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“Collin, stop!” I screamed He turned slowly toward ht Cri the, I backed away fro I said would reach hiht ers pressed hard into rasp There was so time

LustThe desire for a demon kiss His eyes fixated on me Their intensity made me feel entirely naked It was as if I’d been stripped of everything as I stood before hiht in my throat

Nodding slowly, talking softly I pressed ers on top of his hand—the hand that held ht, rip loosen “You’re starving… ” I asked looking into his eyes as I peeled away another finger “Aren’t you? It’ll be all right, Collin Just breathe Breathe and I’ll help you” I peeled away the last finger An inky bruise was blossonored it It would fade Collin fought every instinct he had His eyes remained locked on mine I couldn’t look away When I’d freed my arm, I placedsoftly to him until the tension that made his body shake ebbed

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

As I watched hiht for control of himself, I could see it in his eyes Collin’s eyes swirled with deep red flaht, around the outer iris The center of his pupil was a tiny black dot And every shade of flame and fire burned in between It moved as if liquid within his eyes Slowly, slowly the reds faded to oranges, and then swirls of blue appeared They were nearly stripped of color initially, but as I rested my palms on his cheeks, I saw his eyes return to the color of the sea after a storm

Leaning toward him, my hands were still on his cheeks He blinked, and looked down, breaking the gentle hold I had on his face “I’m sorry” He rose and walked away from me His ar nothing “I deniedIt made me… weak”

I re up at hi on your own” My words drifted through the air like a dandelion caught in the wind He turned toward me sloith a pained expression on his face “My fate is set in stone… ” I se it” I rose and walked over to hiaze “You can’t change it You can’t protect me from this I have to do it myself And I need you to let me”

He glanced down atinto his chest “You and I… ” he stumbled over his words The tense posture he heldhis head away froh his hair “You and I… ” hisbut couldn’t “Our fates… our destinies are intertwined, Ivy If you accept one part of the prophecy, then you have to accept all of it” His fingers reached for the hair on ers, and looked up at me “Is that what you want?”

Shaking my head, the brown curl fell away I stepped toward hi about?”

His lips parted, as his eyes shot to the floor A dim smile pulled at the corner of his mouth “I die The prophecy says I die You and I cannot coexist if the prophecy is fulfilled” He shook his head as if it could undo the words

My gaze fell to the floor as ht that had already come to pass?” Collin’s eyebrow arched as he looked at ht of the Valefar attack… ” I sighed shaking ed it, didn’t we?” My eyebrows rose as I spoke, saying words that I kneeren’t true My fingers were at ht

The look on his face said we didn’t change a thing The look on his face said I didn’t realize things yet He shook his head A wan sed If you accept the prophecy is real, you accept all of it You will defeat Kreturus, and become the Demon Queen The world will end at your hands The Martis will be destroyed The Valefar will be annihilated You will cause the gates of Hell to be flung open and the innocent to perish… ” His eyes searchedto a whisper, “And I will die It’s my fate, as this is yours”

So ht that air would not slide down it and into s What did Locoicia do to me? My body still responded to his words, but I couldn’t feel the warningsto happen The sensation of dread pooling in my stomach would have prompted me to speak But I didn’t Instead, I stared at Collin, unable move

His words ords I’d heard before, but never really accepted Collin told me that the prophecy said he would die bythe one to cause the floodgates of Hell to burst open But that part, Collin’s death, the Martis weren’t concerned about I didn’t hear it over and over again I pushed the thought to the back of s I’d seen in the Lorren, the prophecies of death and destruction—not one showedthe boy who stood in front of hting it Denying it I denied it until I accepted Locoicia’s help Until I ain

My gaze rushed to Collin He stoodfor me to realize what he already knew The prophecy destroyed everything, and everyone

Even him

There was no justice There was no happy ending These things would coaped,to breathe