PREFACE


Ethan jerked me even harder and forced me to move faster. Where are Quincy, Marion and Rylee? I asked them to keep Ethan away from the greenhouse! I still have many questions to ask!

We stopped walking and he freed me.

We were at my hiding place.

"What are the two of you doing there?" he breathed.

"Why?"

"Answer me!" he bellowed

"We are just talking!" It is so hard to think that right now I am talking to a demon.

"About what?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just answer me!"

"No!"

"I told you to keep away from him!" I could see anger in his eyes. "He is dangerous!"

"And you are not?" I think I have to tell him that I already knew his secret. "If I have to keep away from Kira then I have to keep away from you too... because you are a demon too!"

His eyes widen in alarm. "What did you say?"

"Demon." I said the word cautiously. "Kira told me."

His jaw tightened and clenched his fists.

Is making a demon angry the right thing to do?

"I told you I will not give up easily," I went on.

He still did not say anything.

"Do not worry. I will not tell this to anybody." I said evenly.

He walked towards me. "Are you not afraid of me?"

I walked backwards. "Why would I?"

"Didn't Kira tell you anything about the things that we are capable of doing?"

I felt something hard hit my back. For sure, it was the maple tree where I used to climb. "You are fast and strong. And you can also manipulate people's mind by just looking at their eyes."

I rested my back and head on the tree. Ethan moved even closer to me, his face is just inches away from mine. I could smell his sweet scent.

"That is right. I can manipulate people's mind. I can make them do things that they detest... I can also tamper their memories. And the worse that I can do is killing you Ely."

Wow. For the first time he called me ELY!

"Then kill me." I tried to keep my voice even. I have never been this close to any guy before.

He moved away from me. "I cannot kill you."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Are you numb or just too dim-witted to notice why I cannot do that?"

"Are you going to tamper my memories?" Oh no! He cannot do that to me! I have tried so hard just to get some answers!

"No."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Why?"

"I think it is better that you know."

"Why?"

He did not answer me.

"Maybe I will just ask Kira."

"No!" he shouted.

Do demons love shouting?

"Why?"

"I told you to stay away from him!"

"He will not hurt me!"

"I do not care!" he said, still shouting.

"Why do you keep on pushing me away from him?" I shouted back.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head.

When he did not answer, I cooled, calmed and collected myself and walked away from the tree.

"DAMN YOU! I LOVE YOU!"

I stopped walking and looked back at him. Did I just hear him say 'I love you'?

I walked back towards the tree and waited for his explanation. He strode back to me and pinned me on the tree.

"I said I love you! I cannot help myself but get jealous every time I see you near him!" he said each words angrily but his eyes were filled with anxiety.

He leaned even closer and whispered to my ear. "I love you so much that it hurts... I want to touch you but I cannot... it is too painful. I want to protect you from evil but I am the one who is evil..."

"Are you serious?"

He lifted his face inches away from mine. "I just told you my feelings for you and the first thing that I will ever hear from you is that if I am serious?"

I smiled at him impishly.

Should I believe in everything he said to me?




CHAPTER 1

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?


"QUINCY! ELY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" MARION DEMANDED.

"Is the - meet - meeting - over?" I panted.

"Yeah. Murray is boiling mad because the two of you are missing," Rylee answered.

"What's the meeting all about?" Quincy asked Rylee.

"The princes are coming back and they're going to stay here for eight months," Marion answered lightly.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. Marion and I got bored at the meeting so we sneaked out," Rylee mumbled.

I looked at Marion astonishingly. This was the first time Marion got bored in attending meetings.

He just shrugged and threw the white cardboard he was holding.

"That's all?" Quincy asked reluctantly.

"What's that for?" I asked Marion before Rylee could answer Quincy's question.

"Oh. I am asked to post this outside. We need a new gardener," Marion said stubbornly.