Page 38 of Heavensent & Hellbent

I had messages from Nic that I’d left unread since yesterday. I wasn’t sure how I could talk to her normally with everything going on.

I did my nighttime rituals. Left my window cracked to let in fresh air and sprayed my pillows with oils to calm and relax me. I popped some magnesium and sat crossed-legged on my bed, hoping to clear my mind for ten minutes, but it was no use. I couldn’t stop thinking. Not only of the jinn, but of the fireballs in Rabiya’s hands. Of being burned at the stake. Of Zain’smagnificent wings. Of the feeling of his lips against mine, soft and hard, hands gripping my shoulders…My breath caught. It was impossible to relax.

My palms itched, and I gazed down at them. Willed flames. Nothing happened. I opted, instead, to scroll TikTok, allowing myself to get sucked into celebrity gossip I couldn’t care less about but that numbed my brain until my eyelids began to feel heavy. As I drifted off, I heard hissing, faint but loud enough to make me open my eyes. I sat up, scanned the room, but saw nothing.

Each time I almost fell asleep, I could have sworn I heard movement in my room. I was teary-eyed, frustrated. I just wanted to sleep. One night of guaranteed, undisturbed slumber.

It was about three a.m. when I finally succumbed to sleep and saw my mother once more.

16

The ceiling was low, solow that I could touch it if I stood on my tiptoes. The walls were exposed slate, resembling a hut or an unfinished house, the space furnished minimally. The bubbling of a samovar in the corner of the room was all I could hear. That was until my mother spoke.

Her face was thunderous, but it was her, my sweet mother. How I had longed to see her again. The problem was, Rabiya was in control, not me. And she kept her distance from my mother, staying on the other side of the room, by the door, her pose that of someone ready to flee.

“You have been incredibly foolish,” my mother said.

“Where is he?” I asked, my voice cold.

My mother snorted. “He’s the least of your concerns.”

“What have they done with him?”

She took a step forward, face pinched. “You have only yourself to blame for your lover’s demise. You were given one instruction: Stay away from him. And yet you ignored us.”

“Where is he!” I roared.

A sigh. “In Persia, at the castle. They have him,” she said. I turned my back to leave, but she continued. “Don’t go—there’s no point.” Her voice was small, much quieter.

I turned back. “If Baba was in danger, wouldn’t you go save him?”

She shook her head. “You’ll only get yourself killed.”

I scoffed. “They can’t kill me.”

She took another step forward, her eyes locking with mine. “Why not? It’s bigger than you now. Nothing will ever be the same after what you’ve both done.”

17

Ehsan was a morning person. On the walk to his first day of football practice, he was skipping, while I dragged my feet the twenty-minute walk to the park. The air was cooler this early, and I enjoyed the feel of it against my neck.

With barely any time to get ready, I chucked on a midi dress paired with sandals. Westillhadn’t received our shipment of things yet, to our dismay. I didn’t even have a minute to brush my hair, so I tied it up in a messy bun on top of my head.

“Are you nervous?” I asked Ehsan, turning around frequently to check that no jinn were following us. Paranoia was exhausting.

Ehsan scoffed. “No,” he said, though he sounded it. Excitement and nerves often went hand in hand.

When we got there, I tried to find a coach to introduce Ehsan to. I scanned the field for an adult in sporty gear, asidefrom the parents on the sidelines who had brought snacks and folding chairs. They’d come prepared to spectate, whereas I thought I’d drop Ehsan off here and then go to a coffee shop to FaceTime Nic…

I finally clocked the coach. He had his back to me, and I marched Ehsan over to him, forcing myself to stand up straight and be normal.

“Excuse me?” I said to the back of the man. It was only when he began to turn around that I realized the back of his head was very familiar.

My stomach flipped.

“Oh, hey,” Zain—the coach—said.

I was tongue-tied for a few moments before I realized that Ehsan was staring at me. “My brother is joining the team,” I quickly said. “Ehsan Esfandari.”