Demon Kissed (31 page)

I stared at him. I didn’t move. “I didn’t know it was you.” I wanted him to believe me.

“You said that.”

I took in a deep breath, “I’m sorry.
And…
 
Thank you.” He nodded.
Crap
. There was no way to fix things between us now. Shannon moved to the door. She was ready to shove us out.

I asked, “Where are we going? I thought they couldn’t come into the church. Why are we leaving?”

“Throw them off,” Shannon answered. “They’ll stake out the church as long as they don’t see us leave. Eric’s blood will make them think we stayed in the building. And they can’t come in to find us. It should give us a head start.” She knew the Valefar could smell their blood. I knew she was right. That bloodstained shirt would smell like a buffet to them.

“Unless they split up.
So let’s move,” Eric put his hand on my back, pressing me out the door, and into the night.

I followed Shannon blindly through a maze of streets as we ran away from the building. Eric was on my heels. We ran for long spurts.
Then crept whenever they heard something.
My lungs burned. The cold night nipped at me. As we crossed into the woods, I felt it. It came on fast. Raising my hand, I tried to call out, but the vision engulfed me. I never felt my body hit the dirt.

The vision began. Black silk flowed from my body, cascading into a ball gown. The skirt was larger than anything I’d ever worn, yet it was light. The bodice was lined with tiny diamonds that shimmered in the dim light. The fabric on the silky skirt flowed lightly through the air as my ethereal body moved through the room. I felt weightless, as I floated across a room toward a chair. The air crested under my feet, never allowing me to touch the floor.

The room was empty at first. Then it began to fill. They were things I thought were pretty, but never had any ambition to own. They were fine golden rugs woven with intricate detail. Vases formed from the darkness. The sweet scent of Star-Gazer lilies filled my senses. I inhaled deeply.
 
I lowered myself onto an intricately carved chair. My back rested against silk cushions. Ivory steps flowed in front of me. They cascaded away, and spilled into the room. The pale marble met with black and gold starbursts. It was a throne room.

The thought jolted me. I stood, looking around the room again. It was filled with more riches. Piles of gold and silver emerged from shadow. Gemstones glittered in vivid colors on the piles of wealth. My feet felt like lead. My heart felt cold and numb. I was alone. I stepped off the dais and onto the glassy floor. My feet did not touch it. The wind carried my footfalls across the room. A windowpane appeared in front of me. I rested my hands on the cool sill, and gazed out.

Expecting to see green pastures, I recoiled. My hands covered my mouth, as I swallowed my scream. Darkness surrounded the land. There was almost no trace of light. Twisted dark forms toiled in shadows. Demons were slaving below. Flames licked their charred skin. I was in the Underworld.

Jagged cliffs rose and fell, making the land look equally ruthless. But the worst horror was under my window. Three marred forms impaled on stakes were long dead. The demons deposited gifts at their feet. Unable to tolerate what my eyes revealed, I looked away. Tears wanted to fall down my cheeks, but I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake or sob. The numbness soon overcame my fear. I had to see the three stakes, again, to be certain. The first held the remains of a man. Tatters of clothing clung to his bones. A silver sword pierced the ground at his feet. My chest lurched as I recognized the intricate design on the hilt. That was Eric’s sword.

Horrified, my eyes took in the second body—a woman. Patches of long golden brown hair still dangled from her head. A silver dagger, just like Shannon had, was lodged into her chest. The third form was male. I looked for the silver that would clue me in to who the third person was, but found none. My eyes finally landed on the skeleton’s clenched fingers. Something dangled in his bony grip.

I stared down, too numb to cry, and too shaken to move. My hand instinctively touched my ring finger, but my ring was gone. Where was Collin’s ring? I couldn’t imagine talking it off. Instinctively, my hand reached out the window. I wanted what was in the skeleton’s hand. I had to see it. A sensation tickled my palm. The dark air swirled in that spot. I extended my arm and the wind left my hand. The currents changed into a crow. Its feathers emerged from darkness, gleaming deep purple. The crow flew to the skeleton. Its beak pierced the bony hand, before flying back to me. The creature landed in front of me on the sill, and dropped its treasure with a squawk. It flew into the darkness, and was absorbed into the night.

My fingers wrapped around the metal, lifting it to the light. I didn’t breathe. I didn’t blink. My fingers scraped across the square blood red stone of the ruby ring Collin gave me. A scream died in my throat, as I recognized the final corpse as Collin. I staggered back across the room. My body collapsed into the throne. Panic was lacing my thoughts. My heart thundered.
It couldn’t be them. There was no way.

My head shot up as two demons skulked into the room. Their posture was bent so that their upper bodies almost scraped the floor when they walked. Their angular heads were bowed. Their blackened hands looked like prehistoric claws.

“You there!”
I screamed at them, as I rose. My black dress billowed around my ankles. They stopped. I asked, “Who did that to those people?” My hand pointed out the window. “Tell me now! Tell me!” I screamed, but could not feel my voice.

The creatures’ gaze remained downcast. One responded, “It was you, Majesty. You are the most powerful, most beautiful, most vengeful Queen.” Its voice was like gravel escaping from tar. The words gurgled in its throat.

“Stop lying to me! Tell me the truth! Who did this?” I yelled. My fists balled as I screamed. I felt my voice heave from my lungs in rasps.

