could touch.
“Pretty bad, huh?” Corbin looked no worse for wear. What did he have to do? “Cheney—” My voice broke and I couldn’t go on.
He smiled. “Would be a fool if he let any of this keep him away from you for a moment.”
“Help me up.” I held out my hand to him. “Where’s Simon?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Haven’t seen him since we stepped into the forest.”
My muscles were stiff and blood coated me. Corbin put his arm around me. We moved away from the mirror field and back into the dark forest.
“What happened to you in here?” I asked him.
“Arrogance isn’t really one of my demons.” He didn’t explain any further than that.
“So what is yours?”
He looked over at me. “Betrayal.”
I stopped. “Who have you betrayed?”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Anyone who gave me the opportunity.”
Shaking my head slowly, I met his eyes. “You didn’t betray me on the bridge.”
“Give it time, Selene. I will. I always do.”
“Minos said you’d tried to free one of his souls before. Did you betray her?” I asked, assuming it had been a girl.
“Yes. Her and Minos, in the process.” He gave me a devilish smile. “I am probably the last person you should have brought with you.”
“Corbin, if a jinn and a guardi—” His hand shot out and covered my mouth.
“Do not utter their names or anything about them here. They have their own trouble and you, my pet, have more trouble than we can handle right now. I have sworn to help you and I intend to try very hard to do so. Now come along.”
When the end of the forest was in sight, my aching body struggled to move faster, needing to escape.
“Psst, get down,” Simon hissed from my left.
Corbin lifted me and ran. A moment later we were next to Simon, who looked a little dirty and beat up, but nowhere near as bad as me. How was that fair?
“What is it?” Corbin asked.
“That.” Simon pointed toward the perimeter.
Patrolling the edge was a huge beast with a face made of a round, corded material that looked an awful lot like intestines. It roared, fire spurting from his mouth, and each step it took shook the ground. Its head tilted upward. Slowly it turned toward us and a roar tore from it like thunder.
“It’s the blood. It smells the blood,” Simon said, looking at me like I was a dinner bell.
“With what nose?” Corbin asked.
It didn’t matter that the demon didn’t have a nose. It knew we were there. Heavy steps pounded toward us. There was no way I could run. Corbin grabbed me.
“Let’s hope he’s slow,” he said. “Simon, go that way. We’ll go the other.”
Corbin tossed me over his shoulder and ran so fast everything blurred.
He stopped and set me down. “We’re still in the woods,” I said.
“He’ll follow us out. We have to do something now that he has the scent of your blood.”
“How do we kill it?”
“We don’t.”
I peeked my head up and glanced around. I didn’t see the demon, but I could hear it in the distance. “Would a hexagram work?”
“I’m willing to try anything at this point.” He glanced back. “Better make it fast, pet.”
I moved out to the biggest clearing, ignoring Simon waving at me to hide, and unwound the ruined dress from my arm. I stuck my fingers deep into the wound on my arm. I groaned with pain, but my fingers came back drenched in blood. I knelt to the ground and drew a six-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Between each point I drew a rune for trapping and binding a demon. I stood back, inspecting my work. None of my magic had worked as I’d planned, but this would. It had to.
“Toss your dress into the center,” Corbin said. “Something to entice it in.”
I threw the soiled garment in before closing the circle. “Nothing like going through Hell in my underwear,” I said as I sat next to Corbin.
He chuckled. “What happened to your shoes?” The thudding footsteps got closer.
“So impractical. I threw them
“Pretty bad, huh?” Corbin looked no worse for wear. What did he have to do? “Cheney—” My voice broke and I couldn’t go on.
He smiled. “Would be a fool if he let any of this keep him away from you for a moment.”
“Help me up.” I held out my hand to him. “Where’s Simon?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Haven’t seen him since we stepped into the forest.”
My muscles were stiff and blood coated me. Corbin put his arm around me. We moved away from the mirror field and back into the dark forest.
“What happened to you in here?” I asked him.
“Arrogance isn’t really one of my demons.” He didn’t explain any further than that.
“So what is yours?”
He looked over at me. “Betrayal.”
I stopped. “Who have you betrayed?”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Anyone who gave me the opportunity.”
Shaking my head slowly, I met his eyes. “You didn’t betray me on the bridge.”
“Give it time, Selene. I will. I always do.”
“Minos said you’d tried to free one of his souls before. Did you betray her?” I asked, assuming it had been a girl.
“Yes. Her and Minos, in the process.” He gave me a devilish smile. “I am probably the last person you should have brought with you.”
“Corbin, if a jinn and a guardi—” His hand shot out and covered my mouth.
“Do not utter their names or anything about them here. They have their own trouble and you, my pet, have more trouble than we can handle right now. I have sworn to help you and I intend to try very hard to do so. Now come along.”
When the end of the forest was in sight, my aching body struggled to move faster, needing to escape.
“Psst, get down,” Simon hissed from my left.
Corbin lifted me and ran. A moment later we were next to Simon, who looked a little dirty and beat up, but nowhere near as bad as me. How was that fair?
“What is it?” Corbin asked.
“That.” Simon pointed toward the perimeter.
Patrolling the edge was a huge beast with a face made of a round, corded material that looked an awful lot like intestines. It roared, fire spurting from his mouth, and each step it took shook the ground. Its head tilted upward. Slowly it turned toward us and a roar tore from it like thunder.
“It’s the blood. It smells the blood,” Simon said, looking at me like I was a dinner bell.
“With what nose?” Corbin asked.
It didn’t matter that the demon didn’t have a nose. It knew we were there. Heavy steps pounded toward us. There was no way I could run. Corbin grabbed me.
“Let’s hope he’s slow,” he said. “Simon, go that way. We’ll go the other.”
Corbin tossed me over his shoulder and ran so fast everything blurred.
He stopped and set me down. “We’re still in the woods,” I said.
“He’ll follow us out. We have to do something now that he has the scent of your blood.”
“How do we kill it?”
“We don’t.”
I peeked my head up and glanced around. I didn’t see the demon, but I could hear it in the distance. “Would a hexagram work?”
“I’m willing to try anything at this point.” He glanced back. “Better make it fast, pet.”
I moved out to the biggest clearing, ignoring Simon waving at me to hide, and unwound the ruined dress from my arm. I stuck my fingers deep into the wound on my arm. I groaned with pain, but my fingers came back drenched in blood. I knelt to the ground and drew a six-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Between each point I drew a rune for trapping and binding a demon. I stood back, inspecting my work. None of my magic had worked as I’d planned, but this would. It had to.
“Toss your dress into the center,” Corbin said. “Something to entice it in.”
I threw the soiled garment in before closing the circle. “Nothing like going through Hell in my underwear,” I said as I sat next to Corbin.
He chuckled. “What happened to your shoes?” The thudding footsteps got closer.
“So impractical. I threw them
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