Chapter 2

It was a while before Arisa finally cracked and started talking.

"So hey, do you guys actually have a plan, or are you just doing whatever?"

Just to annoy her I said, "Hmm... I am not really sure.... A bit of both I guess." Arisa huffed and Liz chuckled on my shoulders.

"There's a city nearby to-"

"We know, but we also know the mean guys have a hideout there. So, we are going to wait until the next city to stop." Liz interrupted her. Arisa cracked a smile, happy to have some information about our plans.

"Don't go giving away unnecessary info squirt." I tossed her in the air and turned around catching her. I began to tickle her while still keeping my guard up slightly around Arisa. Liz squealed with laughter, leaving me no choice but to smile. It seems Arisa couldn't hold back a smile either. It chipped at my walls, but only slightly.

I sighed. "Okay look, there's a cabin about 2 miles from here where we planned to stop and rest before going to the city. There's enough food and other supplies for the three of us. Our mom's clothes might fit you." I winced as I realized I gave her more information. I said, 'our mom's' not 'my mom'.

She gave me a pointed look that said she hadn't missed my slip, but, wisely, she didn't comment. She only nodded in thanks.

"Hey Mark!"

"Yeah pumpkin?" I asked Liz.

"Why are we going so slow? We normally would be there by now."

I winced. We can't go full speed because there is no way Arisa can keep up.

"What is she talking about?" Arisa asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Well, normally we shift and use our full speed but-"

"Oh..."

"Mark, just let the pretty lady get on your back. I can fly." Liz looked at me with a big smile on her face. You could barely see the mischievous glint in her eye, NOT.

"Liz, first of all, the pretty lady has a name, Arisa. Second, I don't think she really wants to-"

"So, you think I am pretty?" Arisa interrupted with a wicked smile on her face.

Oh god. I could feel my cheeks heating up. In order to avoid the oncoming blush, I shifted into my demon form, making sure to keep the flames away this time. Taking my cue Liz jumped up and unsheathed her wings. I shot Arisa a wicked smile of my own.

"So... You want to hop on? I don't bite." I winked at her just for good measure. An instant blush crept up on her cheeks. Her entire demeanor changed from confident to shy. I will be honest; I got a bigger ego from that. Stepping up to my back, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and picked her legs up so I could place my hands under her knees to hold her.

"Ready?" Before she could answer I took off for a run full speed with Liz flying closely behind me. Arisa's arms tightened around me and she tucked her face in my neck making me shiver in response. Luckily, she was too busy holding on for dear life that she didn't seem to notice. I think I am in trouble.

Five minutes later we came upon the cabin. I stopped on the porch and set Arisa down. She was smiling brightly, and a red flush covered her cheeks from the speed we were going at. I turned away before I said something stupid and made a fool of myself.

"Wait here." I stepped inside the cabin and walked around quietly checking each room. When I knew it was empty, I went back and ushered them inside.

After I made some sandwiches, we found ourselves sitting in the living room doing the most normal thing possible, watching TV. I took out the guns Arisa gave me and inspected them. How she knew to get me guns, or much less that I knew how to use them, I will never know. All I knew was that these were some amazing guns.

"Liz, go to your room and go shower. We don't want you getting sick." Pouting, Liz left the room.

"Come on." I told Arisa before rising from the sofa. I went upstairs and into my parents’ old rooms.

"The restroom is there and that is my mom's drawer. You can look through it and see what fits you, if you need anything my room is across this one. A word of advice, not that you smell, but you should shower. I can't be dragging a sick person along." She huffed, I smirked and left.

I grabbed a pair of jeans and boxers before turning on the heater and heading into the shower in my room. I took a shower making sure to wash off any snow and dirt. I troweled off and put on my boxers and jeans, letting them hang low on my hips. I put the towel on my shoulders and left the restroom drying my hair. As soon as I stepped into the room, I noticed Arisa sitting on my bed. I should have taken a cold shower.

Looking up Arisa saw my lack-there-of a shirt and quickly looked down blushing. Deciding to mess with her a bit I walked up and stopped right in front of her.

"You need something?" I couldn't help but smirk and I saw her shift uneasily. She looked up and tried to hide her blush, she wasn't doing a good job.

"I was wondering how long we are going to stay here." She mumbled.

I got serious. I shifted back into my human form, she seemed to blush even more at that, and turned back looking for a shirt to wear. "I was thinking we could spend the night here and leave early tomorrow. That way we can all rest and you can tell us more about you."

"Okay..." Her voice sounded soft, and it caused me to turn around. She looked a bit uneasy.

I walked over and sat next to her. "You okay?" I don't know why her well-being mattered to me, but it did.

"Well... I-.... I am a little bit worried about Liz. When I hacked the computer, it only mentioned how you were the only half-human. Nothing about Liz. So.... If they find out about her, they might-"

"I know" I said quietly. The thought worried me too. "Truth be told, her blood only has a limited amount of demonic blood. What you've seen is as far as she can shift."

She seemed to hesitate a bit before asking her next question, "Why is that?"

