Pretty Dark Sacrifice (23 page)

Do not be foolish, Quinn. Lilith is older and more powerful than you can imagine. If you set foot in the Underworld, you will not return. Your world will fall. Everything you love will die. And for what? The soul of one boy?

“How can you ask me to leave him there?” Quinn shouted at the sky as Azrael zigzagged in agitated patterns above them.

You can’t even be sure it was Aaron. Lilith is a master of deception and manipulation. Even Eve was not immune to her lies. The box, Quinn. It must be taken to Arcadia.
Azrael spoke through his bond.
It must not fall into her hands. Do you understand? I beg you to deliver it into my care.

“Marcus, he’s your best friend. You couldn’t leave him there, could you?”

Marcus dug the toe of his shoe in the dirt and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “I don’t know, Quinn. I don’t think Aaron would want you to risk everything just for him.”

Yes. See? You should listen to your friend.

“What does that angel of yours say?” Marcus asked.

“He agrees with you. He thinks I should let him take the box to Arcadia for safe keeping and that I should go with him.” Quinn flung her hands in the air. “I can’t!”

“That demon said you have until the eclipse, right? That’s three days away. We have time to figure it out. Come up with a plan.”

No. You are both fools. I won’t let you throw all this away. There is no time. If you do this, you are on your own.
Azrael flew in erratic circles around her head.
Do you hear me? I will abandon you.

No. You won’t. And we both know it.
That seemed to shut him up, for now at least.

Quinn turned the box over in her hands. “Three days.”

“Well, whatever you decide, I’ll stand with you. And you have to tell Reese.”

“I can’t bring her into this. I shouldn’t have even told you.”

“You can’t do this alone. Let us help you. It’s our world, too.”

“
Fine, I’ll tell Reese, but I’ll need to call Caleb too. That’s okay with you, right?
”

“This is your show, just think of me as your backup dancer.” Marcus did a spin and slide, and Quinn couldn’t help but laugh.

“With those kinds of moves, we’re sure to win this fight.” He unzipped the backpack and eyed the splintered spirit board. “I guess I’ll be buying my little sister a new one of those.”

He handed the backpack to Quinn, and she placed the box deep inside, zipped it all the way up to make sure it was secure, and slung it over her shoulder.

“Come on. I’ll call Reese, and we can meet at my house. My parents are out tonight, so we’ll have complete privacy. Now, let’s get out of here. This place is nothing but trouble.” Marcus put an arm around her and guided her back up the hill. “You’re not alone anymore. We’ll figure this out, together.”

Hot, white fury rolled off Azrael, but he followed, his bond to her too strong to do anything but.

***

Quinn bit her lip as she pulled into the circle drive of Marcus’s house. Beneath the porch light, Reese leaned against the archway, waiting. Quinn turned off the engine and looked in the rearview mirror. Where was Marcus? In the time since they had left Bluebonnet Creek, she had gone home, showered, and changed. Plenty of time for him to pick up the pizza and make it home. He’d promised she wouldn’t have to face Reese alone. No time. She couldn’t just sit in the car and wait. That would make an awkward situation even worse.

Come on, Quinn, this is your best friend. Not like she’s going to bite. Get out of the car. That’s it. See? Was that so hard?

“Hey,” Reese walked down the stairs, rubbing her arms, “I’m so glad you guys called. I was going crazy at home alone.” She dabbed her eyes with the cuff of her cream cardigan. “My dad’s off doing damage control with the sheriff’s department, and Ami won’t stop texting me. She seems to think I’m her new best friend. I even had to turn the television off. They keep showing repeats of Kerstin attacking Jeff and him shooting her. If I hear one more ‘expert’ analyze why, I’m going to go postal.”

“About that … ”

“Looks like you started the party without me.” Marcus slammed his Jeep door, two boxes of pizza balanced on one hand. “I brought snacks. We can play a little Zombie Island while we figure out how to rescue Aaron.” Marcus handed Quinn the pizzas and fumbled with his keys to unlock the front door. “There’s this one level where you stumble onto a crashed airliner. You have to open the door to get to a quest item, but when you do, all the dead passengers swarm you and try to eat your brain. It’s awesome.”

“What do you mean, rescue Aaron?” Reese asked. “Wait. That spirit board thing didn’t actually work, did it?

