Demon Kissed (32 page)

They all looked at me. “It was my sisters.”

“That was almost a year ago. That girl we were chasing in Italy? Ha! That’s funny.” Jake laughed, “We were chasing the wrong girl.”

That was when the pieces started to click together in a horrible deafening slam. Taking a menacing step towards Nicole, I asked, “You killed her?” Raw hatred shot threw me. “It was
you
?” Not knowing what happened to my sister ate me alive for over a year. To learn Apryl was involved in all this made me sick. All the hatred surged within me, and I wanted to unleash it on the one responsible—Nicole.

Nicole laughed. A wicked smile curved her lips. “It wasn’t me. But I do know the person who is responsible.” A sardonic smile covered her mouth as her gaze shifted towards Eric. She pointed. “It was him.”

I blanched. My knees buckled.
Eric killed Apryl?
And that was all it took. That moment of shock undid me. The Valefar were on me in seconds. I heard her command them to kill everyone but me. I slumped, trying to catch my breath, but failing. My knees wouldn’t hold my weight. The Valefar wrapped my wrists in black chains, tugging me to follow them. I couldn’t move. The shock wasn’t fading. Everything that went wrong was connected.
The Valefar, Apryl, Jake, Eric, and Collin.
The only one who seemed to know nothing of it was Shannon, who was fighting for her life—and losing.

The thugs holding my arms moved to kick me, but Nicole said, “Carry her.” One of the Valefar thrust me onto his shoulder, like a caveman. They carried me away, watching my friends—or whoever they were—fighting to the death.

Suddenly there were two Valefar with oozing red scars in front of me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up and looking at Collins face.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

His scar was glowing scarlet. I’d never seen it do that before, no matter what had happened. It unnerved me. My gaze shifted off of his face as I sat up. We were at his place, back in the same posh room. My jaw dropped as I looked at him for an explanation.

“We only have a minute,” he said. “The others will be back. They brought you to me to bind you. Right now they are fighting over who can have you if I allow it.” Seeing the startled expression on my face, he quickly added, “I won’t let them have you. And I already told you that I have no desire to bind you. I want you the way you are, but I have to do something to protect you. Ivy,” his sapphire eyes were wide, “I need to fake a demon kiss with you.
 
That’s the only way. They’ll think I bound you and will leave you alone.”

My forehead scrunched as I his words washed over me. “How do you fake a demon kiss?” I swallowed hard.

“I can’t, really.
I have to kiss you. It has to look real, but I’ll only take the smallest piece of your soul. You have to writhe like I’m tearing all of it from you
.”

My stomach lurched at the thought. It was the one thing we’d tried so hard not to do. It was the one thing that would kill me. I stared at him, unblinking. Even if he wanted to save me, I didn’t believe he could break the kiss. The bond would lock us together, and I didn’t know if Collin had the will power to pull apart.

His blue eyes were rimmed in red, and remorse flowed from him knowing what he had to do. It was heavy, filled with regret. His voice brushed my mind
again,
I promise I’ll protect you, Ivy. This is the only way
.

The door opened and several Valefar came in. They were all speaking at once, and staking their claim for my soul. Jake argued that he found me; Nicole said she captured me, while some of the others said they lured me out into the open. They looked at me with ravenous eyes while they argued. Collin sat behind his desk listening and made no indication he had other intentions.

Finally, he cut off their words with a single gesture. They fell silent when he raised his hand. “You all want this Martis because you believe you’ve earned her. But, I believe there is more to it than that. Her scent is different—more powerful. She would make her master strong. I’ve made my decision.” His lips curled into an evil smile. “I will bind her. She will be your gift to me.”

The
Valefars
’ rage was clearly written on their faces, but not one of them protested Collin’s decision. They obediently began doing as he requested. Two Valefar grabbed my arms and pulled me onto Collin’s desk. Jake produced the black chain he attacked me with earlier. Wildly I looked to Collin and started to try and fight my way out, but it was pointless. There were too many of them. The Brimstone chains bound me to his desk. I couldn’t move. Collin stood over me. I could feel his attempt to control his lust, but the bond was making it difficult. It pulled on both of us ruthlessly, threatening to destroy everything. There was no choice for me. I had to let Collin kiss me or die at the hands of his Valefar. They wouldn’t leave until they knew I was bound. Jealousy seethed from them as Collin smiled above me. My heart pounded in my chest as memories of Jake’s kiss came to the front of my mind. A scream erupted from my throat. The terror made it impossible to silence.

Before I knew it, his lips landed softly on mine. My body arched in response. I tried to push him away. All the noise around me faded, sucked away as a small piece of my soul was slowly being stripped from me. I expected a rush of pain, but it was mild. It wasn’t like Jake’s at all. Tears streamed from my eyes, as the kiss continued. Desire shot through Collin, as he tried to repress his innate need. I wasn’t sure he could stop, but I knew that he wanted to. He held his face above mine, breaking the kiss, holding my face between his palms blocking our lips from everyone else. It looked like he kissed me longer than he really did.

His skin was covered in sweat. His mind brushed mine,
Repeat what I tell you. They’ll think I bound you to me. They’ll think you’re mine.

His sapphire eyes were rimmed in red. He spoke loudly, but never took his eyes off of me. “Ivy Taylor, you are
mine
for all eternity.” He prompted me to say words that made me cringe, but I said them anyway. My expression was blank, despite my racing heart. He removed the ruby ring from his pocket, sliding it back on my finger before anyone noticed. I didn’t realize they’d taken it. Collin said a few more words. Then he turned and left the room. I followed two paces behind like he told me to, with my gaze to the floor, totally shocked that I was alive and still in possession of my soul. We walked away with eyes burning holes in our backs. I willed my feet to walk slowly, easing the tension out of my legs.