"Look, if, after tonight we decide to trust you, I will tell you. Until then I am sorry, but I can't say anymore." She shivered. I got up and went to the closet. Grabbing a sweater, I tossed it to her. She smiled at me gratefully. She stood up, putting on my sweater which was much too big on her. It made her already long legs seem longer. She smiled warmly at me and a small blush covered her cheeks. Yeah, definitely should have taken a cold shower.

"Thanks Mark." With that she left my room with my sweater curving around her ass. Closing the door behind her I leaned against it and took a big breath. God, I am in trouble. I hope we can trust her; I really want to. Shaking my head, I headed back towards my closet and put on a long black sleeve before stepping out.

"Mark!" I heard Liz squeal. I ran throughout the house looking for her only to find her in her room being tickled by Arisa. Again, it chipped a bit more at my walls.

I stepped up to Arisa and pulled her up by the waist and placed her down. I began tickling her and Liz got up and started tickling her as well. Arisa began laughing like crazy. Apparently, she was incredibly ticklish. We kept at it until tears were coming out of her eyes and she was begging us to stop. By then we were all smiling and laughing. I guess she was starting to get to Liz too.

Smiling I said, "We should get downstairs, I will make food."

"Woah wait, he can actually cook? Like real food?" she seemed genuinely surprised. That made the smile on my face fall, but Liz's seemed to grow, much to my annoyance.

"Yes, 'he' can in fact cook. In fact, just to prove it, I will cook whatever you suggest to perfection." I know pretty cocky of me, but I have full confidence in my ability to cook.

"Alright then, let's see what we have in the kitchen." She practically strutted out the door. I had to force my eyes to stay focused on the back of her head and not watch her swaying hips. Liz turned and grinned at me mischievously.

"Not a word Liz, not a word." She chuckled and left the room with me following behind. It felt weird to have more people than just Liz and I. It is normally just us fighting it all on our own. Now there's Arisa here and- no! I visibly shook my head. I can't think of her as part of us yet. We don't even know if we can trust her.

Before I could collect and fix my thoughts, we walked into the kitchen to see Arisa walking around as if she had been with us all her life. It chipped more at my walls. It is like she is slowly forcing her way into my heart and my thoughts. I shook my head more forcibly. Calm down dude.

Looking up I saw her cock a brow. "You okay?"

"Yeah, so did you find anything?"

She nodded. "I am in the mood for lasagna, how about you Liz?"

Liz began jumping up and down, "Yay! Lasagna! Mark's going to make lasagna!"

Well now I definitely had no choice. With a smile on my face, I ushered Liz and a smirking Arisa out of the kitchen. I shook my head. Girls. Turning around I got to work.

When I finally finished cooking and separating the meals, we each had a full serving of lasagna, mashed potatoes, and, because of Liz's puppy dog eyes, macaroni.

I walked in the living room to call the girls. There they were huddled together on the sofa. Arisa was braiding Liz's hair and I can't remember the last time Liz looked so happy. It almost made me hesitant to call them, but we all have something to discuss after dinner. So, I sucked up all my hesitation and tossed it away.

"Guys, food is ready!"

After we all ate, and Arisa admitted I could cook we gathered in the living room.

"Alright Arisa, times up. What's your story?" I asked. Liz just sat next to me nodding seriously.

Arisa took a big breath before replying. "My full name is Arisella Alperen. I am 16 years old. I won't sugar coat it. I am an orphan, or at least I was. I was taken in by a man who simply needed a pawn. He put me into a harsh training so I can kill demons." I tensed slightly at this but didn't stop her. "At first, I seemed to be the perfect pawn, but when I was 14, I noticed something wasn't right. I was told that demons experience no emotion and kill humans for the fun of it, and sure I have come across those, but I have also come across the ones who hide in the shadows helping humans. Or they simply don't bother with the human world. We were still told to kill those, it seemed off."

"So, I began gathering info for two years. Just recently I hacked into their computer and found your file, or well... Mark's file anyway. It said he was discovered last year as the only one to survive and be born as half demon half human blood. It was said he could shift into his human form and fit in with humans. He could walk around in the daytime in both forms, and he didn't need to kill humans to survive. That his demon form was more powerful than most full demons and he was an above average human as well. That he had three demon stages to shift into which is highly uncommon as the most is normally two." She continued.

"But the part that really struck me as odd was that you have never committed a single crime. So, I had to see for myself. I went to your last known location and tracked you from there. I found you on that train by chance. I was expecting to find you in the city. When you were there, I noticed you first tried to solve it by talking and you really didn't want to provoke the fight. You seemed more prepared to defend yourself. I knew instantly there was something different about you. I decided to help you with whatever you needed, because there is no way I could ever help to kill someone who has caused no harm to the innocent." She ended.

I looked to Liz. She thought we could trust her; I waited a bit before replying. "My full name is Cziro Marcus Amon. I just stick to Mark. I am 17. This," I gestured to Liz, "is my little sister Kathia Elizabeth Amon. Liz. She is-"

"Seven!" Liz interrupted happily.

