“Pazuzu, Your Highness?” she asked quietly.
He raised an eyebrow at the question and smiled. “Your determination and bravery is entertaining, Seal. Pazuzu is not like other Shaitans. He is an ancient Mesopotamian Jinn we call a Wind Demon; he’s older than many of his kind. The Wind Demon is loyal to The White King despite his ex-servitude to me. Thousands of years ago The White King created an entire city, spent decades spinning destinies and watching it grow and flower into something beautiful and productive.” He pinned her to the spot with a dark look. “My son built it up specifically to let Pazuzu terrorize it once it was in its glory. That patience, dedication, and artful evil is seductive to our kind. It is his way of gaining very loyal followers.”
There were no words to describe the despair Ari felt as Azazil depicted the horror that was the man she was born of. It seemed unreal. It was sickening. Hollow. Painful. Heart wrenching. She wished she were anywhere but where she was just so she could run and hide from the truth.
“Pazuzu is a desert spirit. He never strays far from the sand. He cannot.” He gave her a small nod and an amused smile. “You will find him in Roswell, New Mexico.”
Ari had no chance to reply, to thank him, to tell him how grateful she was for his help despite the fact that he had crushed her even more and terrified the living daylights out of her. Almost immediately upon his words, Ari felt the darkness crawl over her eyes. She drew in a deep breath, preparing herself for the wind tunnel.
~22~
My Wings Are Yours, Are Your Wings His?
Pomegranates. She couldn’t get the smell of pomegranates out of her head. Despite her best efforts to step out of the cloying, nefarious shade her visit to Mount Qaf and Azazil’s home had dragged her into, Ari couldn’t. The gloom, the truth of how her life would be once Derek was healed, was determined to cast out the sun.
Trying to focus, Ari’s head swiveled back and forth between Jai and Charlie and The Red King who oversaw their discussion. After returning to the house by smacking into the floor like last time, Charlie and Jai had been blustery and over-concerned and vying for authority over her. Exhausted yet determined, Ari had shoved them away from her and recounted her visit with Azazil, including The White King’s appearance. To her surprise The Red King looked perturbed when she mentioned Azazil had invited his brother. As if he hadn’t known about it. Somehow, it made Ari feel better, that perhaps out of all the Jinn Kings there was one she could count on.
“I agree with Jai, Charlie,” The Red King was saying, pulling her attention back in like a thread through the eye of a needle. “Pazuzu is not an easy creature to deal with. In fact he’s effing hard to take down. If I go on this little mission he’ll sense my energy right away and take off. If you go you might get killed. Only Ari and Jai should go.”
Agreed.
“No way,” Charlie growled, slanting a sleepy dangerous look her way. “Ari, I’m not letting you do this without me. Why can’t I help when you’re the one who needs a 24 hour guard?”
“Oh yeah.” The Red King slapped Jai on the back. “Your contract has changed since Ari here came into her gifts. You’re still her guard but you don’t have to be hanging around all the time. If she needs you, she can contact you using this.” He tapped a finger to his forehead.
At that news, Ari caught Jai’s gaze, hating the strange ache and panic that was suddenly spreading across her chest and lungs. Like always Jai’s eyes revealed nothing and he dropped them quickly, nodding. “OK, no problem.”
No problem?
It was so a problem.
Feeling guilt rip through her Ari shot a look at Charlie only to find him smirking. Of course he was happy with that turn of events. Annoyed, Ari punched him on the upper arm. “I don’t know what you’re smiling about, you aren’t coming to Roswell.”
Glowering, Charlie slapped her hand away. “What if it was me? You’d be tailing my ass whether I liked it or not.”
“Probably true,” Jai replied before she could. “But since I’ll be flying us there I think you’re out of luck.”
Flying us there? Ari’s jaw dropped. “As in… flying flying?
“You forgot we can fly?”
“Was that in the book?”
“Yeah.”
“No.” Charlie shook his head adamantly. “It wasn’t in the book.”
“Huh.” Jai frowned. “Sorry about that.”
“We can fly?”
