Aiden Lobo is a graduate student in a world where magic, gods, and demons are part of everyday life. After a terrible betrayal, he is cursed with a Crack in his heart, slowly turning him into a living doorway for an ancient war demon. If Aeshma breaks through to Earth, he will kill millions.<br><br>But before Aeshma can open the Crack, Aiden is rescued by his guardian angel, who uses his own Light to seal Aiden's heart. As a servant of the divine, the nameless angel was supposed to kill Aiden to avert the growing cataclysm inside him. But he loves Aiden too much to end his life, even to save the world.<br><br>It's impossible for Aiden not to love his warm, generous guardian in return. He names the angel Eskandar, but then learns to his horror that because Eskandar was created for him, when Aiden dies, Eskandar will too. The angel has long since accepted this fate, but Aiden refuses to. He will do anything to keep his beloved angel safe. But with no other recourse than to sacrifice himself to prevent the apocalypse, there's only one way for Aiden to save Eskandar: a terrible betrayal of his own.

A Crack in the Heart

He looked like hell. The angel was weaponless but back in his Persian warrior garb, but even that seemed washed-out and almost colorless. And he was frighteningly pale and hollow-cheeked, like he’d been sick for a long time. His clasped hands were trembling, and the halo surrounding him was so dim it was practically nonexistent.


“What’s wrong?” Aiden rolled up onto his knees so he was close enough to put his hand on the angel’s shoulder.


He just closed a Crack in your heart. What do you think’s wrong?


Aiden glanced over his shoulder before he remembered Cassandra wasn’t there. It was the Little Cass voice from before, like someone speaking directly into his ear. “Eudaemon?”


No, you didn’t really think that. You weren’t sobbing your guts out in grief and anger just now over a hallucination, were you?


Chapter 24