Without another word, he placed his hands around my waist, tugged me closer, and effonated us. I could feel him using my power and taking the pain of the effonation for both of us. I had no idea that was even possible. What the hell was he?

When we landed, Eric and I were directly on top of the circular path etched into the ground surrounding the camp. It was beyond bold. Slightly insane was more like it. But it had the effect he wanted. It made the guard materialize. When the angel turned around, Eric thrust me in front of him and pressed the black blade to my throat. I gasped, feeling it biting into my neck, but I didn’t care. His blood swam through my mind making it difficult to think.

The angel stared at us. Under the dark clothing that appeared to be made out of the same ethereal linen as the tents, a pink tee shirt popped out. Blonde curls were pinned to her head under her hat. Jenna Marie still looked like the picture perfect personification of cuteness. Her eyes narrowed in on my face. Recognition hit both of us at about the same time.

“Ivy,” she said. The shock washed away as she continued speaking, “Last time I saw you, you took off. And now you’re standing here, with... him?” Jenna Marie didn’t seem fazed. Her eyes moved over the pair of us, like she knew our little plan. How was she a Seraphim? After all the time I’d known her, Jenna Marie seemed like a valley girl, not a vengeful sword-swinging angel.

But Eric had other ideas, “I brought her for you. I heard you were looking for her.” My eyes darted to the side as I tried to turn and see Eric’s face, but the knife pressed into my throat. My brow pinched. I hadn’t known she was looking for me. Why did Eric? But my mind couldn’t think more than a step or two ahead. I couldn’t put the pieces together. His blood was fogging my brain, making lust burn and twist inside of my stomach. His fingers touching the skin on the side of my neck were making me nuts. A strong sense of calmness crashed into me. That must have been Eric manipulating my emotions.

Jeanna Marie ignored me, and stared at Eric. Snow flurries drifted down, falling on her shoulders. Her perkiness turned to anger, “Do you think I’m stupid? I know why you’re here.”

“I don’t think you do,” Eric replied. Jenna Marie scoffed, about to say something else as Eric pressed the blade into my throat. Fear welled up in my stomach, but I felt Eric replace it with another emotion. I melted, not caring about the razor sharp blade pressing into my neck. Then, Eric’s weapon nicked my skin. Something warm ran down the side of my neck. My hands lifted, trembling, and I touched my throat where I felt the warm tickle. My fingertips came away covered in blood. My eyes went wide. Fear raced inside of me, but Eric squashed it promptly. Completely. It was enough that Jenna Marie saw the look of horror on my face, but not enough fear to awaken Eric’s insatiable lust for pain.

He tilted his head, and said to Jenna Marie, “It’s harder to get your information when she’s dead.”

Jenna Marie’s eyes were wide. She watched the expression on my face as my hand withdrew covered in blood. Up until that point, she acted as if it were a game. Like Eric wouldn’t really harm me. But now she thought otherwise. A gust of wind tore between us, tangling my hair and smearing it in the blood dripping down my neck. The wound wouldn’t heal as long as Eric held the blade there. I felt the warm burn of the torn flesh, but it wasn’t screaming pain, as it should have been. My heart raced, wondering what Eric was doing. He didn’t anticipate the Seraphim, but he seemed to know Jenna Marie would be here. Either that or it was luck, of which I had none. The mind fog started to lift, and as if Eric could sense it, a wave of thick emotions splashed over me again—everything from anger to lust. Eric did it. The rush of emotions made me stop thinking, so I could suppress the feelings he pushed into me. I barely heard what they said.

Jenna Marie snapped, “What do you want for her? I’m assuming you want something.” Her arms folded over her dark coat.

Eric breathed behind me, making me shudder. “Shannon McClure. A trade. One girl, for another...”

Jenna Marie’s narrowed eyes slipped over me. Her jaw locked, as her gaze drifted between my face and Eric’s. She didn’t know if she was being played. That was exactly how I felt. When Jenna Marie spoke, her voice was low, “They’ll kill her, you know. You won’t get your little pet back.” Little pet? What did she think I was to him? Could she tell I was doped up on demon blood?

“Why would I care?” Eric asked. The tension in his arms didn’t ease. The black blade held the wound on my neck open. Blood was running down my throat and pooling between my breasts. Eric never took his eyes off the angel. He could sense that she wasn’t going to take the bait. Me.

“Last chance,” he urged, determination in his voice.

Jenna Marie glanced over her shoulder, back toward the camp. Angels were weird. They seemed to be like Martis in some ways, but not others. I had a feeling she wanted me for a different reason than the Martis, which worried me. Finally she turned back, and answered, “Fine. It’s done. Give her to me.” Something swam in Jenna Marie’s eyes - something that made me wary of her. She had other intentions. Intentions Eric was aware of, but I was not.

Eric laughed, amused, “No, no, no. It doesn’t work that way. You deliver Shannon right now. Bring her outside the camp, and we’ll switch.”

