Chapter 4

I shot out of the bed and ran downstairs, knowing that my time was limited. The Watchers couldn't have known that I was hiding here. They must have been patrolling this area off chance, hoping to find a demon that wasn't supposed to be living amongst humans.

I paced around the kitchen for a moment, thinking about what to do. I didn't have the time or strength to use any charms, so I had to disappear. Panic pulsed through my legs. Baby was very active, moving swiftly inside my stomach.

Ronan was out; his bed was empty. There must have been a reason that Watchers showed up here in the middle of the night. Maybe I had made a mistake trusting him, but at the same time I didn't want to believe that he could sell me out like that.

No one apart from Ricky and Ronan knew that I was here.

I shivered with cold when I opened the front door and stepped on the grass barefoot, glancing around. In the past few months I tried to stay on form, and running was the only exercise that allowed me to feel free. Now I could rely only on my legs. I started moving through the forest, thinking about Ricky and the agency.

The Watchers' intense energy collided with mine. They were aware that I was close, and they were summoning me over to them. There was a possibility that they were working for someone that wanted to find me. No one apart from Berith himself had any power over them, but these days everything was possible.

They were aggravated that I wasn't responding, most likely already aware that I was trying to get away. My heart was jackhammering in my chest. I was slow and vulnerable.

My feet were moving and that tiny voice in my head kept telling me to stop running and try to reason with them. Maybe in any other circumstance I would have tried that, but right then I didn't want to take any chances. The Watchers would have sensed that I was carrying a mongrel baby inside my womb. Then the uncomfortable questions would follow, and I wasn't ready to reveal anything about my past.

I was moving fast through the bushes, circulating between the trees, my breath laboured. The energy surfaced all over, making me slightly dizzy.

Where was Ronan when I needed him the most?

After so many years he was still the only person apart from Ricky that I trusted with all my heart. I didn't believe that he had anything to do with them. There had to be a traitor, someone that wanted to see me in hell.

Sweat dripped down my face. I stopped for a second and listened in. I heard voices behind me. My lungs were burning and the forest seemed to be getting darker and wilder.

A year ago I probably would have escaped easily, but right then I was eight months pregnant and already exhausted. My demonic energy boosted my strength a little, but my body indicated that I had to stop and rest.

The Watchers wanted to use their energy against my will. I was most likely the only other mongrel in the area, and by running I had given them a reason to chase after me.

Moments later I stumbled, missing a protruding rock, and falling facedown on the ground. Burning pain shot over my leg, but I ignored it. I instantly touched my stomach, making sure the baby was all right. I thought that the chase was over, the Watchers were too close, when something else, or rather someone else caught my attention.

There was a woman standing by the tree, staring back at me. She had a basket in her right hand. I pushed myself back on my knees, breathing hard. Her dark eyes moved over my silhouette, stopping on my stomach. The Watchers were closing in on me.

She must have sensed them too because suddenly I felt her energy circulating around me. Hell, I had no idea what she was, but for sure she wasn't a demon. Even in the darkness her features were extraordinary, her magic reviving.

"We need to get close to each other. They won't be able to sense you this way," she told me. I hesitated for a second, wondering if I could trust her. In the end of the day I had no other option, so I obeyed her. I couldn't carry on running.

I dragged myself off the ground, and then she came closer. I didn't know what happened after that, but she covered us both with her dark cloak, whispered some words and leaned down to me.

"Don't move; they won't be able to notice us. My magic will protect us."

I wanted to argue, but the Watchers' energy surrounded the place all of a sudden. Paralysing fear spread through me quickly, tightening my throat. A moment later two Watchers emerged from the trees in their true forms. Their snow-white wings were impressive, shining in the darkness.

One of them was tall and slender, and his blue eyes moved over the space, stopping right on me.

That was it. I was going down. There was no way that this woman could make me suddenly invisible, but I forced myself to stop breathing for a few long moments.

"I lost her demonic soul," he stated. I nearly screamed holding my stomach when the baby kicked hard. It obviously didn't like me in any distress.

The other Watcher looked around; he was disorientated.

"She must be close. She's just a mongrel," he said, dragging his hand through his hair. "Let's move. We can't lose her."

The taller one shook his head, and a moment later they carried on walking through the forest.

I couldn't believe it. Somehow they weren't able to see me. This was impossible. The woman's arm was on my back and her magic felt unbelievable. The Watchers had disappeared, but we stayed under her cloak for few more minutes until I could breathe normally again.

"Thank you ... I can't understand-"

"I'm a warlock. My magic is different than the magic of any ordinary demon," she said, smiling. Only then I realised that she must have been right. I had heard about warlocks, but I never believed that they still lived on earth. It was dark, but I could still see that she had long red hair and wide green eyes.

"Thank you, if they had found me, I was as good as dead," I explained, wondering what she wanted in exchange. There weren't many warlocks left on an earth populated by demons. Ricky once told me that Lucifer began hunting them down years ago when they were powerful.

"I sensed your fear miles away and your child's fear too," she said. "I was picking up some herbs, hoping to keep away from any demons and humans."

I stood up and felt like my legs were going to give out at any second. She caught my arms, sending me a sharp wave of energy. It was a spike that I needed, but at the same time I hated being so weak and exposed.

