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

Several days had passed since the incident with Duvessa. Reve had explained the situation to his father and though the king was not, at all, pleased that Reve and Azlyn had been caught by a noble; he did eventually agree to transferring Duvessa to Hadeon’s group.

As predicted, Hadeon was pleased to have another doting demoness at his beck and call. Hadeon had been annoyed by his mother’s original oversight in including one of his former lovers. Though, despite the queen’s insistence to the contrary, Reve knew that this was no oversight. Everyone, except Gedeon, had one or more former lovers in their group of demonesses.

As a matter of fact, the further the son seemed to sit from the crown, the more careless his choices seemed to have become. Hadeon complained about the annoyance of one former lover while Reve had counted three amongst his available choices. Kane had been neglected even further; not only did he have several exes amidst his options; one demoness that had been summoned was, in fact, more interested in the other demonesses than she was Kane.

In spite of this, neither Kane or Reve was bothered by their mother’s lack of care with her choices. Reve, obviously, had no intentions towards any of the ten demonesses that had been picked for him. While Kane, on the other hand, had decided on his demoness several years before. He had just never divulged this information to anyone, except Reve; not even the demoness herself was fully aware of Kane’s intentions.

Azlyn had been roaming the halls after completing an errand for Reve. She was taking her time getting back to the room because she knew that he would not be there. She thought about seeking out Nissa, however, she was aware that Nissa and the rest of the kitchen staff were incredibly busy with the thirty-nine extra nobles and their servants to feed. Not to mention, each demoness was very demanding and meticulous about how they each wanted their meals prepared, exactly to specifications. Azlyn decided that it may not be the best time to bother Nissa while she was so busy, just because Azlyn had nothing to do.

It had been a long time since Azlyn had seen, either, Blaz or Zareb. Not seeing Zareb had been due to schedule; he was always busy when she had free time and vice versa. Alternatively, not seeing Blaz had been more out of choice.

Blaz had not been as pleasant to Azlyn since she had let Reve mark her. He had never been cruel, but he had made some comments which Azlyn considered rude. She had decided that she would not be speaking with him again until he could learn to keep his opinions to himself. She knew that he thought it wrong for a human to be with a demon, nonetheless, Azlyn did not feel the need to hear it every time that they spoke to one another.

Just as Azlyn was about to give in and head back to Reve’s room to clean; she saw another familiar face headed quickly in her direction.

“Oh, Azlyn! Just the woman that I wanted to see!” Umay called as she waved excitedly from down the hall.

Azlyn rushed over to her, worried that someone had just heard the exchange.

“Lady Umay, that was much too casual. You should not address me in such a friendly manner while we are in public.” Azlyn cautioned, quietly.

“Oh, stop that!” Umay waved off Azlyn’s warning without a second thought. “Everyone here is well aware of my family’s reputation when it comes to the treatment of humans.”

“Yes, I have heard.” Azlyn responded, still uneasy.

“So, Prince Reve has told you the story of my family then?” Umay inquired.

“Yes, he did. But I do not think that we should speak about it just now.” Azlyn answered.

“If you are too uncomfortable to act causally with me in public, then please, come with me to my room. It is just around the corner. You can feel free to speak your mind there.” Umay suggested.

“Alright, if you wish. I am just trying, very hard, to avoid drawing attention to myself.” Azlyn responded.

Umay led her down the hall and around the corner. They entered the room and Umay bid Azlyn to sit in one of the two armchairs that sat in front of a small fireplace.

“Wow, they gave you a really nice room.” Azlyn gasped, as she took her seat.

“Yes, well, my family has a lot of money. Not to mention, Kane always looks out for me.” Umay shrugged.

“Prince Kane seems very kind. I have not spent much time with him, but I know that Prince Reve thinks the world of him.” Azlyn commented with a smile.

“Yes, both he and Reve are very kind. They were good friends of my brother.” Umay said with a sudden sadness in her voice.

