Chapter 36

  Josh-

  I followed silently behind Becky to make sure that she was okay. Although it had been a day since my injury, having the essence of a demon within me allowed me to heal faster. I made almost a complete recovery.

  I wanted to ensure that Becky would be okay; she didn't have a chance to sleep much. And then increased demon activity made me feel as though something bad was soon to happen.

  I am so gd that I did. I knew Kaysi and Baby were endangered as soon as I walked around the corner of the south wing. I know the girls assured me that Kaysi has no memory of me. But I was worried that if I intervened right now, something could trigger her.

  Two dogs were trying to attack them. These dogs were not normal animals. They were known as Scouts. They take the image of just harmless dogs. These beasts were hellhounds sent to scout out information for my father. We have to be careful right now because if he's sending out scouts, it's only a matter of time before he sends out one of his pet demons' experiments. Either way, I knew that I couldn't let the demon dogs leave from here, or all of us could be in danger.

  As I stood there contempting my next action, I thought to myself about all the different outcomes if I were to appear before their eyes. But they understand that I'm just trying to protect them, or could this put me even further down the dder to earning their trust?

  They appeared to be holding their own for the most part. At least keeping the demon dogs at bay for the time being.

  A strong presence was approaching from down the hallway; it was not the true Scouts that were here right now. My only issue is where the portal is from which they originated.

  I know, maybe it's a better option if I go and locate the girls. Earlier, when talking to Becky, she mentioned that Micah and the baby would also be here. Yes, that seems like the best option as to what I'll do next.

  Benjamin! As I turned to walk away, I finally recalled the dark presence that was coming towards us. It was someone who was working alongside my father. I got pretty familiar with the presence of the different demons since I was in limbo.

  This demon's scent belonged to one of my father's partners at the Order of Iscariot. This was a group of followers who gave a pledge to aid the devil in his rebellion. Some were giving promises of fame, fortune, and glory. Others were driven by other desires and their hatred of mankind.

  My father's partner at the order was one of his first experiments. It was chosen because he once served in the Jaeger Corps of the force regimen. They were a group of huntsmen who were being used by the world bureaucracy for military defense.

  My father specifically chose him because he was the lieutenant general of his division. Not only was he the highest-ranked, but he was also the most intelligent. He had a strong sixth sense. He was a highly skilled and versatile combatant with exceptional tracking and stealth abilities, as well as proficiency in ranged weaponry. He was also proficient in close-quarters combat and often possessed a deep knowledge of the terrain and wildlife, allowing him to ambush anyone he was tracking effectively.

  And the matter worsens; he was given demon powers from an experimental prototype that was combined with the DNA of a wolf. Once the demons were pced in the man, he bore a striking resembnce, though he was a werewolf. All the skills he had previously acquired, along with the natural abilities of wolf genetics, were amplified in a human.

  If I don't get Kaysi and Baby out of there quickly, he'll pick up their scent if it's not already too te. Once he's had a chance to pinpoint the scent trail, we will be forever running from this ruthless demon.

  My heart was palpitating; I could hear it thumping in my chest. All the decisions I had to make, I felt conflicted. Anxiety began to boil over with unexpected intensity.

  "Dammit, I have no choice!" I have to do something now.

  I jumped from around the corner and grabbed hold of Kaysi, throwing her over my back. As a human, she would be most likely to be hurt first if he caught our scent.

  I'm not sure how the essence of a guardian works, but I know that they are immortal and cannot die. The worst that could happen is Baby getting a little roughed up in the physical human form that she took.

  She looked at me with a bone-chilling death gre.

  "I swear to you, this is not like the st time; something is coming; we've got to get out of here. It's going to be okay; just follow me."

  I flinched as I looked down at Kaysi, expecting her to cuss me out. Or beat the crap out of me.

  "That's odd," she said, and she had her sword with her. I didn't think that since she lost her memory, she would have the ability to manifest her sword.

