretty well, and Gerard seemed like a stand-up guy. Plus, the Guild had no motive for trying to trap him or whatever this was. No. Jai was worried that the utukku somehow knew about Ari. But why would an utukku want anything to do with her? It made no sense.