Pretty Dark Sacrifice (17 page)

“In his locker.”

Marcus sat up straight in his seat. “No way. I walked past it on my way to class this morning. I always pat it with my hand. My way of saying I haven’t forgotten him. It was totally closed. The padlock was locked.”

Quinn traced an invisible pattern on the cover with a finger, avoiding eye contact. “Someone must have unlocked it.”

“Weird. I should have known that’s where it would be.” Marcus skimmed through the pages. “Did you read through it yet?”

Quinn nodded. “Here, September sixteenth.” She flipped to the final entry.

Marcus read through the entry and grinned. “I knew it.”

“Let me see that.” Reese grabbed Aaron’s notebook and started reading herself, flipping pages and shaking her head. “This is getting too weird.” Reese sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Lockers that open by themselves, messages from beyond the grave, it’s like some low-budget movie on the SyFy channel. Next you’re going to tell me you have some special powers.” Reese snorted at her own joke, and Quinn winced.

The perfect opportunity to come clean had presented itself. Quinn opened her mouth, ready to spill.

“What can I get you?” The waitress approached the table and slammed three glasses in front of them, water spilling over the sides and pooling in a ring around them. Quinn slumped, the moment shattered. Too much too soon. Maybe it was a sign that it wasn’t time just yet.

“Want to hear the specials?” The waitress cocked her head and grinned at Marcus.

“No need. I’ll take one extra-large meat feast with extra meat, two diet sodas, and a chocolate milkshake. What do you girls want?” Marcus grinned back at the waitress, his eyes wandering over her tight white T-shirt and short red shorts.

“Ignore him,” Reese said to the waitress. “That’s what everyone else does.”

“A couple of extra plates will be fine,” Quinn added and thanked her.

“Coming right up.” The waitress scribbled on the notepad then tucked her pen in the pocket of her shorts.

Reese waited for her to leave the table and then leaned over to pop Marcus on the ear.

“Ouch!”

“You can wipe the drool from your chin now.”

“I was staring because I can’t believe how ugly she is. Did you see the gap between her front teeth?” Marcus lowered his voice and looked at the waitress with a sidelong glance.

“She doesn’t smile with her chest, Marcus. Don’t think I didn’t see exactly what gap you were looking at, and it wasn’t anywhere near her teeth.”

“Busted, but her legs and butt aren’t nearly as nice as yours.” Marcus took Reese’s hand in his. “Picturing you in that cheerleading skirt makes me want to skip lunch and go right for dessert.”

Reese thumped his ear again, and Marcus raised his hands in defense. “All right, woman, I get the hint. You can lay off now.” Marcus placed an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin in his hand. “I miss Aaron. There’s too much estrogen in my life without him here.”

“I know I’m no Aaron, but maybe I can help even out the hormones for today, at least.”

“Hey, Meathead.” Quinn stood and gave Caleb a hug. “Glad you could make it.”

“Hey, Blondie. Thanks for the invite.” Caleb held out a hand. “You must be Marcus.”

“Nice to meet you.” Marcus shook his hand, then moved over and offered him a seat. “Want a Coke or something?”

“Iced tea would be great.” Caleb took a seat next to Marcus, leaving a few inches between them.

“One iced tea for my new friend, Caleb.” Marcus motioned to the waitress and clapped Caleb awkwardly on the back. Caleb tried to hide a flinch, and Quinn wondered if this had been a bad idea. Too late now. She couldn’t very well uninvite him. Besides, she wanted him here. Quinn looked from Reese to Caleb and back to Reese again.

“Oh, right. I’m Teresa, but everyone calls me Reese for short.”

“I know. Quinn never stops talking about you.” Caleb smiled, and Reese cocked her head at Quinn.

“Funny,” Reese said. “She never mentions you.”

Quinn poked her in the ribs with her elbow. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice.” Reese put on her best smile. “Glad you’re here, Caleb.”

Marcus tapped his fingers on the Formica, Reese stared out the window, and Quinn could feel Caleb’s leg bouncing beneath the table. New friendships take time. Once they got to know each other, they would all be best buds, right?

“So, we were just talking about Aaron,” Quinn explained. “Remember what I told you about the journal?”

“Wait, you told him about that?” Reese asked. “Exactly how much time have you been spending with him?”

