I found my voice, “I thought you killed her. Where is she?”

Eric pulled his legs in and leaned forward, draping his arms over his knees. “Why would you think that? She was alive last time you saw her. She was fine. Why would I kill her?”

I scoffed, “She was far from fine. And you wanted to kill her because she killed you in the Lorren!” Was he crazy? Did he really let her walk away? There had to be another explanation.

He laughed, “You are so short-sighted. If you have eternity ahead of you, you can’t kill every person who tries to fuck with you. There would be no one left to entertain you.” He paused, watching for the disgust that filled my eyes. When he saw it, he continued, “I didn’t kill her. I made her life hell. She’s a Martis addicted to demon blood. It was amusing for a while. When I was done playing with her, I sent her back and watched her fumble. Julia would have killed her if she could manage it. I’m sure she suspects, but it’s so ludicrous that most of them don’t even realize what happened.”

Collin’s hand was over his mouth, as he tried to suppress a smile. He knew Shannon was a traitor, that she betrayed me when I needed her. “You turned her into a blood slave and sent her home? She must have...”

Eric smiled, recognizing that Collin understood the complexity of his revenge. “And she did. She still can’t function. She kills people she’s supposed to heal. A healer with no power is an abomination. Julia’s banished her to the archives where she shuffles through piles of books trying to find a cure. I show up every few weeks and she begs for more blood. It’s her punishment.” His golden eyes stared vacantly, no doubt recalling the terror he thrust on Shannon on a daily basis. Not only did he remove her skill, but he screwed with her mind. If she couldn’t heal, she couldn’t think. Shannon had healed me once. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to see. It bothered me that he tormented her. I could accept her death easier than torture. Eric cut his gaze to me, “It’s a much better punishment than killing her.”

CHAPTER TWELEVE

“So you say,” I said quietly. A million thoughts were on my tongue. One of them finally slipped out, “Where is she? Rome?”

He shook his head. “No one is in Rome. Rome burned. Have you not stuck your neck outside to see what things look like?” He glanced at Collin and then back to me. “Of course not. Fucking lovebirds and all. Go push open the door and look. The beast that attacked us at the Pool—the Dreanok - there are more of them. They fill the skies. Demons walk the earth tearing a path of destruction through the landscape as they take city after city. The Martis moved to the center of the battle, protecting the remaining humans. But there’s no point. The Martis are overpowered and outnumbered.” He grinned, as if it amused him, “And it seems that the Martis have forgotten how to use their powers. The corrupt bastards finally figured out how far they’ve fallen.” He paused, and added an afterthought, “The angels are here. The world you knew is gone. It’s a warzone for the third and final Angel Demon War. The war that you have to win.”

I sat on the couch, shocked. As his words sunk in, I jumped up and raced up the stairs and threw open the door. Collin was on my heels. We moved through the remains of the school and over a pile of rubble that was once the wall. Standing outside, my heart sank into my feet. My throat tightened, as my hand slapped over my mouth to stifle a scream. The sky was filled with grackles—the hellish kind. They swarmed like a massive black cloud. The only thing that broke them apart was the beast that’d attacked us in the Underworld—the Dreanok. Craning my neck from side to side, I could see three of them circling above, as if they were patrolling the area looking for something.

Or someone. Shit! They were looking for me!

Collin realized it at the same time I did, and yanked us back into the cellar and shut the door. We stood at the top of the steps, and stared at each other. Collin wasn’t alive during the last war. Did it ever look like that? Did the sky bleed last time? Did humans die? Did the creatures of Hell soar through the skies?

Eric’s voice echoed below, “Ivy, stop it. Terror is wafting off of you. If you want me to leave you alone, you can’t do that.” He was serious. I knew what he meant—what it did to him, but I couldn’t suppress it. Not with Collin standing next to me. I could feel things when he was near. It wasn’t just a distant echo in the back of my mind. It was palpable fear.

And that was the kind of fear that Eric liked best.

I nodded for Collin to go ahead. He looked back at me, questions in his eyes. Questions that I couldn’t answer. “Go ahead. I can’t calm down if you’re next to me.” Collin turned and slowly walked down the steps. I heard him sink into the couch. I exhaled deeply and tried to relax with my back against the metal door.

Eric stood at the bottom of the staircase. “This is the only safe place I’ve found. If you allow yourself to feel that much, it’ll make it impossible for me to...” I already felt it. His blood. Had he been repressing it? Why didn’t it bother me until now?

I kept my back pressed to the door and closed my eyes. I could hear Eric walking up the stairs. His shoe hit the metal steps one at a time. My heart raced harder and harder. His scent grew stronger and stronger, until he stopped with only a step between us.

He mouthed, Tell him not to follow. It was all I could do to nod. The enclosed staircase was small. I stood on a tiny landing with Eric pressed close below me. The former angel called back to Collin, “I need to show her something.”

I heard Collin rise, and Eric nodded at me to speak. That horrible sensation was there again. My muscles weren’t my own. Eric used his blood to force me, and I did as he said, “It’s okay. I’ll be right back.” Eric pressed his body into mine as he pushed me through the door, his hand on my shoulder leading me onto the dark stage. My knees went weak, but I felt them stumble forward one step at a time. I tried to fight the bloodlust. I had been able to many other times. I didn’t understand how he was able to do it this time. Or why I couldn’t fight him.

