Hey, sorry it's been SO long everyone! I really do apologize!

I've just been so busy with everything, school activities are finally starting back up(I still have two more weeks before school though, thank GOD!)

So there's alot of things going on right now, but I promise(or at least hope) that it'll get better from now on...

Anyway, the more you review, the more motivation I have to post new chapters faster!

So I guess it's just up to you. :)


Chapter Nine

I could hear the sound of someone talking before I could comprehend anything else. The next sense that came back to me was my feeling; I could feel a hand on my arm. Then I could taste the blood in my mouth, and smelled death in the air.

Finally, after a few agonizing minutes of helplessness, I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings.

A man was sitting beside where I was laying on a bed, his face distraught with worry and pain. No, not a man, my man. Jayden.

"Jayden." I forced out, my voice even less than a whisper. His eyes widened and he leaned close to me, his face automatically brighter.

"Elina." He whispered back, his hand enclosing around mine. "I thought I'd lost you."

"You can't get rid of me that easily." I whispered back, laughing even though it intensified the pain in my stomach. He grimaced slightly at my comment and the reaction to laughter my face took on, frowning.

"I'm so sorry, Elina. I don't know how they got past me." He kissed my hand and caressed it against his cheek. "I can't believe I let this happen, let them hurt you. I love you so much. I understand if you never want to talk to me or see me again, but I really am sorry." I stopped his rambling by putting a finger over his lips.

"Jayden, I don't blame you. It wasn't your fault. I do want to see you again, but I want you to answer this one question." I paused, waiting for his reaction, "Did the Demons come in wanting to kill you—or were they looking for me the whole time?"

He shook his head, looking down at the floor. "I don't know. They aren't supposed to be able to recognize that I'm the hunter who kills them, that's why I go to school, so I seem normal and don't stand out. I didn't think they knew who I was—until now.

"But it also could have been you. They might have waited for me to leave, and then came in for you because both of your parents betrayed them. Demons are intelligent, they remember. They're also extremely protective of each other." He answered, moving onto the bed beside me and draping an arm around my shoulders.

"So they have human minds?"

He thought about this for a moment, "Probably somewhere between a human and an intelligent animal. Their fighting tactics and skills are animal-like, while they're living and social skills are human based. They mate and live like humans, but their minds are switched during a fight and they lose most of their self control. That can be an advantage or a disadvantage to me and my family."

I took in this new information for a few minutes, and then decided it was time to change the subject. "So how serious are my injuries?"

He snorted, frowning and lifting my shirt to reveal my stomach. I gasped, horrified.

There were four dark bruises covering the entire front of my stomach, I assumed where my ribs were. Jayden ran his fingers over each one, lightly enough so that it didn't hurt me. "You have four broken ribs and they almost ruptured your stomach."

Then he lifted the blanket to show my arms, covered it deep cuts and lighter bruises. "Their nails aren't poisonous, but they do cut deep. Luckily enough none of them needed stitches."

He rolled up my torn pant leg to reveal almost untouched legs, aside from one place where a chunk of my knee was just gone. It was healed and wasn't even really red anymore, but there was a lot of skin missing.

And finally he leaned over to kiss the side of my head, "Your head got rattled up, but I don't think you have any concussions."

I sighed, sinking back into the bed, "So just a few cuts and bruises then?"

"Hardly. You won't be able to walk for another day of two. Before your ribs could heal in the wrong places, I… moved them back into place so we wouldn't have to go to the hospital."

"You performed surgery on me?" I said somewhat loudly, surprised and in disbelief.

"No, no. I just kind of pushed them. I hope I didn't hurt you worse." He answered quickly. I sighed in relief.

"Oh, that's better. So I guess this rules out any kind of fun we were planning on having during our break from school, huh?" I asked in a light tone.

"I suppose it does. I'm sorry, this was all my fault. I'm terrible for you. I should take you home…" His voice became serious and husky.

I guffawed in response to his statement, causing him to raise his eyebrows and glare at me. I had to refrain from slapping him. "Jayden, you need to stop that. I love you, end of story. I'm not leaving you, and you sure as hell better not leave me, alright? Now what good would taking me home do if I can't even walk myself?"

"I don't deserve you." He whispered, leaning in and kissing me briefly, his eyes now full of love instead of shame.

I rolled my eyes at him. "How long was I unconscious?" I asked after he pulled away and climbed up off of the bed.

"All night. It's ten in the morning right now."

"So it's Friday then?" He nodded, laughing softly. My stomach grumbled softly, signaling it was time for me to eat breakfast.

Attempting to pull myself up, I realized too late that I was temporarily immobilized and a sharp pain shot through my stomach. Jayden frowned and rushed to my side, helping to ease me back into a comfortable position.

"Be careful, love. I'll go make you some breakfast." He told me, kissing my forehead and hurrying into the kitchen.