“Yes. Reve told me. I am extremely sorry for your losses. I cannot imagine how hard that must have been to go through.” Azlyn observed.

“Yes, well, it was years ago. I try not to dwell on it too much. I like to think that Dalair has found a new life, somewhere, that brings him joy. As for Penelope, well, I am not a believer of your human religions, but…somehow…I know that she is in a better place.” Umay declared with a certainty that took Azlyn by surprise.

“It is good that you can look at it that way.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Umay asked, changing the subject.

“I don’t want to be any trouble.” Azlyn replied.

“Nonsense. I am certain that she would not mind.” Umay turned her head and began calling towards the closet door. “Truda! Truda, darling, are you in there!”

Suddenly, the door swung open and a pale woman with brown hair emerged from inside the closet.

“Sorry, miss, I was taking a nap. Is there something that I could do for you, Lady Umay?” Truda responded.

“No need for formalities, Truda. It’s just Azlyn, the personal servant and ‘special friend’ of Reve.” Umay stated, waving Truda closer. “Azlyn this is Truda, my personal servant and best friend. I had my closet converted into a comfortable room for her, so that she didn’t have to stay in those disgusting servant’s quarters.”

It still threw Azlyn off that Umay referred to slaves as servants and Azlyn found that she kept having to remind herself of such as they spoke.

Truda came towards them and, immediately, recognized Azlyn.

“Oh, it is you! How nice to finally meet you! I’ve heard…well…I…I’ve heard…things.” Truda said, her cheeks beginning to turn pink.

“It is alright. I am well aware that I am not well liked by many of the slaves or servants.” Azlyn assured her.

“Or many of the demonesses.” Umay chimed in.

“What?! Why would you say that?” Azlyn began to panic; she wondered if Duvessa actually had said something to the other demonesses.

“Because it’s obvious to most that something is going on here. Reve has ten demonesses fawning all over him and, for the first time ever, he does not care. He has been throwing himself into his work like he has never done before. Any free time that he does have he spends locked away in his bedroom with you. None of this was characteristic of Reve until you appeared.” Umay explained.

“Oh.”

Azlyn had never really considered this before. Were her and Reve making their relationship too obvious?

“Now, to that drink. Truda, would you be a dear and fetch us a bottle of wine?”

“Of course. I will be back as soon as I can.” Truda answered, then she quickly left the room.

“Lady Umay, may I ask a question?” Azlyn inquired.

“Of course. Also, please, drop the titles. I do not expect such formalities when we are in private.” Umay encouraged.

“Yes, of course. Umm…was that the Truda from Reve’s story? The bridesmaid at Penelope and Dalair’s wedding?”

“Yes, it was. She has been my personal servant ever since Penelope left us.”

“That was very kind of you.”

“Kind had nothing to do with it. We had both suffered a great loss. We needed each other. We supported each other at a time when few others would have understood. She is like a sister to me.”

Azlyn was growing more and more surprised with Umay the more that she discovered about her. She was truly different from every demoness that Azlyn had ever met before.

“I am sorry, I do not mean for this to sound rude. I am astonished by you. You are not like other demonesses they are usually, well…umm…” Azlyn searched for the right words as to not offend or upset Umay.

“A special breed of evil?” Umay offered.

“Well…uh…yeah…” Azlyn was hesitant to agree.

“Don’t worry, Azlyn. I am not offended. I am glad that you do not think of me like them. I do not desire to be associated with those types. As a matter of fact, I’ve even considered, on one or two occasions, moving to the human realm to try living amongst them. I think that I would do well there.” Umay remarked.

“What? I did not know that it was possible for demons to live in the human realm?”

“Oh yeah, it’s possible. It is rare, but it is possible. It takes a special kind of demon to survive there without being detected.”

“I guess, I should not be surprised. If we can survive here, I suppose that it makes sense that you would be able to survive there as well. I just never even considered the possibility of a demon trying to live as a human. What would you do with your horns?”

