My words, having carried more venom than I realized, force the room to stunned silence as all eyes turn towards me with various amounts of shock and hurt in them. Eventually a long slow sigh emanates from the sofa beside my grandfather as Celeste says, “Ebony I know you have been hurt very deeply from being left alone for so long. But that is hardly fair to your father. It took him nearly a decade to recover enough from his injuries to even be able to leave the protection of your grandfathers realm. Honestly we think he should have recovered more."

I raise an eyebrow at her but say nothing more so she continues, “He barely survived the attack himself, he was in and out of consciousness for weeks while we tried to figure out what happened. The only reason we even knew you were alive was because I had insisted on at least two of my best tracking hounds following you and your parents to the safe house for your awakening. They were able to come get us the instant the attack started."

She locks gazes with me as she says, “Your father never once stopped fighting to find you of that I am sure. What ever has kept him from you must be more powerful than he is, that is the only way I can imagine he has not found you himself."

With a snort I sit back down in my seat and lean back, “It doesn't change the fact we had no real relationship before mom died or the fact I have had no contact since. In fact, if I am perfectly honest, the three of us would not be in contact even now had I been left to choose on my own."

The hurt in her eyes sends a small stab of pain to my chest as I continue, “I now know you cared about me grandma, but that hasn't been enough in the last few weeks to erase centuries of fear and pain. Likely I would not have come to you today if I could have found any other way to get the answers we needed about Silver."

She opens her mouth to say something but Tribus rests a hand on her shoulder stopping her before saying, “We know Ebony. We can't undo what has been done, but will you at least let us try and repair some of the damage you have suffered? If for no other reason than as a way to honor your mother? The last thing she would have ever wanted was for you to feel unwanted by your family."

The mention of my mother causes any retort I may have wished to respond with to die in my throat as I stare at my grandfather. After a long moment I nod as a slow sigh escapes me, “Yeah, I can do that for her. You are right… she never would have wanted this to happen."

Taking a deep breath I continue, “And I'm sorry for being sharp with you. It's still just a very sensitive topic."

Chase places a paw on my shoulder before adding, “I'll say. After your last family reunion you took three days to recover enough to leave your room."

A sharp pair of glances from Jasmine and Richard cause me to chuckle a bit as Chase huffs, “Ok fine, I didn't help matters much either."

That gets a confused look from my grandparents as Celeste asks, “What do you mean by that Chase?"

Chase shifts uneasily beside me, “Uhm… well I uh…."

Jasmine steps in taking the heat off her alpha, “He chose a very bad time to do a very nice thing for Ebony and finally tell him how he felt."

My grandmother's eyes go wide as a big smile spreads across her muzzle, “You finally told Ebony you love him?"

Chase nods mutely beside me as my grandfather rolls his eyes, “Like that wasn't obvious from the beginning. Only Ebony's mate would have been able to wield his sword."

At that all eyes turn to my grandfather who just looks around the room, “What? Was it a secret or something?"

I reach a paw up and scratch the back of my neck, “Uh… well we kinda haven't talked about it that seriously yet to be honest."

He raises an eyebrow before asking, “I know you were still young when you left but you do remember us telling how important…"

I cut my grandfather off saying, “Yes I remember thank you. It just hasn't come up yet, been a little distracted around here."

Tribus watches me for a long moment before saying, “Just make sure you both talk about it soon."

Chase shifts beside me and I feel his gaze on me as he asks, “Talk about what?"

I turn far enough so I can meet his gaze, “Just some demon stuff you need to learn about. We will talk about it later." I turn my good eye back towards my grandparents, “In private thank you."

That causes my grandmother to let out a small laugh before she stands up, “Well on that note I think we should let you all get some rest, we have intruded on your hospitality long enough and I know there is a lot more for you to discuss amongst yourselves."

She walks over and leans down to look at the sleeping form of Silver still curled up in his mothers arms. Gently brushing across the top of his head causing his tiny ears to flick lightly she says to Jasmine, “Treasure every moment you have with them. They grow up so fast, before you know it he will be off causing trouble and chaos."

With that she give little Rick the same gentle brush in his fathers arms, “You two have such beautiful cubs." 

As she moves to stand beside her husband Richard clears his throat after sharing a glance with Jasmine, “Uhm Celeste?"

My grandmother turns back to him, “Yes?"

He clears his throat again before asking, “Uhm would you be willing to give us some advice about being parents another time? We are kinda lost at this thing…."

She smiles as she grips my grandfathers hand in hers, “Of course dears, any time you need anything just have Ebony get in touch with us. In fact if the two of you would like, when the boys are a bit older, you can bring them to our place for a visit. I will be having a litter of hounds being born in a few weeks that would probably love to play with a couple cubs when they're older."

Both of the young parents exchange worried glances before I interrupt their thoughts, “Don't worry, they would be safer than being around Ranger."

That seems to relax their fears as Richard nods, “Thank you, we will talk about it."

Celeste just smiles as my grandfather rolls his eyes, “Oh fun we have more pups on the way."

My grandmother swats his shoulder causing a few small laughs, “Oh hush you know you love them."

