Something was off.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it but there was something that was nagging at the back of my mind.

Hailey had been here for nearly a week now and I'd been having a blast with her. With everything going on I hadn't realized how much I missed her. Now I was dreading having to say goodbye again.

However I didn't think that would be the case for everyone. Millie absolutely adored Hailey and Cade and Alfie got on very well with her too. It was Ciel and Sebastian that was the problem.

Sebastian seemed to hang around whenever we were at the house. He would appear suddenly from around the corner or ask us continuously if there was anything we needed. We never went an hour without him making an appearance of some kind. Call me paranoid but I suspected that he followed us even when we went into town.

As for Ciel he seemed stiff and strange around her. Yes he was usually very formal with anyone other than Sebastian and I but it was to the extreme with Hailey. His eyes always moved carefully as if he were watching…waiting for something to happen.

I was contemplating all of this as I walked around the grounds. Hailey was getting a shower and taking a nap. We had just gotten back from a day in the city and she was worn out and tired. I was too but I found myself to restless to nap or relax. Especially after 'accidentally' running into Ciel and Sebastian running errands.

"Stupid Victorian aged demon." I muttered as I walked.

"Hmm…it's not every day that I find another demon who has the same views on demons as I do."

I jumped at the sound and spun around to find Grell sitting under a tree.

"What do you want?" I growled.

Our last meeting had left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn't eager to talk to him again.

"Are you still angry at me Charlotte?" he asked poking his lip out.

"What do you think? You only decided to keep information of who and what I really was from me. Oh and you chased me around the library with a chainsaw!" I spat.

"Yes well I did warn you." Grell replied with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, "Why are you here? To tell me something else about myself I didn't know or is it you want to visually and verbally molest Sebastian some more?"

"Oh Charlotte! You make what Bassy and I have sound so dirty!" Grell lamented.

"I don't have time to listen to you fan girl over the butler. I have other things on my mind. Goodbye." I said and turned and started to walk away.

"Like the Hunters?" Grell asked.

I stopped and turned back to look at Grell, "Hunters? What Hunters?"

"Oh so you haven't been told then? Hmm…perhaps I shouldn't say anything…" Grell trailed off.

"Oh yes you should. Now what Hunters?" I asked.

"And if I don't tell you?" He asked.

"Why don't you look through those Cinematic Records of yours and find out what happened to the last guy who crossed me." I replied.

"Oh sweetheart I'm not scared of you." Grell smirked.

"Fine. If frightening won't work about we make an accord of sorts?" I asked.

"An accord? What could you do for me that I can't do for myself?" He said.

"I have 24/7 access to Sebastian. Maybe I could arrange something. I mean I am his loving Granddaughter after all." I said and put on my sweetest smile.

"So you and Sebastian are close then?" he asked.

"As close as family could be." I replied.

"Fine. It's a deal. You give me Sebastian and I'll give you all the information you want." Grell replied.

"Good now what Hunters are you talking about?" I asked.

"The Demon Hunters of course. Or hasn't Master Phantomhive told you about them?" Grell asked.

"No. Ciel hasn't said anything." I replied.

"Oh so it's Ciel now is it? Well isn't that just adorable?! I may be sick." Grell grimaced.

"So what's going on with these Demon Hunters that I should be worried about?" I asked brushing aside what the Reaper had asked.

"Word is that they are looking for a demon to kill. The city is riddled with them. Quite annoying actually. Some of the new ones don't know a Reaper from a Demon. Makes it rather difficult to harvest souls because things get quite nasty." Grell said and grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight.

"So that must be why Ciel and Sebastian are watching me so close. But why wouldn't they just tell me?" I said to myself.

"Yes yes they didn't tell you anything. Now for my end of the deal. I would like Sebastian wrapped up nicely with a bow and delivered to me by midnight." Grell said.

I laughed, "Dude…you have a lot to learn. Never trust a girl who needs information. Especially if she's a demon and has her fingers crossed in her pocket." and pulled my hand out of my jacket pocket to show him my crossed fingers.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Grell started but before he could say anything I was hurrying towards the manor.

I didn't bother to take off my coat or kick off my boots instead I headed towards the office. When I reached the doors I burst in without knocking, Ciel and Sebastian looking up at me surprised.

"Charlotte what's going on?" Ciel asked looking worried.

"Why didn't you tell me about the Demon Hunters in London?" I asked.

"How did you find out about that?" he asked.

"So it's true?" I replied.

"Yes. It is." Ciel replied.

I growled and shook my head, "Why didn't you tell me?! I had to hear it from Grell!"

"Grell is here?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah I ran into him in the garden and had to promise him you to get it but-"

"You promised him me?" Sebastian asked raising his eyebrows.

"It was a lie. Now why the hell are you keeping things like this from me?" I replied turning towards Ciel.

Ciel sighed, "Charlotte I was doing it out of your best interest."

"My best interest? What are you my Dad? I'm your Mate Ciel and I'm not a child. I'm a demon just like you and Sebastian. I may not be 100% but I'm a demon no less. I deserve the right to be able to defend myself if I need to and having that information would help!" I replied.

