by Ward, H. M.
VALEFAR VOL. 2
A DEMON KISSED NOVELLLA
www.DemonKissed.com
Join over 45,000 fans on facebook!
www.facebook.com/DemonKissed
VALEFAR VOL. 2
H.M. WARD
Laree Bailey Press
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by H. M. Ward. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form.
Laree Bailey Press, 4431 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602
Printed in the United States of America
Ward, H.M.
Valefar Vol. 2 / H.M. Ward—1sted.
Demon Kissed Series By H.M. Ward
DEMON KISSED
Cursed
Torn
Satan’s Stone
The 13th Prophecy
Valefar Vol. 1 & 2
Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (Summer 2012)
More Series By H.M. Ward
Vampire Apocalypse: Bane
Twisted Tales
Thank you to all my wonderful fans
who can’t get enough of Collin Smith!
VALEFAR VOL. 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ONE
Nothing was the same after Collin realized he killed Ivy’s sister. He’d left her weeping, unable to cross the threshold of her home. There was no way to comfort her. Not that he should be allowed to do such a thing. After all, it was his fault. He was the one who caused this. The grief that filled his heart spilled over, consuming every aspect of his thoughts. He was the only Valefar to feel such a thing.
Collin left the school after giving Apryl’s picture to the office. The secretary tried to talk to him, saying, “You okay, hun?”
Collin wasn’t okay. He’d never be okay. Running his fingers through his dark hair, he pushed it away from his eyes. Collin smiled at the woman fondly, carefully controlling his voice to sound the way he needed, “Thank you, Silvia. I’m fine. Just surprised, that’s all.”
The woman reached under the counter, and grabbed a slip of paper. Collin watched as she clutched a pen with her tapered fingers. Her nails were bright pink with a palm tree on the index finger. She scrawled across the slip, and spoke as she wrote, “I shouldn’t have sent you there, hon. Let me just fill this out and you can take a longer lunch.” Her dark eyes caught his, and when she said long lunch she winked. She was writing him a pass to cut the rest of the day.
Smiling softly, Collin nodded at her. He’d left the school grounds after that and didn’t return for practice. He stayed away from the stage, though it soothed him. Collin wandered in the darkness, moving slowly through the park. The leaves rustled in the trees overhead. The moonlight was dim, barely casting a shadow on the ground. Collin sat on a picnic table, hands folded in his lap, staring at the lake in front of him, thinking.
Who he was and what he was couldn’t co-exist. The demon blood that flowed through his veins enslaved him to a life of cruelty and deceit. The soul that filled his heart, the tiny scrap of putrefied soul was enough to make him feel regret for his actions. The others, the evil creatures around him, felt no remorse for their kills. They didn’t sympathize with their victims, but Collin did. Try as he might, he couldn’t control the empathy that leaked from deep within his heart. Collin knew that his dual existence would be the end of him, and he wanted to fix it, but he didn’t know how.
That was when it happened. First, it appeared to be nothing—a tiny shadow on the lake—but the inky splotch grew. Its dark tendrils spilled over the surface of the water, like oil, dark and glistening. Slowly, Collin rose. His eyes grew wide as he watched. There had only been a handful of times that he’d seen this, and every time was worse than the last. When Collin tried to swallow back his apprehension, he couldn’t. His throat had become so tight that it felt like a rock was wedged half way down his neck. Taking a deep breath, he stiffened his resolve, knowing what would emerge from the bewitched lake.
As the waters swirled and shifted, they began to take shape. Three talloned fists stretched from the lake, water dripping off of them like great globs of tar. Sucking in a deep breath, Collin couldn’t wait anymore. He knew what would happen. Those inky fingers would wrap around him, nearly drowning him before he emerged in the Underworld, thrown at the foot of the Demon King. He was being summoned, and there was no way to escape.
Sucking in a deep breath, Collin steadied himself, and stepped toward the edge of the lake. He knew what he had to do. Before the inky darkness had a chance to fully manifest and turn into the horrific hands composed of the shadows of the dead, Collin stepped into the lake. Before he could take another step, the pitch black water swirled around his ankles and pulled him under. The air escaped from Collin’s lungs in a whoosh, as his body was yanked under the surface of the lake. A normal person would have screamed, but Collin kept his mouth shut. If you screamed while in the clutches of the shadows of the dead, it only fills you with more agony. He did it once. He opened his mouth and screamed. The inky darkness slithered into his mouth, consuming him, filling his entire body. It wasn’t the same as when he commanded the shadows. This was different. The only thing he could feel was their agony, their overwhelming pain and sorrow. The souls of the damned belonged to Kreturus, and he sent them—the souls with the most horrific pasts—to grab Collin. The demon knew Collin, unlike the other Valefar, could feel their pain. To say it was frightening didn’t convey how Collin felt. It was more than that. Terror made him more compliant, because no matter what happened to him, there was no way that Collin wanted to become one of those things that Kreturus sent to fetch him.