“Well, I had to talk to someone, since my best friend didn’t believe me. Not to mention the fact you wouldn’t answer my texts.” Quinn tore her paper napkin into long strips.

“Now you see why I need another guy in the group,” Marcus whispered to Caleb. “Can we get back to Aaron, now?”

“So, what do you think?” Quinn asked.

“I think he’s definitely trying to contact you, and we should stop waiting around for him and contact him ourselves.” Marcus looked at Reese,

“And how are we going to do that?” Reese swirled her Diet Coke around with a straw.

“A spirit board,” Marcus said.

“A what?” Reese asked.

“One of those boards that mediums use to contact spirits,” Caleb explained.

“Marcus, you’re a genius.” Maybe she could use the board to enhance their connection somehow. It was worth a try.

“Nobody’s ever called me that before.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Reese quipped. “So where do we get one?” Quinn bounced her leg. They were really going to help her contact Aaron. This could work.

“My little sister has one of those Ouija games, she and her friends mess around with it when they have slumber parties. Sometimes I flash the lights and stuff to scare them. You should hear them squeal.”

“See, even Marcus admits it’s just a silly party trick. Everyone knows whoever is touching the planchette is controlling the board.” Reese’s voice oozed with skepticism. “Remember when we had the spirits tell Ami she was going to marry Horace Wheeler?” Reese chuckled. “Talk about looking horrified.”

“I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen her speechless.” Quinn grinned. “But this will be different, Reese. We’re not nine anymore, and I doubt any of us would fake communication with Aaron. What harm can it do?”

“Spirit boards are dangerous. You might contact a
demon
, or something worse.” Caleb stressed the word demon and kicked Quinn’s leg under the table, but Quinn ignored him.

“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Quinn kicked Caleb back, and he scowled.

“I’m with Caleb on this. I think it’s a bad idea.” Reese shook her head.

“Thank you, Reese. At least someone’s making sense around here.” Caleb sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Come on, Reese. Don’t you want to help your best friend and ridiculously hot boyfriend find closure?” Marcus cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like we’re going to ask inane schoolgirl questions. We know who we want to contact. If nothing happens, we’ve spent an hour hanging out with each other, but if something
does
happen, maybe we can get some real answers.”

Reese impatiently stirred her drink with her straw. “If I do this and it doesn’t work, which it won’t, will you finally let go?”

Quinn placed her hand over her heart. “If it doesn’t work, I won’t mention it again.” That didn’t mean she would give up, but she would let Reese go on with her life and get answers on her own. “Are you in, Caleb?”

“Yeah, I’m in, Blondie, but I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“Thanks, Meathead.”

The words “Breaking News” caught Quinn’s attention as they flashed across the television screen mounted to the wall above the counter. Quinn sat up straight to see over Marcus’ head. A dark-haired reporter stood in front of a familiar row of houses surrounded by cop cars and an ambulance. A body bag lay on the concrete.

“Hey, can you turn that up, please?” Quinn asked. The waitress stood on her tiptoes and adjusted the volume.

“…the street on Valley Road when the altercation turned physical.”

Marcus and Caleb turned in their booth.

“Isn’t that Jeff’s neighborhood?” Marcus asked Quinn.

Quinn nodded, her guts twisting into tight knots as Reese squeezed her hand.

“Neighbors called the emergency services when the shouting started. One witness said the girl became violent after her boyfriend threatened to leave her and their unborn child, launching herself at him and digging into his skin with her nails. Another witness claimed the girl acted like a rabid animal, wrestling him to the ground. Witnesses from a nearby house caught the entire altercation on video.”

The story cut to a grainy video of a couple standing in the street, obviously filmed on a cell phone from a neighbor’s window. The witnesses recorded the spectacle from the safety of their own house, unwilling to put themselves in the middle of a domestic dispute but not too proud to film it. Kerstin’s red hair clung to her pale face as she paced, agitated. Jeff stood by the open door of his truck. The sound was almost non-existent, but Quinn didn’t need sound to see the truth.

Gaaperi, a demon known to intensify both love and hatred, slid between the couple and faced Jeff. Bigger than Kerstin’s own demon, the beast’s name and purpose came to Quinn as it materialized on screen and solidified into a black mass so dense it looked like a CGI image. Smoke writhed around its legs as it stood a head higher than Jeff. Dreadlocks of mist shrouded its face, and its shoulders and neck were as thick as a bull’s. Jeff couldn’t see its long fingers reaching for him, drawing him closer, but Quinn could.