We’re almost there. No one will hurt you now. They cannot touch you.
His voice reassured in my mind.

We walked out into the night air and were surrounded by sod fields. A sliver of moon hung above us, too thin to light the ground. The Valefar remained inside. I guess when the boss walks off with a new slave no one follows.

“That was risky,” I said, breathing in the night air. My voice trembled, as I wrapped my arms tightly around me.

Collin pulled me to him. “It was. And I’m sorry. It was the only way I could make sure they don’t bother you again. I just hope the price wasn’t too high.” His fingers pushed away my bangs, revealing my mark. He studied it.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He threaded my comb back through my hair. “You lost some of you soul once already—when you were attacked. And I just took another piece. It was risky, because I didn’t know how much soul you had left, not because I wasn’t sure if I could stop. I would have never done that if I didn’t think I could stop.”

“My soul?”
I asked, looking up at him. “It’s turning into Swiss cheese, isn’t it? What happens if it’s totally gone? Will I even know if that happens?”

“I’m not sure how fast you’ll know, but if you ever lose enough of your soul, the demon blood will overtake you, and you’ll become fully Valefar.” I cringed. I knew my soul was damaged, but I had no idea how much, or what I risked when he kissed me. I failed to realize pieces of it were actually missing.

We walked on, crossing the sod farm on foot, headed towards Collin’s car. I was stunned into rare silence, as Collin maintained his master lead a few steps in front of me. Things were more precarious than I’d thought. As we approached Collin’s car, two figures emerged from the darkness. Recognizing the threat, I ran at Collin.

“No!” I screamed, shoving Collin to the ground.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Collin’s body went down quickly. That was my mistake. If I hadn’t shoved him, he wouldn’t have been such an easy target. Everything else happened quickly. It wasn’t until later that I realized what I’d done.

Shannon emerged from the shadows. She stood with her silver dagger in hand. Tear streaks ruined her otherwise perfect complexion. Agony furrowed her brow tightly. Her eyes flicked from Eric back to me. Her indecision was transparent. I don’t know how they found me, but they knew I’d been brought here. They thought I was bound. Their faces said it all.

Eric’s amber eyes were fierce. His muscles tensed, as he reached for his sword. His head was tilted down, and his jaw was locked tight. With unblinking eyes, he stared at me with condemnation. As if on cue, Eric swung his sword. It gathered momentum, and he thrust it down. Not thinking, I threw myself in front of Collin. But I was too slow. The silver blade sliced across Collin’s chest, inches from his throat.

Collin’s body writhed. Liquid pain shot through the bond, engulfing me. Scarlet flowed rapidly from his wound. Collin’s eyes fluttered once,
then
closed as the ground became drenched with his blood. The bond slipped, fading quickly. Collin lay in front of me covered in demon blood. It was blood like this that damned me. It was demon blood that tainted him, and ensnared him into a life of servitude.

The unseen cables that bound us together were loosening. The pain that flowed through the bond and into my body was slipping away. It made it so that I could breathe again. Crawling to him, I clutched his body not caring that his blood touched me. I watched helplessly as the boy who saved me bled to death in my lap. My heart was screaming, watching as the boy I loved die in my arms, and I was helpless to stop it. That was the first time I recognized it.
I love him
. I couldn’t let this happen. There had to be something I could do. There was only one option, and it would be gone in seconds.

Before I could contemplate exactly what would happen, I moved. The glint of Shannon’s blade caught my eye. I reached for the blade, and lunged at her. The sharp edge bit into my palm, ripping my flesh open. My blood pooled in my hand. I pulled away, barely noticing the shocked faces. Eric and Shannon were poised for an attack that didn’t come. I held up my wound. Blood flowed freely, cascading down my wrist in red ribbons. Eric and Shannon stood there with unblinking eyes.
Shocked.

Ignoring them, I cupped the blood running from my wound. I opened my fist, placing my hand flat against Collin’s scar. The blood pooled into the crescent shape that marred his flesh. I rubbed my bloody palm into the wounds on his chest. The bond tightened. I knew I was doing what it wanted, what he needed to survive. Collin stirred slightly.
Let me go Ivy. It’s too late
.

My heart caught in my throat, “
Shh
. It’ll be all right.” His head wobbled, and fell back into my lap. His pain was ebbing. The horrible burning, the seared flesh, the writhing—it was all fading. But, he wasn’t healing. The wounds still flowed. The bond was breaking. Although I did what it wanted, I was losing him. I could feel it. He was barely there.

I pulled Collin higher into my lap. Damn it! I did what it wanted. The bond wanted blood. I gave it! And he’s still… Oh God. What else did he need? He’s demon kissed. The only other thing he’d need is…
a soul
. With complete certainty, I knew what to do. I took a quick breath to steel myself to the pain. I pressed my lips to his, not caring if I gave the last bit of me.

Eric shouted, “NO!” But, it was too late. The bond swirled around us forming a translucent barricade. A tingly sensation covered my skin, as my lips brushed against Collin’s slowly. His lips were warm. The sensation filled my entire body with tingles. His scent was perfect, like the boy from his memory—not the demon slave. And he tasted so sweet, but not like food.

The Valefar part of me didn’t surface. The part of me that longed for him didn’t want to let go. My body didn’t reel in pain, as I anticipated. I knew I was giving him part of my soul. It should have hurt, but it didn’t. The longer my lips stayed on his, the stronger he became. The bond had changed. I didn’t really notice when, but it had walled us off. Violet and black mist swirled around us, blocking out the noise.
Protecting us.
A surge went through me, forming a blue light between us.