Chapter 22

"I have called this meeting to inform you all that my eldest son, Charlie will be coming to claim the throne as the king of the Daivie clan," Luther stood, addressing the circle of Daivie leaders seated on the large round table before him.

He had called the temporary leaders of the clan, Elder Hiva and Lucy, as well as his youngest son, Devine to join them. They were not part of the circle but since the matter involved them, Luther asked that they be present.

In contrast to what Devine thought, it was just an appreciation speech, and Luther was the only one who spoke during the meeting.

"I want to especially thank my former servant, Hiva, for taking temporary leadership and for also ensuring the well-being and smooth running of the Daivie clan while my wife and I were on a special assignment. I also want to thank Lucy, the oldest of Hiva's servants, for standing by his side and for her assistance in running the clan. Finally, I want to thank my youngest son, Devine, for standing in as a royal representative leader and also for his great assistance towards leading the Daivie army. And to all of you who have supported them so far, a big thank you to you all."

The meeting was only to inform the circle about what was to happen, so it didn't take long. After it ended, Hiva walked up to Luther with a smile,

"Thank you for the special appreciation, sire. Might I know when Charlie will be taking over the leadership of the clan?"

"I don't know yet," Luther replied, "the most important thing is that he has agreed to do it now that my wife and I are back. We will give him some time so he will be the one to decide when he plans on being coronated."

"And will his bride be joining him on the throne?"

"Yes, she ought to, after all, she will be his wife," Luther chuckled as he flew out of the room and back down to his quarters. He and his wife had moved back to the clan house a few days ago, and they had already settled in. This would be the first meeting Luther called with the circle since their return.

***

"So now, what's your real reason for wanting to break up with me?"

At this point, Charlie's hands were tied. He's tried to avoid discussing this topic with Stacy, at least for the time being, but now, he didn't know what else to do.

"Charlie?" She called his name again, noticing he was lost in his thoughts.

"You have to understand that everything I'm doing now is to protect you, Stacy."

"Protect me from what? Is Hiva coming after me?"

"No. You don't have to worry about Hiva. I will take care of him so you don't have to join our world anymore."

"Why are you saying all this, Charlie? Did I ever tell you I didn't want to join your world?

"Please understand that I want you to have a choice; I don't want you to live in fear of your life getting threatened because of me."

"If that's what you're scared of, then you don't have to be, Charlie. I never chose to be a demon because my life was threatened, I wanted to do it because I wanted to be closer to you. I love you, Charlie, and I wanted to be right by you. I chose this life because I love you."

"You don't know what you're saying, Stacy. Becoming a demon is an irreversible decision. You won't know how the life truly is until you experience it. And by then, it will be too late to change your mind."

Stacy shook her head, knowing there was something else,"you sound so different, Charlie. What is it that you're not telling me?"

"You will be free to live your life now, Stacy. You wont have to live in fear of your life getting threatened, and you wont ever get hurt by anyone because of me."

She held a puzzled look. "Charlie, what is it? Why are you speaking like this?"

"I love you too, Stacy, and remember this; every single thing I did today is because I love you."

"Charlie, what are you_?" Before she knew it, he grabbed her by the hand and used the other to close both her eyes. It took some seconds for her to remain still after this, and by the time his hands left her face, she appeared to be in some sort of trance.

She just stood still, unable to say a word, looking right ahead at the space in front of her.

In all his demon years, this was one of the things Charlie had regretted doing the most, but he kept telling himself, assuring himself rather, that it was for her own good.

He came closer to her, and whispered some words in a hypnotic tone to her ears.

"You will go to sleep now, dear Stacy, and by the time you wake up, you will not remember anything that happened from the night of the Makkue ritual up till now. Sleep now, my dear."

He grabbed her before she fell to the ground in a deep sleep. She would remain like this for a few hours, and by the time she woke up, he would be gone, and she would not have any memory of him.

He didn't like this particular action he took, but he knows that it's the only way to get Stacy to leave him alone.

"I'm sorry, my love," he said to her while she slept, carrying her over to her bedroom which was just by the corridor.

"No one will ever come after you because of me now, no one will hurt you."

Far from him was where she would be safest.

As he lay her down, he kept on assuring himself that it was all to protect her, it was all for her own good.