"i don't remember inviting you,"

azazil murmured, definitely amused as red and glass came to a halt beside ari and jai. they bowed deferentially to their father.

once straightened, red eyed his father, completely unamused. "we're here to make sure nothing untoward happens to ari and jai."

"oh, how very noble," azazil snorted and shot asmodeus a grin. "i shall hand things over to you, my friend."

asmodeus nodded militantly and then turned his cruel gaze on ari. "i have petitioned the sultan for his granddaughter's hand in marriage, and he has granted my request."

in the wake of his announcement, an utter, crisp, cold, disbelieving silence fell upon the room.

ari quickly ran his words through her head again, bile rising in her throat as her brain processed their meaning.

slowly, she and jai turned their heads to look at one another. she saw the horror she felt reflected in his eyes and knew she hadn't misunderstood.

"what?" she yelled, whipping back to asmodeus, wishing she could set him on fire with her eyes. "over my dead body," she growled.

she felt red and glass shift closer to her, tension mounting.

azazil chuckled quietly to himself, enjoying it all immensely.

asmodeus again wore the smug expression of victory. "oh no," he took a few steps down the dais toward her, "that would be over his dead body." he nodded his head to jai as he came to a stop, towering over them both. "if you do not comply, if you do not marry me and join my harem, i will see to it that your young ginnaye here dies. so," asmodeus reached up and stroked a finger along her jaw, down her throat, trailing his touch across her upper chest, "i think you best agree, and agree quickly."

jai growled and lunged toward the lieutenant.

red, however, saved him from the consequences of his impulsive attack. as if having already sensed jai's oncoming loss of control, red was a blur of movement, binding his arms around jai, holding him back.

asmodeus curled a lip at him and then swiftly transferred his sneer to ari. "jai bitar is a prince among the ginnaye. do you know this, ari? not yet twenty-four years old and he has garnered the respect of the ginnaye tribes for his unwavering determination, power, and self-control. however, it seems when it comes to you, he loses everything that makes him remarkable. he loses control because of you, ari, and i find i can relate. i have lost control of my existence around you. a girl.

not yet even nineteen." he took a threatening step toward her. "you have brought two princes to their knees, and i find i am in the mood to give you a taste of how that feels."

"you can't do this." ari gazed up at him in hatred, her fists clenched by her sides.

"i'm afraid if father has granted his petition, then he can," glass murmured as he eyed asmodeus in disappointment.

"father, i beg you to rethink this." the red king, still holding jai, looked up at azazil with far more calm than ari hoped he was feeling. "ari and jai have done much for us. is this how you would repay them?"

azazil scoffed. "i am giving her to prince asmodeus as a bride. do you know how many young jinn girls would be kissing my feet in gratitude at such a gift?"

desperation flooded ari and she found her eyes drawn back to jai. he was no longer struggling against red, but she could see his loss of power cut him deep. she could also tell he was deliberately not looking at her, and she knew it was because if he did, he would lose it completely.

"i won't do it." ari shook her head.

"and i won't let her do it," jai added darkly.

"it has been commanded of you by azazil. if you defy him, you both die." asmodeus eyed jai. "if you defy me, i will kill you, boy. so let me ask you something ... how much do you really love her? will you let her go willingly and give her the peace of mind that the man she loves at least is out there somewhere, alive and healthy, or do you get in my way and i kill you? if i kill you, she has to live with the fact that she is responsible for your murder. would you put her through that?"

jai registered the threat and although the fight did not leave his eyes, he relaxed. red reluctantly loosened his hold. at the same time, tears fell silently down ari's cheeks.

they were trapped.

she couldn't think of a way out of this one.

as if he knew she'd come to that realization, asmodeus whispered, "i told you i would make you feel what i felt when i had to kill lilif. you took my other half, ari. now i'm taking yours."

there appeared to be no oxygen in the chamber where she and jai had been put for the night. as an act of "kindness," azazil was allowing ari and jai one last night together. in two days' time, there was to be a celebratory feast announcing asmodeus's betrothal to ari and then two days after that, the wedding.

as extra punishment, jai was to remain on mount qaf until the ceremony was complete. asmodeus wanted ari to feel the pain of having jai bear witness to his utter loss.

in the end, when even glass and red could do nothing to change azazil's mind, ari had given in that this was happening. she couldn't think of what lay ahead with asmodeus. all she could feel was that what lay ahead did not include jai. and the pain she felt ... the pain was unbearable. it radiated out from her chest and formed a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.

her life, her future had changed in the matter of minutes and although she should be used to it by now, she couldn't process it. she couldn't process how her future happiness had been destroyed in an instant.

she was alone now with jai. she stood by the end of the bed, gazing at him in heartbreak, his eyes dark with rage and denial. "we have to leave," he suddenly said, his voice different, thick and hostile.

ari shook her head. "jai, they'll kill you."

