Darkness, Kindled (Fire Spirits 4)

Literally.

They collapsed to the ground, stirring up a layer of dust that had accumulated while Azazil granted Ari her favor. How long had it taken him?

“We’ve been trying to get in for hours,” Asmodeus unknowingly answered her question, his intent eyes on her.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” His eyes flew from her to Azazil and then widened. He cursed loudly and strode toward his master. “Your Highness?” He knelt down beside him, his hands hovering over him as he felt his aura for magic use. “Azazil,” he whispered, his voice filled with genuine concern. “My friend, what have you done?”

He jerked his head over his shoulder and glared at Ari. “What have you done?” he raged quietly.

“Leave her,” Azazil managed quietly.

He took Asmodeus’s hands for help onto the bed. “I will be returned to myself again soon enough. A few days at the most. My debt … my debt to her … is paid.”

Asmodeus’s eyes narrowed. “Whose destiny did you change for her?”

Azazil wheezed and coughed into his shoulder. “The intention … the intention I presume … was … was to protect the Ginnaye and the Hunters … but also … to change the boy’s … destiny. Charlie.”

The look Asmodeus gave Ari as she watched on in exhausted concern would have flayed a lesser being. “Get out,” he demanded, his voice filled with disgust. “Get out!”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered before turning on her heel.

Glass stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

At last he held out a hand. “Let’s get you home.”

10

That Old Tune I Love

The hours in Mount Qaf amounted to a few days in the mortal realm, so when the Glass King escorted Ari back to the house she shared with Jai and Trey, it was to a welcoming committee.

As soon as she appeared in the living room with the tall king, strong hands pulled her into Jai’s embrace. She clutched him in relief, inhaling his familiar spicy scent as she pressed her ear to his chest. His heart pounded against it in a vital show of life that soothed her harried nerves.

“Ari, what did you do?” he asked, worried. “It’s been crazy …” He pulled back, holding her tightly by the shoulders as he gazed down into her tired eyes. “Fallon is back.”

Tears of joy pricked Ari’s eyes and she exhaled in relief. “It worked.”

“Ari?”

At the sound of Michael’s voice, Ari turned in Jai’s arms and faced the Guild Hunter and his brother, Gerard, and Gerard’s wife, Megan, along with Trey who apparently couldn’t take the distance between them anymore. He strode toward Ari, his obvious concern clear in his startling gray eyes, and just like Jai, he hauled her into a tight hug.

“Thank God,” he murmured into her hair.

She hugged him back, smiling softly, and feeling very loved. When they stepped back, he nodded at Glass politely in front of the others, but his eyes shone with gratitude and tenderness that Glass surprisingly, openly, returned. “You brought her back in one piece. Thank you.”

Glass smirked at him. “Of course.

Was there ever any doubt?”

Trey’s lips twitched. “Well … yeah.

Dude, you took her to Azazil’s palace.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“You tell me to do a lot of things.

It’s hard to keep track.”

Shaking his head and clearly trying not to encourage the young Ginnaye by laughing, Glass waved at the people behind Trey. “I think Ari may have some things to discuss …”

“Right.” Trey stepped away from

Ari, who found herself trapped in Michael’s gaze.

“Ari …” He took a step toward her, seeming unsure what to do. “The whole Guild felt the change and then she was there … Fallon was there.”

“How is she?” Ari asked hurriedly.

“I mean, Azazil said it might be difficult for her. Is she okay?”

Michael shook his head, still looking shell-shocked. “She’s exhausted. She had a difficult time sorting out the two realities. We all have. But the humans … the humans who knew she passed … they don’t seem to remember that.”

“No,” Ari replied, “they won’t.

This change. It only fully affects humans.”

“Ari, what did you ask Azazil to do exactly?” Jai’s deep voice inquired softly from behind her.

She turned to him now. “I wanted to protect everyone. I wanted to fix what happened to my dad, to Mikey and Charlie. To Fallon. The only way I knew how was to ask Azazil to make it so that Sala never left me with Dad. I didn’t want to lose what I had now. You, the Guild … so my own memories of the past haven’t changed, and neither has the memories of the Jinn who are in my life. Except for Pazuzu. I asked Azazil to specifically change that.” Her eyes slid back to Michael. “I know you were just doing your job, but I couldn’t let Charlie die. Everything that happened to him, including what happened to Fallon, it was all because of my place in his life.”

“But that means …” Jai sighed softly.

“Ari, he won’t remember you.”

Her heart ached at the thought and tears threatened to fall, but she held strong and gave Jai a trembling smile.

“It’s worth it. I hope. I’d really like to check on things with him …”

Her boyfriend nodded, concern in his light green eyes. “I’ll come with you.”

“Ari.” Michael took a hold of her arm to draw her attention back to him. “I know whatever you did probably has its consequences … but I don’t care. I can’t thank you enough for doing what you’ve done—for bringing Fallon back to me and her mother.”

She clasped his hand and squeezed it tight. “I’m so relieved it worked. I’ll come by and see her as soon as I’ve checked on things back in Ohio.”

“No, first, you’ll sleep,” Michael insisted. “You look exhausted.”

Ari shook her head adamantly. “No, I have to check. I won’t be able to sleep until I check.”

The Guild leader gave a deep sigh and looked beyond Ari to Jai. “I’m glad she’s yours to look after,” he told him dryly.

Jai snorted and Ari threw him an unamused look. “I’m not that bad.”

He held up his hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

Michael nodded gratefully once more and strode out of the living room. Gerard and Megan murmured their own thank-yous and followed him out.

“Let’s do this before you fall asleep on your feet.” Jai gave her shoulder a squeeze.

The Glass King took a step back. “I must visit my brother. He will have felt the change in the threads as I did.”

Trey frowned. “You’re not staying?”

Glass gave him a knowing smile.

“I’ll be back.”

And like that, he disappeared into the Peripatos.

Trey grinned at them. “Was that just me or was that all very Schwarzenegger?”

Ari huffed a laugh and leaned her head against Jai’s strong shoulder. “Don’t crack jokes. I don’t have the energy to laugh with the appropriate amount of gusto.”

Jai’s arm came around her waist, his hand cupping her hip and drawing her closer. “You sure this can’t wait until after you sleep?”

“We’re just checking in. We won’t be long.” She blinked back weary tears. “I don’t think I’ll be able to stand watching it for long, knowing they don’t remember me.”

It was warmer in Ohio at this time of year, not that Ari could really appreciate it because of her weird Jinn temperature, but just remembering it brought on a rush of longing as she gazed at her old house. She hadn’t been back to Sandford Ridge in almost six months.

It felt like six years.

She could feel Jai’s energy next to her as they stood on the driveway of Derek Johnson’s house, hiding in the Cloak.

I’m going in, she told Jai.

Okay.

Careful now.

She headed toward the front door.

It was a safe neighborhood and when Ari had lived there with Derek, they’d never locked the door. Ari only ever did when Derek was away on business. She was pleased to discover Derek hadn’t broken that habit in this new reality.

Slipping inside quietly, Ari felt Jai follow her and then listened as he clicked the door shut behind them.

Music filtered in from the utility room and finding the sitting room empty, Ari followed the sounds, only to come to an abrupt halt at the doorway to the room. A tall, dark-haired woman stood folding laundry. She wore a pair of denim cutoffs and an oversized T-shirt, and she hummed along to the radio as she worked.

Ari didn’t recognize her at all.

Did Derek not live here in this reality?