“We can hide our horns completely if we choose.”

Umay pulled her horns inside of her skull, leaving no trace of them on the top of her head.

“I did not know you could do that! I have never seen a demon put their horns away completely before!” Azlyn exclaimed.

“That’s because you’ve never been to the human realm. We have to be able to blend while we are there and that is just one of the tricks that we use.”

“How many times have you been to the human realm?” Azlyn wondered in amazement.

“I make a habit out of going there, at least, once or twice a year.”

“Wow! I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go there!”

“To be honest, it looks a lot like here. Except there are a lot less demons. But believe me, the humans have their fair share of problems without demonic involvement. No realm is perfect.” Umay shrugged.

“Yeah, you are probably right.”

Umay did not like discouraging Azlyn about the human realm. However, Umay knew all too well how dangerous it was for a slave to dream about traveling there. They needed to be provided with possibilities for a better life in the realm that they were in; not fantasize about the opportunities of a realm that they would likely never reach. She knew that Azlyn was already in a, potentially, threatening situation for engaging in a relationship with a demon prince.

Truda interrupted their deep thoughts when she entered the room with the bottle of wine and three glasses. She opened the bottle and poured a glass for each of them. She pulled the nearby ottoman over to join them. Then the three of them spent the next hour chatting and enjoying their wine. For Azlyn, it felt like spending time with old friends, which was something that she had never really known before.

Azlyn returned to Reve’s room, certain that he would have returned from his work by then. To her dismay, she found the room was still empty upon her arrival. She pouted for a minute but decided to take the extra time to take an uninterrupted shower. As much as she enjoyed her showers with Reve, they were not always the most productive.

Azlyn quickly stripped down and hopped into the shower. She decided to take her time and let the hot water soothe her muscles. After several minutes, she was finally starting to feel relaxed; until she heard what she was certain was the door of the room closing.

“Well, there goes my peaceful shower.” Azlyn thought to herself with a giggle.

Azlyn continued to bathe herself when she heard the bathroom door open and close quietly.

“I knew it was only a matter of time…” Azlyn began as she turned to face Reve through the shower door.

However, it was not Reve who had entered the bathroom. The demoness that stood before Azlyn was one that she knew well. Her name was Deirdre Dunkel and her family had owned Azlyn’s parents when they had sold her; the last time that Azlyn had ever seen her parents.

“Oh, my darkness!” Azlyn screamed as she attempted to cover herself.

“Who are you and what are you doing in Prince Reve’s private bath?!” Deirdre demanded.

“I…oh…umm…you see…I…” Azlyn stammered, unsure of how to explain herself.

Deirdre quickly swung open the shower door and grabbed Azlyn, pulling her out and yanking her into the bathroom.

“I demand to know who you are!” Deirdre screamed as she tossed Azlyn out of the bathroom door.

“I…I am Prince Reve’s personal slave.” Azlyn managed to squeak out barely above a whisper.

Deirdre may not have recognized Azlyn. Nonetheless, Azlyn recognized her all too well. She could hardly forget the face of the little curly-haired demoness who tormented her every day until she was ten years old.

“What would make you think that it would ever be acceptable for you to use the prince’s personal shower?!” Deirdre challenged as she quickly charged at Azlyn swinging her pointed heel into Azlyn’s side.

“I have no excuse for my behavior, mi’ lady.” Azlyn answered clenching through the pain.

Deirdre leaned down and grabbed a fistful of Azlyn’s hair. She raised up Azlyn’s head, so that she could scream directly into her ear.

“Damn right you have no excuse! You have contaminated his entire shower and all of its products!” Deirdre screeched before slamming Azlyn’s head into the floor as hard as she could.

The impact caused Azlyn’s nose to begin to bleed. She watched as the blood began to drip towards the carpet beneath her. She lifted her hand in an attempt to catch the droplets, but it was to no avail. Deirdre was looking for as many reasons as possible to punish Azlyn now, so she walked up and knocked Azlyn’s hand away encouraging the blood to drop down; mixing with the expensive carpet fibers.

