More demons started talking over each other nearby while the tension in the street climbed rapidly. My demon shifted slightly in front of me again without even seeming to realize he was doing it, the movement instinctive, protective, and painfully familiar by now.
And this time, despite being angry at him, I still noticed that he always did that when things became dangerous. I felt fully manipulated even if he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
The younger brother leaned toward Nina quietly while watching the crowd. “This is going worse than usual.”
“There’s a USUAL version of this?”
“No. That’s the upsetting part.”
Anderson addressed my demon directly. “If the council reaches the city before we do, this situation becomes public.”
Nina blinked once. “This IS public.”
“You have not seen the demonic public yet.”
Chapter 19
Eva POV
And before I could ask what that meant, the entire street cleared with alarming speed as demons moved out of the way so quickly it felt less like a crowd leaving and more like people escaping.
Every instinct in my body hated it. I took in the frightened faces around us. “Why is everybody acting like the apocalypse is coming?”
The younger brother grimaced beside Nina. “Because politically speaking… it kind of is.”
Nina folded both arms. “I knew this relationship needed less destiny and more boundaries.”
My demon already visibly annoyed. Which apparently meant something very bad was happening.
A group of demons wearing black armor emerged from farther down the street and started walking directly toward us. Their armor reflected silver fire sharply beneath the lantern light while dark cloaks dragged behind them across the stone streets.
Nobody nearby even dared to look directly at them. That felt more threatening than weapons.
Nina leaned closer toward me slightly. “Oh I hate authoritative outfits.”
The guards stopped directly in front of my demon before bowing, and the careful precision of the movement made it painfully obvious they understood exactly who they were standing before. Then one of them’s gaze settled on me. The entire street went silent.
The guard stared openly for a second before asking, “…the human is beside him willingly?”
I blinked once. “That sounded weirdly personal.”
The guard hesitated before adding in a much quieter voice, almost like he couldn't fully believe the words himself, “He has never allowed anyone this close to him before.”
My eyes shifted automatically toward my demon. Annoyance had already settled across his face.
“You’re really not a people person, huh.”
The younger brother answered for him. “He once ignored an entire royal banquet because someone tried to hug him.”
Nina nodded seriously. “That is relatable.”
The head guard straightened again after that while the atmosphere around us tightened sharply. “The demonic council demands to see the human.”
Immediate tension snapped through the street. My demon answered instantly.
“No.”
The guard hesitated slightly. “Your Highness….”
