Page 68 of Heavensent & Hellbent

His eyes widened momentarily. “But that doesn’t mean you’re a jinn, not necessarily—”

“There’s more. Jamshid slipped a note in my pocket when we saw him. It had a spell on it.”

“What kind of spell?”

“A summoning one. He wrote that if I summoned my ancestor, he could explain everything—that he’s the one who’s been trying to contact me.”

It was clear that Zain was trying to calm himself, his jaw clenched, like his brain was mentally counting before speaking. “Please tell me you didn’t recite it.”

“What do you think?”

He groaned, loud, frustrated, but most of all devastated.

“I had planned to summon my mum, but it didn’t work. Then I tried my ancestor. I don’t know why, really. I just wanted to see if it would work. I guess I thought if it did, it would confirm what I am.”

Hardness contoured Zain’s face as he assessed me.

A knock sounded on the door behind me. I jumped at the sound, whipping around as Ehsan’s soft voice began, “Roxana?Are you okay? Is it the dreams again?” The door handle moved, and I rushed to press my body against the door to stop him from opening it.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I said, voice cracking.

“Why won’t you let me in?”

Zain was staring at me with that unreadable expression. I didn’t want him to go, not when we hadn’t had a chance to talk fully. But it seemed it wasn’t my choice to make, because he moved toward the window. Before I could tell him to stop, he hoisted himself over the edge and jumped, disappearing from view.

Possibly at my lack of reply, Ehsan tried the door one more time. The force of its opening smacked my shoulder, and I stumbled forward and deeper into the room. Ehsan defiantly scanned the empty space. His face fell when he realized there was nothing suspicious.

“I had a nightmare and went to the toilet and heard you talking. I thought I heard other voices,” he explained sheepishly, wearing his Superman pajamas, his hair standing up in all different directions from sleep.

“Well, you were wrong,” I said, looking not at him but at the open window and the starry night sky. “There’s no one here.”

I had to put my hand on Ehsan’s back and guide him out to make him leave, warning him that it was late and he was being weird. Gaslighting was the only weapon I had in my arsenal.

When I was alone in my room, panic tightened my chest. I regretted the way I’d told Zain the truth; I never thought my words through until after I’d said them—always so rash.I pounded my hand down on the mattress, growing more agitated at how bouncy the bed was and the way my hand had such little impact. For a jinn, I felt—and was—so weak.

My ears pricked at a rustling by the window. Anticipation, then disappointment washed over me when I saw that he hadn’t come back…until I realized I was facing the wrong direction, and that to the right, he was leaning against the wall outside as though it were the most normal thing to do, practically levitating. His head bowed until he felt me watching him. Only then did he look at me.

I couldn’t stop staring into his dark eyes. I wished he could understand what I was saying without words—that even though I was a jinn, that didn’t mean I was bad.

“You’re still here,” I said, my voice wobbly.

“I wanted to go, but I couldn’t.”

“Maybe we could talk in your car? You drove here, right?”

“Yes,” he said before taking me in his arms. I didn’t have time to think about it before we flew down to the lawn. His car was parked across the street.

He grabbed his ripped T-shirt from the ground, and we got into his car, neither of us saying anything for a moment. Shadows from the streetlights caressed his face, making the sharp lines more pronounced.

He put his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles white as he clenched it, the only sign that he was reeling.

“What happened when you summoned your ancestor?” he asked, voice impossibly level.

My hands were folded in my lap, and I squeezed themtogether. “He told me that I’m a jinn—a jinn princess, believe it or not.” My attempt at humor was pathetic. I sighed. “He said he’s the Jinn King. He has snakes on his neck. He’s the jinn that I’ve been seeing in my dreams—”

“Wait, did you say the Jinn King?” Zain hissed. He twisted around, eyes wide. “That’syour ancestor?”

“I mean, I don’t really get how it works. He’s like Rabiya’s grandfather? So, spiritually my ancestor.”