Demon Kissed (18 page)

“So,” Eric turned towards me with a proud smile on his face, “A Seyer. Wow.” Heart pounding, I nodded, avoiding the urge to run screaming from Eric.

Why did it have to be Eric?
 
What was I supposed to tell him? That I was the one he was trying to kill. Faking what I
was,
was going to get much harder. Looking into his face, I saw peaceful amber eyes, not the warrior hunting me. I only saw Eric—sweet, thoughtful Eric. How could I be so incredibly wrong about people? Was my perception that bad? My stomach was in knots, as I held my fists tightly in my jean pockets. “I'm gonna meet up with Shannon, if that's okay?” It was difficult to look him in the eye, but I managed a weak nod.

Eric smiled, “Sure.
You all right?”

“Yup.
I'm good.” I pulled my hands out of my pockets, and folded them over my chest. Slowly, I turned to walk away from him, and out the front doors. Shannon's little red car was waiting, just like we planned. Silently, I slid into the seat, and closed the door.

“What's wrong with you?” she asked. The sunlight gave her hair a golden glow. She put the car into drive, and pulled into traffic.

I sat there for a second, unsure of what to do. The tension in my forehead wouldn't ease up. I pressed it with my fingertips, as we drove in silence. The truth slammed together in the back of my mind. I desperately wanted to deny it. Eric's words mixed with the things Shannon had told me earlier, and it made me feel sick. But, I knew it was true.

The tightness of my throat choked my voice, making my words barely audible. “Eric's the Seeker.”

Shannon gasped, swerving the car slightly when she looked at me. “How did you find out?” Her voice was several octaves higher than usual. “Ivy, what happened?”

“I heard him talking to someone named Julia. They think I'm a
creature
...and they know I'm nearby. They just have no idea how close.” My voice faded into shocked silence.

Shannon's foot turned to lead. We arrived at my house much faster than normal. She turned and asked me, “What are you going to do?”

Unbuckling, I shrugged. “They don't know it's me.”

“Julia's trouble,” she said. “Eric
has
to listen to her.”

Still shocked, I stared out the windshield, looking at nothing. “Eric was told to help me—and kill me.” Shaking my head, I exited the car.

Shannon called behind me, “Ivy, do you want me to come in? You don't look good.”

Turning to her, I said, “No. I just want to be alone.” My hand pushed the door shut, and I walked up the sidewalk, shocked into silence.

As night fell, the feelings that I suppressed were flowing to the surface. I had severe control freak tendencies, and when I had no control—I freaked out. The urge to repeat my past behavior was consuming my thoughts. I had to do something to lift the chaos. Staring at my reflection, I assessed my outfit. Black chiffon shirt with a fitted bodice and flowing sleeves paired with a little black skirt. I grabbed my black boots and shoved my feet in. These were made so that I could run, if necessary, but they looked awesome too. Stabbing Apryl's comb in my hair, I arranged a half up and half down style. Porcelain skin absorbed the purple pigment as my mark disappeared.

The crumpled invite was on my dresser. I’d gotten it via a guy at school over a week ago. I had no intention of going, until now. The party was in Babylon. That wasn't too far from here. There would be kids from other schools, and lots of boys I didn't know. Resigned to easing up some of the chaos, I turned and launched myself out my window and into the night.

When I arrived at the house, the party was well underway. It was one of the huge homes that lined the waterfront, with an equally huge lawn. It had a brick circle drive that was full of cars, with a huge three tier fountain in the center. Kids were milling about, unaffected by the crisp night air. Most had a drink in their hand, talking loudly over the throbbing music emitting a BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
from the house.

I ducked through the door and navigated the crowds of kids, until I found the dance floor. The large room was filled with the smell of sweat, and lingering smoke. Windows opened to the back of the house, showcasing the waterfront. There were way too many kids in the space. It connected to another room that had an equal abundance of people. Hoping to get lost in the crowd, I shimmied my way through the maze.

Nicole and her drones stared at me as I passed. “Come to get laid, Virgin?” Nicole yelled, laughing at me. Her gaggle of friends sniggered. Her words caught the attention of a few guys standing nearby.

I walked up to her, looking into her perfect face, and answered loud enough for others to hear, “Yes.” Nicole was at a momentary loss for words. As I stepped away from her, a boy with brown hair and brown eyes smiled at me. His hair was hanging in his eyes. I walked over to him, and whispered in his ear. He put his hand on the small of my back, and grinned at Nicole, as we walked away. I smiled at her over my shoulder, waving, and said, “Thanks!” Her face pinched into a scowl.

We walked toward the back of the house, toward the darker corners of the room. Brown-haired boy leaned in, speaking loudly in my ear, “Hey. I'm...”

Turning toward him, I put my fingers over his lips to silence him. “I don't want to know who you are.” Sliding my body up against his, I pushed him back into the wall, lacing my arms around his neck.

A smile spread across his face, as he realized what I was offering. His hands slid down my back, cupping my butt, as he pulled me to him. “Perfect.”

“Stop talking,” I commanded, pressing my body into him. My hands slid up to his face, and I pulled his mouth down on mine. I didn't know who he was, and I didn't care. It was perfect that way. Only a stranger could offer the escape I needed, and help me feel like I still had some control over my life. We stayed intertwined in the dark corner of the room, with hands sliding, touching, and tasting. The couples around us were moving at a slower pace, but I didn't care. His lips moved down my neck. I started to melt, my knees buckling at the sensation. The rush of emotions was flooding me, and numbing my pain. It wouldn't last long, but I might be able to make it last longer if I didn't hold back this time. Thoughts ran through my mind, and I realized I'd decided what I came here to do before I arrived.

