Chapter Three

I stood just outside of the cave fighting every instinct in my body not to go to her. I could feel her body trembling as she cried out in fear and pain. Her pain was not that of a physical pain but an emotional one that was tied to the emotional torture she was enduring. I didn't want to leave her, but I needed answers that she apparently couldn't give me.

The fact that she could see Xanthus, let alone me, made me uneasy. I tried, but I could not sense magic within her, so she was obviously not a witch. I can't let her go with what she has seen. Humans exist in a world outside of ours and it needed to remain that way for their safety and ours. Having one go around and tell everyone what she saw could potentially expose my kind or leave her withering away in a mental institution. That is exactly what the weak-minded humans would do. They would mark her off as crazy and throw her into a strait jacket. Something within me boiled at the thought of her helpless in a hospital.

I closed my eyes and thought of my brother, Lucien. I feel my surroundings change and open my eyes to find myself in Lucien's bedroom.

"Your timing is impeccable as always brother," a voice behind me, belonging to my brother spoke.

I turned around to see my brother mounted atop a female, whom was not his wife.

I love my brother, but I fail to understand him. He was lucky enough to have a wife at home that doted over him and would give him the world if she were able and he would rather spend his time giving pleasure to a common whore.

"Lucien," I nodded.

Lucien looked at me and then down at the woman below him as if he were trying to decide if he should finish his romp with the whore or call it a night for my benefit. He leaned down and whispered something in the female's ears that made her blush. I don't know what he could have possibly said to make a woman in her profession blush. I'm pretty sure a woman like her has seen and done it all. Much unlike the innocent woman locked away in my cave right now. I feel my inner demon Loki come alive at the very thought of her. It has been a long time since Loki and I have spoken. With my being half human, I was cursed with a conscience whereas Loki was not. It is my very conscience that made my father view me as unworthy of his affections. I was the outcast.

"Brother, what brings you to see me at this hour?" Lucien asked as he glided over to me to clap a hand on my shoulder. Thinking of where his hand had been, I winced.

"Do I need a reason to want to see you brother?"

Lucien smirked and shook his head, "Of course not. You are my brother and welcome to see me anytime."

I knew he was telling me the truth. My brothers, sister, and I were all remarkably close. Our Father is the only one who treated me differently. Being half of his blood meant he couldn't cast me away completely, so he threw me out of his lair and forced me into a life of servitude. I am his personal demon bounty hunter.

Lucien sighed and shook his head, "What happened this time?"

I sauntered over to his plush leather sofa and plopped down, and Lucien shortly followed, staring at me intently.

"How did it go with Xanthus? Did you kick his snake ass?"

I feel the corner of my lip raise in a half smile, "There were complications."

Lucien's brows rose and he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "What kind of complication?"

I ran through the events of the evening with Lucien, leaving out the part where I brought the damsel home. When I finished, I stared at my brother, waiting for him to process everything, and gauging his reaction.

"Xanthus is dead?" he asked me.

I nodded, "Yes."

Lucien let out a breath that he had been holding, "And the girl, she actually saw him? She saw you?"

I nodded again and said, "What is really strange is that I could not sense any kind of magic within her, so she is definitely not a witch."

"You know what Father will say D," my stomach lurched as he finished, "Father will want her taken out."

My fists clench tightly at my sides, "Yea well, I don't know where she is, so good luck with that."

"No need for luck. He will find her eventually. Hopefully before she can expose all of us."

I stood abruptly, knocking my knee into the small table in front of us, "Thanks for listening brother. I must be going now. Plenty of demons to drag back to hell.'

"Anytime, D. Watch your back man. You know Father will be on the war path."

Is there ever a time when your father isn't on the war path? Loki decided he was speaking to me again. I smirked. He hated my Father just as much as I do.

I closed my eyes and thought again of my cave and the beautiful woman within until I was just outside of the caves entrance. The woman, Alayna was still crying, more so now than she was. She made little choking noises in between her sobs.

"What is wrong with her?" Loki asked, his voice a welcome intrusion in my mind.

"Did you not pay attention to my conversation at all?"

"She is not in pain; I would sense it. This is more than the attack tonight." Loki chimed in.

He could be right, but what else could it be? I haven't hurt her. I am trying to keep her safe. There are all different kinds of pain and I could tell she was definitely in pain, just not a physical pain. Loki can sense the physical pain of another, but if her pain were all tied up in her emotions, he wouldn't be able to sense that.

I could bet that it was that guy who rough handled her earlier. What a piece of shit that guy was.

"He must pay!"

"Listen to you all possessive and shit," I snarked, "besides, I had already decided to make him pay."

I walk forward into the cave, my heart sinking as we got closer and the sound of her desperate cries got louder. She lay there in front of the cell door in fetal position with her face buried in her knees. Her whole body was shaking from a combination of the cold and her crying.

"Go to her. Hold her."

"Shut up, Loki. We are trying to calm her not scare her," I sent to him mentally.

I flung the door to the cell open. I leaned down and placed my one forearm beneath her neck and the other behind her knees to pick her up. Her body curled into my chest gave me an overwhelming sense of need. I needed to shield her, protect her from everything that could do her harm. I needed to dry those tears and make it my personal duty that she never cries from sadness again.

Loki made a purring noise in my mind, "Ours."

"Dream on Loki. She is a human. She could never be with the likes of us. It would be too dangerous for her and for us," I sent back through our mental connection.

I can feel Loki puff up at my words. I didn't like it either, but it is the truth.

"She is ours. I can feel it."

I sighed and chose to ignore Loki. I lay Alayna down on the bed and lifted the covers over her exposed figure. As I turned to grab a chair, she grabbed my hand in hers.

"Please don't leave me here again."

There is a look of desperation mingled with fear in her expression. Her tiny hand squeezed my palm until her knuckles were white. She really is petrified to be alone.

Deciding it was better to just sit on the corner of the bed beside her than to cross the remaining distance to grab a chair, I let her hold on to my hand silently.

"Hold her. She needs to feel safe," Loki offered.

"What will you have me do Loki. Just climb up in bed beside her as if I have known her my whole life and just hold her? That won't help her, that will just scare her more. We need to tread lightly with her."

"You're scared of what we feel for the human?"

"Hell, yeah I am scared. Aren't you?"

"No."

"Well, I'm glad one of us isn't."