I smiled before continuing.

"I was born as a half demon and half human. Liz was a whole human. My family didn't realize I was anything but human until we had an accident 4 years ago. By then I had no choice but to tell them. We had had a major car accident; my mother and Liz were in critical condition. My father had died shortly after Liz was born, so my mom was all we had. I was fully healed a few hours after. The doctors asked for a blood transplant. Since Liz was born with the same demon father as mine, my blood was accepted into her system, but my mother's.... She was a full human, so it didn't accept the demon blood and she died. Liz and I were on the run after that. We couldn't have anyone finding us. Liz gained some ability from my blood, but she is more human the demon."

"The part about me having 3 forms is true. You have already seen my first which I normally use and walk around in when I am not around humans. My second is when I, much like Liz, sprout wings and claws. My third is my full demon blood. I am still able to think and be myself, unlike most, but I turn fully demon. Hopefully, you will never see me in that form." I finished.

It was quiet for a while, but Arisa finally spoke. "So.... Cziro?"

"Ah, it is actually pronounced Siro, you roll the R. Anyway, it doesn't matter! It is Mark." She chuckled at my flustered look.

"So, you guys use the nickname of your middle names? That's weird." She said cracking a smile.

There came a small scratching sound for the door. We all tensed up. Grabbing one of the guns I crept toward the door. Opening it slightly revealed... A wolf?

"Huh?" I opened the door wider.

"Leo!" Liz started to get up.

"Liz! It is not Leo his fur pattern is different...."

"Maybe it is that pup he brought back that long time ago."

"What?" Arisa asked, completely lost.

Liz explained to her how two years ago we came here and found an injured wolf and helped it recover and a year ago when we came back it brought a little pup with it. While she was doing that I kneeled down and pulled a piece of ripped cloth from it is mouth. I rubbed its head before standing. As soon as I stood, it ran back into the forest.

"What is that?" Arisa asked.

"Ripped clothing. We gotta go, get everything you need ready. I will pack some extra supplies then; we get out of here."

"Huh? Why what's wrong?" Arisa questioned. Liz was already used to this, so she was already upstairs packing.

"You're going to have to start trusting me more. When I say it is time to go that means it is no longer safe. Look, no one comes into this forest unless they are looking for something and we are the only thing this far out. That wolf protects us and warns us whenever someone is near, but if he has attacked someone and brought us this, that means they are here for us." I explained heading upstairs. She followed behind.

I walked into my room and tossed her an extra backpack. "Look through my mom's stuff for clothes that fit you, but only get things you really need. With that I began packing my own backpack. I shifted through my closet grabbing as much useful clothes I could. I made sure to leave enough room in my pack for a first aid kit. Lastly, I changed into better clothing for our upcoming 'trip'. I put on a black coat over my long sleeve. I put the guns Arisa gave me behind my back tucked into my jeans. I slipped on my combat boots before heading downstairs to get any other supplies we may need such as money among other things.

"Ready?" I called loudly enough to be heard throughout the house.

"H-hold on..." Arisa started coming down the stairs while still trying to put her socks. Halfway down, she tripped. I dropped my packs and rushed over. I caught her before we both fell down, with me cushioning her fall.

"Oof."

"Oh my gosh Mark! Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes to find her straddling my hips and leaning over trying to inspect a cut on my head. I couldn't hold back the blush.

Looking at my face she seemed to wake up and realize our position. She blushed a beet red. She looked down and tried to cover her face with her hair. I had the strangest urge to brush her hair away so I could see her face. I was about lift my hand to do just that when Liz came barreling down the stairs.

"Are you guys okay?!"

Arisa stood up off me and walked a bit farther off to continue putting on her shoes. I couldn't see her face anymore. I starred at my hand. Just what was I about to do?....

"Mark?"

"I am fine pumpkin." I tried smiling reassuringly at her, but I guess it didn't look that way. She looked at me with worry etched in her face.

Arisa walked up to me and handed me a band-aid. "It is for the cut on your head," she said with a light flush covering her cheeks.

I tried smiling softly at her. "Thanks." It just seemed to make it worse as her face flushed even more red. I give up.

"We should get going." I picked up my packs and waited for the girls to pick up theirs before stepping outside. I squatted down again and allowed Liz to climb on my bak. We set out for North again without even a night's sleep.

After about an hour of traveling through the snow Liz had slept the whole way so far and Arisa seemed ready to pass out. I shook Liz awake lightly.

"Mm?"

"Sorry sweetheart, but we gotta let Arisa sleep for a bit too."

In a sleepy soft voice she replied, "okay, but you just want to hold the pretty lady."

Holding back a blush I waited for Liz to fly into the air before going up to Arisa and placing her on my back.

"Huh?"

"You can sleep." She began to protest. "I want one of us to be fully awake in case someone attacks. I can't protect Liz on my own." If only that really was the only reason. Reluctantly she nodded and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. This time when I shivered as she snuggled her face into the crook of my neck, she noticed. I felt her smile against my neck before hearing her deep breathes of sleep.