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The next morning Shiona was startled awake by a knock at the door. She went to the door, then shied away.
ShadowWing rustled his wings. "Wait a moment. I'll get Beelzebub." He flitted from the room.
Shiona patted on Seth's head when the Hound whined, having been awoken from his slumber.
Beelzebub walked in to the room a few moments later without a shirt, grumbling darkly under his breath.
Shiona blushed at seeing the demon and averted her eyes towards the Hound.
"Ohhh, shit!" Beelzebub gasped when he checked through the peephole.
"Who is it?"
"Mother..."
"Matriarch Lasandra is here?!"
Beelzebub quickly threw open the door to reveal a woman in her late forties with flowing caramel colored hair and emerald green eyes. She was dressed in a long light peach dress and sandals.
"Hello, Son."
"Hello, Mother."
"May I come in?"
"Of course..." He backed away to allow her inside.
The moment she stepped through, her form reverted to her demon one. The sandals were a well-thought out addition and did not break when her talons formed.
"I believe you already know why I am here?"
Beelzebub folded his arms across his chest. "I have an idea."
"It is good to see you as yourself."
"Yeah, better to be myself."
"I assume Jukan decided to do as before?"
He shook his head. "No, it was Shiona."
Lasandra looked to the young woman in mild shock. "Truly?"
"Yes. She...managed to restrain him, even after he had full control."
Lasandra's expression changed so that it was less readable. "That is good...but I am afraid that since Jukan was able to escape, it is time to find her another protector."
"What?!" ShadowWing and Beelzebub said in unison.
"It is far too dangerous for her to stay with you, Beelzebub. Forgive me for being so brash before about her staying with you, despite Jukan's presence. I thought we had more time. And...I have sent out a group to clean up Jukan's mess from the park."
Shiona placed her hands over her mouth as the Matriarch spoke.
Seth whined, sensing the agitation that was building in the room.
"But Mother, she's fine with me!"
"You know once I've made a decision, no one can change my mind but me." Lasandra said warningly.
"B-but-!" Beelzebub sputtered, becoming too angry to speak properly.
Lasandra held a hand out to Shiona. "Come, my dear."
Shiona looked from Beelzebub to Lasandra, tears gathering in her eyes. She slowly got to her feet and came up in front of the Matriarch, head bowed in submission.
ShadowWing alighted on Beelzebub's shoulder. "Please, Lasandra..."
Lasandra looked from her son to the dragonette, and back again. "What has gotten in to the pair of you? Beelzebub, before you would have been overjoyed if I had taken her away."
"I know, I know! It's just...ShadowWing's befriended her and now we have this Hound," He gestured to Seth, who was sitting with his ears drooped. "And if you take her they'll both be without her."
Lasandra shook her head slowly. "I am sorry, my son. But this needs to be done. She must be kept as safe as possible. If she was able to restrain Jukan, then that means she is more powerful than I first anticipated and we must prevent her from having any more encounters with the Ghoul. He must have been feeding off her energy and managed to weaken the barrier."
Beelzebub's eyes widened. He had not considered that to have been a reason behind the barrier's weakening, just the passage of time had finally caused it to be so.
"It's all right..." Shiona said suddenly. She raised her head to look up at Beelzebub, a small, reassuring smile lifting her lips. "I'll miss you all."
Lasandra lifted an eyebrow. "Hm."
Beelzebub looked as his heart had been torn from his chest. At that moment, he wished it had if it meant she would not leave. He dropped his face, attempting to hide the tears that stung at his eyes.
"I am sorry, again...but if I find you've come to the Clan in an attempt to see her or take her back, you will face dire consequences. All right, Shiona. Come with me."
Shiona followed slowly, casting a backwards glance at Beelzebub before the door was closed. She could have almost sworn she had seen tears trickling down his cheeks.

The next several days were a blur to the demon. Having sunk into a depression at his Charge's absence, he resorted to drinking large quantities of alcohol to numb the ache in his heart.
ShadowWing was equally depressed with the loss of his other companion, although he tried his best to keep Beelzebub sober and occupied, though to no avail.
