"Long story short, I was almost killed in order to send a message to Uncle Rohan, that they would destroy everything close to him for something he had done to them. I fought him off as much as I could, and coincidentally, Uncle Rohan was supposed to come to the port that day. When he saw someone trying to drain my life energy, he killed the man, only for us to discover that he was a light demon in disguise, hunting the Dagons."
Aryen sighed, shaking his head. "Ever since that day, we’ve been cautious, tracking and monitoring demons before they can reach our family, especially the most vulnerable among us."
Aryen still felt guilty for what he had said about being close to the Dagons, and for confirming to the demons that the person they were looking for was nearby. The port where he worked was closer to Velmere because it was his uncle who had made the connection for him to get the supervising job, where he inspected packages shipped from other lands.
Working in a place like that, he had met many people. Even though he didn’t like some of them, Aryen was forced to be friendly and keep conversations going. One of those conversations he had tried to maintain had led him to confirm that he was close to Uncle Rohan.
He hadn’t told his mother or aunt about his near-death experience. Only Finn, Uncle Rohan, and Ereves. Aryen didn’t want anything to ruin his twin sister’s perfect day. She had wanted this marriage, and if he could prevent anything from spoiling it, or making it less grand than she had always dreamed, he would.
He had asked his uncle not to tell the others until after the wedding, which was why they were working hard to keep any threats away from the venue and from the land of Mirehaven and their family. They had searched both places the night before and again early that morning, making sure they were clear of demons.
For now, the demons had not yet discovered the entire Dagon family and were still hunting for anyone connected to them in Velmere.
Light demons didn’t have the ability to track a dark demon once they stepped outside their realms. And Rohan didn’t live in the demon world, which made them come to look for him in the mortal world.
Because the mortal world was vast, they were searching across different lands to find him. And because Aryen had been careless enough to admit his connection to the Dagons to the demon his uncle later killed, they had begun to hover around Velmere.
Lately, a lot of them had been spotted in Velmere.
Max, who was listening to all of this, couldn’t help but frown. "Is that the reason you and Finn have been going around so much lately?" he asked Aryen, who nodded in response.
"We wanted Elle’s wedding to be exactly the way she wanted it," Aryen said. "If Mama and the others learned about this, they would make the wedding small and private, only between family, out of fear of an unexpected attack. Finn and I, along with Uncle Rohan, have been working to keep them away from our family for now." He explained further, making sure Max understood.
"I’m sorry," Max muttered, looking at Finn. "I didn’t mean to raise my voice. I was just trying to look out for you."
Finn’s expression changed. The disdain vanished, replaced by pride, as he pursed his lips and said, "Don’t. I’m not a little boy. I can take care of myself. You are not the only son, you know. I can also help protect our family." He muttered under his breath, believing that his brother was just trying to do everything perfectly to be the ideal son of their parents.
Growing up, all he ever heard was Angel did this at a very young age, he did that, he mass compelled people to protect their mother. Even though mama and papa had praised him too, it never felt enough compared to Angel. He wondered if his brother thought it was easy trying to live up to that. Finn wanted to do things like Angel and be praised for it. He wished Angel would see him.
On a normal occasion, Finn had never gone to brothels before, and his father normally wouldn’t have allowed it, as he was considered too young in human terms. But because he had one of the sharpest senses, something he had been told he inherited from their grandfather, he was able to sense demons even when they were disguised, and that was why he had been allowed into this.
Aryen never even allowed him to go close to any woman; he could only watch, for hell’s sake. And now his brother was acting like he had committed a crime for doing grown-up things, things he believed he was already old enough to do, because he was not a child.
Max felt their father’s eyes on him and turned to find that he was being studied with those intense dark eyes that always made him feel as though his father could see straight through someone’s soul. He didn’t look away. Instead, he asked quietly, "For how long are you going to keep them out? The demons, I mean."

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