Zamiel. That was his name. An ancient smoke demon who was trapped for a thousand years inside a coffin by a witch. Irene could only imagine his hatred for witches, yet he had not hurt her granddaughter so far. Still, she wanted to be careful, so she gathered all information she could get on him, all while keeping an eye on Heaven.
It was very well known amongst the witches that a powerful witch named Razia had trapped an ancient demon. Razia became famous for the act since no one had dared to trap an ancient demon before. But why she trapped him, no one knew.
The demons who had lived long enough to know Zamiel did not think that he was trapped. They thought he ended his life after some witches killed his family. It was not the kind of information she hoped to find. This would mean that Heaven was in danger because this demon was not only ancient but vengeful as well.
Irene didn't need to know more about him. Instead, she began to look for ways to protect her family from this ancient being. There were two options. Killing him or trapping him. Finding believable sources on how to kill an ancient demon was impossible and trying methods she was not sure would work would be too dangerous. The only person who knew for sure how to kill an ancient was Lothaire, but Irene knew he would not give her answers without getting anything in return. So there was only the option of trapping him left.
But while she tried to look for ways to trap the demon, she could not ignore the strange things that happened. Why did the mark fade away so fast?
Even though she was curious, she had been relieved it was gone until she found out that Heaven went to visit him. She remembered the panic that day, how close she was to tell her son that his daughter was in danger, but to her surprise Heaven came back to her room safely. And he was the one who brought her back.
Irene became even more confused. What did he want? What were his intentions?
If he did not want to hurt her granddaughter even after the mark had faded then what else could he want? He was acting strangely.
But Heaven was also acting strangely by going to visit him. She also seemed to care for him still, even after the mark disappeared. Irene could only find one reason for both's behaviour.
They were true mates.
She was not sure if it was a good thing, but it kept her from wanting to trap Zamiel before knowing the whole truth. If he was Heaven's true mate, then trapping him would mean hurting her granddaughter.
Irene needed to find out more about the mark. How did the mark work if it was caused by a spell? It was a difficult question which could only be answered by the most knowledgeable witches. The Azure coven. They lived in the desert.
Irene had to seek them out. It was not easy to find them. They lived in tents and moved around often. When she found them, they did not accept to meet her at first, but Irene insisted and eventually they agreed. They took her to the coven leader, an elder woman.
The elder witch sat on a mattress on the floor. She motioned for Irene to sit in front of her.
"I see you have traveled a long way." The woman spoke. "I am sure you have come for an important matter."
"Yes. Do you know a witch names Razia?" Irene asked going straight into the matter.
"I have heard of her. She was the one who trapped an ancient demon."
Irene nodded. "And that demon could only be released by a female with both demon and witch blood whom he would mark. He is released now by that female, and the curse forced him to mark her."
The old lady shook her head. "That witch Razia went against the nature. The mark is a sacred bond that should happen naturally and not be forced on someone. When someone goes against the nature, the nature does everything in its power to restore itself. No magic is powerful enough to do what the nature does." She explained.
"What does that mean." Irene asked, even though she had her own theories.
"In your case, I don't know exactly what it means, but I'll say that fate will laugh at Razia."
Fate would laugh at Razia.
It was already, Irene guessed. Razia forced a mating between two people who turned out to be true mates. This had to be the nature taking its own force.
Her mother had told her once that there were things magic could never do. Bring back the dead, prolong life, or touch the heart and soul. Being mates was a matter of the heart and soul, and no magic could be strong enough to bring two people together against their will. That explained why the mark faded away quickly, but how would it effect the urge to renew the mark. Or would there be no urge?
If they happened to be true mates, the urge should still be there. Then why did he not mark her again?
Irene was utterly confused. Was his hate for witches so strong that it overcame the will to mark her? Was he rejecting Heaven and causing her pain as revenge?
There was only one way to find out the whole truth. She could ask Heaven, but if she was his true mate, then she would try to protect him and not tell her the whole truth. So Irene thought to somehow make Zarin or Gina tell her what they knew. Heaven must have told them something.
Once she was back to her room she was surprised to find Zarin there. He walked back and forth and seemed agitated. When he noticed her arrival he stopped wondering around the room.
"What is wrong, dear?" She asked.
"I need to speak to you." He said with a serious tone.
"Come." She led him gently to sit down. He was making her worry. " Yes, tell me." She sat across him on the small table in her room.
Zarin tried to think. It was like he didn't know where to begin. "Alright, I should not be telling you because I promised Heaven, but I am concerned for her." He began.
Irene already understood where this was going. He found out about the ancient demon.
"The ancient demon we thought was dead is still alive, and he even marked Heaven." He said as if unable to believe it.
Irene's lack of response to what he said made him pause.
"You already knew?" He asked as confusion settled on his face. "Why are you not doing anything?"
"Zarin, ," Irene began, but she did not know how to make him understand the situation. Even she was confused. "We need to deal with this situation carefully or else everyone will be in danger. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
She could see that he could not accept what she said. "Heaven is in danger, now! We need to protect her."
"We are protecting her by being careful." Irene explained.
"He might not be hurting her physically yet, but he is playing with her mind. She… I feel like she is turning against me. She doesn't understand that I am just trying to protect her."
Irene knew about their latest fights. But they seemed to have fought once again.
"No, Heaven would not turn against you. I know how much she loves you and looks up to you. She has just found a goal, and the change comes with it. I think she is just sad because the person she hoped to support her the most doesn't want to."
Zarin pressed his lips into a thin line. "Again, that is me protecting her." He explained.
"Which part of her are you protecting? Heaven is building up her self-confidence, taking control over her life, she is trying to find her way and even if she doesn't know what she is doing yet, I can see it makes her happy. I want to protect those qualities in her. I want to protect her heart from getting hurt. It's inevitable with her wanting to become a ruler, but I don't want to be the person who inflicts that pain. Because the pain caused by those close to your heart is the one that hurts the most. So which part of her are you protecting?"
The purpose of her questions was not to get an answer, but to make him reflect on his feelings and actions.
Zarin seemed to be thinking deeply about what she said before nodding. "I don't want to cause her any pain." He said.
"I don't doubt that." Irene smiled.
"But I don't know what to do." He admitted.
"I am sure you will figure it out. Just don't put yourself or anyone else in danger. I'll take care of this matter."