by Ward, H. M.
“She’s a piece of meat?” Nicole asked. Her words sounded like she didn’t really believe what she was asking. She got so damn jealous. Add to that her boredom and desire for more power, and it was a bad combination for him.
Collin grinned widely, feeling the lie form in his mind. “Of course, Niki. You know what I like, and there was no way I’d let her lose it to some random guy at a party... not when she’s marked for me.” Roughly, he pushed his hands into her hair, and pulled her so that his lips brushed against hers when he spoke, “Besides, I can only do it with a virgin once.” He pressed his lips to hers, hard. Nicole conceded and gave into the kiss. Her body became limp in his arms as he tasted her, deepening the kiss. Suddenly, he broke away from her, leaving her panting and her face flushed. He grinned at her and walked away, noticing the small crowd of people watching, including Ivy. She stood at the back of the crowd, and looked away as soon as Collin saw her. As he walked past, he resisted the urge to talk to the girl. He had to let Nicole smear her name and make her life hell for a while. It had to appear that Ivy didn’t matter. He strode past her without looking back.
The crowd of kids were blocking her locker and he was certain she hadn’t seen the artwork scrawled across her locker door. It’s only for a little while. She can handle it, he told himself, and turned the corner.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mandor sat across from him. The Valefar’s back was ramrod straight as he sat in front of Collin’s desk. “Have you found anything?” Collin asked.
Mandor didn’t waste words, “No, he’s covering his trail thoroughly. There’s no way you’re going to catch him unless you are the one who does it.”
Collin’s fingers were steepled together, his elbows on his desk. “Very astute,” he replied, dropping his hands, pressing them to the wood. Jake had become a burden, but Collin wasn’t ready to write him off yet. It was possible that Nicole was the problem, not Jake. “What of Nicole?”
Mandor shrugged. “You’re already aware of her lack of physical loyalty,” he stated. Collin knew what he meant. Nicole used her body to get what she wanted. Collin didn’t force female Valefar to remain loyal to him the way others had in the past. He preferred things to be consensual. Having a soul gave him no taste for forcing a woman between his legs, as the previous leader had done. Mandor thought it was odd, but he was too young to remember anything else. “There is nothing else. And it’s been said that she would limit herself to you happily, if you required it. The girl is infatuated with you, sir. It’s unlikely that she would move against you.”
Collin stood while Mandor spoke. Walking around the desk, he folded his arms across his chest, thinking. When Mandor suggested Nicole’s willing fidelity, Collin laughed, “She’s attracted to my power, nothing more. Ah,” Collin pushed his hair out of his face, irritated. “You’re too young. You don’t understand what happens to a Valefar after a few centuries, how depraved and indifferent they become. Nicole does anything that makes her feel alive. Teasing me as she does, it’s like she’s hoping for me to lash out and crush her just so she feels something.”
“She feels jealousy,” Mandor replied. He took a chance, addressing Collin like that, refuting Collin’s claims. Mandor looked straight ahead without blinking.
Collin stared at the side of his face. Mandor’s dark skin formed a strong profile. He would have been a fine leader if they hadn’t turned him into a Valefar. Nicole chose him. Plucked him from some third world country and brought him back like a souvenir. Collin saw his merit instantly and removed him from Nicole’s care. She had a tendency to destroy her toys when she grew tired of them.
Collin replied, “She does. Do you think it’s personal? Can you honestly say that the reason she acts this way has everything to do with me, but nothing to do with my power?”
“Yes,” he said promptly. “Nicole’s loyalty is to you. She favors you, desires you. She would do so without power. However, she does have aspirations. She does want things a certain way, and if she doesn’t get them, she may be tempted. Her taste for your power is a result of her jealousy. She doesn’t share.”
Collin stopped behind Mandor, listening to the man. “So you think Nicole is a danger for two reasons? One because she wants me, personally? And two, because she wants more power?”
“Yes, I do.” Mandor turned slowly, looking back at Collin over his shoulder. “You saved me from her once. I am doing the same for you now. Tame her or kill her. Leaving her like this is not advised.” He paused, his bottom lip disappearing into a thin line of determination. Mandor stood quickly, facing Collin and added, “You have surrounded yourself with vipers, disloyal Valefar who would remove you from power if you present the slightest show of weakness. You’re second in command is plotting against you, and yet, you let him live. Your,” he paused, reaching for the right word for Nicole, “mistress is demanding you in a way you do not consent to. She keeps you from collecting the women you wish, and is tormenting the one woman you want, but do not have. You appear weak for not displaying your power and crushing these outbursts.”
Collin grinned at Mandor, the grin growing wider as the young Valefar spoke. “You think I’m weak?” There was a tone in Collin’s voice, a tone that warned Mandor that he stepped over a line and would pay for it.
There was no correct answer. Mandor said as much, and denying it now would only bring more wrath upon him. “For what other reason would you hide your power?”
