Authors: Linda Lamberson
“If they’re convinced Quinn has one of the Keys,” I chimed in, “why go through the wild goose chase? In fact, if Mathius wants the Key so badly, what’s stopped him from breaking the Agreement years ago and killing all his top candidates any way he could?” I inquired.
“If Mathius, or any member of his clan following his orders, violates the Agreement, the Order will put a hefty bounty on him—one so considerable even the most loyal of his clansmen would find it impossible to ignore.”
“There’s no such thing as loyalty amongst demons,” Minerva added.
“Ah, now that’s something you would be knowledgeable about.”
“Not from any personal experience,” Dylan said defensively.
“Interesting. I was under the impression it couldn’t get much more personal than having a demon for a father,” Ronald commented.
“I just meant—”
“I realize what you meant,” he interrupted Dylan. “And I have every confidence you can trust this one’s loyalty to you all.” I knew from the way Ronald was looking at me he was offering the sentiment more for my benefit than Dylan’s.
“So, now what?” Quinn asked. “What are we supposed to do now that we know I have a Key?”
“The account of the facts may have changed some, but the stakes are still the same. Your soul is still the one needing protection from the Servants.”
“The hell the stakes haven’t changed!” I blurted out angrily. “Based on what you just told us, Mathius is never going to stop until he’s destroyed Quinn’s soul!”
“He’ll stop if he finds the other Key first,” Dylan offered.
“We’re
Shepherds
, Dylan,” I snapped. “We can’t condone the sacrifice of one human to spare another. Besides, if a Key was removed from my soul when I died a year and a half ago, tagged, and immediately recycled into a brand new life, he or she would only be …” I paused to mentally estimate the age of the new Key carrier.
“The soul is always implanted
in utero,
so the baby to whom you are referring is nearly ten months old,” Ronald replied, causing us all to look at him in shock. He simply shrugged. “I may not be able to share with you the identity of
who
is tagged, but I can tell you the age of the mortal.”
“Great, a
baby.”
Dylan sighed heavily. “Even if I were the soul-sacrificing type, I’d have to be seriously deranged to go after a baby. Still, just to get an idea of what we’re up against here, how long do you think it’ll take Mathius to figure out the baby’s identity?”
“Considering there are approximately one-hundred and thirty million babies born each year, it could take a while.”
“Great,” Dylan repeated, sighing again. “So this is just the beginning of the long haul.”
“Don’t sound so excited, man,” Quinn tried to joke.
“If we can’t stop Mathius from going after Quinn, isn’t there at least some way we can better protect him from the Servants?” Minerva asked in concern.
“To have any chance of success at all,” Ronald continued, “
both
Quinn’s and Evie’s souls must be protected at all costs. It is their connection that hopefully will keep them strong enough to survive what is coming. What is that saying? ‘Divide and ye shall conquer’?” Ronald asked. “If one of their souls is destroyed and their bond is broken, then I’m afraid I cannot see a future where the Order comes out the victor.”
“What if I’m not strong enough to survive?” Quinn asked hesitantly. “What if the alternative is that I become an immortal with a soul like these guys?” Quinn gestured to Dylan, Minerva, and me.
“What makes you believe that will happen?” Ronald asked curiously.
“Do you know for a fact it won’t?” Quinn asked.
“No. Only the Order has the authority to decide who will become an immortal with a soul. Although, I must admit,” Ronald mused with a gleam in his eye, “it would be a remarkable twist of fate to be sure.”
“Why?” I asked cautiously, not wanting Quinn to get swept up in Ronald’s fantasy.
“Aside from the obvious benefit of having the Key removed from Quinn’s soul, he would make quite an extraordinary Shepherd. The strengths a human possesses at the time of death are amplified during the transition from mortal to immortal—the rule holds true whether they are converted into a demon or transformed into a Shepherd. Thanks to your connection, Quinn would possess a truly enviable level of strength and skill if he were to become an immortal—even by our standards.”
“Quinn and I are only at our peak strength when we are near each other.”
“Which makes the recent attack on you that much more curious, even if it were a test of your strength.” Ronald sighed. “Mathius is not an imbecile. Surely he would have done his homework by now and learned that your connection is new and unstable enough not to risk your demise unnecessarily.
