Her Witch, Her Demon [WxW]

The Herald Tower was not a tower but a basilica. Most people, especially tourists, who came to Green Front thought that the impressive building of stone was a church built during medieval times.

They wouldn’t be wrong about how old the Herald Tower was. However, it was the farthest thing from a church. Founded by seven Lowdren Powers, the Herald Tower is the symbol of authority of the Demon Circle in Green Front.

It was in here that Nyx went to face the Demon Circle who dared summon her like some commoner. The Lowdren Powers were the highest authority among lesser and greater demons. They were greater demons who ruled over smaller territories called Lower Dominions found within the Higher Dominions. Green Front was one of these Lower Dominions.

The demon community of Green Front was ruled by the seven Lowdren Powers, the first of which was Staslok.

Staslok was the only remaining founder of the Herald Tower, making him the oldest and most powerful greater demon in the city. It was perhaps this authority he had that made him arrogant enough to summon someone like Nyx so casually.

When Nyx arrived inside the Herald Tower, the Lowdren Powers were already seated, waiting for her. They all wore their matching black and red robes, the insignia of the Lowdren Powers — a five-pointed star in a full moon — strapped to their chest.

“So what is this about?” Nyx asked in an eerily calm tone. While she was furious with the Powers, Nyx was still rational. It would be best to gather the information she needed first.

“The meeting hasn’t begun yet,” said Staslok in his gruff voice.

“What are we waiting for? I have things to do.” And she was losing her patience by the second.

She had stayed out of the politics of Green Front all this time and did her best to stay away from the Lowdren Powers. Clearly, these demons didn’t like peace.

“We have guests joining us soon,” said Staslok.

Guests? Nyx raised a brow. Was it the Highdren Powers of Zorgan Dominion? Green Front was directly under this Dominion after all. But even if the Highdren Powers were coming here, why would Staslok invite her?

Wait, had he figured out Nyx’s true identity as Onixcasria? No. It couldn’t be. If Staslok knew that Nyx was the firstborn of Lucifer and Lillith, he would have killed himself before even thinking about summoning Nyx.

She must be here for something else. Before Nyx could ask any questions about who their guests were, she heard several footsteps approaching in the distance.

“Ah, they’re here now,” said Staslok. “I invited the Elders of the Witch Council here.”

“What?” Nyx’s eyes widened.

What the fuck? This sneaky bastard. Why didn’t he tell her that before?

Nine people walked into the massive hall, an air of wariness surrounding them.

The Witch Council was really here. What in the world could have made them even accept the invitation of the Demon Circle?

Something wasn’t right.

The nine elders sat across the other half of the room. Nyx was left standing in the center while all eyes were on her, like a criminal in a court of law.

Seated in the second row of the nine elders were Meredith’s parents. Charles and Andrea Huang took a long hard look at Nyx, then they both exchanged glances with each other.

“Is that Onyx Castle?” Charles whispered to his wife.

Andrea nodded. “What’s she doing here?”

So didn’t know she was coming either, Nyx thought. Hmm. Let’s see how this plays out.

Staslok cleared his throat and the room became dead silent. “Thank you for honoring my invitation,” he addressed the Witch Council. “No doubt my invitation must have shocked you. The last time we met with the Witch Council was about fifteen years ago. Just like that time, we have something of common interest to discuss. This time, it’s a common enemy.”

“I see,” said Ida Thompson, Grand Elder of the Witch Council. With her gray hair and wrinkly skin, Ida was the oldest-looking person in the room. “Yet I do not comprehend why she’s here.” The Grand Elder pointed at Onyx Castle. “Didn’t you say this was a meeting between the Witch Council and Demon Circle?”

“I did, Grand Elder,” said Staslok. “But I also did say we’re here to discuss our common enemy.” He paused, directing his attention. “Onyx Castle is connected to our common problem.”

“Speak plainly Staslok,” said Nyx.

“It’s Lord Staslok to you.”

“I think not… Staslok.”

The silence thickened, the hearts of each witch and demon beating faster and faster. For the witches, she was certain they were anxious about witnessing the murder of a human right before their eyes. As for the demons, Nyx had a feeling their rapid heartbeat was absolute rage. Demons were the most prideful beings in existence.

“Now,” said Nyx, utterly bored by the whole thing, “stop wasting my time. I gave you the necessary respect by honoring your invitation. Do not make me regret it, Staslok.”

Staslok’s glare deepened. But instead of throwing a tantrum, he said, “The Durug is back.”

“Yes. And?”

“They’ve abducted and killed several demons and witches in the last few days. We can’t let that go on anymore.”

“Alright. But what has that got to do with me?”

“I agree with Onyx,” said Ida. “The Durug is a witch problem. If anything, we should be worried about you, First Power. How can we trust that you know nothing about the Durug. They’re your people after all.”

