Smokeless Fire (23 page)

“Where is he?” she whispered. “He’s not in there, Jai. What’s going on?”

“Ari… this is… this is Jinn enchantment.”

“What?” she gaped up at him.

He nodded grimly. “Jinn have done this to him.”

The door of the hospital room squeaked open and Ari looked over her shoulder sharply. Charlie strode in, his hair askew, his face pale. “What kind of Jinn?” he asked fiercely, looking from her to her dad on the bed.

Her heart thudded in her chest at the sight of him, so glad to see him, so grateful to him for coming when she knew he hated hospitals. He hated the walls and the smell and the squeak of linoleum under foot. All because of Mike. Without thinking, Ari flew at him, throwing her arms around his waist and crushing herself against him. His strong arms came around her, holding her fast, his lips in her hair. Wanting to immerse herself in him, Ari inhaled a lungful of him and then promptly pulled back frowning. He smelled like a bar.

Ari tried not to grimace as she stared up into Charlie’s bloodshot eyes. “Thanks for coming. Where were you?”

Charlie’s eyes cast about as if he couldn’t meet her gaze. “I was hanging with Rickman.”

Bitter shock jarred her and she stumbled back a little from him. He was still messing around and getting wasted with Mel? She shook her head, dazed, not able to deal with her disappointment. It was too much all at once.

God, how naïve she’d been to think that Charlie could change overnight.

Her pride was bitten as her face crumpled. “Thanks for coming,” she whispered, fighting hard not to cry as she pulled away from him, leaning on her dad’s bed, her hand wrapping around his white blanketed foot. “This isn’t happening.”

“Ari,” there was a world of regret in Charlie’s voice and she watched from the corner of her eye as he reached out for her. Something stopped him, however. Perhaps the brittle tension in her body. “Ari, I’m sorry about your dad. What can I do?”

Apparently nothing
. She shook her head at him and shot a look at Jai. “What kind of Jinn would do this?” Strangely, at this moment, he seemed like the only one she could rely on.

“I don’t know. There are many Jinn capable of causing physical illness in humans, physical illness that no modern medicine can cure.”

Trying not to fall into a panic attack, Ari whirled on him, finding it difficult to look at her dad’s face and wishing like hell that Charlie hadn’t disappointed her once again, that all she had to worry about was getting her dad well again. But no. Now she was back to worrying about Charlie too, like she had been for the last two years. She shook him off, trying to project the anger she felt. “What do you mean there’s no cure?”

Jai’s eyes glittered as he looked over her shoulder, his face tight with determination. “We could try Tellicherry Bark. It’s usually the only thing that brings a human back from Jinn poison.”

“OK.”  Ari nodded, breathing too fast. “Good. OK. Where do we get it?”

“It’s hard to come by but my tribe
should
have some.”

“Then go get it.”

His eyes returned to her face, washing over her features. There was sternness in them where only moments ago there had been sympathy. “I can’t leave your side.”

Another burst of rage shot through her. Rage at her own dependency on the three men in this hospital room who all seemed bent on letting her down. “This is my father we’re talking about,” she growled, glaring up at him.

His expression didn’t change. “I’ve been hired by The Red King, Ari, to protect you with specific instructions not to leave your side. Ever. Do you think I usually spend 24/7 joined to the hip of a client? No. But that’s what your uncle wants and so I do it. I can’t leave your side, Ari. It’s breaching my contract with The Red King.”

As his words sank in, Ari’s jaw locked. She was trying desperately not to cry angry, hateful tears. Her eyes swung to Charlie wishing he could help her just this once. This was the moment she had somehow talked herself into believing wouldn’t happen. This was the moment she was pulled into the Jinn world. It was overwhelming. It was all too overwhelming. And it would have been nice if Charlie had shown up, not wasted, but together, so she had one less thing to worry about. And Jai. Ari glanced sharply back at him, surprised to see his eyes soft on her, watching her carefully, almost unsurely. Jai always projected this image of a guy who knew what he was doing. Like he could take care of any situation. Like… she could be safe with him. Why did he have to destroy the person she’d built him up to be in her head when she needed him now the most?

