Page 65 of Into the Abyss
My fingernails dug into my palms as Iresisted going over there and finishing him. Demons destroyed; wedidn’t show pity on those who wronged us. We took revenge, but howcould I kill him after she’d asked me not to? How could I murderhim in front of her?
She would never forgive me if I did, and nomatter how badly I wanted Nalki’s head in my hands, I desiredAmalia’s happiness more.
And shewouldtake us from here. Lixwould understand why I’d killed Nalki while knowing I’d be removedfrom the Abyss, and under normal circumstances, Corson would too,but this wasn’t normal. Corson would never forgive me if wecouldn’t access the Abyss and Wren died. I also didn’t trust anyoneelse to come back here with Amalia, if she even agreed to returnwith someone else.
“He deserves to die,” I stated.
“He was wrong, but he doesnotdeserve to die.”
Glancing back at Nalki, I realized Icouldn’t kill him. “Fine, but we have to go.”
I couldn’t shake my need to kill Nalki, butwhen her eyes shimmered into a yellow hue, I knew I would make thesame choice a thousand times over.
“Thank you,” she breathed and squeezed myarm.
“Don’t thank me,” I grated, suddenlyirritated by the strange thrall this woman had over me. The rightthing to do was to kill the bastard, yet I’d caved to make herhappy.
Is she my Chosen?
I’d been so close to learning the answer tothat before Nalki interrupted us, and now the question would hauntme until I knew for sure. If she was my Chosen, I wouldn’t know theanswer until I was inside her, but the fiery, honeyed taste of herlingering on my lips and tongue still tantalized me even though myface throbbed with every beat of my heart.
“We have to go,” I said brusquely.
Unlike the other time we’d encountered thejinn, I believed Nalki had just happened on us. Otherwise, the jinnwould have all attacked at once; they would not give me anotherchance to escape them. However, I wasn’t willing to take anychances more of the bastards weren’t lying in wait somewhere.
Pulling my arm away from hers, I stalkedover and lifted my shirt from where it floated on top of the pool.The tattered remains dripped water as I held it before me. Theshirt was beyond salvation.
Tossing it aside, I was about to turn awaywhen something at the bottom of the pool caught my attention. Ifrowned as, amid all the gray and black rocks, a single yellowstone resided.
I paid little attention to the bottom of thepool earlier, but I couldn’t help feeling the yellow stone hadn’tbeen there. Even with a cursory glance, I would have noticed theout of place rock, or at least I believed I would have.
Where would it have come from otherwise?
It must’ve been there before, but I’d beentoo caught up in Amalia and getting her somewhere safe to noticeit. I couldn’t allow myself to continue to be distracted in such away anymore. From here on out, I would distance myself from her, orat least start thinking with my bigger head more often.
Turning away from the water, I stalked backto Amalia. “Let’s go.”
Nalki’s shrewd eyes followed our every moveuntil we were away from the waterfall.
CHAPTER 28
Amalia
Magnus hadn’t spoken since we’d left Nalki behind.His shoulders remained rigid, and anger radiated from him. Myirritation grew with every step we took. Just because I’d deniedhim a kill, he’d turned into an asshole. It wasn’t like I didn’ttell him I wouldn’t tolerate something happening to the jinn. I’dexplained I would help him, but not at the expense of the jinn.
When I looked at his face though, Icontemplated killing Nalki myself.
Shaking my head, I tried to rid myself ofthe absurd notion, but it wouldn’t go away. The idea of anyonehurting him caused an irrational need to destroy whoever theoffender was myself. Never before had the idea of killing someoneentered my mind, but the black bruises on Magnus’s face, which werealready fading to a purple hue, and his still partially caved-incheekbone made me feel murderous.
But fine, if he preferred to be a jerk, thenhe could screw himself because he wouldn’t be touching meagain.
I kept telling myself this, but my bodyremained oversensitive from our encounter earlier. Nalki’s arrivalhad doused my passion, but staring at his bare chest and backhelped renew it, as did the fact I kept replaying those moments inmy mind. My toes curled when I recalled the intensity of the orgasmhe’d given me.
What else he could do with that magnificentbody, I wondered as my eyes locked onto his lean, flexing musclesmore times than I would ever admit to myself or anyone else. Stilldamp, his skin glistened, and his hair was plastered to his face,revealing more of those horns I loved running my hands over.
He’d liked me touching his horns. I lickedmy lips at the memory.
What iswrongwith me?
