Pretty Dark Sacrifice (28 page)

“Great, just what we don’t need. I told her I didn’t want him here.” Slamming her own car door, her mother stomped over to the trunk and began pulling out his suitcase. Once it was in her hands, her father grabbed it from her and said something nasty. To retaliate, her mother flung the car keys at her father’s feet and cursed him. They yelled obscenities back and forth when a baby started screaming from the backseat.

A baby. He had brought her half-brother, Jacob, with him. Jealousy and hurt ate at Quinn’s heart, turning it bitter, and she suddenly wanted to rip him from the car seat, put him in a box, and ship him back to his mother in California. Quinn shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted; the demons were getting to her, confusing her.

Your shield,
Azrael warned. It was then she realized nothing stood between her and the darkness. Digging deep, she pushed the bubble of light up and around her, making sure to encompass Marcus, Reese, and Caleb. The demons were multiplying exponentially now, spreading up and out from their yard to the next, and the next, and the next, swathing the entire neighborhood in gray.

“Azrael.” Before she completed her thought, he was through the window and out in the yard, swords drawn, ready for a fight.

“What’s happening?” Reese asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Caleb answered. “We need to go. Now.” He grabbed the Jeep keys from Quinn’s desk and tossed them to Marcus.

“Stay close, and they won’t be able to get to you.” Quinn raced down the stairs and out the front door, Caleb, Marcus, and Reese on her heels.

Caleb ducked as a vase broke through their neighbor’s window, sailed past his head, and crashed into a million mosaic pieces against the doorframe. A large, black lab streaked past Quinn and headed for the safety of some bushes. Horns honked, people poured from their houses, neighbors screamed at one another, children clawed at their siblings, drawing blood. Alarms blared, and everywhere she turned, demons fed on the chaos, leeches sucking at pain and anger. The more they fed, the bigger they got, and the more bedlam they created.

“What do we do?” Marcus clamped his hands to his ears.

Quinn’s mind raced. There was no way she could protect all these people. Azrael stood at the end of the driveway, slashing and tearing through demons as fast as he could, but for every one he took down, three more appeared. His voice rang out to the heavenly host, and a flock of at least a hundred angels streaked across the sky, a rainbow of wings shimmering as they joined Azrael in the fight, Qeres blades hungry to find and kill their enemies, but even at that, they were outnumbered at least ten to one. And this was only the beginning. The box wasn’t even open.

“Hey, Blondie, I think we need a little help here.” Two smoky demons tethered themselves to Quinn’s mother, long needle fingers stabbing her through the back, sucking the anger from her like greedy children. Quinn grabbed her mother’s arm, working to push her barrier out to encompass her like she had in the kitchen, but her mother was too far gone. Turning back on Quinn with inky eyes, she shoved her hard, knocking her to the ground.

“Don’t touch my daughter.” Her father took two big steps around the car, grabbed her mother by the wrist, and twisted, ignoring Jacob’s increasing screams from the back seat. He couldn’t see the dark demon tapping the window, searching for a crack to get to Jacob, too, but Quinn could. She looked at her parents, then at her brother.

“Quinn, do something,” Reese begged, her voice quivering.

Do what? There were too many, they were too strong. The angels were engaged on all sides. Azrael fought to hold as many back as possible, but even he was losing ground. She was one girl. She would fail, and they would all die. Sweat beaded on the back of her neck as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness dragged at her limbs. She couldn’t do this. The sound of another piercing scream snapped her out of her bleakness. Jacob stared at the demon as it scratched at the glass. He banged his little fist on the window. She could feel his fear—intense, confused. No. It couldn’t be. He could see them too, just like her. Anger pulsed through her essence. Jacob, so small, so innocent. He didn’t deserve to grow up as one of Lilith’s slaves. She had to try, if not for herself, for him.

Quinn ran forward, Qeres dagger at the ready, and slashed the poison blade through the demon tormenting her sibling through the window. Then she wrenched the door open and grabbed her brother from his seat, surrounding him in her protective barrier. She bounced him on her hip, whispering softly in his ear, and he clung to her, small hands digging into her shirt, tear-soaked cheeks buried in her neck.

