Syrene P.O.V

Syrene and her friends escaped further into the woods. Staying within the depths of the forest. She wasn't sure if the Rebels had followed them, but if they had, she was sure that she would be able to fight them. Their skills were not as sharp as hers and her friends. The Rebels weren't her worries; she was more concerned with why they had wanted to kill the demon so badly. Yes, he might have been a demon, and possibly worked for the king. But that many Rebels, after a lone demon, was suspicious.

As they trek through the forest in audible silence, Syrene considered the gravity of her actions. Had she made a mistake by rescuing the demon? What if he was truly part of the national guard or worked for the Royals in some form?

She was very suspicious of the demon and was starting to think that she might have put herself and her friends in danger by rescuing him. He must be working for the Royals. How did he know to warn her about the guards? Why did he warn her about the guards? What were his motives? Was he setting a trap for her and her friends?

She shook her head. No that can't be right.

He could not be working for the Royals or a guard. If it was so, he most definitely wouldn't have saved her life or warned her about the guards. Then what exactly was his connection with the Royals and why did the Rebels want him dead?

"Let stop and rest for a while. I don't think that we were followed."

Braith issue the order. His eyes were narrowed on the demon. Syrene heart skipped a beat. She wondered if he knew that the newcomer was a demon. It would not end well for the demon if Braith knew.

"Syrene, a word in private, please."

She nodded and walked over to him, but not before helping the demon over to sit on a rock.

"Thank you."

He looked up into her eyes and for a moment she froze. Images of the dream she had flooded her mind causing her cheeks to ripen. The demon regarded her with curiosity, but she quickly escaped him before he could delve into her mind and spy on her secrets. She didn't know if that was possible, but so much of the impossible had already happened to her already. She was leaving nothing to chance.

"Who is he? Why were the Rebels after him?"

They were questions that she herself did not have the answers to. Questions that she was just moments ago asking in her head.

"I don't know who he is or why the Rebels were after him."

Braith frowned. "Then why did you help him? You know better than to get involved in matters concerning the Rebels. We do not need the trouble."

He was right. But how would she explain to him that she had to help the demon? When she saw him about to be killed, her witch screamed in pain, urging her to save him. She couldn't, so she told him her next truth.

"He saved my life twice over."

"What do you mean?" Lani asked, coming over to join the conversation.

"When the pit master's men were following me. He saved me from getting an arrow through my heart. I saved his life because I owe him as much."

Braith sighed. "We still don't know why the Rebels were following him. He could be a danger to us. We must be rid of him."

Syrene glanced over to where the demon was and saw that he was watching them. She wondered what he was thinking but then thought better of it. She did not want to be in his head or wanted him in hers.

"I do not like the look of him. The sooner we rid ourselves of him the better."

Syrene nodded. "Let's get him to safety, then we can be on our way."

It was decided. They would get the demon safely out of the forest, then they will go back to the small hut that they found on the outskirts of the town. The guards were still looking for her, but not with the same vigour that they were before. She and her friends had managed to find safety for the time being. She couldn't mess that up for them by keeping the demon around.

Syrene left her friends and walked over to the demon. He was removing the makeshift bandage that she had tied around his injured arm. His wound had already started healing. He was about to fully remove the bandage, which would only expose his true nature. She lightly touched his arm and shook her head.

He lightly placed his hand over hers and images from her dream filled her head in vivid, rapid succession.

"What was that? What did I just see?" The demon questioned in shock.

She tugged her hand out from under his. "You saw nothing, demon." She said firmly, but soft enough so that her friends wouldn't hear.

Braith chose that moment to come over to them. He eyed the demon suspiciously and the spot on his arms that Syrene had just been touching.

"Are you okay, Syrene? Is he bothering you?"

He pulled her away from the demon, bringing her closer to him. Syrene was so flustered by what she'd just experienced that she didn't see the way her friend and the demon were looking at each other.

When the images were assaulting her mind, the demon had been in her head, seeing what she was seeing. She felt him. it wasn't the first time she had such strange occurrences with him. However, this one freaked her out because what goes on in her head should be private.

Syrene was brought out of her thoughts when the demon stood. It was then she realised the tension that was rapidly building between the two males.