I sighed, knowing it was going to be an extremely boring couple of days without being able to do much. Stretching as far as I could without further injuring myself, I reached to grab the remote on the table beside me.

"Jayden?" I called, since the kitchen was pretty close to the room I was in and he had inhuman hearing. "How does your television work?"

"I'll be there in a minute." He called back, and sure enough, less than a minute later he came in, handing me a cup of juice and putting the TV on a show he figured I would like.

"Thanks." I smiled at him, and he grinned back.

"Anytime."

The rest of the day, along with both Saturday and Sunday were long and boring. For the most part, Jayden and I sat in front of the TV or he'd carry me out to the living room to play a game or talk. On Saturday night he spent three hours reading the book Hatchet aloud to me, and by Sunday afternoon I was able to walk with his help.

Sunday night we were discussing whether or not we should go to school the next day.

"How would I get to all of my classes? What if I can't walk myself?" I argued back, unwilling to waste more of my time in a place where I learned absolutely nothing. I hadn't talked to Clarissa since Wednesday, and I didn't have anything important to tell her anyway, so I could accomplish nothing at school that I couldn't accomplish staying with Jayden.

"I could help you." He replied calmly, and I glared at him. "Elina, look, the teachers are probably starting to get suspicious since we were both absent all week last week. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Demons are acting up because of my absence too."

I frowned and crossed my arms across my chest, pouting. He sighed and gently pried my arms apart, kissing my protruding bottom lip softly. "I love you, you know that. I am going to keep you safe, so we are going to go to school tomorrow."

"Fine, under one condition." He raised his eyebrows, waiting. "Tonight, you complete all of the work that both you and I missed last week. I don't want to be behind in any of my classes."

I know I was being a brat, but I didn't care. If Jayden was going to get what he wanted, so was I.

"Deal. I'll go get started on that now." He said, pulling away from me and walking out of the living room.

"Wait!" I called, and he turned around slowly. I beckoned for him to come closer and gave him a soft kiss on his lips before letting him leave.

I fell asleep before I heard from Jayden again. I woke up in the morning with Jayden's arms around me, but he was still asleep. Glancing at the clock, I sighed with relief that it was only six o'clock and we still had plenty of time to get ready for school.

I sighed, leaning over and kissing Jayden's lips softly to wake him up. It took him a few seconds to respond, but when he did it was in an extremely excited way.

He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me, "I could get used to waking up like that." He murmured, sitting up to kiss me again.

"Then it better go both ways." I replied confidently, standing up and stretching, wincing slightly at the pain in my ribs, though it had healed a lot during the night. He pulled me back down on his lap and kissed my head softly.

"Of course, my love. Anything the Queen demands." I rolled my eyes at him and pushed off of him once more.

"Well, the Queen demands a shower," I paused when I saw the look in his eyes, "alone." His face fell and I laughed softly, kissing him to make up for it. "She will allow for the Court Jester to accompany her there, if he wishes."

He jumped up and had me in his arms bridal style before I could comprehend what was going on completely. "Will this do?" I swallowed and nodded.

He smirked, walking towards the bathroom. "It seems the Queen has been dazzled by the almighty Jester."

I gave a small humph and crossed my arms across my chest. "The Queen is only dazzled by the Queen herself. No one is as good as, nor better, than the Queen." I grinned triumphantly in my mind, but my features showed a poker face.

"Ah, she is one of those Queens." He put on a French accent, "I presume she is not married, eh?"

"Of course not! She had many suitors back in the day, but she fancied none of them, and decided it'd be best to rule the world solely."

We had reached the bathroom at this point, and he set me on my feet, but continued to talk as he got the shower ready. "Not even the charming, young Court Jester?"

He turned on the water and turned back to me, resting his hand on my cheek. "The Queen would never have anything to do with a measly Court Jester. She wouldn't even marry the highest King of all."

He looked amused now, and he changed the fantasy when he spoke again. "Well then perhaps you are not like the Queen. Perhaps instead, you are a young, servant to her." I raised my eyebrows inquisitively at him and he continued, "A young servant passionately in love with the Court Jester."

"But what if the Court Jester did abnormal, dangerous stunts which made the young servant fear for his life?" I mused, "Then would she still love him?"

He cocked his head, trying to come up with a clever response. "Indeed. She loves him for his agility, quick wit, and strength."

"And he loves her for her beauty, nimble hands, and eagerness to please. He loves her more than life itself, but he is too much of a coward to tell her." I whispered, stepping closer to him and gazing deeply into his blue eyes.

He softly growled under his breath, "I came to you."

I pulled him down so our lips were only millimeters apart and whispered, "Don't be so sure." And with that, he closed the distance between us and pressed him lips ferociously onto mine.