“Therefore,” he continued, “I’ve been toying with another theory. Evie, you were the one to unleash the strength in Quinn through your connection with him as his
true
soul mate, but you may not be the
only
one needed to sustain that newfound strength if, perchance, another soul mate exists. And as luck would have it, you are not the only one who has a deep bond with Quinn.” Ronald flashed Quinn an odd look, one I couldn’t decipher. I watched as a twisted, tortured expression appeared on Quinn’s face.
“Damn it!” Quinn growled loudly, and his eyes glistened as tears sprung into them.
“What?” Dylan, Minerva, and I all asked in alarm.
“I knew he was still involved in all of this somehow,” Quinn remarked. He stood up and ran his hand though his hair as he began to pace before us. Almost immediately, stories about how close Quinn and Brady were growing up flashed through my mind. The two had been as close as two brothers could be—as close as soul mates.
“Holy crap!” I gasped.
“Will someone let us in on the big secret here?” Dylan asked, pointing to Minerva and himself.
“Is he a Servant?” Quinn asked through gritted teeth.
“Is
who
a Servant?” Dylan inquired impatiently.
“
His brother, Brady,”
I told Dylan and Minerva telepathically. A look of compassion appeared on both of their faces, and Dylan visibly settled down.
“We believe they’re waiting to convert him until they have you in their grasp, at which time they intend to perform the ritual on you both.”
“Why involve him at all?” Quinn asked.
“Your brother and you have always had such an unusually strong connection. As children you forged a deep fraternal bond and became soul mates. And even though you two have parted ways later in life, the bond still exists, and it can be rekindled under the proper circumstances—such as if you’re both faced with your own mortality. Should that bond be reawakened, both you and you brother will become independently stronger—similar to what Evie and you experienced when your souls fused—and, therefore, worth exploiting in Mathius’s eyes.
“Mind you, your connection with your brother is not as strong as the bond between you and Evie. However, it is likely your fraternal bond with Brady is strong enough to amplify some, if not all, of the benefits you’ve acquired as a result of bonding with the soul of an immortal. It is also possible to pass some of those benefits along to your brother as his soul mate. In any case, the strength gained from your reconnection with Brady would be more than adequate to not only ensure you both survive the conversion, but also make you into formidable Servants.”
“Of course,” I stated. “I mean, why would the Servants need me when they have Brady? This way, Mathius can get rid of me, grab a Key, and enlist two incredibly strong demons as his top generals to lead his army to the gates of Heaven and Purgatory. I’ve got to hand it to them—it’s a clever plan,” I added dismally.
“When?” Quinn demanded curtly. “When’s the next date they plan to perform this ritual?” His posture had shifted. He was standing up straight. I could see a renewed sense of purpose and conviction in his eyes. I didn’t like it. I knew it meant he wanted to fight instead of continuing to play it safe.
“The next full moon,” Ronald said solemnly.
“And when is that?” I asked nervously.
“August seventeenth.”
“That’s in
eleven days!”
I exclaimed. “What can we possibly do to prepare ourselves in
eleven damn days
? I’ll tell you,” I continued, not allowing anyone answer my rhetorical question,
“
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing
.” I looked at Quinn and could tell his newfound determination hadn’t wavered an inch. He’d made up his mind. “Quinn, we’re not ready. We
won’t
be ready.”
“If it isn’t this full moon, it’ll be the next,” Quinn replied, completely devoid of emotion. “What will we do then? And the time after that? Keep hiding? Evie, you said it yourself, Mathius is never going to stop hunting me until he has a Key.” He sighed a breath of resolution. “I’m not running anymore. Let those bastards come and try to get me.”
“But we need more time.”
“We’re out of time. You heard Ronald,” Quinn stated. “Those sons of bitches want to make me one of them, and they want to do the same thing to my brother—if they haven’t already. The war’s already begun, and if we’re really destined to end it, then we have no choice but to take a stand
now
.”
“Quinn, you’re upset about your brother, and you have every right to be,” Dylan chimed in. “But just stop and think about this for a moment. Evie’s right—we shouldn’t take a stand unless we’re prepared to win.”
