Readers of books are the exorcists of their own demons.
-Mario Vargas-Llosa

A deep growl and a loud thump, a thump that comes when a human falls on or against something, is what wakes me up.

The growl undoubtedly came from my Dad and the thump ended with a guy's swearing.

Both me and Mom fell asleep at the dinning room table studying and compiling a case against Robert Lewis. I know Dad must have carried Mom back to bed since she's not next to me asleep or working.

With cases like this, my parent's basically kill themselves working so hard. I help out when I can.

I begin to yawn when a giant growl followed with the ground literally shaking for a good five seconds cuts my drunken sleep deprived state off for a sober one. I frown, realizing there was no immediate shout for my mom or explanation for whatever stupid thing happened -making me realize that it probably isn't a stupid thing. 

Suddenly Asher barges in the room, and meets my eye not even a second later. "Go make sure Link's okay, this could get ugly." 

Thankfully he actually does what I say, barely registering the fact I talked to him.

Dashing from the dining room I follow the sound of the yelling that came after my dad's growl, instantly taken aback when I find my mom trying to stop Link and Asher from going outside. "You both need to stay in here. You can't go outside!" She shouts.

"Mom? Where's D-"

Another growl is all I need to know, and try to move past the three of them only to have Link hold me back. Without thinking I pull back before smashing my forehead into his jaw, making him instantly drop me.

Nobody wins in a headbutt, but I know I didn't actually hurt him.

To say I wasn't prepared for what I saw when I went outside would either be a understatement or a lie.

At least five police, with their hands over or already wrapped around their weapons, were facing my dad and they all looked mad beyond reason. They were the ones yelling.

My anger instantly rises.

"So the Devil calls the Demon to come and help him," Sneers one of the officers. Instantly I recognize him as Aspen, a guy who has hated my dad as long as I can remember. Dad has punched him more than anyone I've met- -other than my Uncle Jules- -purely because Aspen always tries to mess with my mom. "How pathetic."

Stepping forward, a move that clearly annoys my dad since I'm putting myself in danger. "You're the pathetic one, Ass-pen. It's Diabla, just so you're aware."

"It's Officer." His close friend, someone who is beyond scared of my dad, Caleb says. He already has his gun out and pointed.

"Please, there's no reason to call me Officer. I wouldn't go into your fucked up profession." I growl back, glaring. "Why the fuck are you here?"

"Can you not control the women in your house?" A third officer, Maxwell Keller, spits. Both me and my dad growl at this, behind me the four people left in the house stumble out with my mom in the lead. "Guess not. Seems like you can't even control someone you're fucking, or that scared little abused boy in the back. Let alone that blue eyed bitch."

Without thinking I step forward, prepared to lunge and knock this asshole's lights out for saying something like that about Mom and Link. Dad stops me just in time, much to the other officer's amusement.

"Guess you can control her."

"The only reason I stopped her is because I don't feel like cleaning your blood off my front lawn," The most caring father I know snarls, making the threat clear. This time, I'm his weapon and I'll gladly be. Neither of us handle how the police talk about our family well. "So I suggest you leave before I decide it wouldn't be that much of a hassle after all."

"What do you say Emmeline? Are you still wanting to stick around here?" The massive jackass turns to my mom, making her physically recoil.

"Don't even fucking breath in her direction." I snap, making them focus on me. I notice one in the back eye raping my exposed cleavage and toned stomach. "Ew, douche-bag. You have a left hand, go use it."

"Don't talk to me like that." He whines, voice darkening in a condescending tone.

"Then don't look at me like that."

"We're here for Rich's boy." Officer Aspen says. Both me and dad growl at the mention of Dick, who clearly sent his arrogant friends on the police force after his son. "There doesn't have to be any hard feelings, no violence, if you just let us take him."

"It's a god damn good thing you got your pistols out because you're going to have to use it on me before you can even touch a single fucking hair on that boy." Dad defends Lincoln, and it's clear as day Link wasn't expecting to be stuck up for like this, let alone from a father. "So either shoot or get the hell off my property."

Not even willing to take the bet I step between my dad and Aspen, grabbing the barrel of his gun and turning it up until he's forced to drop it right at his feet, where I pick it up.

"There. I made the decision for you. Leave. Because if you decide to shoot, Officer, you're the one who will end bleeding. I'm faster to unload three rounds then you are to one. Leave. Now."

One by one, with scoffs and glares, they leave.

Two things were clear, they had no problem shooting and they'll be back.

Feeling all the adrenaline leave my system my knees seem to give out as a rush of weakness hits me. With my hands splayed on the ground I struggle to keep my heart from giving out of me, focusing on calming down so the Broken Heart Syndrome isn't the thing that takes me out.

"Oh fuck!" Mom's panicked voice comes from behind me, clearly trying to decide between me and Dad, who dropped onto a knee and is shaking with anger.

"Take care of that Wolf. I got this one." Asher cuts in, moving towards me. "Liza, Liza. Look at me."

Shaking my head I drop the disgustingly cold gun metal out of my hands.

I hate this; I hate how family can turn on family, and how mine are usually the ones who save them. I hate how my dad keeps having to go through this. I hate how this makes me feel. I hate how my body gives up on me, I hate how I'm suddenly not strong enough anymore.

I hate this.

"Xavier look at me, you can touch me. You can. Calm down, you can do that. They're gone now. I'm okay. Link's okay. You're okay. Xavier..."

My mom's voice drowns out the second Asher touches me, holding one of my hands against his heart and the other one against my heart.

