Pretty Dark Sacrifice (11 page)

Quinn’s mind reeled with the possibility. She’d experienced the same thing. That night they spent beneath the stars, the thought that he’d been sent there just for her had been almost too strong to ignore.

“And then there’s the unexplained attraction to you.” Marcus raised his hands in a please-don’t-shoot-the-messenger way. “Not that you aren’t a fine female specimen. What’s not to like?” His eyes raked up and down her body, a grin playing across his lips. “I’m not talking about your physical assets. I mean the way he fell for you the moment he saw you. He’s always had a little bit of a hero complex, but with you it was relentless, like he couldn’t let you go, like he knew something bad would happen to you.” Marcus shook his head. “Now I’m the one who sounds crazy.”

“No, it’s not crazy. I’ve felt it too, the way he just knew what I was thinking sometimes.” Was that why the demons had threatened her? Could he have been hiding something from her like she’d been hiding from him? Maybe it wasn’t her power contacting him at all, but his own. The picture started to snap into place, and she became more determined than ever to get answers.

“If only we had proof.” Marcus snapped his fingers. “His journal. Why didn’t I think of it before? He was always writing in this black leather notebook, song lyrics and stuff. Maybe there’s a clue in there, something that might help us. We have to try.”

“Marcus, you’re a genius.”

“I won’t give up if you don’t.” Marcus pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ll go over there tomorrow, ask Josh.”

“Would you? I would go myself, but I don’t think I can face him right now.”

“Of course.” Marcus stroked her hair, and Quinn cried. Her tears wet the collar of his white shirt, releasing the smell of starch and fabric softener.

“You know I cared about him, right? Everything that happened with Jeff, it was a mistake. I was so scared to let Aaron in. I wish I could go back, change it all.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t want to rip your heart out at first, but your best friend happens to be my girlfriend, and she understands you better than you know.”

Quinn wiped her nose on her sleeve. Of course, she did. “God, I’m such a crappy friend, Marcus.”

“Yeah, sometimes, but nobody’s perfect, and we both love you. Once we get proof, Reese will come around. She’s just trying to protect us both from the grief. But she’s hurting too.” He patted her on the back and kissed her cheek. “Come on now. I think we’ve all had enough of this place.”

“You go. I want to be alone for a few minutes.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

Quinn nodded.

“Okay, I’ll call you once I talk to Josh.”

Marcus joined Reese in his white Jeep and waved as they drove away, but Reese refused to look at her. Give her time, that’s what Marcus said, but the rift between them seemed an endless chasm now, and Reese would have to meet her half way.

Once the Jeep was nothing but a white dot in the distance, Quinn bent down and retrieved the Qeres dagger from beneath the fallen leaves and returned it to the sheath inside her boot.

Kneeling on the spot she’d last seen Aaron, she pressed her palm into the ground and whispered, “I won’t give up on you. I promise. I’ll find you. No matter what it takes.”

“
Kavash
,” Lilith commanded the control demon wound tight around Aaron’s neck. It obeyed its mistress, releasing another round of venom through its needle-like legs and into his veins. Each dose made it harder for Aaron to think. The venom stripped away his barrier, layer after layer, like paint from a wall, leaving him completely vulnerable to Lilith’s mind search.

“Kaemon, my sweet. I know you’re in there,” Lilith whispered in his ear.

At the sound of his other name, Aaron’s insides twisted. His heart pounded against his ribs.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are. Don’t let this human suppress you anymore. If you want to protect Quinn, you’ll come out and give me what I desire.”

Picturing a solid brick wall blocking Lilith from his thoughts, he tried to rebuild his barrier before she burned a hole in his brain so big there would be nothing left.

“Your psychic gifts are strong, but not as strong as mine. Stop fighting me, Kaemon.”

“My. Name. Is. Aaron.” He fought for every word, spittle running down his chin.

“Kavash.”
A million volts of lightning coursed through him, lighting him on fire from the inside out. His brain churned into cream. His thoughts sloshed around, thick, cloudy, and intangible. Screams went on and on, reverberating in his head for so long that he couldn’t remember if they belonged to him or someone else.

“Stop, please, you won’t find it because I don’t know the answer,” Aaron begged. “I don’t know anything.”

“It’s not you I want answers from, my pet. The knowledge I seek is in there somewhere, hidden deep within you. And I will find it.” More venom swam through him. “Now, close your eyes and remember.”

Aaron didn’t want to remember, didn’t want to see whatever was buried inside, but there was no choice. Toxins ate the last of his resistance, and his eyelids became lead weights he could no longer hold open.

“That’s it.” She shushed and cooed until his head lolled to the side. His body collapsed to the floor when she loosened his bonds. Lilith pulled him into her lap, and he curled into a ball. Long nails ran through his hair.

“Remember who you are, Kaemon. Show me what you did with it,” Lilith encouraged, her lips cold against his ear. “Show me the box.” Claws tore through Aaron’s memories, ripping away chunks of his experiences to get to Kaemon’s, digging deeper and deeper until they seized on what she wanted.

Flashes of a life Aaron didn’t recognize rose and fell before him. Dreams and memories all a jumble. A sword, dark swirling shapes, a battle, Quinn’s face covered in blood, blood, blood, blood.

“Who am I?” Aaron panted, skin glistening with sweat. “Where am I? What’s happening to me?”

