My Demon, My Love... - A Slave's Redemption

Reve lifted Azlyn up and began to carry her, running as fast as he could run. He knew that he could move much quicker than she could. They were in crunch time, it was now or never, do or die. The royal guards were right on top of them; he could not take any risk, he had to get Azlyn through the portal and out of this realm.

Reve’s legs burned as he ran; his muscles ached, and his body begged for him to stop. As much as he wanted to, he knew that he could not. There was too much at stake now; they had come too far and risked too much to be here. He would not give in, he had taken on greater enemies than this; he would not be defeated and most certainly not by his own men.

Reve was so focused on his goal that he was not watching where he was headed. He did not notice the thin wire that had been strung across the path in front of him. He felt his ankle catching against something and he could do nothing to stop himself from falling forward. Azlyn was tossed from his arms as he landed with a thud.

Just as Reve was about to scramble to his feet; several demons jumped out from the trees and pinned him to the ground. Another demon came rushing out form the bushes; headed for Azlyn.

“Az, run! Get up and run! The portal is directly ahead of us! Go!” Reve cried.

Azlyn clambered to her feet and took off running. The demon rushed after her and Reve knew that she would never be able to outrun him. He began to struggle against the demons who held him down; the only way that Azlyn would make it out of here is if he could stop that demon from getting to her.

Azlyn ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She began to see the outline of a large, stone archway just ahead. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was nearly there. She could almost taste the freedom.

Suddenly, Azlyn was tackled to the ground from behind. Her face slammed into the dirt and the air was forced out of her lungs.

“You aren’t going anywhere, you little skank!” The demon guard scoffed.

The demon grabbed Azlyn’s hair and used it to lift her head back towards him. Then he slammed her face back down into the ground with enough force to bust open her lip. He began to grope for Azlyn’s left arm and she realized in horror that he was feeling for her bracelet. She started to twist around underneath him, making it harder for him to concentrate on his task. She wiggled and turned until she was on her back, facing up at the guard.

“Oh, is it like that then? You looking for a little pleasure before your punishment?” The guard sneered.

Azlyn decided to take advantage of the guard’s amorous nature to throw him off of his game. She bit at her bottom lip, teasingly, and began to bat her eyelashes. She simply nodded her head in response.

“Looking for a real demon, huh? The prince too soft and spoiled to know how to please a real woman?”

Azlyn reached up, placing a hand on either side of the demon’s face. She slid her fingers through his hair and then back towards his cheeks. She began to pull his head towards her; the demon licked his lips in anticipation. When, suddenly, Azlyn moved her hands from the sides of his face and dug her thumbs into his eyes. He began to scream out for help, so she pushed her nails in harder. Thick, black blood started to ooze from his eye sockets and he began to thrash around attempting to break free of Azlyn’s grip.

Azlyn released her hold of his eyes and wriggled out from underneath the guard. He did not seem to notice or care as he held onto his face and cried out from the pain.

“Real demon, my ass.” Azlyn mocked.

Azlyn reeled back her leg and swung it as hard as she could into the side of the demon’s head; her foot connecting with his temple. He fell back into the ground; adding a blinding pain to the torment that he was already feeling. Azlyn turned on her heel and began sprinting towards the portal again.

Upon reaching the portal, Azlyn skidded to a stop. She stared into the foggy, swirling, void before her. For a moment, she thought about stepping inside and making her escape. Reve had told her that if she were to reach the portal before him that she should go through without him. However, she could not bring herself to do it. She could not conceive of leaving this realm without him by her side.

Azlyn turned around and began scanning the tree line for any sign of Reve. She had to wait; she had to give him time to catch up with her. She could never live with herself if she left him behind and never saw him again. She was certain that there was no way that those two guards were able to subdue him; Reve should have been able to shake them off without much issue.

The more time that passed, the more uncertain Azlyn became. How could Reve not have caught up to her yet? What if more guards had come and she had left him to fend for himself? She looked down at the bracelet around her wrist. For a moment, a horrifying thought, danced through her mind.

“What if Reve had always intended that I go through the portal alone? What if that is why he was so insistent that we needed this bracelet?”

