Bloodbath (Order of the Unseen #4)

Chapter Thirteen

Quinn

A s I step into the room on the lower level of the club, all the hair on my body stands up. It feels otherworldly in here, like I’m suddenly the leading role in some kind of movie or theatrical performance. The air is heavy in the dimly lit area, a shroud of secrecy enveloping me like a weighted blanket.

This place appears to be an exclusive sanctuary of sorts. Countless shadows are cast along the walls, and as we make our way further into the large room, I stop dead in my tracks.

We aren’t alone. There are figures in what feels like every direction, their identities hidden by precisely crafted masks.

Skulls, to be exact.

They’re so still I begin to question if they’re made of stone, but the hushed whispers and flowing robes as they shift sends me into fight or flight mode.

I step backward, flinching from fear as my back collides with something firm. Masculine hands grip my hips, and I know it’s Jensen right away simply by the scene of his cologne.

“You’re good,” he says, his lips beside my ear.

Swiftly turning on my heel, I lean into his chest, accepting his embrace.

An uncanny silence hangs in the air. As intimidated as I am, it’s hard to not feel intrigued at the sight before me. Damien takes long deliberate strides further into the room, and the masked figures appear to be engaged with him fully, their attention fixated his every movement.

There’s this sense of importance and urgency that permeates the room. Impending danger, possibly? All the gut feelings I have had recently of being watched by someone… or something… strikes me right on cue.

The severed pig head on my sorority’s doorstep.

The dark figure lurking in the shadows on campus late at night.

The note on my pillow.

The mask with devil horns.

1, 2… we’re coming for you…

My blood runs cold.

“What is this?” I question.

“This is the part in the story where your life changes.”

“Who are you really?”

My heart begins pounding with each step he takes toward me. “Who are we?”

I nod and whisper, “Yes.”

He places a finger beneath my chin and tilts my head back. “The Order of the Unseen.”

A chant breaks out, “Unknown. Unspoken. Unseen.:”

“A secret society founded by my uncle, with the sole purpose of keeping people safe.” Damien hesitates briefly, his eyes narrowed, tracing my lips with the pad of his thumb. “But more than anything… keeping you safe.”

“Me?” He nods slowly. “From what?”

“Evil,” he answers. “We took an oath in blood. We’ve been protecting you from a cult. They go by the Hallowed Divine. My father is one of them.”

My whole world crumbles.

I was right.

All the research I’ve done…

“I was right,” I say aloud, slipping into a state of shock. “Oh my God.”

“The chain of disappearances and unsolved murders over the years,” Micah begins. “The Hallowed Divine is behind all of them. What Damien is telling you is true.”

My heart races. “I… I did research myself… It sounded so crazy, but I figured maybe it could be what’s going on… and now that you’re finally telling me this, confirming it, it just sounds even more insane…”

They watch me closely as the remaining pieces of the puzzle fall together.

“The dark figure in the mask, they’re one of them,” Jensen reveals. “Along with the three men that were outside your window.”

Suddenly, there’s a sinking sensation in my stomach. “So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me there has been a cult after me, one that has been kidnapping and killing people for years , and you never thought to even mention it until now?” I demand, my voice growing louder and angrier with each word. “Are you serious?”

Words can’t even express how horrified I am.

“Please tell me you’re joking. Tell me this is all just another lie.”

“No more lies,” Damien tells me. “The secrets are over. Just like you said. You want the truth, so here it is.”

Fighting through a sense of mental fog, I turn my back to them, scanning the room full of dark figures in masks. You would think I’d be shaking with fear, but instead… I find myself experiencing a kind of tranquility amongst the shadows I never knew existed.

I don’t feel threatened. Not one bit.

If anything, I feel as if I’ve wandered into a safe space.

A part of me feels like I’m no stranger here, almost like I’ve been here before. Maybe in a past life or a dream.

This only seems to make matters worse. I can’t wrap my head around any of this. This is all so much information in such a short period of time… It sounds crazy. Like this is some kind of made-up story… A nightmare, even. Finding a reply is too much pressure, especially considering all the glowing eyes are focused solely on me, tracking my every move.

“I’m supposed to be your girl. You’re supposed to tell me everything. Not keep secrets from me when I have a target on my back!”

When Damien steps toward me, I move away.

“Don’t come near me!” I warn. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck. I need a minute. Maybe even a lifetime.”

“Okay,” he says.

I find myself trying to make a run for the door, only to be cornered by the large, daunting figures that step out from the shadows. I squeal, leaping back.

“They’re not going to hurt you,” Micah says. “They would never hurt you. We’re family here.”

“Family?” I demand, glaring in his direction. “You’ve kept me hidden from them. These people are supposed to be your family, yet you hid me from them! Are you embarrassed of me?”

“It’s not like that, baby,” Micah tells me. “This entire society's purpose the last few years has been to watch you. Protect you from harm’s way—”

“That does not sound reassuring, Micah!” I shout. “It just sounds like you all are a bunch of stalkers! Why didn’t you just bring me here sooner? You didn’t trust me to be around them until now? Is that it?”

“Trust has nothing to do with this,” Jensen objects.

“Trust has everything to do with this,” I shoot back. “I knew the three of you had a bad rep and that you were into some bad shit. That you’re fucking dangerous. I wasn’t na?ve about that.” Suddenly, I’m fighting back tears, keeping myself together to the best of my ability, even though my whole world is falling apart. “But then I told you I love you, and this whole time… I was a job to you?”

