shouted, clutching his head. “Her mother was right. Jinn. Not demons, not people, not snakes. Close to us. Right beside us this whole time. Ram, that bastard. Fuck, it hurts.”
“Oh, Greg,” Aziza whispered, not bothering to hold back her tears while she watched his flowing unnoticed down his cheeks.
Greg began to rock back and forth, still bathed in the light. “The others are nearby. No. Not nearby. Niyr. Niyr and Jinn—locked in conflict, thousands of years of hate. The center, the middle, the heart is…us. Human.” He was speaking swiftly now, almost muttering to himself. Slurring his words. “The light of the fire, the smokeless flame and the vessel heated by its warmth. Three worlds entwined, in battle, but the destruction of one means the destruction of all. There must be balance.”
He frowned and stopped rocking, but he was still holding his head with clawed fingertips. “All focused on Aziza. Jinn and Niyr come together as Qarin, only for her line. Aziza Stewart, standing at the base of the king’s statue. A king from the house of Stuart. A Stewart from the lineage of Ammu.” His laughter came out sounding like a sob. “The symmetry. The pattern. I see it. Aziza must not be the line’s end. All Qarins—doubles, guards—dead along with their charges. All but Aziza. Her blood is in the sand, the sand is in her blood and what it conceals it can reveal. But only to her.”
Blood. Aziza saw the blood dripping out of his nose and onto his lip, and knew she had to get to him. She relaxed her muscles and Ram shifted his hands to stop her limp body from falling. She used his distraction to tear herself away, rushing to her friend’s side. “Greg, stop this. Damn it, someone stop this now or I will kill all of you.”
“Kill.” Greg shook his head. Could he hear her? “The killings. Danger. Death follows her, leaving bodies in her path. Who is her enemy? How many? There is more than one wolf at her door. Whispers. Te, who are the Whispers?”
Te dropped his hands and the light disappeared. “I believe that is all I can safely give him. He will be confused for a few hours, then he will experience a short period of understanding and euphoria. Unfortunately, most of it will fade and he should return to normal, since the human brain cannot function for long in this state.”
Shev strode over to the petite Te and lifted him up by the fabric of his vest. “Why did the human mention them , Te? Do you believe they could be involved? Is there some piece of information your people aren’t sharing with ours? Because that would be a violation of the treaty.”
He stared at her in silence until she lowered him back onto the ground. “I believe it was merely a random bleed-through of my thoughts. I received a few of his as well. And I’ve hidden nothing. In the history of their existence the ones you refer to have never used physical violence to move their agenda forward.”
“Greg.” Aziza tried to shut out their voices, focusing on the man who was currently curled up in a fetal position on the ground. “Greg, babe, it’s me. Talk to me.” She lowered her head to kiss his cheek and whisper against his warm skin. “Please, don’t leave me alone.”
“Aziza.”
She looked up blankly, noticing the compassion in Ram’s shimmering eyes. He pushed her hair out of her eyes tenderly, humming in a soothing, almost unconscious way as he touched her. “He is unharmed. This has been done many times before. Your history is rich with dire situations and Niyr-human interactions. They live for this kind of thing. Trust me. He’ll be fine.”
“Don’t you dare touch me.” Jinn. He was Jinn. Just like Penn said. Like her mother said. Greg had seen it. How could she possibly trust Ram now? Trust any of them? “I need to take him back home. Are we done? Does he have what I need to know? Did it work?”
Te stepped into her field of vision, nodding as he studied Greg’s reaction. “I am confident it did.
“Oh, Greg,” Aziza whispered, not bothering to hold back her tears while she watched his flowing unnoticed down his cheeks.
Greg began to rock back and forth, still bathed in the light. “The others are nearby. No. Not nearby. Niyr. Niyr and Jinn—locked in conflict, thousands of years of hate. The center, the middle, the heart is…us. Human.” He was speaking swiftly now, almost muttering to himself. Slurring his words. “The light of the fire, the smokeless flame and the vessel heated by its warmth. Three worlds entwined, in battle, but the destruction of one means the destruction of all. There must be balance.”
He frowned and stopped rocking, but he was still holding his head with clawed fingertips. “All focused on Aziza. Jinn and Niyr come together as Qarin, only for her line. Aziza Stewart, standing at the base of the king’s statue. A king from the house of Stuart. A Stewart from the lineage of Ammu.” His laughter came out sounding like a sob. “The symmetry. The pattern. I see it. Aziza must not be the line’s end. All Qarins—doubles, guards—dead along with their charges. All but Aziza. Her blood is in the sand, the sand is in her blood and what it conceals it can reveal. But only to her.”
Blood. Aziza saw the blood dripping out of his nose and onto his lip, and knew she had to get to him. She relaxed her muscles and Ram shifted his hands to stop her limp body from falling. She used his distraction to tear herself away, rushing to her friend’s side. “Greg, stop this. Damn it, someone stop this now or I will kill all of you.”
“Kill.” Greg shook his head. Could he hear her? “The killings. Danger. Death follows her, leaving bodies in her path. Who is her enemy? How many? There is more than one wolf at her door. Whispers. Te, who are the Whispers?”
Te dropped his hands and the light disappeared. “I believe that is all I can safely give him. He will be confused for a few hours, then he will experience a short period of understanding and euphoria. Unfortunately, most of it will fade and he should return to normal, since the human brain cannot function for long in this state.”
Shev strode over to the petite Te and lifted him up by the fabric of his vest. “Why did the human mention them , Te? Do you believe they could be involved? Is there some piece of information your people aren’t sharing with ours? Because that would be a violation of the treaty.”
He stared at her in silence until she lowered him back onto the ground. “I believe it was merely a random bleed-through of my thoughts. I received a few of his as well. And I’ve hidden nothing. In the history of their existence the ones you refer to have never used physical violence to move their agenda forward.”
“Greg.” Aziza tried to shut out their voices, focusing on the man who was currently curled up in a fetal position on the ground. “Greg, babe, it’s me. Talk to me.” She lowered her head to kiss his cheek and whisper against his warm skin. “Please, don’t leave me alone.”
“Aziza.”
She looked up blankly, noticing the compassion in Ram’s shimmering eyes. He pushed her hair out of her eyes tenderly, humming in a soothing, almost unconscious way as he touched her. “He is unharmed. This has been done many times before. Your history is rich with dire situations and Niyr-human interactions. They live for this kind of thing. Trust me. He’ll be fine.”
“Don’t you dare touch me.” Jinn. He was Jinn. Just like Penn said. Like her mother said. Greg had seen it. How could she possibly trust Ram now? Trust any of them? “I need to take him back home. Are we done? Does he have what I need to know? Did it work?”
Te stepped into her field of vision, nodding as he studied Greg’s reaction. “I am confident it did.
Similar Books
