Page 37 of Heavensent & Hellbent

“I would have noticed someone as beautiful as you.”

Uneasiness crept between us, stronger this time, some innate part of me urging me to leave, to flee from the gaze ofthis striking boy who was studying me far too closely. “Right,” I said.

His lips quirked up like he found my curt tone amusing. “I’m Keyon, by the way.”

“I see,” I said. “Well, I have to go, Keyon.” I walked around him and added, “Thank you,” because although he was being weird and flirty, he had saved my life, without even knowing it.

—

In my bedroom, I called Zain.

“A jinn tried to attack me,” I breathed.

“What?”

I explained what had happened and could feel his anger through the phone. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. Now they’re targeting you—”

I interrupted him before he could continue to blame himself. “They were in my dreams long before I met you,” I said. “In this lifetime, at least. But it’s just so freaky that he knew my name.”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I wasn’t, but instead of saying that, I said, “Yes. I’m just scared he’ll come back.”

“Whoever he is, I’ll kill him,” he said. “Tonight. I want you to stay at home.”

“Are you sure they won’t come in the house or something?” I asked, having watched far too many horror movies.

“He’ll be dead by then,” he said with so much confidence that I didn’t doubt him.

Not too long after the call ended, Dad returned home after a trip to Walmart with Ehsan. He called me to help him get the stuff out of the car. And while I hadn’t expected him to buy a new flat-screen TV, my dad’s thing for big TVs was the mental reprieve I needed.

I helped him unload all the groceries into the fridge and cupboards, offering to make a pasta bake to keep busy. As we sat around the table and ate, it would’ve felt like old times if the image of the jinn hadn’t been stuck in my mind. If the boy, Keyon, hadn’t intervened, what would the jinn have done to me?

“I’m going out of town for a work conference, and I’m leaving early tomorrow morning. Since I won’t be back until Tuesday afternoon, I’ll need you to take Ehsan to football,” Dad said.

Ehsan had joined a flag football team with Dylan, something that made Dad beam at him with pride. Anything Ehsan did elicited that reaction from him. The combination of Ehsan being the only boy and the youngest meant that Dad treated him differently from me and Azar.

It was bizarre, even to me, the way my mind flitted between supernatural terror and being jealous of my brother because my dad was sexist.

“That’s fine,” I grumbled, glad that at least Dad would be out of the picture for a night.

I went to bed early and saw a new message from Zain.

Zain

It’s all sorted.

He killed him?

How do you know it was the same one?

I scented him from the alleyway you mentioned. His power is speed through smoke, so it was easy.

Did he say why he was targeting me?

No, but don’t worry, I’m going to figure this out. You’re safe now, I promise.

Was I? I doubted it, though knowing that jinn was gone made me feel somewhat better. But that he knew my name, and wanted to see me specifically, freaked me out. It was hard to believe that more of them wouldn’t come after me.