I ran my hand up his chest, feeling his muscles ripple when he moved. When his hands made their way to my lower back, I pulled away, making sure I stopped the kiss before it went too far.

"Jayden, I need to take a shower." I noticed the water was still running in the background. He nodded, still catching his breath, and maneuvered around me and out the door.

I waited a few more minutes to calm myself down as well before stripping down and climbing into the shower.

Jayden was completely ready and already had both of our backpacks packed when I exited the bathroom. He was standing in the kitchen, leaning on the counter looking sexier than I'd ever seen him before.

He was wearing dark jeans, neither tight nor loose, black sneakers, and a tight, black muscle t-shirt that accentuated what he had been so graciously given. But it wasn't what he was wearing that made him sexier than ever, it was his dark smile that seemed to shout I know who I am and I don't give a goddamn what anyone else has to say. That's what made him sexy.

As well as the fact that his wet hair was clinging to his face and making his eyes seem a more vibrant blue than the sky itself.

Upon seeing this, I couldn't stop myself from making my way over to him as fast as I could with my injured self, and reached up to give him a passionate kiss. I felt his smile against my lips, but he pushed me away gently.

"My, my. I think our little Elina is definitely over excited today, hmm?" I laughed and he brushed wet hair out of my face. "We are all set to go. Breakfast for the road?" He asked, motioning to the many foods he'd laid out on the island for me to choose from.

"Jayden, you spoil me. I'm going to be fat soon if you don't stop it." I warned, grabbing a bagel and throwing it in the microwave for a few seconds to heat it up.

Jayden just took an apple, which he tossed in the air three times before actually taking a bite out of it. Finally, he turned to me and shrugged, "You're beautiful no matter what. And you're mine to spoil, so why waste an opportunity?"

I rolled my eyes and limped towards the garage door, frowning when I realized I'd left my backpack on the counter. Jayden came up behind me with both of ours on his back, "Got it." He said, placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me out the door.

I scowled at the back of his head, glad he didn't notice. I hated when he made me feel immature and stupid like that.

The short drive to school was mostly spent in silence, the radio providing the much needed background noise. When we did make it to school, we both received very questioning looks as we walked through the halls together, both having been absent for a week, and Clarissa literally screamed when she saw us.

"Oh my god! Elina! Finally, you're back!" Grant was standing behind her, watching us intensely. "Ok, you have to tell me everything at lunch today! You hear me? Everything! I don't want one small detail left out, alright?" I forced a smile and nodded, allowing her to give me a quick hug as the bell rang before she and Grant hurried off to class.

Jayden laughed bemusedly and helped me as I limped towards the Calculus room.

The rest of the school day went ok. We were both hounded by our teachers for being absent and given loads of makeup work, which I doubted would be completed, but otherwise most of the students ignored us, besides sending us weird looks.

At lunch, Clarissa had ditched Grant and the jocks to come sit with me and Jayden for a while, and as promised I told her as much as I could about my week off. Jayden sat quietly and listened, making sure I didn't give away too much, but he did nudge me almost inconspicuously every time I made something up.

After Clarissa went back to her normal table, Jayden and I sat and helped each other finish some of our extra work, since we didn't really have much time outside of school. I was supposed to go back to work today, which didn't make Jayden happy, but I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. The Whites needed me, and I'd been letting them down.

I also needed to check on my house, to make sure everything was ok and nothing had been stolen. Jayden promised to drop me off at both places after school so I catch up on everything I'd fallen behind in.

In gym class I'd been forced to dress out and ended up throwing a dodge ball behind the bleachers far enough to wear a skinny boy had to climb through the bars to retrieve it. Of course he got stuck and the football players had a great time trying to pull him out while I stood awkwardly and embarrassed off to the side, trying to smother both my laughter and my blush when the poor kid's pants were pulled off.

All in all, my first day back had gone much better than I'd anticipated.

The house was fine, except for the fact that the power, water, and air conditioning had all been turned off due to my "late" payments. There was a pile of bills on the counter that I didn't remember receiving or leaving there, but whatever. I'd all but moved in with Jayden now, so the house from my childhood was pretty much behind me.

Work went fine too. Although I felt guilty for lying so much about why I'd been missing in action for quite a while, the Whites seemed glad to have me back, and strangely I was glad to have my normal life back.

If normal could even begin to describe my life with a Demon Hunter boyfriend, two dead parents supposedly working with the same thing my boyfriend went off killing every day(that tried to kill me!) and the underlying suspicion that demons were also taking over the world. Yeah, my life was normal all right.

Jayden picked me up from the shop at nine, when I told him my shift ended. Instead of taking me out to dinner, like he had numerous times before, we drove in silence back to his house.

He seemed anxious, as if there was something he wanted to tell me but he couldn't force himself to get it out. Well, I could wait. Whatever he had to say probably wasn't the best of news anyway.

