My Demon, My Love...

Reve grabbed her face, forcing her to stare into his eyes. Normally, a move like this would have frightened Azlyn, but not with Reve. She had come to trust him and knew that he would never, knowingly or willingly, cause her harm.

“Told who, Reve? About what?” Azlyn asked and she gazed into his eyes.

“I told Kane about us.” Reve answered, elated.

Azlyn was taken aback by his words. How could he do such a thing?! He knew that they could not trust anyone with the details of their relationship! He had, potentially, put them both in grave danger.

“Why did you do that, Reve?!” Azlyn cried out in surprise.

“We can trust Kane.” Reve attempted to brush it off as he laid backwards onto the bed.

“I hope that you are right. This could be life or death for me here.”

“I would never allow that!” Reve announced loudly, suddenly, sitting up, a serious look across his face. “I would rather die than see you come to any harm!”

“Don’t be silly. You are a prince, I am a slave. I am expendable, you are not.” Azlyn smiled, reaching for Reve in an attempt to lay him back down on the bed.

Reve, swiftly, grabbed hold of Azlyn’s wrists, squeezing them a little too tightly. He held her so that she was facing him. An almost menacing look spread across his face, as a hint of his primal demon emerged.

“Do NOT talk about yourself in that way!” Reve hissed. “You are NOT expendable! Not to me!!!!”

Azlyn was more than shocked by Reve’s reaction, but decided not to comment. She knew that finding a mate did strange things to a demon. His more instinctual, primal side was bound to take over on occasion, especially since Reve had convinced himself that Azlyn is, indeed, somehow his mate. She, however, remained unconvinced as she still did not think it possible for them to develop such a primitive bond without her being a demoness.

“I’m sorry.” Azlyn responded in a hushed tone.

Reve immediately softened and released his grip on her wrists. You could tell that he was sorry as his eyes filled with worry.

“No, I’m sorry, Azlyn. I should never handle you like that.” Reve was immediately filled with remorse. “But, do not worry, Kane can be trusted. He is my best friend.”

Azlyn laid back into the bed, cuddling in next to Reve.

“Why did you and Kane drink so much tonight?” Azlyn ventured, attempting to change the subject.

Reve reached over Azlyn and grabbed the bottle of wine off the nightstand. He took a large swig out of it then offered it to Azlyn. She turned it down but took it from him anyway in order to place it back on the nightstand without it getting spilled.

“For the past several years, this has been our way of getting over the disappointment that she causes us. Whenever she lets us down, we drink. Usually we would go find a couple of demonesses afterwards, but I explained our relationship to him, so he understood why I backed out on that.” Reve explained.

Azlyn was pleasantly startled by this revelation. Reve really was taking this relationship far more seriously than she had ever imagined that he would. Nonetheless, as much as she wanted to discuss their relationship further, she knew that there was a more important matter at hand.

“Is it normal for her to let you down like this?”

“This behavior from our mother has been the most consistent thing in our lives. She has always been cold and unfeeling towards us. She only had Kane and I to solidify her claim to the throne as my father started to take mistresses.” Reve admitted. “She wanted to ensure that if something were to happen to either, Gedeon or Hadeon, that she would still have heirs.”

“I’m sorry to hear that you have all had to suffer in such a way.”

“Listen to you, the slave feeling sorry for the princes.” Reve joked.

“I’m being serious, Reve.” Azlyn huffed, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Az.” Reve chuckled. “I am just certain that you have had it far worse than I.”

“That may be. But from the vague memories that I have of my parents, they were very kind and loving.”

“When was the last time that you saw them?”

“I was ten years old when the family that we were working for decided to sell me. That was the last day that I ever saw them.”

“I am so sorry.”

“There is nothing to be sorry about. That is the life of a slave. My parents were aware that I would likely be taken away from them and even though we hoped for the best, they had prepared me for the worst. Not to mention, it was a long time ago and I barely remember them now.”

“Still to have to go through something so awful at such a young age, I cannot even imagine.” Reve added, shaking his head.

“I am not going to lie, I was angry for a long time. But I learned that I was better off letting all of that go. I may not know where my parents are anymore, but I am not the only one, almost every second-generation slave has dealt with a similar situation. I am just lucky enough that I did have time with my parents and I do have memories of them. I know that they loved me very much. I would not trade what I had for anything else in the realm.” Azlyn agreed.

“My childhood was not all bad. My mother did not have the time or energy to raise more than two children, so she raised Gedeon and Hadeon, being that they were closer to the crown than either, Kane or me. So, wonderful and caring slaves were assigned to raise us.”

“That’s right. I forget that you had Teanna.”

“Yes. Teanna was the best foster mother that any demon could have hoped for. She instilled a respect for all life within me that I will forever be grateful for. She made me more than just a demon.” Reve said with a reminiscent look in his eyes.

“She sounds wonderful. I wish that I had been given the opportunity to meet her. It appears that I have a lot to thank her for.”

“I wish you could have met her as well. She was the closest thing that I have ever known to a real mother. She had a remarkable belief that demonkind and humankind could live together, in harmony, if they would just try.”

