Incubus (97 page)
Authors: Jennifer Quintenz
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Coming of Age, #Romance, #Paranormal, #Teen & Young Adult
“The seal is open,” he said simply. “The ground for the final battle has been chosen.”
“Are you planning on joining us for this fight?” Thane said, stepping forward. “Or are you going to
leave us to our own defenses yet again?”
“You do not face this fight alone.” Sansenoy glanced at me.
“Her?” Thane’s voice jumped an octave higher. “She is the reason your friend was killed. She is
the reason the seal is open!”
“That’s insane,” Dad said, anger flushing into his cheeks.
“Is it?” Thane asked. “Do you really think we would be standing here if she had heeded even one
of our warnings?”
“We’re here because you insisted we keep her in the dark until you’d confirmed your suspicions,”
Dad growled.
Sansenoy ignored the men. He looked at me, waiting. Waiting for my explanation.
“I trusted Seth,” I said, my words coming haltingly. Everyone else fell silent. “Even when it meant
hurting my friends. I gave him my blood for the ritual. And I fought Senoy because I thought—” but
here my words cut off. “Thane isn’t wrong,” I finished in a whisper. Dad’s forehead furrowed with
tension. Thane relaxed, a smug smile of vindication settling on his face.
Sansenoy looked at me for a long moment, then nodded, as though answering a question for
himself. He turned to the others. “Gird yourselves, Sons of Adam,” he said finally. “You will need all
your strength for the coming fight.”
“You—you’re going to let her live?” Thane’s voice sputtered. “After what she’s done?” Sansenoy
gave Thane a level look meant to end the conversation. Thane shrank back. But when Sansenoy turned
to leave, he couldn’t help himself. “Why?” he asked.
Sansenoy paused, then turned back. He gave me a smile that flooded me with peace. “Because I
have faith in what she may yet do,” he said.
Epilogue
Christmas Eve brought with it a piercing cold that seemed to hover over Puerto Escondido like a
shroud. No wind stirred the leafless branches of the oak trees lining our street. The sky was black and
cloudless, and I could see the stars glitter from one horizon to the next. I stepped onto the front porch
of the Guard’s house, needing a respite from the commotion inside. I closed the door, muting the
sounds of conversation within. The silence was a balm to my nerves.
Marx’s team had returned to Puerto Escondido earlier in the day. There had been many warm
reunions as Matthew reconnected with the members of his old unit. They’d spent the day catching
each other up to speed. Marx told us they’d managed to locate just 93 Guardsmen on the continent.
The last of the units they’d made contact with were on their way.
Hale had told Marx and his team about the seal. Since the night of the solstice, 50 Guardsmen had
taken up residence in the mission. They watched the seal 24-seven, heavily armed and ready to turn
back anything that made the attempt to cross into our world. But, since Seth’s retreat, not one single
Lilitu had entered from their plane.
They were waiting for something. We just didn’t know what.
Feeling another surge of anxiety, I turned my eyes to the neighborhood.
Luminarias
lined the front
walks of most of the houses on our street, simple paper lanterns made from candles and paper lunch
sacks. They glowed merrily despite the cold, scenting the air with the comforting smell of melting
wax. I took a deep breath, the freezing air stinging my nose and the back of my throat.
My mind turned back to Royal. He’d been a constant fixture in my thoughts these last few days.
One night down.
The words haunted me. And Seth was still out there. He knew what Royal’s
friendship meant to me. Which made Royal a target, an easy way for Seth to take his revenge. Once
again, I put my friends at risk, simply by caring about them. Cassie—she’d fled from us that night,
unable or unwilling to accept what she’d seen. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe if she stayed away
from me for good, she’d be safe. The thought stabbed through my heart, leaving an aching emptiness
in its wake.
The door opened behind me. It was Lucas.
“Hey,” I said. Lucas had been distant since the mission. At first, I’d held out hope that everything
we’d experienced together that night would—I don’t know. Earn Lucas’s forgiveness for what I’d
done to him. But once we’d retreated to the relative safety of our homes, Lucas had shut me out again.
He stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind him. He stood there in silence, staring out at
the dark night.
“I’m angry,” Lucas said finally.
I nodded, dropping my eyes to the porch’s rough wooden planks. What could I say?
“What you did to me...” He stopped.
“It was unforgivable,” I said, tired. I felt another sting behind my eyes, but this time it wasn’t from
the cold. “I get it. I’d hate me, too.”
“I’m
really
angry,” Lucas said again. “But the fact that I can be this mad at you,” he glanced at
me, “it tells me you left my free will alone.”
I met his eyes, and we just looked at one another for a long moment. Then Lucas sighed.
“The truth is, I’ve been running through everything in my head, and if it had been me in your
place, I’m not sure I would have done anything differently,” he said. “You fought to do what you
thought was right. I mean, you should have listened to your dad and Hale. But Seth screwed with your
head.” Lucas shrugged. “I guess what I’m trying to say is—I can’t say I don’t understand why you did
it.” Lucas let his eyes drop to look at his hands. “Plus—I miss you.”
My breath caught in my throat, but Lucas stopped there. “What does that mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Does that mean you might be able to forgive me someday?” I asked. My voice cracked, raw with
emotion.
Lucas looked up into my eyes. In answer, he held his arms open. I reached for him, and his arms
circled around me, pulling me close. I lay my head on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just wanted—I wanted to become human.” Tears traced a warm path down
my cheek. “And now I don’t know if it will ever happen.”
I felt Lucas’s arms tighten around me. “I’ve been thinking about something for a long time,” he
murmured into my ear. “Even if you never become human, we can still have one night together.”
I jerked back, shocked.
Lucas met my eyes with a steady gaze. “Just once,” he repeated. “So we have to make it perfect.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” I shook my head, overcome.
“Like I said,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I can recover from one
night.”
“Lucas.” I breathed. “Should we even be—? The final battle is coming.”
“I don’t want to die with this regret,” he breathed. “Can you honestly tell me you don’t want this,
too?”
“I—” But I couldn’t deny it. I swallowed. “We have a duty to the Guard,” I said. “What we want is
secondary.”
“Maybe. It doesn’t make me want it any less. You?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but I didn’t need to. Lucas could see the desire in my eyes.
“One night.” Lucas pulled me close again. “When we’re both ready.”
I clung to Lucas, conflicting desires roiling within me. All I knew for certain was I was the reason
the final battle was beginning, and I would do whatever was required of me in the coming fight.
It was the only way I’d have any hope of making up for my mistakes.
About The Author
Jennifer Quintenz is a film and television writer, author, and graphic novelist. She has written for
Twentieth Television, Intrepid Pictures, and Archaia Studios Press. She currently lives in California
with her husband and son.
Books by Jennifer Quintenz:
Thrall (The Daughters Of Lilith: Book 1)
Incubus (The Daughters Of Lilith: Book 2)
Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at
JenniferQuintenz.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
12
Chapter 2
22
Chapter 3
31
Chapter 4
41
Chapter 5
51
Chapter 6
61
Chapter 7
69
Chapter 8
78
Chapter 9
88
Chapter 10
98
Chapter 11
106
Chapter 12
115
Chapter 13
127
Chapter 14
138
Chapter 15
154
Chapter 16
164
Chapter 17
172
Chapter 18
179
Chapter 19
185
Chapter 20
189
Chapter 21
199
Epilogue
204
