Mated to the Demon Princess

Chapter two

*Present*

(Elena)

Within the past five years, I have graduated from high school and became a detective. It took some time making my way up and being a single mother wasn’t easy, but I managed. Now, I am with not one but two beautiful kids, twins, and I got transferred to Minnesota, the same place I left five years ago. It took me a while to find a small two-bedroom apartment with a backyard and get my kids into school, but we did it.

“Bye mommy” Kaiden, my son smiled.

“Bye my babies”

“We love you” Kiana, my daughter said.

“I love you both too. Have a good day” I said. Kaiden closes the door and walks protectively beside his sister. It’s incredible how protective he is over his little sister at such a young age. You probably ask who their father is, but to be honest… I have only been with those two guys a little over six years ago. I wish I could’ve gotten their last names as well so I could tell them about the kids, but by now they should both be engaged or married and with kids.

I pulled up to the station and got out of the car. I greeted a few people before going to check the route I would take today. I’m a detective but being in this small town I get to do everything.

“Good morning, Elena”

“Good morning chief”, I greet back.

“How are the little ones this morning?” he asks.

“Their good. Thank you for asking, sir”, I replied with a smile as I grabbed a cup of coffee.

“Perfect. I’ll see you in the meeting room. Make sure to try the blueberry muffins. My wife made them” he sang the last part. He knows that everyone here loves his wife’s baking. She makes the best muffins ever and I’m not saying this because he’s my boss. I’m just saying this because it’s true.

“Thank you sir”, I grabbed two muffins and a cup of coffee and headed to the meeting room. Ever since I had my twins, I have had a high metabolism which works out great for me. A few people eyed me as I walked past them. Why wouldn’t they? These muffins are as big as my face, and I have two of them, not to mention the cup of coffee.

‘Good thing I don’t care what people think’ I said to myself. I pushed the door to the meeting room open and walked in. The chief chuckles when he sees the muffins, making me grin. I sat at the table in the back and began to devour my muffins. Chief talks about how Halloween is coming, and we need to be prepared and some other stuff that I tuned out. Just as I finished my muffin, the chief hands me a paper with a different route from the one I got earlier.

“Chief, I already have my route for today”, I showed him the paper.

“You have a new route today”. I looked at the paper and it was out in the city. I nodded my thanks and grabbed the paper. I went to grab my body cam, then went to my patrol car. I was patrolling alone today, which I really don’t mind.

By lunch time I was tired of being inside the car, so I parked and walked the streets always making sure everything was how it needed to be. I was leaving the massive buildings behind me as I walked closer to the smaller shops.

“Stop! Thief” I heard a woman shout. I turned and I saw a boy running from the store. I chased after him, weaving between people. I growled lowly in annoyance.

‘Why can’t people move out of the damn way when they see an officer chasing someone’ I asked myself. It’s not like I was in regular clothes. Today I decided to wear my uniform. I continued running until I ran into someone. I caught myself before I could fall and continued running.

“Hey” a male called. His voice sent delicious chills up and down my body and I wanted to hear more of it, but I shook the thought out of my head as I continued running.

“Sorry” I shouted, but running only stopped when I realized I had lost the boy. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath when I felt my legs moving on their own. I entered an alleyway passing a dumpster but stopped when I heard movement. I turned, walking back slowly and behind the dumpster I saw the boy holding on to an apple tightly. Was this the reason why that woman called him a thief because he took an apple? I looked at this boy closely. He’s probably ten or eleven years old.

“Hi, what’s your name?” I asked him.

“Tris-tan” he panted.

“Hi Tristan. I’m Elena” I smiled. He whimpered when I took a step closer to him. I put my hands up so he could see I meant no harm.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your parents?” I asked.

“My mommy is sick” he mumbled with a small shrug.

“You know… it’s not good to steal” I said, looking at the apple in his hands.

“I know… but… I’m hungry” he admitted, and it broke my heart. He reminded me of… me when mom died, and my stepdad would leave me for days without food.

“How about this? We can go back to the store you took that apple from. We will pay for it, and you can join me for lunch?” I asked. He looked at the apple and then at me and asked, “are you going to take me to jail later?”

“No. We can keep this between you and me”, he smiled and nodded in agreement. I stepped back so Tristan could get up and I began to walk when he slipped his little hand into mine. I looked down at our hands and then at him. He was smiling at me, and I couldn’t help but return the smile. We started walking and within a few minutes we reached the store he took the apple from.

“Thief” a woman shouted and began to charge towards Tristan, but I took a protective stand in front of him, making her stop just a few feet away from me.

“Ma’am, you need to calm down” I said, reaching into my pocket. I grabbed a dollar and slowly put my hand behind my back for Tristan.

“This piece of-”

“Choose your words wisely, ma’am,” I warned her. She looked at me up and down and smirked evilly. There was something about this woman I didn’t like. Maybe it is the fact that the past five years I have met people like her. They have something going for them and think everyone else is beneath them.

