Page 92 of The Demon Mark

“You’re doing terrible things.” Her eyes widened, even though she couldn’t see very much at all. Just a gray haze that stretched over her vision like the white mist that surrounded her. “You keep making choices for yourself, but none of those choices actually help you. You want to align yourself with people who don’t care about you. All they care about is themselves. And when you try your best to make them see you, it only makes them hate you even more.”

“Shut up.”

“If you don’t choose a new way to live, this will be the only path that you ever walk. You will spend the rest of your life trying to prove that you are valuable and they will prove that you are not. Trust me when I say?—”

That cool hand pressed over her mouth so hard that her lips cut on her teeth. Lilith could taste blood, but when she was in this state, it didn’t matter. A little blood was nothing when there was a future that was so dark right in front of her.

Still muttering beneath the woman’s hand, she tried to get the words out. There was so much more she wanted to say.

The man that this woman had pledged herself to would bring about her undoing. The moment her beauty was gone, he would toss her to the side. It would take years for that to happen, but he would replace her with someone younger and prettier.

Her age would be a factor. As would the way that she had treated herself. If she ate a little healthier, if she focused on her own longevity a little more, then perhaps she would linger in his life longer.

But that wasn’t right. This woman shouldn’t stay with him. He didn’t care about her, and everyone deserved someone who at least thought they were nice. This man didn’t even like her. Not at all.

Breathing harder, she tried to say all the words, but they weren’t coming out with this woman’s hand clenched on her jaw.

“Careful with her,” came a barking order. “We only have two cases full, and we need a lot more than that. If you damage her, that might throw the whole fucking thing off.”

The hand came loose, throwing Lilith’s head to the side so hard she saw stars behind her eyes. The little speckles were so pretty. Glittering in the dim light that she couldn’t see past.

“That’s not what I said to do,” the same voice hissed.

“Oops.” The woman walked away from her, out of reach for her sluggish power that still wanted to touch someone.

If the mist was out of her body, it couldn’t stay still. She wanted to see a future that was better than the one she had just touched. She needed to see a future that was bright and happy and let her escape from this horrible reality.

But no one was coming close to her now. There was the muttered burble of voices, but they were hard for her to understand.

“I don’t know how we’re going to collect more of her power if we can’t get close.”

“Just hold out the bottle. Maybe we can convince it to slide in without being near her?”

“That won’t work, you dolt. Someone has to get close to her.”

They were all so afraid to be within reach of her magic. Why? Were they afraid of their futures?

Something evil inside her uncoiled, grinning and spreading her lips over bloodied teeth. If they were afraid to see what their path would be after doing this to her, then she wanted them to know where that darkness would lead them. She wanted to tell them that everything would get even worse from here. They didn’t have a choice in the matter.

If they continued to hurt her, then they would know what pain truly was. A single cut to her body would be a hundred on their own.

Another voice chimed in, sweet and familiar, and oh so aching. “I can get close to her. Lilith has always listened to me, haven’t you, darling?”

The fire eater.

Joan, that was her name. She could finally remember it.

She turned her head just slightly, whispering the name. “Joan?”

“Yes, it’s me, Lil. Will you let me get close to you?”

Nothing was standing in her way. Lilith had never been a bother. Not in the circus, and not to her friend. She didn’t want Joan to fear her, least of all for any reason related to her power. If her friend didn’t want to know her future, then she would respect that wish.

“Look at that,” another voice muttered. “Parted for her like a walkway.”

Footsteps approached, and Lilith wished she could see something other than white. She wanted to see Joan’s face and beg her friend to give her the release that she needed. She ached. Every part of her body hurt, and she didn’t understand why.

But then the mist parted, and all she could see was the flaming red of Joan’s hair and the soft smile on her face. “Hello, sweetheart. I can see you’re hurting.”

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