The Demon King Davian

She said, “I remember thinking I should run away. Find a slayer. But I couldn’t move. I was literally paralyzed with fear—the way I’d been in the meadow before Morgan shoved me out of the fire wraith’s path. I wanted to scream for my parents to run as well.” The burn in her throat now was as strong as it had been all those years ago. “I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. And I know why.”

Sheena stealthily joined her once again, but didn’t speak.

“I knew there was nothing I could do,” Jade continued. “If I did cry out, the shifters would come after me too. If I fled, they’d follow me and kill me. Yet in my mind, I was yelling at myself to do both of those things to distract the shifters’ attention from my parents. I wanted to get the wolves to chase me, but I was completely immobilized. Something I’ve never forgiven myself for.”

The vampire’s hand rested gently on her shoulder. “You simply can’t accept you’re not always the true target.”

Jade’s eyes flashed to Sheena’s concerned face. “I never thought of it that way.”

“Why must you always first think that you should be the savior?”

Their gazes locked. Jade’s heart beat faster. She had no answer for her friend’s question, aside from saying, “I possess special abilities others do not. Doesn’t that mean I should try to save those weaker than me?”

Sheena gaped, but for a moment. “You’re not invincible, Jade. You’re human and mortal. So even if you had distracted the shifters, you wouldn’t have gotten away from them or survived their swift attack. They would have circled back for your parents. Then, Jade, all three of you would be dead.”

Tears crested her eyes. “I know this, Sheena. But it doesn’t comfort me. Can you understand that? I cowered here, and while my mind raced with all the things I should do—all the things I wanted to do—I couldn’t physically move, other than to turn my back and cover my ears and close my eyes when my mother started screaming.”

Her body jerked at the memory and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Jade…”

“Eventually,” she told Sheena, “the ground vibrated and I peeked again, seeing a rider descending upon the shifters. They’d already…dismembered…my parents.” She swallowed down the bile inching upward. “The wolves took off and the rider pursued them. I only recently learned who he was—Morgan. He killed the shifters.”

“And then came back for you?” her friend asked, her voice low and soothing.

“No,” Jade said. “Walker found me. He took me to Michael’s parents’ house and I had a horrific couple of weeks there, with nightmares and never-ending sobfests.” She shook her head. “Nothing and no one could console me. I wanted to be alone. I hated how everyone kept trying to calm me. I didn’t want to be calm. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t do that with all those people constantly surrounding me. So I decided to go to the cottage.”

“And they just let you?” Sheena admonished.

“I left when they were at the town hall on a Sunday. Michael’s father came to the cottage and tried to persuade me to return with him, but I refused. I think he had it in his mind to physically remove me, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He let me stay.”

“How dreadful.”

“In the beginning,” Jade concurred. “Gradually, it got better. The solitude was somehow soothing. And I felt a connection with my parents when I was at the cottage—that got me through some very tough nights. That connection has never gone away.”

“I’m sure your neighbors checked on you regularly.”

“They did. Everyone found some way to assist me, though I’ve always had an independent streak, so I didn’t have trouble fending for myself.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing,” Sheena admitted. “Here we’ve been criticizing you for being so autonomous, yet it’s a characteristic that has obviously seen you through difficult situations. Painful times.”

Jade thought of how she’d recently opened up to her human friends, and how she’d m

indlessly brought Sheena to this sacred spot she would never have come to on her own—nor had she ever shared this much detail of the worst day of her life with anyone else. Not even Michael.

Brushing away her tears, she asked, “Do most vampires prefer being in groups?”

“Yes. That’s likely why there are a number of them who reside within the castle. The shifters prefer the woods, naturally. The other demons don’t seem to have a specific inclination, though most of them exist outside the castle walls.” Sheena was quiet a moment before saying, “I won’t lie and tell you all demons want harmony with humans. We still have the desire to be the dominate species. And we want the freedom to not live in fear of slayings.”

“Humans want that for themselves as well.”

“I understand.” The vampire smiled. “I believe that’s why we’re all able to inhabit this world at the same time, with the exception of the offshoots. They do set back our progress when they rise up. But for the most part, the demons belonging to Davian’s kingdom and those of his stewards are tired of fighting and want to enjoy the fresh air, the unspoiled land, the non-contaminated waters.”

“Your kind would have made great environmentalists decades ago.”

With a shrug and a remorseful sigh, she contended, “It’s unfortunate we’ve cared more about the ecosystem than human life.”

“Maybe that’s where a balance can come into play. Isn’t there a way to provide creature comforts without polluting the world again?”