My Demon, My Love...

“Seriously, Reve?!”

Azlyn quickly jumped out of the bed. Every night, for the last few weeks, she had gone to bed in the slave’s bed, which was little more than a large dog bed in the corner. However, she would wake and find herself in Reve’s bed with his arms wound around her. The first few times that this occurred, Azlyn had mistakenly thought that she had crawled into his bed in her sleep and was mortified. It was not long before Reve revealed that he had been picking her up out of the slave bed and taking her to bed with him.

“I told you, Az. The slave bed is only for appearances, it made you feel more comfortable about the rumors. I want you to share the bed with me.”

“This is highly inappropriate! If someone were to find out that we are sharing a bed every night, like some sort of a…couple, it would cause pandemonium!”

“So?” Reve shrugged.

“Don’t you care?! They may think that we have some sort of relationship!”

“So, what if we do?” Reve asked, as he grabbed Azlyn’s arm and pulled her back into the bed with him.

Azlyn could not believe Reve’s nonchalance in this situation. Why was he not more concerned about the rumors? Azlyn had worked for several noble families throughout her life and all of them cared about status more than anything else in the realm. But not Reve, he was different and Azlyn could not even begin to fathom as to why.

“What about your reputation?! The rumors have been flying all over the castle, it is only a matter of time before they leak beyond these walls.” Azlyn cautioned.

“I do not concern myself with such trivial things, Az. I do what I want to do. I do what makes me happy.”

Reve snuggled in closer to Azlyn, breathing in her scent. She felt herself beginning to sink into his arms. This happened every time that he held her. It was as though the rest of the world had melted away and all that was left was just the two of them. They laid that way for what felt like hours, entwined in each other’s arms.

“You know you’ll never find your mate this way. No self-respecting demoness will be with you knowing that you are so intimate with a slave.” Azlyn finally spoke up after some time.

“I have already found my mate.” Reve whispered as he leaned in and stole a quick kiss from Azlyn.

“You know that is not possible, Reve.” Azlyn said with a sigh.

“It is entirely possible, Az. I would not be the first demon for this to happen to, nor will I be the last.”

Azlyn did not know how to respond. She had heard such stories but believed them to be myths or fairytales. However, Reve and Zareb both seemed certain that they were more fact that fiction.

“I cannot understand why you are fighting against this so hard.” Reve was becoming flustered. “Do you know how special this is?! Most demons live their entire lives without finding someone that they truly feel is their one true mate. It is like you were designed for me. Why don’t you want to be with me?”

Azlyn could hear the pain in Reve’s voice and it broke her heart. Was he truly so serious about them that he would risk his status for her? Was she serious enough about him to risk her life for him? Could what was happening between them truly be the real thing? If it was, are they ready for the potential consequences of their actions? Azlyn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, before beginning again…

“I do want to be with you, Reve. I want that more than anything. But…”

“No, buts. I want to be with you and you want to be with me. So, what is the problem?”

“The problem is that you are a prince and I am slave. That would be enough to keep us apart in any realm. However, here, we also have to contend with the fact that you are demon and I am human, as well.”

“And? Those are just titles given to us by demons whose opinions do not matter. The only opinions that matter in this realm, or any other for that matter, are our opinions. So…”

Reve suddenly propped himself up on one elbow. He positioned himself so that his face was over Azlyn’s, allowing him to gaze down at her.

“I am going to ask you again. This time I want your honest answer. Forget everything that you have been told; do not think about the ‘what ifs.’ Just answer me, this one time, from your heart. Azlyn…do you want to be with me?”

Azlyn paused for a moment. She already knew her answer and she knew that Reve did too. However, this all was happening so fast and seemed so unreal, it was making her head spin. It was like a fairytale come true and, somehow, she was the lucky princess.

“Yes, Reve. I want to be with you.”

Azlyn held her breath after the words had escaped her lips. She waited for a moment expecting him to burst out laughing; revealing this all to be some sick joke that he plays out for pleasure. Though, to Azlyn’s surprise, he did the opposite.

“That is the best sentence that I have ever heard in my entire life.” Reve whispered as a smile spread across his face.

Reve immediately began showering Azlyn with tiny kisses all over her face and neck. Azlyn giggled as he did so. Slowly, the kisses began to trail down Azlyn’s neck to her chest. Her breath began to quicken as her excitement rose. She could smell Reve’s pheromone being released and she knew that she had to stop this before it went any further.