The Red King winced at her screech and took a step back. “Hysterical woman. That’s my cue to leave.”
Before she could say a word or question when she’d see him again, The Red King went up into the fiery Peripatos leaving Ari staring at the empty spot he left behind with disbelief. Finally, she unlocked her jaw and picked it up from the ground. “Do I have to fly?” she asked, feeling more than a little queasy at the mere thought.
Jai shook his head. “No, like the Peripatos, that’s something that will take time for you to learn how to do, time we don’t have. And since it’s impossible to take someone into the Peripatos with me, it looks like I’m flying us there. It takes a lot of focus because you have to go into the Cloak at the same time. You’ll have to hold on to me.”
Ignoring Charlie’s disgruntled mumblings beside her Ari stuck out a hand to Jai, feeding off her nervous butterflies and adrenaline to get her through. “OK. Let’s do this.”
“What, now? You’ve just been to Mount Qaf. You’ve been gone a whole day. Don’t you want to sleep first?”
“No. As far as I’m concerned I was gone like an hour. I want this done. Now.”
Heaving a sigh, Jai nodded. “OK.” The air around him pulsed and suddenly he was wearing a black leather jacket over his white t-shirt.
“Show-off,” Charlie muttered sullenly.
Rolling her eyes at him Ari shoved him playfully only to be surprised as he grabbed her arm and hauled her into a fierce hug. Feeling his muscles tremble beneath her and his heart pound against her ear Ari held on tightly, breathing him in. He smelled like the tropical detergent she used. At the feel of his lips against her forehead Ari sighed, melting into him.
“You come back in one piece, you hear,” he demanded hoarsely.
Afraid if she held on any longer she wouldn’t let go Ari pulled back and smiled up at him as confidently as she could. It was only when she let her gaze flicker over his shoulder she flushed, caught in Jai’s turbulent green eyes. Another pang of guilt cut through her for some inexplicable reason and Ari stumbled back, this torn in two feeling really not working for her at all. “I will,” she murmured her promise.
“You’ll need a jacket,” Jai said, coming around the coffee table to stand before her.
His familiar heat and strength did funny things to her when he stood this close and she had to concentrate extra hard to conjure a jacket. She chose a brown leather biker jacket like the one she saw in Cosmo last week, the one she’d been lamenting over at the fact that it would cost her three months allowance to buy it. Now it fit, sleek and snug, like it had been made especially for her.
Being Jinn had its perks.
“Outside.” Jai strode out into the hall. He pulled the door open with a flourish. “Let’s do this.”
~23~
The Coppery Scent of Death
Flying wasn’t Ari’s thing. It wasn’t ever going to be Ari’s thing. Ari thought she’d just have to hold Jai’s hand and they’d zip up into the air together. Instead Jai had slid an arm around her waist, drawing her tight against his side and murmuring for her to hold on tight. She’d done so, trembling shyly as she was pressed against his hard body, one of his strong hands gripping her shoulder, the other sitting comfortably on her hip. Ignoring the way her body lit up like a Christmas tree around him Ari nodded one last goodbye to a seriously pissed off Charlie before she felt the vibration of Jinn enchantment as Jai pushed into the Cloak. Ari had followed suit, barely having hidden herself when Jai shot them into the sky at a blurring speed that made her scream. Her stomach
had bottomed out and the vacuum of air that had rushed into her mouth momentarily suffocated her. Panicking Ari had clung tighter to Jai, squeezing her eyes closed and praying for the sensation to end.
And here they were.
The flight was painful with the wind hitting her skin like little rocks skipping over water, not to mention her muscles burned from the tension of holding on so tightly to Jai. It seemed to last forever and all Ari could do was tuck her head into Jai’s neck and wait it out.
Superman and Lois Lane made this look like so much fun. It is so not fun.
Jai’s chuckle bounced around in her mind, making her bury deeper into him. I’m getting that. I have claw marks in my skin now.
Oops sorry.
Don’t be, I’m fine.
With the superhuman speed they flew at it came as no surprise when Ari felt her body take a dip hours before a plane would arrive across country. Prying her eyes open, she peeked out from under her lashes to see they had slowed and that the ground was moving closer and closer towards them.
