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“No, I told you they couldn’t take possession of another being on holy days, which he did not.”
I stared at the fire in the hearth, trying to come to grips with a new fear I’d never imagined, that my soul could actually be pulled from my body without my permission. I tried to imagine what it would be like if a demon took possession of my body.
Would my soul be stuck inside with the demon too? Or would it go to some other place?
“When I was there,” I started hesitantly, “I couldn’t, I mean, I didn’t have full control of myself. It was like I wasn’t myself.”
Jude sighed. “He’s marked you. With your blood, he can manipulate you to a certain degree, have a certain amount of control through soul-sifting.”
I nodded but made no other response, remembering the haunting way I fell so easily into Danté’s arms.
“Genevieve, I understand this all must be difficult for you, but there are certain things I must know. Now.”
His voice had dipped lower than usual, taking a more serious tone, if that was even possible. His eyes darkened ever so slightly. His posture stiffened.
“Which are?”
“Have you ever murdered someone with willful intent?”
“What! No! Not withanykind of intent. That’s ridiculous.”
“Have you ever physically or emotionally harmed someone with malicious intent, with hatred in your heart?”
I shook my head. “Of course not. What is this, Jude? Why—”
With each answer, he seemed to relax a fraction. “Just one more. Are you still an innocent, a maid?”
What the hell? Is he asking me what I think he’s asking me? A maid? Who says that in the 21st century?I didn’t respond. This wassopersonal and none of his damn business.
“Are you still a virgin?”
“I sincerely don’t think that’s any of your business.”
My lips clamped shut. I knew I was blushing, feeling heat flush my cheeks and neck. I was still tightly curled in a ball, feeling smaller and smaller by the second. He leaned toward me, eyes carefully measuring.
“Answer the question.”
When he spoke to me that way, I could do nothing else but obey. I wondered if he used some sort of Stepford mumbo-jumbo like the Lord of Goth back in my dream. Wait, not a dream. I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted again. I’d been feeling this way a lot lately.
“Genevieve.”
A gentle coaxing. Tenderness from Jude made my heart beat a little faster. Finally, I nodded. His squared shoulders visibly relaxed. I became quite busy fiddling with a loose thread on the fleece blanket.
“Why do you need to know any of this? It’s so…so personal.”
Of course, I was only referring to the last question, but I’d never admit it.
“I needed to know what we were up against. A Vessel with untainted hands, heart, and body has a better chance of keeping the demons at bay, so to speak.”
“Not funny, Jude.”
I was suddenly glad I hadn’t let Jeffrey Davis talk me into that age-old cliché, sex on Prom Night like he so very much wanted to. I’d always guarded that part of myself.
Perhaps it was because my mother had always taught me to be a good girl. Even after her death, I had wanted to please her. I gasped, realizing what Jude just said and what this meant, and for some insane reason, I was unable to filter the thought running through my head and out of my stupid mouth.
“Does this mean I have to stay a virginforever?”
Why, oh why did I ask that question? The languid smile spreading across Jude’s face had my heart hammering hard against my ribcage.