“Be careful what you say, Grand Elder,” Staslok thundered. “The Durug are not my people. They are filth.” Staslok’s gray eyes shimmered with fury. “The desecrate the pact that keeps us at peace and I will not stand for it.”

“Why are they back now?” asked another one of the elders. “No one’s heard of them for centuries.”

“It’s all because of her.” Stasklok pointed at Nyx. “Onyx Castle is the reason for all this.”

“Oh,” said Nyx, “I told the Durug to kill witches and demons? Am I missing something?”

“Stop playing dumb. You know why the Durug is targeting everyone. It’s all because of your nightclub. It’s an abomination and you must shut it down.”

“Let me get this straight. You called me here only to ask me to shut down my nightclub because it’s causing the Durug to kill your people.”

“I’m not asking, Onyx. It’s an order from the First Power.”

Perhaps she had heard it all wrong, so she waited patiently for Staslok to confess that this was all one big joke. But the intensity behind the eyes of the First Power was far from a joke. And from the facial expressions of the other Lowdren Powers, it was clear that they wholly supported Staslok.

Nyx burst into hysterical laughter. For minutes, her laughter echoed throughout the massive hall.

“You think this is a joke, Onyx Castle?”

“Why yes, Staslok. You summoned me over this?” Her tone hardened, dripping with venom.

“There’s a reason witches and demons stay away from each other. It’s how we keep the peace. The Union, on the other hand, threatens that peace.”

“I don’t see how. If anything, the Union brings everyone together.”

“And obviously some people don’t like it.”

“Do you mean you or the Durug?”

Staslok clenched his jaws. Through gritted teeth, he said, “I keep this Dominion under control. Unlike some Powers who couldn’t care less about dead witches, I do. Not because I care about witches, but because I care about order. If you care so much about the unity of demons and witches, then you’ll shut down the Union.”

“I’m sorry,” said Ida suddenly. “What is this Union I keep hearing about?”

“It’s an underground nightclub Onyx owns,” said the Second Power, Nhorzef. “It’s open to all supernaturals including witches and demons.”

“What?” The witches murmured among themselves. “That’s unacceptable.”

“Glad we agree on something,” said Staslok. “The Durug is targetting demons and witches you patronize the Union. Most of the young witches who have gone missing were all taken by the Durug.”

“Oh yeah? And how do you know that?”

Staslok paused for a moment. “Does it matter?”

“It does to me. It’s my club.”

“Well, you can’t run it anymore,” he said. “The Demon Circle has decided to shut it down. I called on the Witch Council because I believe this is a collective duty. Spread the word among your witches to stay away from the Union. That’s the only way to keep them safe from the Durug.”

“Are you quite finished, Staslok?” Nyx asked, now over the whole thing. “You better read my lips. I will not shut down the Union. Ever.”

“Ms. Castle,” said Ida, “you should heed the advice of the First Power. I don’t expect you to understand anything, but the Durug is dangerous. That’s all you need to understand.”

“Dangerous?” Nyx scoffed. “I already got rid of those bastards.” Thanks to Rexadan.

“What?” It seemed everyone said it at the same time.

“Onyx, that massacre in Down Tide,” said Staslok, “that was you?”

Ida narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what massacre?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Nyx clenched her jaws. She should never have brought this up. Especially not while Meredith’s parents were here. If they found out she was a demon, Meredith could get in trouble.

“It’s not important,” said Nyx quickly.

“Not important?” Ida said angrily. “Witches are dead because of the Durug. What the hell do you mean it’s not important?”

Nyx said nothing. This meeting was going on for too long. It needed to end.

“Even if what you say is true,” said Staslok, “it’s only the lower echelons of the Durug you eliminated. The sect is still alive and well. All you did was cut the tail.”

“Then if it rears its ugly head, I will cut it,” Nyx thundered.

“Onyx, listen-”

“No, you listen, Staslok.” Nyx released her demon energy as the rage within her intoxicated her. “No one dares touch the Union or anything that belongs to me.”

Staslok’s face paled in shock as he cowered on his knees. “You… you’re…”

Her oppressive demon energy seeped into the very hearts of the Lowdren Powers, reducing them into shriveled nobodies, cowering on the ground.

“Summon me again and I will tear you apart. Do you fucking understand?”

Staslok nodded continuously like a lizard.

Nyx inhaled and exhaled gently to calm herself. Since she hadn’t targeted the witches with her oppressive demon energy, they weren’t prostrating on the ground like the demons. However, they were in a complete state of shock, watching Nyx in horror.

Shit. Now every witch in Green Front would know that Onyx Castle, the business mogul, was no human but a royal demon. Great.

