jinn 03 - vestige Read Free Page A

chest, and Jakob stroked his beard.
    “Why us?” Jakob asked.
    “I’m not here to boost your ego. The four of you are controlled enough to manage this, but you’re still expendable. Don’t forget that. I don’t need you to survive, but you need me to. As soon as this project becomes more of a hassle than it’s worth to me, I’m out. I’m fine with being the only one left.” I waited to see if they would buy my lie. Sure, I was fine with being the only jinn left in the end—but it wasn’t the end. My war wasn’t over yet. I still needed them loyal to me.
    “What do you want them to do?” Phoenix asked. “What are your goals for the jinn?”
    “Hell is our one and only concern. We need to know how far they’re willing to go to get us back. We need to protect ourselves and each other.”
    Hudson scoffed. I glared and let a blue flame dance in my eyes—yep, definitely getting the hang of this ability—until he looked away.
    Elliot nodded. “The larger our numbers, the stronger we are. It doesn’t make sense being autonomous.”
    I nodded. “Hell will make its move against us. It’s only a matter of time. Keep the jinn focused and vigilant.”
    They followed me out of the office and to the roomful of jinn. I stepped on stage and they stood behind me.
    “Just because you are free, doesn’t mean there aren’t rules. Do not reveal yourself to humans or you will be killed. Do not bargain for souls or you will be killed. Do not draw attention to our race or you will be killed. I expect loyalty to myself and to your fellow jinn. If you fail to live up my expectations, you will be killed. Do you understand?” I allowed flames to explode from my skin—then took their silence as consensus. “Good.”
    Not a whisper or fidget came from the crowd before me, as they waited on my next words. “Now is the time to prepare. Hell will not let us go without a fight. They are coming and we will be ready. Keep your contacts primed and your eyes and ears open. If you hear anything or see anything, notify your captain.” I went down the line behind me. “North. South. East. West. That’s all I have. If you have a question, figure it out. I’m not here to hold your hands or run your lives. Use common sense and control your emotions at all times. And if I were you, I’d avoid demons for a while.”
    They stared back at me.
    “How do you do the flames?” someone called out.
    “I got stronger,” I said before I hopped down from the stage and strode out of the room. I looked at the dark rickety stairwell and the back entrance, considering my options. Behind me, the jinn grew louder until their conversing was a low roar. Finally I made up my mind and headed outside into the relentless thunderstorm. I didn’t want to go back to the warehouse, but I also didn’t want to be here with the jinn. Olivia was at the warehouse, and it hurt to look at her or hear her voice. No matter how mad I was, I couldn’t stop loving her. Damn if I didn’t try, but she was under my skin, a part of me that I wanted to hate. Without her, without that part, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have been taken in by Hell’s clumsy plan. Baker wouldn’t have died. I wouldn’t have had to fight my own allies. But I let weakness in, and now it was destroying me.
    I shook off the long-denied thoughts. The situation had replayed in my mind a million times. If I hadn’t been so desperate to get her back—no, not again. It didn’t matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was Mammon. If I could defeat him, Hell would stop trying. The war would cost them more than they were willing to spend. It would establish us as a legitimate force in the Abyss. Now, it was just a matter of figuring out how to win without an angel in our corner.
    I walked without seeing, mostly because I had to stare at my feet to keep the rain out of my eyes. I needed to find out more about Mammon. I needed to learn his strengths and weaknesses and, more