Demon Puppet

Chapter 13

I hold my breath as Micky leads us towards Hero's homeland—and mine. The hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end as I suddenly realize that we are being watched. Imitators are hiding all around us; I feel their eyes on me, boring into my back like knives about to pierce my skin. Hero senses my growing discomfort and squeezes my hand with a gentle smile. He is much more relaxed. In fact, he seems to have changed completely since we stepped into Imitator territory.

Noelle? He muses, his eyes meeting mine. You're just about to break my hand, princess.

Oh. My face reddens, and I quickly let go of his hand. Sorry.

You didn't have to let go.

"We're here," Micky murmurs, smiling at the two of us. His eyes meet mine for a moment, and I take a step back, tucking myself behind Hero. "Welcome home, Noelle."

Hero takes a step forward, and my eyes widen. There are hundreds of Imitators all around us—some of them have wings, others have long, sharp claws or fangs. Each one is different, but none of them seem threatening. Hero places his hand on the small of my back as we approach a large wooden structure—a massive house built into the mountainside.

"Noelle," he says softly, "meet your parents."

I slowly look up and meet the eyes of a man and woman who seem just as nervous and shocked to see me as I was to see them. The woman is slender and dark-haired, with almond brown eyes and pink, faded lips. Her hair was wavy and light brown, falling messily over her shoulders and down her back. The man is tall and lean, and his eyes are dark, almost black and fixed on my face. His hair is a strange shade of orange-gold, parted in the center. He brushes some of it back and steps forward, his voice soft.

"Noelle?" He hesitates, holding out his hand. "Is it really you?"

I glance back at Hero nervously. His lips curve up, and he nods towards the man and woman. My heart flutters in my chest as I turn back around to face them. Something in the woman's face falters, and she moves forward and wraps her arms around me. She sobs quietly while the man takes a deep breath before moving around us, holding us both in his embrace.

"I thought..." The woman cries softly, stroking my hair. "I thought... oh, my sweet girl... You've come home at last..."

The man—my father?—leans forward, sniffing my hair gently. His brow furrows, and he turns back to Hero. "What did they do to her? She smells almost human."

"They raised her as one of their own," Hero says quietly, his eyes never leaving my face. "Her instincts protected her until she found me, and I was able to show her what she truly is. She's learning quickly, Leeteuk."

"That's good," Leeteuk says with a tone of finality. He takes a deep breath and tilts my chin up with his finger. "My beautiful daughter... all this time, and you never knew about us... We never forgot you. Not for a single moment."

Hero clears his throat. "Leeteuk...Sunmi... I have already accepted Noelle to be my mate, though I have not claimed her yet—"

"Hero," Leeteuk growls, his eyes flashing. "We have had our daughter back for only a moment. Let us have her a little longer before you take her from us."

"I meant no offense," Hero protests, bowing his head. "But I have a hunch that we are being pursued, and I thought that—"

"Pursued?" Sunmi interrupts, raising an eyebrow. "By whom?"

"We intercepted a wolf pack," Hero answers, "as well as a demon who I have fought previously."

That's right, I remember. Hero never saw Hongbin. He doesn't know that... I bite my lip and pause, not knowing if my thoughts were private.

Sunmi and Leeteuk show no signs of reading my thoughts. "A wolf pack and a demon?" Sunmi snorts. "How many? And what kind of demon?"

"Twelve werewolves with a rather belligerent alpha," Hero replies. "The demon is weak. I broke his wings in battle, and now he seeks revenge against me, but he cannot fight." He coughs and hides a smirk. "All of them have fought me in battle before and lost."

"You lost too, Hero," Micky mutters under his breath. "That was how they locked you away in that prison."

Hero snarls, whirling around to face the other Imitator. "They would not have succeeded if it weren't for—" Hero cuts himself off.

"For what?" Leeteuk murmurs, his eyes narrowing.

"A demon puppet," Hero whispers, spitting the words out as if they were a curse. "The humans had managed to get control of one and ordered it to defeat me in order to protect Noelle."

"Why would the humans want to protect Noelle?" Another voice chimes in. A murmur arises from the other Imitators, and my face turns red. All of them know about me...
Hero takes another step forward. "It is my belief that the humans were studying her, trying to find her weaknesses in order to launch an attack against our kind."

I can't help it—my eyes fill with tears. Memories of my uncle flash through my mind, and I duck my head. All that time, and they were only using me? Impossible... I thought...

Sunmi notices my tears and pulls me close again. "My poor girl," she whispers, stroking my hair soothingly. "I'm so sorry. We never should have left you alone, not even for a moment."

Leeteuk takes a deep breath before smiling at me, reaching over to brush the tears out of my eyes. "Enough sorrow," he says softly. "You're home! This calls for a celebration!"

Hero grins at me, running forward and spinning me in his arms. Smile, Noelle, he says in my mind. You're home. They're throwing a party in your honor. We will be mates soon, bound and joined for life as it should have been many years ago.

I... I look around at all of the Imitators, laughing and bustling around to prepare for the celebration. Hero... something doesn't feel right.

It's been a long time, he murmurs, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. It will take time for you to get used to things here, especially since you spent your whole life in that prison. Even if you were the Warden, you were trapped there as much as I was, left to care for those creatures.

I swallow nervously. You're right, I say finally. It will take time for me to get used to things... I look up at him, my eyes meeting his. Hero... I need to ask something of you.

Anything, princess. His eyes gleam.

Please—let's not complete any mating ceremonies or rituals or anything just yet, I plead. I can't—not while I'm still a stranger here. I'm an outsider, whether they've welcomed me back or not. I don't feel like I belong.

But you do belong, he frowns. You belong here more than anywhere else. You belong with me more than anyone else. I've waited hundreds of years for you to be mine, Noelle. Why are you making me wait longer?

"I...I just can't!" I cry, not realizing that I've spoken out loud. Sunmi and Leeteuk turn to face me, and Micky gives me an odd look. My eyes fill with tears, and I turn and run into the trees. My hands clutch at my jacket, and I feel Hongbin's doll press against me. I stop and fall to my knees, hugging the doll against my chest.

Hongbin...Doll-eyes...What am I going to do?  I slowly pull the doll out of its hiding place and stare at it. My fingers run over the fabric of the doll's face. If this is leading you here... My eyes widen. I turn back in the direction of the Imitators' stronghold. I can hear footsteps barreling after me, coming closer and closer.

"I'm sorry, Hongbin," I whisper to the doll , pressing a soft kiss against its forehead. "If you follow me here... I can't let anything bad happen to you..." I take off running again until I reach a spot far away from the stronghold. I can hear Hero chasing me. My eyes scan over the terrain before I find an outcropping of rock. I quickly move towards it and lift it up easily with strength I had never used before. I whisper one final command to the doll, knowing that Doll-eyes would hear it and obey.

I'm sorry, I sob softly, hiding the doll deep beneath the rocks. If you follow me here, they'll kill you--and I can't let that happen.