Cursed (Demon Kissed #2) (23 page)

The black veins of Brimstone stopped
spreading through his skin, though I didn’t notice when. When he
still didn’t move I cut every finger on my hand, and sliced my palm
open several times, trying to get enough blood into his cut, but he
hadn’t moved. Eric remained utterly still, deathly still. Tears
welled up in my eyes and I buried my face in his chest.

It didn’t work.

Damn it! Tears streaked my face in
silent sobs. My fingers remained locked on his shirt. I couldn’t
let go. The Lorren won. It got him. Eric would become one of the
golden flowers on the walls of this fucking tomb!

Anger coursed through me. Everyone was
going to die, because of me. I released Eric’s shirt and backed
away from his lifeless body. Valefar desires coursed through me.
Dark magic burned deep within me. Part of me was horrified to learn
that I enjoyed tasting his soul. I shoved down those feelings as
far as they would go and screamed. The scream echoed through the
Lorren and bounced back in my face. I took one last look at Eric
and turned away.

I walked out of the Lorren alone that
day feeling utterly destroyed. I’d expected the Lorren to tempt me
with the one thing I wanted but didn’t have—Collin. Instead it
showed me the one thing I didn’t need, but couldn’t resist—the soul
of a good man.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR

“
How could you!” Shannon’s
shrieking voice broke the depressed mental haze looming over me. I
flinched at the sound of her voice. When I left the Lorren, there
was no trace of her. I continued following the bond, descending
deeper and deeper into the Underworld. Time passed in an unreal way
after I left Eric. I didn’t know how long I’d been walking. I
assumed Shannon was dead, too. I thought I’d never see her again.
The sound of her voice surprised me. Turning slowly, I couldn’t
believe it was her, but it was. And she was pissed. Her shoulder
collided with my chest and sent me hurling to the ground. Her rage
shocked me out of my stupor. Did she think that I killed
Eric?

“
Shannon, get off of me!”
I yelled. She pinned me to the cave floor, thrusting her dagger at
my neck. Confusion slid across my face as I blocked and threw her
off of me. She was trying to kill me! There was no hesitation in
her swing, and rage was plastered all over her face. Quickly, I
jumped to my feet and we circled each other slowly, like two tigers
ready to rip each other apart.

Shannon’s emerald eyes were wild. “I
told you. I told you! Once you changed and became one of them that
I would have no choice. I’d kill you. And out of all people to
demon kiss, you kiss Eric!” Her fist collided with my cheek and it
felt as if my face exploded. I twisted out of her grip before her
blade could cut me. Just because Celestial Silver hadn’t killed me
in the past, I wasn’t taking any chances now. Somehow I doubted I’d
survive if she plunged her blade into my heart.

She ranted hysterically, screaming at
me. “I should have ended this sooner! There is no way for a
prophecy to remain unfulfilled. You’re evil, Ivy! Eric couldn’t see
it, but I could! I kept telling him that you’d changed. That you
were evil now. To end it. To end you! And he defended you!
YOU!”

Anger coursed through me. What was she
was saying? She already wrote me off! I probably should have
reached for my comb, but I didn’t. I was too irate. “When, Shannon?
When did you think I turned evil? Was it before we came down here,
when we flew from New York, or was it before that?”

“
It doesn’t matter when! I
was right! Evil doesn’t even begin to describe you!” She jumped
toward me, and her blade pierced my skin leaving a red trail in its
wake.

“
Shannon, you’re insane!
Stop it! I didn’t kill him! It was someone else! Shan, please!”
Something felt so wrong, like I was missing a huge puzzle piece,
but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I was too busy trying to
keep her dagger from plunging into my heart. She was going to kill
me if I didn’t fight back, but I couldn’t. The punches I threw were
halfhearted. I wanted her to stop and see me for what I am, but she
didn’t. “SHANNON! STOP!”

“
NO!” Her face was deep
red. Every muscle in her body was tensed, ready to strike. We were
circling one another again. Panting, she bellowed at me, “I can’t
believe we were friends! I can’t believe I protected you. You! The
freak abomination Hell-child. I should have known what you were!
You were such a slut, and what you did with Collin. You saved the
enemy! And Eric just stood there. You killed him that night… and
you can die tonight!”