Collin flicked his pinky, his ruby ring sparkling. A silent incantation infused with demon blood made Mandor fall to his knees gasping for air. Collin spoke quickly, “The reason doesn’t concern you, but you must realize that just because I don’t inflict pain on every Valefar who defies me, and slaughter every Martis who crosses my path, doesn’t mean that I am weak.” Collin released the choke hold on Mandor. The Valefar sucked in a ragged breath. “Part of having power is knowing when to use it, which players to eradicate at which times. This is a game, Mandor. It doesn’t matter if they defy me—they cannot beat me.”
CHAPTER NINE
There was no stopping Ivy after that party. When Collin passed her in the hall, she didn’t speak to him. They kept their distance until one night after practice. The other actors had left, but Collin lingered. There was a huge party this weekend. Nicole was jacked-up, talking about it non-stop. The entire time Nicole talked, the only thing Collin could think of was Ivy getting felt-up, and then screaming on that guy’s lap. What if he wasn’t there? What if the drugs he slipped her made her more compliant, and she’d said yes? Ivy wouldn’t have remembered anything.
The stage curtains were closed, and Eric—the Martis—was shutting off the stage lights. Collin approached Ivy, where she sat in the wing. She was putting her manuscript in her backpack, and buckling it shut.
“Hey,” Collin said. Ivy didn’t turn to look at him.
She spoke over her shoulder, “Done with the slut of the month and coming to look for another one?” She turned, glaring at him with her bag slung over her shoulder. “There are no blondes with big boobs hiding over here Collin. Just short girls, with big hips and frizzy hair.” She had no idea how beautiful she was. Collin’s jaw twitched. He wanted to tell her that he had to push her away. That he didn’t care about Nicole, but dark creatures—Valefar—were heartless. But he couldn’t. Ivy hiked her bag on her shoulder, and moved to push past him to leave.
“Wait,” his voice was soft, askance. She paused, turning slowly back to him. “Are you going?”
“Going where?” she snapped.
Collin took two steps toward her, his body nearly pressing into hers as he stared down at her growling, “Don’t play coy. Not with me. You know what I mean. Are you going to the Pierce home tonight?”
She locked her jaw, anger burning in her eyes as he spoke. “You have no right to question me. I’m not one of your sluts. You can’t order me around, you prick.” She turned her back and something snapped inside of him. He couldn’t stand the look in her eyes, the tone of
her voice.
He snatched her wrist, pulling her to him. The sudden movement sent her bag flying, falling to the ground where it slid across the floor, books spilling out. Collin pressed Ivy back, using his body to hold her against the wall. Her heart pounded in her chest as a look of shock spread across her face. Her mouth was opened in a surprised O, gasping.
“I have every right,” he hissed. “After what you did last time, someone has to look out for you. You’re acting like an infant, a spoiled child who got caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to.”
She pushed against him, trying to free herself, but Collin wouldn’t move. His eyes darkened, narrowing as he scolded her. Ivy wouldn’t hear it, “Me?” her voice was higher than usual, as if she couldn’t believe him. “What about you? You and your slutty girlfriend who plastered virgin across my locker, and then laughed at me. Don’t pretend you care, not when you let her do that. I’ll go to the party if I want. I’ll kiss who I want. And I can be with whoever I want, and I sure as hell don’t have to tell you!” Ivy’s face pinched tighter and tighter as she spoke, her voice low and threatening. Collin listened, shocked by her outburst, but the last sentence shocked him. She was thinking about being with someone? Letting some random guy fuck her? What was she thinking? He didn’t want to let her do this, but she wouldn’t listen to him.
“You’re wrong,” he said softly, looking at her fierce brown eyes. They seemed to flicker with golden flames as she fought back. His stomach curled, flipping at the thought. When Ivy said nothing, he added, “Ivy, I do care about you. I...” He wanted to touch her hair, press his lips to hers, and taste her kiss. Her heartbeat steadied beneath him, but her body was still corded tight, ready to explode.
“Enough! I know you’re a rotten bastard, saying exactly what a girl wants to hear to get into her pants, but don’t pretend you care about me when you don’t. All this time, you put on the fake friend act. Well, don’t bother! Don’t pretend that I matter to you at all... I already know that I don’t.” Ivy sucked in air, gasping as if she’d just run miles. She tried to twist her hands free, but wasn’t able.
Her words were filled with anger and cut Collin deeply. The venom in her voice was relentless. She didn’t remember his words. She didn’t remember the kiss. The drugs hid it from her, masking his true feelings. Acting like he didn’t care and allowing Nicole to spurt her mean words only made Ivy worse. Collin could see the pain in her eyes, seething, ready to lash out. “Ivy, I...” but she cut him off.
“Let me go, you ass!” She tried to twist away, curling her arm to twist her wrist, but Collin pulled her arms higher, pinning them over her head. “I don’t care what you have to say or why you did it. You can’t hold me here. You can’t make me do what you want. I’m not yours and I never will be.” Ivy’s body pressed into Collin’s as she tried to escape.
He wanted to say something, explain himself, but there was a sound. Releasing her, Collin stepped away from Ivy quickly. She gasped, immediately taking her wrists in her hands and rubbing them hard, glaring at Collin while she did it.