“This trash” she pointed to Tristan, and I felt him flinch behind me, which pissed me off. “stoled from me.”

“I’m aware of that, but he went to his place and got the money to pay you for the apple”. I gestured for Tristan to give the woman the money. She glared at him and snatched the money away, scratching his hand, making him whimper and hide behind me. I didn’t like that at all.

“You know, the boy is doing the right thing by coming back to pay for what he took, but what you just did, scratching the boy is child abuse, especially in front of a law enforcer officer” I saw the color rush from her face, but I didn’t expect what she did next. She grabbed a bag, put in some more apples, juices and snacks, then, handed it to Tristan with the dollar he gave her.

“Thank you” Tristan said in a small voice.

“Just go and don’t come back” she said. I shrugged and walked away with Tristan.

“Where do you want to go to eat?” I asked him.

“McDonald’s?” he asked. I smiled at him and started making my way to McDonald’s. I caught myself thinking of the guy I ran into earlier, hoping he was okay. I sighed as we entered McDonald’s. I turn down my radio as I approach the counter.

“Good after noon… Detective” the cashier said after looking at my badge. “What can I get you today?” the cashier asked. I looked at Tristan. “ What would you like?” I asked him. He looks at the menu and points to the number 9.

“Can I get a number 9 meal with a coke? I would also like a number 1 meal with a Powerade”, I said. I pay for our meal and once we have it we take a seat. I see Tristan close his eyes as he takes his first bite, a lone tear falling down his cheek.

“So, Tristan, how long has your mom been sick?” I asked him.

“Ever since my dad left a few days ago” he says, looking at his food. I felt sad for him.

“I’m sorry that your mom is sick. I will talk to my chief to see if we can help your mom get better”, I assured him. He gave me a big smile which I returned.

“Go on finish eating”, I told him. We continued eating in a peaceful silence, but I couldn’t stop thinking about where his next meal would come from or his mother’s. How sick is she and what does she have?

“Tristan, how about we get your mom something to eat as well?”

“Really?” his eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.

“Yes, she's sick, so she will be too sick to cook for herself or you” I said. I saw tears stream down his face before he got up from his chair and hugged me.

“Why are you crying?” I asked, rubbing his back smoothly.

“I’m just happy and thankful”, I smiled, rubbing his back in small circles.

“I am too. Now come on, we want to make sure your mom eats”, I told him.

“Do you have any kids? I bet you are a great mom" he says as I wipe his tears.

“Yes, I have twins. A boy named Kaiden, and a girl named Kiana. They will be six years old soon”, I told him. After we ordered some burgers to go, we walked out of the restaurant and headed to my squad car with Tristan. I opened the back door for him and once he was in, I got into the driver’s side and revved the engine, making my way back to the station. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the station, and I was thankful that today had been a slow day so far. Tristan grabbed my hand as we began to walk. I could feel people looking at us and, even though I didn’t care, I could feel it was making Tristan a little bit uncomfortable. When I got to the chief’s door, I knocked.

“Come in” I heard him say. As soon as I entered, I saw the chief’s wife, Marie, there as well. The chief’s eyes widened when they went to Tristan before they came back to me.

“Is everything okay?” the chief asked.

“Yes, sir. I came to ask for your help. He says his mom is sick. I was hoping there was a way we could help” I said, jumping right to the point. Markus, the chief, raised an eyebrow at me.

“What about his father?” Markus asked.

“He left. That same day mom got sick”, I replied.

“How long ago?” Markus asked.

“Two weeks, sir” Tristan replied.

“What’s your name? How old are you?” Chief Markus asked Tristan.

“My name is Tristan and I’m ten years old” Markus's lips twitched before looking at me.

“I will see what I can do” Markus said. I nodded, looking down at Tristan, who looked a little nervous.

“Alright, I will make a few calls. You know he can’t go on patrol with you”, Markus reminded me. It was true anything could go wrong at any second and he could be in danger.

“He has some food in a bag for him and his mother”. I let them know.

“He can stay here with us. I’ll get him some clothes so he can shower and then he can watch some TV if he likes while Markus makes a few calls”, Marie said. I knew the chief and his wife were going to make sure Tristan was okay. Tristan looked at me and I could see fear in his eyes. I kneeled in front of him.

“Hey, you’re safe here with Chief Markus and his wife Marie. No one is going to hurt you”, I assured him, “if you need anything let them know and if you need me, ask them to call me. Be good”, he hugged me, and I smiled, returning the hug. Marie extended her hand to Tristan and after a couple of seconds he took it. They both smiled at each other before disappearing.

“You’re a great detective, Elena, but you’re an even better mom” Markus smiled at me.

“Thanks. I should get back to work, sir” I said.

“He’s in good hands, Elena”. I smiled at him, then went back to continue my shift.

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