In the last couple of days, Death's demons have been frequently visiting me. Every time I asked them politely to leave, they refused. They said they could not leave, even if they wanted to. Death's commands were clear. Stay close to me. In a literal way. While Rowan has been busy with things he didn't want me to know about, I spent my days with the demons. I had no other option than to just listen to their fighting, weird questions, and random inspection of my belongings. And this was my perfect opportunity to get close to them and find out why they had to guard me.

It was Sunday evening, and the three of us began to play cards on the floor in my room. The game was intense, and after an hour, we had to take a break because Keliah almost killed Azra. He couldn't swallow the defeat when Azra won.

"I can't believe you're playing fair! You rarely win against me." Keliah huffed.

"It's because I'm not you who cheats every damn time we play. And I use something called a brain, which you don't have." Azra bickered.

I watched them slap each other and elbow each other like in a TV show. Occasionally, I laughed. But I was concerned if Grandma heard them. Those guys were unbearably loud. And despite their bodies looking slim, their strength was unsettling.

"V! Tell him something. Are you not upset that you haven't once won?" Keliah said frustrated.

I chuckled, mixing the cards in my hands. "Not really. It's just a game." I replied.

Azra stopped moving and stared at me intently. "Do you intend to lose every game you play, Vivienne?"

I stopped mixing the cards and cleared my throat. "For hours, you two have been invading my space and asking me stuff I don't have the answers for. Isn't it time for you to go? Hunt other people or something?" My gaze shifted between the two of them.

Keliah suddenly stood up and dusted his clothes. For a few seconds, he looked out of the window, narrowing his eyes. Azra did the same a moment later. Lastly, I stood up and came close to the window, but I could see nothing but the woods.

Keliah grabbed my shoulder and pulled me out of the window view. I cocked my head, and my forehead creased. "What are you doing? Didn't I say no touching?" I burst out.

He did not reply to me; he just stood still as a statue, looking ahead. Azra crept to the window, exhaling. He turned his head toward Keliah and nodded. I looked back and forth between them, and I finally understood.

"Is the one you're protecting me from out there? Outside of my house?" I pulled from Keliah's grip roughly. I hurried to the window to see nothing again. I turned to the demons with fury, coiling in my veins. I had enough of their silence. I wanted an answer immediately.

I ran through them, giving them no time to react. I flung the door wide and rushed down the steps. I quickly grabbed the kitchen knife, which I intended to use on Death, and hurried to the front door.

Azra appeared next to me out of nowhere. "What are you trying to do?" He asked.

"End this charade," I said, my voice low and stern.

I reached for the door handle, about to twist it open, when two unexpected knocks on the door made me jump. I stepped backwards, my eyes wide in shock. Keliah and Azra's expressions mirrored my own surprise. Their hands balled into fists. Their shoulders tensed, bracing for a potential threat.

Azra's gaze hardened, and Keliah's face became stern. I took a deep breath and steadied my voice. "What now?" I whispered.

"Open the door," Azra replied.

I did as I was told because I trusted they'd save me. I slowly opened the door, hiding the knife behind it.

There stood the tattooed man, who gave off weird vibes, and visited my bar. This time, he was covered in black clothing and even had gloves on. It looked like he wanted to rob me, or worse, kill me.

"Can I help you?" I said, my voice slightly shaking. My grip around the knife tightened.

He was peering at me, his eyes narrow. He took a step forward, examining my face. Then all of a sudden, Keliah's hand wrapped around my waist, and he came to the door, taking the knife out of my hand.

When I looked up at him, he wasn't the demon I knew. He wore the skin of someone else. A disguise Death used when he was being with me.

This guy had short, black hair and looked much older than me. He was dressed casually but elegantly. His dark brown eyes stared at me. The loose strands of his hair covered his forehead.

Then his eyes moved to the man. "Is everything alright, sir?" He asked him, and the man took a slow step back.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you this late. I'll come another time." He said and turned his feet down the steps. He walked away quickly, not looking back. His head hung low, and his shoulders slumped.

The three of us simultaneously watched him leave. When he was completely out of view, I shut the door, but Keliah's hand remained glued to my body. My brows drew together.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"How do I look? Convincingly human?" Keliah whispered into my ear.

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself away from his grip. I moved to Azra and crossed my arms. "Does that man wants to kill me? And now I want serious answers, Azra."

Azra sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yes, but I cannot reveal more. Death would torture us again." He admitted, his voice filled with fear.

I turned my head to Keliah, who admired himself in the hall mirror. "How were you able to do that? Change yourself?" I asked, seeing myself in the mirror behind him.

He smirked, his brown eyes staring into mine. "Very easily." He said, and his disguise began to slowly turn into his true self. It was like watching someone throw a bucket of water over some fresh paint.

Taking a violent shake of his head, he brushed his fingers through his bright red hair. He slipped from his wrist a hair tie and made a low, messy bun.

"This guy I took the body of is dead. You can only change yourself into the people you kill. And this brat was super annoying a few centuries ago, so I killed him. Upsss." He covered his mouth and made the 's' sound lengthy, as if he were hissing.

I should've been mortified by what he told me, but instead, my mind wandered to Death. Madeline and Alec were real people who lived, and he killed them. If it was because of me, it meant I was their original killer.

