Page 229 of Sins of the Heart
the trees and the night surrounding her like a cloak. The
sky was overcast, clouds blocking moon and stars, the
trees here in the forest further dampening what light
eked through. Sight was little use to her. But she didn’t
need it. Shefeltthe threat, in her gut, in her veins.
There, to her left. One of Xaphan’s concubines.
Only one. The others must still be back with Dagan.
Guilt pricked her. That was an improvement. At
least it wasn’t gnawing her raw anymore.Get over it.
Not a productive use of energy. There was nothing she
could have done to help him. It had been all she could
manage to save herself.
The fire genie tipped her head, sniffed the air, then
turned in Roxy’s general direction.
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Fuck.She was going to have to fight. What had
Dagan called them? Smoke and flame.
She swallowed, feeling sick as she thought of his
hand burning away to ash. She wasn’t in the mood for
a cookout. Especially not if she were the meat.
The creature moved, a single step toward her—
Roxy tensed, ready to spring, to fight, to claw tooth
and nail for her life.
Then she heard a shrill, teakettle whistle in the
distance, coming from the direction of her house.
Once. Twice. She thought there was a hint of desperation to the sound. Or maybe that was just wishful
thinking.
Dead silence for a heartbeat, then the fire genie left,
her footsteps less than stealthy, almost careless.