  She continued to look up at me, surprised as we ran through the halls.

  "Turn here; there's a bunch of people," I told Baby. It will help mix our scent and drive them off our tail if they've caught on."

  "What the hell are you talking about, Josh?" Baby shouted as she ran behind me.

  "Benjamin is not far behind us. However, I don't sense his presence following us. We need to get far enough and hope that the scouts leave."

  "Oh, that's what those things are. I haven't seen one in so long, I thought they were just regur demons."

  "Yeah, that's what they're meant to do, throw people off by their appearance."

  "So wait, now that I remember, if a scout locates their target, they'll report back to the Hunter, and even if he doesn't have our scent, they will still have to fight every time we turn around."

  "Yeah, that was something I was trying to prevent, him getting Kaysi's or my scent. I don't know the effects, or if they can even get your scent. You don't even have a soul tie, do you?"

  "No, guardian angels don't, but we have something very close; it's called a spiritual tie, but we don't have time to talk about that right now." "You take Kaysi back to the others. I will go back and deal with the scouts. I had already severely injured one of them, and the other one I just executed before we left." "If I don't execute the st one, it will report back to the Huntsman, which could be a severe problem for us."

  "Right! But due to the previous circumstances, do you think it's safe for me to go with Kaysi?"

  "Why do you guys continue to talk as though I'm not here? Kaysi asked. I could see she was frustrated by having to lie on my shoulder."

  "Do you remember who this is? Baby asked Kaysi, "

  "No, I don't; I'm just concerned with the fact that I'm being carried around like a stuffed animal."

  "Sorry, I apologize for that. It was the quickest way I thought to grab you."

  "Well, there you go. You want so badly to prove yourself that you can be trusted; don't fail me now. Get her to the girls quickly already and let them know the other bit of information that's going on. I only got to give them a quick message."

  "Yes, ma'am, and good luck to go kick their asses for the sake of all of us. I saluted her as she turned back and ran towards the demons."

  "Kaysi!" Becky pushed through the crowd once she saw us. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes, it seems our teacher protected us quite well." "Also, this person, Josh? Seems to be friends with our teacher because he brought me here."

  "Yes, Josh is my boyfriend, Kaysi, and we used to be all friends before he moved away, but of course, he came back!"

  "Hold on, you have a boyfriend? You never told me that. "Oh, that's right, I have issues with my memory," I said as she ughed awkwardly.

  "So, Kaysi, since you're still missing your memory. How did you manifest your sword?"

  "I think a small part of me is starting to remember things. I remember when I was a little girl being attacked by a pack of wolves or something else that was kind of like a wolf."

  "Baby, our teacher saved me back then as well. I just don't understand why she's a dog. I saw an image of her as a rge Pomeranian-type dog that was talking in a human voice in my memory."

  "These memories are making my head spin. I'm not quite sure how any of this adds up."

  "Don't strain yourself; it'll come back to you in time, and you have some of the information right. I just don't think now is the time to tell you everything."

  "Micah walked over and gave me a dirty look before talking to the other girls."

  "I don't think it's smart to leave Kaysi here, at least not for today, with the turn of events. I think it would be best for you to take her home."

  "I will walk with them and make sure they get home safely," I told Micah.

  "Yeah, you better, or I'll tie you to a tree and let the hellhounds devour you."

  "Kaysi walked in between us. Look, I don't understand what was going on with you or why you guys have a grudge towards each other. But the least I can say is that it was Josh who saved our butts back there when he got us out of a sticky situation. So don't be so harsh on him."

  I could hear Micah mutter under her breath so that Kaysi couldn't listen to her. "If only you knew."

  I think she knew that I could still hear her as she continued to scowl at me.

  "Alright, Kaysi, for you, I will behave. She said as she hugged Kaysi.

  Kaysi's back turned in the moment of their hug. She mouthed the words "I am watching you" to me.

  But her eyes looked as if they said, "I will kill you!