“You mean you haven’t told her yet?” The key clicked into place, and Marcus motioned the girls to enter. Azrael slipped in behind them and slinked into a dark corner of the living room. Arms over his chest, he rested his sullen gaze on Quinn. At least he was keeping his thoughts to himself.

“I was just getting to that.” Ignoring him, Quinn grabbed Reese’s hand and pulled her over to the couch. “You might want to sit down for this.”

Reese looked at Quinn and then at Marcus. “You’re joking, right?” She settled into the sofa and sighed. “Okay, I’m sitting. Go ahead.”

“Do you want to, or should I?” Marcus bounced on the balls of his feet.

“I think she’ll take it better from you.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, somebody tell me what’s going on.”

“My idea worked, Reese. Quinn contacted Aaron, and then these demons showed up.” Marcus waved his hands, acting out the whole scene for Reese’s benefit. Reese, ever the skeptic, stared at him and rolled her eyes, totally not buying it. “They possessed me.”

“Demons. Right. We just had two more friends die, and you want to make jokes. I’d rather be home alone than listen to this bull for one more second.”

Marcus squatted in front of Reese and took both her hands in his. “It’s true. I saw one of those demon things with my own eyes. It was nasty! All fangs and hair, and the smell! It was worse than that time the boys swim team had a farting contest in the back of the bus on the way to regionals. Nasty!”

“Stop it, Marcus. You’re scaring me.” Reese jerked away from him.

“You should be scared.” Marcus’s sober expression stopped Reese from heading for the door. “They’re the reason Jeff and Kerstin are dead, why Aaron is missing. I wouldn’t joke about that, I swear.”

“You’re both crazy,” Reese said, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she looked from Marcus to Quinn and back to Marcus, tapping her foot on the concrete. “Next, you’ll be telling me Quinn is some alien from the planet Zulu.”

“Or a teenager who can see angels and demons and was born to save humanity from ultimate darkness?” Marcus pounced at the opportunity.

Reese burst out laughing. “Good one. One Slayer born to kick a little vampire butt back through the Hellmouth.”

“Not vampires, demons. And it’s called the Underworld, not the Hellmouth.” Quinn waited for her friend to calm down. “I’m serious.”

“No.” Reese looked at Marcus. “Is she?”

Frustration welled up in Quinn. How could she make Reese believe her? It sounded so far-fetched. Maybe Caleb could explain, but why would Reese believe a boy she barely knew. No, there had to be another way.

Azrael. If Reese saw her Sentinel with her own eyes, she would have to believe. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? A minute ago, he’d been sulking in the corner, now he was nowhere to be seen.

“Azrael?” Although she could speak to him telepathically, Quinn chose to speak out loud so her friends could understand what she was doing. “Where are you? Show yourself. I command it.”

No need to shout.
Azrael floated through the ceiling, landed softly beside them, and tucked his wings to his side.
They cannot see me. Their sight does not resonate at the correct frequency. No matter how much you command, I cannot reveal myself.

“Where were you?” Quinn asked.

Patrolling the perimeter, as is my duty. You seemed too busy with this wearisome teenage chatter to be worried about demon attacks.

“Who are you talking to?” Reese looked around and shrugged.

“Azrael, he’s my Sentinel, my guardian angel. I commanded him to show himself to you, but he says he can’t.”

“Of course he can’t. Guardian angels can’t show themselves to just any old humans, only those destined to save the world. Everyone knows that.” Skepticism laced Reese’s voice, but Quinn wouldn’t give up on her plan.

“Give her a minute.” Marcus put his arm around Reese, and she snuggled into him.

“I’ll give you five, and then I’m out of here.” Reese pulled her cell phone from her pocket and began surfing.

“There must be a way. You have to tell me if there is a way.” Quinn pushed her will onto Azrael. She was his boss, not the other way around.

Don’t let your power go to your head. Pride comes before a fall.
Light pulsed around Azrael, and he grimaced. She could feel his desire to resist, but her wish overruled his
. Perhaps there is a way, but I don’t know if it will work.

“Tell me already.” Quinn wondered if she looked like some of those mentally ill patients she saw in New York, talking to imaginary people. Maybe they weren’t crazy after all. Maybe they were like her.

Encompass them within your barrier and use your energy to include them in what you see. If they are within your bubble, you might be able to influence their essences and let them see what you see. Use your energy to manipulate their perception, so to speak.