“Shhh … Don’t worry about that now. Relax, don’t fight it, and everything will be okay.” Cradled in her arms, she rocked him, kissed his head, stroked his hair. Aaron’s breath caught in his throat as Lilith seized on the memory.

“There it is.”

Pain rippled through his body.

“I knew it would still be in there somewhere, wrapped around his essence.” There was a tug in his mind as Lilith drew the full memory to the surface.

After hours of meandering down back lanes, through unknown neighborhoods, and across stretches of open fields, Quinn found herself staring up at the red 4 Ever Fit sign. How she ended up in the gym parking lot, she had no idea. Working out usually helped clear her head, but she couldn’t muster the energy to get out of the car. All her thoughts were mush, her brain tired of thinking, of rationalizing, of theorizing.

Marcus believed Aaron might be communicating through thought. A telepathic link or something else, she couldn’t ignore that something strange was going on. Or was Aaron a product of brain damage like Jenna suggested?

Reese certainly didn’t believe it. Reese wanted her to sweep it under the rug and get back to normal. Marcus wanted her to keep searching. Azrael wanted her to save humanity. Everyone had different ideas about what she should and shouldn’t do with her life, but what did Quinn want? She didn’t know. Not anymore. Not with Aaron gone.

Maybe her powers reached out to him somehow. If she could communicate with angels, maybe she could communicate with other essences. If Aaron tried to contact her, she had to at least try to listen. Intent was the key, focus on what you want, that was what Azrael kept harping on about. Clear the mind and picture the outcome. Quinn took a deep breath in through her nose, and then out through her mouth, centering herself.

Focusing on the steady beat of her heart, she tuned out the world around her and sank deep into a state of meditative Zen. The stillness of the car mimicked the stillness in her mind, smoothing out the waves and ripples of thought until a clear nothingness appeared before her. Within the nothingness, she pictured Aaron, letting her barrier relax, she thought of his eyes, his smile, the way he absentmindedly fingered the guitar pick when he was thinking.

“Aaron,” she whispered, calling out to him with her mind, searching the empty void for any sign of him. A voice, a scent, anything that proved he still existed somewhere. Quinn let her essence float there for as long as she could, searching, calling, yearning for his touch, his voice, anything, but the same blank space greeted her.

“Aaron. Please,” she begged. “I need to know you’re okay.” Uncertainty lashed at her hope, ripping holes in her confidence. A million tears poured down her cheeks, soaking her dress. He wasn’t there, he never was. A wail started in the pit of her stomach and gushed from her mouth and with it all the pain and anguish. All the power in the world couldn’t bring him back. She pounded her fists on the steering wheel, and screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice was ragged and there was no emotion left. Day turned to dusk, turned into night, as she stared into nothingness. Hollowness lived where her heart should be.

“Hey, Blondie. You okay?” Caleb banged on the glass, startling her out of her stupor.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Quinn gripped the steering wheel, avoiding eye contact. Maybe if she ignored him, he would give up and leave her alone.

“You don’t look okay. You look like you’ve been in a fight. Did you know you have mud all over the side of your face?”

Quinn looked in the rear-view mirror and rubbed a sleeve on her cheek to get the dirt off. Caleb knocked on the glass again.

“Go away.”

“You’ve been sitting out here all day. Can I at least call someone for you? A friend? If you need a friend, you can talk to me.”

Quinn sucked on her bottom lip. Friends were in short supply these days, and Caleb wasn’t so bad. At least she didn’t have any history with him, which might be a good thing.

“We’re not friends,” Quinn said, but she found herself unlocking the door.

Caleb ran a hand through his still damp hair and settled into the passenger seat. He smelled of soap and shaving cream.

“You haven’t moved since I started my shift this morning. Did something happen?”

Her chest tightened and heaved. Too personal, too quick. The tears were coming again, and he would see her fall apart. For a second, Quinn regretted letting him in. She should have just started the engine, driven off, left him in the dust. How was she supposed to answer that? What would he think of her? And that’s when she realized she could say anything she wanted to him, because she didn’t care what he thought. A laugh bubbled to her lips as tears leaked from her eyes.

“Are you hungry?” Quinn asked.

Caleb nodded, slow and unsure. Quinn started the engine and slammed the car into reverse. Caleb pressed his hand against the ceiling to steady himself against the sharp turn.

“You drive like you fight, Blondie. All anger and no finesse.”

“Did I ask you?”

Caleb shook his head, knuckles white against the dash, and kept his mouth shut until she pulled into a dimly lit parking lot. On the side of the building, the owner had graffitied ‘‘Just Tacos’’ in giant hot pink, orange, and teal letters. Quinn scanned the lot for any cars she recognized, but it looked safe.

“Are we going in, or are you going to make me eat by myself?”

Quinn nodded, and followed Caleb through the double glass door. They settled into a small booth near the back. Piñatas hung over the tables, and the menu was decoupaged to the table along with brightly colored confetti.

“What’s with the cagey twitching and downcast eyes? Afraid to be seen with me or something?”

“Something like that.” Quinn glanced behind her. The last thing she wanted was to run into anyone from school, especially Jeff or Kerstin. It was why she stayed home at night, why she never went to Tony’s anymore. Demons, she could face. Her ex and his pregnant girlfriend were another matter. Sometimes she dreamed of slamming her fist into Jeff’s face for his part in Aaron’s accident, and if she saw him, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t follow through.