(Sorry if this feels awkward or forced while you read it. I got a little stuck and knew I had to just push through or I'd never get anywhere. Hope you can still manage to enjoy it, though!)

I watched James carefully. "Why? Has something happened?" Their plans to hide me hadn't fallen through, had they? What could we possibly need to talk about?

James looked over to Lisa, who was nervously chewing on her lower lip. I had never really seen her without her usual confidence, and that only added to my unease.

"You don't need to worry. This has nothing to do with hiding you."

His words did little to ease what I was feeling.

He took a deep breath. "Lisa and I haven't been completely open with you. About ourselves, anyway."

My mind immediately went to the fact that Lisa was a demon. Did James know? Or was this about something else?

I couldn't keep the question in. "You know, don't you? About what's really behind these attacks."

James hesitantly nodded. "I also know what Lisa and your butler are, hence why I only brought food for the two of us."

I looked down at my food, trying to process this information. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian's face was unreadable, which did little to calm my nerves.

"How did you find out?" I asked quietly.

Lisa answered. "I told him everything when I met him."

I looked over to her as she stood and approached the table. She continued, "I've been watching over you ever since I found you many years ago, Chrystal. I doubt you remember, but I was one of your tutors when you were very young. It was my way of making sure you stayed safe."

I didn't remember her, no matter how hard I tried.

"Anyway, I was never very far away from you. I was always watching over you. Like a guardian angel, one might say."

That triggered a memory in my brain. "'Guardian angel'.... Lisa, did you save me that day? Did you catch me?"

Lisa didn't say anything for a long moment, but she eventually nodded, smiling sadly. "I did, dear. You were right in your statement that the car came out of nowhere, because it did. Demons were behind the accident. They had found you just as I had, and they were trying to get rid of you before you became aware of your destiny." She lost her smile. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save your parents, Chrystal. After I laid you on the ground and made sure you would live, I checked on them, but there was nothing I could do. I called the authorities and then left, knowing you would be taken care of."

We sat in silence for a moment, both probably mourning the loss of my parents. After a beat, she continued once again. "Once Sebastian came to care for you, I had to distance myself from you. I couldn't let him pick up on me watching over you. It was his job now, after all. So I joined the police force as a way to stay in this realm and help you if you ever needed me. When I heard the news that you were missing from your home a year ago, I panicked and searched for you everywhere. Then I found you, but James had found you first. When he ran from the cave, I stopped him and told him everything. We both agreed to help one another, because our goals were to protect you. We've been partners ever since."

I looked over to James, who had already finished his food, while I had yet to even take mine from the paper bag.

"But you aren't in a contract, are you?" I asked curiously.

"No," Lisa answered. "All either of us wants out of life is to protect you and make sure you are able to fulfill your destiny. Since in order to do that you need to become a demon, you'll live forever. If we had formed any sort of contract, we'd never be able to end it because we'd always be watching over you. It was best to just help each other in the way we have been."

I nodded. I was technically supposed to live forever, meaning they would feel the need to protect me forever. It made sense in a way. Even still, whether or not I went through with my destiny was still my decision to make.

Lisa then seemed to laugh at a memory. "And even though I did my best to keep my distance from you, Sebastian was still able to find me."

I glanced at him. "Really? You never said anything."

Sebastian finally turned to face me and smiled softly. "At first I couldn't tell if she was only passing by or not. I felt no need to tell you if she wasn't a threat. Once I confronted her and learned of what she was doing, I let her be."

"But why would you trust her when you seemed so sure I wasn't the girl from the prophecy thing?"

"She was adamant about protecting you. There was no harm in an extra set of eyes."

"So that was why you decided to leave with the others yesterday. Because you knew her and could trust her." Saying the words aloud made me feel a lot better about Sebastian knowingly leaving me home with a demon, and his nod to my statement helped, too.

Sebastian then glanced down at the bag in front of me, then opened it and pulled out its contents. He removed a hamburger, some fries, and a few packs of ketchup, as well as a napkin. "You should eat before it gets too cold," he said.

I looked down at the food and nodded. I needed to be ready to fight at any moment, and to do that, I had to eat.

Just then, a thought hit me, and I lowered my burger to the table and looked back up at Sebastian. "Where are my swords? We didn't bring them, did we?"

Sebastian shook his head and gave me a small, amused smile. "They are still back at your house, Chrystal. But really, did you think you could just bring them into a police station?"

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly as I looked away. "Of course not, I just don't know how I'm supposed to be able to defend myself if I don't have them with me."

"As soon as you are moved to a more secure and private location, I will retrieve them for you."

I nodded, knowing that was all I could hope for at this point.

I ate silently as Lisa and James sat and talked about what their plan was. I tried to listen, but my thoughts kept running back to my situation, my family, and the new information I had just been told. Lisa really was my guardian angel, as funny as it sounded.

Eventually, James stood. "I need to get back to work and check on the preparations for moving you. I'll be back soon, hopefully."

I smiled at him and nodded, then he turned and opened the door to leave. But something stopped him.

"You are not permitted to enter this room. Please back away," James said, a scary calmness to his voice.

Though I couldn't see who was there, the voice that responded clearly belonged to an upset female. "No, James. You and Lisa have had your fun. It's my turn with her."

My body tensed and Sebastian stood from his seat.

A moment later, the woman sent James flying back into the room, where he crashed into the table as I screamed. Sebastian grabbed me and pulled me back.

The woman finally entered my vision. She looked similar to Lisa. Her hair was black and long, but was flowing freely while Lisa kept her's in a neat ponytail. She wore what appeared to be a police uniform, and her eyes were red and cold.

She stared at me for a long moment before her eyes brightened, and I felt my heart begin to melt and long for her.

She smiled so sadistically that even in my trance I shuddered in fear. Her voice was just as menacing, "You're going to be mine, princess."