“And how am I to do that?”

Azrael shrugged
. You are Eol Ananael, not me. I am doing what you asked: telling you what I think might work. Since I do not know for sure, I am putting forth a theory. In theory, it should work, but there is no guarantee. And for the record, I still don’t think this is a good idea. It is against the edicts of the Dominions. They will not be best pleased.

“I don’t care if the Dominions are best pleased. Am I Eol Ananael or not? Besides, you never think any of my ideas are a good idea.” She looked over to Reese and Marcus, explaining, “Azrael says there’s something that might work. Give me your hands.”

Marcus stood and took her right hand while Reese gave him a sidelong glance.

“Oh, come on.” Marcus grabbed Reese’s wrist, took her phone, and pulled her forward.

“Okay! I can give her my hand myself, thanks.” Reese jerked away from Marcus, and then held her arms out and nodded. Quinn stepped forward and took one hand while Marcus took the other.

“Will this hurt?” Reese asked.

“I don’t think so.” The circle complete, Quinn closed her eyes. As her essence brushed against theirs, she could feel the tension and skepticism in Reese like a block of ice against her energy. Marcus on the other hand, was so open that it was easy to push her bubble of protection out and around him.

“Dude. That’s awesome!” Marcus exclaimed a few seconds later.

“What? What’s awesome?” Reese asked.

“You should see him, Reese. He’s so … bright.”

Impatient frustration coursed down Reese’s arm and into Quinn’s. “Why can Marcus see him and not me?”

“Relax, Reese, or at least try to have an open mind. Like meditation. Focus on your breathing.”

“Do I have to chant or something? This feels so silly.”

“No, just … ” Just what? Quinn didn’t even know what she was doing. How was it so easy for her to influence Marcus and not her best friend? “Let me in. Think about something fun we shared, like when we went on that road trip to Magic Island.” It was working. She could feel Reese’s essence unwinding, and she heard Reese giggle at the memory. “That’s it.”

Reese gasped and let go of Quinn’s hand, and the bubble burst. “What the … Where did he go?”

“If you want to see him, keep holding my hand. It’s not easy for me to do this.” Reese joined the circle again, and Quinn concentrated on expanding her barrier to include them. Then she worked to tune their essences into Azrael’s frequency. It wasn’t as hard as she’d imagined. Instincts led her where she needed to go as she experimented with how to manipulate their desire to see Azrael into reality.

Within seconds, she sensed Azrael shimmering into focus. She let go of their hands and opened her eyes. They would only be able to see him when Quinn was near. The change she made to their essences depended on her being close. It was similar to the way she pushed out her barrier to defend her mother from the demons. If they stepped out of the bubble, he would disappear.

“I can see him now! Oh, my God, Quinn, you weren’t lying. He is so beautiful.” Quinn remembered the first time she saw Azrael and wondered if her face had looked like Reese’s right then.

“I’m sorry, Quinn. We’re supposed to be best friends, but all this talk of ghosts and psychic powers, it spooked me, you know? I wanted to believe you, but couldn’t let myself. It was all too scary.” Reese and Quinn fell into a tangle of hugs and tears.

“No, I’m sorry. You were right when you said our relationship was nothing but lies and secrets and that I didn’t trust you. I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t listen. No wonder you kept secrets from me. God, Quinn, I’ve been so stupid. But I’m here now.” A flash of fear mixed with wonder rumbled through Reese’s essence. “Is he dangerous?”

“Only to demons.”

Azrael stood before them in all his glory, hands gripping the pommels of his swords, a hard look on his face. He did not like being her dancing monkey. He didn’t even try to hide his distain from her.

“Azrael, this is Reese and Marcus. Guys, this is my Sentinel, Azrael.”

“I know who they are.” Azrael pulled his sword from his scabbard and began picking dirt from beneath his nails with the tip. Reese and Marcus both backed away.

“Play nice, Az.”

“Don’t call me that, and maybe I will.”

“Ignore him. His bark is worse than his bite.”

Azrael snarled, and then grinned. Quinn rolled her eyes.

Reese circled Azrael, studying him as if examining a work of art. Quinn couldn’t blame her; he was an Adonis to look at, though his personality was completely lacking. Azrael ignored Reese like a cat ignored its owner, preening himself and looking smug.