“So, she is the reason why you have always been so kind to me?”

“Well, yeah, the way that she raised me and, it helped that, I started to fall for you the moment that I laid eyes on you.” Reve remarked, coyly.

“Is that so?” Azlyn responded, flirtatiously.

“It is true. You are the most beautiful being, woman or demoness, that I have ever seen. To be honest, I have never been one to find humans attractive. It only happened one other time in my life and I was very young when it occurred; she was actually my first crush.”

“Really? Tell me about it.” Azlyn was eager to learn more about Reve and his past.

“I believe I was twelve at the time, I was visiting my friend, Eyulf, at his family’s estate.” Reve reflected. “There was a pretty, little slave girl. She was being picked on by Deirdre, Eyulf’s younger sister. I watched as Deirdre pushed the girl to the ground and then laughed before walking away. I ran to the girl and helped her up, checking to ensure that she was alright. I remember that she was so cute and so sweet. She was afraid of me at first, but she relaxed when she realized that I was there to help. We spent several hours together, talking and laughing. I thought about her a lot after that day and I hoped to make it back to Eyulf’s estate to see her again. Unfortunately, though, I was not able to make it there for several years and by the time I made it there again, she had been sold.”

Azlyn’s eyes had grown wide and, unbeknownst to Azlyn, her mouth was hanging open. She could not believe the story that Reve was describing to her. This is why he had seemed so familiar that first time they had met.

“Wait, were you visiting the Dunkel family estate?”

“Yes, Eyulf Dunkel. How did you know that?” Reve asked, confused.

“I was that little girl.” Azlyn answered, barely above a whisper.

Azlyn remembered that day very well, it was the first time that a demon had ever been kind to her. Reve’s kindness had meant a lot to her that day. She had no idea the kind young demon that she had spent that day with was the prince.

Reve was beyond surprised by what Azlyn was saying. Could it really be true? Had she been the little slave girl on whom he had developed his first crush? Had the fates really brought them together again after all of these years? He could hardly contain his excitement at the thought.

“I was eight years old when a young, handsome demon helped me off the ground after the young mistress of the house pushed me down. I spent the next several hours with him, we walked the entire grounds of the estate. I was punished severely for ignoring my duties that day. I did not care though because it was worth it to me. I thought about him a lot over the years. He gave me faith that there were demons, somewhere out there that could be kind.” Azlyn informed him. “I had thought you looked familiar when we met, but I had never dreamed that you could have been that kind, young demon.”

“It is you!”

Reve could hardly believe that this was really happening. The little slave that he had helped off the ground, as a young demon, fourteen years ago was now safely wrapped in his arms. If he had any doubts about his feelings for Azlyn before they were completely gone now. This was more than any other relationship, this was the universe telling them that they belonged together, they were destined to be. Reve’s excitement at the prospect of he and Azlyn being truly made for each other began to get the better of him.

Reve could not contain himself any longer; his horns began to elongate, and his eyes widened. His breathing quickened, and his heart raced. He positioned himself over Azlyn and began trailing kisses from her lips down to her breasts. As Reve’s pheromones reached Azlyn’s nose, filling her with his scent, she released a soft, involuntary moan. She quickly bit her lip and covered her mouth.

Reve stopped his attention to her body for a moment and looked up at her…

“Uh-uh, beautiful, I want them to hear you tonight.” Reve panted, removing her hand from over her mouth.

Several hours later, Azlyn awoke to the sound of the bedroom door opening. She immediately looked next to her and could see that Reve was sound asleep on the other side of the bed. She rolled back over to face the door and was confronted with a dreadful sight.

There was an angry demoness bent down next to the bed with her face level to Azlyn’s. Her eyes were bloodshot and burned with a fury unlike any that Azlyn had ever before seen.

“So, it is true. My son has taken up with a filthy slave.” Mara hissed under her breath.

“Queen Mara…” Azlyn gasped.

Azlyn was struck with terror. Queen Mara’s horns were fully extended, and her teeth gleamed, like sharpened knives, in the moonlight.

“You will get up slowly and quietly, so as not to disturb Reve. Then you will come with me without saying a word.” Mara instructed.

Azlyn nodded her head and slowly pulled herself out of the bed, trying as best as she could not to wake Reve. Azlyn had a feeling that Reve would not be very happy with the fact that she was leaving his room with his mother after she discovered them together. However, as much as Reve hated to admit it sometimes, Azlyn was still a slave and Mara was the queen of the realm; her word was law, the only higher authority being that of her husband. She had to obey, to do otherwise was completely unthinkable.

Once Queen Mara had Azlyn alone in the hallway, she wasted no time enacting her wrath. She did not even bother to close the door to Reve’s bedroom. She grabbed Azlyn by the face and slammed her head straight into her own bedroom door. Mara twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, throwing Azlyn onto the floor of her bedroom as she did so.

“This is your room, slave! You do not belong in there!” Mara shrieked.

Azlyn quickly covered her already bleeding face as Queen Mara came rushing towards her. Mara reared her foot backwards and then swung it forward, kicking Azlyn as hard as she could in the stomach, causing her body to lurch.