Seth the Hellhound had to be muzzled several times with a belt strap and put into the bathroom when he became so agitated he attempted to bite at both demon and dragonette. The only reason the demon did not dispatch the Hound was that he felt guilty, knowing that it was not what Shiona would have wanted.
When it became too much to bear, Beelzebub slipped out of the apartment while ShadowWing was asleep and made his way to the Zhugoth portal.
The going was rather rough for the demon, as he was too drunk to walk straight or to even change to his human disguise. Luckily the portal was not far and it was early enough in the morning that there not many people out.
Once inside of the caverns, the intoxicated demon wandered about, trying to follow the energy and scent of Shiona. It was not as difficult, as she was the only human, but with his senses dulled, he had a harder time locating her.
He finally found her in the large kitchen assisting Faun, the humanoid doe-like demoness who was the main cook of the entire Clan.
Shiona had to blink several times to make sure she was not imagining the demon leaning against the doorway for support. "Beelzebub?" She rushed to his side as he started to slide down the frame. She put one hand on his sternum and the other arm about his back as she attempted to keep him upright. She herself nearly fell when he transferred all of his weight against her smaller frame. "You're so heavy!" she gasped out.
The going was slow and tedious as Shiona made her way to a small supply room Faun had cleaned out for the human, Beelzebub being half-drug the entire journey.
Beelzebub sat slumped over on the bed after the human had managed to set him down.
She knelt down in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
He looked up at her through glazed over, blood-shot eyes.
"Are you okay?" She was rather startled when tears slid down his cheeks. "Please don't cry."
He suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her forward until their cheeks pressed together. "I finally found you." he murmured, his voice thick and slurred.
Shiona's entire face flushed a deep crimson and her breath clung to the lining of her lungs.
The demon sighed contentedly and slipped into slumber as Shiona's energy flooded through him.
Shiona pried herself from his slackened grip, ensuring he did not fall as she moved. The embrace had caused her powers to spark to life and send him off to dreamland. She hurried from the room once she had situated him into a better position.

Description
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The next morning Shiona was startled awake by a knock at the door. She went to the door, then shied away.
ShadowWing rustled his wings. "Wait a moment. I'll get Beelzebub." He flitted from the room.
Shiona patted on Seth's head when the Hound whined, having been awoken from his slumber.
Beelzebub walked in to the room a few moments later without a shirt, grumbling darkly under his breath.
Shiona blushed at seeing the demon and averted her eyes towards the Hound.
"Ohhh, shit!" Beelzebub gasped when he checked through the peephole.
"Who is it?"
"Mother..."
"Matriarch Lasandra is here?!"
Beelzebub quickly threw open the door to reveal a woman in her late forties with flowing caramel colored hair and emerald green eyes. She was dressed in a long light peach dress and sandals.
"Hello, Son."
"Hello, Mother."
"May I come in?"
"Of course..." He backed away to allow her inside.
The moment she stepped through, her form reverted to her demon one. The sandals were a well-thought out addition and did not break when her talons formed.
"I believe you already know why I am here?"
Beelzebub folded his arms across his chest. "I have an idea."
"It is good to see you as yourself."
"Yeah, better to be myself."
"I assume Jukan decided to do as before?"
He shook his head. "No, it was Shiona."
Lasandra looked to the young woman in mild shock. "Truly?"
"Yes. She...managed to restrain him, even after he had full control."
Lasandra's expression changed so that it was less readable. "That is good...but I am afraid that since Jukan was able to escape, it is time to find her another protector."
"What?!" ShadowWing and Beelzebub said in unison.
"It is far too dangerous for her to stay with you, Beelzebub. Forgive me for being so brash before about her staying with you, despite Jukan's presence. I thought we had more time. And...I have sent out a group to clean up Jukan's mess from the park."
Shiona placed her hands over her mouth as the Matriarch spoke.
Seth whined, sensing the agitation that was building in the room.
"But Mother, she's fine with me!"
"You know once I've made a decision, no one can change my mind but me." Lasandra said warningly.