“Please,” she begged, throwing pride to the wolves. “Please, help me. Jai, he’s my dad.”

He was silent a long time. His vivid eyes locked on hers. Tension manifested between them, rippling in the air around them, locking them in a cocoon together. Finally, he stepped back from her, shaking himself, clearing his throat, blinking away whatever there was between them. Ari’s cheeks felt hot, her heart was pounding. “OK.” He nodded, his features grim. “I’ll go get it.”

The crushing weight on her chest eased and Ari had to wrap her arms around herself to stop her from diving into Jai’s arms in gratitude. “Thank you,” she breathed in relief.

Without another word the air around him flickered and he went up in a blaze that brought a surprised curse from Charlie’s lips. The silence when he had departed was thick and uncomfortable. Ari didn’t know what to say to Charlie.

How was it possible to miss someone when they were standing right next to you?

When he took a few steps towards her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into him, Ari let him. She couldn’t speak.

At this moment Charlie was trying.

But what about an hour ago?

What about all the times I don’t know about?

He was trying now. But was that really the best she could ask for?

Little more than
two minutes later the air in the room crackled, the lights flickered, and shadows seemed to slither across the walls. Flames erupted in the space on the other side of Derek’s bed and both Ari and Charlie stumbled back at the unexpected appearance of The Red King. He stood in a black t-shirt and jeans, his massive frame seeming to occupy the entire room. His red hair shone under the fluorescents and his blue eyes cut through them like shards of opal.

“What the…” Charlie breathed, stepping in front of her.

Ari made a huffing noise as she pushed him gently aside. “Charlie this is…” How should she introduce him? She made a face, feeling awkward.

The Red King, however, merely smiled at her. “Nice to see you again.” Then he turned those eyes on Charlie and they narrowed to ice chips. “This must be Charlie Creagh. I am Ari’s uncle, The Red King. You may call me Your Highness.” He shifted his eyes back to Ari. “Jai doesn’t trust this guy.” He gestured to Charlie. “I’ll remain wary of him.”

It came as no surprise to Ari that Jai didn’t trust Charlie. He was under the impression that everyone had an agenda about everything. That The Red King respected Jai’s opinion and intuition did surprise her. She frowned, seeing Charlie’s jaw flex with anger. If she didn’t say something quick Charlie might and she didn’t know if she could stop her uncle from doing anything to harm him. If he did he could kiss any kind of relationship with her goodbye.

“Look—”

The door to the hospital room squeaked open again and this time a nurse came in quietly. Her eyes widened at the sight of The Red King, her mouth falling open and shut like a fish gulping bubbles. When it became apparent she was paused on astonishment, Ari hit the play button and strode over to the nurse, drawing her attention. “Is something wrong?” she asked worriedly, her gaze jerking back to Derek on the bed.

The nurse swallowed hard, her head turning towards Ari and her eyes following slowly as if they couldn’t pry themselves from The Red King. It was like pulling bubblegum off a desk. “Um…” she made a weird, hysterical little noise in the back of her throat, glancing down at the papers in her hands, her face flushed lobster red. “I have hospital forms you need to fill out, insurance etc.”

“My niece has already filled those out,” The Red King said before Ari could take them. His voice was warm, as were his eyes, as he walked towards the nurse with a charming smile on his face.

“Uh.” The nurse shook her head in confusion. “No. Forms haven’t been filled out for Mr. Johnson yet.”

“Yes they have,” he assured her, tapping the papers in her hand. “Check them again.”

Nodding shakily, the nurse flipped through the papers, her eyes widening and her cheeks turning an even darker shade of red. “So she has. So sorry for intruding. I’ll leave you alone with your father, Ms. Johnson.” She spoke to Ari but still continued to stare open mouthed at The Red King. Ari couldn’t blame her. “Visiting Hours are over in about an hour.”

