A menacing growl surrounded across the room. Alexander’s eyes were shining brightly gold and I could tell he was itching to leap across the desk. Reaching over, I flicked his nose.

“Down kitty.”

Both Alexander and Wyatt jumped back stunned at my action.

“Now. Demons. They have a similar structure to us, there are 7 Archdemons and the demons share abilities from the Archdemon caste they belong to. Now if I were to ask you what they were called what would you say?”

Seeing as Alexander was still quietly seething, Wyatt answered.

“Wrath, Envy, Lust, Pride, Greed, Sloth and Gluttony.”

I shook my head. It was a common thought by everyone but incorrect.

“That’s what everyone thinks but no. That would be like calling Michael Protection or Raphael Healing. It’s what they are not who they are.”

“You seem on good terms with them.” Alexander’s accusation was clear in his voice.

“Yes.” Hawk wasn’t wrong, we saw them all on a monthly basis, I personally was in contact with Satan more than that though.

However, that was not a helpful comment considering the situation so I sent a glare at Hawk before I turned back to Alexander.

“As I was saying. They operate on a structure similar to ours. They have Castes that are led by Archdemons. The Archdemon of Pride is actually called Lucifer. Satan is the Archdemon of Wrath. Envy’s Archdemon is Leviathian, and the Archdemon of Gluttony is called Beezlebub. Belphegor leads the Sloth caste as its Archdemon whilst Mammon is Greed’s Archdemon. Lastly is the Archdemon of Lust who goes by Asmodeus. Their abilities are somewhat mirrored to our own, Satan’s demons are able to influence a person’s emotion until all they feel is rage for instance.”

“That’s all very nice but how does that help me protect my people from their influences?”

“You can’t. It doesn’t work that way.” I sighed. This was always the hardest part for people to get their heads around. “They can’t influence just anyone. It’s not allowed.”

“Not allowed? I’m afraid you’ve lost us Autumn.” Wyatt’s tone conveyed his confusion.

“I’m bungling this up. It’s hard to describe something that you’ve always known. It’s… balance.”

“Balance?” Alexander shook his head. “You speak nonsense.”

I looked towards my brothers. If we were to uncover what was happening here, we need to get the shifters to understand. They nodded at me, letting me know they were behind me. I paused for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts, to find someway to explain the how the balance worked.

“What’s the one thing that can seriously harm any vampire that only shifters possess?” I posed my question to Wyatt and Alexander.

“Our blood. If a vampire tries to drink our blood, they are poisoned and die.” Alexander seemed proud of this fact.

“And what about the other way around? What’s the one thing that can harm any shifter, that only a vampire possesses?”

“Their saliva from their bite.” Wyatt’s tone was contemplative. “Balance.”

I smiled at him and nodded, and when I looked over to Alexander I could see that he was thinking it through.

“So, if there is a balance to everything then the abilities of the demons should be opposite to yours?” No one could say the Leo wasn’t a smart cookie.

“Yes. Pride is able to negate our angelfire, just as pride will prevent someone asking for help. Wrath is able to fill someone till they feel naught but rage. Envy is able to negate a Healing angel’s powers as they make the host jealous of the healer. Sloth counteracts Communication by preventing any telepathic communication within a certain radius. Wisdom is counteracted by Gluttony, as Wisdom wants to share knowledge whilst those influenced by Gluttony horde it. Lust counteracts Love by filling people with inability to form proper connections. Greed is the opposite to Freedom by preventing them from being able to free a person’s memories as they can’t let go from their material possessions long enough.”

Tapping his fingers on the desk I could see that Alexander was contemplating what I had said.

“You said not allowed.”

“I did. Most people think that angels are all good and demons are all evil but that’s not the case. Demons can only influence those that feel that particular… emotion and even than it’s a conscious acceptance on behalf of the host. In the same way, angels can only help those that ask for it and are ready to accept help. It’s how angels and demons maintain balance between each other.”

“So, you mean my son, my Dylan, he accepted Satan’s or one of his demons influence?” The sad sentence was accompanied by a sigh.

I felt sorry for Wyatt, it was hard on anyone to realise that they loved one was corrupted not by something evil but something of their own design. Taking a sideways glance towards my brothers, I could see the concern on their face as well. Reaching across, I placed my hand on top of Wyatt’s and gave him a faint smile.

“Now, do you want the bad news or the good news first?”

“There’s more?” Sighing, Alexander placed his head in his hands. “Why me?”