Eric rounded the corner, seeing them by the cement wall. He asked Ivy, “You okay?” before he glared at Collin. Eric’s not-sociable stature and normal silence made him easily overlooked, but something told Collin that this Martis wasn’t someone to screw with. He could sense it, as if a dangerous animal rested beneath that calm façade. Collin glanced away from Eric, looking at Ivy. He’d hurt her badly. There was no way to fix it. Not any of it. He thought it’d be better to stay away from the girl, and entangling himself with Nicole. He thought it would help protect her from the Valefar lurking to destroy him. God, and if Kreturus ever found out, there’d be nothing he could do.
But those actions only seemed to put her on a crash course. Ivy was setting herself up to fall in a brilliant ball of flames, and there was nothing he could say to stop her. In trying to protect her, Collin made all the wrong choices. Instead of mending her soft heart, he only crushed it further. He felt sick.
Eric’s eyes glanced at Ivy’s backpack, dumped out on the floor. He knew she wasn’t all right and he wasn’t leaving. Ivy seemed grateful that he showed up, and said, “I am now.” Eric nodded at her, stopping to shove her books back in her bag before handing it to her.
“Come on, I’ll walk you out,” he said, ignoring Collin.
Ivy hoisted her bag over her shoulder, glancing once at Collin. “I’d like that. Thanks, Eric.”
CHAPTER TEN
The girl was toxic. Whenever Collin was around her, Ivy got under his skin and made him crazy. Collin left the school, walking through the alley to the main street. The noisy rush of cars was muffled by the brick buildings. Every muscle in Collin’s body was tightly wound, ready to spring. He didn’t know what to do. This situation was unheard of. He’d never been so affected by a mortal—not since he was one. Collin’s foot collided with a rock. It shattered as his boot smashed into it. Not bothering to control his power, he walked with his head down, thinking.
If Ivy wouldn’t talk to him, how could he protect her? It’s only a matter of time until the Underworld bursts open the gates holding the creatures back. And then what? Kreturus starts a war, which ends quickly since no one will see it coming. The angels will be devastated, if any survive, and the humans… He swallowed hard thinking about it. What would become of her? He pressed his eyes closed and stopped. No matter what happens, Collin knew he could not protect her from Kreturus. If the demon wanted her, he’d take her.
The idea of another bargain began to form in his mind. The concept shattered when he heard the familiar voice behind him. Jake said, “The King of the Valefar is lurking in alleyways. What’s the world coming to?” There was a lightness in his voice that concerned Collin. When he turned, he saw Jake leaning on the brick wall, his ankles crossed, hands shoved in his pockets.
Collin, already seething, walked toward the Valefar. “Where’ve you been, Jake?”
Jake pushed off the wall, acting amicably toward Collin, as if nothing were wrong—as if he had no interest in usurping his power. He grinned, light brown hair falling in his eyes. “Setting up my new place. It’s in the next town, well, two towns over, so I don’t have to hunt in your territory.” He shrugged, turning toward the mouth of the alley. “I thought it’d be better to set up a residence out here.”
Collin thought of his conversation with Mandor. He knew Jake was lying, at least in part. He had no doubt the Valefar set up a residence nearby. It gave him the ability to move onto his turf faster. Collin didn’t want to hide his disdain. He rounded on the Valefar, hands grabbing for his neck and shoving him back into the wall. Jake’s eyes went wide, as he was heaved back.
Collin kept a choke hold on his neck and growled, “Who gave you permission to disappear for days on end? Who said you could do what you wanted?”
Jake croaked, “No one. I just…” Collin’s hands tightened around Jake’s throat, squeezing tighter and tighter.
Collin slammed him back once more, cracking his head against the wall before releasing him. “That’s right. No one. This isn’t a fucking democracy, Jake. If you want to stay second in command, you can’t disappear. And you sure as hell can’t set up camp in my backyard.” Collin fought hard to force the red rim from his eyes. He didn’t want Jake to know that he suspected him of anything.
Jake doubled over when Collin released him. There was a traitorous glare in his light blue gaze as he looked up at Collin from under his brow, but the look vanished when he spoke, “Of course. It was foolish. A mistake that I won’t make again.”
“Valefar don’t get second chances,” Collin said, “but you… you are still of use to me.” Jake regarded him, seeing his chance to make amends. He nodded, waiting to hear more. “Keep your home where it is and come when I fucking call you! In the meantime, I want you tracking every Valefar within a hundred mile radius. I want them here. Now.”
Jake looked confused. Without thinking he asked, “Why? What’s happening?” Valefar n
ever gathered together and Collin was calling all of them onto his personal hunting ground. Anger flashed across Collin’s eyes, and without saying a word, Jake nodded, backing away like a beaten dog. “Yes, it’ll be done.”
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Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar
is a Demon Kissed spin-off series that will be released Summer 2012
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Demon Kissed Series By H.M. Ward
Demon Kissed
Cursed
Torn
Satan’s Stone
The 13th Prophecy
Valefar Vol. 1
Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (Summer 2012)
More Series By H.M. Ward
Vampire Apocalypse: Bane
(Spring 2012)
Twisted Tales: Stone Prison
Visit the H.M. Ward’s author website:
www.YAParanormalRomance.com
