Chapter 30

Charlie had first sensed it, as it was his powers that made him detect the presence of the other two demons, and then woke him up instantly. He knew they weren't just passing by, they were here for Stacy and he didn't know why but thankfully, he was with her when they came.

They were still outside hovering over her roof. He knew he could take them on but he didn't want Stacy to get hurt in the process, and he didn't want the neighbors to see anything that would go on while fighting. The only option was to lie low and see what they were here for, as that particular fact still confused him.

He turned to look at Stacy who was still sound asleep beside him. He then closed his eyes to see if there had been any conversation between the two demons before now. Thankfully, there was. Using his abilities, he listened to the conversation they had had some minutes before.

*

"What do we do now? We can't go after the girl when she's with the royal, we'd be digging our graves," the first demon said.

"But the master will have our heads if we do not return with the girl," the second one replied. "Let's wait and see if he will leave her alone, we cannot afford to make any mistakes, and he cannot by any means know that we are here."

"But what if he does not leave her?"

"Then we report back to the master and tell him what happened. We stand a better chance at maintaining our lives that way."

*

Charlie sighed as he opened his eyes, the one thing he had feared the most was already happening. Losing the one he loved to an enemy, just like his dad did. He wondered if he should attack or follow the demons to find out who wanted her but thought better of it.

The most important thing now was her safety, and he didn't mind if he had to lay down his life just to protect her. For now, he would have to find a safe place for her until he found who it was that sent those demons. Then he would kill the bastard.

***

Quest for survival…

"Hey Stacy, wake up," Charlie tapped her lightly on her arm, she mumbled something as she opened her eyes, still feeling tired after last night's exercise.

"What's the matter?", she asked him.

"Shhhh…." her covered her mouth to keep her quiet, and then he looked out the window once more to be sure that those demons had left. They didn't have much time; he knew they would be back so he had to get Stacy out of there fast.

"Is there something wrong?" She whispered with a frightened voice.

Charlie noticed her fears and tried to assure her, "don't worry my love, I'll explain everything later but for now we need to get you to safety, put your clothes on."

"Ok," she nodded as she stood up, went to her closet, and began to dress up. After she finished, Charlie took her outside.

"It would be easier for them to track your scent if we walk, so we'll have to fly," and with that, he released his wings, picked her up in his arms before launching into the air.

A few minutes later, they had arrived at Charlie's place.

"You'll be safe here, at least for now," he told her as they both entered inside.

"Ok, so can I know what the hell is going on?" Stacy was already beginning to get a bit annoyed.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said, "there was no time to explain at your place, but someone is after you."

"I don't understand, who is after me and why?" She asked.

"I don't know who myself," he stated, "but I'm guessing since they're demons, it's probably because of me. You can see that all that I was trying to avoid is about to happen."

"I don't get it, Charlie? How do you know that someone is after me? Did you see them yourself?"

He explained. "Two demon servants were at your house this morning, sent to capture you, I don't know why for sure, but I know it's not good. They wouldn't need a human except for a sacrifice or something that involved taking your life!"

Stacy began to tremble as her thoughts returned to the night at the ritual ground; just when things were beginning to look bright for her, her life was in danger once more. She didn't know how to react.

"But… Who do you think it is?"

"Probably an enemy of the clan that knows you are my bride, but what baffles me the most is that no one outside the clan knows about you. They must have had some inside information."

"Maybe it was someone at the party, they must have known I wasn't one of them," she realized.

"No one at the party knew you were a human. Very few demons can sense the presence of a human except in demon form, the only demons who knew about our engagement were the ones at the ritual, but maybe they told someone else. No one knows, and we can't trust anyone for now until I find out who they are and why they want you," he stated.

"Okay," she replied with a nod

"I will have to return to the clan to investigate and see if I can find some answers, I remember everyone that was present at the ritual, so I'll start from there, until then, I want you to lie low for as long as you can."

"Here?"

"No, of course it's too dangerous for you here without me being around."

"If I can't stay here nor my house, where will I go then?"

"My family has a secret safe house somewhere on an island, that's the safest place you can be for now, as only the strongest of demons can track the scent of a human over water. The island also has a protective barrier that wards off demons far away, making it invisible to them. I will go back to the underworld tonight to get the precise location and the key from the clan's ancient scrolls in the study. I don't know who the enemy is for now, so you won't be able to come along with me, but I will give you all you need to protect yourself while I am away for a while."

Even with all he'd said, he could still see the uncertainties in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Stacy. No one will harm you as long as I'm alive," he told her.