She shouldn’t care at all, but for some reason, she hated the disgusted and horrified expression that Meredith’s parents had as they glared at her.

Fuck. Dinner with Meredith’s parents was going to be awkward.

As she helped her mother make dinner, Meredith couldn’t help but sense the tense atmosphere. It had been this way ever since her parents returned from the council meeting. Before her parents left the house, they were cheerful and full of life. They couldn’t wait to meet Meredith’s girlfriend.

But now, watching her mother go about the cooking lifelessly, Meredith wondered if something was wrong. Even worse, her father kept asking her more and more personal questions about Onyx Castle. Many of these questions, she didn’t even know the answer to.

Maybe they just wanted to prepare themselves before meeting Nyx.

By the time it was 6:30 pm, they had finished making dinner and set the table. Nyx should be here in thirty minutes.

The entire family sat silently in the living room, waiting for their guest. They were too silent. Once in a while, they would exchange glances with each other and then shake their heads.

“What’s going on with you two?” she asked.

“When is she going to be here?” asked her father.

“I told her to come at 7. Nyx is punctual.”

“And you think she’ll come?”

Meredith paused for a moment. Were they expecting that Nyx wouldn’t show up? Last night, she had stormed out of Nyx’s home in anger… or more like jealousy. But that didn’t mean Nyx would stand her up, right?

She shivered upon recalling the sensation of Nyx’s mouth on her skin. And those words, sweeter than honey, were all she could think about.

It’s only you, Meredith. Always remember that. Meredith shook herself out of her stupor. “She’ll be here.”

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was exactly 7 pm.

Butterflies buzzed in Meredith’s stomach, as a smile widened on her face. “I told you she’ll be here.”

Her father gave a small smile, but her mother didn’t look impressed. Well, it wasn’t strange. Her mother was never impressed with any of her love interests. But this will be different, she hoped.

Meredith opened the door. And there she was, the woman who made her heart skip a beat or two. Nyx wore a gray blazer and a pink shirt. They both stood still, completely enamored by each other.

Nyx smirked. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She bit her lips. “You came.”

“Of course, I did.” Nyx took her hand and Meredith melted by the demon’s touch.

Opening the door wider, Meredith invited Nyx in, leading her to her parents.

“Baba, Ma, this is Onyx Castle. Nyx, these are my parents.”

No one moved an inch. Her father’s gaze hardened as he gravely stared at Nyx. Her mother’s glare was even colder. Meredith’s heart raced in trepidation.

What was going on?

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Huang. Nice to meet you.” Nyx stretched her hand. None of them moved to take Nyx’s hand. Even then, Nyx didn’t pull back, nor did she take her eyes off Meredith’s parents.

“Baba…”

That was when her father suddenly took Nyx’s hand and gave it a rigid handshake. “Onyx Castle, huh? You’re dating my daughter.”

“That’s right.” Then she smiled softly at Meredith, making Meredith blush.

“So, um, can we go get dinner then?” Meredith asked, trying her best to clear the awkwardness in the air. Everything was so strange. Her parents had been excited to meet Nyx for a long time and now they were acting so cold toward her.

If Nyx was bothered by the coldness, then she didn’t show it. Without another word, the family made their way to the dining hall and sat around the table.

“This smells delicious,” said Nyx, her eyes shimmering at the assortment of dishes sprawled across the table. If there was one thing Meredith had learned about Nyx, it was that she absolutely loved food.

“My mum and I made it.” Meredith helped Nyx with portions of food.

“Thanks,” Nyx said.

Meredith smiled. When she sat, she felt her parents’ gaze on her. They had not touched their food. That made Meredith hesitate for a moment. Nyx, on the other hand, just dug in, surprisingly good at using her chopsticks.

“Hmm,” she grinned at Meredith, “this is so good.” Then turning to Ma, Nyx said, “Your food is amazing, Mrs. Huang.”

For most of Meredith’s life, she’d seen her mother beam with joy anytime someone complimented her food. But not today. In fact, she looked visibly disgusted although she wasn’t saying anything out loud.

Meredith’s heart sank. Did her parents not like Nyx? They weren’t even giving her a chance at all. Not even her father, who was usually friendly to everyone. Unless…

Oh my god. Meredith’s grip on the chair tightened. How could they have known about Nyx? Didn’t she say that no witch could sense that she was a demon?

It wasn’t until Nyx gently squeezed Meredith’s hand did she realize that her hand was shaking. Nyx wasn’t looking at Meredith, but the warmth of her hands comforted Meredith.

“So what’s your intention with my daughter, Onyx Castle?” Her dad suddenly asked, sizing up Nyx.

“Baba-”

“It’s okay, Meredith. It’s a valid question,” said Nyx. She wiped her mouth and sighed. “I like Meredith. A lot.”

“And how did you two even meet?”