“Shhhhh, Jake. You’re safe,” she cooed until he quieted.

On the other side of the car, her mother now had her hands around her father’s throat, squeezing as hard as she could, his face turning blue. Quinn handed Jake into Marcus’s waiting arms and took off running.

“There, there, little man. It’ll be okay. Your sister’s going to kick some demon butt, and she’ll be right back.” Marcus tickled Jake’s chin, and he laughed.

Taking a chance, Caleb grabbed Quinn’s mother from behind. Mrs. Taylor kicked and screamed as he pried her off Quinn’s father, who fell to his knees and crawled away, coughing and dragging in ragged breaths. Mrs. Taylor bit Caleb on the arm to try to get away, but he gritted his teeth and held tight.

“She’s too strong.” Caleb moved his arms down and away from her mouth, pinning her arms to her sides. “You better do something fast. I don’t think I can hold her.”

Quinn rubbed her hands together, letting the heat of her power build inside her. She needed to focus and force this beast to reveal its name, but there were so many demons around, it was hard to get a fix on any individual identity. As she approached, her mother thrashed against Caleb, butting her head backward, trying to smash his face. Caleb’s muscles rippled as he wrestled her to the ground and pinned her against the concrete.

“Hurry,” Caleb urged.

Behind Quinn, something growled, soft and low. She spun to see inky eyes staring up from her father’s face.

“Dad. It’s me.” She took a step back, palms up. “It’s Quinn.”

Then he pounced, quick as a jaguar, fierce as a lion. Quinn was crushed beneath his weight as he slammed into her. They went down, a tangle of arms and legs, onto the lawn. Her head snapped back, skull hitting the grass with a dull thud. Her father grunted and scratched at her skin as they rolled. She tried to gain the upper hand, but, fueled by hate and demon energy, he was much stronger than she was. Quinn’s heart raced, a stampede of horses in her chest, as he pinned her to the ground, his tall frame looming above her. This monster was not her father, not anymore. A hand clenched like a vise around her throat. He was going to kill her.

Before he could squeeze, Reese launched onto his back, wrapping around his neck. Just the distraction she needed. Quinn’s muscles tensed, and she turned to run, but she wasn’t fast enough. As if Reese weighed nothing, he threw her to the ground, caught Quinn by the ankle, and dragged her through the grass. Mud and dirt lodged beneath her fingernails as she scrambled to get away from him, but his iron grip held her tight. Quinn screamed as he shoved a knee in her back, lifted her head up by the hair, and pressed her face into a pile of ants. A thousand tiny legs crawled across her cheek, up her neck, around her ears, her skin on fire with their venom.

“Azrael, do something!” Quinn heard Reese yell.

And then the pressure was gone, and she was free. Quinn leapt to her feet and ripped the black hoodie from her body, throwing it to the ground and slapping at the ants crawling on her skin and in her hair until each one was dead. Tears streamed down her face, breaths coming in big gulps, heart kicking her ribcage. Azrael held her father, clothes ripped, mud streaking his face, in a vise grip. Beside them, her mother stood, blue eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Do it,” Quinn snarled, and Azrael nodded. He flourished his sword, separating the demons’ essence from her father’s as he’d already done for her mother.
Slash, slash, slash
, the demons dissipated in a whiff of gray mist, their immortal souls no match for the Qeres poison blade.

“Are you okay?” Reese wrapped her trembling arms around Quinn, and Quinn hugged her close.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For trying to get him off me.” She could feel Reese nod against her shoulder. “Did he hurt you?”

Reese shook her head. “I know how to fall. Is it over?”

“The Elites have managed to scatter Lilith’s forces to buy us time, but we need to hurry.” Azrael looked to the sky where the moon inched closer to the sun. “I don’t know how long they can hold them back.”

“Okay, just let me say goodbye first.” Quinn took her brother from Marcus and patted the baby’s back. “Hi, Jake. I’m your sister.”

“Q-Quinn?” Her mother blinked and looked around. “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?” She blinked again, free from demon influence, brow furrowed in confusion.

