Darkness, Kindled (Fire Spirits 4)

“Do you remember anything after that? Did you go somewhere?”

“Seriously? You want to question me

about the afterlife before you explain yourself?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

Fallon sighed heavily and shrugged,

her arms falling at her sides. “I don’t know. All I know is, one minute that bitch Jinn was there and the next, everything was dark. But not … not like you imagine dark. It was just … peaceful. There was nothing to worry about, to think about. I existed in this warmth. I imagine it’s a bit like being in the womb again,” she snorted. “That sounds creepy. It wasn’t creepy. It was beautiful.” Her eyes dimmed. “But there was no sense of time. One minute it was dark and cozy, and the next I’m in my bedroom screaming the house down. All these images kept colliding and fighting in my memory. It was … well, I’ll admit I was really scared. It’s taken me a couple of days to sort them into the right order. To sort them into what’s real for me and what’s real for this new reality or whatever.”

Ari took a step toward her,

eyebrows knitted together. “I never wanted to cause you pain or confusion. I just wanted to fix things. After what happened to you, Charlie went nuts. He had in his possession Mount Qaf emerald and it was making him darker and darker. He killed the Labartu and then disappeared off our radar for a couple of months.

Your dad, the Guild—our Guild—was given the task of hunting him. I was given the task of hunting him.”

Fallon’s eyes softened. “But you

couldn’t.”

“Would you have been able to? Even

after …”

“Even after having my neck broken

by the bitch he was obsessively hunting?” Fallon asked, her eyebrows rising at the suggestion. “I walked into that, Ari. Charlie didn’t want me there. He tried to protect me. But I love him. I thought …” She shook her head, laughing bitterly. “I thought he needed me to protect him.”

Feeling tears sting her nose, Ari

pushed the emotion back, knowing Fallon didn’t need that kind of sympathy right now. “He did need you. Your death really broke him up.” Ari silenced to let her meaning sink in. She saw gratitude shine in the Hunter’s eyes, so she took a second before destroying the moment. “Charlie decided to blackmail me. He wanted me to keep the Guild off his back, so he hooked up with Pazuzu and a Ghulah I’d used the Seal against. He said he was going to lead them to me if I didn’t help him. So we used it against him. We killed the Ghulah but Pazuzu escaped. We got Charlie, though.” Ari tried to control her emotions as she remembered those horrible weeks and their heartbreaking conclusion. “I dried him out.”

Fallon took a step toward her. “Did

it work?”

“Yes. But I was too late. He’d

broken down about everything—about us, about you, and then your dad and the Guild came for him.” Fallon’s eyes narrowed at that piece of information and Ari held up a beseeching hand. “Fallon, your dad was doing his job. He was trying to protect the only family he had left. You have no idea what your death did to him and Caroline.”

And just like that, the anger

melted from her expression. “I can imagine,” she whispered and then heaved another sigh. “So what happened?”

Ari shrugged. “I couldn’t let

Charlie die. You know that. So … I called in my favor with Azazil. As long as things existed as they did, the Guild wasn’t safe. Jai and Trey weren’t safe.

None of us were … not from Pazuzu. Charlie was going to die, which meant that in total, I’d inadvertently killed my adoptive father, my best friend, my best friend’s girlfriend, and his little brother. So I changed it.”

Fallon nodded. “You had Azazil make

it so you were never involved in your dad’s life. But … I don’t get how that means you’re standing here. With Jai and everything still the same for you.”

“I asked Azazil to keep my reality

the same. In effect, I don’t have another past. It was an incredibly complex thing I asked him to do, and it literally drained him.”

“It also means that Charlie doesn’t

know who you are.” Fallon’s eyes dropped to the floor. “He doesn’t know me anymore.”

“I’m so sorry. It was the only way

I could think to save you all. And you should see him. He’s himself again and Mikey’s alive and it’s … wonder

ful.”

Fallon’s head jerked up. “You’ve

seen him?”

Trepidation froze Ari in place. She

answered carefully. “I hid in the Cloak.” She shook her head slowly.

“Fallon, you can’t see Charlie ever again. I did what I did to keep him out of this life.”

Her dark eyes dimmed. “It doesn’t

matter to you that I was in love with him?”

“If you love him, you’ll let him

go.”

“Maybe some of us can’t be as noble

as you.”

“It’s not about being noble. It’s

about doing what’s right for the person you love.”

“So if it was Jai you had to let go

of … would you?”

The question halted Ari, the mere

thought causing a pain deep in her chest. Finally, she replied, “If I had to let Jai go to save him … then yes.”

The tears slipped down Fallon’s

cheeks, and she wiped them hurriedly away. “I’m not trying to be ungrateful,”

she told her hoarsely. “I think what you did was amazing. It’s just … I was in that motel room with him only a few days ago, and now you’re telling me I’ll never see him again.”

Choking up, Ari nodded briskly. “I

get it,” she whispered back.

Their eyes met and for the first

time since Ari had known her, Fallon strode toward her and wrapped her arms around her tight. “You’re the only one who does.”

Ari rubbed her friend’s back

soothingly, letting her friend cry for the boy she’d loved and lost.

The sound of the double doors

crashing open broke them apart. As Fallon quickly cast an enchantment to hide her red eyes, Ari spun around to find Jai and Trey in the doorway, their expressions grim. “Oh, God.” Her heart beat hard in her chest. “What? What now?”

Jai gestured to her to follow him.

“You need to see this.”

Exchanging a quick, concerned

glance with Fallon, Ari hurried after her roommates as they guided her and Fallon into one of the family rooms. Upon entering, Ari found Caroline and Michael watching TV, Red and Glass by their sides.

“What …?” Her gaze moved from them