“But they’ve had three…” Dr. Cremer stilled, her eyes turned black with fear at his thunderous look. "Master.”
Clenching his fists, Dalí fought to contain his frustration. He’d taken nothing out on his employees before and he was trying his hardest not to now. “I’ve already told you that Ari will need to be under the harmal continuously.”
“Master…” Dr. Cremer frowned unhappily. “What you’re suggesting… it might not work. The transfusion and the harmal… who is to say the girl’s power won’t dilute with the transfusion?”
“No one,” he replied. “But I’m going to try. So put the girls under again.”
“Yes, Master.”
Congratulating himself on getting through another visit to the horrendous lab, Dalí rubbed a finger over the emerald talisman he wore around his neck, channeling the power of the stone of Mount Qaf to aid him as he stepped into the peripatos. Using the peripatos was faster than the elevator and also reminded his human workers just how powerful he was. I should have taken her last night, he snapped inwardly again. The wait was killing him. Everything would have gone so much easier if she hadn’t run off to the ginnaye tribe. Now she was well-protected, living in a mansion in the Palisades that was cocooned by many enchantments. It was natural defensive magic and far too powerful for Dalí to defeat unless he himself used defensive magic, which, of course, he couldn’t, since his intention was offensive. But last night she’d left the mansion with just one ginnaye guarding her and still his humans hadn’t been able to take the guardian out and kidnap Ari.
Still, he’d try again. He had to use humans to bring her to him. It was just a matter of watching and waiting. Oh, and avoiding more of his father’s calling. Hell, Dalí hoped she’d leave that damn mansion soon. Before long, his window of opportunity would close for good.
Trey leaned against the dresser in Ari’s room, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her quietly. Perched on the end of the bed, eyes dull with lack of sleep, Ari stared blankly back at him.
Trey sighed.
Ari yawned.
He crossed his ankles and tapped a finger against his arm.
Ari shot a look at the clock.
Trey cleared his throat.
Ari glanced down at her shoes. They’d gotten soaked in spilled alcohol when they were leaving the club the night before. She wished she barely remembered any of last night, but since she’d taken so long to fall asleep, it felt like it had all happened minutes ago.
Exhausted, Ari waited Trey out, her mind reeling with the events of… well… the entire last few weeks. Last night had been horrible. Jennifer and Chris had complained to Luca about Jai and Ari’s disappearance and Luca had to waive their fee. After the attack on the highway, Jai and Ari had returned to a furious Luca who was only somewhat placated when Jai explained about the White King’s appearance and then Dali’s trap. Still, he hadn’t looked entirely convinced by the truth of the entire story, eyeing Ari with suspicion.
Sleep had evaded Ari for hours as she’d lain in bed, thinking about what Derek had said to her, Charlie’s actions, Jai’s stubbornness… and finally that promise she'd made to herself at her dad’s graveside.
That was it. She was done chasing after men who didn’t care enough. This time, she really was.
When the ghostly specter of sleep finally swept into the bedroom, Ari had fallen into another restless slumber, her mind tumbling back into that first dream she'd experienced of the giant jinn brother and sister fighting to the death. Why did she keep dreaming about them? And was the woman in the dream this Lilif person from the painting downstairs?
“You’re good at this,” Trey grumbled, bringing Ari’s attention back to him.
She gave him a weary smile. “My dad was kind of immature. We used to play this game a lot.”
“I see.” He shrugged up from his position to waltz slowly over to her, his hand braced against one post of the bed. “I spoke to Jai.”
Her heart pounded a few hard warning beats against her ribs as if to say ‘stop him, I don’t want to hear this.’ “I gathered that’s why you woke me up at this ungodly hour.”
The guardian’s sympathetic smile killed her. It wasn’t possible for her to feel any more vulnerable. “Ari, he feels terrible.”
“Is this the part you tell me not to give up on him? Because you’re too late.”
“Don’t say that,” Trey groaned, “I’ll owe Charlie money.”
Jaw dropping in indignation, Ari squeaked, “You bet with Charlie that Jai and I would end up together?”
“Yeah, he bet against it.”
Horrified, Ari shook her head. “There’s nothing going on with Jai and me. Nothing. Never. He’s… an idiot. Just like all of you.”
“Hey.” Trey threw his hands up defensively. “Some of us are fantastic.”