"I will walk you back to the safe place," she informed me.

"They weren't supposed to know that I was here, and my friend wouldn't betray me like this," I explained, feeling confused. I had no idea if it was safe for me to go back to Ronan. What if there were more Watchers waiting for me there?

"You're trying to protect your baby, that's understandable," she said, and her eyes gleamed with joy.

"It's complicated. I've left behind my whole life and in the end I'm still a coward," I said, thinking about the cave and Sonia. I had wanted to kill it, just because I was willing to protect someone that wasn't in my life anymore.

"I'll walk with you. The Watchers are trying their chances. Sometimes they patrol these remote areas. I messed around with their sense of direction, so they won't be able to track us down."

I called out my demonic power, and her words instantly calmed the baby down. Every part of me indicated that I should start running, but on the other hand, this creature had just saved my life. Maybe I was simply paranoid. The Watchers weren't here for me; they were passing this area, and then they must have sensed me. Everything was suddenly very clear.

"All right, you're right. I should go back to the cottage. My name is Maxine, by the way," I said. She gave me a warm smile and took my arm.

"Matilda. I was married to a demon once, and when I'm around others I tend to conceal my true nature," she explained. "I live in this area, alone."

"So you're truly a warlock?" I asked, just to be sure that my own senses weren't misleading me.

"A widowed warlock, yes," she admitted with another smile. "Your baby is going to be due soon and you're scared, confused about its future," she pointed out like she was reading my mind.

We started walking thought the woodlands. It was probably very late, and Ronan was most likely looking for me.

"Isn't that obvious? This pregnancy wasn't planned, for sure," I said, thinking about Arthur again. God, I really needed to get a grip and stop believing that we ever had a real shot.

"I always wanted to be a mother, but sadly warlocks aren't able to reproduce," she said unexpectedly. "I don't want to be insensitive, but what's your story? Why are you hiding here?"

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. We were alone, and I wasn't sure if it was safe for me to talk about my past, but she seemed genuinely interested. After all, Matilda helped me get rid of the Watchers, so there was no point being secretive. Eventually they would have figured out who I was and then I would've had no other choice but to leave with them.

I started talking then. I didn't know why, but I started telling her about my stupid decisions, about what happened when I got the job in the palace. The past nine months were tough. I was isolated and lonely. Maybe from Ronan's perspective I was putting myself in danger, trusting a stranger, a warlock, but this felt natural.

Then I told her about Doomed Cases, about Ricky and Arthur. The baby was moving, but in a calm manner while I was telling her about getting dumped by the royals.

"Well, that's a hell of a story, Maxine," she concluded as we reached Ronan's cottage. She was right: there was no sign of Watchers anywhere near, but Ronan himself was waiting outside.

"Where the hell have you been? I came back an hour ago and your bed was empty," Ronan shouted when he saw me. A moment later he saw Matilda and he released some of his energy.

"Calm down, this is Matilda, she's hidden me from two Watchers that were snooping in the area. I woke up sensing them, and panicked," I explained.

"A warlock, well, that's unexpected. Please come in before Maxine goes into labour at my front door," Ronan muttered, shaking his head. It was dawn when the three of us sat down at the table with a warm cup of tea.

"I work for myself these days, run a pottery business in the middle of the forest," Matilda explained after Ronan warmed up to her a bit more and explained that he was out hunting earlier on. "Maxine is lucky that you're helping her. Her situation sounds complicated."

"She should have gotten rid of that child when she had a chance. It's a grave risk. If the child has royal blood, then her time on earth is going to be truly over."

Ronan didn't have to repeat that. I already knew the consequences, but in the end I couldn't kill this little human inside me. Soon I needed to make a decision.

"This child grows inside her womb for a reason. Maxine made the right choice. You can't condemn it. Mongrel or a human, it doesn't matter. It's a blessing," Matilda stated quite fiercely.

"You're a warlock and you have no idea what will happen to her or this child if it turns out that the royal is the father."

"Ronan, please, this is not the time. Matilda saved me and that's the bottom line. Let's talk about something else," I warned him, getting tired of his arguments. I made a commitment to myself and now he needed to accept it.

"We both know that you won't be able to keep it, Max. Adoption is the only way forward and you haven't found anyone suitable. This child will bring you down to hell!"

Suddenly my hormones were raging and I wanted to cry, but Ronan was right. I had been isolating myself in the past few months. Soon I was going to be holding this child in my hands knowing that I wouldn't be able to look after it.

An awkward silence stretched for a moment. Matilda was staring back at me. It was strange that I couldn't sense her emotions. I had never met a warlock, but it was clear that they weren't at all like humans. I was suddenly curious about her powers.

"I will take care of it," I mumbled, feeling less and less like myself, the tough and strong mongrel.

"Maxine, we just met, but I believe in destiny. I would be willing to look after your child. Once you give it away for adoption you will never see it again. Deep down we both know that you are not ready to give it away to strangers."

Ronan and I looked at Matilda with sudden disbelief. A bunch of ice cubes cascaded down to my stomach, because in that moment I realised that she was right. I wasn't willing to give my child away, despite everything that happened in the past.