Cursed Demon Kissed 2 Page 0,2

No, there was no denying that I was the girl in the painting. My mark and hers were one and the same.

The Martis were terrified of that mark. They were terrified of me. I was the embodiment of two enemies that had been at war with each other for hundreds of thousands of years. That violet mark revealed that angel and demon blood flowed in unison through my veins. It showed the delicate and lethal balance of power that rested in the hands of one human girl.

Me.

The Martis and the Valefar were at a stalemate before I came along, but no one knows what will happen now. They think I'm a wild card. I was hoping that my actions would speak loudly and the Martis would know without a doubt whose side I was on. Being the demon queen and ruling the Underworld held no appeal for me. And, I had no desire to wipe out the Martis and destroy the world. The Valefar could go screw themselves for all I cared. I wasn't going to help them free Kreturus no matter what that prophecy said. So, my only option was to try and derail the prophecy, and hope for a different outcome. Until recently, the prophecy painting was housed safely in an old church. Now the damn thing was in the Underworld with Collin...and Kreturus.

And it was my fault.

Guilt gnawed at me constantly. I wondered what I could have done differently, what I could have changed to cause different results, but I didn't know. Collin was trying to keep the prophecy from happening as much as Eric, even though they were on different sides in the same war. The Martis and the Valefar were immortal enemies since their creation, so it was astounding that Collin and Eric were fighting for a common goal - keeping me alive. And, here I was, sitting on an airplane with my best friend, flying thousands of miles from home, to try and save the boy who sacrificed himself for me. Maybe it was the guilt that motivated me. Maybe I was stupid. Maybe I was utterly love-struck. Whatever the reason, I was determined to bring Collin home.

Julia and Eric left for Rome a couple of weeks ago. They had to report the Long Island battle to the Martis. Way too many Valefar and Martis had invaded my life. Back then, I had no idea why. Now I knew exactly why - both forces were converging on the point of the final battle. It wasn't a coincidence at all. It was me, pure and simple. The Valefar needed my power to free Kreturus and the Martis wanted me dead. Before I had any idea what I was, both sides were hunting me. Eric's sole mission for the past two-thousand years was to find and kill me.

I heard that the Martis took Eric's testimony and banished him to some remote location for his disobedience. Julia was the only one who knew his whereabouts. It seemed they wanted to make sure I didn't go looking for him. But, I couldn't. The knowledge that he was involved in my sister's death ignited something within me. It burned in my bones, and made me insane with rage if I thought about it too long. I pushed the thought away, and stared out the little oval window. The topsides of fluffy white clouds passed beneath the jumbo jet. I leaned my head against the glass.

Shannon spoke to the back of my head. She had wanted to tell me something since they closed the plane door. "The Tribunal wants me to testify as soon as we get there. Once I do that, I can help you search the library for the stuff you're looking for."

I nodded, waiting for more. But, she said nothing else.

She pulled her feet up onto her little coach class seat, and wrapped her arms around her legs. The passengers around us were sleeping. "You wanna talk?"

No. I didn't want to talk. Instead, I shrugged, and said, "There's nothing to say." I turned back toward the window. Hollowness consumed me. I hadn't spoken of Collin or my mother to anyone. I couldn't. It was too horrible.

"There's lots to say," she replied. "You just don't want to." I didn't turn to look at her. I wasn't having this conversation in an airplane, but Shannon didn't drop it. "Do you love him?"

Turning slowly, I felt my jaw open slightly in surprise. Why would she ask me that? It was