"do you want to marry him?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes flashing as he strode toward her. he gripped her upper arms and gave her a little shake, causing her to gasp and reach for him. "do you want to spend your life in his harem? bending to his every whim? his every whim, ari? you'll be his bride. you'll be in his bed." jai's grip grew more painful. "do you want me to just stand by and let that happen?"

"jai ..." the tears spilled over her lids now and she blindly reached for him, trying to soothe him. "stop ..."

his breath shuddered as he pulled her closer, his voice choked with emotion. "we'll never see each other again."

he ducked his head so their faces were inches apart and for the first time ever, she saw tears shimmering in jai bitar's eyes. it killed her. an anguished sob broke between her lips. "i can't live without you."

she fell against him and his arms came around her tight as she cried her heartache into his body, his own still trembling. slowly, their knees gave out and they sat together on the floor, clinging onto one another in desperation.

hours seemed to pass before jai finally placed fingers gently to her chin and lifted her head to stare into her eyes. "i'd die so you wouldn't end up in his hands."

she shook her head, everything hurting, even her gums. "i'm going to end up in his hands no matter what, and he was right. i'll only be able to survive it if i know that you're out there somewhere and that you're okay."

"why aren't you fighting this?" jai asked roughly. "you've fought everything. why not this?"

"because," she sniffed, brushing frantically at tears that wouldn't stop flowing, "you didn't see him when he killed lilif. it destroyed any little piece of light that was left in him, and all that darkness, all that darkness in him is directed at me. he's got azazil on his side, jai. the sultan. there's nowhere we could go to escape that. the last time they wanted something from me, they got it-the seal. there was nothing i could do to stop asmodeus punching a hole in my chest. the only thing i had left was bargain. i bargained for a favor. well, this time you are my bargain. if i do this willingly, he'll let you live."

"not without first making me watch the moment i lose the woman i love forever."

"jai-"

"i'm not giving in!" he roared, standing, glaring down at her, his chest heaving with passion. "there has to be a way!"

"jai-"

"i'll fight him for you."

ari stood up slowly, her expression aghast. "you can't be serious."

"would you die for me?" she stared at him in silent panic. he knew she would, but she couldn't admit it and strengthen his argument. "ari, would you die for me?"

she closed her eyes and two more tears slipped down her cheeks.

"ari?"

stop.

"would you die for me?"

"yes." as soon as she uttered the word, she knew there would be no talking jai out of it. although it killed her to do it, she called in help.

red, i need you to come take jai. i need you to watch over him until this is all over so he doesn't do anything to get himself killed.

the last word was barely sent when the flames flickered into the room. red and glass stepped out of the peripatos and immediately took hold of a surprised jai.

"what the hell are you doing?" he bit out, struggling against their grip. his eyes flew to ari. "what are you doing?"

ari hurried over to him and ignoring her uncles, she stood on tiptoes and pressed a hard kiss filled with longing against jai's mouth. when she pulled back, his expression had dimmed from rage to desolation. "i won't let you die for me."

she turned, closing her eyes and cradling her chest as if she could somehow contain the pieces of her broken heart. red and glass removed jai from the room, his shouts for her echoing in her ears.

24

blood brothers

he wasn't allowed even an inch of space to breathe.

jai bowed his head, knees drawn up, hands dangling uselessly over them. the red king was sitting in a similar position, their backs to the wall of red's chamber in azazil's palace. red was almost pressed up against him, close in case jai decided to do something stupid like attempt to use the peripatos to get to ari and to get off mount qaf.

jai warred with himself. he wasn't the type of guy who could sit and do nothing, but he knew if he did anything, it would end in his death and ari would blame herself. his throat burned and drew tight, and for a moment he fought to breathe.

red sighed beside him. "i cannot make you any promises this won't go ahead, jai. but i can tell you, while i stay here with you, glass is out there and he is trying."

"why?" jai asked bitterly. "really?

why have you allied yourself with us? and why should i believe it?"

"i'll try not to let that piss me off," red replied with an edge in his tone, "since i know you're going through something right now."

"didn't answer my question."

red sighed again. "i am loyal to my father, jai, because of who he is, and because in the grand scheme of things, he will always try to protect these worlds and the balance. i am loyal to glass, because we have proven ourselves to each other. we know that neither one of us would betray the other, to anyone, not even to father. and i find i am loyal to ari because even after everything, even after my deceit, she threw herself in front of my mother's attack to save me. she has proven herself my ally.

i am loyal to her, and since there is nothing in these worlds that means more to her than you, i am consequently loyal to you too."

jai found a small amount of relief in that. he turned to red, and although the words killed him to form, he asked, "if we can't get her out of this, will you still watch over her? make sure he doesn't hurt her?"