Her eyes widened as the earth below her burst with color — greens and reds and blues and purples and glinting diamond light — all of it moving, like multi-colored bugs scrambling around. If Ari wasn’t mistaken they were heading for a ton of people. Sure enough, Jai eased back on the accelerator even more and as they approached ground she nipped her nails into his shoulder in her anxiousness. What the hell is that?
It looks like… a parade.
A parade? A parade of what?
Uh… people?
Bracing herself for impact Ari was glad for the graceful landing Jai made, her feet hitting concrete with little reverberation through her body. She staggered out of his arms only to be shoved back into them.
“Hey, what was that?” A girl in costume shrieked, glancing around for her invisible ‘attacker’. Ari and Jai broke apart, their gazes taking in the madness around them.
Come out of the Cloak. Now.
Following his instructions Ari stepped out of it only to be slammed into Jai again by a giant green alien. Dodging the next stream of people, Ari cursed under her breath at the sparkles and glitter and multi-colored faces and masks. Everywhere… there were aliens.
Eyes alighting on a banner spanning the entire width of Main Street, Roswell, Ari cursed loudly this time.
Welcome to Roswell’s Annual UFO Festival 2011!
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jai growled, moving out of the way of a huge guy dressed in silver spandex. The beat of drums crashed around them and the song Spaceman by Babylon Zoo blared from someone’s beatbox. The air smelled of burgers and cotton candy. Laughter and singing mingled in with the raucous celebration and Ari had to catch her breath, fighting the disorientation caused by the parade. A laughing alien face appeared inches before her and she bit back a yell, stumbling into Jai to get away from the face that smelled of hot rubber and sweat. Jai caught her and she looked down in surprise when his hand tangled in hers, holding it in his unrelenting grip.
She gulped. “What now?”
Now we find Pazuzu. You’ll feel him, Ari. You’ll sense Jinn among us. He’s old and powerful so whatever you do… don’t let go of my hand.
OK.
Jai shoved into the crowds, ignoring the yells as they walked in the opposite direction. They sidestepped some floats and a couple of cars and plunged back into the crowds again. Keeping her senses alert Ari couldn’t help but begin to feel drained. There were just so many people there. How were they ever going to find Pazuzu?
Jai glanced back at her squeezing her hand. Crazy huh?
Too crazy.
He’s gotta be here somewhere, Ari. Just hold on.
I am. I am.
Flexing her hand in his, Ari realized how safe she felt with him. Safer than she even felt with Charlie. It was nice. Very nice.
As they passed people melting under the New Mexico sun in their heavy makeup and costumes, Ari was actually glad her body ran at such a stable temperature. Looking for Pazuzu in these crowds and dehydrating at the same time did not sound like fun. Not that this was—
What the…
Jai’s hand tightened again. You feel that?
Yes, she replied. Her head swiveling around this way and that, checking over the crowds. What is that?
Jai drew to an abrupt halt, pulling Ari to a standstill. He groaned. This isn’t happening.
What? She eyed him apprehensively before following his gaze through the parade.
There. He nodded his head and Ari squinted trying to see what had caught his attention. Focusing, she searched the energy she had felt only moments before and her spidey senses zoomed in on a young woman in a skin-tight, bright green catsuit beckoning two young men down a dark alley. The boys grinned at each other before following her in. Another Jinn.
No way.
Yes way. And not just any Jinn. He looked down at her now, his eyes hard. A Ghulah. A flesh-eating Jinn. They prey specifically on travelers.
Ari’s stomach flipped at the thought of the carnage the Jinn was about to unleash. She hadn’t even known there were flesh-eating Jinn. Wow… she really was born into something freaking horrible. Travelers? What…? Her eyes widened as she looked back at the UFO festival sign. Of course. People traveled from all over the world to enjoy the Roswell UFO Festival.
Ari, I have to stop her. I can’t just stand by and let that happen when I can do something about it.
I know. But I’m coming with you.
No.
Yes.
Ari, I don’t have time to argue this.