Deafening howls surrounded his ears as Collin was sucked into the Underworld. His body was surrounded by the liquid shadows, pulling him deeper and deeper into the bottom of Hell. When Collin thought he couldn’t take it for another second, he opened his lips to scream, knowing what would happen, but he couldn’t contain it any longer. At the same time his lips parted to scream, Collin was thrust head first into the ground. The cold shadows dissipated instantly, fleeing the creature that lurked in this cave.
Collin gasped, pushing himself off the ground, trying to breathe. He brushed himself off as he felt a tickle in his throat. A cough raked through his lungs as he tried to expel the sensation that was choking him, but it only increased until it felt like scaled fingers pressing into the smooth skin on his neck. His blue eyes widened, as he was slammed back into the wall of the cave. Red eyes materialized in front of him. The scaled fingers didn’t release the boy.
Instead, they tightened, threatening to slice through his neck and spill his blood on the cavern floor. A voice hissed in his ear, “The girl you brought me isn’t the right one!”
Collin’s fingers were wrapped around the sharp talons, trying to force them away from his neck. He only received a fist full of blood when the razor sharp claws ripped open his hands. He could feel them pressing deeper into his skin, and the warm ribbons of blood sliding down neck. He
gasped, trying to speak. The worst part of this torture was that there was no end. Kreturus could torment him like this, slicing his neck open, waiting for it to heal and doing it again forever. The wounds would not kill Collin, but they caused enough pain to make him wish they would.
The demon lightened his hold on Collin’s neck, and the boy sucked in air, saying, “That can’t be. The Martis were tracking her. I killed one of their own and he led us directly to her. She was surrounded by them. They were ready to take her, Master. But we acted first.” The hold on his throat loosened and Collin fell to the ground. His body heaved, unable to suck in air fast enough to cool the burn of his lungs. “She has to be the right one.”
Kreturus’ form vanished when he released Collin. The demon didn’t disappear as a new Valefar might think. He was still there, hidden in plain sight. The shadows were viscous, thick with his presence. His voice wafted around Collin, filling his head, “Her blood did not work. Explain to me why that would be, if she were the right girl!” The words were snapped at him, making his blood run cold. A mistake of this magnitude, bringing the demon the wrong girl, was unforgivable. Collin’s stomach clenched as dread filled him. He’d be tormented for eternity for this. But he was certain Apryl was the Prophecy One. The Martis were acting like it and he didn’t think they fooled him.
Collin shook his head, “It’s the right girl. I tortured a Martis and took his life. It was one that was high up, near the Vatican. And they can’t lie.” His hands rubbed his throat, smearing the blood that was oozing from the blood-filled linear lashes on his neck. Guilt swam in his stomach, as a thought appeared in his mind. Suddenly, Collin had a very good idea why her blood wasn’t working, but he locked his jaw.
Kreturus sensed the movement, the tiny defiance. He laughed, making Collin’s spine stiffen more. “Foolish boy. Will you make me extract the thought from your mind? Do you really think silence will stop me from learning what you know?”
Collin’s heart thundered against his ribs, but he didn’t speak. Before he knew what was happening, the shadows—thick and oozing—engulfed him. They ascended though his nose, and when he opened his lips they acted as if they were air, being breathed in gently. Collin wanted to choke, and expel the shadows from within him, and remove Kreturus from his body, but he couldn’t. They held him still, moving through his mind, replaying the last memories. That was when Collin realized what would happen. Kreturus would see his affection for Ivy. He’d see how much she meant to him. He had to push him out. The decision was made.
The words spilled out of his mouth, “The girl’s blood and yours need to combine. The prophecy says the two rise as one. It’s an ancient saying that infers marriage, a ceremony of blood and oaths.” He felt the invasion that was prying apart his mind cease. As he continued to speak the shadows retreated. It felt like barbs were stripped from his throat, and he winced, swallowing hard once they were gone.
Kreturus shifted his shape, appearing in front of him in his true form. The demon towered over Collin in his magnificently terrifying way. His black scales gleamed. The reds of his eyes burned like rubies tossed into a fire. A wicked smile spread across his fanged face. “Ensure she’s a Valefar. Make certain that there is no scrap of soul left to save her. I’ll progress with the ceremony, which will only work if she’s the right one. If you are wrong, Master Smith, the penalty will be more than you can bear.”
Collin didn’t back away. He stared the demon in the eye. “I’m not wrong. She’s the right girl. My sources were accurate.”
The demon turned, reaching high behind him. His razor-sharp claws extracted a lifeless form from the ledge. Apryl. She was unconscious, barely breathing. Collin felt his chest constrict. It felt like he was being crushed, but it wasn’t the demon doing it. The sensation was brought on by guilt. Not only did he order the girl’s death, but now he was going to enslave her, binding her to the most powerful demon that ever lived. He’d never be able to look at Ivy again. But doing this, would protect Ivy. There was nothing he could do to help Apryl. She was already dead. There was no way to reverse that, and ease Ivy’s pain.