Meredith had already told her parents that she met Nyx at a party. Of course, she dared not tell them about the Union. But it wasn’t exactly a lie. Still, why would they ask Nyx the same question when they already knew?

Oh, god. Knowing how fearlessly honest Nyx was, she would definitely speak the truth and…

“It was fate, I guess,” said Nyx smoothly. “All I know is that I was smitten when I first saw her.”

No one said anything for a long time.

“What’s wrong?” Meredith had run out of patience now. “I thought you wanted to meet my girlfriend?”

“Your girlfriend?” Ma raised a brow. “Goodness, where did we go wrong as parents?”

“It’s not her fault, Andrea. And it’s certainly not ours either. Meredith didn’t know any better. Even we were fooled, weren’t we?”

“Well, it’s time to do something about it. It’s why we honored this invitation right?”

Her father nodded.

“What are you two talking about?” asked Meredith.

Baba sighed. “Mei Mei you can’t date her.”

“What?” Meredith gaped. “Baba, you can’t…”

“Your girlfriend is a demon,” Ma suddenly blurted.

Meredith’s blood suddenly ran cold. So they knew. Fuck.

There was a long silence for a while until her father spoke. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Meredith bit her lips. Suddenly, she wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole. But, no. This was not the time to cower. It was time she showed her parents that what she had with Nyx was serious. It didn’t matter if Nyx was a demon.

“Nyx is not a bad person.”

Her father suddenly banged the table, startling Meredith for a moment. “A bad person? Meredith… that woman is a demon. They’re evil. How could you do this?”

“Baba, Nyx isn’t evil.” Meredith’s voice cracked, not out of sadness, but more out of anger. How could her very open-minded father judge someone so blatantly without even knowing them? “She’s honest, fearless, kind… yes… Baba, Nyx is kind. And I know it.”

Baba’s eyes softened for a moment. But his voice didn’t lose its firmness. “So you knew Nyx was a royal demon this whole time and yet you kept it to yourself.”

“Wait, what?” Meredith narrowed her eyes, shooting Nyx a look. “A royal demon?” Nyx’s expression didn’t waver.

“Oh, she didn’t tell you that part?” asked Baba. “She’s honest, huh?”

Meredith exhaled heavily. “It changes nothing, Baba. I want to be with Nyx.”

“Did you know she almost slaughtered everyone at the meeting? Go on, ask your ‘not evil girlfriend’ all about it.”

“I get that you don’t like her, Baba, but you don’t have to slander her like that.” Nyx avoided Meredith’s gaze. Did she really almost kill everyone? Why wasn’t she denying it? “Nyx…”

The memory of Nyx strangling the life out of the vampire knocked the wind out of Meredith’s lungs. She remembered clearly the rage in the woman’s eyes, burning intensely like two suns. Someone like that could easily give in to their bloodlust and massacre everyone, right?

Oh god.

“You should leave, Onyx,” said Baba. “We need to speak to our daughter in private.”

Finally, Nyx looked at Meredith and smiled softly, leaned in, and whispered into Meredith’s ears. “I’ll call you later, alright?” Then she kissed Meredith on the forehead. When Meredith’s heart fluttered, she knew it would be next to impossible to leave Nyx.

As soon as Nyx was gone, her father said, “You should break up with her.”

“Baba…”

“Mei Mei, I love you, and I’ll do anything for you. But not this. You can’t date a demon. You’re a witch.”

“That’s antiquated. Can’t we all just grow and move on from this ancient feud.”

“This isn’t just a feud, Meredith. It’s our life. Demons are dangerous, and royal demons are the most dangerous of them all. Onyx is a royal demon. Onyx is fucking dangerous. She’s a psychotic murdering bastard. And you will be putting yourself in danger.”

“She’ll never hurt me.”

Her father paused for a moment. He seemed to be wrestling with his thoughts. “You don’t know that,” he said softly.

“Charles, stop trying to reason with her,” said Ma. “Look, Meredith. Even if I’m generous enough to assume that Nyx cares about you and would never hurt you, we can’t say the same for other demons. The Durug… they have eyes on Nyx. Being close to her will put you in danger. So stay away from her.”

“Baba-”

“No. I don’t want to hear it, Meredith. I stand with your mother on this one. There are plenty of other men and women out there.”

“I don’t want other men or women. I just want Nyx.”

“Okay, fine.”

Meredith raised a brow. “Really.”

“Sure. Choose between Nyx and your family. You can’t have both.”

“What?” Meredith’s heart sank. Was her father really giving her an ultimatum? How could he do this to her? If she chose Nyx then that effectively meant that her parents would no longer acknowledge her. She didn’t want that.

Her eyes stung. What could she do now? Choose Nyx and lose her family, or choose her family and lose the woman she was falling in love with?