Scorched Skies Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Samantha Young
detail and he ’ d remember it. “Yes, he did.”
“Well, when she gets back and she forgives you for lying to her, bring her to L.A., I want to meet her.”
Feeling a spark of unwanted jealousy, Jai found himself saying the words, “She ’ s off-limits, Trey,” before he could stop himself.
His friend laughed. “It ’ s not like that. And I ’ m seeing someone at the moment anyway. He runs a nightclub downtown and he ’ s very hot. Human this time. The last Jinn I dated was no fun in an argument. She kept running off into the Peripatos every time things got heated.”
“Was she the one that kicked off your girlfriend ban?”
“Yeah, it didn ’ t last long. Although, I haven ’ t been with a woman in a week.”
“So this nightclub guy is new?”
“Yeah, we ’ ve been dating about a month.”
Jai snorted, thinking how Rik, Trey ’ s dad, would have an apoplexy if he knew the truth about his son ’ s sexuality. Rik was stuck in the dark ages and completely homophobic. Trey often joked that he thought Rik wouldn ’ t go too mental because Trey dated girls as well as guys but Jai knew underneath, Trey was terrified of his father finding out the truth.
“What?” Trey huffed, laughing. “We ’ re not monogamous or anything. I ’ m over that.”
He was only over that because the last relationship he had been in had almost killed him. As well as being a guardian Jinn, Trey was an artist (something else his father didn ’ t know about). He ’ d fallen in love with an art dealer in L.A., and he and the guy had been seeing each other for just over a year when the guy finally got fed up of sitting around waiting for Trey to tell his family about them. He ’ d walked out and left Trey a mess.
“Yeah.” Jai sighed. “So is that why you called? To annoy me about Ari?”
“She sounds nice, man. And she sounds hot. I say forget about the old man and go for it.”
“How do you know she ’ s hot? I haven ’ t even told you what she looks like.”
“I know that look in a guy ’ s eyes when he thinks the person he ’ s talking about is hot. You were practically drooling.”
Flushed with embarrassment, Jai snorted down the phone again, “You ’ re so full of it.”
“You ’ re a dick.”
“So are you.”
“Well this is very mature,” Trey laughed. “But in all seriousness, Jai, you ’ ve got to let go of this crap with Luca.”
“She ’ s just a girl.”
“OK, maybe she is. You still gotta let this stuff go.”
“I will if you tell your dad you bat for the other team.”
“I don ’ t. I bat for both teams.”
“You know what I mean.”
There was silence down the other end of the line and then it crackled as Trey sighed heavily. “We ’ re trapped, aren ’ t we?”
The truth of that statement stabbed at Jai. There was a possibility he was going to go through his whole life trying to measure up to his father ’ s inexorable expectations. And there was a chance he was going to lose everything that might have been meaningful trying. “I think we are, yeah.”
After another moment ’ s silence, Trey asked, “So, did she like the earring?”
Jai shook his head, a wry smile curving his lips despite himself. “I think so.”
“You still pretending what happened, didn ’ t happen?”
“I have to.”
“OK. Answer me one thing…?”
“OK?”
“She ’ s hot isn ’ t she?”
“Goodbye, Trey.”
“No come on, man, I want details.”
“She ’ s not for you, Trey,” Jai warned, feeling that inexplicable possessiveness take over again. Why was Trey so fricking interested in her?
“I know that, didn ’ t we just cover that. Jeez, someone ’ s a little overprotective. I just want to know if the girl who ’ s got you all tied up in knots is hot?”
“She ’ s not got me all tied up in knots.”
“No, but you wish she did,” he snorted.
Rolling his eyes at his friend ’ s weak joke, Jai sighed heavily. “She ’ s hot. Now piss off.” He hung
“Well, when she gets back and she forgives you for lying to her, bring her to L.A., I want to meet her.”
Feeling a spark of unwanted jealousy, Jai found himself saying the words, “She ’ s off-limits, Trey,” before he could stop himself.
His friend laughed. “It ’ s not like that. And I ’ m seeing someone at the moment anyway. He runs a nightclub downtown and he ’ s very hot. Human this time. The last Jinn I dated was no fun in an argument. She kept running off into the Peripatos every time things got heated.”
“Was she the one that kicked off your girlfriend ban?”
“Yeah, it didn ’ t last long. Although, I haven ’ t been with a woman in a week.”
“So this nightclub guy is new?”
“Yeah, we ’ ve been dating about a month.”
Jai snorted, thinking how Rik, Trey ’ s dad, would have an apoplexy if he knew the truth about his son ’ s sexuality. Rik was stuck in the dark ages and completely homophobic. Trey often joked that he thought Rik wouldn ’ t go too mental because Trey dated girls as well as guys but Jai knew underneath, Trey was terrified of his father finding out the truth.
“What?” Trey huffed, laughing. “We ’ re not monogamous or anything. I ’ m over that.”
He was only over that because the last relationship he had been in had almost killed him. As well as being a guardian Jinn, Trey was an artist (something else his father didn ’ t know about). He ’ d fallen in love with an art dealer in L.A., and he and the guy had been seeing each other for just over a year when the guy finally got fed up of sitting around waiting for Trey to tell his family about them. He ’ d walked out and left Trey a mess.
“Yeah.” Jai sighed. “So is that why you called? To annoy me about Ari?”
“She sounds nice, man. And she sounds hot. I say forget about the old man and go for it.”
“How do you know she ’ s hot? I haven ’ t even told you what she looks like.”
“I know that look in a guy ’ s eyes when he thinks the person he ’ s talking about is hot. You were practically drooling.”
Flushed with embarrassment, Jai snorted down the phone again, “You ’ re so full of it.”
“You ’ re a dick.”
“So are you.”
“Well this is very mature,” Trey laughed. “But in all seriousness, Jai, you ’ ve got to let go of this crap with Luca.”
“She ’ s just a girl.”
“OK, maybe she is. You still gotta let this stuff go.”
“I will if you tell your dad you bat for the other team.”
“I don ’ t. I bat for both teams.”
“You know what I mean.”
There was silence down the other end of the line and then it crackled as Trey sighed heavily. “We ’ re trapped, aren ’ t we?”
The truth of that statement stabbed at Jai. There was a possibility he was going to go through his whole life trying to measure up to his father ’ s inexorable expectations. And there was a chance he was going to lose everything that might have been meaningful trying. “I think we are, yeah.”
After another moment ’ s silence, Trey asked, “So, did she like the earring?”
Jai shook his head, a wry smile curving his lips despite himself. “I think so.”
“You still pretending what happened, didn ’ t happen?”
“I have to.”
“OK. Answer me one thing…?”
“OK?”
“She ’ s hot isn ’ t she?”
“Goodbye, Trey.”
“No come on, man, I want details.”
“She ’ s not for you, Trey,” Jai warned, feeling that inexplicable possessiveness take over again. Why was Trey so fricking interested in her?
“I know that, didn ’ t we just cover that. Jeez, someone ’ s a little overprotective. I just want to know if the girl who ’ s got you all tied up in knots is hot?”
“She ’ s not got me all tied up in knots.”
“No, but you wish she did,” he snorted.
Rolling his eyes at his friend ’ s weak joke, Jai sighed heavily. “She ’ s hot. Now piss off.” He hung