nasty,
but thought of Ivy and the words died in his mouth. He pressed his eyes closed,
and opened them again, staring at Mandor with a grin on his face. He could feel
the effonation burning under his skin. Unlike his fellow red Valefar, he had
more power than them. Call it a side-effect of being him, the only golden
Valefar. As his form shimmered, Mandor realized what was happening and lunged
at him.
Laughing, Eric said, “Tell the Queen to kiss my ass.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Eric didn’t need to be eloquent. He knew his message would
never reach Ivy’s ears. He also knew the time he had left was limited. There
were still several Tribunal members he needed to visit. A sadistic smile spread
across his lips as he moved through a pile of rubble. There was a voice in the
back of his mind warning him—no, telling him—that if he continued on this path he
would lose what he had. Eric scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. He had
nothing left. He had no one. There was no reason to breathe. His boot kicked a
patch of plaster that was still attached to a rafter. The impact shattered both
into tiny pieces. Displays of rage were fruitless. They did not calm him as
they once did. Instead, the residual effects of the emotion lingered in his
body, forcing him to act out later when he didn’t want to.
Eric had made his decision. His fate was all but sealed. Intentionally
taunting the Queen of the Underworld, the only person who had enough power to
destroy him, was cruel. Ivy was his friend and he knew what he was forcing on
her, but there was no other way out. The cravings were growing within him,
consuming him. There was more monster than man residing inside him. With the
curse constantly changing him, making it so he never had peace, he could see
the path he was on. There was only one way to get off, and that was death. He’d
be destroyed and the curse would end. There was one part of his plan that was
undetermined—Eric didn’t know if Ivy was capable of killing him.
Since he saw Ivy last, he had tried to kill himself several
times. Once he even sought out the Omen, the massive black dragon that
destroyed everyone who touched it. Eric didn’t touch the Omen—he stabbed the
beast—but to no avail. The creature snapped at him, biting his shoulder with
deadly teeth and swiping at him with razor sharp talons. The only thing the
creature managed to do was make its wound hemorrhage more, leaving a pool of
clear blood next to Eric. Beaten, but very much alive, Eric took the Omen’s
spilled blood and saved it in a vial. Magic that dark and powerful had no
effect on him, but he thought that he might be able to use it later. And he
did. The clear drops of blood were deadly to everyone, everything—except him.
Eric moved into the inhabited section of Rome, swiftly
walking into a store and selecting a snack. He wasn’t hungry, he just wanted
something familiar. He waited his turn in line, like he wasn’t a deranged
monster and ordered. When Eric turned around, food in hand, he saw her. Arms
folded over her chest, pissed off, tapping her boot.
“Seriously? You ditched me to
eat?” Natalia said , her head cocked to the side. Her
black shirt had a small tear in the side from climbing through the rubble. Her
long dark hair was down, flowing over her shoulders like spilled chocolate.
Eric paused. He wanted to feel something good—something
normal. He could let her stay. He didn’t have to be mean to her, not since he
wouldn’t be around much longer anyway. Would it hurt her? Would the curse still
condemn her to death if he was already dead? He didn’t think so. The power that
destroyed should die with him. Besides, pushing her away wasn’t working very
well. Eric glanced at her, his amber eyes sliding over her face as he bit into
a thin sandwich, “Maybe.” He smirked at her.
Natalia trailed after him out of the store on his heels. “You
are such an ass!” She stopped following him. Her legs felt
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley