The Hunter's Princess

Chapter 24

Xander leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.

In short, he was exhausted. It had been two days since the evening he had shared with Serah. Since then, the hunter had barely slept. He took long walks through the woods at night, desperate to calm himself. The demon within him was an extremely serious threat. Xander feared that it could take him over at any moment, and that Serah would be caught in the crossfire.

The hunter pressed a hand to his face, taking a deep breath.

"What do you want?" He muttered.

"To make you better, stronger," the demon within him replied. "We should take Hell's throne. It's our birthright."

"And what if I don't want that?" Xander asked.

"Father would want us to take the throne. Bring that human pet with you if you want, I wouldn't mind keeping her."

The hunter gnashed his teeth and hit his fist against a nearby tree. Xander withdrew his hand, breathing heavily.

"You've been neglecting her, you know," the demon chided. "Leaving the moment she falls asleep and keeping her at arms length every other time."

Xander began to block the voice out, straining to ignore the whispers in his mind. He was determined to grow used to his darker half, to be able to ignore and control it. To do that, he exposed himself to small doses of the whispers.

"You'll lose her again if you aren't careful."

With a breath, Xander silenced the voice. It was trying to give him advice, trying to get on his good side before it took him over. The hunter knew that what he feared would come to pass if his demon possessed his body. Serah would be its trophy, and the demon would no doubt force him to watch as it took her body as its own.

The hunter gripped his arm so tightly that it ached. He didn't want to press the issue with Serah herself, as she was so adamant about refusing to kill him that she burst into tears at any mere hint of him approaching the subject.

Xander could see her approaching now, crossing the grounds towards him. He sighed and prepared himself for another round of scolding.

The girl stopped before him, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"Are you ever going to sleep in the bed?" Serah asked. "I worry when you don't come back, Xander..."

"I was just on my way," he lied. She fixed him with a sharper glare. The hunter glanced away sheepishly.

"You stay in the woods all night. It's as if you can barely stand to even be in the same room as me," Serah continued. "And I understand that you're worried to death about accidently hurting me, but that doesn't mean that I suddenly have to become a nun."

Xander pictured her in a nun's habit and was unable to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching up.

"You, a nun? That's hard to picture," he joked. Serah huffed as the hunter took her hands in his own. "I just... Believe me, Serah, I want to be with you-"

"Then be with me!"

"And what if my being with you gets you killed? What then?"

Serah stared at their hands with murderous intent. Xander tilted her chin up. She reluctantly met his gaze, waiting for him to say something.

"I'll stop going into the woods at night," he compromised. "But you have to respect the line in the sand for a while. I just want you to be safe."

The girl grumbled and pulled him into a hug.