FORTY EIGHT

Word Count: 1913

~Tove

"He touches you, I kill him," Keo warns.

I smile a little, rolling my eyes. My mate is acting as though I'm about to walk into a death match with a Noble, when the plan is to hopefully have a civil conversation.

Whether it will go the way I've planned is not assured, though.

"You're being dramatic," I assure him. "The poor man is a slave to Demon's."

"Nothing is happening that he doesn't deserve," he grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. He is relinquishing a lot of involvement in this process by allowing me to meet with Dax on my own.

If Keo was there, the conversation wouldn't be productive.

I press my hands against his chest. "Go, I can handle this."'

Lines of tension cut into his forehead as he backs away. He wouldn't do this for anyone else, but he trusts me, and that means more to me than anything considering the last time I was here, in Mary's apartment, he was about to use my friend's illness as a way to have me work for him.

"Alright. It's good to see you, Mary. Good luck." Keo nods at my friend who lingers back, watching us.

The moment he vanishes, I let out a breath, turning back to Mary.

My apartment now belongs to someone else, however, Mary still lives in the building. We decided we needed somewhere in Territory One to wait out until one of the Noble's realises I'm here and comes after me again.

I approach my friend. "I hope this is okay. I don't want to put you in danger."

"He's not coming for me, don't worry," Mary assures me, giving me a tight smile.

She may not want to admit it, but she's nervous. Hopefully the Noble's don't waste any time and decide to question her as well.

"So he never came to you to get to me?" I ask. I suspected they may have since Mary is the closest link to me. I'm glad Dax was able to maintain some morals and left her alone.

She's been through enough because of me...

"Thankfully no."

I pull her into a hug. "I missed you. I can't wait until this is over so I can see you again."

"You're doing a good thing, Tove," Mary tells me earnestly. She pulls back. "Why don't you get some sleep. I'm sure he will show up eventually."

Mary and I bid each other goodnight and I head into her spare room. I tell her to blockade herself into her room, just in case.

Not that it would matter...

Clambering into bed, I pull the sheets up to my chin. I'm not sure how much sleep I'm going to get as I anticipate the Noble's arrival. There is no guarantee that they will take any notice, or that they will care, but I get the feeling Dax still have a vendetta he wants to settle.

Eventually I tumble into a restless sleep, haunted by Dax's dark eyes.

A loud, pounding knock at the door has me shooting out of bed.

I fumble for the light switch, my mind swirling with confusion. It takes me a moment to realise I'm in Mary's apartment and the person knocking loudly on the door in the middle of the night is definitely a Noble.

Rubbing my eyes I wander to the front door. Pausing, I straighten, readying myself.

Slowly, I open the door. Sure enough, it's Dax, his hands seated in his pockets, shadows shrouding him.

"Well, at least you had the courtesy to knock," I mutter.

He raises his dark brows. "You're back in Territory One. And not near your mate."

"I wanted to talk to you. Can we go somewhere else to talk," I ask, looking behind me at Mary's closed door. In case something goes south I want to be as far away from her as possible.

Dax blinks, looking a little offended.

"I'm not going to hurt your friend."

"I know." I rub the back of my neck. I don't know, actually, which is why I want to do this somewhere else. "This is important."

He sighs through his nose, narrowing his eyes. He's suspicious of me, trying to determine whether I'm setting up a trap. I can't blame him for thinking that, since I'm walking into his arms with no Keo in sight.

"You seem awfully sure I'm going to let you go again."

"You will," I tell him assuredly, trying to maintain my own confidence.

He holds his hand out to me. "Alright. Let's go."

I swallow thickly. This could be a mistake - I'm putting my faith in a Noble for the sake of my mother, who wouldn't even consider doing the same for me.

As expected, Dax transports us to the Noble's Manor in the centre of Territory One. This time, however, he invites me into a formal sitting room rather than tying me up in binds that inhibit my magic.

Dax collapses onto the chaise lounge, stretching his arms out. "Get to it then."

"My mother is a Demon Hunter. You may be familiar with her, as she often gets intel from you, apparently. You met with her earlier today," I inform him, tentatively sitting on the seat opposite him.

"Ah yes. I see the resemblance," he notes. "In looks, anyways."

I narrow my eyes. He's right, my mother and I couldn't be more different, and I'm glad for it.

"I need you to imprison her," I tell him. There is no point walking around the point. The sooner he agrees the sooner I can get back to Keo.