“Now, you have bled on the rug as well! You are certainly racking up the whips for yourself!” Deirdre mocked.

Deirdre stepped back for a moment and began to angrily pace the floor around Azlyn. She looked down at Azlyn’s naked body still slumped on the ground. It was then that Deirdre noticed something that she had been too enraged to notice before.

“What is that?!” Deirdre shrieked.

“I am sorry, madam. I do not know to what you are referring.” Azlyn apologized.

“Is that a mark?!” Deirdre demanded.

Azlyn was unsure as to what the best answer would be in this situation. If she admitted to being marked, this would surely anger Deirdre and who knows how she might react. Not to mention, she would likely want answers as to which demon would have the audacity to mark Azlyn as his mate. If she lied about it not being a mark, Deirdre would know that she was lying and would surely punish her for doing so.

“Who marked you slave?” Deirdre ordered.

Azlyn decided that it was best not to answer this question.

“Who marked you slave?” Deirdre commanded again.

Azlyn still refused to say anything to her. She sat still staring at her blood on the carpet. Deirdre did not appreciate being ignored. She reared back her foot and kicked Azlyn hard in the side, causing Azlyn to fall the rest of the way to the floor.

“Where is your whip slave?”

Azlyn thought about this for a moment. She honestly did not know where her whip had gone. Reve hated the thing and refused to allow her to bring it with when she moved into his bedroom. She had no idea what he had done with it; he merely took it away and said that he would dispose of it, claiming that she would not need it again.

“I do not know, mistress.” Azlyn answered, knowing that it would mean a lot more pain for her.

“How can you not know where your whip is slave?! That whip is meant to be as much a part of your body as a leg or an arm!” Deirdre bellowed, hatefully.

Azlyn knew that she was only making things worse for herself. All she could do now was hope that Reve would return to the room before Deirdre decided to enact her own personal form of justice.

“Luckily for you, slave, I always carry a whip with me.” Deirdre smirked.

Azlyn was not at all surprised by this information. Even as a small child Deirdre’s favorite tool was always the whip. She could often be seen wandering her family’s estate, whipping the slaves for no reason as she walked past. She had just always been innately cruel that way.

Deirdre reached into the bag that she had, apparently, brought with her in her attempt to seduce Reve. She pulled out a small whip with nine knotted ends, commonly referred to as a Cat O’ Nine Tails. She walked behind Azlyn and Azlyn took in a deep breath, preparing for what was to come next.

Azlyn heard the snap right before the whip made contact with her flesh. She writhed in pain as she felt the skin on her back being ripped away.

“Who marked you slave?!” Deirdre screeched.

“I cannot answer that, mi’ lady.” Azlyn stated.

The whip came down hard against her back again. Azlyn bit her lip to avoid crying out in pain.

“Who marked you slave?!” Deirdre wailed.

“I am sorry, madam, but I cannot answer that.” Azlyn asserted.

The whip came down against Azlyn’s back and she managed to tough it out. Then the crack of the whip sounded again as Deirdre brought the whip down for a second swing. Azlyn felt the skin on her back further splitting open and she could not help but cry out as the blood began to flow, freely. This seemed to fuel Deirdre on further as she came down for another swing of the whip against Azlyn’s flesh.

Deirdre placed her spike of her stiletto heel into the small of Azlyn’s back; she grabbed a fistful of Azlyn’s hair and yanked her head backwards. She reared back her other arm with the whip in hand.

“I am only going to ask you one more time slave then I am going to punish you for every crime that you have committed here today. Which disgusting and vile excuse for a demon marked your filthy, useless, revolting body?” Deirdre shrieked.

Before Deirdre even gave Azlyn a chance to respond she brought the whip down hard, this time, against Azlyn’s stomach. Rearing her arm back again as a warning that she was more than willing to do it again.

“What in the name of all that is dark is going on here?!”