When the nurse made no move to leave, Ari began to feel bad for her. Her uncle kept smiling at the poor woman and it was hypnotizing her. Finally he sighed, gesturing to the door impatiently. She blushed hard again before stumbling back and fumbling for the door. Ari breathed a sigh of relief when she left, uncomfortable with witnessing the effect of the Jinn on a human.

“So.” She took a step back, standing next to Charlie, silently telling her uncle that he may not trust Charlie but of the two of them the human won her vote. “Why are you here?”

The Red King strode back over to Derek, his eyes washing over her dad’s slack face. “Jai contacted me to tell me he had had no choice but to leave you unattended. I came to watch over you while he retrieves the Tellicherry Bark from his tribe.”

“You’re The Red King?” Charlie suddenly asked, taking a step towards him, his eyes round with awe. He had that same rapt look on his face he’d had when the Aissawa Brothers were doing the exorcism.

Instead of answering right away Ari watched nervously as The Red King took slow steps towards Charlie. He began to circle him, his eyes narrowed and calculating. The energy he projected seemed to wash over Charlie, who shivered visibly. Finally, just when Ari was sure she would stop breathing altogether, her uncle drew to a halt in front of Charlie, a strange smile on his face that reminded her way too much of The White King. “You scream of pain,” he whispered, suddenly seeming just as fascinated by her friend. “No wonder Jai is wary of you. There is so much power in your pain, Charlie Creagh.”

“Really?” Charlie asked hoarsely, desperately.

The Red King nodded and they shared a silent long look that sent an indecipherable shiver through Ari. She didn’t know what passed between her best friend and the Jinn but whatever it was she didn’t like it and she didn’t like how spellbound Charlie seemed to be by everything Jinn.

She took a step forward, wanting to throw herself between them. “Do you think this was The White King?” she asked her uncle, gesturing to her dad’s heartbreaking stillness.

In a whiplash of movement, The Red King was suddenly on the other side of the bed, staring down into Derek’s face. Ari had squeaked in fright at his supernatural speed and he glanced back up at her with a smirk.

“So cool…” Charlie breathed.

Ari made a face at him and he tried to cover up his awe, his features evening out as he attempted somber.

Taking a calming breath, Ari looked back up into The Red King’s face. “Well?”

“We won’t know until Jai arrives with the Tellicherry Bark,” he muttered noncommittally.

~16~

A Destiny That Tastes Like the End

Sweat rolled down Jai’s forehead and he squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose as the pain exploded out of his sinuses and down the back of his skull. Giving in to Ari’s pleas meant summoning The Red King, which meant telepathing over the realms, which meant agony for those too young and not powerful enough to handle it. His legs trembled as he stood in his father’s office, the two of them waiting for the healer with the stock of Tellicherry Bark to arrive.

What was taking so long?

All he wanted to do was lean against his father’s desk and have someone pour a bucket of cold water over him but he refused to appear weak in front of the old man.

Luca stood also, with the desk between them. Jai had noticed long ago that his father never sat in a room when he was facing someone he considered a competitor in a pissing contest. For once he wished they could just be father and son. That he could fall into his dad’s Chesterfield armchair while Luca brought him a bottle of water.

Willing some strength into his quickly failing body, Jai ignored the fresh outbreak of sweat.

“Oh for the love of… sit down before you fall down,” Luca snapped, coming out from behind the table. “Contacting The Red King in Mount Qaf and not even for an emergency!”

Ignoring his antagonistic tone, Jai finally gave in and slumped into the armchair he’d been coveting. Now he had to
will
himself not to fall asleep. “It’s her father, Luca. It is an emergency.”

“It’s not her real father,” Luca grumbled. “Poor bastard should know the truth.”

Oh of course, Luca
would
find empathy with Derek. No surprise there. Jai rolled his eyes. “How long is your healer going to take?”