Demon kissed: demon kissed

Chapter 7

Still in shock, I pressed my fingers to it and rubbed. Shannon leaned back against a stack of boxes, and watched me before saying, "It won't come off. This comb is celestial silver. It hides your mark, so no one else can see it." She gently took the mess of curls covering my shocked face. She pulled them back, revealing all of my violet mark. When she threaded the comb through my hair the color dissipated, like a marker stain that was doused with bleach. Grabbing the mirror, I sat forward, and pulled the comb out. The mark reappeared, bright purple. I put the comb back, and it faded into oblivion again.

My eyes wildly sought hers, asking for answers. "Shannon, how... ?" was all I could manage to say.

"How do I know?" she asked softly. A soft smile covered her ruby red lips. She reached for her necklace, wrapped her fingers around the chain, and pulled. The chain snapped, as the necklace fell to the floor. The patch of skin over her right brow, the skin that had been perfect porcelain, held a glittery blue streak.

Stunned, I felt my jaw drop. "You're a Martis?"

She nodded, "Oddly enough, yes. It was my 17th birthday present, too. I had no idea what was happening. All of a sudden, I couldn't sleep well, and then hardly at all. Then, on my birthday, I woke up with this thing above my eye." She pointed to her blue mark. "So," she asked, "Who told you?"

A smile pulled at my lips. I couldn't believe my good luck. My best friend was going to help me deal with this. "My lab partner," I laughed, breaking the tension. "A Valefar stalked me, and attacked me. Eric saved me and brought me home. He told me what I am."

"Eric," Shannon snorted. "He probably gave you a history lesson. Let me fill in what he left out," Shannon pulled her hair into a loose ponytail while she spoke, "Because I'm sure he left stuff out.

"Ivy, we aren't normal anymore. We aren't even mortal. The mark changes us. We aren't human, but we aren't angels—we're somewhere in the middle. The angel's power mixes with our blood and all of a sudden, you have more power than you ever thought possible. We can do things we never thought possible. We don't need to sleep, we're stronger than any human, we can run faster than any animal, and we can see in pitch-blackness without a single shred of light.

"Some Martis are ancient, but many are young like me and you." Her green eyes shifted from mine. "We'll live forever, if a Valefar doesn't destroy us." Her shoulders seemed stiff, like something was making her tense. I assumed it was the shock of finding out that I was marked, too.

"Are there more? More Martis—besides Eric?" I asked excitedly. Maybe this wasn't as bad as I thought. Shannon hesitated. That should have been my cue that something changed between us, but I missed it.

"Yes, there are more. We each have a piece of celestial silver to mask our mark. The Valefar have something that masks theirs, as well. I don't know what it is, but we know that unless they reveal themselves to us, we can't be certain who they are. Hiding our marks is a matter of life or death." Her eyes were unblinking. She stared as she held her hands tensely in her lap.

I wondered if I should tell her. Eric told me not to tell anyone, but she already saw it. Not seeing the harm, I answered, "Eric told me to hide it. Not to tell anyone."

Her eyebrow arched, "He saw it? He saw it was purple and said nothing? He didn't do anything?" She stared, looking slightly shocked, and waited for an answer.

Something changed, although I couldn't figure out what. I hesitated, "It was blue that first night. He didn't see it purple. I'd covered it with make-up by then. The mark changed color after I was attacked." My mark changed color. Maybe that was what had her upset? Why it would matter?

She hesitated, fumbling the hem of her oversized sweater, staring at me with an odd expression. Her fingers reached for her silver necklace, and picked it up off the floor. The piece of metal disappeared into her fist. "Ya know," she laughed, "I never thought it'd be you. Not in a million years." She rose quickly, pacing the room, not looking at me.