Jenna Marie’s lips parted, as if she were going to say no. Her perfectly pink lips turned up at the corners to laugh at him, but her jaw fell open instead. When Eric saw the laughter on her face, the expression that challenged him, he pressed the blade deeper into my throat. My eyes shut tightly as the blade slid deeper into my skin. A small cry escaped from my mouth, as it opened in horror. I felt Eric’s warm hand on my neck. He didn’t subdue the pain that coursed through me. It filled my body in a rush. Eric breathed in deeply, ever so slowly, adding more pressure to the knife. His hand didn’t shake. There was no remorse in his voice. And I could feel every ounce of pleasure shoot through him as he did it. Warmth slid down my neck, covering it in a red river, as blood flowed down, soaking my shirt. Eric pressed a kiss to my temple, slowly, as if he was caressing a lover.

Jenna Marie’s eyes were wide. She hesitated for a moment, shocked, before she said, “Enough! We trade now.” She said a word I didn’t know and moved her hand. Shannon appeared next to her as if she were plucked from scrubbing the floor. She was still on her hands and knees with a soapy brush in her hand. Her long cinnamon colored hair was tied at the nape of her neck.

Shannon gasped as she looked up at us. She jumped to her feet and tried to move behind Jenna Marie, but the angel clutched her wrist and stopped her. “You’ll be going with him.” She shoved Shannon forward and Eric grabbed her arm.

Eric withdrew the blade from my neck, and a smile twisted across his lips. When he released me, he pushed me toward Jenna Marie. She clasped my wrist tightly. A single brow on her face arched, as she said, “A pleasure, Eric.” He nodded and effonated out of sight with Shannon.

The look of terror on her face made my heart sink. I slumped back into her arms, blood still flowing from the wound. I tried to speak, but Jenna Marie shushed me. I blinked once. Then again. Then the world went black.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

My head felt like it was in a vice. As I opened my eyes, I saw a soft white light glowing above me. It wasn’t contained in a bulb. It was just there, illuminating white fabric that flowed in long stretches above me.

I heard her voice before I saw her face, “How long have you had to endure him?” I turned and looked at her face. Jenna Marie didn’t mask her emotions, but I suspected she had a veil like Eric that masked other things. Pity was strewn across her face, plainly visible for anyone to see.

I swallowed, and reached for my throat. When I pressed my fingers to the flesh, I was surprised that it was smooth. My eyes darted to her face. She must have healed me. The wound was too deep to heal on its own. My brows pinched. I didn’t know what to think of Eric. If he could use the stone, I’d be worried. Why the hell did he slash my throat? I hadn’t a clue. Our original plan didn’t look anything like what happened. And right now, if Eric wasn’t depositing Shannon with Collin and coming back for me, I didn’t know what I’d do. I was inside the angel camp. There was no way out. I couldn’t effonate. Eric said their wards were powerful. They not only shielded their camp from the insane grackles and Dreanoks, but kept out Valefar and Demons as well. It was a safe house. Except, I wasn’t safe.

Sitting up slowly, I rubbed my throat and whispered, answering her question, “Long enough.”

“He forced you, didn’t he? I could smell his blood in you, exactly like the girl he took.” She studied me, the way Martis do, but her gaze was gentler and less damning. She wore a pale pink shirt and a pink plaid skirt. Little cute shoes adorned her feet. She changed her clothes since we saw her outside. Her long golden hair was perfect, without a hair out of place. I didn’t know if she already knew what he did to Shannon, or if she was trying to get more information. Either way, I wasn’t helping her.

Staring at her blankly, I asked, “What do you want with me?”

She sat down in a chair across from me. I was sitting on a pristine white table. There were four other tables—all exactly the same—forming a line across the tent. The other three tables were empty. No one else was there. The angel folded her tiny fingers in her lap, and looked sad, “You don’t trust me...”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“Mmm,” she nodded, not believing me. “Did you volunteer to be his blood slave? Or did he force it on you? I’ve been tracking Eric for a while. Watching how the curse twists him. He’s very deceptive. You don’t have to feel badly if he tricked you...” she paused, and muttered, “He’s fooled many of us.”

I looked away, “I don’t want to talk about it.” I was hoping that it came across as shame, but I have no idea what Jenna Marie saw. Before last year, I thought she had Twinkies for brains. Turns out that she was quite an actress. An angel. Al didn’t even know that. She thought Jenna Marie was her teacher—a Seeyer Martis—one of the last of her kind. This angel fooled the wise and the foolish.

“As you wish,” she replied. “I don’t want to cause you more pain.” Jenna Marie was quiet, studying me openly. What she really meant was that she didn’t want to cause me more pain than necessary. Warrior angels—angels that fought demons—killed humans, and whatever I was. She’d told Eric that they would kill me. I wondered if she meant the other angels or the Martis. And did they know I was here? Was Eric coming back? Collin couldn’t find this place on his own. The lump in my throat swelled, but terror didn’t grip me. My feelings were a dying ember at the back of my mind, nearly non-existent.

Jenna Marie’s gaze moved over my face before she leaned forward in her chair. Her golden hair fell over her shoulders, as she wrung her hands. “I have a question for you. I’ve been looking for you, because I needed to ask it.” Her eyes met mine. Based on the look on her face, this was a plea, not a question. “Will you take me to Lorren?”