Did this really hurt me?
I couldn’t remember from last time. It damaged my reputation, but I couldn’t remember anything else. Other sensations were slowing my thoughts. One strong hand was sliding under my low neckline, as his teeth grazed my neck in sharp kisses. A sigh escaped me, and I leaned into him. I threaded my fingers through his hair, and pulled firmly. His face came up from my neck with a boyish grin. He was breathing hard, and glistening. The room was warm before, but now it felt incredibly hot. Closing my eyes, I inhaled his scent. He smelled like spicy aftershave.

“Take me upstairs,” I said breathlessly. Smiling wide, we turned to walk up the stairs. His hands moved roughly over my body, as we stumbled up the stairs, and into a dark hallway. The guy was cut like a skater, with strong forearms, and an athlete’s tight body. I slid my hands under his shirt, as he pushed me into a wall at the top of the landing.

His lips moved across my neck, making me feel wonderfully warm. A hand slid under my shirt, and over my bra. The intoxicating bliss surged through me, and I moaned. He responded by sliding his other hand up my thigh, well under the hem of my skirt. Leaning into his hard body, I felt
found
for a moment. The overwhelming sense of being
lost
faded. It felt like everything would be fine. Strong arms held me, and nothing else could touch me. At least, I didn't plan on it.

The icy hot sensation snapped me back to reality before I heard his chiding voice. “Ivy! What the hell are you doing! Look at me.” He pulled me away from skater boy.
 
Collin's blue eyes came into focus, as my buzz faded, leaving nothing but my drowning fear.

“Hey dude,” brown-haired boy said, “back off. She's mine.” The guy tried to get Collin to let go of me, but he wouldn't.

Too dazed to realize what was happening, I felt Collin in my mind. By the time he saw how screwed up I was, it was too late. I couldn’t hide my sinful intentions. His grip didn't loosen. Instead, he shoved back my make-out buddy. “Fuck off. She's mine.” I tried to twist my wrist out of Collin's grip, but stuff got weird fast. His sadness and concern started to leak into my emotions and swirled together. But instead of mixing, they were remaining separate like swirled ice cream.

Heart racing, I tried to pull away from Collin. “Leave me alone, Collin. You don't know...”

His grip tightened, as he stood between us. His face lowered and came down into mine, our noses almost touching. “I'm not leaving you to ruin your life. You said you were done with this shit, Ivy. What are you doing?”

“Hey man. She said back off. Back off.” Skater dude tried to be valiant, but failed.

Collin turned slowly, with rage in his eyes. He looked slightly insane. “If you want her, you're gonna have to take her from me.” Collin yanked my other arm before I knew what happened. Moving quickly, he slung me over his shoulder, and ran.

“LET ME GO!” I screamed. I shrilled a terrified yell, as he bounded down the steps, and out the front door. My body bounced like a rag doll, and I half hung on for my life. Collin ran through the house, and burst through the front doors. He slowed in front of the illuminated fountain. I screeched, “
Noooo
!” before he dropped me, but I was already airborne. My body twisted, as I tried to stop myself from hitting the waist-deep water. The cold liquid sucked me under, crushing the breath out of my chest. My butt bumped into the cement bottom, and I staggered to my knees. The wind sent a chill through me, and my body shook as I glared at Collin. Water drained from the hair that was plastered to my face. Apryl's comb was barely hanging on. Water filled my boots, and lots of other places that cold water shouldn't go.

Anger flowed through me, white hot. At first, I just breathed, watching him. A crowd followed to see what would happen. Some kids said something about not wanting to be on the receiving end of that. Eventually, I threw my leg over the side of the fountain, and ran at him. My body slammed into his. My fists smacked into his chest, as I yelled up into his face. “You had no right! Who the hell do you think you are?”

Collin didn't move. He let me vent, watching me with irritating calmness. His eyes had turned back to their normal hue, and not the impossibly deep blue that looked insane a few moments ago. Now I looked insane. The crowd was laughing. Some shouted stuff at us, but I was too pissed off to understand. I ignored all of them, except Collin. “How could you! What makes you think you could do this to me!” The shrill in my voice was dying, as the coldness seeped in. My anger was burning out, and the cold was taking over. My black chiffon outfit clung to my body; making me feel colder than I thought was possible. I stepped away from Collin, tears streaming down my face. Between sobs I said, “You should have left me alone.”

“I can't leave you alone,” he stood, arms distance from me, looking hopelessly lost. “Nicole baited you. You didn’t really want to be with that guy.”

“Nicole did
not
bait me. I came here looking for him.” I couldn't look at Collin. He didn't understand. And I couldn't tell him. His hands reached for me without hesitation, and he firmly gripped my upper arms. There were no icy hot tingles, just a blast of remorse that flooded through the bond.

“Ivy,” he breathed. “Just tell me. What's got you so scared that you'd do this?” His voice was softer, “You used to tell me anything.
And everything.
We had no secrets. Just tell me.” His breath washed over my skin, startlingly warm.

Twisting my shoulders, I cleared my mind as I broke contact with him. “Things changed. It's not like that anymore. I'm not the same girl anymore.
If you don't like it—too bad.”
I folded my arms tightly, trying not to shiver. He straightened, looking as if I’d kicked him in the stomach. He took a step toward me. His eyes were trying to lock with mine. Determination was exuding from him.

“I know something happened to you—and it has you scared to death. The fear is rolling off of you, thick and heavy. It's drowning you. You're reaching out for random guys, so you can feel something besides the horrifying terror that's consuming you.” I kept my face downturned, toward the ground, saying nothing. My entire body was numb. I couldn't tell him he was right. He already knew it, anyway. His warm hand touched my face. He pulled it up to look him in the eye. “You're still the same girl, whether you see it or not.”