“Jinn,” I replied. Like the tree nymphs, the jinn possessed an ethereal beauty. Unlike the tree nymphs, they used their beauty and magic to ensnare and destroy other demons. They were some of the most conniving and savage creatures behind the seals. “You also know them as genies.”
“You’re shitting me,” Hawk said as he gawked at them.
“Like rub the bottle and be granted three wishes, genies?” River asked.
“More like, they’ll tell you they’ll grant you a wish and make it more of a nightmare. Then they’ll tear out your heart, or drain you of your essence, as payment. They also have a way of making others do things they normally wouldn’t do for the mere promise of a wish,” Magnus said. “When I learned what they could do, and what they had done, I admit to a bit of admiration for their ways.”
He shrugged when River and Hawk scowled at him.
“They’re… devilish,” Magnus said as he shoved a demon over the side of the pathway without breaking his stride. “And they’re free.”
“What seal were they?” River demanded.
“Ninety,” I replied.
“Are they all coming down?” Hawk asked.
“Yes,” I replied. The amount of power River had released would not be stopped.
“Put me down,” River said.
“You’re still weak,” I told her.
“I’m strong enough to run.”
She squirmed in my arms as she tried to break free of my hold. “River—”
“Put me down, Kobal. I did this. I will face it on my own two feet, and I can’t be a burden to you right now.”
“You didnotdo this, and you could never be a burden,” I snarled, but I paused to set her down.
“Ididdo this. Not on my own, and not willingly, but this is because of me,” she said as the last of the jinn drifted out of view. “Once those wraiths pulled away, the flood of life and power from the seals and Lucifer, and then you…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes lifted to mine. “I couldn’t control it. I didn’t know I was capable of so much destruction.”
“Of course you are, dear. You are part human, demon, and angel after all. I’m sure you’ve realized that we canallbe highly destructive beings.” Caim hooked his arm through hers and tugged her forward. “But if you insist on discussing this now, I suggest running as you do.”
I slid my arm around River’s waist and shot Caim a lethal look. He released her before moving slightly ahead of us. I used my other arm to shield River’s head from more falling debris while we ran.
“If your human father, as a wraith, could bring down the seals, then you most certainly could,” Caim said as he plunged a spike through the throat of a craeton and tossed him over the edge.
“When Lucifer blocked you from drawing on life by surrounding you with wraiths, he confined your ability in a way it had never been confined before,” I said to her.
“And it sought release as soon as it could get it,” Corson said. He didn’t miss a step as he cut a demon’s legs off at the knees before jumping over him.
“When Lucifer confined your power, it built within you,” Caim said to River. “Add Lucifer using your blood to puncture the seal and binding you to it, toss in the varcolac grabbing you while Luciferalsoheld you, and you were a powder keg waiting to explode. And explode you did, child. Lucifer may not be able to connect with life anymore, but he is still the strongest fallen angel in existence. However, I don’t even think Lucifer sawthatcoming, but then he never expected Kobal’s power to be thrown into the mix too, and I think he may have underestimated your strength. I know I did. There was no way you could have stopped what happened once Lucifer set it into motion. And now that it has been set into motion, there will be no undoing it.”
CHAPTER 28
Shax
I tossed aside the cards I’d been playing with and leaned back against the metal tailgate of the truck. Across from me, Erin grinned as she scooped her winnings toward her. While in her cross-legged position, she did a dance that caused her whole body to wiggle back and forth. Her black hair bobbed around her ears while her deep blue eyes shone with amusement. She had every reason to be amused; she was kicking all our asses, again.
Vargas scowled at her as she stacked her newly acquired pieces of beef jerky on top of the bread she’d already taken from him. I may not care about the food she’d claimed, but Ihatedlosing, and she now had the last of my mjéod. The skelleins seemed to feel the same way as me as their skeletal teeth clamped together. But then, they were losing what remained of their beer supply to her.
They loved when Erin answered the endless riddles they peppered her with, but they found zero amusement in handing their beer over to her.
My gaze traveled to the burned-out grass marking the area where the skelleins bar had stood around the gateway. The remains of the charred lumber had been removed shortly after the fire so we could see anything exiting the gateway. No one had bothered to construct anything new. If all went well, we wouldn’t be staying here much longer, and if it all went to shit, we wouldn’t survive this place anyway.
Numerous dirt graves lined the edge of the woods encircling our campsite. Each of them marked a human who already hadn’t survived and who hadn’t required burning with the lanavour remains. Demons didn’t typically bury their dead, but then graves wouldn’t have been easy to dig in Hell. They could have been buried on Earth, but I’d still ordered the burning of the demons killed here.
