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

Azlyn returned to Reve with the drinks in a cardboard carrier, so as not to sully their cups with her human filth. Reve handed the drinks to the two demonesses and took the third for himself. He drank half the drink, while waiting for the demonesses to enjoy theirs, then handed it back to Azlyn. She knew that he meant for her to duck away long enough to drink it herself, but she elected to stay with him. She did not like how comfortable the demonesses were becoming; putting their hands all over him.

“So, my beautiful creatures of darkness…” Reve continued to lay on the flattery, thick. “I am actually in town for more than just pleasure. I do have an important matter that needs attending to and I was wondering if you might be of some assistance.”

Reve flashed a sly smile that made the demonesses’ hearts flutter.

“How could we be of service?” One of the demonesses cooed, seductively.

“I come seeking the Mystics.” Reve admitted, lowering his voice as he spoke.

The demeanor of the demonesses immediately changed. They went from open and flirty to serious and cold.

“We don’t speak about those kinds of things. That kind of stuff brings nothing but trouble.” One demoness exclaimed.

“She’s right. That group is underground for a reason. They are involved in activities that are not allowed. You’d be best off to end your search now.” The other explained.

“Yeah. You could end your business and then we could help make your trip all about pleasure.” The first demoness offered, licking her lips.

“Um…as much as I appreciate the offer…I must speak to the Mystics it is of the upmost importance.” Reve pressed.

The demonesses looked around as if concerned that someone may be listening in on their conversation.

“If you insist on pursuing this quest then we can have nothing further to do with you. Please be on your way.” The second demoness insisted.

Reve gave them a thank you and a polite nod. Then he and Azlyn continued onward. Though it began to appear that their efforts were to no avail. Booth after booth, table after table, demon after demon; as soon as Reve mentioned the Mystics, no one would talk to them any further. Reve was beginning to grow frustrated; when they were suddenly approached by a short, stocky demon carrying a large case and walking with a cane.

“Hello, sir! You look like a sensible, young demon. May I bother you for a moment?” The demon asked as he walked over to Azlyn and shoved the case into her arms, forcing her to hold it as he opened it in her face.

“Actually, I’m rather busy. My slave and I really should be going.” Reve insisted, trying to encourage the demon to pursue someone else.

“Ah, sir, this will only take a moment of your time and I assure you that it will be worth it.” The strange little demon persisted.

“First things first, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?”

“Umm, my name is Ajax; Ajax Rapp.” Reve responded, growing wary of the odd demon.

“Ah, Mr. Rapp, so nice to meet you. My name is Claec Neeper.” Claec introduced himself with a bow before continuing. “Neeper is my name and horns are my game.”

“Horns?” Reve questioned.

As was his typical style, Reve was wearing his horns short. Which was beneficial in this situation as the size of your horns, fully-extended, was an indication of your station and strength. As Reve was portraying a middle-class demon, it would not have been appropriate to wear his horns too long.

Claec walked around to Azlyn’s backside and used his cane to whack the back of her knees, causing them to buckle from the pain. Azlyn dropped down, still holding the case steady. Reve growled, low, under his breath. He did not like seeing this demon treat his wife this way. On the other hand, he knew that if he reacted, it would only draw attention. So instead Reve bit the inside of his cheek and hoped that the demon had not noticed that his horns had grown an inch longer.

“Yes, sir. My tonic will help to encourage the growth and lengthening of your horns. As well as, improve you overall strength and virility.” Claec claimed, as he pulled a bottle of dark liquid out of the case in Azlyn’s arms. “You drink a shot of this every day or drop some onto each of your meals and I guarantee, in two weeks’ time, you will see a change. With longer horns, you could have anything that you want! Fame! Fortune! Fear in the eyes of your enemies! Demons will want to be you! Demonesses will want to be with you!”

Reve was amused by Claec’s pander; he had certainly gotten his sales pitch down to an art.

“Thank you for your concern, but I am in no need of your remedy. I am perfectly content with my horns the way that they are.”

“Oh, but sir, with your good looks, if you had larger horns then you could have any demoness that you would like. Hell, you could pass for one of the princes if you had more head-gear to show off.” Claec persisted.

“I have no desire to imitate a prince. Though I thank you for your compliment. You are obviously a skilled salesman. However, my slave and I have places that we need to be.” Reve turned his attention towards Azlyn. “Come, Cinnia, we have important matters to attend to.”

At Reve’s instruction, Azlyn carefully placed the demon’s case on the ground. She slowly began to rise to her feet; wincing from the pain of the cane hit. As Reve saw the welts that had begun to form on the back of Azlyn’s knees he began to grow angry. He had not fully realized how hard that Claec had smacked Azlyn until now. His nostrils flared, and his muscles tensed. His horns began to elongate and though he attempted to stop them from growing too long, it was starting to become a struggle.

“Wait, sir, maybe I can interest you in something else instead. What about a watch? High quality, guaranteed!” Claec continued to push. “Or maybe we could make a trade?”

“A trade?” Reve grumbled. “What do I have that you could possibly want?”

“Well, I do not know if you have spent much time in this village, but most people around here are of a lower class. Slaves are a rare commodity in these parts.” Claec explained, eyeing Azlyn.

