Amalia

Magnus stepped through the portal before me, and I followed. We reemerged into the clearing we’d left behind. Night had descended while we were gone, no bodies remained, and no one was here.

“Do you know where they went?” I asked.

“Yes, this way.”

A small jolt of happiness went through me when I realized he trusted me enough to reveal to me where the others hid. No one who wasn’t a jinni trusted the jinn, but he’d just shown more faith in me than I’d ever expected from him. It was such a stupid thing to be so pleased about, yet I found myself smiling as I followed him through the woods.

Magnus continuously surveyed the area for any hint of a threat as we wound our way through the trees in a course I suspected was meant to draw forth or lose any enemies who might be lying in wait. After at least a mile, we arrived at the entrance of a cave.

Standing four feet tall and only three feet wide, I would have missed the entrance set into the gray rocks surrounding it if he hadn’t pointed it out. The vines hanging over the rocks were brown and barren now, but they would completely cover the entrance when they were in bloom.

Taking my arm, Magnus led me into the cave. Because it was too narrow, I had to walk slightly behind him, but he kept hold of me. His finger caressed my flesh, and I got the sense he couldn’t get enough of touching me as we walked. With every step he took, the bunch and flex of his muscles kept my eyes riveted on him. I didn’t know what it was about this demon, but he captivated me even during those times when as I was contemplating punching him in the face.

A hundred feet in, Magnus ducked to avoid banging his head on a low-hanging rock, but he rose to his full height on the other side of it. Afterward, the cave started to widen out until we could walk next to each other.

I stayed close by his side as we wound deeper beneath the earth. The further we went, the more the damp air caused a chill to creep over my flesh and the less light penetrated until we were in complete darkness. Unable to see anymore, I relied on my other senses, and Magnus, to keep me from walking into a wall.

We were at least half a mile into the cave when the scent of smoke wafted to me along with the murmur of voices. Flickering light lit the dark recesses when we rounded a corner of the cave. From around a bend in the stone walls, Raphael stepped into view. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his shoulders hunched as if he were preparing to charge into a fight. Then, he relaxed and his hand fell away from the weapon.

“Magnus,” he greeted.

“Raphael,” Magnus replied.

Corson arrived at Raphael’s side. “What happened?” he demanded.

“Is Erin here?” Magnus inquired, and then Erin emerged from the shadows behind Corson.

Erin grinned as she waved at us. “I had no idea what happened to you.”

Magnus released me to embrace the small, slender girl. “I can say the same to you,” he said.

A bolt of jealousy tore through me when they hugged, and I looked away before the emotion overwhelmed me. Staring at the cave walls, I concentrated on the differences between the stones of Earth and those of the Abyss. Within the Abyss, the rocks were wrong somehow; here, they were a foundation of the planet itself.

“How did you get free?” Magnus asked Erin.

Erin stepped from his embrace and glanced at me. I suspected the others had already informed her what I was and where she’d been.

“I’m not sure. It was all so confusing in there,” Erin said. “One minute, I was eating dinner with my family, laughing and joking as we always did, and the next I was at Volunteer Day, waiting to step forward to go to the wall.”

Her hands tightened on Magnus’s forearms. “My parents were so proud of me that day, and I loved it. I volunteered to make sure they would have enough food for them and my siblings, but I was scared, and I didn’t want to leave. Standing there, it was all so familiar, and I could feel my parents’ love, yet it all seemed sort of… off. You know?” Erin asked.

“I don’t,” Magnus admitted.

“I don’t either.” Erin released him and stepped back. “I just knew I shouldn’t be there.”

“There have always been those with a strong enough mind to escape the Abyss,” I said. “Is there anything you desperately long for or would wish was different?” I asked Erin.

They all gave me wary glances, but I didn’t need to see their distrust of me, I could feel it.

“Don’t make a wish,” Corson said and rested his hand on Erin’s shoulder.

My fingers dug into my palms as I glowered at him. I almost screamed at him that I wasn’t like the jinn who did this, I was trying to help, but I bit back the words; he believed he already had me figured out.

“She’s not like most of the jinn,” Magnus said.

My eyes flew to him, and a wave of relief washed over me. He believes me!

What does it matter if he believes me? I knew who I was, no one could take that from me, and that was what counted.

But then I realized it mattered because I desired this demon more than anyone I’d ever encountered, and I didn’t want him to see me as a monster.

Crap.

I wanted him, but this could all end horribly with the jinn and everyone else involved.

“She has you believing that?” Corson inquired as he cast me a doubtful glance.

“It’s true,” Magnus said. “Somewhere along the way, a jinni found their Chosen outside of the jinn population. Because of that, they have what they call…”

“Faulted,” I supplied when his voice trailed off, and he glanced questioningly at me. “I’m a Faulted jinni. There are seven of us in total.”

“And this Fault makes you different than the rest?” Corson asked.

I chose to ignore the sarcasm in his voice when I replied, “Yes.”

“And we’re supposed to believe you?”

“You can believe whatever you want, but it’s the truth. Behind the seals, my Fault didn’t matter. Now, most of the Faulted live on their own, but I decided to stay with the other jinn because of my parents. I’m not sure how long that will last.”

“Why, because it hurts you to hurt others?” Corson oozed venom as he asked this.

“Enough!” Magnus snarled in a tone I’d never heard from him before. “I believe her.”

My eyebrows rose as Corson’s gaze slid from me to Magnus.

“You believe her?” Corson asked incredulously. “The jinn are nothing but manipulative monsters.”

“We are not monsters!” I snapped. “Maybe the jinn don’t have to feed on others the way they do to survive, but in some of them, it is their nature to do so. And that nature is as interwoven into them as your bond to your Chosen is interwoven into you.

“Besides, I don’t care if you like what the jinn do or not. Maybe people and demons shouldn’t yearn for things they can’t have, and then they’d never have to deal with the jinn. Maybe they should realize that nothing worth having comes by simply wishing for it. And if I were you, I’d watch what you’re feeling about bringing your Chosen back, because the jinn might be drawn to you too!”

Folding my arms over my chest, I scowled at Corson as I tried to control the tumult of emotions rattling me. Not only were my feelings out of control, but so were those of everyone around me.

“I believe her,” Magnus said after a protracted silence followed my outburst. “Because I know what caused the Fault in the jinn line.”

I shot him a disgruntled look. “Do you now?”

“You’re part fae,” he stated.