Kreturus lowered the girl onto the ground in front of Collin. She lay on her side at his feet. The demon watched him closely, and Collin knew he suspected something. So he did what he had to, and took Apryl’s battered body in his arms and kissed her. He showed no compassion, searching for any shards of her soul that might have been left inside her body. Kreturus watched as Collin confirmed the girl was a Valefar. He watched the kiss and the blood exchange, eager for her to awaken. When Collin was done, he lowered the girl to the ground gently, as he stared at her face, which looked so much like Ivy’s. “It’s done,” he said.
CHAPTER TWO
Collin pushed away the thoughts of what he’d done while he was in the Underworld. He blocked out Kreturus and his threats. Apryl was the Prophecy One. With her power, Kreturus could do anything. And the demon was ambitious. Kreturus wanted to finish what he’d already started, and no one was aware that the old demon was using Collin to work his plan. Collin hated being at the center of it, but he had no choice. This time when the demon attacked the angels, the element of surprise would be on his side. Kreturus would slaughter the angels before they had any inkling that he was free. Apryl’s power would allow him to do just that, which was why the Martis were hell-bent on finding the girl first—but they didn’t. He did. And Collin did as the blood bargain commanded.
Pushing his dark hair away from his eyes, Collin walked down the hallway to his locker. Girls trailed at his heels, chattering about stuff that didn’t matter to him. Reaching for his locker, the girls following him stopped and waited. Each one watched him. He could feel their eyes moving over his back, sliding over his form. Collin was used to it, and ignored them. As Collin collected his things, he noticed that the size of the crowd had grown to include a few more guys that Collin knew. He nodded at them briefly, but he was preoccupied with his thoughts.
It was only a matter of time until the floodgates of Hell burst open and the world these people knew would be filled with creatures that only lurked in the darkest of nightmares. Collin knew that world all too well.
His blue eyes were stormy as he glanced across the hall at her locker. Ivy wasn’t there, standing in front of her messy locker that was overflowing with scattered books and papers. The pit of his stomach dropped. He had hoped to see her. He wanted to see her. He kept telling himself that she would be all right. This was Ivy, not some weak mortal who fell apart over every little thing, but in the back of his mind Collin knew he was lying to himself. She would be devastated. Her broken heart bled across her face the last time he’d seen her.
Collin clenched his jaw as he slammed his locker shut. It was his fault, and there was no way to fix it. His gut twisted into knots when he thought about standing there, commanding that they slaughter Apryl—Ivy’s only sister—and the demon kiss that followed. Twice. Several days passed while he was in the Underworld. Since he returned, he realized the danger he put Ivy in by spending time with her, so he stayed away. Collin tore his gaze from the metal wall of locker doors and turned, walking straight into Nicole.
She lifted her hand, and rumpled his hair. Her red lips grinned, evilly. Nicole was wearing a sleeveless white shirt that clung to her body, making her look as sinful as she was. Her golden hair fell down her back in long waves. Her body was perfection, one smooth curve flowing into another. A dark skirt swung at her knees as she walked, her thigh high boot heels echoing off the floor. Collin didn’t shake her off, though he wanted to.
Nicole slid a smooth, bare arm around his neck and leaned into him, “You’re back, I see. So, it’s only a matter of time now.” His gaze remained slanted toward the floor. Nicole arched an eyebrow at him. “What’s with you? Ever since it happened, you’ve been...” she paused, searching for the right word, “somber. It’s not like you knew the girl and had to fork her over,” she snapped.
Silently, Collin agreed. What he did was horrible. He h
urt the only person he really cared about, but there was something worse—one thing that would have destroyed him to do—but Collin didn’t need to think about that. Ivy wasn’t the one Kreturus wanted. It was her sister. And it was done.
Collin turned to her, pulling Nicole into an embrace. He wanted to throw her off the trail she’d latched onto. Realizing that his affection for Ivy would make Nicole more dangerous than she already was. With Nicole wrapped around him, no one gave Ivy a second thought, especially Nicole. He smiled at her, saying, “There’s a party later tonight. Come with me. It’ll be like old times.” The expression in his eyes made her suck in a breath. It promised her everything she wanted from him.
The wicked girl smiled at him coyly, leaning close to his ear she whispered, “Wouldn’t miss it.” Her warm breath slid against his skin. Collin closed his eyes for a moment. In that second, Nicole stepped away and spun on her heel. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes landed on the twirl of her skirt as she spun. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled as she walked away, swaying her hips like a goddess.
Nate, one of the guys that was in plays with Collin, stepped forward, admiring the view as the girl sauntered down the hallway. Nate stood shoulder to shoulder with Collin, his hair was long on top and cropped closer to his head on bottom. He folded his arms, mirroring Collin, as he watched Nicole walk away. “Only you could catch that one, Smith.” He laughed appreciatively.