The 13th Prophecy (22 page)

Eric walked away from me and into the tent. The flap closed behind him, leaving me alone in the night. This was the first time I was alone, truly by myself, in a long time. Not caring about the cold, I sank to the ground and closed my eyes. The wind caressed my face as it screamed, racing by. My gown absorbed the snow, slowly making the fabric damp before it froze, clinging to my body in sheet of ice. No one came out to look for me. I don’t know how much time passed, but when I rose, every inch of me was soaked. A thin layer of ice had formed on my skin. I had too many decisions to make, and no time left.

As I sat there, feeling the whip of the wind tugging at my hair, and blistering across my cheek, I decided something. It would dictate how I lived the rest of my life, whether that would be a matter of hours or centuries. I felt content when I
rose—
content with who I was and what I would do. I would not sit idly by. Not anymore. The remaining decisions to be made were mine. And no one was taking that away from me.

Jenna Marie fussed at me for staying outside so long, but it was with less perk than usual. As I watched her move, it was like she was deflated or something. I didn’t understand how she could be so vane. How could she allow a scar to alter her so drastically? For a moment I thought I was a hypocrite, but the Dreanok’s scar and my mark weren’t the same thing. My mangled Martis mark threw me onto a crash course of
suckage
and marred my skin. She just had a complexion issue. As I tugged on a pair of her sneakers, and was bent over tying the laces, I glanced up at her. Her hair hung down both cheeks, completely flat against her skull. She did her best to hide the scar, but I saw it as I finished tying my shoe and looked up. The gash started on her cheek and went back into her hairline where it thickened, and disappeared. My stomach twisted, as I sat up. The damage was more than that, although I didn’t know what. I hid my reaction, not wanting to bring attention to it. She seemed like she was doing okay, now that she had found us again.

Jenna Marie sat next to me. Eric was across from me, and Collin was glaringly absent. I didn’t fight with them about letting him into the camp. I just hoped I could find him again. I had no idea where he might have gone. Eric continued arguing with Jenna Marie.

He was back to his jack-ass self, snapping “If the dragon was the Omen,” he mocked in her voice, “Are you insane?
If?
The Omen was something angels told demons to scare the shit out of them. It’s not real. It never was.”

She snorted, “Yes, and we all know that you only believe in the things that are right in front of your face.” Eric sneered at her. “It makes sense. If Kreturus paused as you said, when the Omen appeared, it makes perfect sense.”

Eric leaned forward, his fingers resembling claws as he shook his hands at her, half wanting to strangle her, “It’s a fucking dragon, not the Omen! It has scales, breathes fire,
flies
like a deranged cow with wings. If it was the Omen—the one you and I heard of when we were kids—then there’s no way Ivy and I would still be alive.” He leaned back, arching one eyebrow at her, as if to say, there, I told you so.

“You only think with your head, Eric...,” Jenna Marie retorted, but was cut off before she could finish. Titling her head to the side, she took a deep breath through her nose, listening to Eric berate her intelligence before she
continued,
“Think with your heart. You know it’s the Omen. You know it makes sense. It’s the only explanation. It followed her in the Underworld. It protected her from the Demon King. The Omen is messing with Kreturus. For some reason, the Omen has marked him.”

Eric shook his head, “No, if we go with your fucked up reasoning, then the Omen has selected Ivy—not Kreturus.” He continued to rant, but I cut him off.

“If one of you doesn’t fill me in on the Omen and what it is, I’m going to
bitch-slap
the both of you.” I glanced at Jenna Marie. Her brow wrinkled in distaste as Eric laughed. “Let’s assume the Omen is real for a moment,” Eric started to speak, but I cut him off, “Yes, I know you think it’s moronic. I got that. But I need to know what it is, because it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not. Do you understand? Kreturus thinks the Omen is real, so we need to act like it is.” I stared at Eric, daring him to challenge me, but he remained silent. I turned to Jenna Marie as she spoke.