Fear ignites in their eyes, my voice loud, erupting off the walls.

“All this time… you were ordered to keep tabs on me. Keep me safe ,” I mock, cursing the tears that spill from my eyes. I fix my attention on Damien. “How did you choose me? Eenie meeny miney mo?”

His face hardens instantaneously.

“What? Is that a soft spot?” I demand, standing my ground. “Why me, Damien? Why am I so important to the society? Surely you can tell me that. Honesty, right?”

A strangled breath travels up his chest.

“Damien,” Jensen growls, his voice tight.

“Not yet,” Micah presses. “We promised her—”

“Promised who?” I stress, my voice dropping. “Her?”

“No, fuck,” Damien hisses, closing the space between us so quickly I have no time to react. He curls his fingers around my biceps with a vise grip and pulls me into him forcefully. “It’s not like that, Quinn.” I try to push him away, but he’s too strong. “It’s not what you’re thinking, baby. Get out of your head.”

“Then who the fuck is her ?”

“Your mother,” he says in a whisper.

“Damn it, Damien,” Jensen shouts, furiously. “We made a deal!”

“My mother?” Blinking at him, my pulse quickens, the blood swishing in my ears. Damien’s face softens. “What does my mom have to do with this? You’re talking to my mother behind my back?”

“We promised her that we’d wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“I can’t tell you, yet, baby. I’m so sorry.”

A blind rage fills me. “Let go of me,” I order.

“Never,” he callously bites out, his chest firm against mine. “Maybe in another universe, but not this one.”

“Damien,” I snarl.

“I will never let you go, Quinn. Not even when I’m dead.”

“Don’t you love me?”

He winces. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking of me?” he urges, his grip on me tightening. “Let you go? That goes against every aspect of who I am—”

“Do you love me ?”

“Yes. Yes, Quinn. I love you.”

“Then show me. Let me go, Ghost.”

Damien becomes completely immobile. His mouth opens in a silent gasp, his breathing slow. Shallow. Even with the soft lighting, I watch his pupils dilate, his face draining of all color. My simple request has him battling the demons within him trying to break loose.

Distinctively, his grip on me loosens, his body language displaying pure panic and uncertainty.

With terror in his eyes, Damien releases me.

“Don’t follow me,” I warn, pointing an angry finger between the three of them. Scanning the room of masked figures, I search for the nearest exit. “None of you follow me. Or so help me God, I will…” I inhale a shaky breath, desperate for the ache in my chest to dissipate.

“Quinn,” Micah begs.

“If you guys love me like you say you do… then give me space.”

Jensen steps forward, blocking my only way to the door, a line of tall figures towering behind him. “I do love you, but please, they’re after you,” he argues, his eyes darkening. “The missing girls… they turned up dead. They’re dead, Quinn. There’s no way in fucking hell I’m letting you become—”

Suddenly, he stops himself. A heavy silence takes over the sanctuary. Jensen looks into my eyes painfully as I approach him, and within seconds, he steps aside. Neither of us have to say another word. We’re in a mutual understanding that I am not backing down.

“So be it,” I state. “Let them come for me.”

Jensen recoils, staring straight over my shoulder, his distraught eyes fixed on Damien.

I wait for Damien to say something.

Anything.

Silence hangs in the air.

The soft sound of footsteps echoes from somewhere behind me. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling a light breath on the back of my neck. I know that presence immediately.

My Damien.

He’s so close, I can almost feel him, reaching out for me, his hand lingering in the air above my shoulder. There’s a painful longing between us, a connection so profound that time as we know it freezes. The world stops spinning on its axis. There’s a gravitational pull so intense, it threatens to throw me right back into his arms.

His palm brushes my skin, ever so lightly, and a static shock erupts through my body. A sudden reminder from the universe that sometimes the things you want most in life can hurt you.

“Let her go,” Damien calls out.

The solid wall of dark shadows divides into two, allowing just enough space for me to get by. I stumble down the narrow path, growing more impatient by the second, and fumble with the access key on the door.

Can’t get it open. Can’t get it open.

Why won’t it open?

Two large veiny hands come into my view.

Their fingers move swiftly as they enter the passcode. Taking a risk, I gaze up at the person towering over me. Even with the mask obscuring their face, I’m immediately met with a pair of dark, cryptic eyes. We share a stare so intense it almost sends me to my knees.

At this moment I find myself unable to move, as if my feet have been permanently cemented to the ground.

I never expected to feel so connected to one of the members, especially considering I’ve never met any of them before.

Except… I have.

My stomach sinks. I know these eyes. How could I ever forget looking into them the night they seemed to be my only source of comfort?

“ Asher ,” I whisper.

Pure disbelief and betrayal creeps up on me. The society has been around me all along. I just didn’t know it. A sensation of unease devours me. There’s a tinge of worry behind his gaze, a preemptive warning. I can feel him begging me to stay.

To not make any rash decisions that I’ll later regret.

Without thinking it through, I brush past him and hurry through the doorway, feeling disconnected from the world and everything around me.

From the men I’ve grown to love.

The men who have been intentionally keeping me in the dark for as long as I’ve known them. I resist the urge to puke. Letting out a small sob, I break into a full sprint down the dark isolated corridor of the basement without looking back.