Neither did she. Tugging out of his grip, Ari began pushing through the crowds towards the alleyway. Feeling the heat of Jai’s growl at her back Ari looked over her shoulder defiantly. What do we do?
You do nothing. Just stay out of the way.
Not even given time to roll her eyes, Ari gaped as Jai shot by her in a blur, disappearing into the dark of the alley. Panic suffused her at the thought of the Ghulah hurting him and Ari gripped asphalt, dashing into the alley after him, the smell of garbage and beer flooding her nose and tickling awake whatever it was that made a person want to be sick. Stopping at the mouth of darkness Ari’s gasping breaths sounded overly loud and she clamped a hand over her mouth, willing her eyes to adjust to the light.
A yell rent the air and Ari dove forward, the sounds of glass smashing and loud rustling setting her heart to pounding.
“Jesus Christ!” a guy cried out in fear, his voice reaching Ari only seconds before he appeared out of the dimness, blood seeping from the fleshy bite in his neck. Pale and weak, completely discombobulated by fear, he fell past Ari and out into the streets.
Screw this!
Petrified, Ari strode into the alley, the shapes of dumpsters and garbage bags spilling out into the dirt infested space forming before her as her eyes adjusted. Stepping tentatively over what could have been anything from water to urine Ari wrinkled her nose, trying to hear past the rushing of blood in her ears for sounds of Jai.
Her eyes widened at the sight of a bloody hand lying limp on the ground and as soon as she saw the blood the strong thick, nauseating scent of copper overwhelmed her and she gagged. Disbelief and screaming unreality wept through her as she followed the hand to the rest of the body. It was one of the boys. Hurrying forward Ari was just about to fall to her knees to inspect him when a gust of wind blew past her carrying Jai in it. He slammed into the wall beside her, dirty garbage bags breaking his fall as he slid down it with a wincing scrape of leather against brick.
“Jai?” she squawked, making a move towards him only to be stopped by a large hand wrapping around her throat. Clawing at the hand Ari was turned by it and lifted off the ground, her feet dangling helplessly as she struggled to draw breath. The Jinn’s female façade smiled up at her sweetly, her mouth covered in gore from where she’d been eating the boys. To Ari’s horror her jaw elongated unnaturally, revealing huge sharp teeth. Ari closed her eyes, shutting out the image of blood and fl
esh dripping from the Ghulah’s mouth.
“Another Hunter from the Guild I presume. I don’t know why you bother when you know you’re not allowed to kill us.”
She squeezed tighter and black spots started popping up all over Ari’s vision. Biting her nails into the Ghulah’s hand Ari raked them deep and the Jinn winced just before Ari lost consciousness.
Jai pounded a fist against the enchantment the Ghulah had placed around him while she choked the life out of Ari. Before she’d gripped Ari Jai had been able to think. The Ghulah was more powerful than she should be, almost as if she were borrowing power. When the barrier went up around him his eyes had zeroed in on the talisman she wore around her neck. A Sorcerer’s talisman. She was drawing power from it. His only thought had been of removing the talisman from her neck and destroying it, that is…until he was unraveled by her attack on Ari. The emotions that rushed through him as he banged and punched the invisible wall keeping him from rescuing her was nothing like how they described. There was no one thought in a moment like this. There was terror and fury and panic and vengeance. It was unrelenting and painful as it clawed and clouded his brain, reducing him to a saliva-ridden animal desperate to eviscerate the Jinn who dared to hurt what was his.
When Ari’s eyes rolled back in her head, Jai stilled, staring in disbelief as the Ghulah released her, her hand unwrapping from around her throat. Ari’s body hit the concrete with a thud as she collapsed, sprawled out on the dirty ground, unconscious, her long limbs seeming dead, her hair spread out in a pillow around her head, her throat red raw from strangulation. The rise and fall of her chest, however, eased him, rationale seeping back into his thinking.
The Ghulah took a few steps towards him, a smug smile on her painted face. Jai found the fury, drawing a foot across the ground like a bull readying to charge.
Smokeless Fire (Fire Spirits #1) Page 23