“The Omen is an ancient creature—like angels or demons—but it kept to itself for so long, belief in its existence slipped. The only place that I’ve ever heard it mentioned was in ancient fables angels used to tell their kids.” She smiled at Eric, but he didn’t seem to appreciate it.

“Angels have kids?” I couldn’t help it. I didn’t realize that was even possible.

Jenna Marie arched an eyebrow at me, as Eric exhaled loudly and rubbed his hands into his hair. “Focus, Ivy,” she snapped. I think I liked her better when she was perky. “The Omen was reduced to a myth, which is what Eric so clearly thinks. The fables claim that if the Omen crossed your path, destruction would soon overshadow your life.”

“And if the Omen touched you? What then?” I asked, eager and nervous to hear the answer.

Her pink lips smiled softly, “Ah, he mentioned that, did he? Kreturus didn’t want you if the Omen had touched you. He believes the touch of the Omen is tantamount to certain death and devastation. Since the beast touched you, he thought it was better to kill you and take what power you have now. Did he talk about it? Did Kreturus say anything about the Omen before it flew in and rescued you?”

I glanced at Eric. Although he didn’t act like it, he was listening, “Yes. I saw it down the street. Kreturus took me to a house where he showed me the Thirteenth Prophecy. Kreturus has it. It was a cup—a carved chalice. He was going to make a blood bargain with me, when I saw the dragon looming on a roof top down the street. I felt like it was watching me.” I no longer glanced at either of them. They didn’t understand my connection to the creature. Neither did I. “Anyway, Kreturus saw it. He said it was a bad sign.” I continued to retell the rest of the story. When I finished, I twisted my fingers together in my lap, staring at my hands.

Eric’s palm gripped my entwined fingers and squeezed, making me look up into his face, “He has the prophecy?” I nodded. He sat next to me. “What did it show?” His voice was soft.
Softer than I’ve heard it since before I drank his soul.
It sounded something like hope—
hope
that was false—hope that would shatter as soon as I told him.

Jenna Marie’s eyes burned into the side of my face, but she didn’t speak. I pressed my lips together. “The prophecy rests in my hands. There was, fighting, demons slaying angels, ripping off their wings.” Jenna Marie flinched, but Eric just continued to stare at me as I continued, “The Underworld, Earth, and the heavens were all colliding. It was as if whatever lines separated their creatures were erased.”

Eric shifted slightly. “And what did you look like, Ivy? What were you doing in the prophecy?” Eric asked eagerly. But his question made me blush. I felt the heat sear my cheeks, as I looked away. But he twisted my shoulders back toward him.

I tried to shake him off. I couldn’t tell what I was doing in the prophecy. Kreturus thought it was one thing—that I was commanding the destruction—but that didn’t feel right. So what was I doing?

“Get off!” I tried to twist away, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Tell me,” his voice was low, commanding. Something rippled inside of me. Suddenly I wanted to press my body against his. Feel his skin, his lips pressed to my body and taste him.

My eyelids lowered slowly, forcing the seduction of the blood lust away. When he exhaled, I could feel his breath slide across my skin. It was everything I could do to stifle a moan. My fist flew, attempting to collide with his cheek, but he caught my wrist and held it tight. Eric commanded, “Tell me. Say it.”
More seduction.
More compulsion to spill what I’d seen, but I couldn’t.

I didn’t know who that woman was. She wasn’t me. I wouldn’t stand there half naked and command a demon army to kill everything and everyone. Eric held me tight. The muscles in my arms started to tremble because they were so tense. I tried to pull away from him. “Say it,” his voice dripped with desire, trying to coax it from me. Jenna Marie watched wide-eyed, doing nothing to stop him. “Tell me, whisper it to me.” My stomach filled with flutters as I started to melt in his arms. Part of me stopped
fighting,
wondering what would be so bad about telling him. But the other half of my mind wouldn’t permit it. I had to squelch the desire so I could pull away. I leaned in to kiss him, to press my lips to his, but he made sure our lips didn’t meet. Instead he dangled himself in front of me.

