Chapter 1 from ASSASSIN: FALL OF THE GOLDEN VALEFAR (Demon Kissed #6) by H.M. Ward
“There is neither pure goodness nor pure evil in your heart—you are what you choose to be.
The words rang like crystal in his mind. Eric hadn’t seen Ivy for years, but her voice—her words—they still haunted him. When he closed his eyes he could see her face, her endless brown eyes. Shaking the pictures from his mind, he pushed them back. The past was the past. This was his future. Eric tightened his grip on the piece of brimstone in his hands, ignoring the look of terror in the eyes of the woman he had pinned to the floor.
Julia.
All of her model-esk qualities were faded like sun-soaked parchment. Her light brown hair spilled around her face forming a halo on the ground, but she was no saint. The Martis were supposed to be the epitome of goodness—they were the angel’s hands in this world—but this woman abused that power. She sentenced Eric to death because he did what was right, and he wasn’t the only one treated unjustly. There were others that she destroyed, others who opposed her. The Martis should have been slaughtered during the war, but Ivy didn’t deliver justice. She offered repentance. The thought baffled him. The Queen of the Underworld showed mercy. It was odd, but that was the way Ivy was. She never did what he thought she would do. Ivy seemed to follow her own path, no matter the cost. That was what Eric was doing now. Carving a new path, a path that would be set in stone once his blade was buried deep within Julia’s heart.
Julia hadn’t spoken. Eric took her by surprise, killing her guards before they had time to react. He was a skilled warrior—a Seraphim by birth. The black blade tightened in his grip, but Julia’s eyes remained on his face. She laughed softly, speaking in an Italian accent with disgust, “I should have destroyed you long ago. I saw what you were—even then.”
Eric’s eyes sparkled, glinting like amber gems in the early morning sun. They were in the courtyard of the Martis compound in Rome. It was the only building that still stood, though its magic hid it from the humans that survived. “What was I, Julia? What was I when you sentenced me to death,” he leaned in lower, spitting in her perfect face, “for protecting those who wouldn’t protect themselves?” The tension in his shoulders was building. It was all he could do to keep the blade from spilling her blood.
She sneered, trying to inch away from his blade as it pressed harder against her skin. “You are, and always have been, an abomination. An angel stripped of power, a mortal who’s not quite human, a Martis that was tainted by that girl,” she spat the words at him, “and now what are you? A Valefar with a golden mark on your brow, a being more evil than the last, sent by the Queen of the Underworld after her false show of keeping her word.” Julia was shrewd. As if things suddenly became clear, she shook her head slightly, her tone hardening, “But this isn’t about her, is it? It’s about you.” Eric swallowed hard, the tension in his arms burning, as he tried to hide the thoughts flashing through his mind.
Julia’s lips pulled into that arrogant smile, the smile that was said she knew she was right, “It’s about your blood, blood lacked clarity from the beginning—clouding your judgment—making you an outcast among your own kind. You never fit anywhere, with anyone, and you never will. That is how you know what you truly are, a creature that shouldn’t exist, but I showed mercy—even when you couldn’t see the truth. I let you live.” Her sharp voice dropped off, as if she was going to say more but thought better of it.
Eric’s knees pinned her arms. He perched on top of her ready to strike, but there was a battle playing out inside his mind. It was as if he could hear her voice. Eric thought he was losing his mind. Ivy couldn’t come to the surface; she couldn’t physically speak to him here. There was no way her voice could be echoing in his mind, but it was there, crystal clear. At the same time, he could feel something tightening around his arm, as if it could restrain him. The sensation wasn’t the full force of a shadow clutching his arm. It was more like a whisper of a sensation coupled with the pleading that rang in his ears.
Don’t. Please, don’t.
Eric remained rigid, keeping Julia trapped beneath him. She didn’t struggle. Her placid face hid the terror that swam in her eyes, but Eric could sense it, he could feel her fear. It wasn’t her words that unhinged him, it was that whisper, that silent plea that only he could hear. It was there every time and growing softer, as if he were moving further and further away.
Eric knew that was no longer fit anywhere. It was something he was acutely aware of, and although Julia said it to get under his skin, she only restated what he already knew. He wasn’t an angel. He wasn’t mortal. He was not kin to demons—Valefar—thought he bore their mark and could wield their power. Eric didn’t know what he was. The only thing he did know—the only thing he was certain of—was that he had to quench the insatiable burning in his heart. He had to ease the pain, and this was the only way to do it.
Eric muttered Ivy’s words softly, “You are what you choose to be.” His eyes were vacant, unblinking golden orbs. There was a moment when Julia’s lips curved up at the corners, thinking she’d gotten through to him. The panic slid off her face as a cool rush of relief washed over her, but it was short-lived. No one could possibly know what was going through Eric’s mind, no one would understand. Though he heard the whispers, the silent pleas to stop, he couldn’t.
