Sentinal's Tear (Book #1 in Requiem Series) [formally titled Lacrimosa]

Chapter 36

Nesy

I run towards the club, determined to save Lori. Kill Aydan. End this nightmare. The sun drops below the canopy of the buildings.

Too fast. Everything's happening way too fast.

I want more time with Aydan. I need to make sure he's really a monster. My heart knows he can't be. Conflict paralyzes the whole of me. I don't want to kill Aydan, but he leaves me no choice. I must protect Lori. I must prevent the bond from taking place.

I must be the Sentinal I was trained to be, no matter the cost.

My heart seizes with every step. I can't breathe, can't think. I'm locked in turmoil as the truth—my truth—coils around me. I must kill Aydan.

And his death...

Will kill me.

My pace quickens. I push aside the feelings suffocating me. Mikayel's voice enters my thoughts. Get this done, Sentinal. Now. I cling to his words, letting them remind me of my true duty.

The Council.

Celestium.

Mikayel.

I cross the crowded streets with a new plan.

One: Pierce Aydan's heart.

Two: Cast him to the Abyss

Three : Take Lori and run.

Every move is choreographed to perfection in my mind. No hesitation. No opportunities for Azzaziel to interfere. No mistakes.

Not this time.

I slow to a walk as sweat streams down my brow. I'm ready. Reaching over my shoulder, I finger the sword hidden in its sheath. I long to feel its weight in my hand and breathe in its power.

Wielding a sword is second nature to me. Ever since Mikayel taught me how to use it, I've needed its power. Craved it the way this body craves air. And yet, today, the hilt of my sword feels foreign. There is no strength in it. No security.

Today it means nothing but death.

His death.

Only a few more blocks to go. I create a mental map of the club and begin to run again, desperate to save my sister.         

Stop! Lori's voice rings through my mind. Burning sensations, mixed with the tearing of flesh from bone, spring to life in my thoughts. They consume me, searing my soul. 

I stop running. My body buckles with pain. A sea of people swarm around me, almost trampling me. I can't move. And the nightmare unfolds in front of me.

Lori's living nightmare.

Lori's Truth...

Something, someone, lifts Lori from the floor. Her lip is open and bleeding. She's barely conscious.