"You are not welcome here. But since Syrene had decided to save you, for reasons I still don't agree with. You would do well to know your boundaries."

Her friend was only trying to protect her. But the demon didn't look like he'd ever had anyone talk down to him before if the surprise on his face was anything to go by.

Braith continued, "I will soon kill you if you harm her in any way. For your own safety, you should stay away from her."

Something flashed in the demon eyes. It happened so fast that she was sure that her friends didn't see it. But she did. She knew that the situation was on the verge of danger because she felt the anger and rage the demon was barely holding on to. Syrene knew that she had to stop them before one or both of them got hurt.

"You think you can harm me? You are only alive now because I chose to honour the kindness of the witch. Do not tempt me."

Braith was about to push his luck. Syrene stepped in between the two males, hands stretched out, pushing them apart.

"Enough, you two! We have done enough fighting for the day."

Lani also stepped forward, coming to stand by Braith's side. Syrene grabbed the demon's hand and pulled him further away and Lani did the same with Braith. When they were a distance away from Lani and Braith, she turned to the demon who was still glaring at her best friend.

"Are you crazy? What were you going to do, blurt out, I am a big bad demon, and I can kill you?"

He frowned at her. "Not in those exact words, but yes."

Syrene rolled her eyes. Was he dense? Did he not know the danger of the situation that he was in? She swore, he frustrated her to no ends.

"Unbelievable! You're unbelievable!"

His frown deepened as he eyed her in confusion. "Are you mocking me, witch?"

Syrene snorted. The demon was denser than she thought. "Mocking you? I'm not mocking you, demon, I'm saving you.

His face softened as his lips kicked up in amusement. "Saving me? From whom? Him?"

He pointed to Braith who was keenly watching the interaction between Syrene and the demon.

"Not just him, demon, them. Besides me, they are the best fighters I know, and demon or not, they will kick your ass."

The ignorant fool grunted, "I would like to see them try."

Syrene blew out a breath, frustrated. "Forget it. Let's just get out of these woods peacefully and proceed on going our separate ways."

He nodded in agreement with her. The sooner they were both on their way, the better it would be for them all. For one, she did not like this growing connection that was developing between her and the demon.

*****

They were on the move again. They had been walking for a little under two hours. The journey was not an easy one. She had expected the demon to complain because he did not look like he had done a days labour in his life. His well-groomed hands and sharply cut clothing alerted her to his wealth. She was glad that her friends didn't catch on. Anyway, they weren't attuned to the demon as she was, so missing the finer details was understandable.

Again, Syrene wondered why the Rebels were after him. What standing did he hold in Isesadour? Was he a visiting diplomat from another kingdom? She had so many questions that she wanted to ask him but held her tongue for fear of the answer he would give. Once she knew the truth, there would be no turning back.

Braith told them to be careful and alert because the trek had started to get difficult. Syrene was familiar with the woods and all their obstacles, but with her thoughts constantly wandering, she was finding it hard to navigate well. Her feet slipped more than once, causing the demon to help her every time she was about to fall.

"Thank you."

He chuckled, "I wonder what thoughts are keeping you distracted?"

She pulled her arms from him, ignoring his bate. However, her cheeks flamed because she knew what he was referring to. She slipped again as the images flashed through her mind, but Braith was the one to help her this time. She hadn't even seen him move closer to her.

She smiled at Braith, and he returned it. However, the anger she felt coming from the demon caused her to look up at him in surprise. She was about to question why he was angry but saw that his eyes were glued to the hand Braith still had on her.

Without thinking, she moved out of Braith's touch and continued on her way, choosing to ignore the look she saw on the demon's face. She definitely did not want to know what that look meant, or why it excited her that he had a problem with Braith touching her. No, it would do her no good to entertain such thoughts.

They manoeuvred the rough patch of the woods, and finally reach a part that was easier for them. However, darkness had started looming in, making it hard for Syrene to see. Her steps started slowing, and she found herself drifting closer to the demon. The familiar fear started to creep its way up her spine, like hundreds of tiny legs of spiders.

She wanted to stop and make camp, but far off in the distance, she could see a faint glow, letting her know that the city was near. That spurred her on. She couldn't wait to be back in her little hut and out of the dark night. Her speed increase as the glow got brighter. Fear and adrenaline kept her feet moving when all she wanted to do was stop and stay frozen until the night pass.