Eric’s brimstone knife came down hard. Julia sucked in a breath and tried to twist out of Eric’s grip, but she failed. Once Eric pinned his prisoner there was no escaping. The blade swooshed through the air, the tip shining like a cracked black tooth. The blade sank into her skin, nicking a rib, but Eric forced it past the bone. There was only one way to kill a Martis—he had to pierce her heart. Julia’s body moved of its own accord, attempting to evade Eric before it was too late. She bucked up hard, slamming her head into Eric’s. Blood flowed from above her brow. Eric released the hold on her arm, and grabbed her neck. Eyes blazing like twin fires, he squeezed tightly, while holding the blade, twisting it past the bone in her chest.
“Those who can no longer see the truth, don’t deserve to live,” Eric growled, throwing her statement back in her face.
Julia’s lips opened, but blood bubbled up, obscuring her words. Eric leaned in, bringing his victim closer to his lips. With a flick of his tongue, he tasted her blood, grinning at her while he did it. Julia’s eyes were wide, her hands trying to push him away. For a moment the only thing he could feel was Julia’s surge of pain and fear. It stilled him. As he basked in the sensations the constant pain that consumed him dissipated, and he felt free. The ache around his bones eased as did the sensation of a gaping hole in the center of his chest. For a moment he felt whole, complete. There was no writhing, no biting back words from a tongue sharpened by pain. His eyes closed, soaking in the sensation as if it were sunshine. Eric’s hands were covered in blood, oozing scarlet from Julia’s wounds. Her flailing and screaming didn’t ruin his thoughts, if anything her terror made him more at ease. But the feeling was fleeting. It always was. That was the problem. There was no peace for Eric, no rest. This was as close as he came. The thought made him twist inside, but he had no regrets about this killing. Justice needed to be served, and this woman deserved it.
As if she realized this was her last chance, Julia’s panicked desperation won out. She lifted her hand and smashed the heel into Eric’s face, hard. She felt the crack of bone beneath her palm, breaking his nose and causing blood to rush out. Eric’s arms tensed in response and he drove the blade into her heart. A scream rippled the air as Julia was dying. Blood flowed between her lips, spilling onto the pale patio bricks in red splatters.
With a thud, Eric dropped her and stepped away. Folding his arms over his chest, he watched her die at his feet with wide eyes filled with fear. The site of the brimstone wound turned black, spreading rapidly through her body. It spread through her body in lethal tendrils, killing her from the inside out. It was pain like no other, and Eric knew. He’d been a Martis—a human infused with angel blood—after the curse. Eric’s life as a Martis ended abruptly, painfully. It was etched into his mind. He could still feel the brimstone devouring him, slowly eating away at his flesh, burning away his muscle like acid. He could still feel Ivy’s hands on his shoulders, pulling him onto her lap. He still felt her soft touch and saw the tears streaming from her eyes. She mourned him.
But, Eric felt no sympathy for Julia as the poison destroyed her. He gazed at her wide, pleading eyes with a sadistic smile ignoring her garbled pleas for help. As her flesh blackened with inky vines just beneath the surface of her skin, he knew how much agony she was enduring.
It gave him a second moment of reprieve, and he felt whole again. There was no pain. Eric closed his eyes, and breathed in the cool morning air. Sunlight spilled over the stone wall surrounding the garden, and the way he felt in that second—the peace that filled his body—he knew he’d never have it again. This temporary stasis, this moment of rest was the exception to an otherwise deplorable existence. What he wouldn’t give to stay like this forever, to never feel the soul-crushing pain that infused his body so that it was brimming with agony on a daily basis. It was a life he could no longer remember. It was a hope that died when Ivy chose Collin. Ivy was his only reprieve, giving him—no feeding him—bits of pain to ease his suffering. Now, the only thing he could do was survive. Breathing deeply, Eric closed his eyes and was still for several moments. The weakened moans that came from Julia’s dying body softened, until there was silence.
The peace shattered as Julia’s body went still. The blood that flowed between her lips ceases. She did not breathe. The life was sucked out of her, destroyed by the brimstone. Eric didn’t turn her into a Valefar. As much fun as that would be, he didn’t want Ivy to know what he did. Not yet.
Eric lifted a small vial out of his pocket, and uncorked the top. Holding it over Julia’s charred body, he let one drop of crystal clear liquid fall. The drop floated down, as if it were a feather, and landed on her chest. The droplet hissed before combusting in flames. The air filled with the scent of jasmine, sulfur, and burnt flesh until a gust of wind carried it away.
The only trace of Julia’s death were golden scorch marks on the ground. They formed a perfect silhouette of her body encompassing every detail, even the strands of her hair. He stared, feeling neither relieved nor elated. Eric didn’t expect to reveal in this moment, and he knew better than lingering about. There was nothing to gloat about. Julia was right about some things. He was an abomination—a being with no race, a cruel creature that only felt good when others were in agony. He pressed his lips together, and walked away.”
This was an excerpt of Chapter 1 from ASSASSIN: FALL OF THE GOLDEN VALEFAR. (This is not the final copy, but I wanted to share!) It is book #6 in the bestselling DEMON KISSED series by H.M. Ward. Pre-order your signed copy of ASSASSIN now. Release date: May 20, 2012. I can’t wait to share it with you!!!