"You feel that?" In this moment I forget he's not supposed to be touching me like this, that it's not good for him, or rather, my body forgot we broke up. Taking a shuddering breath I shake my head, before realizing that his pulse is beating almost as fast as my own. "That's us."

"Exactly." Kissing my temple the nice guy breathes out. "And we're both alive. And we're both going to be okay. You have to stay calm, you have to make sure you're going to stay okay. Your dad's okay, your mom's okay, Link's okay."

"You're not okay. Fuck -Asher!" I start to pull away but cold hands stop me, one on my back not letting me pull away.

"I'm okay." He confirms, desperately searching my eyes, holding me against him like he's just a little too scared to let go. "You're insane standing up to the police force like that."

"Insane is okay sometimes...I couldn't let my dad stand there alone."

A loud growl bursts from my chest as I'm ripped from the moment I was just having with Asher for the first time in months and placed standing in front of my dad like a active human shield, only a second later as I collide with Link's chest do I understand why. The asshole that's actually a parent made me get hugged so he wouldn't have to have human contact.

Because it's not like he could have made my mom, who's grown to love hugs get one, or the best friend or even just step out of the way, pfft no, never, he couldn't have done that. He just had to use me, the one person I've met that hates human contact almost as much as he does.

I still don't really get the whole devil thing.

"Dad!" I scold, shoving the redhead off me. "What the fuck?"

"What? He was going to hug me." Dad shrugs, blue eyes lightening up with humor instead of anger. "Couldn't let that happen."

"I don't want him to hug me either!" I exclaim, eyeing Link in disgust. "That strawberry has one too many chemicals on the list, if you catch my drift."

"I do not have any-"

"Shh," Mom interrupts Lincoln's defense. "They'll only like it if you start a argument."

"You can't win with idiots anyway." I say with a shrug.

"Elle's right, we'd either bring you down to our level or just not admit that we'd lost. It's a lose lose all while we get a good laugh." My dad agrees without hesitating. Asher silently helps his best friend up, someone who I can see has gone through a lot these last few days. "You two kids okay? I didn't know she'd shove you."

"You were actually going to take a bullet for me." Link blurts. "Why the fuck? I'm not -I barely know you."

It goes quite for a moment, only my family knowing why my dad is so protective over people -especially when they're in the situation Lincoln is in.

"I don't have to know someone to help them." Dad says coldly, his defenses coming up.

"Be nice." I growl at him, feeling protective over Link for absolutely no reason. He's actually my friend now. Gross.

"Always," The Devil smirks. "And you?"

"M-me? I'm alright...why wouldn't I be?" Asher stammers.

"I was never okay after seeing this one," My dad points a thumb towards Mom, who turns sheepish. "Duke it out with those bastard cops. After every fight I'd either be angry as hell or not knowing what to do with myself with so much concern."

They both- -including Asher who basically ignores how Dad insinuating low-key that we're in love like they are- -stare blankly at my dad, clearly thinking that all my negative defy-the-law traits come from him. "That's right," I snicker. "I got all this from her."

"No...seriously?" Lincoln, taken aback, looks between Mom and me. You'd never guess the mischievous shit those grey eyes can get her into. "It doesn't seem right."

"Dad is usually the silent until made loud type and my mom is the epic partier who doesn't have any boundaries except the sky. And my dad's only been arrested once, and he didn't even get that on his permanet record. Mom on the other hand's the type to get arrested with like twenty other people."

"I am not!" My mom pouts, turning red with a pout before she corrects herself. "Well, I am, but you aren't suppose to know that."

"I know a lot more than you think." I say, chuckling at her expression.

"Wolves." Asher curses using my last name, mint eyes drifting from person to person until they land on me, and suddenly looks very sad.

It all suddenly becomes all too much, too many emotions, much too fast. Looking to my dad not even having to say anything for him to know what's happening.

I need to go somewhere, anywhere, that's not here.

"Where?" He asks, plain and simple. Just how I like it.

"Evan's. He has Mickey and Rose over." I look him straight in the eyes, challenging him from denying me from going to that douches house. "I'm walking."

"Call me if you need to be picked up." Relief washes over me, only nodding to my mom I ignore the stares of the other two friends. I can't deal with them right now, not with my heart pounding the way it is.

With a nod I walk back into the house and to Xander's room, throw on my running clothes and my keys lanyard, pull my hair up, and brush my teeth.

Because of Uncle Cal, his family lives right in front of the forest, and Evan rented the house right next door and often watches his two younger siblings. 

Micah, or Mickey as I call him, is 11 while Rose or Rosangel is only 5.

They love me, I'm the cool cousin who always knows a good joke when I hear one. They tell terrible jokes but I always laugh anyway.

Leaving through my window I climb down the tree before playing my music through my plain blue earbuds, to block out to sound of my dangerously fast beating heart.

My parents bought a house in the same township as their besties but because my Dad requested a little privacy we lived in the middle of the woods with no neighbors. So I can just cut through the woods to get to Evan's house.

Something he'll sure love is a surprise visit from the Devil's daughter.

It wasn't long before I found my destination and I knocked on the door.

Unbeknownst to my family I have everyone's house key copied, but I only use them for emergencies only. And that's saying a lot because my family is huge. Scratch that- Celeste knows too, because she can tell everyone in seconds and she knows where to get them. So, in all honesty, I could just walk in.

Begrudgingly, Evangelos lets me in and I spend the rest of the day there, unintentionally, helping Evan before the two rowdy children head to bed.

With a finger raised above the kid's heads and a squished hug to them, I exit the house. Jumping over his back fence I run through the woods.