The second creature gurgled, “It was your Majesty. She tricked them all. They did trust her, and she led them here. They followed her. They swore to protect her.” A contorted expression leaked across his face as he continued, “But she took power and killed them all. She kept power for herself. She left their bodies under her window to remind her not to trust anyone but herself. They took what was not theirs. Queen does not pardon the treacherous. None is a more powerful, more beautiful, more vengeful Queen than you, Majesty Ivy.” The creature bowed so low that his head touched the marble floor.

I felt my eyes roll back. My body crumpled. The cold impact crashed against me, as I hit the floor. My mind screamed, as my body felt like it was trapped in tar. It clung to me and robbed me of breath and life. Suddenly, I sucked in a sob, and shot upright.

I heard Eric’s soft voice.
“
Shhh
.
It’s all right. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” His hand traveled softly across my hair and down my back. “You’re safe.”

The world swam back to me, and I knew I was sitting in the woods we were running through before the vision pulled me under. My feelings crashed into my chest. I closed my eyes tight as I waited for the violent impact to pass. I knew it was only a vision. At the same time, it scared me to death, because it
could
happen.

“Ivy?” his voice whispered. I shook my head. I couldn’t look at him. The images of the bodies on stakes and the silver sword gleaming in the ground, I knew that it was him. I betrayed him.
Utterly.
I betrayed all of them. Somehow all three of them followed me.

And I killed them.

Trembling at what I would become, I said, “You were right.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“I was right about what?” He was acting normal, and not treating me like I had demon blood flowing through my veins. Somehow, that made it worse.

“Me and the prophecy.
It’ll happen, whether I do anything or not. I saw it. Oh my God. I saw it.” Sitting up, Eric’s hands fell away. I told him about the vision. He was stunned. Saying nothing, he sat next to me, utterly silent. This was worse than having demon blood. Way worse. Horrified or not, the vision showed my future. I didn’t know how I would get to that point—the point at which I felt nothing and killed all my friends.

Thinking of what Al told me, I remembered that one decision is going to trigger a chain reaction. I didn’t know which decision was the trigger. But Collin told me that it didn’t matter. It wasn’t the action that was the catalyst—it was me. The fact that I breathed was enough to cause it. I trembled.

Eric’s head shook slowly. His amber gaze bore into me. “Do you want it, Ivy? Do you want the life you saw?”

My arms were folded tightly, as I stared between the dark trees. I shook my head. “No.
God, no.”

“Then choose,” his voice sounded like the old Eric. “Your dreams are premonitions… warnings. They are nothing more. If you choose a different path, they won’t happen.”

“But, Eric, I don’t know which decision put me on that path. It could be anything. It could be me—the fact that I breathe.”
 

Eric said, “I know, but I suspect, you’ll know what decision it is when you come to it. There is one thing we do know—something that will keep you
off
that path.”

Hope filled me, as I looked at him. “What? What is it?”

“You need me,” he said. “You and Al both said it. I’ll stay with you through this. The vision you saw won’t happen—it can’t happen—if I stay with you, right?” I nodded, not entirely certain anymore. It was difficult to be certain of anything. I thought I knew who I was, or at least some inkling. But, the future version of me that I’d seen scared me. I didn’t want to be that person.

Conviction flowed through Eric’s voice. “I’m not leaving. Like it or not, we’re on the same side for a while.” He dusted himself off, and stood, turning away from me.

I sat in the cold dirt and wondered when I should tell him about Collin. Then I noticed it was just the two of us. “Where’s Shannon?”

“She’s scouting the area,” he answered. “She heard something and you were out cold. She should be back… ”

“
Shhhh
,” we heard her whisper. Shannon emerged crouched from between the low brush with a silver dagger drawn, crouching low. The shadows masked her approach, and somehow she moved silently through the crisp leaves. It was the same dagger, lodged in her chest, from my vision. My gaze shifted to see what she was staring at.

Across from our spot there was a little clearing. It sat dark and empty in the cold night. Eric shook his head, putting his finger to his lips to cut off my question. I sat quietly and watched. Across the street, a figure moved between the shadows. We weren’t alone. Shannon stalked forward abandoning the cover that the woods provided, and crossed the street quickly. She kept out of sight until she came up behind her target, with her dagger drawn. Right before she was in striking distance, the figure twisted, and sprung at her. There was a flash of silver, as her blade flew out of her grip.

“No!” I screamed. Panic shot through me, propelling me into motion.

Eric’s fingers just missed my shoulder. “Don’t!” But it was too late. I was running full speed at Shannon. My heart was deafening, as anger surged through me. My fingers pulled my comb from my hair, but before I could extend the deadly tines, I was knocked to the ground. When I managed to get back on my feet, I didn’t have my comb.

A blond emerged from the group. She held my silver comb in a gloved hand.
“Hey virgin.
Funny how life works out, isn’t it?”

“Nicole,” I spewed her name, shocked.

She laughed. “We have your buddies, so unless you walk with us, we’re gonna shred them. What are you gonna do?” Her gloved hands held up my comb, as she examined it closely. Her perfect skin wrinkled as she frowned. “This looks like the same weapon we took last year. Jake!”

My stomach dropped. I looked around the small park. Shannon and Eric were outnumbered. They were still fighting, battling too many Valefar at once. We were screwed.

Jake stepped forward. “It is. The girl had it. How’d she get it?”