Dax frowns. "Hunting Demon's isn't a crime."

"Well it should be, and you know that," I growl.

He pauses, a shadow passing over his face. I don't actually think Dax is evil enough to truly despise Demon's for no reason. He knows they have been persecuted, but he believes they are equally to blame for their misfortune.

"There's nothing I can do about it. Even if I wanted to change the law, it's not my decision," Dax tells me warily.

I smile. "Luckily for you there is a chance for you to redeem yourself."

"I can't imprison your mother."

"Would you change your mind if you knew she slaughtered innocent Demon's who had never harmed a person in their life?" I ask him.

I'm giving him a chance to redeem himself before I start the blackmail. I want to have some faith that Territory One is led by good people, and not Demon hating monsters.

"She's instructed only to go for one's who have harmed Angel-blood's in the past," he tells me. The utter confusion on his face is enough to tell me he isn't lying.

I clasp my hands together. "Well she isn't."

Dax sweeps his hand through his dark brown curls, tense. I tap my feet impatiently, hoping this is enough to get him to agree without having the bring Astera and Ziah into this.

"I can't imprison her. I can stop giving her work-"

"That won't do anything! She will keep harming innocent people and the blood will be on your hands," I insist, my voice raising with every word.

He shakes his head at me. "My hands are tied."

"I didn't want to have to do this, but it seems I don't have any other choice," I sigh. "I have information I can share with you, but you must promise to imprison my mother for as long as possible."

Dax pauses, officially intrigued.

"What information?"

"I need a guarantee." There is a chance Dax will learn this information and still not imprison my mother. I could always threaten him, which feels very tempting right now.

Dax gives me a long, hard look. "How do I know this information is worth it."

"Let's just say that once you learn this information, you will want to do what I say, because I can make more terrible things happen to you than what is currently going on," I want.

He shifts, confusion flaring in his eyes. He isn't intimidated by me, but he knows I wouldn't say this unless I meant it.

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you noticed you're maybe more tired than usual? Maybe there are gaps in your memory? Missing time?" I ask. There are dark shadows under his eyes and his face is more gaunt than usual, which suggests something is draining him of his energy.

He draws in a sharp breath, although quickly smothers his shock. I'm right.

"Maybe."

"There's something going on, Dax. There is someone controlling you," I tell him slowly.

His expression drops. I can see him thinking back to everyone he has come across in his life, every enemy he has made.

His attention finally settles back on me again. "Who is doing this?"

"I need my guarantee," I remind him.

He rubs a hand down his face. "There is a personal prison under this manor. We keep criminals there that need an eye kept on them, but also the conditions aren't rough. They are well looked after. Better than they deserve."

I straighten. That's exactly what I want. Regardless of what my mother has done, sentencing her to a life in a miserable prison seems especially cruel. And yet, here, she can still be locked up so she cannot hurt anymore Demon's.

"That sounds good."

"Your mother can be put through a few programmes. Hopefully she will rehabilitate." Dax is clearly just saying things to please me.

Luckily for him it's working.

"I'm going to be visiting often. With Keo," I warn him. "Once I am satisfied that she isn't going to harm anyone, she can be released. But only I decide that."

"Fine. Tell me what you know," Dax encourages, growing impatient.

"There are two Demon's, Ziah and Astera. They are full blooded Demon's and are very powerful," I tell him carefully, trying not to reveal any information about the whereabouts. "They have been controlling you."

His eyes widen. Like Keo, I imagine the Noble's have been hunting for these elusive Demon's for years.

"Controlling me how?"

"I don't know," I lie. "All I know is that they must enchant you with some kind of magic and take you back to where they live. From there, I believe they drink your blood and...honestly I don't know."

He can learn he is being controlled, but I don't want him to learn much more than that.

"H...how do I know you're not lying to me," he demands, his control slipping a little.

"Why would I lie about this? This compromises your view of Demon's." I'm taking a massive risk in doing this. "You must know that they see you as the enemy. They were there when Angel-blood's slaughtered Demon's on mass."

"I get it." He's too distracted to pay my pleas any mind. "I'm going to have to find some magic to counter it."

"If you don't imprison my mother on my terms, I'll send these powerful Demon's to come kill you," I warn.

My threat holds, even though I'm hoping I can convince one of the Demon's to move on to another realm. Dax doesn't need to know these details, though.

He rises to his feet, holding his hand out.

"It's a deal."

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