The Seven Kings of Jinn

“Dad…”

“I’m not that though, am I, Ari?” A tear escaped down his cheek. He wiped it away angrily. “My little girl…”

Fighting back her own tears, Ari trembled. “I’m still your little girl.”

He frowned, seeming in pain. “I know, I know. And what you did for me… I am so grateful… I just…” Heaving a sigh—looking as if he’d lost the most precious thing in his life—her dad stood to his feet. “Despite being in a coma for days, I’m kind of beat. I’m going to bed.”

“But, Dad—”

“Let him.” Charlie grabbed her arm. They watched her dad ascend the stairs like a man twice his age. “He’s learned a lot of weird crap in the last few days and coming from personal experience, the guy needs time to adjust. Just let him sleep on it. You can talk in the morning.”

Ari bit her lip, feeling numb. “He hates me.”

“Listen to me. That is not a guy who hates you. That’s a guy who’s messed up. And you can’t blame him. But he still loves you, Ari. Eighteen years of being your dad doesn’t just go away overnight.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, Charlie’s right,” Jai added as the flames disappeared around him.

To Charlie’s credit, he bit back a retort, glaring at Jai as he pulled Ari into another warm hug. “I’ve got to go home. My mom has been calling non-stop today and I haven’t been answering because I was too worried about you. But I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Of course.” Ari pulled away. “Go, she’ll be worried.”

“Yeah.” Charlie grinned in surprise. “What’s that about, right?”

“I’m glad things are better for you.”

He gave her a sad smile before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

When he was gone, the house seemed to vibrate with silence. A forlorn feeling knotted in her chest before she turned around to find Jai studying her. She took one step away from the front door as Jai strolled toward her, his face flashing in and out of the darkness as the moonlight streamed in through the windows.

The need Ari felt just looking at him was overwhelming, her chest tightening so much so she could barely breathe.

“Well… I should go,” he said quietly so her dad wouldn’t hear. “Just use telepathy if you need me, okay. I’ll be back to check in tomorrow. You still have a lot of decisions to make. This isn’t over, Ari.”

She barely heard anything after the words ‘I should go’. Desperate to keep him with her a little longer, Ari smiled, finally letting her feelings shine out of her eyes. “Thank you for coming with me, for protecting me.”

Jai’s eyes widened just a fraction. Clearing his throat, he took a wary step back. “Just doing my job.”

Frustrated and feeling reckless after everything that had gone down, Ari reached out, gripping the front of his T-shirt, and took advantage of his surprise to haul him close. His spicy, musky scent made her stomach flip. Ari could drown in his eyes. “Don’t,” she whispered, almost pleading, throwing away pride and guilt for the spark that existed between them. Charlie’s eyes tried to probe their way into her mind, but she pushed them out, focusing on the man in front of her, the man who made her feel things she had never felt before. Not even Charlie. “Don’t act like you’re not my friend, Jai. After everything… you are my friend.” Unconsciously, her eyes dipped to his mouth and she flushed, remembering the way it felt against her own. Licking her lips, Ari trembled as her desire fought with sense.

Jai cursed and she met his gaze just as he took hold of her upper arms and pressed her into the door behind her. Leaning close, his eyes blazed into hers. “Stop it,” he whispered harshly, his breath teasing her lips, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Heat exploded through Ari. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” she whispered back, leaning in just a little closer so her top lip brushed his bottom lip.

He jerked back, another curse slipping out of his mouth as his grip became almost painful. “You know what,” he replied hoarsely. “I’m your guardian, Ari. Ginnaye. You and I… we can’t…” Shuddering, he let go, abruptly stepping back from her, and for the first time since becoming jinn, Ari felt the cold wrap its arms around her. “We can’t and we won’t.” Jai lowered his gaze, taking a deep breath before he could meet her eyes again. “I don’t… look… you are… beautiful. You’re really beautiful and you’re great. But you’re only eighteen and you love Charlie and I… I… well, there’s someone else… in my life.”

It was like he'd slapped her. One hard crack across her face. Heat bit into her cheeks and shock moved through her. Painful shock. Sickening shock. In all of her confusion over Charlie and Jai, not once had she considered that Jai might be in love with someone else.