Page 34 of Into the Abyss
A vibrant smile lit her face, and her eyesbecame a joyful yellow color I vowed to see as often as I couldfrom here on out.
“You told me,” she breathed.
Self-hatred swamped me for the way I treatedher in the beginning. She had the tenderest heart I’d everencountered, and I’d treated her like shit.
“I’m sorry for the way I treated you when wefirst met,” I apologized.
“Thank you, but an apology isn’tnecessary.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I understand why others fear and mistrustthe jinn, more so now that I’ve been in the Abyss. And you didn’tknow about the Faulted.”
“No, but I suspect the jinn are responsiblefor keeping the Faulted line a secret. If they are as protective ofeach other as you say, they wouldn’t want other demons to know somejinn aren’t as ruthless. Most demons steer clear of the jinn, butif they saw a chance to exploit some of the jinn, they would takeit.”
“Or, perhaps the jinn kept the Faulted asecret because they see us as the weak link and were ashamed,” shesaid what I wouldn’t say to her.
“If they were, then they were idiots.”
She smiled again, but this time heramusement didn’t reach her multi-hued eyes. “Come now, Magnus,admit it, you see me as weaker than the non-Faulted jinn.”
“No,” I said honestly. “It takes morestrength to open yourself to others, suffer hurt and degradation,and continue, than it does to hide yourself away or be cruel toothers. Once free of the seal, you could have retreated with theFaulted or stayed the course of never going against the jinn, yethere you are.”
“I didn’t have the strength to leave myparents and go with the other Faulted.”
“Yet you have the strength to make a standagainst what they do. The other Faulted wouldn’t interfere and tryto help an innocent.”
Her mouth parted and the vermillion hue Irecognized as passion crept into her eyes. Seeing that color causedblood to flood into my groin as my body instinctively responded toher. Before I could go to her, a sound drew our attention to Erinas she emerged from the shadows.
“We’re all set back there,” Erin said.
“Then, it’s time for us to return to theAbyss.” Walking forward, I claimed Amalia’s hand and led herthrough the shadows toward the others.
CHAPTER 15
Amalia
I hated the Abyss more when the second we returnedto it, another bolt of lightning pierced the sky and hit themonstrous monolith. A wave of lost life washed over me, leaving mefeeling filthy again.
Unfortunately, it was not the last oneeither. As we traversed the pathway and discovered more side paths,lightning hit the monolith again and again. Some of the bolts wenever saw the people or demons whose deaths they signaled, but afew of them belonged to a couple of humans and one demon weencountered along the way.
We’d tried, and failed, to get through toall of them before their deaths were distributed throughout theAbyss. And the closer we got to the monolith, the stronger theforce of the lost lives washing through me became.
One thing was certain; I would not return tolive with my parents when this was done. I didn’t know what I woulddo, but it wouldn’t involve standing complacently by while they andthe other jinn destroyed lives.
Trudging beside Magnus, I kept my head bowedas I dreaded and hoped to come across someone soon, but someone wecould help, like Erin.
“Why don’t we take a break?” Magnussuggested after what felt like hours of roaming the pathway.
He led me into another side path thatdead-ended in a rock wall. Settling on the ground, I drew my legsagainst my chest and dropped my chin on top of them while Magnusleaned against the wall beside me. I didn’t require as much sleepas a human, but as a demon who wasn’t fully matured yet, I neededmore than other demons, and sleep tugged at my eyelids.
“What’s this?”
My eyes opened at Magnus’s words and alarmshot through me. Then I realized there was no enemy as he waskneeling at my side. My skin came alive when his fingers encircledmy arm, and he turned it to the side.
“What’s what?” I asked.
“This.”
