Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L. Reid Page B

flowed through her, pumping her heart full of “what if’s.” If she could go back and trade her life for Aaron’s, she would. She should have been the one washed out to sea. It had been her death wish, her selfishness that killed him. Aaron was gone. Quinn ached at the thought. He left a gaping hole inside her that only he could fill. She loved him, and he would never know it.
    “Aaron,” Quinn whispered his name as benediction, tears springing unbidden and down her cheeks. All the placating words in the world couldn’t bring him back now.
    Clouds passed across the sun. Quinn shivered and drew her scarf tighter around her neck. Something tugged at the edge of her consciousness. The sense of Aaron’s presence overwhelmed her, and she turned.
    A shadow, long and dark, moved within the ruins of the old, gothic church, twisting and writhing, taking shape.
    Azrael’s wings unfurled, and his fingers hovered over the grip of his swords. What do you see? he asked, and she sensed his confusion. It was invisible to him then. Strange. Pressing her finger to her lips, she shushed her Sentinel and crept closer.
    “Quinn?” Reese and Jenna both stood, questioning. It was the first time they’d acknowledged her, but she didn’t care. There was only one person in the cemetery she wanted to see right now. Walking right past them, she followed the dark mass weaving between the crumbling markers. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she fought to keep her barrier intact, but the light waxed and waned as the shadow grew closer. Something about it seemed familiar. The light barrier she’d constructed around her pulsed as the thing glided past her to stand behind Marcus.
    Quinn’s defenses throbbed again, and as she approached, the shape began to reinvent itself. First came two legs to stand on, then hips, torso, two arms. A long neck surged upward and bounced back like a rubber man, snapping into human shape. One she recognized. She stripped her psychic armor down to nothing. She didn’t care; she had to see him, all of him.
    With a flicker, the shadow changed from gray to full color, dark hair, green eyes, rugged face twisted in pain. Had he come to mock her? An angry ghost seeking revenge on her for his death? He reached for her. Ropes tightened around her chest, and she dared not breathe.
    “What’s going on?” Reese tapped her foot and glared at Quinn.
    “I see him, Reese.”
    “Who?” Reese asked.
    “Aaron,” she whispered and reached a hand to him. “He’s here.”

Chapter Ten

     
     
    Crossing the thin veil that separated them felt like being dragged over a floor of sharp daggers. It hurt, more than anything he’d ever experienced, but he kept pushing his essence forward. Every spasm of agony was worth it if only he could touch her. She stepped closer, and the smell of her shampoo, vanilla and strawberry, enveloped him.
    Lightning struck when Quinn’s eyes found his, and his roaming spirit solidified with the power of their connection. A connection so strong, Aaron felt the warm longing of her heartbeat. Hope surged through him, and he reached out for her.
    “Quinn,” Aaron begged.
    She called his name and stretched a hand to him. All he wanted to do was fall into her arms and breathe her in, to feel her touch, to be alive, to be home, but a force stronger than anything he’d known before tethered him to the black hole. Even now, he could feel a cold suction at his back; he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Nearly there, a few more millimeters, and her skin would brush his.
    “Quinn!” Too late. Every atom inside him split apart as the force of the vortex dragged him back through the veil. The red door slammed in his face, separating him from his realm forever.
    Hate writhed in the pit of his stomach as he fell, fast and heavy. The pain of his skin ripping to shreds was nothing compared to the ache of being so near Quinn, yet dimensions away. Trapped in a vacuum, the pressure pulled him deeper and