Grumbling he says, “I will have no reputation as a demon lord by the end of the night at this rate."

With that he makes a small bow in everyone's general direction before saying, “Thank you for allowing this visit, I do apologize that we brought less than satisfactory answers to your questions but I promise to do what I can to get you more answers in time. Also I want to reaffirm to everyone that this house and all who live within are to be considered under my protection. Should any demons ever find their way here simply tell them my name and they should leave you alone. If not, my grandson knows what to do."

I let out a sigh as I stand and move closer to my grand parents, “Im sorry for what I said about not trusting you and all it's just…"

My grandmother lets go of Tribus and wraps her arms around me in a gentle hug, “Oh Ebony it's ok, we understand it will take time."

Letting go of me she reaches up and places a soft kiss on my cheek as she steps back beside my grandfather. Reaching out my right paw for him he takes it in a firm shake saying, “Ebony I may have been more gruff than was necessary the last time we spoke, but I hope you won't hold that against me. You know how us demons are."

Letting go of his hand I give a small shrug, “Bad attitude is a family trait and all."

Chase and Celeste both snort at the same time causing me and my grandfather to turn and glare at each of them in turn causing their snorts to turn to laughs. Rolling his eyes Tribus raises his left hand up in the air and carves a series of runes in the air, “Shall we go now, or would you like to walk home?"

His words only earn him another slap on the shoulder from my grandmother, “Oh hush you. Everyone here is practically family now."

As the tear in the air expands into the more familiar flame ringed portal, my grandfather grumbles, “That doesn't mean you need to tell them all you know the first time you meet."

With a nod in my direction he steps into the void and vanishes. Before she follows my grandmother smiles around the room saying, “It was lovely to meet you all. Perhaps next time we can meet the rest of your pack for a more happy occasion."

Following my grandfather through the portal she too vanishes into the inky depths before it shrinks to a point and vanishes with a small pop leaving behind a hint of smoke and sulfur in the air.

Crossing my arms across my chest I finger the pendent now hanging around my neck while staring at the point in space the portal occupied. A cough from behind me draws my attention back to Richard and Jasmine. Looking at them with my good eye I ask, “Yes?"

Richard takes a deep breath before slowly saying, “Ebony… I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier." 

I stare at him for a moment before letting out a long slow sigh, “Richard… you were right to be upset at what you thought was a threat to your family and pack. But I would have thought I had gained enough respect and trust from you over the last few months for you to know I would not have brought any such threat into this house without having taken precautions."

Richard goes to open his mouth but Jasmine stops him by placing her free paw on his thigh, “Ebony you do have our trust and respect. Why else would we have asked you to be Silvers godfather? It's just that it caught us by surprise to see another demon and wolf in our house. We know better than most how easily a promise can be broken if given the opportunity."

My eyebrow raises in confusion as I reply, “But I gave you my word I would not allow a threat near your son if I could avoid it. I even secured the same promise from Tribus before allowing him to come here. Do you think I would even be capable of breaking my word on that?"

Richard and Jasmine exchange a glance before he says, “We don't believe you would have intentionally done so, but we have no way of trusting any others of your kind in the same way. After all the stuff we have read in the library about demons, saying how dangerous they are."

Understanding finally hits me as I move my left paw to rub between my eyes, “I see. You have read how dangerous we are, but did any of the books mention how we hold our promises?"

They both shake their head as Jasmine answer, “They only said to never make a deal with a demon."

I go to open my mouth but Chase cuts me off, “The reason you never make deals with demons is because any deal made is always a magically binding one. Every promise Ebony has made to any of us has been binding him magically to uphold the letter of his word. Every demon is bound by that magic when they make a promise."

Nodding I pick up when he stops, “You see among my kind ANY promise is binding and cannot be broken without severe consequences."

Richard looks at me with comprehension on his face, “So when you said you would protect Silver from any harm, you are bound by that?"

Nodding with a hint of hesitation I answer, “Yes, but with exceptions. I am bound to protect him from any harm I can protect him from, such as attack or major injuries that I am capable of preventing. But not from protecting him from normal growth things such as cubs wrestling or stubbing toes. If someone were to try and attack him however I would be bound to do all I can to prevent it the moment I become aware of it. Same applies to every promise I have made to you and this pack. It is the main reason demons very rarely give out such promises and why we are so well known for carefully wording what we do say when we make such a promise."

Standing from the couch with Rick sleeping in his arms Richard moves across the room lost in thought when Jasmine asks, “What would happen if you did knowingly break such a promise?"

I look at her for a moment before reaching out a paw to gently pet the top of Silvers head, “It depends on how severe the consequences of breaking the promise are. It can range from mild to crippling pain all the way up to my death."

As my words ring in the silence of the room Silver yawns in his sleep before a tiny paw finds one of my digits and grabs onto it tightly. Smiling softly down at the small cub a soft voice from beside me asks, “You mean, every time you have made a promise to this pack you have been putting your life at risk?"

Looking up at Richard I nod, “Yes. Every time."

