red-rimmed, hinting at tears and tiredness. A chain looped through handcuffs now bolted her to the wall. She pointed at Filip. “You just poofed out of existence an hour ago. Khan got seriously stressed. Like even more than he already was. And now you’ve appeared.”
“I’m not a demon, but you could be drugged,” Sara began. She resisted Filip’s tight grip on her arm. In a minute he’d throw her out of the house. “Filip, have you seen the writing on the wall?”
He focused and groaned. “Another complication.”
“Did you expect me to make it easy for you?” Khan stood in the doorway. He took a key from his pocket and threw it to Jay. “Put the handcuffs and key down beside you when you’ve got them unlocked.”
“You know, if you let me go, you could go to the bathroom without all this fuss.”
Sara saw Filip’s mouth twitch and she agreed. The girl had spunk.
Khan ignored Jay’s comment and studied Sara. Of average height, he stood like a soldier and his eyes were a tawny shade of hazel. “If not a demon, what are you? A human would trip the security on this house.”
“What she is is leaving,” Filip said.
Sara frowned. “I’m an angel.”
“Mine?” Jay crashed the conversation. The handcuffs rattled to the floor.
Sara winced at the discordant rattle of imprisonment. “No. I’m not a guardian angel.”
Jay dropped the cuff key. “So where is she? He? Oh no, don’t tell me it’s him.” Jay indicated Filip with a flick of her hand. “Khan’s already beaten him once.”
“I’m not an angel. And I underestimated him. I didn’t expect magic.”
“Who does?” Jay shook her head, trying to clear it. “I think I’m tripping. Magic, demons, angels.” She paused, suddenly wistful. “It would have been nice to have a guardian angel.”
“You have one,” Sara assured her. “Everyone does.”
Jay folded her arms. “So where is she?”
“Good question.” Khan leaned against the doorframe, a knife in his right hand. His thumb caressed the bone handle. “Where are angels when they’re needed?”
“Watching, caring.” Sara hesitated. She knew from her cousin Mischa that being a guardian angel could break your heart. Sometimes all you could do was be there. One person’s free will could damn another person to living hell. “We can’t live people’s lives for them.”
“And their deaths?” Khan prompted. The shadows of a heavy beard emphasised the hollows of his gaunt face. The outer edge of the spotlight’s glare caught the hazel of his eyes and the narrow pupils. He was a lonely man, ridden by grief.
“No one dies alone,” Sara said and knew how inadequate it sounded.
“Pah.” Khan straightened from the doorframe, taking a step forward.
Filip pushed Sara behind him.
“And so I am answered.” Khan paused. Filip’s action had revealed the situation, the relationship between him and Sara. “The angel is here to save the djinni. Grandfather would have appreciated the irony, an angel to save a demon.”
“No.” Sara pushed against Filip’s arm and his unmoving back. She gave up and peered around him, catching Khan’s gaze. “I’m here because of you.”
There was a moment’s shocked silence. Jay broke it.
“But he’s the bad guy.”
***
Filip bestowed a glance of approval on Jay. At last someone here was showing some basic commonsense. Angels didn’t put themselves at risk for bad guys.
“If Khan was truly bad he wouldn’t have written his message in Arabic,” Sara said.
Filip blinked. He’d read the message. He hadn’t considered the language. Arabic, a language a djinni could be counted on knowing, but one Jay wouldn’t. Khan hadn’t mentally tortured her with the thought of poisoning.
“I’m not looking for mercy,” Khan said.
“Good,” Filip said. The fact that Khan hadn’t tortured Jay didn’t excuse kidnapping her in the first place. “Because Vince Ablett won’t give mercy.”
The strike hurt Jay more than Khan.
“I’m not a demon, but you could be drugged,” Sara began. She resisted Filip’s tight grip on her arm. In a minute he’d throw her out of the house. “Filip, have you seen the writing on the wall?”
He focused and groaned. “Another complication.”
“Did you expect me to make it easy for you?” Khan stood in the doorway. He took a key from his pocket and threw it to Jay. “Put the handcuffs and key down beside you when you’ve got them unlocked.”
“You know, if you let me go, you could go to the bathroom without all this fuss.”
Sara saw Filip’s mouth twitch and she agreed. The girl had spunk.
Khan ignored Jay’s comment and studied Sara. Of average height, he stood like a soldier and his eyes were a tawny shade of hazel. “If not a demon, what are you? A human would trip the security on this house.”
“What she is is leaving,” Filip said.
Sara frowned. “I’m an angel.”
“Mine?” Jay crashed the conversation. The handcuffs rattled to the floor.
Sara winced at the discordant rattle of imprisonment. “No. I’m not a guardian angel.”
Jay dropped the cuff key. “So where is she? He? Oh no, don’t tell me it’s him.” Jay indicated Filip with a flick of her hand. “Khan’s already beaten him once.”
“I’m not an angel. And I underestimated him. I didn’t expect magic.”
“Who does?” Jay shook her head, trying to clear it. “I think I’m tripping. Magic, demons, angels.” She paused, suddenly wistful. “It would have been nice to have a guardian angel.”
“You have one,” Sara assured her. “Everyone does.”
Jay folded her arms. “So where is she?”
“Good question.” Khan leaned against the doorframe, a knife in his right hand. His thumb caressed the bone handle. “Where are angels when they’re needed?”
“Watching, caring.” Sara hesitated. She knew from her cousin Mischa that being a guardian angel could break your heart. Sometimes all you could do was be there. One person’s free will could damn another person to living hell. “We can’t live people’s lives for them.”
“And their deaths?” Khan prompted. The shadows of a heavy beard emphasised the hollows of his gaunt face. The outer edge of the spotlight’s glare caught the hazel of his eyes and the narrow pupils. He was a lonely man, ridden by grief.
“No one dies alone,” Sara said and knew how inadequate it sounded.
“Pah.” Khan straightened from the doorframe, taking a step forward.
Filip pushed Sara behind him.
“And so I am answered.” Khan paused. Filip’s action had revealed the situation, the relationship between him and Sara. “The angel is here to save the djinni. Grandfather would have appreciated the irony, an angel to save a demon.”
“No.” Sara pushed against Filip’s arm and his unmoving back. She gave up and peered around him, catching Khan’s gaze. “I’m here because of you.”
There was a moment’s shocked silence. Jay broke it.
“But he’s the bad guy.”
***
Filip bestowed a glance of approval on Jay. At last someone here was showing some basic commonsense. Angels didn’t put themselves at risk for bad guys.
“If Khan was truly bad he wouldn’t have written his message in Arabic,” Sara said.
Filip blinked. He’d read the message. He hadn’t considered the language. Arabic, a language a djinni could be counted on knowing, but one Jay wouldn’t. Khan hadn’t mentally tortured her with the thought of poisoning.
“I’m not looking for mercy,” Khan said.
“Good,” Filip said. The fact that Khan hadn’t tortured Jay didn’t excuse kidnapping her in the first place. “Because Vince Ablett won’t give mercy.”
The strike hurt Jay more than Khan.
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