Page 87 of Bewitched By the Djinn
Helen turns, eyes flashing. “I have an idea. Buy me a few seconds.”
Bennet and I spin to face the oncoming giants. The nearest one raises its spear, aiming right for us. My chest clenches. There’s nowhere to run.
A thick mist erupts from the ground, swirling up like a living thing. Helen’s magic. The fog coils around the giants, obscuring their vision. They bellow in frustration, their steps faltering.
“Move!” Bennet shouts, pointing downstream, but before we can take off, one of the giants roars and swings a massive arm blindly through the mist. A gust of wind rushes past me as the sheer force of its movement cuts through the air. I barely dodge in time, stumbling backward as my heart slams against my ribs.
A second giant, slightly farther away, growls. The thud of heavy feet shaking the ground approaches. Too close. Too fast.A shadow looms in the mist, a dark mass of muscle and rage.
Then, Bennet moves. Faster than I would have thought possible, he lunges forward. With a flick of his wrist, a knife gleams in his grip. He ducks low, slipping past the giant’s flailing arm, and slashes at the tendons behind its ankle. The giant roars in pain, stumbling, its balance momentarily thrown.
Where did he get the knife? Wait. Is that a steak knife? What the hell kind of damage can that do? Did he steal it from Helen’s dad’s? Could he not have gone for the butcher knife?
“Cassie, go with Helen!” He twists just as the first giant attempts to swipe at him. Bennet vaults onto its arm, using the momentum to propel himself higher. He kicks off its elbow andlands on its back, gripping the thick leather straps that cross its chest.
I stumble after Helen, who’s moving downstream, adrenaline pushing me into motion. My feet slam against the forest floor, branches tearing at my arms as we run, but I keep glancing over my shoulder, unable to tear my eyes away from Bennet.
The giant twists, trying to shake him off, but Bennet moves like he was born for this. He climbs up its broad back, positioning himself near its thick neck. Then, with a sharp jerk, he wrenches something free from his belt. Another steak knife.
I would laugh if we weren’t about to die.
With a fierce shout, he drives it deep into the giant’s shoulder. The creature screams, the sound reverberating through the trees, and its knees buckle for just a second.
That’s all Bennet needs. He kicks off, flipping backward and landing in a crouch before sprinting toward us. Behind him, the mist thins, roiling with more giants headed our way.
“This way!” Helen leads us toward the cliff’s edge.
I panic. “Helen, what?—?”
Bennet secures the knife in his waistband and reaches for me. “Trust me.”
Before I can argue, he grabs my waist and jumps.
For a moment, there’s nothing but open air and the rush of wind in my ears. The swell of water below rises like a soft, waiting cushion. Instead of hitting the river with bone-breaking force, we sink into it gently, as if dropped into a deep, cool embrace.
I break the surface with a gasp, my heart hammering in my chest.
Helen floats beside me. “Told you I had an idea.” She grins, baring her teeth at me.
“You’re a psycho.”
She laughs.
Bennet pops up next to me, shaking the water from his hair. “Are you okay?” He paddles over, his hands roaming my body like he’s searching for wounds.
“I’m good,” I tell him. But he doesn’t stop checking me over.
“Are you okay?” I push my dripping hair from my face.
He nods and then grabs me, his mouth crushing mine. We slip down into the water for a second and then surge back up.
He tosses me a lopsided grin that does funny things to my heart, and then we paddle together toward the opposite shore.
The giants are somewhere on the cliff above us, their massive forms blurred by the mist, their angry voices rumbling through the trees. But they don’t jump. Small favors.
Helen exits the river onto a sandy bank where sun cuts through the trees. “It’s going to take forever to dry off in this humidity.” She shrugs out of her sopping jacket, wringing the fabric and squeezing water into the sand.
Bennet wades toward her and I follow him onto the bank.