Azlyn quickly shook the thought from her mind. Reve would not do that to her. They loved each other, and they were going to escape this realm together. He would never want her to go through this alone.

Azlyn was caught up in her thoughts, and she did not hear the figure sneaking up on her left side. By the time that she realized that someone was there, it was too late.

“Gotcha!” A familiar voice snarled, sending chills down Azlyn’s spine.

Rough, calloused hands grasped at her left wrist and began prying at the bracelet, attempting to force it away from her skin. Azlyn turned to confront her assaulter only to realize that she was standing face to face with Jacan, one of the guards whom had attempted to rape her in the shower. Her skin crawled at the sight of him and her gut-wretched. She fought to hold back the vomit that threatened to rise. In this moment, Jacan took advantage of the situation and ripped her bracelet from her wrist.

“Where’s your prince now?” Jacan taunted. “Not come to save you this time?”

Azlyn struggled against him, attempting to free herself from his grasp. He laughed mockingly at her attempts. She did the only thing that she could think to do and swung a leg for his crotch, only to find herself blocked by a protective cup.

“Good try.” Jacan sneered. “Now, my turn.”

Jacan brought his left hand across his body and swung it back, hard; crashing his knuckles against Azlyn’s cheek. The impact was so forceful that it caused Azlyn to stumble backwards; her vision blurred, momentarily. She shook her head trying to regain her bearings.

“Azlyn!” A voice bellowed, followed by the sound of branches being snapped with urgency.

Reve came rushing out of the forest, in full primal-state. Jacan moved to react but did not have time to prepare before Reve had already ripped him away from Azlyn. They started to wrestle on the ground, each attempting to pin the other. Jacan began to release his primal side in an attempt to match Reve’s strength and size. However, his efforts were to no avail.

Reve was much stronger and more powerful than Jacan, even when he was not in his primal form. Not to mention, Reve was far better trained than Jacan had ever been. Reve overpowered Jacan and used his knee to pin his right arm in place. While Reve punched Jacan’s face several times in an effort to subdue him.

Jacan’s blood splattered all over Reve’s fists, but this did not slow Reve down. Reve took his hands and wrapped them around Jacan’s throat. He slowly squeezed it as tightly as he could. Jacan began to struggle and thrash against him. Reaching for Reve’s hands in effort to make him let go.

“I told you that I never wanted to see you anywhere near Azlyn ever again. I thought I had made myself clear, but you just couldn’t help yourself. Could you?” Reve whispered to Jacan, wanting these to be the last words he would ever hear.

Jacan’s skin began to turn a sickly color as his oxygen-starved blood attempted to continue pumping through his veins. Reve smiled down at him before giving one more powerful squeeze, crushing Jacan’s windpipes.

Reve stared down at the lifeless body in his hands for several minutes. He was so caught up in the moment that he had almost forgotten where he was and what he was doing. The thrill of the battle had been all that raged through his mind. Until he heard it; that small, sweet voice that beckoned him back to himself every time…

“Reve…” Azlyn called for him.

Reve looked up and could see Azlyn reaching out to him. She stood directly in front of the portal. They had made it; they were going to get out of here. They could start their life together, free from the torment of this realm. Reve reached down and snatched Azlyn’s bracelet from Jacan’s cold fingers. He stood up and gave a sigh of relief as he felt himself beginning to revert to his regular form.

“Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.” Azlyn stated with a smile.

Then out of the corner of his eye, Reve saw movement. Something or someone was coming, and they were doing so at great speed.

“Az, run!” Reve cried as began to pick up his own pace.

Nonetheless, Reve was too late. A demon guard by the name of Xun, who was known for his incredible speed, had appeared from the forest. He rushed upon Azlyn and just as Reve reached the portal, Azlyn was forced inside. Their fingers missing each other by mere inches as Reve reached out for her.

“Azlyn!!!!” Reve roared.

“Reve!!!!” Azlyn cried, as the fog enveloped her and dragged her deeper into the void.