In his eyes I see a raging storm of emotions as he breaks his gaze to look down at the cub in his arms. At that Chase steps up beside me placing a paw on my shoulder as Jasmine turns to her mate and says, “Do you understand now Richard why what you did earlier was so cruel? More so than I even realized? Ebony is literally putting his life at risk to protect our children and you couldn't have been patient for five minutes to let him explain what was going on before you revealed his secret to the rest of the pack."

Richards shoulders sag under an unseen weight before he raises his gaze back to mine saying in a soft, almost broken voice, “Ebony… I am so sorry. I didn't realize… I should never have assumed that…"

I wave a paw in the air between us cutting off his apology, “It's ok. The truth was going to come out sooner or later. It always does."

Before he can continue I pull my other paw free from the small grip saying, “You should take these two back to bed. It's getting late and there's something else I want to do before getting started on chores for the night."

With just a nod Richard and Jasmine both turn and head up the stairs. As soon as they are out of ear shot Chase steps up next to me and asks, “Is that true? Could breaking your promises to us really kill you Ebony?"

Turning to head for the front door I answer, “For some of them yes. Specifically the ones dealing with those cubs." 

Placing my paw on the door handle I start to open it when Chase pushes it back closed, “And where are you going now? Just going to avoid talking about that little surprise you just dropped on us?"

I look him straight on with my eye and answer, “There is nothing to talk about. I made a promise to protect them and thats what I fully intend to do. It is no different than you promising the same thing. As for where I am going, I thought I would go for a flight. I haven't done that in a long time and would like to stretch my wings a bit. Especially since I no longer need to keep them secret."

Chases mouth open and closes a couple times before he shakes his head softly asking in a surprised tone, “You can really fly?"

Snorting out a laugh I pull the door open again and step out into the night air, “Of course I can, did you think the wings were just for show?"

As I step off the porch I begin my transformation. One wolf paw lifts off the porch and a draconian claw steps into the snow as I stretch my wings out with a groan. Looking down I see that my new clothes have shifted forms with me as well. The outfit remains basically the same though it has grown and shifted to accommodate my larger shape. Paw steps in the snow beside  tell me Chase has followed my path outside.

Shifting so I can see him with my left eye I watch his expression. A mix of wonder and hesitation cross his muzzle as I can see him having an internal debate about asking something. Chuckling in a way that sounds like tumbling rocks down a hill I ask, “Did you want to come along?"

Glancing at my wings he asks, “You don't mind?"

Exposing my fangs in a wide smile I answer him by hooking my right arm under his left and pulling him close to my side, “Hang on tight."

He barely has time to wrap his arms around my neck with a yelp as I crouch down low, spread my wings up and launch us both into the air with a powerful jump. His yelp and whine of surprise fills my ears as his arms squeeze tight around me. With several powerful beats of my wings we are soon several feet above the tops of the nearby trees and gaining height quickly.

Through a string of steady curses coming from Chase I laugh softly before angling my wings to catch the air currents and level out our flight several dozen meters above the trees. Once our flight is stabilized I squeeze him gently with my arm before saying, “Open your eyes or you will miss the whole point of this trip."

Slowly the cursing slows down as I feel him relax against my side before he lets out a single drawn out word, “Wow…"

Stretched out before us as far as the eye can see is the rolling ocean of tree tips glittering with snow topped branches reflecting the moon light like a field of diamonds. Beyond the trees, off near the horizon, stand distant snow capped mountains looming like frost covered giants in the night. Above us the sky is filled with uncountable numbers of sparkling stars in a cloudless view. Gliding through the crisp winter air the silence of the world fills with awe and wonder. Only occasionally do I ever beat my wings in effort to maintain our position. 

As the cold winter air flows around us I feel Chase moving his head from side to side as he takes in the new perspective of his home, “I never would have imagined how this would look from so high up. Why have you never done this before?"

I shrug causing him to tighten his grip reflexively, “Been to worried about keeping my secret. Plus when you do this enough times you loose the wonder of it."

As his arms tighten around me he says, “I don't see how you could ever get used to this. It's amazing."

Chuckling, “I guess I started to take it for granted having seen it so much."

Gently I bank my flight path to take us in a long curving path out over the valley forest. For several long minutes we both just take in the wonder and beauty of nature below us as we follow a lazy path through the air. 

Eventually Chase asks, “Ebony, this is truly amazing, but why have you kept something this special hidden for so long?"

I think for a moment but as soon as I open my mouth to try and answer I catch a soft whistle sound in the air right before my left wing explodes in pain as something pierces the membrane and breaking one of the bones. Howling in pain I feel our bodies begin to drop out of the sky like rocks.

Fighting through the pain I do my best to control our decent as much as possible as I pull Chase hard against me yelling, “Hold on tight and don't let go."

His words are lost to me as the first tree branches break against my arms. Acting on instinct I wrap my arms, tail, and wings tight around us in a black cocoon as we crash into larger and larger branches. Through the crashing and tearing pain I hold dearly to the the thought of keeping Chase safe as my world fades into black and pain. 

Before loosing my grip fully on reality a voice pierces the growing veil saying within my mind I promise he will be safe.

With that blackness consumes me.