"And how would you defend yourself?! Your powers are not yet fully developed! At best you'd get lucky and lose yourself just as you did that day on the street with Millie! And then what would you do after you had killed them all? Go on a rampage?! Expose yourself further and invite more of them to London and put not only yourself but Sebastian and I in even more danger?!" Ciel said standing up, his eyes glowing a dangerous shade of Magenta.

I took a step back. I had never seen Ciel lose it before and start yelling. It scared me.

"All of this already scares me enough without knowing that there is someone out there trying to hurt me. I just….I want to feel safe." I said looking at him, tears welling up in my eyes.

Ciel's eyes dimmed back to his normal color and he sighed.

"That was all I was trying to do. I wanted you to be safe. I thought that if maybe you didn't know it wouldn't put you in harm's way. I see that I was being stupid. You do deserve to know everything and-" but suddenly Sebastian shushed all of us.

For a moment I listened to the ringing silence of the room but then I heard it. Someone was talking, in a low voice but audible enough that my ears could pick it up. They sounded like they were on the phone.

"Yes I said three! The butler, the head of the house in addition to Charlotte. Who knew the house would be infested when I got here? One yeah but three? Jesus…The help?….I don't think so…Of course I know I can't take them all out on my own! I'm not stupid Rob! I'm still a level three Hunter!"

Suddenly it felt like I had swallowed a chunk of ice. My stomach felt heavy and cold.

Hailey was a Hunter.

She knew Ciel, Sebastian and I were Demons.

She was calling in reinforcements.

This was bad.

I had to stop this.

Maybe I could talk some sense into her.

I took a step towards the door but Ciel grabbed my wrist. I turned and saw he had moved behind me.

"Don't Charlotte. You heard what she said. She came here knowing there was a demon here and I bet anything that it was you. She could attack you." Ciel whispered lowly into my wrist.

"I have to talk to her." I said and jerked out of his grasp and ran towards he door before he could grab me again.

I threw the door open and saw Hailey at the end of the hall on her phone chewing her bottom lip.

"Hailey!" I yelled.

"Shit!" she cursed and snapped her phone closed before running into her room.

I chased her. However by the time I got there I saw her near the window. She had a dagger in her hand as she fiddled with the window clasp.

"Wait! Hailey!" I said but a second later she had the window open.

She turned and looked at me and I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Stay away from me Charlotte." she said and all but ripped the dagger from the sheath and held it out at me.

"Hailey put that down." I stepping forward.

"I don't think so." Hailey said her voice cold and a slashed at the air with the knife.

Suddenly my arm was on fire. Looking down I saw she had sliced through my jacket, the wound underneath smoking.

"I can't help what I am and what you are. I'm sorry…so sorry." she said and before I could even think she had jumped.

"HAILEY!" I screamed and ran towards the window and looked down just in time to see her land on her feet gracefully and start running.

"Charlotte!" Ciel said running into the room with Sebastian.

"She's gone." I said turning to him, holding my arm.

"What happened?" Ciel asked gingerly taking my arm.

"She cut me with a dagger she had." I replied.

Sebastian looked over Ciel's shoulder at the wound, "Sacred steel. Blessed during forging and then cooled in Holy Water. Burns Demon skin."

"Will it heal?" I asked.

"Yes but slowly. Very slowly. You'll have a scar afterwards as well." Sebastian replied.

"We should treat this now." Ciel said and led me back to the office.

"I can't believe Hailey is a Hunter." I said shaking my head.

"They can be anyone and unless trained you would never know it." Ciel said as Sebastian treated and wrapped my arm.

"So the only reason Hailey came here was to kill me?" I asked.

"It would seem so." Ciel nodded.

"And she's coming back with other Hunters." I replied.

"Indeed." Ciel said.

"So what do we do? Fight?" I asked.

"Yes." Ciel agreed.

"Right." I nodded.

"Will you be able to fight?" Ciel asked looking at me.

"Yeah. A little pain isn't going to stop me." I said moving my arm to test out the bandage Sebastian had just tied around it.

"That's not what I meant Charlotte. Are you willing to take lives if you have to? Even if one is your best friend?" he asked.

I swallowed and took a deep breath, "That wasn't Hailey, Ciel. She didn't want to do it. I could see it in her eyes. But I can do what I have to. This is my home now…my family. I've already lost my father, my mother and my best friend. I'll be damned if they take what I have left."

"Very well. Sebastian prepare for an invasion and tell Millie, Alfie and Cade to get ready to fight." Ciel said.

"You're going to drag them into this?!" I asked looking at Ciel.

"They're far from defenseless Charlotte. I assure you." Sebastian said and with that left.

"And you and I?" I asked.

Ciel smiled, "We're going to bring out that Demon in you."


And so it has begun...

Thank yous for the last chapter go to:

-Light Umbreon

-Paxloria

-irgroomer

-Oriole-of-Silver

-Lifeisnowhere-182

Thanks for reading!