Claec wandered over to Azlyn and ran his pudgy finger down her arm.

“Could you be persuaded to part with yours?” Claec inquired, trying to control the excitement in his voice. “I’d have a lot of use for a strong, healthy, young girl.”

Claec reached around and grabbed a handful of Azlyn’s butt.

“I am certain the she is well broken in after a young master such as yourself.”

Reve could control his anger no longer. He could not believe the audacity of this demon. He had given him no reason to believe that he intended to part with Azlyn, nor had he given him permission to touch his property. His horns extended and began to curl back up on themselves. His muscles tensed, and his veins bulged.

“I have had just about enough of you!” Reve bellowed.

Reve reached out and grabbed Claec by the front of his shirt; lifting his feet several inches off the ground. Azlyn looked around and noticed that they were drawing the attention of the crowd around them.

“You touch my property! You damage my slave! You insult my horns!” Reve snarled his newly protruding fangs an inch from Claec’s face. “What do you think of my horns now?”

“I…I’m sorry…your highness…I did not realize who I was speaking to.” Claec stammered looking back and forth between Reve’s grand horns.

It suddenly dawned on Reve what he had done; by allowing his horns to fully elongate he had given away his true identity. No one, other than a royal, would have horns of his size and shape. He focused in and began to hear the murmuring of those around him.

“Is that the prince?” One demon could be heard muttering.

“What would the prince be doing here?” Another was heard saying.

“Weren’t the guards looking for him?” Someone whispered.

“He was asking about the Mystics.” A demoness observed.

Reve realized that there was no one way out of this; he had already exposed too much. He needed to get Azlyn and himself out of there, quickly. He knew that they needed a diversion, so he did the only thing that he could think to do. Reve took Claec and threw him towards the nearest stand, knocking it over. He picked up Azlyn and threw her over his shoulder before starting to rush through the market. He tossed over tables and pushed anyone, who dared confront him, out of his way.

Reve was nearing the entrance to the marketplace when he noticed a group of demons gathering in front of them. They were dressed in matching black uniforms and proudly displayed the sword on their hips that marked them as Royal Guards. Reve knew that they were already on alert for the rogue prince and he had only made things worse by assaulting that salesman. He turned around on his heel and began to desperately search for a way to get them out of there.

Reve darted around a corner and down an alley, able to slip away just before a group of guards ran past. He continued down the alley until he came to a wall that was much too high for him to jump, even in his primal-state. He did not know what to do because of his temper they were stuck in an impossible situation. He gently set Azlyn down and began pacing in front of the wall. Out of frustration, he turned and planted his fist into the center of it, causing a small indentation.

“I’m sorry. I lost control. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Reve began to apologize, unable to calm down.

“Shh…” Azlyn breathed, attempting to relax him. “Everything is alright. We will get out of this. We have come too far to stop now. Just breathe; we will figure something out.”

“Psst…”

“Did you hear that?” Reve asked as they began to look around for the source of the sound.

“Hey, over here!” A voice called to them.

They followed the sound of the voice and could see an older demon, waving them over. He was hunkered down, low, in a stairwell that led down into the basement of a nearby building. Reve approached him, cautiously; keeping Azlyn safely behind him.

“What do you want?” Reve growled, attempting to intimidate the newcomer.

“I heard that you are looking for the Mystics.” The demon ventured.

“What is it to you?” Reve grunted.

“I know where to find them. I can take you to them.” The demon informed him.

“Why should we trust you?” Reve sneered down at him.

“Stop this, please.” Azlyn interjected.

Azlyn knew how important that it was for them to find the Mystics and Reve was in no position to be reasonable. If they were going to get the help of this demon, then she had to step in. They had already revealed that Reve was lying about his identity; might as well divulge that their relationship was not a normal one either. Azlyn stepped out from behind Reve and slowly approached the demon.

“Hello, I am Cinnia. What is your name?” Azlyn offered as a gesture of good will while still deciding that it may not be best to reveal her true name.

“Eistein, at your service.” The demon offered with a slight bow.

“Nice to meet you, Eistein. Can you really help us get to the Mystics?” Azlyn inquired.

“Of course. I will take you straight to them. Follow me. We have to get you out of here.”

Eistein gestured for them to follow him down into the basement that he had emerged from. Azlyn started to go, but she felt Reve’s strong grip on her shoulder, stopping her from continuing.

“What are you doing? We need to follow him. He is trying to help us.” Azlyn questioned.

“I’m just not sure about this, Az. How do we know that he is not leading us into a trap?” Reve disputed.

“We don’t.” Azlyn observed. “Nonetheless, Eistein is the best shot that we have. We need to get away from this market and we need to find the Mystics; he is offering us both. Do you have any better ideas?”

Azlyn was surprised by the boldness of her words, as was Reve. However, she was growing frustrated. Reve’s plans since the start of their journey had failed, they needed a win. Azlyn felt like this was their shot and they had to take it. Reve’s attempts at caution had gotten them nowhere; it was time that they tried some recklessness for a change.

Reve shook his head in response, knowing that his options were limited. He released his hold on Azlyn’s shoulder. She reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. Then, against Reve’s better judgement, they followed Eistein into the basement.

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