“Try.”

“I feel… less abandoned.” Somehow admitting that made Ari uncomfortable and she abruptly let go of Jai to continue, “My real father created me like I’m some genetic experiment and I’m pretty sure he just tried to kil me or at least was going to torture me. My fake dad literaly told me to my face that he never realy loved me enough, and my mom… wel, al this time I thought my mom abandoned me and then got herself magicaly incarcerated. But she didn’t abandon me, Jai. And she told me that she loves me.” She smiled weakly. “It’s crazy, but I don’t feel so alone anymore.”

Puling her close, Jai’s expression was unreadable. “It’s not crazy, but Ari, you were never alone.” He took a shuddering breath and to her surprise she felt his fingers tremble on her face. “I love you,” he admitted, his voice rough with emotion. “Okay? I love you. You’re not alone.”

For a moment Ari couldn’t believe he’d actualy said it, but the warm, rushing feeling of delirious joy that exploded through her chest and throughout her body finaly brought it home. Melting against him, a stupid grin on her face, Ari whispered back, “God, I love you too. So much.” She felt almost desperate as she slid her hands up around his neck, clutching his nape. “You know, I stil don’t have al the answers. About my mom, or Red, or White… or Azazil. Lilif, Asmodeus. Al I know is that there are al these people who think I belong to them. And the truth is, Jai, I’l only ever belong to you. If you want me, I’l belong to you forever.”

His eyes widened a little at her declaration and then seemed to spark with some unnamed emotion. “Ari,” he groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, puling her so close, she was nearly off the ground. “I’l always want you,” he whispered urgently against her lips. “You’re mine now, okay. Only mine.” His kiss was as desperate as her declaration had been, and she clung to him tightly, reveling in the taste of him and the taste of their newfound certainty of one another. His kiss softened, becoming drugged and languid, sweet and hot al at the same time. Ari moaned, as he trailed butterfly kisses down her neck, her breath halting as he reached up to unbutton her shirt so he could press kisses against the rise of her breasts. Excitement tugged in her bely as her hormones took off at a run. Needing his lips back on hers, Ari grasped his head and reached for his mouth, touching her tongue to his so soft and tentatively she knew it would drive him crazy. His muffled groan reverberated through and Ari’s knees almost buckled beneath her. Wanting some skin on skin, she slid her hands up under his shirt, her fingers trailing across his six-pack. Jai shuddered and kissed her harder, his body propeling her back against a tree. She didn’t even feel the impact, she was too busy running her hands al over him under his shirt and pushing her hips against his in a way that she knew was sure to escalate things.

“Stop.” Jai puled back, his hands sliding off her and bracing the tree on either side of her head. She felt his heavy warm breath puff against her face as he tried to gain some control. Ari’s nerves had snapped one by one, her whole body trembling, and she did not want to stop.

“I’m so over this whole going slow thing, Jai,” she complained.

He laughed humorlessly and reached down to press a tentative kiss against her lips. “Me too. But we can’t here.” He narrowed his eyes, perhaps at the thought of having to wait to be with her. “This assignment needs to be over tomorrow.”

Ari shook her head. “No, you need your own room again and I need to be sneaking in and out of it.”

Pushing off the tree, Jai rubbed a shaky hand over his head and smiled affectionately down at her. Ari could now identify that wondrous look in his eyes as love.

“When we get back to Jersey I’m getting my own place and we are teling everyone that you are mine. Okay? I don’t care who knows. I don’t care about the dangers.

I want everyone to know that you’re mine.”

Ari nodded, loving the sound of that. “Yours. And you’re mine?”

He gave her a swift kiss before throwing his arm over her shoulders to lead her back to the house. “Always. And no backsies.”

Ari laughed softly, loving this playful side of him. “You’d have to be ripped from my cold, dead hands before I’d ever give you back, Jai Bitar.”

He squeezed her closer. “Back at you, Ms. Johnson… but I would have put it more eloquently. Without the creepy imagery.”

“Oh sure. ‘Cause you’re al about the words.”

“Anyone ever tel you, you’ve got a smart mouth?” he growled, tickling her waist.

Ari tried to hush a squeal as she puled away from him laughing. “Stop,” she huffed, trying to unsuccessfuly grab at his tickling fingers.

Grinning wickedly, Jai ceased tickling her and tugged her roughly against him, his arms tight around her waist. “You gonna watch that mouth of yours?”

“You watch it,” she replied saucily.

