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“I wil It is my duty” With a respectful bow of his head, White stepped back and the flaulfed him

Ari’s eyes slid slowly back to Lilif and she watched, soed The pria slid around her body with a life of its own, reshaping itself into a shi to al her luscious curves Two revealing slits ran up the length of the dress on either side, flashing her shapely legs froical, invisible hands uncoiled her hair until it hung loose and wild to her waist The leam that Ari had come to knoas back in Lilif’s dark eyes, the familiar cruel twist returned to her ful lips as she sneered at the space where White had just“Just like your father, White In more ways than you’l ever realize”

Before Ari had ti the sand exploded in a scream al around them and Lilif’s voice joined its whine Grains sliced into Ari’s skin and eyes, and she slapped at the attacking desert with useless heavy arms

Claustrophobia gripped her chest and Ari sla into the dark of the unfa, Ari slue moon outside the balcony iluminated the iron-framed bed she was in, as wel as the Moroccan iron screen andfurniture

Mount Qaf

The momentary relief evaporated as she remembered

Dalí

The Glea

Charlie His trial

Her fingers curled into the light silk co, had put her in one of the rooms within his quarters of the palace Despite his proxi within the Sultan Azazil’s home in Mount Qaf Corridors away fromatic twin, Asmodeus

But only a room away from Jai Her shoulders relaxed froan to unwind She lay back down to stare at the ceiling and wondered if she should feel guilty that Jai’s presence could bring her such comfort when eon awaiting his trial tomorrow?

Awaiting the trial that would determine whether he lived or died

Ari already knew the outcome

There was no way in hel she was letting her best friend die No way

No matter what

1 - I’ainst the Wind

Faling back to sleep was ied it in the first place

She watched, huddled on her bed, as the htened The winter sun began to play peek-a-boo over the mountains, the

eaze

Finally, Ari breathed inwardly, hopping out of bed She hurried into the colorful bronze, blue and gold Moroccan tiled bathroo her hair with a hairdryer that looked surprisingly like the one she’d left back in Ohio The Red King certainly wanted her to feel at horateful to her uncle for trying

With adrenaline pulsing through her body, Ari ru for a clean pair of jeans and a tank top The little gremlins she’d come to know and hate played kick-bal in her stomach as she concentrated

Red, she caled through the telepathy, so informal with him, You there?

Two seconds later fla stepped out of the Peripatos His long, bright red hair was puled back into a braid that brushed the bottom of his spine, and he wore black leather trousers that laced up the side His torso was bare, his powerful buildAri uncoold circlets around theold cuffs around his wrist and the ruby studs in his ears He was dressed to impress He was dressed for the trial

Red’s sharp, pale blue eyes flicked across her face, checking for… what? Injury? Sorrow? Concern? “Are you alright?”

Ari shook her head “I want to see Charlie”

“I already told you, you can’t”

An ugly, unexpected flare of anger burned in Ari’s chest and she gulped hard trying to hold it back down She needed to stay calm “I just want to make sure he’s okay”