“Time for breakfast!” Azlyn squealed as she jumped out of the bed.

“Oh, come on!” Reve pouted, reaching out for her as she hopped away. “I want you to stay here and celebrate our new relationship with me!”

“You cannot skip breakfast again, sire. This is becoming a habit and is bound to get me into trouble. The slaves and servants are all starting to talk about how your tray goes untouched every morning.”

Almost every morning since Azlyn had begun sleeping in Reve’s bedroom, he had skipped his breakfast. It seemed that he was more concerned with having Azlyn stay in his bed as long as possible than he was with eating the most important meal of his day. If she had thought that being Reve’s personal slave was easy before, it was far easier now. He barely expected her to do anything for him anymore.

However, this had led to some unwanted attention from some of the other slaves and, especially, the servants who did not appreciate the special treatment Azlyn was receiving. The servants were becoming particularly annoyed at the closeness and familiarity that seemed to be developing between she and Reve, as well. She had noted on several occasions that they had sneered at her when she walked by. She had even heard comments made about why she was able to steal the attention of the most eligible bachelor in all the realm.

It was true, while Reve was not the heir to throne, he was considered more desirable than Gedeon. Gedeon had the crown, but his personality left something to be desired. Not to mention, both he and Hadeon were known for their promiscuity. It did not help matters that, while all of the princes were considered quite handsome, Reve still managed to outshine them all. As a matter of fact, he had been voted the most handsome demon in the realm on numerous occasions.

Azlyn was becoming more and more aware of this jealousy with each passing day. So, she had begun to take steps to ensure that her more public duties were performed. She hoped this would diminish some of the jealousy coming her way if it did not appear as though she was receiving special treatment. However, Reve made this increasingly difficult as he never wanted either of them to leave the bedroom at all anymore. He had even begun shirking his royal responsibilities. This had started to worry Azlyn, they could not spend the rest of their lives hiding in that room.

Reve knew that he had been acting irrationally by trying to keep them both secluded within his bedroom for days on end. He also knew that this was spurring rumors and attracting jealousy. However, when they were in this room, he could pretend that the world was made up of just the two of them. He was alone with his light and the darkness outside of the door did not have to exist. When he was locked in this room, alone, with Azlyn everything was perfect. Azlyn was protected in this room; in here he could keep her safe, he could shield her from the evils of her life.

“I am going to get your breakfast so that it does not go to waste again.” Azlyn informed him.

“It will not go to waste, we both know that. One of the servants will eat it and if they do not, then a slave may be lucky enough to get ahold of it.” Reve assured her.

Azlyn knew that Reve was correct in his assumption. However, she also knew that she had to keep behaving as a slave, whether Reve desired to realize it or not. He seemed to want to pretend that she could behave as a normal demoness would as his mate. She found that she often had to keep reminding him of the reality of their situation. She was not a demoness; she was a human, she had no rights. Even something as fundamental and instinctual as falling in love was not typically a right that was granted to slaves.

“Reve, please. I do not want Cuinn to bombard me with questions about your sudden eating habits again. You have to understand this situation is hard for me. You have me breaking rules that I have accepted and blindly followed for, almost, my entire life.” Azlyn confessed.

Azlyn’s words struck Reve in a way that he had not expected. He realized that she was correct. He had been wanting to treat this like a normal relationship. He thought he could protect her like any other mate without any second thought. However, she was not just any other mate. He would have to try his best to remember that she needed to continue functioning as a regular slave…

“…At least, for now.” Reve thought with a smirk.

Reve finally relinquished his hold on Azlyn, allowing her to get out of the bed. She jumped up and brushed herself off and straightened her hair.

“I will be right back with your breakfast.”

Azlyn flashed Reve a quick smile. Then she strolled over to the door and exited the room.

Reve laid back in the bed and sighed. He could not even begin to explain how unbelievably happy he felt at this moment. No matter what it took, he would find a way to make this feeling permanent. Even if that meant taking on the very laws that his family has sworn to uphold for generations.

Reve had never been the type to selfishly pursue his own desires no matter the cost. However, for the first time in his life, he wanted something more than he ever had before and he intended to have it. He would take on the entire realm if he had to. Somehow, someway, he would make a normal life with Azlyn.