The silver blade flashed as she found
an opening. Enraged, she launched her blade directly at my heart.
Something inside me snapped. I felt it crack open and spill. Power
broke free and flowed through my hands in rushing fury. Heat burned
my fingers like I’d lit them on fire, but that wasn’t the part that
shocked me. Each fingertip burned with a bright violet flame and a
pure white center. The flames rushed at Shannon, engulfing her in
light. She screamed, and was absorbed by the flames.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

I wanted to die. Tears streamed down
my face blurring my vision. My feet fumbled as I tried to keep
walking, but I couldn’t. I knew Shannon and I weren’t friends the
way we had been. The past was the past. We were best friends since
we were born. During that time we were inseparable. But lately she
was different. She was more Martis than anything else. She chose
them over me. Seventeen years of friendship was destroyed in a
couple of seconds—the second Jake kissed me, the second Collin
saved me. But her hatred wasn’t something that just happened. It
had been going on for a while. Like last year, when I thought she’d
helped me with without judgment when I flamed out after I thought
my sister died. Apparently that wasn’t the case. Her condemnation
stung. I wiped the tears out of my eyes and sat down. The sound of
distant demon birds filled the air. I’d move when the grackles got
closer.

Crying does nothing, but for some
reason the tears didn’t stop. Maybe it was because she was right. I
was evil, and I was crying for myself and not Shannon. I shouldn’t
have kissed Eric. I shouldn’t have left him in the Lorren. But I
did. And Shannon. My God, what did I do to Shannon? When I fought
the Guardian, I felt power surge through me, but this was
different. It felt like light and darkness combined and did
something to her. She wasn’t dead. Her heart was beating while the
flashes of light did whatever they did. After the light dimmed
there was an afterglow—a black mirror. I pressed on its hot
surface. It was made of the same squishy stuff as the last one I’d
seen, but this time I saw Shannon on the other side. She was lying
on the floor surrounded by pews at St. Bart’s. I backed away from
the mirror, and it shattered. The black pieces fell to the ground
and vanished. No, I didn’t kill Shannon. I sent her home, but I had
no idea how. My powers were out of control. I didn’t know what they
did or how I called them. Were they Martis or Valefar? Or something
worse? Something that only the Prophecy One could do?

I slumped forward, resting my head on
my knees. I’d undertaken the impossible task of trying to rescue
Collin from the pits of Hell. What made me think I could do this?
Love. The answer popped up in my mind instantly. I thought I could
save him because of true love? It sounded idiotic, but it was true.
After all, what was the difference between what I was doing and
going back into enemy territory for a fallen ally? None. There was
no difference, and I was on my own. There was no one to catch me
when I fell. I was utterly alone, and I would be alone for the rest
of the time I was down here. It made me wonder, how far would I go
to save the people I loved? Instant bravery didn’t pour from me
when I needed it. It felt more like I was flying by the seat of my
pants and they were ripping. When the Guardian went after Apryl I
thought it would rip her to shreds. I fought that monster because I
had to. My mission sounded insane, but my world was insane. I was
at the center of an ancient prophecy. Everyone wanted a piece of
me.

The rustling of the dragon’s wings
passed high above me. Good. As long as that thing was nearby the
grackles would leave me alone. Perhaps sitting still wasn’t wise,
but I wasn’t moving for the time being. I needed a plan. It was
impossible to tell when my powers would surge. That made them very
unpredictable. I was going to need another way to deal with the
demons, Valefar, and Kreturus when the time came.

The demons and Valefar were down here
although I hadn’t seen any yet. But I knew they were here. I’d seen
them in several visions. The demons and select Valefar surrounded a
place that looked like black stone from the outside and a palace
from within. It wasn’t surrounded with pretty landscaping, but
quite the opposite. The land was almost sickly looking—torn and
bled dry. It rose high on spikes as far as the eye could see. It
wasn’t smooth rust colored stone like here. The ground was barren,
hard, and black. Nothing grew. There was no light. The place was
drenched in darkness. I was certain I would see that place before I
left the Underworld.

