Echo closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling calmly. She sat up, and turned her gaze to the door when she heard the knob rattle.
The door opened, and Damon entered followed by Denzel and the Midnight Onix. Echo glanced at Damon who gave her a reassuring look. Her curious gaze then fell on the masked demon. He was quite tall and well built. His dark clothes hid any hint of his skin. For a moment Echo wondered if he even had normal skin like a human, or the other demons.
"Is she the chosen warrior?" his voice rang around the room.
Echo kept a calm, poker face, despite her true feelings being something of a mix of fear and worry. She was afraid of what might happen next, and worried about what kind of encounter this might be. The demon's voice was just how she had imagined it after reading the several books about him in the Protectors library. Rough, and ghost-like.
Denzel glanced at Damon as he spoke, "That is what I've been told!"
The Onix stepped closer to Echo without a single worry about an attack on him, "The chosen warrior, I may have been wrong to expect someone more powerful." He stretched his hand out to reach Echo.
Damon's blood boiled when he thought about the Onix's filthy hands on his girlfriend, and now it was mere seconds away from happening. What could he do to stop it?
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Damon called out, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "She might look docile, but she's stronger than you would imagine." It took all the strength in him to not just lash out at the demon. He was not afraid of the demon, but he would throw away everything he and Echo worked for up until now.
The Onix chuckled, "I can take whatever she lashes out at me." He reached for her cheek.
Echo glanced at Damon. She wanted to just stab the masked demon once and for all, and to her surprise Damon was glaring at the Onix too.
The Onix felt everything happening around him. In fact, it was hard not to. The whole atmosphere in the room had turned dark. He knew that something was going on between the two. Or could it just be the binding spell Damon had on her?
Denzel cleared his throat, "Now that you have seen her, what do you think?"
The Onix glanced back at Denzel, "Nothing. I can't believe these lowly demons were afraid of someone like her." He brushed his hand past Echo's cheek, and moved back. "I have more important work to do than entertaining a Protector."
He strode out of the room, confusing both the demons and Echo.
Damon glanced at Echo, "Where's Hunter?"
Hunter peeked out from under the bed. She had her teeth bared.
Denzel rushed outside after the Onix. Something felt out of place for him. Why did the Onix leave in such a hurry? Was he just here to check if the intel he had received was correct?
"Wait!" Denzel called out, before the Onix could travel into the Demon Realm.
The Onix turned his gaze to Denzel, "You were right about Damon. I think he is no longer working with us. Keep a close eye on him, if things go wrong call me. We cannot lose once again." With that the masked demon disappeared.
Denzel sighed. He took a quick glance around him, and proceeded back to Damon.
___
Echo watched the door in silence. She was confused. Why would the Onix just visit, and leave? Did he have some agenda planned? If he did what was it? She knew that his visit was not good in any form. He could have easily bested her if the stories about him were true. Or were they not?
"How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Damon asked in a gentle voice. He did not want Echo to be worried too much, and she did not have a reason to either. He was now present, and would protect her with his own life, that was how much he cared for her.
Echo glanced at Damon, "Wasn't that a little odd to you? He just walked in here, took a quick look and left. Someone as strong as him could destroy this place, but he just saw everything and left."
Damon was confused too, but he did not want to show it to Echo, "Love, I'll handle it if anything happens. For now we are free of problems. So let's do something else."
"Something else?" Echo questioned. How could he want to even think of something else when we already know something bad is about to happen?
"We aren't really free of problems," Hunter spoke, gaining both Echo and Damon's attention. "The butler was snooping around our room a few minutes before you arrived. She even tried to attack me with a broom!"
"The butler?" Damon asked. He always trusted the butler, she even once almost gave her life up for him, so there was no way she could have tried to do something suspicious in Echo's room.
Echo watched Damon's reactions closely, but he had no expressions displaying on his face.
"She is one of the most trusted demons in my mansion! There should be a very good reason for her to be snooping in your room," Damon replied.
Denzel came back into the room, rendering everyone silent, "He left!"
Damon glanced at Denzel. He had so many questions for his friend, but not enough time to ask any, so he silently stared at him.
"No, I don't know why he left in a hurry. But whatever it is it cannot be anything good," Denzel replied, noticing Damon's stare.
"We both know that is not true. If anyone knows what's going on inside the Onix's mind it's you," Damon knew too well about his friend, to just take a lie from him.