Possessed Read Free

pitiful, and as far as I’m concerned this
whole world should just burn already. I’m pretty sure most people
feel the same way I do, given how trendy dystopian and apocalyptic
movies are. Sure, some things may change in name within our sad
legal system, but they never change where it matters most- in
people’s hearts. And that is why we are all screwed.”
    Standing there and listening to Ivan
spout his jaded and bitter world-views was exhausting. I never
thought I’d ever meet anyone more cynical than myself. Clearly, I
had met my superior. How was I supposed to help someone so
horrible? The thing that made it worse was that Ivan knew he was
awful. I was tired of arguing with him. His spectacularly flawed
logic was making me dizzy. All I wanted to do was find Sabrina,
apologize and get back to Lucus. Sigh. Lucus. “We’re not getting
anywhere arguing. Now, since you haven’t decided what you want to
do with me, let me go already.”
    Ivan threw his head back and grinned.
“Who says I haven’t decided what to do with you? I can’t just let
you go, can I? You’ve got such a big mouth, if I let you go, you’re
going to go running to Prince Charming and tell him
everything.”
    “ No I won’t, I promise.” It
was such a lie, of course; I was going to tell Aunt Mae first and
then Lucus. “I just want to stay here and earn some
money.”
    Ivan came closer. The scent of
cigarettes and John the Conqueror root grew stronger. “You’re
lying, queen. Don’t be such a pathetic, self-sacrificing girl with
low self-esteem,” he said, as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
“Leave.”
    “ No,” I said
firmly.
    “ Fine then,” he whispered,
“Go to sleep, little baby. When you wake up nothing will make
sense.”
    Before I had a chance to say anything,
he pressed his lips against mine, and the world went
dark.
     
     
     
     

Chapter 3
    I’ve Laid a Passway For
You
     
    My eyes opened and the first thing that
I saw was Ivan. To my horror, I realized that I was in his bed;
fully clothed, thank God. After he kissed me everything had gone
blank and silent. Had I fallen asleep, and for how long?
    The room was dark and still except for
a few black candles that burned low. They bathed Ivan’s face in
soft and deceptively angelic light. His grey eyes were wide and
innocent, but the hard expression on his lips gave him
away.
    I noticed that the sun had gone down
since my little nap, meaning that I must have been out for at least
an hour. The stale smell of cigarettes had been replaced by an
oddly enticing mixture of musty smoke and… sweet chocolate? I
sniffed the air and tried to take in every ounce of its seductive
aroma.
    “ What?” I asked. “How?” I
tried to move, but my limbs were heavy and lifeless. Like a
sluggish idiot, I attempted to sit up, only to have my body fail
me. With every attempt, the squishy mattress would pull me back
down.
    My throat was dry, and trying to form
full sentences was proving to be a monumental challenge.
    Ivan smiled that smug smile of his and
said nothing as he propped both hands behind his head and leaned
against the heavy headboard. His expression grew increasingly
bright as he watched me struggle.
    “ Water,” I
muttered.
    “ You don’t need water.
You’re only being dramatic.” He let out a giant bored
sigh.
    “ You ass. What have you
done?” My voice was low and screechy, like a demented banshee. It
was unrecognizable even to my own ears.
    “ Erzulie?” I begged for her
to answer even though I knew she was determined to make me
understand Ivan. If he wasn’t the enemy, why should she help me
fight him?
    After watching me for a few minutes,
Ivan roughly pulled me towards him and rested my damp head on his
lap. He wound a loose curl around his finger. “There’s no point in
trying to fight it, queen. You’ll move eventually.”
    “ Let me go,” I whispered.
“Please. I won’t tell anyone. I promise. But I can’t leave. I just
can’t. Please