Page 5 of Into the Abyss
The woman ducked to the side before spinningand dashing past the edge of one of Caim’s wings. She plummetedinto the woods with her hands out to stop any branches fromslapping her face. I didn’t think she had any idea where she wasgoing or what lay ahead of her as she charged forward with therecklessness of an immortal.
Speeding after the woman, I kept my gazelocked on her so I wouldn’t lose her in the forest. As she ran, herginger hair trailed like a banner behind her and revealed itsnumerous colors. It appeared redder one moment, blonder the next,and the color of a pumpkin in the following instant. I realized herhair was like the sky at sunset, ever-changing and multi-hued. Thesides of it were pulled back into two braids that became one asthey ran down the center of the thick mass.
I couldn’t see her face, but if it wasanything like her hair, then this woman was magnificent.
I wasn’t overly thrilled with having to run,it wasn’t an exercise I partook in often, but Ihadto catchher because I had toseeher. I poured on the speed ascuriosity about this creature propelled me onward.
Slender, the woman moved with the grace of ademon, but I didn’t know which kind. The bottom of hershort-sleeved, yellow dress beat against her ankles when she leaptover a fallen log and around the body of a woman. The past week hadbeen unseasonably warm for February, and her clothes, as well as myown short-sleeved shirt, reflected this.
“Corson, I’ll get her. Check the woman!” Ishouted over my shoulder.
The shadow of an angel swept over us again.I didn’t know it belonged to Raphael until he plummeted out of thetrees. A cloud of dirt and leaves billowed up around his feet whenhe landed before the fleeing woman. She made such an abrupt rightthat I nearly collided with Raphael when she changed course.
If the woman wasn’t at leastfive-foot-five-inches tall, I would have assumed she was a treenymph, given the grace and speed with which she moved. However, I’dnever seen a tree nymph who stood over five feet.
Watching her, I had the sinking suspicion Iknew what she was and what happened to the others at the camp. Thiswoman might be the only chance we had to save some of the others,and she could not be allowed to escape.
Tired of running, I planted my feet andbowed my head. In my mind’s eye, I conjured the image of a wallbefore the woman. Lifting my head, I watched as the mirage formedten feet in front of her, but it developed too late, and she ranstraight through it.
“Shit,” I snarled before sprinting after heragain.
In raven shape, Caim dove at her and cut offher forward path. Staggering back, she spun away, but he turned tothe side. One of his wings skimmed the ground, clearing the forestfloor of debris as he flew around her in a circle.
She was turning to head back toward the campwhen I dove at her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I tackledher. Without thinking, I turned to shelter her and took most of theimpact with the ground as we bounced across the dirt.
When we finally came to a stop, I wanted tolay for a minute, catch my breath, and try to get this situationunder control. The squirming Hell monster in my arms had otherplans as she kicked my shins, clawed at my hands, and fought like acornered hellhound to get away from me.
Rolling, I pinned her stomach to the ground.Her fingers tore chunks of soil away as she tried to pull herselffree of me. Her tiny feet continued to batter my shins as shewiggled beneath me.
“Enough!” I yelled at her.
Caim landed beside us and transformed into aman. “Fiery little thing,” Caim murmured with his head cantedadmiringly to the side.
“Hmm.” I grunted when she almost succeededin driving my nuts into my body with her heel. “I could use somehelp!” I snapped at Caim.
“She’s a tiny thing; you can handle this,”Caim replied with a smirk.
If I’d been able to wield fire, I would havetorched the fallen angel’s ass all the way back to the pits ofHell. I could only settle for a brief scowl at him before the witchalmost launched me off her back with a vicious buck of herhips.
Finally succeeding in pinning her down, Isat on her back as she squirmed like a worm beneath me. I caught mybreath while I kept her hands clasped against the small of herback. After a few minutes, her struggles ceased, and she laypanting beneath me.
A twinge of regret filled me as her foreheadlowered to the ground and her glorious hair fell forward to shieldher features. Seized by the urge to know what she looked like, Icarefully adjusted my hold on her, rose slightly, and rolled herover.
My breath caught when I found myself staringinto almond-shaped eyes the same color as her hair. I’d never seeneyes like hers before, but then I’d never seen anyone likeherbefore. From her slender, pert nose to her rose-red lipsand round cheeks, she was exquisite. Yet the dusting of frecklesacross her nose and cheeks gave her an innocent air thatcontradicted her inherent nature, as the jinn were anything butinnocent.
And I did not doubt that for the first timein my life, I found myself face-to-face with a jinni, a member ofthe jinn race. The involvement of the jinn in whatever happened tothe others was the only thing that made some sense.
None of us knew much about the jinn. Theirpowers were mysterious and frightening, which was part of thereason one of Kobal’s ancestors locked them behind the ninetiethseal in Hell. The jinn were set free when all the sealscollapsed.
The woman stared at me with a mixture ofannoyance and fear, but if she could do something to me like whatshe’d done to those at the camp, I’d already be sleepingsomewhere.
How does the jinn power work?
I didn’t think we’d get any answers fromher, but I didn’t plan to release her anytime soon. All jinn wouldhappily torment and kill any who fell under their spell, butsomething about this small, deadly woman intrigued me.
“Well, hello,” I greeted; her glowerdeepened. “And where were you running off to?”
When Corson skidded to a halt beside me, thebird earring dangling from the tip of his pointed ear swayed backand forth. Corson’s foot-long talons protruded from the backs ofhis hands as he leveled the jinni with a stare promising death.
