Page 84 of Into the Abyss
My eyes ran over the jinn and horsemenblocking the way between him and me. I was outnumbered and probablythe worst fighter here, but I would not allow this to happenwithout attempting to stop it. I didn’t care if they killed me inthe process. Watching this happen, havingMagnusused insuch a way while I did nothing, wasn’t an option.
Not only would it destroy a part of me, butit would also destroy him. It didn’t matter if this was his faultor not, what Lust planned to do to him would eat at him for therest of his days. We hadn’t known each other long, but even ifMagnus wasn’t in love with me, he cared for me deeply. I felt thoseemotions from him less than an hour ago.
We’d both be better off dead than have thishappen, but I had to wait for the right moment, or I’d succeed innothing more than the horsemen seeking to punish us further.
When Lust ran her hand across Magnus’schest, she smeared the blood over him before wiping it over herbreasts. She left bloody streaks across her flesh as she caressedherself. “I am so going to enjoy this,” Lust murmured.
My mother rose to stand beside my father.“Can we stop this?” she whispered to him.
“How?” he asked. “Olgon won’t listen, andthe horsemen and jinn are with him….”
Lust brought one blood-coated finger to herred lips before sucking it into her mouth. Everyone in the pitfocused on her as the scent of her arousal grew stronger on theair. It was now or never.
Lurching forward, I broke free of Nalki andmy father, though they’d both barely held me anymore. With naturalgrace, I leapt to my feet, sprinted around my mother, and racedforward. I may not be the fighter the rest of the jinn were, but Iwas faster than them, especially now that I was immortal and had aChosen in danger. I dashed in and out of the jinn who sought to cutme off while others didn’t bother to intervene.
Magnus! Get to Magnus!
Only twenty-five feet away.
Twenty.
Fifteen.
Magnus’s eyes flicked to me, but I saw noacknowledgment in them.I can’t have lost him already, I justfound him. Please don’t take him from me!
Ten feet.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Lust’shorse cantering toward me.Fuck you! And the bitch who rode youin here!
Bits of rock and sparks flew up as the horseskidded to a halt in front of me, cutting me off from Magnus withonly five feet left to go.
Teeth snapped inches from my face, fetidbreath washed over me, but I darted back to avoid the horse’s jaws.The horse pivoted on its two hind hooves, planted its front, andlashed out with its back legs.
The hooves came at me in a blur that, evenwith all my speed, I wasn’t fast enough to avoid. When they slammedinto my chest, my breath exploded out of me. Some of my ribs gaveway with an audible crack as I was lifted off the ground and flungbackward. Air whipped around me; the world was nothing but a blurbefore I hit the ground on my back. I skidded across the rocks andcame to a halt only feet from where I initially knelt.
Nalki and my parents had rushed after mewhen I first charged at Lust and were now twenty feet away from me.Their heads turned toward me; their wide eyes revealed their shockand worry. They ran back to me as I strained to draw air into lungsI was sure were deflated.
“Easy,” Nalki said as he knelt next to me.“The more you fight, the worse it will feel. Relax.”
Turning me on my side, he patted my backwhile I coughed up the blood threatening to suffocate me. Finallyable to draw air into my brutalized chest, my vision cleared enoughto see Magnus.
“Oh, that looks like it hurt,” Lust tauntedas her laughter echoed around the pit.
My mother knelt at my other side and brushedthe hair away from my face while my father stood protectively infront of me.
Then, a thunderous wrath hit me soforcefully that my vision blurred again. Unable to understand thedepth of the rage, it took me a few seconds to realize it wascoming from Magnus and not me. Struggling to clear my mind, Iblinked until I could focus again.
Magnus’s eyes were nearly black when theymet mine, and blood trickled from where his fangs pierced hisbottom lip. He leapt at Lust, who had her back to him while shecontinued to laugh at me.
“Youwhore!” he bellowed as hedragged her down beneath him. His fists moved so fast his armsblurred while he pummeled her.
“Magnus!” I croaked in warning when Lust’shorse spun toward him.
Magnus didn’t show any sign of hearing me asLust’s beautiful face became a bloody, broken mass beneath him. Forthe first time, Sloth sat upright in his seat and kicked hishorse’s sides.
“Magnus!” This time my voice came outstronger, but he still didn’t react to it as he remained focused ondestroying Lust.
When Sloth rode up beside him, a wave of hispower emanated across the pit. Magnus was drawing his arm back tohit Lust again when he froze and his arm fell limply to his side.Then, Sloth leaned over and rested his hand on Magnus’s head.