"Your existence gives me a headache." Azra suddenly said, staring at Keliah. "We're not killing people anymore. If we did, they would find us immediately." He explained.

Who though? I had no clue, and I had no intention to aks.

I didn't want to think about having murderers in my house, but rather about what I'd do about the man who came to kill me. I shook my head slowly, my eyes shut, and then, when my mind had some sort of peace, I walked to the door and opened it.

My bravery vanished almost instantly because Rowan stood in front of them. His arms were crossed, his brows drew together, and his ocean eyes were piercing through me.

"Why are these demons in your house?" He asked, angry. He took a step inside, shutting the door loudly, which awakened Grandma. Azra and Keliah looked unfazed, just observing him. Before I could explain everything to him, the door to Grandma's started to creak.

"Quickly to the storage room!" I whispered and ran to the second door next to Grandma's room. They followed me without question, and when Azra came last, I right away closed the door. We were smashed together like marshmallows in a bag. The tight space was only making me feel more awkward.

Grandma walked around the hall for a few minutes before she returned to her room. I sighed in relief, my heart beating at normal speed again. I turned around to face them. "Let's go to the living room, but please, be silent." I couldn't see if they nodded or not, but I opened the door and strolled to the living room.

We took a seat on the couch, and the dense air made me nervous. I was afraid they would start to fight. But I had to calm my nerves and handle the whole situation perfectly.

I sat between Azra and Keliah, and Rowan took the seat on the rocking chair. His hands gripped the handles so tight that his knuckles became white and his eyes narrowed.

"Why couldn't I detect you?" Rowan asked, peering at the demons.

Keliah laughed, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Would you like to know, huh?" He mocked.

Rowan slammed his fist against the chair handle. "Don't play games with me, demon. I've been looking for you for a long time. Who is protecting you?"

Now Azra spoke calmly. "Death, who else? And don't fool yourself, angel. You weren't looking for us all the time. You let us wander the town when you knew we were somewhere here. Was it because of her?" He asked and glanced at me.

"Yeah, you holy boy, we know why you aren't chasing us. Once you'd take us back, you wouldn't return here anytime soon, and you despise the idea of it." Keliah said, his low voice thrumming in my ears. "Admit it."

In a second, Rowan was on his feet, and so were the demons.

"Don't you dare fight here. Sit. Down." I said through my teeth.

To my surprise, all of them took a seat, and I began to speak. "We have much worse problems than your bickering. Someone wants to kill me." My voice broke at the word kill.

"You mean Death?" Rowan said.

I looked at him and exhaled. "Surprisingly, no. It's someone else; that's why Azra and Keliah are here. To protect me." I explained.

His eyebrows raised, and doubt glared in his eyes. "Why would Death try to protect you?"

A knot formed in my stomach. I still didn't know why he sent demons to protect me or why he wasn't himself protecting me. Why was there so much mystery around him?

Neither one of us answered him; instead, Azra changed the conversation. I sat back on the couch.

"We have followed the man for a few weeks now and found nothing unusual in his behavior. He is just a human male who loves to drink and smoke. And is obsessed with needles."

"And is eerily consumed with visiting the cemetery every day," Keliah added, resting his ankle on his knee.

I snapped my head at him. A breath caught in my throat. He widened his glowing red eyes at me, but they were so hollow, full of emptiness. "What?"

"What grave was he visiting?!" I asked, grabbing him by his jacket.

He gripped my hands in his and shortened the space between us. "Relax, V. I can take off the jacket on my own, but the pants you have to take off." He said and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him onto the back of the couch. I turned my whole body toward Azra because I knew I'd get a normal answer from him.

"It was the grave of a woman named Lily Caddel. Why are you asking?"

My hands began to tremble when I looked down at them. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My breathing was shallow, and I felt as if I was being choked.

"Vivienne, what's going on?" Rowan asked, holding my hand.

"That man knew my mother." I murmured, and a hot tear traveled down my cheek. "He's visiting her grave because he's my father."

Rowan enveloped me in his muscular arms. I buried my face in his chest, feeling safe in his embrace. I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears.

Keliah's cough destroyed our little intimate moment, so we pulled away from each other. "So your father wants to kill you because...why? I still don't understand."

I rearranged myself on the couch, and Rowan kept standing in front of me. The whole time, he was peering at Keliah.

"I have no idea why. He never met me. He left my mother while she was pregnant with me. My mother never talked about him." I answered.

"You have to assure him that no one will be home; otherwise, he will never come again." Azra stated.

Rowan huffed, shaking his head. "That's too risky. What if he decides to harm her? And we won't be there to protect her." He remarked.

I lowered my head and stared at the old floor. My head was about to burst. We didn't have a proper plan, and my life was on the line.

Keliah instantly spoke. "Who's we, blonde? We're with her more than you, and besides, it's not only us-"

Azra punched him in the shoulder. I didn't have the time to register his hand behind my back.

"Close your mouth, or I'll sew it." He threatened Keliah. But he only giggled at this threat.

I got up and turned to face them. "If this is supposed to work, we can't fight each other. Especially the two of you." I pointed out, and my eyes narrowed at them.

Keliah chuckled, pulling strands of hair out of his bun.

This will be hard.