The Law of Stars and Sultans

Thinking about Red caused Ari to ask Glass for the fifteenth time, “Have you heard from Red?”

As the jinn king lifted the mug of coffee he’d conjured (clearly he was okay with taking shortcuts in life), his expression grew more focused. He took a sip and pulled back to study her. “I have.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes. The thing about a jinn king … they never answer unspoken but obvious questions. “How is he?”

“He’s fine, Ari.”

“Will you tell him I asked for him?” Again.

Glass bowed his head, letting her know he would honor her request. Despite her stomach knotting up over the distance between her and Red, Ari couldn’t help but think that a bow of the head was a pretty cool and dignified way to answer somebody.

Before the two of them could be subjected to awkward silence, Ari was relieved to hear footsteps on the stairs. Two seconds later, Trey wandered into the kitchen. As always, Ari felt an affectionate squeeze in her chest, as well as an honest appreciation for his masculine beauty. Trey was tall with an athletic, rangy build, messy dark blond hair, and tip-tilted gray eyes. His face was an artist’s dream, and he dressed like a modern-day James Dean. In other words, he was Hot with a capital H.

Trey instantly turned his regard to Glass. He grinned. “Morning.”

To Ari’s utter surprise, she watched Glass’s lips twitch as he muttered, “Morning,” before taking a sip of his coffee. Almost immediately, Glass put the mug down and it disappeared. With a casual nod to Ari, he passed her and then stopped at Trey’s side. “Until later.” Glass squeezed his shoulder and Trey nodded, his eyes burning in such a scorching manner, Ari couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. She was intruding on something intimate and private. Then, to not just Ari’s shock but obviously Trey’s as well, Glass bent his head and brushed his mouth over Trey’s. Without another word, the jinn king stepped back into the peripatos.

Trey looked adorably dumbfounded for a moment. He glanced over at Ari with an almost boyish smile. “He’s definitely warming up to me.”

Ari laughed. “Yeah, I think so.”

As quickly as he’d flashed the smile, Trey grew serious. His long strides ate up the kitchen floor until he held Ari tightly in his arms. She felt his lips press a kiss to her head and she wrapped her arms around him, feeling safe and loved. It was a wonderful feeling to have after everything that had happened to her.

“Jai told me what happened. You sure you’re okay?”

She nodded against his chest, not ready to let go. “I’m fine. Honestly. It was a shock at first, but I’m over it.”

“Well, at least you weren’t lying to me about that.” Jai’s voice broke through the comforting, warm fog of Trey’s embrace.

They pulled back from one another to find Jai leaning against the wall, his features hard, his green eyes spitting angry, gold flints. “Can we have a minute?” he asked Trey but didn’t take his focus from her.

Ari’s heart rate sped up a little. What had she done now?

“Sure thing.” Trey held up his hands almost like he was surrendering. “I’ve got training this morning, anyway. I’ll catch you guys later.”

As soon as the front door slammed shut, Ari braced her hands on her hips. “What was that about?” she demanded snippily.

Jai pushed himself off the wall and took a few short, anger-infused steps toward her. His perused her body meaningfully before coming up to her face. “What are you wearing?”

Feeling sideswiped, Ari glanced down at her nightie. “Uh … a nightie?”

“Where are your pajamas?”

She quirked an eyebrow at his caustic tone, not at all impressed. “Probably in my drawer.”

“Why are you wearing that instead of them?”

“I just bought it. I liked it.” She shrugged. Truthfully, she’d bought it to try and entice Jai. It was a short lilac silk nightie with a low neckline trimmed in lace. The hem, which barely covered her ass, was trimmed in lace too. She’d bought five in different colors.

Ari wasn’t going to tell him that, though.

Unease crept over her as Jai’s face grew even darker. She’d thrown it on last night because it was the closest thing at hand, and she’d been too sleepy that morning to think about what she was wearing. Crap.

“Jesus Christ, Ari, it barely covers anything,” he snapped. “Can you not wear it in front of my best friend?”

Double crap.

“It’s just Trey,” she argued, trying to make it seem not so bad. “He’s like a brother.”

“Except he’s not. And I know for a fact that he doesn’t see you as a sister.” Jai’s jaw clenched. “You may be friends but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate a hot girl when he sees one.”

Feeling a little resentful, Ari turned away from him to put the rest of her water back in the refrigerator. “At least someone thinks I’m hot,” she mumbled under breath.