Page 15 of Into the Abyss
“Then what are you?” I asked.
“I’m a demon.”
He’s not going to tell me.
Not that I blamed him, I wouldn’t trust meeither, but it only reinforced the truth I’d learned since arrivingon Earth; I didn’t fit in with most of the jinn, I didn’t fit inwith other demons, and I didn’t fit in with humans.
At least behind the seal, my differenceshadn’t separated me so much from my family, and I’d had no contactwith other demons. But my small seal had been blown apart, and nowI knew nothing of the world or those in it.
Feeling a lot sadder than when we firstentered, I turned away from him and trudged up the hill through thegrass.
• • •
Magnus
I couldn’t shake the twinge to my conscienceAmalia’s defeated air created. Happiness had exuded from her whileshe watched the seeds floating in the air; now, she lookeddejected.
Is this really her first time here?
She’d insisted it was, but I found itimpossible to believe her. If this was where the jinn came toinflict their torment, they would spend as much time here as theyspent hunting for their victims on Earth. The jinn would never waituntil they fed on and tortured their victims to death in herebefore returning to Earth to find new prey. No, a hunger like whatthe jinn possessed would propel them to hunt for more and moretargets.
But Amalia had looked so enchanted with thegrass that I almost found myself believing she’d never been hereand shewasn’tthe same as the rest of her ravenouskind.
Maybe there really were jinn who weredifferent. So very little was known about the creatures, it couldbe possible they weren’talldestructive and malicious.
But then, she was jinn, and one thing I knewabout the jinn was they were manipulative. This may all be anexcellent act on her part.
Maybe it made me a fool, but I wanted tobelieve it wasn’t.
My gaze dropped to the curve of her roundass, emphasized by the flow of her dress. I didn’t think sherealized it as she hadn’t tried to use her looks to her advantageagainst me, but she was the most enticing woman I’d ever met.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but visualizemy hands cupping her ass as I rubbed my horns over her silkenflesh. I’d never considered doing such a thing with my sensitivehorns before, but I wanted to stroke every inch of her with themuntil she begged for more.
I’d gotten a hint of what her arousal wouldsmell like before we stepped into this place and the fiery aromawas seared into my nostrils. If I dipped my head between her thighsto feast on her, she’d grip my horns, and her scent would increaseuntil it engulfed me. Icravedthat with this woman.
When my growing erection started makingwalking difficult, I was torn from my fantasies of Amalia.
Idiot!For all I knew, Amalia wassomehow feeding such fantasies into my mind, though I doubted it. Iwas well aware of what was going on around me, and her effect onme, whereas it seemed those in the camp were not. However, this wasthe world of the jinn, and if I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t make itout of here alive.
I didn’t look at her again but kept my gazefocused on where the land met the sky as we climbed.
When Amalia reached the top of the hill, shelifted her head, released a small cry, and stumbled back. Therevulsion on her face told me I wasn’t going to like what I sawbefore I reached the apex, but I could never have prepared myselffor what lay beyond.
CHAPTER 7
Magnus
“This is why others fear us,” Amalia whispered.
If others saw this, they would do far morethan fear the jinn; they would make it their mission to eradicatethem. When Kobal learned of this, he may decide to eliminate thejinn completely, and I would help him.
Then, my gaze fell on Amalia’s tremblinglower lip, and the tears sliding down her cheeks. Her eyes were thecolor of ochre; it was a color that suggested heartache. I almostrested my hand on her shoulder to offer her comfort, but I couldn’tfall into her trap if she were playing games with me.
Bowing her head, she turned from the scenebelow us and wiped away her tears. She threw back her shoulders andlifted her chin before meeting my gaze.
“I think your friends will be below,” shesaid.
“I think you’re right.”