But there was nothing that Reve could do. There was nothing that anyone could do. Azlyn had gone through the portal alone and without her bracelet. Reve knew that she never could have survived.

In his rage and despair, Reve grabbed hold of Xun. He growled, deeply, as he forced Xun to his knees.

“You have murdered my wife!!!!”

Reve grabbed hold of either side of Xun’s head and began to twist until he heard a pop. Xun’s body slumped to the ground and thick, black blood flowed all over Reve as he held Xun’s head, high above his own. However, Xun’s murder did nothing to satisfy Reve’s grief.

Reve merely tossed the head aside and fell to his knees, staring into the portal. Large, warm tears began to fill up his eyes and slowly fell down his cheeks. His heart shattered inside his body and he knew that there was nothing, in all the realms, that would ever make it whole again.

Reve looked down at Azlyn’s bracelet, which lay on the ground near his knees. He picked it up and ran his fingers over the delicate craftsmanship. If only she had been wearing the bracelet still, then everything would be different. If only he had reached her in time, his touch could have saved her. In that moment, Reve allowed his grief to swallow him whole.

Reve’s thoughts were disturbed by the sound of rustling in the bushes. He did not care to face whomever it was that approached him. He was too broken now; everything that he had lived for was gone.

“Ah, brother…” A voice sighed behind him.

Reve, immediately, recognized the voice. How could he not? He had come to know it well.

“Gedeon. I should have known that you were involved in this.” Reve sneered.

“Well, I could not just let you leave, brother. Not when there is so much at stake for the kingdom now.”

“So, you ordered the murder of my wife?! To save your precious kingdom?!” Reve demanded, rising to his feet.

“This infatuation of yours had gone on long enough, Reve. Someone had to put it to an end! I did what I had to do to keep you here, in this realm, where you belong!” Gedeon snapped.

“Why did it matter?! You could have just let me go. I am insignificant to you! You’d do just fine without me.”

“No, Reve, that is where you are wrong. With everything that has happened over the last few days…” Gedeon sighed before continuing. “I have realized just how important, to my reign, that you really are.”

Reve was confused by Gedeon’s words. He had never acted this kindly towards Reve and he knew that these words were not drawn from guilt over Azlyn’s death. Something was different about Gedeon, something had changed.

“What happened?”

Gedeon took a deep breath.

“It is father, Reve. It does not look like he will be with us much longer.”

“Why?! He was fine just a few days ago.”

“Yes. His health took an unexpected turn for the worst. I suspect sabotage.” Gedeon stepped forward as he spoke his next words, earnestly. “I need you Reve. You are one of the few that I can trust. Forget about the human realm; now that Azlyn is gone, there is nothing there for you.”

Reve hated Gedeon more than he had ever hated anyone in that moment. He had not wanted to hear the things that he had to say, and he certainly did not want to help him become king. He would make him pay for what he had done, but not now; he would wait for the perfect time. Nonetheless, he could not help but admit that there was some truth in Gedeon’s words. There was nothing for him anywhere now.

Without Azlyn, Reve had no reason to go to the human realm. Without Azlyn, he had no reason to care about anyone or anything. Without Azlyn, life had no meaning; he did not care if he lived or died. The Reve who had existed before Azlyn; the Reve who had fallen in love with her, died alongside her that day. A new, more vicious Reve emerged in his place. A Reve who could function as the perfect soldier with nothing but blind hatred burning in his eyes.

“Come on, brother. Enough with this nonsense. Let’s return home.” Gedeon beckoned, softly.

Reve stared into the portal one more time, longing to see Azlyn emerge from it. He knew this was impossible. His heart hurt too much to hang onto a wish or dream that she was alive somewhere. For his own sanity, he had to block it out. He had to numb himself against thoughts of her having survived. There was absolutely no way that she would have lived, and false hope would do him very little good.

With a heavy heart, Reve tossed Azlyn’s bracelet into the portal. Holding on to his last failed attempt to protect her would just bring back too many memories. Memories of that last beautiful night together. Memories of how he had given every part of himself to guarantee her life. Memories of he could never keep her safe.

Reve turned, walking away from the portal and followed Gedeon back home.