His expression almost solemn now, Jai leaned down to kiss her, his words whispering across her mouth before their lips touched, “Oh, I’ve been watching it since the day I first saw you.”

16 - Honor does not Know of Good or Evil

The White King had never loved Sala but he’d thought of her as his. An Ifrit with powers of seduction even greater than the Succubus Lilif Jinn, Sala could entrance a human man with just one look. To be able to seduce a Jinn, a Lilif had to have something extra special, extra charm and sensuality, to penetrate the defensive magic of one of her own.

Sala wasn’t even a Lilif and she could charm the harem pants off any Jinn.

Of course her eyes, eyes shared by their daughter, had drawn White to her when he’d encountered her on a trip to Marrakesh. A fairly old and extremely powerful Ifrit, Sala of course was reluctant to give up her freedom and join him in Mount Qaf as part of his harem. That only made him want her more. She was stubborn, inteligent, chalenging. However, she was inteligent enough to know that she was no match for a Jinn King. White stole her from herself, placed her as his favorite in his harem, al the while plotting to use her against Asmodeus.

But White’s arrogance was what had gotten him into trouble, and he could admit that to himself now. So pleased with himself upon acquiring such a find as the beautiful Sala, he’d not only flouted her before Asmodeus in the hope of sparking his interest, he’d paraded her before his brothers.

And Red could not resist.

White had learned of Red and Sala’s affair. He liked to believe he knew everything that went on around him. Unable to punish his brother for the transgression, he’d beaten Sala into submission, and when she was wel again, he’d thrown her at Asmodeus, and even the lofty Lieutenant had succumbed to her seduction.

Love was the one thing he had not accounted for. It had not even occurred to White that Red would have been foolish enough to fal in love with Sala, and to then enlist the help of Glass to save her from her imprisonment. White refused to believe Sala actualy had any feelings for Red. His brother was nothing compared to him.

Nothing.

He had to find Sala. He wanted to flail her to nothing too and then stick her back in the damn bottle where she belonged. Only this time she’d be dead.

She was proving elusive, but there was that word again. Love. He had not realized that Sala had such a deep attachment for their daughter. He could understand it to a certain extent. Ari was extraordinary for a human-raised child. He liked to believe she had much of him within her. Sala loved the child. Everything she’d done up until this point was to protect the child, which meant she was stil protecting her. White was sure where Ari went, Sala would folow.

A hiss and a slight breeze blowing against the fabric swathed around his window, fabric that had only moments ago been perfectly stil, alerted White to his visitor.

He turned slowly, his insides churning with an impatience that quickly transformed to irritation when his black gaze clashed with The Shadow King’s equaly dark one.

His long black hair was wound back in a braid and his robes had been replaced by a leather vest and trousers. It was his warrior’s garb. White tried to be intrigued but… Shadow was such a bore.

“What?” he asked blandly. “I am a little busy, brother, if you don’t mind.” He gestured to the door for him to leave.

Shadow made a face at him, that petulant look of barely concealed hurt that he’d never managed to rid himself of since childhood. “Actualy I do mind.” Shadow marched determinedly towards him, his eyes glittering with some kind of triumph. “Red came to see me. He said something to me, and although I would quite like to rip his larynx out through his nose, there is a smal chance that he may have had a point.”

Growing steadily more annoyed by Shadow’s presence, White quirked an eyebrow as if to say ‘And?’

“His point being that I sit around and wait for you to tel me what to do. Wel, no more, brother. I have a stake in the outcome of this war too.”

“You intend to make me your enemy?”

“No, of course not. Contrary to popular belief I am no fool. In fact, my little spies tel me you have discovered Sala escaped from her prison.”

A flare of anger cut across his chest. White realy didn’t want to be reminded of his failing. Pretending indifference, he shrugged. “Your point?”

“Wel, my spies also tel me you were going to use Sala as a peace offering to Ari. To encourage her to help you.”

“Who are these spies of yours, and who have they been talking to?” White would have to kil them immediately.

As if his thoughts had been spoken aloud, Shadow smiled at his brother. “I wil tel you who within your palace likes to gossip if you wil listen to my idea.”

“Fine.”

“You need to kidnap Ari’s guardian. Jai Bitar. Use him to bargain with her.”

Trying not to sigh condescendingly and failing miserably, White turned away from his brother, his body language teling Shadow he was done. “If you knew anything you would know that Ari can no longer be bargained with by threatening the lives of those around her.”