A plan. What kind of plan could I
devise? I couldn’t just run in, all samurai warrior on them, and
try to slash everything with my silver blade. There would be too
many of them. That meant I had to sneak in. I was back to relying
on stealth to get me inside. I sucked at stealth, but it seemed to
be my only option. I was still going to have to sneak in and plan
to efanotate Collin out. If something went wrong, I had no back-up
plan. I’d be trapped here forever. Kreturus wanted me as his bride.
Whatever that meant. Since a demon kiss was horrid, I assumed a
demon marriage was fantastically terrifying.

Stretching, I arched my back and
leaned against the wall. Gazing into the sky, I looked around for
the dragon, but the cavern ceiling was an inky black. The dragon
blended in so well that it was invisible. What role did that beast
play in all of this? Was it watching me and reporting to someone?
Or was the dragon wild? I’d assumed everything down here was
Kreturus’. But, maybe that wasn’t true. I couldn’t imagine anyone
taming that gigantic creature enough to make it obey. Startled, I
flinched when I saw the dragon’s glowing red eyes in the shadows
across from me.

I didn’t know if it could understand
me, but I spoke to it anyway, “Who are you? Why are you following
me?” I didn’t expect it to answer. It was an animal. But at the
same time, I felt like it understood me. It’s ancient eyes held
wisdom that I lacked. What kind of wisdom they contained was beyond
me.

I rose, slowly, and walked towards it.
Its enormous head rested on its forearms. The creature’s talons
were retracted. It watched me as I crossed into the shadows where
it lay without moving. I stopped without getting too close. “What
do you want with me? That must be the reason you’re following me.
Everyone wants me. Am I your next meal or are you looking for
something else?” I cocked my head, looking at the beast. It was
beautiful. I’m sure that made me a total freak—admiring the beauty
of something sent to kill me—but he was. Each massive scale was
black in the center that faded into a rich purple at the edge. When
the light moved across his body, it illuminated him in a
breathtaking way. His eyes were brilliantly stunning and utterly
terrifying. Those jeweled eyes followed me, seeming to understand
what I said, though he didn’t respond. Before I turned away I said,
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…Everything from
your eyes to your lacey wings. I know I should be terrified of you,
but I’m not.” We looked at each other, surrounded by
silence.

Eventually, I backed away and began
walking again. After a few minutes, a gust of wind hit my back, as
the dragon took off and flew away. Maybe he wasn’t smart. Maybe he
couldn’t speak. I didn’t care. He seemed like me in some
ways—massively powerful and completely alone.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX

Descending deeper into Hell was
terrifying. There were more beasts down here. They had grotesque
bodies and deformed heads. Most of them looked like rotting beasts
that were dipped in acid with decaying skin falling off their
gangly frames. And the stench! The sulfur was so thick I could
barely breathe. The living weren’t supposed to enter down here, but
I was very much alive. The oxygen could run out. That was a thought
I didn’t even want to ponder. I moved my body silently through the
shadows, avoiding any creature I saw. It made my progress slow down
significantly, but I couldn’t risk being caught.

During the last descent, before I
found all the freak-show creatures, I practiced calling my powers.
I tried to call the purple flames that engulfed Shannon, or the
shattering fists that cracked the Guardian’s teeth. Fixating on
anger didn’t work although I did notice I was usually pissed when
my powers came to me. The powers had to be a mixture of good and
bod, although they felt neither Martis or Valefar. If they’d been
Valefar, I’d know. All of their power is paid for in pain. Using
the power when it came to me didn’t hurt. It actually felt good.
That’s how I knew it wasn’t Martis power either. They didn’t reward
their goodie-two shoed servants. It was something else. It was me.
If I called tooth-cracking power once, I should be able to call it
again. If I threw Shannon’s ass back to Long Island on a violet
bolt of lightning, I should be able to do it again. But no matter
how hard I tried, nothing happened. My eyes didn’t even rim. Maybe
my powers only came when I needed them. I hoped to God I was right,
because there was nothing to protect me down here. My silver comb
couldn’t ward off an army of demons. I was in their land now and
they were all around me.