Bloodshed (Order of the Unseen, #1)(18)

Her long, blond locks of hair fell beautifully down her back. She fixed the scarf around her neck, and snuggled the tip of her rosy nose into her coat, trying to find solace from the bitter, winter air. I followed her to the quaint little coffee shop downtown, wondering if this was simply a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing or a daily part of her morning routine.

I already knew a lot about her from The Order.

But it was the little details left out of her file that I found myself drawn to more than anything else.

I wanted to know everything.

She opened the door of the coffee shop and went out of her way to wait for the elderly man making his way down the uneven sidewalk with the help of his cane.

I waited for him to smile at her with appreciation while she waited patiently. But to my surprise, he lowered his gaze to the ground with a cold grimace.

And she held the door open for him as he carefully made his way inside.

Quinn didn’t seem bothered by it the way I was. There she was, standing out in the cold while the chilling air nipped her skin, doing a random act of kindness.

And she didn’t ask for anything in return. Didn’t even expect it.

She chose to do it from the goodness of her heart, simply because it made her feel good.

Made her smile.

And to me, that was fascinating. I hadn’t met a genuine person like that in my life. I vowed that she would always be protected. And I was going to do everything in my power to keep her safe. This was my second chance.

A chance where I could try to redeem myself after failing to protect my mother.

She was so precious to me. So damn innocent.

Just like Quinn.

Meanwhile, I looked around and saw evil at every corner. In my world, ever since I was a kid, I was suffocated by a thick blanket of darkness. Darkness that swallowed me whole.

But that day… that very moment… Quinn became my light.





JENSEN





I could never forget the first day I saw Quinn. Damien had gotten called into the safe house, and I was sent to take his place that night. At this point in time, she was working at a clothing store as a sales associate.

Christmas was only two weeks away. There were multicolored lights and tinsel draped from the ceiling and a nativity scene on display in the front window.

I stayed outside, and couldn’t help myself from peeking in through the glass to watch her. I was in awe. She was stunning in photos, but her beauty in person blew me away.

She had a kind face, and I wondered if it would match her soul.

And it did.

Whether it was helping a young kid who was nervous and alone looking for a suit which I’d imagine would be for his prom, or assisting a mother who struggled to keep track of her kids in the store. Quinn was always there to help.

Over the next year of watching her, I’d learned so much about her. She spent most of her free time at bookstores. She took her coffee with one cream, a single pump of vanilla, and no sugar. Her mom was her best friend. She was allergic to dogs, but gave pats and kisses to any that crossed her path. She enjoyed sushi but only got it cooked. She did the sign of the cross every time she saw an ambulance or passed by a church.

Her father died when she was ten.

She kept a photo of him in the center console of her car.

She loved doing nice things for people, including complete strangers.

She was a total sweetheart.

Quinn wasn’t like the rest of the world. She was as pure as they came.





MICAH





My job was to watch out for her. To keep her safe from this dark, cruel world.

It was strictly business to me.

Until I saw her for the first time.

From that day forward, there was just something unique about her. She always had a smile on her face, but I wondered if it was a mask. At that point in her life, I didn’t think it was. I believed it was real. I assumed that she was just born that way. An altogether happy person.

Damien, Jensen, and I watched from our Jeep as she stood at her mailbox, tearing open the envelope impatiently. Seeing the happiness on her face when she read that she was accepted into college was one of the best days of my life. She was ecstatic, crying and squealing with excitement. She hugged her mother so tight; the three of us could also feel it.

We were there the first day she arrived on campus. Her mom helped her bring in all her belongings, and then they grabbed lunch together at a small café about a block away.

Even though we had never said a single word to Quinn, we got to share so many incredible moments with her.

Even the sad ones.

The ones that broke not only her heart, but ours as well.

Her dealing with stress from school. Feeling homesick and hiding in her room.

There were ups and downs, and not much in her life stayed the same. Nothing was constant.

Except for us.

We were always there.

And that was never going to change.





DAMIEN





One night, things took a sharp turn. Jensen was pissed when I woke him up at four in the morning. “Care to lend me a hand?” I asked, gesturing toward my room with a nod.

“What did you do?” Jensen asked, his jaw tight.

Rushing down the hall and into my bedroom, I mentally scolded myself for not only losing control last night, but for not cleaning up my mess appropriately.