Finally we pulled into the long driveway, and I tapped my fingers on the glass window impatiently, knowing he was watching my every move. When he stopped the car, we both sat still for a few more seconds before moving to go into the house.

Like always, he hurried to open my door, but I walked by myself to the garage door and into the house alone. I turned on most of the lights and sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Jayden to come in from whatever he was doing outside.

On the counter, I noticed there was an entire dinner for two set up, complete with unlit candles and individual plates of food, both untouched. Jayden had made us dinner, and then probably forgotten it was here.

I decided to do the right thing, and moved it all from the counter to the table so it would be ready for him when he got back inside. It wasn't a difficult task, but I knew it would be appreciated.

I sat back down on my side of the table, my gaze lingering on a picture on the wall so I wasn't tempted to eat everything laid out in front of me.

A few minutes later I heard the garage door quietly shut and footsteps coming down the hallway. I tried my best to look welcoming and excited when he came through the doorway, but it probably just looked dumb. Me, standing at a candlelit dinner table, forcing a smile and twitching nervously with food he'd made set out in front of me and all of the other lights in the house turned on.

If he noticed, he didn't show it because he smiled and sat down across from me. He glanced up first to ask me if it was ok to eat, and I nodded, giving him the cue to dig in.

Silently, I watched him eat as I had the first time that I'd sat across from him. Although I could tell there was something on his mind that he wanted to discuss, he continued to shovel food into his mouth until there was only enough left for a normal person, me, to eat.

Needless to say, I wasn't hungry, and I surely could wait until after we conversed to eat. Finally, he put down his fork and looked up, meeting my eyes.

"What were you doing outside?" I asked, breaking the long silence.

"Just checking the air… I can usually smell Demons from miles away, if they're acting up." He whispered, still holding my gaze.

"And…?"

"Nothing. Which scares me more than a lot of activity would. They must be planning something." He slid his hand across the table to run it up and down my arm. "I would say everything's going to be fine, but I don't know if it will."

He stood up, putting the dishes in the sink and standing with his back facing me to add, "And please don't be mad at me, but I had to call my brothers' assistance." He sounded ashamed, so I went and wrapped my arms around his waist, looking up at him.

"Why would I be mad?"

He sighed, "I don't know. I didn't think you wanted to meet them—they don't know about your parents."

"But they do know about me?" I asked, leaning against the counter next to him.

"Of course, I told my whole family about you the night we went to Giulietta's." He smiled for the first time all night.

"Who all is coming?"

His smile transformed into what looked like a grimace, "My uncles Marcus and Connor, and Hector, Felicity, Castor, Mariana, Milo and Trinity."

Oh, great. Practically the entire family was going to meet me. Talk about a death wish!

I tried to keep my voice steady, but it still quivered as I asked, "All of them?" and he nodded solemnly. "Even Felicity, Milo, and Trinity? But they're not…" I trailed off, afraid to say it, even though I was standing right next to one.

"I know. But Felicity and Trin like to stay with the group, and Milo's in Castor's custody."

I frowned, tapping my fingers against the counter and walking around so I could plop down on the couch. Jayden didn't follow me.

"I know it's a lot for you to handle, and I know it isn't what you want, but I need them." His voice dropped to a whisper, and I could barely hear him, "The Demons are gathering here. They're getting very strong, and I'm almost positive they're planning to take over the world. And as cheesy and old school as that sounds, I'm serious. With enough of them around, and all of my family dead, they could easily take control of the human race, make you slaves, prey, food, or death props. You'd be entirely in their control, and they aren't moral or forgiving."

I turned to look over my shoulder and noticed that he'd come around the corner as well, and was standing behind the couch, but he was facing the other direction, away from me. "So what are we going to do to stop them?"

I watched him closely and he whipped around, his face in hysterics. "We?" He laughed maniacally, "There is no we. One of my brothers or I will stay here and protect you while we execute whatever plan we devise. You will not be getting involved with this, nor will Trinity, Felicity, or Milo." His breathing came to a halt and he stared, somewhat crazed and bewildered down at me.

I narrowed my eyes and stared back. "I want to help. I deserve to help. They killed my parents, this is my battle too." I stood up, closing the distance between us and standing as tall as I could. "And you could use all of the help you can get."

His face was calmer than before, and it looked amused now. "You think you'd be help?" He shook his head, returning to serious so he wouldn't offend me, and cupped my cheek in his hand. "Love, you'd hurt more than you'd help. We'd have to worry about keeping you safe as well as fight." I pulled my face away from his hand and backed up, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You can't see them, you can't hear them, you can't fight them, you can't prevent them. You can't help."

I gave an aggravated sigh, "What if I just-?"

He cut me off by covering my mouth with his gentle hand. "Absolutely not."