"B-but-!" Beelzebub sputtered, becoming too angry to speak properly.
Lasandra held a hand out to Shiona. "Come, my dear."
Shiona looked from Beelzebub to Lasandra, tears gathering in her eyes. She slowly got to her feet and came up in front of the Matriarch, head bowed in submission.
ShadowWing alighted on Beelzebub's shoulder. "Please, Lasandra..."
Lasandra looked from her son to the dragonette, and back again. "What has gotten in to the pair of you? Beelzebub, before you would have been overjoyed if I had taken her away."
"I know, I know! It's just...ShadowWing's befriended her and now we have this Hound," He gestured to Seth, who was sitting with his ears drooped. "And if you take her they'll both be without her."
Lasandra shook her head slowly. "I am sorry, my son. But this needs to be done. She must be kept as safe as possible. If she was able to restrain Jukan, then that means she is more powerful than I first anticipated and we must prevent her from having any more encounters with the Ghoul. He must have been feeding off her energy and managed to weaken the barrier."
Beelzebub's eyes widened. He had not considered that to have been a reason behind the barrier's weakening, just the passage of time had finally caused it to be so.
"It's all right..." Shiona said suddenly. She raised her head to look up at Beelzebub, a small, reassuring smile lifting her lips. "I'll miss you all."
Lasandra lifted an eyebrow. "Hm."
Beelzebub looked as his heart had been torn from his chest. At that moment, he wished it had if it meant she would not leave. He dropped his face, attempting to hide the tears that stung at his eyes.
"I am sorry, again...but if I find you've come to the Clan in an attempt to see her or take her back, you will face dire consequences. All right, Shiona. Come with me."
Shiona followed slowly, casting a backwards glance at Beelzebub before the door was closed. She could have almost sworn she had seen tears trickling down his cheeks.

The next several days were a blur to the demon. Having sunk into a depression at his Charge's absence, he resorted to drinking large quantities of alcohol to numb the ache in his heart.
ShadowWing was equally depressed with the loss of his other companion, although he tried his best to keep Beelzebub sober and occupied, though to no avail.
Seth the Hellhound had to be muzzled several times with a belt strap and put into the bathroom when he became so agitated he attempted to bite at both demon and dragonette. The only reason the demon did not dispatch the Hound was that he felt guilty, knowing that it was not what Shiona would have wanted.
When it became too much to bear, Beelzebub slipped out of the apartment while ShadowWing was asleep and made his way to the Zhugoth portal.
The going was rather rough for the demon, as he was too drunk to walk straight or to even change to his human disguise. Luckily the portal was not far and it was early enough in the morning that there not many people out.
Once inside of the caverns, the intoxicated demon wandered about, trying to follow the energy and scent of Shiona. It was not as difficult, as she was the only human, but with his senses dulled, he had a harder time locating her.
He finally found her in the large kitchen assisting Faun, the humanoid doe-like demoness who was the main cook of the entire Clan.
Shiona had to blink several times to make sure she was not imagining the demon leaning against the doorway for support. "Beelzebub?" She rushed to his side as he started to slide down the frame. She put one hand on his sternum and the other arm about his back as she attempted to keep him upright. She herself nearly fell when he transferred all of his weight against her smaller frame. "You're so heavy!" she gasped out.
The going was slow and tedious as Shiona made her way to a small supply room Faun had cleaned out for the human, Beelzebub being half-drug the entire journey.
Beelzebub sat slumped over on the bed after the human had managed to set him down.
She knelt down in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
He looked up at her through glazed over, blood-shot eyes.
"Are you okay?" She was rather startled when tears slid down his cheeks. "Please don't cry."
He suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her forward until their cheeks pressed together. "I finally found you." he murmured, his voice thick and slurred.
Shiona's entire face flushed a deep crimson and her breath clung to the lining of her lungs.
The demon sighed contentedly and slipped into slumber as Shiona's energy flooded through him.
Shiona pried herself from his slackened grip, ensuring he did not fall as she moved. The embrace had caused her powers to spark to life and send him off to dreamland. She hurried from the room once she had situated him into a better position.