H.M. Ward - Torn (Demon Kissed #3)

Torn

The third book in the best selling

Demon Kissed Series

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Laree Bailey Press

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by H. M. Ward. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without explicit permission. By purchasing an authorized copy of this book you are supporting H.M. Ward as an Indie author (a self-published writer), which makes you a super-awesome person!

Laree Bailey Press, 4431 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: November 2011

Other Books By H.M. Ward

DEMON KISSED

Cursed

Satans Stone

Thank you to my

Super awesome husband!

I love you like crazy!

Thank you to the

Awesome fans who loved

Demon Kissed

From the very beginning.

CHAPTER ONE

Sometimes a single decision can result in a cascade of actions that you never intended. This was one of those times. Id never once thought about ending my life, not even when I felt like there was no way to survive the pain of losing my sister. I was a robot back then, awaking every morning, reminding myself to breathe, and that tomorrow would come. Somehow I expected everything to resolve itself if I could just survive the motions of getting through the day. But, somehow my life had deteriorated into this one horrifying moment, where everything hinged on me and my love for this boy.

It wasnt only my fate that depended on this one decisionit was the fate of mankind. Until then, I didnt see how my affection for Collin could possibly condemn the world and unleash the apocalypse, but now I did. Collins prone form breathed silently next to me after Kreturus took possession of his body. The ancient demons dark shapeless form entered Collins limp body through lesions that were inflicted by the lesser demons. In one horrifying moment, my world had changed. There was nothing that could have prepared me for this moment, because there was no preparation for a decision like this.

My life or his.

And whose life was it? Whose life was I taking? Was he Kreturus or Collin? Had the demon invaded his body and taken over his mind? Or was this Collin laying there helpless. There was no way for me to know. Not without waiting for Collin to wake up. And no matter what, that was a terrible idea. If Collin were awake, he could talk to me. His sweet voice would assure me that everything was all right and that we could be together now.

There is no way Id ever forget what Id seen, that Kreturus was actually inside of him. But, how could I kill the one I loved? He was part of me. Id die if I plunged the fang into his chest. No, this was the only way. And I knew this was my one and only chance to end this horrifying confrontation between me and Kreturus, and that I needed to do it before Collin awoke.

An internal signal erupted in my mind telling me what to dowhat I had to do. If I removed the pivotal player from the game, then the game would be over. There would be no one left to carry on my role as the Prophecy One and cause the end of the world. There would be no more anything. Id be removed from scenario, crippling Kreturus plans. This was like a game of chesskill the queen and the king would be vulnerable.

Swallowing hard, I pushed back the fear that was choking me. The only object that could destroy me was gripped tightly in my fist. The sapphire serum within the silver fang could destroy both angels and demons. Its poison did not discriminate. It was lethal no matter who touched it.

The fang was poised over my heart, and ready to strike.

There was no hesitation in my swing. I would not be the girl in the prophecy, and this was the only way to ensure it would never come to pass. Without my tainted blood there would be no one to free Kreturus. Without me, the prophecy would dissolve and cease to exist. I glanced at Collin as my fingers curled tighter around the silver tooth. Every muscle in my body flexed in anticipation. The point of the fang needed to pierce my heart. It was the only way for the poison within it to kill me instantly. The moment it struck my heart, the venom would be pumped throughout my body. In one heart beat I would die. In one heart beat the prophecy would end. I breathed deeply, one last breath, as every ounce of rage, every broken hope and shattered dream came to the front of my mind.

And I swung.

It was an action that I would undo, if I could. It was this act of martyrdom that created a ripple effect in the pond of my eternally screwed-up life. This one selfless act is what ultimately led to the corruption and demise of mankind. You see, the fang didnt pierce my heart as Id intended. Everything happened so quickly that its difficult to say exactly what happened. But, as the fang swung toward me an ear piercing scream erupted and I was knocked to the floor. The tooth collided with something mid-swing and missed its original target. Instead, the fang caught the skin between my breasts, as a hand tried to stop me. But, the force and speed of my strike was too powerful to stop, so the silver fang sliced a U across my chest and up into my shoulder. Crimson flowed from the wound in the wake of the silver fang. It cut through me like I was made of butter. My flesh hissed as if it were burned. The blue sapphire serum leaked from the fang and mingled together with my blood, as I screamed in utter agony clutching my chest.

My words were incoherent screams at first, as I doubled over. I didnt know what happened. How did I miss? But as my senses fought for control through the searing pain of the poisoned fang, I saw what caused my aim to falter.

Collin.

His blue eyes were wide and panic stricken. He was speaking, but I couldnt understand what he was saying. The pain was too intense to focus on anything else. His words sounded like babble, and made no sense to me. As I writhed on my side he reached for me. Fear clutched my stomach in unrelenting waves as his hands extended toward my wound with an expression of terror on his face. He kneeled over me with tears streaming down his face. I finally understood what he was saying. His unfathomable words suddenly had meaning.

He was screaming, Ivy! What did you do?

I recoiled, afraid of his touchafraid of his words. My heart raced as terror shot through me. It was him. That demonic version of the boy I loved. He made me miss. His fist had collided with my hand and sent the fang on a shallow, but deadly path across my chest. My lungs sucked in air with quick pants as I tried to endure the pain. It didnt matter that the fang didnt pierce my heart. The end result would be the same, but this was a much more painful way to die. Instead of instant death, this would be a slow painful demise.

Pulling my bloodied hands away from my chest, I clawed at the ground, backing away from him. Dont touch me! The voice that rang in my ears sounded foreign even though I felt it rip from my throat in a panicked cry.

Ivy, he pleaded, Ivy, let me help you. Please. The urgency in voice said he knew my wound was fatal. He knew what Id done, but the expression in his eyes said he didnt know why. His blue eyes were wide with fear as he tried to help me. The same touch I once longed for was now terrifying.

I felt like I couldnt breathe. Beads of sweat formed on my brow and trickled down my temples. The poison was no longer isolated in my chest, and I could feel it working its way slowly down my arms. As Collin reached for me again, I shrank back from his touch. He wasnt Collin anymorehe was Kreturus. I didnt want the demon near me. I couldnt stand the thought of him touching me with Collins hands.