She sucked in a breath as the demon’s fingers transformed into five razor-sharp needles. Her stomach twisted as the demon dug its hand through Jeff’s shirt and into his belly, injecting its essence into his body. She wanted to scream at him to run, but it was too late. The demon grew smaller and smaller as it pushed itself into the chosen vessel until not one speck of the eerie fog remained visible. Nausea rocked Quinn as Jeff grabbed Kerstin by the arm and twisted it until she doubled over.

“Oh, my God!” Reese screamed and covered her mouth. “Please, Jeff, let her go. Just let her go.”

Marcus grabbed Reese’s hand. Quinn’s friends were oblivious to what was really happening. Caleb turned his brown eyes on her, grabbed her hand, and gave her a knowing look.

“Did you see that?” Quinn asked, and Caleb nodded. Quinn gulped. She wasn’t the only one who could see what crossed the veil. They both saw the real horror as it unfolded.

Kerstin’s own demon, Eudmhox, had returned in full force. Dark tears stained her face like streams of ink, her eyes flickering from blue to jet black as the demon bent her will to its own. Then her face changed, twisting, morphing into that of a beast. She snarled and launched at Jeff. He flew backward, hitting his head on the frame of the open door and falling half in, half out of the truck. As he lay dazed and vulnerable, she pinned him to the passenger seat and wrapped her hands around his throat.

“Make them turn it off,” Reese whimpered and buried her head in Marcus’s chest, but Quinn couldn’t tear her eyes away. She could see the dark beings absorbing Jeff’s fear.

Jeff’s eyes bulged, and his face turned red and then blue from lack of air. His legs thumped and flailed against the concrete, but Kerstin held him firm and fed on his pain, sucking the life from his body and pulling it into her own. One hand clawed at Kerstin’s face while the other fumbled for the glove box. Something silver flashed in the sunlight.

“Dear God.” The witness holding the camera dropped it as a gunshot echoed through the neighborhood.

Quinn’s hand flew to her mouth, and she heard Marcus and Reese gasp.

“Did he just … ” Marcus stammered.

“After shooting his pregnant girlfriend, the unidentified boy ran into his home and began boarding up the windows.” The reporter droned on, unfeeling, uncaring. “As police arrived on the scene, witnesses reported hearing several more gunshots coming from the house. Upon entering, they found the young man dead, having committed suicide. Some are calling it self-defense while others are crying murder. We will be here with live coverage … ” The television flicked to black as the waitress turned it off.

“I need to go home. Marcus, please. I need to go home now.” Tears streamed down Reese’s face. Marcus nodded.

Caleb turned to Marcus. “You get Reese out of here, I’ll make sure Quinn gets home.”

Marcus nodded, wrapped his arm around Reese, and ushered her out of the restaurant.

“Quinn. Come on. It’s time to go.” Caleb tugged on her sleeve.

Numb, Quinn let Caleb guide her outside and into the passenger seat of his white pick-up.

“I’m so sorry, Quinn.” His sincerity broke the dam, and she cradled her head in her hands, letting the tears pool in her palms. Caleb pulled her head to his chest and ran his fingers through her hair as she cried.

“Better?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.

Quinn nodded, wiped her tears, and pulled away.

“You saw them too, didn’t you? The demons. They killed them, Caleb. And we’re the only ones who know the truth.” Quinn balled her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. If only she had been there, if she hadn’t antagonized Kerstin this morning, maybe she could have stopped it. No matter how she felt about Kerstin, she never wished her dead.

“It’s not your fault. There wasn’t anything you could do to stop it.” Caleb turned on the engine and the radio blared to life. Another reporter interviewing a witness. He pressed the power button, silencing the news.

What good was being Eol Ananael if she couldn’t protect the people she cared for? And where were all the warriors Azrael kept going on about? They were supposed to be protecting human kind. How could The Light let this happen?

“The world has never been a safe place, but this? I’ve never seen so many demons in one place before. God, Quinn, what the hell is happening?”

Azrael’s words floated in her mind through their psychic link.
Things are accelerating much faster than anticipated. Elite forces are engaged on all fronts, your entire realm is under attack. This incident doesn’t even compare to the devastation and darkness going on in the rest of your world. Do you see why your role is so important now? The power in the Underworld is growing.