"Malvin!"

A female voice called. Syrene was going to carry on walking because all she wanted was to be out of the forest. But the demon stopped her. She turned to glare at him.

"What?!" She asked irritated.

He ignored her tone. "Someone is coming."

She grunted. "I haven't lost my sight or my hearing."

"No, you have just lost complete awareness of your surroundings. Use your eyes, witch."

The woman's voice called out again. And this time Syrene did pay attention. The woman who was calling was accompanied by the National guards.

"Horse shit," Braith cursed, "We have to turn back."

Syrene refused to move, casting a hateful and frightened look back at the now deadly dark woods behind her.

"I will not go back in there, Braith." She whispered.

"It's alright Syrene, we will be here with you. I shall hold your hand all the way." Braith assured her with an outstretched hand.

However, she backed away from him. "Sorry, Braith, but I am not going back in there. I shall take my chance with the guards if I have to, but I'm definitely not going back in there."

Kailani stepped forward, "Alright, you don't have to."

The young shifter knew of Syrene's fear of the darkness. And she knew that no amount of persuasion would make her go back into the dark forest.

Lani looked around, "Maybe if we just stay here in the shadows, they won't see us."

Syrene knew that Lani didn't believe her own words just as much as Syrene didn't. If they stayed out in the open, they would surely be caught by the guards. She didn't want her friends to be captured by the guards because of her, so she told them to go on without her, she'd be fine.

"You two can shift, why don't you shift and go hide somewhere. I do not want you getting hurt because of me. Mal and I will be alright"

The female voice was getting louder. And with her approach getting nearer, so were the guards. They were running out of time.

"I'm not leaving you here, and especially not with him," Braith whispered back.

She knew that Braith meant well, but she didn't have time to accommodate his stubbornness.

"I will protect her, which is far more than you can do." The demon countered in an irritated tone.

Braith moved closer to the demon, but Syrene and Kailani got in between them, pulling them apart.

"We don't have time for your male egos to take a shit dig at each other," Syrene said.

She pointed at Braith, "You, take Lani, and go. Keep her safe. Mal and I will be fine."

Braith was about to protest, but Syrene stopped him. "Please, Braith, you know I am fast and resourceful."

She paused, taking a breath. "If you love me, you will do this. You will protect Lani."

Braith did not want to, but he nodded, taking Kailani with him back into the forest. However, he turned just before the darkness could completely swallow them up.

"We are going to stay close and that's not debatable."

She nodded, not knowing if he saw it or not, then he disappeared into the darkness with Lani.

She turned to the demon, "Well, any bright ideas on how to get us out of this, demon?"

A sound came from the direction of the woods that Braith and Kailani just entered, alerting the guards. Syrene knew that it was Lani. She was still not used to shifting. It had only been a little over a year since she found out that she was a shifter. Since she wasn't born with the markings of a witch, everyone had thought that she was one of the rare few that witch blood had missed. It made her life a little easier because it meant that she could pass for a human. However, it was a complete surprise to them, when she came into her shifting powers.

"The guards will soon be upon us."

They were already running in their direction. Syrene knew that they were not going to have enough time to find a hiding place. So, she prepared to fight.

"They're too close, we are never going to find a place to hide, and I am not going back in there." She glanced behind her.

Syrene turned to look at the demon but was surprised to see the look of panic in his eyes. It was dark, but he was close enough for her to make out his features. He looked at her as if assessing her, then back to the guards that were quickly approaching.

She was confused. Was he afraid of the guards? Was he on the run from the Royals? Nothing else explained his panic look. She was about to tell him that they were running out of time, but then he raised his shoulders and gave her a determined look as if he had decided on something great.

"What are you doing, get ready?"

Syrene didn't have time to congratulate him on finding his bravado. She would do that later if they survived. She took up her fighting stance, ready and waiting to take as many of them out as she could. However, the demon grabbed her hand, pulling her further in the shadows with him. She was about to complain, but then he did something she definitely wasn't expecting.

Syrene watched in fascination and fear as large sleek black wings manifested from his back, wrapping themselves around them. In an instance, the realisation of what he was hit her. He was not only a demon but a winged one. Which only meant one thing... he was a royal.