Her father dropped his hand and rubbed his neck, taking a step back. “What happened to your face?” he asked, concern knitting his forehead. He reached to touch her cheek, swollen and red with welts, and although she understood it hadn’t really been her father who shoved her face into the dirt, she flinched. He cocked his head and blinked, still not fully aware of what had happened.

She forced a smile. “It’s nothing, I tripped.” Quinn looked at her watch and tentatively handed her brother to her dad. His chubby hands reached for her, grabbing the air, a pout growing on his face. He didn’t want to leave her, and the truth was, she didn’t want to leave him either. “Don’t worry, Jake, I’ll be back.” She gave him a big raspberry on his cheek, and he giggled at her.

“You should go inside,” Quinn told her parents, and they both nodded but didn’t move, still only ghosts of their former selves. “Really, take Jake inside, I think he’s hungry.” Quinn gently guided them into the house.

“Wait,” her mother said. “Where are you going?”

“School, remember?” she said as cheerily as she could. “I’ll be back soon.”

They nodded, still dazed and confused by the ordeal.

“What about the cake I’m going to bake you? A late birthday treat,” her dad said.

“Cake, after school?” she asked.

“Okay, sweetheart.” He smiled, and she cringed at the memory of inky eyes and strong arms pushing her down. “Sorry I couldn’t make it for the real day, but happy belated birthday.”

She swallowed. “Thanks, Dad,” she forced herself to say, and then closed the door in his face.

“Will they be all right?” Quinn asked Azrael.

“They won’t remember, but the empty darkness inside left by the demons will take a while to dissipate.” Azrael examined her wounds and sent a wave of healing into her body, pushing the ant venom from her pores, healing the bruises, eradicating the swelling.

“Will Jake be safe with them?” Quinn was surprised by how much she cared. Looking into his perfect blue eyes and feeling his warm cheek against hers, she had fallen for him. Her brother, and she wanted to protect him no matter the cost to herself.

“Safe enough.” Azrael’s expression darkened. “With those two,” he added.

“Can you post a guard?”

Azrael nodded and two angels landed at the front door.

“Thank you.”

“They will do their best to keep them safe, but the attack isn’t confined. Demons are pushing forward across every tear in the veil at once. We’ve never seen such an organized attack.”

“What does that mean?” Reese asked.

“Yeah, why now? I thought she had to open the box or something,” Marcus said, entwining his fingers with Reese’s.

Quinn’s heart pinched. “Is Aaron dead? Did she open the box?”

Azrael shook his head. “No. The veil is still intact, but thin. The box has not been opened. Lilith assumes you are the sacrifice. She might be right, Quinn. We do not know anything for sure. This plan is risky.”

“If we don’t go and she kills Aaron, the box might open. If I go as sacrifice, the box could open. Either way, there doesn’t seem to be a way to stop it.”

Aaron was right; this was bigger than either of them.

Westland had always been a beautiful place to live, with its manicured lawns, big trees, and friendly people. Now it looked like it was hit by a zombie apocalypse. Neighbors in bloodied nightgowns and ripped business suits wandered the streets in a daze. Broken glass littered the asphalt, wrecked cars steamed and wailed, and in the distance, the sound of sirens approaching.

Quinn stared out the Jeep window as Marcus maneuvered through block after block of devastation, dodging broken fire hydrants, busted mailboxes, and people alike. Her home was a battleground. Shadows clung to the city like smog, choking out the sun and infusing the air with the smell of sulfur. The heavenly Elite forces engaged demons on the ground, in the air, on every corner, pushing them back one by one. For now, they were winning, but what would happen if Lilith opened that box?

Marcus pulled the Jeep into a narrow back alley, gravel popping beneath the tires. Thankfully, it looked empty, almost serene compared to the rest of the streets. He rolled to a stop in back of Jeff’s house. Marcus opened the door for Quinn, and she stepped out into the chilled air and looked up at the large two-story Spanish Colonial that was her sanctuary during her parents’ divorce. A chain-link fence separated the perfect backyard, complete with pool and covered patio, from the alley. How many times had she and Jeff swum in that pool? How many dinners had she eaten there? How many movies had she watched snuggled up with Jeff on the couch? Now he was gone, and so was Kerstin.