I couldn't let The Demons get killed. Not just because I loved Haiden and would never let anyone hurt him, but because none of The Demons deserved to die. None of them were truly evil and all they were doing was avenging the ones they lost because of the demon hunters. Because of that, I found myself running into the forest.
When Taylor had brought me back to my guardians, we hadn't talked at all. I was thankful for that then, but especially now since as we walked in silence, I had taken in my surroundings. I had made sure to remember my way back to The Demons' new hideout, which was how I could run there.
As I ran, I couldn't help but feel like I was betraying Peter. In just a few days they were planning to attack The Demons and back home, Peter was preparing feverishly. He was constantly stressed out as he made preparations and Blake was helping him out as much as he could. I did nothing but think about how much I didn't want a war and that was why I decided to just warn The Demons.
Their hideout soon came into view and to my surprise, The Demons were all sitting on the porch of the house, seeming to be talking about something. I ran faster then, knowing time was limited, and kept my eyes on Haiden who was sitting next to Saniya. His eyes soon flew to me as I entered the field and he sprung up, seeming surprised. I couldn't help but smile as he quickly descended the steps of the house.
I ran to Haiden and all I wanted to do was throw my arms around him. I wanted to hug him, kiss him, and tell him I missed him. After all this time, I also wanted to tell him I was in love with him. But with the other members right behind him, getting up to meet me as well, I just stopped in front of Haiden, gasping for breath.
We stared into each other's eyes and there was something new in Haiden's eyes that surprised me. It was clear affection and touched, I had to fight the urge to touch him. All I had ever wanted was to touch him freely, but I knew that would have to wait for when the war and everything was over.
"What are you doing here?" Taylor asked, breaking the moment.
I looked over at him and saw a look of disgust on his face. Ignoring him, I then look at Lydia who wouldn't dare look at me. My eyes then went to Dashawn who was expressionless and then Saniya who was grinning. Smiling back at her, I chose to ignore Taylor's question and tell Haiden what was going on.
"The demon hunters are going to start a war with you," I said, staring at Haiden who became surprised. "In just three days. I don't know how, but they're going to try to end your lives."
Haiden seemed stunned by my words and glancing at the rest of the members, I saw they were surprised as well. They all knew the demon hunters hated them, but even I had to admit this was extreme. A war was a way of solving a conflict that was getting out of hands. None of us expected The Demons to be that sort of conflict yet.
"Shit," Haiden said, eyes flying wide with worry. "Wait, how do they know where we are? They must know if they're going to start a war."
Frowning, I realized I never thought of that. My heart dropped when I realized Peter didn't trust me. If he didn't tell me about that, it was obvious.
"The map," Lydia said, groaning behind Haiden. "They probably planted a tracker on the map."
"Dammit!" Taylor exclaimed, yanking the map out of his pocket.
He rolled it open and flipped it around, seeming to look for the tracker. His eyebrows were furrowed as his eyes roamed around the paper and eventually, he found a slit at the side of the paper. He pulled out a tracker and threw it to the ground, crushing it with his feet.
"We have to get going," Haiden said, serious. "We have to get out of this place before they find us."
"I agree," Saniya said. "Look, most of the demon hunters from the past aren't in this town anymore. Let's move to the next town and find them."
"Yes," Haiden agreed. "Okay, go inside and grab your belongings. We're going to leave as soon as we can."
The gang ran into the house to grab their belongings, leaving Haiden and I alone outside. My heart felt heavy all of the sudden as I realized they were leaving. The Demons were leaving my town for good, which meant I would never see Haiden again. I couldn't believe it and I found myself growing heartbroken.
"Thank you for telling me this," Haiden said. "I know it must've been hard since your family is a part of the demon hunters."
"You're leaving?" I asked quietly. "For good?"
Haiden's eyes grew sad at my words. He stared at me, his eyes gentle, and I stared back. With my eyes, I began to plead for him to somehow stay close to me. I wanted him in my life and if he left my town, I knew it would be impossible to see him like I could now.
"Yes, we have to Luna. This town... It hates us. We need a fresh start," Haiden said. "But come with me. Be a part of my fresh start."
My eyes widened at his words. I couldn't believe what he was asking and staring at him, I didn't know what to say.
"Please Luna, I... I want you at my side. I want to be with you," Haiden said, leaving me shocked. "If you come with us we can stay together. We can be like how we used to be and I would love to have you at my side. So please Luna, be with me for the rest of our lives."
All I had ever wanted was to be at his side. I had always thought that want was one sided, but clearly it wasn't as Haiden pleaded with me to stay at his side. My heart felt light and I felt happier than I had ever felt in years. Because of that, I felt torn.
For eighteen years I had lived in my town. It had so many memories, so many people I knew, and it was overall familiar to me. My family lived there and I loved them, too. But, Haiden had always been the best thing about my town. He was the one who always made me happy, even at the darkest of times. So because of that, I found myself not knowing what to do.
"I'm sorry," Haiden said, chuckling lightly. "That's such a huge thing to ask of you. Pretend I never said anything."
Haiden turned around and began to walk off, leaving me panicking. He was going to leave me forever. I was never going to see him again and at that, I knew the emptiness I would feel when he was gone would be unbearable. It was hard to live without him for five years, so I couldn't imagine eternity.
So with an answer to his question, I ran to him. I grabbed his hand, stopping him in his place, and I found myself tearing up. Love was a strong feeling. It was a feeling that left you doing questionable things, but at the end of the day love was an emotion that left you feeling fulfilled. So even if I was about to give up everything, I knew that I would never feel empty at Haiden's side.
"I'm coming with you," I said, tightening my grip on Haiden's hand. "Wherever you go, I'll go. I want to be at your side for the rest of my life."
Haiden whirled around, tightening his grip on my hand. His eyes were soft and he began to lean forward, catching me off guard. Although I always craved to kiss him, I had to stop him as I looked at the house and remembered Lydia. Even though she had never been kind to me, I couldn't be cruel to her and kiss her boyfriend again. I didn't have the heart to do that.
"Wait," I said, making Haiden freeze. "...Lydia."
"Out of the picture," Haiden mumbled, beginning to lean forward again.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized Haiden must've broken up with her for me. I couldn't believe it and truly, I was at my happiest as I realized Haiden finally thought of me as the most important person in his life. Just like I did, he thought I was the person who meant the most to him in this world.
So, I began to lean forward as well. My eyes closed as we neared each other and I found myself satisfied as I realized that for the rest of my life, this would be us.
But before we could even kiss, I heard Saniya scream, "The demon hunters are here!"
Haiden and I flew away from each other. We whirled around to see what Saniya was talking about and my eyes flew wide with horror. Meters away was about a hundred demon hunters marching towards us. They all looked ready to battle with their weapons and my heart dropped as I realized Peter had lied to me again. The war wasn't happening in three days, it was happening today.