Cursed Demon Kissed 2 Page 0,30

head. "Not really. But, you're hands are cold. How bad is it?" He moved in front of me. Eric's expression was odd. He studied my face and then looked at the floor, gathering his thoughts. His response was making me panic. I tried to look over my shoulder to see the wound, but I couldn't twist far enough to see anything. "Eric! Tell me."

His gold eyes looked up at me with a blank expression. "There's nothing there. The wound's gone. The only thing left is the dried blood sticking to your back." I stared at him for a moment. My finger reached around to the spot where the wound was and slid over my skin. Caked blood came off in my fingers, but nothing else. No warm, wet blood. What happened to the wound? "Well, apparently silver and Brimstone in the back won't kill you."

I stared at the dried blood on my fingertips. "How is that possible? Where's the cut? Shannon had to heal me last time I was hurt. I know I was cut badly. That blade sliced through my back. It missed bone, but I felt it slice my skin open. The pain was unbearable. It wasn't a scratch. And it's still sore."

Eric shrugged. "Part of the mystery of the Prophecy One. Martis can heal from most wounds, and so can you. That's why you didn't need Shannon this time. You're part Martis and your powers are intensifying. You healed yourself. You're changing, Ivy. You're changing into the Prophecy One." I cringed. I didn't want to be the Prophecy One. At the same time, I was still alive because I was. Eric looked around and then asked, "We're in the catacombs, aren't we?" I nodded. "How did we get here?"

"We efanotated," I said cautiously. He was going to be pissed. I used Valefar magic on him. He hated that part of me. Well, I wasn't going to hide it. Those dark powers saved our lives. I didn't really care where they originated from at the moment, but the former Seeker might have difficulty disregarding it. I decided to explain when he didn't respond. "I can make my body move from one location to another by thinking about it. It hurts like hell, but it saved us."

Eric's brow pinched together as he stared at me with his mouth open. He was frozen...but with what? I expected him to rip into me and give me the scolding of a lifetime. But the tension flowed out of him and he smiled saying, "Then, why did you stay there for three months? The Martis thought they had you trapped. And this whole time, you could have left whenever you wanted?"

I nodded as the corner of my mouth pulled into a faint smile. "Yeah. I could have left whenever. I stayed because it seemed like they'd see...Well, I was hoping that they'd notice that I wasn't evil incarnate the way they thought. But, after a while, it didn't seem like they were capable of seeing me any other way. It didn't matter what I did." I pushed a curl back behind my ear. "Then I was just staying to research stuff about Kreturus. I spent the entire time looking for a backdoor into the Underworld. I planned on leaving as soon as I knew for certain, but the Martis said I was needed at the hearing. They stopped me earlier and dragged me to the courtroom. And I wanted to know what happened to you. So, what happened?"

Eric's eyes darted away from mine for a second. When they returned to my face he seemed decided about something. "They called me back. They initially questioned me about the battle and sealng the portal. When I repeated that you helped me, and said I did not act alone, they changed what they were questioning me about. They shifted to another night, night that I should have killed you, the night you changed Collin. I stood there and watched. I did nothing. Shannon was to follow my lead. She failed to act because of me.

"Then, tonight the Tribunal told me your fate - you were to be executed. They concluded that they had to destroy you before it was too late, and that your involvement in sealing the portal was irrelevant. The Tribunal said that there was nothing I could do that would change their minds, but they had hoped you would try to change mine. You were supposed to be used as leverage to get