Pressing my eyes closed, I gave in to him. I was too weak. “I was half-naked.” The desire evaporated as my words shocked Eric and he didn’t hold the bloodlust in place. I sneered at him, and connected my fist with his stomach. Eric gasped with
an
oof
. “Next time you do that to me, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

He smirked, “You said next time... ” I growled at him, ready to fight more when Jenna Marie cleared her throat.

“That was... interesting.” Her voice was higher than usual. Her eyebrows were suspended in an odd expression too high on her face. When they finally fell to their normal place, she re-crossed her legs and put her hands in her lap. “Naked?” she questioned.

I shot out of my seat. “Yes. Okay? It was a battle and I was walking around like fucking Aphrodite, waiting to be... whatever.” I turned my back from them, annoyed.
Embarrassed.
And tugged my hair out of my face.
Sniggers broke out behind me, followed by a loud laugh from Jenna Marie. Turning sharply, I said, “What! What’s so funny?”

But she and Eric just looked at each other and couldn’t stop laughing. I stood there feeling even more stupid while they calmed down. Eric wiped a tear from his eye as he looked up at me. Disgusted, I folded my arms across my chest and turned away. He jumped up, grabbing my shoulder, and trying to be serious said, “Don’t be like that. You just have such a way with words,” his face broke into a smile as he laughed softly, like I was the funniest person he’d ever met. “Then she was laughing, and that made it worse. I’m sorry. That must have been embarrassing.
Or something.”
And he started laughing again. With a huff, I twisted out of his grip and stepped outside the tent into the early morning snow.

Breathing deeply, I tried to calm down. So maybe it was funny. I just didn’t feel it. I walked through the center of camp. It was nearly abandoned after the Dreanok attack. It was so close to the old camp, the camp that we took Shannon from. I gazed at the sky as I walked, folding my arms over my chest. The sky was blood red. Gray snow clouds covered it in thin streaks. A hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump.

When I turned around, I was staring at Collin’s blue eyes. “How’d you
get
in here?” was the first thing out of my mouth. His eyes revealed nothing.

His mouth was in a thin line. Collin wore his black leather jacket, jeans, and biker boots. Snow clung to his damp hair. He’d been outside for a while. “I have ways.” I wasn’t sure what those ways were, not unless Jenna Marie was the only angel here and let him walk in. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder. A Martis was moving in a nearby tent. Collin tilted his head, indicating I should follow. We wound through the camp, to the back. After passing three tents, he opened a flap and gestured me inside. He followed me in. Dusting snow from his hair, he asked, “Have they told you?”

Confused, I looked at him, “Told me what?” I wondered how he’d react to what I’d said. Would Collin have laughed too?

He pulled his jacket off, shaking it out. The supple leather was wet. He finally sat down, and kicked his boots up before answering. “What happened after you left? And the stuff about the stone?” I shook my head slowly. “Then what were they...?” he trailed off. He didn’t understand what they could be talking about that was more important. I suppose finding the last prophecy was a bit of a distraction.

Pushing his fingers through his hair, Collin avoided my gaze and said, “Kreturus seemed to think the dragon was the Omen. He was pissed that Shannon took the spell that was meant for you. I don’t know how she got there in time. Eric saw Kreturus throw it, but he couldn’t intercept its path. And I was too far away. By the time I
effonated
, it would have been too late. We failed you, but she didn’t.” He was quiet for a moment. “Eric didn’t force her to do it. I saw him. His lips didn’t move. I know that you were probably wondering what to believe...” he gazed at the floor. I still stood in front of him, wearing jeans and a tee shirt Eric gave me. Thank God I wasn’t wearing pink. Collin kicked out a chair with his foot—the only other chair in the small space. “Sit.”