Quinn point-blank refused to give in to the blind panic that swelled, even as it threatened to drown him.
Nothing good could come of losing it now.
The thing that made it possible for him to shove it back down?
One single word in his head.
The first thing to have broken through the raw pain that came with the bond rupture.
“Quinn!”
One agonised word, screamed directly into his mind.
One word from Air.
Quinn responded to it on instinct, unable to register the impossible significance of the telepathy right then. He had more important shit to process.
“I’m coming. Hold on for me.”
He hoped his mate still had the presence of mind to hear it.
Itzal was well ahead of Quinn, disappearing from sight within seconds of them sprinting from the chapel. Quinn sensed the others behind him, but his focus stayed locked on what lay ahead.
The frenzied descent of the stairs barely registered, and then Quinn was tearing along the hallway that led to the ghoul lairs.
The acrid tang of smoke drifted out, and panic clawed harder to escape.
The closer he got to the lairs, the thicker the smoke became, stinging his eyes and clogging his lungs.
When he rounded the corner near their lair, Quinn stopped in his tracks.
The sound registered first. Wailing. Hissing. That unearthly feline warning of a cat about to lose its shit.
And then he saw her.
Amaya.
Her back was to him, just like it had been in the vision. Blonde hair swept up. The red dress. She’d tensed as if hesitating, unsure what she should do about the fearsome ball of menace that blocked her path.
Between her and the lair door stood Imp, the hairs on her small body raised, back arched, eyes burning blue with hatred.
“Amaya?” Quinn said carefully. She whipped around to face him, eyes glowing with iridescence. “Where’s Air? And Ayla?”
She scowled, and that’s when Quinn realised her emotional grid wasn’t quite hers anymore. It shimmered. Warped into something different to what he knew.
Almost that of a stranger.
The horror of what Quinn already knew took a moment to hit, but when it did, he bared his fangs. “What the fuck did you do?”
She didn’t get a chance to answer.
The Abbey’s fire alarms screamed to life, deafening and disorienting.
The sound spurred Imp into action.
She launched herself at Amaya’s back, claws digging into flesh, teeth sinking into the meat of her shoulder. Amaya screamed and spun around, but another wave of agony slammed Quinn full force in the chest.
He had to get to Air. The others could deal with everything else.
“Air?” he pushed through the ragged remains of their bond. Nothing. “Azael! Fucking answer me!”
Silence in his head.
Silence in his heart.
He took off running again.
YOU ARE READING
Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)
FantasyMxM Follow up to Essence of Quinn Parts 1&2. Quinn must face his past to be able to move on with his future. He's overcome most of his demons since he was summoned by Secondo and he's gone up against destiny itself, but a past transgression will co...