Our bodies pressed together, making me inhale sharply. Before the door closed behind us, I saw Collin standing at the bottom of the staircase with clenched fists. He would allow it. I’d asked him, but I didn’t anticipate on Eric forcing me to do anything. For half a second, I hoped he’d follow and stop this. But I knew he wouldn’t. I knew Collin would honor my request, even if he didn’t like it.

Collin called up to Eric, half growling at him, “If you go too far, I’ll kill you. She’s already had you fuck with her mind enough.” Collin didn’t like this. He didn’t trust Eric, and he didn’t understand why I did—especially when he did things like this.

Eric turned and laughed over his shoulder, “Yeah, I fucked with her mind, but you got her body. That was the better part, if you ask me.” Before Collin had a chance to respond, Eric slammed the metal door shut. The knob scraped closed with a loud clack. We stood on the other side, behind the mangled black curtains that separated the stage. Eric stopped, pushing his hair out of his eyes, and looking at me for a while. His golden gaze slid to my feet, as he took a deep breath. I watched him, unable to look away, unable to speak. The power of his blood held my tongue still. When Eric glanced up, he shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe what I’d done; that I’d chosen Collin over him. His hands gripped my shoulders firmly, pressing into my skin before shoving me across the stage and into the lighting cage.

The metal box was exactly like a cage—a cage that contained electrical equipment used to control the lights during a show. There was barely enough room for one person. Eric pushed me into the tiny space, and turned and pulled the cage door shut behind us. It creaked closed, and it was all I could do to watch him. The tiny space had my heart racing. I hated feeling trapped, and that was exactly how I felt. Stuck in a tiny space, surrounded by metal slats, with Eric blocking the only way out. I swallowed hard. This side of the theater was still intact and far from the open hole in the roof. We were shrouded in darkness, but I could still see the hole in the roof. The winter sky was stained red, with gray clouds casting sleet from their folds.

A gust of winter wind blew through the opening, lifting my hair from my shoulders. I shivered. It was frigid and I had no coat. Eric watched as the cold tremble crept from my fingers, to my back, and throughout my body. The whole time I fought to suppress his blood lust, so I could ask what he was doing—but the best I could do was subdue it. I couldn’t ignore the desire. I couldn’t thrust it into the back of my head and make it disappear like I’d done so many times before. Eric’s close proximity made it worse. Between that and the fact that he hadn’t spoken, and shoved me in a tiny metal box, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My heart hammered in my ears.

Fascinated, he watched me and said nothing. His amber eyes rested on my face, transfixed on my mouth, watching me fight to control the fear that was coursing through me. The fear he was inducing. Minutes passed and Eric said nothing. He just watched. When my lips were blue, and I couldn’t stop trembling from the cold, Eric leaned closer to me and traced them with his finger. His touch was warm, hot compared to the frigid air. It shot a bolt of heat though my stomach.

I managed to jerk away, and he laughed. “I wish we had more time, but we don’t. Not since your crazed boyfriend will be here any moment. Listen. I needed to tell you something.” My gaze snapped, focused completely on Eric. I couldn’t fight him. It was as if someone turned my head and made me listen. “Good,” Eric stated. “The bloodlust isn’t totally gone. But, his blood complicates things. A lot… ” he sighed deeply, as he leaned back onto the lighting control panel. It ran the length of the cage and was like a little table covered with switches and levers. None of it worked since there was no power. We sat in total darkness.

“I needed you to come with me,” Eric explained. He shifted his weight, and leaned on his hands. The muscles in his arms curved taught as he leaned back. “But, I can’t just waltz into the Martis camp and steal the dagger with you like this. You’ve been compromised. That’s why Locoicia taught you to fight. That’s why she taught you to bury your feelings. It makes you fearless. But, like this—you’re no fucking good to me like this. You can’t even fight me off. You’re staring at me like a fucking zombie. Ivy, fight back.” It was a command, but I couldn’t. Eric didn’t lessen his hold on me, but he demanded that I fight him off. Yet, I could only stand there staring at him, feeling like a trapped animal. My mind was screaming, willing me to move, but my body remained still. Unmoving. Something changed. The power of his blood was too strong, too potent.

Eric sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. “You can’t, can you?” I shook my head, unable to say more. Eric silenced me. My jaw was locked tight. It felt like a sandbag had fallen on my chest, crushing me flat. Eric was beyond irritated this time. He screamed in my face, “Why’d you have to do this! And now? Out of all the stupid-ass things you could have possibly done! This made you weak. The more demon blood you have in you, the less you become. The Ivy that fought back has been subdued. Tamed.” He stepped away, leaving me standing in front of him with my heart racing in my chest. “Listen. She’s not gone. The girl you were is still in there, but she’s weak. And we can’t afford weak. There are already so many things stacked against us.” Us. The word rang in my mind, not connecting to any other thoughts, but I couldn’t ignore the usage. Eric kept saying us.