Queen Mara reached down and grabbed Azlyn by the hair. She pulled hard, forcing Azlyn onto her knees. She dragged Azlyn along, as she struggled to keep up with her pace. She pulled Azlyn towards her bed and then grabbed her by arm and twisted around, building up momentum before swinging Azlyn into the bed frame, smashing her body against it with tremendous force.

“This is your bed! No other! I never want to see you sharing a bed with my son again! Do you understand me?!” Mara roared at Azlyn, as she shoved her face down into the straw mat.

“Please…your majesty…I beg…mercy!” Azlyn sputtered, gasping for air against the straw mat.

Queen Mara released Azlyn from the mat, allowing her to catch her breath again. Azlyn quickly swallowed in the air, desperate for it, unsure as to whether or not the next breath would be her last. Mara lifted Azlyn to her feet, only to use this advantage to ram her straight into the nearby wall. Azlyn could feel her vision beginning to grow blurry. Images of the room and an angry queen were beginning to fade in and out. Azlyn fought hard to maintain consciousness as her exhausted body collapsed to the floor. Mara profited from this as she grabbed the simple wooden chair in the corner of Azlyn’s room. She lifted the chair high above her head and brought it crashing down onto Azlyn’s back.

Azlyn involuntarily screamed out at the latest assault. She knew that this had been a mistake as Queen Mara paused her assault to listen for any movement coming from Reve’s room. A moment later, she was satisfied that Reve had not been woken, but was angrier than ever at Azlyn. She grabbed Azlyn, again, by her hair, dragging her to the center of the room. She forced Azlyn to sit on her knees while she placed her hands, gently, on either side of Azlyn’s head.

“You want mercy. I’ll show you mercy, you deplorable tramp!”

Azlyn closed her eyes, ready to feel the snap of her own neck. She thought of Reve as she did so. She desperately wished that she would have told him the one thing that she had desperately longed to tell him since their first kiss.

“Reve, I love you.” Azlyn thought, deciding that it was an appropriate one to make her last.

“Mother!!!!” A familiar voice rang out from in front of them.

Azlyn opened her eyes to see Reve staring at them from the doorway to her bedroom. Every fiber in her being wanted to run into his arms, but she knew that any move right now could mean the difference between life and death.

“Mother, what do you think you are doing to my slave?!” Reve asked through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his composure as he scanned Azlyn’s body for the newly inflicted wounds.

“Reve, son, I was simply just trying to teach this slave some respect for our laws.” Mara explained, irritated.

“Azlyn was doing exactly as she was told to by her master.” Reve informed her.

It was taking everything inside of Reve to keep his composure. The longer that he looked at the scene before him, the angrier he became. His horns began to elongate, his claws began to lengthen, and his eyes darkened as they narrowed in on his prey.

“I demand that you release her immediately.” Reve ordered in the calmest possible voice.

Queen Mara removed her hands from either side of Azlyn’s head. Azlyn allowed herself to take in a deep breath as her death seemed slightly less imminent for the moment.

“Azlyn come here, now.” Reve commanded.

Azlyn hesitated at first, unsure of how to handle the situation. Reve was her master and her boyfriend. However, Mara as queen, technically, out-ranked Reve.

“Azlyn…I said…come…here…now.” Reve demanded, slowly with conviction behind his voice.

Azlyn attempted to rise to her feet, but her body ached too badly. She stumbled forward and fell to the floor. Reve rushed forward to help her up. He knelt down and lifted her, gently, then brushed the stray hairs away from her face.

“What has that slave done to you, Reve? Where is my powerful and ruthless son?” Mara questioned.

“Let’s get a few things straight.” Reve began, turning his attention from Azlyn to Mara. “You are not my mother, you never have been, and you never will be. If you wanted to be my mother, you missed your chance a long time ago.”

Queen Mara was taken aback at Reve’s boldness. No one was ever this forward with her. She was not used to this and her words caught in her throat like a lump.

Reve scooped Azlyn up into his arms, holding her close to him. She snuggled into his chest and he gave her a light squeeze, assuring her that she was safe.

“Now, listen to what I have to say because this is important, do NOT ever come near Azlyn again! If you do, I swear on the entire realm, I will kill you with my bare hands.”

“Reve…you cannot mean this.” Mara stammered.

“Make no mistake, I mean every word. I love this woman and I will not allow you to take her away from me!” Reve growled.

“What did you just say?” Mara gasped.

“I said that I love Azlyn and I will kill anyone who attempts to come between us!” Reve stated, clearly.

Azlyn could not believe what she had just heard. Reve had said that he loves her! He had never said that before! If her body had not hurt so badly, she would be jumping for joy. Instead she snuggled into him and tightened her grip around his neck. She attempted to give him a smile, but her mouth hurt too much as her lip had been busted open in the attack. She winced from the pain and Reve snuggled his cheek against her forehead in response.

Reve then turned and exited the bedroom without another word. Leaving Queen Mara standing alone, completely bewildered.