Fighting for the Lost (Sebastian's Daughter Book 4) (COMPLETE)

Chapter 12

Alex practically ran down the stairs to find his father. He had to tell him they couldn't stay here anymore. They were in too much danger. But if there was another demon working for Nathaniel, then they could easily track them. Alex realized suddenly that he had no idea what was going to happen to them.

He reached the kitchen in a matter of seconds, frantically searching for his father. He found him a moment later, speaking to the demonic staff around him.

Sebastian saw his son and cut off mid sentence. Glancing at him curiously, he saw the urgency on Alex's face. He excused himself, and left the room, ushering Alex with him.

"Where are we going now?" Alex asked, desperate to know. "They're expecting us to know that they'll.... Ugh. It's so confusing."

"I understand. We will be leaving as soon as Selena thinks she can." Alex saw the sadness on his father's face. "She's been through too much. Both of you have..."

"She's fine. Just tired and shaken. We need to get out of here now. They're going to come back."

"I know that." Sebastian sighed. "But they shouldn't be back for a while. Nathaniel needs a new demon."

Alex nodded. "I guess you're right, but he could have a whole line of demons ready to come to his aid. He could be here as early as a few hours."

"I was speaking to everyone about that. They're going to guard the place well for the night, then we shall leave in the morning. I want her to get at least one more night's rest."

Alex hung his head a little, trying to hide his stress and frustration. "I'll let her know."

Sebastian put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Nothing will happen to her tonight, Alexander. I give you my word."

Nodding, Alex turned and made his way back up the stairs. When he finally made it to Selena's room, he knocked lightly on the door before entering.

Selena was laying on the bed, her eyes closed. Alex could tell she wasn't asleep, but still kept his voice down as he turned to Samantha.

"He said we're leaving tomorrow. He didn't tell me where we're heading, though."

"As long as you're getting out of here," Samantha sighed.

Selena slowly sat up. "You're not coming with us?"

"I'll do whatever your father tells me to do."

"But you can't stay here!" Selena shouted. There was fear in her voice. "What if they come back for me. If I'm not here, you could get hurt."

"The risk is the same for all of us here." Samantha tried to be reassuring, but it wasn't working very well. She added, "There are many of us here, Selena. We look out for one another. The other demons here won't let me get hurt." She laughed. "Especially since I'm the youngest one here."

Selena forced a smile. Samantha sure hadn't been acting like she was only 16.

Alex placed a hand on Selena's shoulder. "She'll be okay. We all will."

Selena only nodded, then turned to lay back down. Her mind was swimming with thoughts and images. She could still see Finny and Maria being killed, as the demon had showed her, she could hear Finny's screams. She turned her face away from the others, not wanting them to see her tears. She stayed that way for a long time. After Samantha had left, and it was only her brother with her. After what felt like an eternity, she finally fell asleep.

***

Selena's POV:

I didn't wake up again until early the next morning. I sat up to find that I was alone in my room, for the first time in what felt like forever. My first thought was that something was wrong. They never left me alone. But maybe they thought it was safe enough to let me sleep in my room, or that I would want to be alone for a little while. Either way, it wasn't normal. As my suspicions grew, I was more drawn toward the door. I wanted to know why.

I got up from the bed and, on shaky legs, made my way across the room. I opened the door and peaked out. There was no one on guard.

I walked through the doorway and into the long hall. It was empty.

Even more worried, I started down the hall toward the stairs. The closer I got, the more I thought, This must be a trap. Somehow Nathaniel managed to get enough demons on his side to take out everyone in the manor, then wait for me to come out looking for everyone. My thoughts made me freeze for a moment, reconsidering whether or not to try. But the thought that Nathaniel could gather enough demons to defeat my father alone was inconceivable.

I continued down the hall. I made it halfway before my legs gave out. I fell to the floor. Hard.

I lay there for a minute. No one came.

I forced myself to me feet and continued, this time leaning on the wall for support. I made it to the stairs, but soon realized that I probably couldn't take them without falling. With a stroke of brilliance, I spread my wings, then gently let myself glide through the air above the staircase.

I landed at the bottom, slightly smiling to myself. It hadn't been brilliance, obviously. I was nowhere near brilliant. It had been common sense, and the fact that I had called it brilliant made me laugh.

I explored the bottom floor of the manor, finding no one. I made my way to the front door, and heard voices coming from the other side. I peeked through a small window, and to my relief, saw everyone.

It was dawn outside, the sky pink with small, scattered clouds. Everyone was listening to my father, who seemed to be giving some kind of speech. I could barely see Alex in the front of the crowd, standing beside Samantha. Finny, Maria, and even Peter were out there as well. Maria seemed troubled, but nodded in understanding to whatever my father was telling her and everyone else.

I sank down to the floor, knowing that I wouldn't be able to return to my room. It had taken most of my strength to get down here, and since I was still exhausted, and could feel symptoms of my illness returning, I stayed where I was beside the door, waiting for the others to return inside.