“Who says we can’t win? We don’t have the Journal, so the only way we know how to defeat these demons is to fight them. With Minerva on our side we have an advantage. And I’ve been training all summer. I’m stronger now—faster, quicker. Physically, we’re as prepared as we’re ever going to be.”
“Quinn—”
“No,” Quinn stated firmly, cutting me off. He sighed heavily and shook his head. “Evie, you can’t ask me not to try to save Brady—he’s my brother.”
“I would never ask that of you,” I assured him. “But I also don’t want to lose you because we didn’t think this through carefully enough.”
“We have eleven days to work out the details,” Quinn said. “That’s more time than we’ve had in the past. We’ll be ready by then.”
“And if we’re not?” I asked.
“As long as you protect his soul, and yours, the Key will be kept out of Mathius’s hands,” Ronald stated. He looked at Quinn for a few seconds, after which Quinn nodded his head slightly, clearly acknowledging something Ronald had said to him—something not meant for my ears.
“I am afraid my time is up,” Ronald said. He walked over to me and cupped my face in his hands. “Angel, do not lose faith in your true love. He will know what to do when the time is right.” Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead before walking over to Minerva.
“Both bewildering and beautiful. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Ronald brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I only hope your friend over here knows just how fortunate he is to be able to hold you in his arms. You, my dear, are an important asset in this fight, and I’m glad you are here for them.
“And you,” Ronald continued, moving over to Dylan. “The sky-hopping ladies’ man turned faithful gentleman and partner,” he mused. “Your compassion will take you far in this journey, and your skills will make you a competent leader. Remember, no matter how difficult, stay true to the path you believe is the correct one, and you will come out ahead—you
all
will.”
“Quinn.” Ronald bowed his head slightly. “You know what to do. Deep down, you have always known.”
Quinn nodded.
“Good luck, my young friends. As always, beware of any camouflaged wolves lurking amongst the flock,” Ronald cautioned before phasing out of view.
Needing a change of scenery, we returned to La Casa. Quinn immediately stripped, jumped into the pool, and began swimming lap after lap to blow off some steam.
“So, we have eleven days to prepare for the next attack, huh?” Dylan sounded as frustrated as I felt about Quinn’s decision.
“Yes,” I replied numbly.
“What are the chances we can convince Quinn to play it safe and hide out here during the next full moon?” he whispered.
“Zero!” Quinn called out clear across the other side of the pool.
“Since when did you develop super-hearing?” I asked in surprise.
“Since now.” Quinn smirked smugly. “And I’m not running anymore. I don’t want to have this hanging over my head day after day, month after month. I just want it to be over.”
“Yeah, well there’s a difference between things being over and being
over
,” Dylan mumbled under his breath.
“I heard that!” Quinn called out again.
“Good!” Dylan yelled just before Quinn dove under the water to swim another lap.
“Dylan, we
really
need that Journal,” I implored. “Now more than ever.”
“Where else do you suggest I look?” Dylan asked. “It could be
anywhere.
”
“Maybe I should talk to Peter again. He’s read the Journal. He knows what it says.”
“No way,” Quinn objected after resurfacing. “Ronald warned us to beware of wolves—just like he did the last time when we were nearly annihilated by two Servants, which, conveniently, was also the same day we realized Peter had
lied
to us.”
“It was also the same day Peter came to our rescue,” I retorted.
“Oh, you mean
after
he pretended to be Dylan’s mentor and called Dylan up at the exact moment we needed him, leaving us high and dry?” Quinn countered.
“You don’t know he did that!” I exclaimed angrily. I could feel my body begin to vibrate. “Besides, Brady was there that day too. He’s probably the wolf Ronald is talking about.”
“Uh, guys?” Dylan interjected.
“Oh, please,” Quinn barked. “Ronald warned us about ‘camouflaged wolves.’ At least Brady has the balls to be an ass in front of your face instead of hiding behind some bullshit pretense of being your knight in shining armor.”
“Guys?” Dylan tried again.
“Oh, like when Brady pretended to want to get help for his gambling addiction the same night he tried to rob you blind?” I countered coldly. “Or when he led the Servants to your front doorstep without so much as thinking about the consequences or anyone else but himself?” My body was trembling now. I felt like a pressure-cooker on the verge of blowing my lid. I barely noticed the water in the pool around Quinn was churning turbulently.