work to prevent me from becoming this crazy girl in the prophecy and it totally screws me over. "Fine, I see your point. And no, I don't want to be the one who destroys everything. So, how do I get my soul back from him?"
Lorren smiled, "You are new. A demon kiss. How else?"
I shook my head. "I can't give him a demon kiss. I've kissed him before and it didn't take his soul."
"You mean your soul," Lorren answered, "And, yes, you can. A Valefar can choose to resist temptation and kiss someone without ripping their soul out. Most just don't."
Shocked, I asked, "What are you saying? That he could have taken the rest of my soul whenever he wanted?" The thought was horrifying. I thought we were even - that there was no way for him to do anything to hurt me. It was part of what made it easier for me to trust him before Kreturus jumped into him. Swallowing hard, I realized the rest of what Lorren was saying. "...And I could take his soul?"
"Yes, except it's your soul. Why do you keep saying his?"
"Because he has a soul. He's a Valefar with a fragment of soul too small to let him be anything else. He almost died a few months ago and I gave him a piece of my soul so he'd live. He has both our souls in his body. And I have a piece of his soul in mine."
Lorren staggered backwards. "Ivy! Are you insane? You made yourself a Valefar soul mate?"
I bristled, "Not on purpose. And shut up! You weren't there. You don't know what happened! It's not like I had much of a choice. It was watch him die from a Martis wound or save him. I saved him."
Lorren turned away from me as his eyebrows rose in his hairline. He rubbed his eyes hard and shook his head. When he turned back to me there was urgency in his eyes. "Answer this - do you want the prophecy to happen?"
Anger exploded from somewhere deep within me. "No! What are you, deaf? What do you think I keep telling you!" What the hell was wrong with him? I said it a thousand times, but he didn't seem to believe me.
"I'm sorry; it's just that you aren't what I thought you'd be." His gaze lingered on my face. He looked at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle, but was missing most of the pieces. I hated puzzles.
"Join the club. I'm not even what I expected at this point. I try so hard to do what's right and it gets all messed up anyway. Like this." I hesitated. I was telling this guy, a perfect stranger, how I felt. I didn't like bearing my soul to people I trusted, never mind Lorren. I snapped my mouth shut and when I spoke again, I changed directions. The past was the past. I couldn't change it. But what I would do next was still up in the air. My voice was less certain. I didn't like the idea of finding Collin and trying to give him a demon kiss. And after what Lorren told me, it sounded like Collin could turn around and suck out my soul while I tried to get his. "So what do I do? Give him a demon kiss and take back my soul?" A thought occurred to me, "How do I make sure I don't take his soul, too?"
"That's just it - you can't. There are no discriminating demon kisses. A demon kiss drains the soul, and you need all of yours back to keep Kreturus from stealing your powers. If you don't take your entire soul back from Collin, you'll die. Then Kreturus reigns and everything is a hell of a lot worse than if you became ruler of the Underworld." He shook his head and moved towards me with a plea on his face. "No, Ivy, listen to me. You have to find Collin and drain him."
"But... I gave him my soul so he'd live. If I take it away then Collin will die, won't he?" My mouth hung open. I couldn't believe I was having this conversation.
Lorren nodded. His voice was cold as he spoke with a smirk on his face, "Yes, he'll die. But he's a Valefar. Who cares?"
I bristled and shot back, "I do."
"Why?" he asked, perplexed. He unfolded his arms and waited for me to answer. I didn't know if I wanted