My Demon, My Love...

The next morning, Azlyn awoke feeling disoriented and confused. Her head still pounded from the events of the previous day and she was feeling less comfortable with the idea of life within the castle. As much happiness as she had managed to find here, she worried that she would never be safe; not that she was ever truly safe anywhere.

On the other hand, Reve’s bed was softest thing that Azlyn had ever had the pleasure of laying on; it felt as though she was floating on a cloud. She had never even used a pillow before, but after having done so, she knew that it would be hard to go back to being without. The robe, that Reve had wrapped her in, was warm and fuzzy, like fur, she loved the way that it felt against her skin. This was a comfort that she had never felt before and feared that she would never feel again.

Then a sickening realization came to Azlyn’s mind as reality struck her, like a cold, hard slap in the face. She was in Reve’s bed and she was wearing his clothes! This was absolutely not permitted by any stretch of the imagination, she could be killed on the spot, no questions asked, if they were to be found like this!

Azlyn quickly jumped up out of the bed and shed off the robe, dropping it to the floor. What had she been thinking? Reve’s bed would surely have to be burned now and that would mean several lashes of the whip for her and that was if they did not just kill her for the convenience of it!

Azlyn’s mind raced with a million thoughts. She even thought, momentarily, of trying to escape the castle grounds. Between the bed, the robe, and Reve’s shirt that she had bled on; there were bound to be serious repercussions for each of her actions. She was also aware that she could be blamed for the cost of the demons, as the two guards would be unable to work for a day or two after Reve had handled them.

“Azlyn, come back to bed, it’s early.” Reve muttered, reaching out for her.

Azlyn found herself longing to oblige his request. But she quickly reprimanded herself for so swiftly and willingly giving in to his every whim. She pulled her hand away from his and took a few steps back from the bed. This demon would be the death of her, in a very literal sense, if she allowed this to continue.

“I must get to my duties. I have a much longer list of chores today than usual.” Azlyn responded, avoiding his gaze.

Reve pouted and whimpered, playfully, but Azlyn still refused to look at him.

“What if I say that I do not want breakfast today. Then will you come back to bed for a little while longer?”

Azlyn looked up at the bed and stared at it, all the while, still careful to avoid any eye contact with Reve. That bed was a large part of her problem. It was contaminated now and would have to be dealt with as soon as possible. Oh, so many lashes for such a large and expensive item!

Azlyn wondered if she should report this to Cuinn, so that he could have it handled and see that she was properly punished. The punishment was likely to be severe, but it would save her the hassle of attempting to clean all of this by herself. However, she realized that Reve may not like that she reported it without giving him the chance to take care of it first. So, after much deliberation, she decided that it was best to ask Reve what he wanted first and then take the situation from there.

“Why do you have such a busy day?” Reve pressed, pulling her from her thoughts.

“I have to clean up after last night’s events.” Azlyn responded, feeling herself blush slightly.

“The slaves responsible for cleaning the shower will handle any mess that was left in there. Do not worry.”

Reve patted the bed where Azlyn had been laying, bidding her to return. He scanned her body up and down; playfully, reminding Azlyn that she was now standing naked in the middle of his room. She quickly snatched up the robe off of the floor and held it in front of her body, shielding herself from his eyes.

“I have my usual chores. Plus, I have to scrub your shower. Then we have to discuss how you would like your shirt, robe and bed handled. Not to mention, any time that punishment takes out of my day.” Azlyn answered, exasperated.

“What punishment are you talking about?” Reve inquired, perplexed.

“The one for all of the damages that I caused.” Azlyn responded, matter-of-fact.

“What did you do exactly?”

Reve was curious as to how exactly Azlyn, and slaves like her, had been brainwashed to determine their guilt in these situations. She had been attacked without provocation, how exactly could any of these “damages” be her responsibility?

“Well, let us start at the beginning then, shall we? First things first, I am aware that I am held responsible for the cost of the two guards while they are out of commission. I would say that alone is probably worth a minimum of thirty lashes; fifteen for each guard. Secondly, I bled on your shirt and that kind of contamination can never be washed clean, so your shirt will have to be destroyed. This fact, combined with the fact that the shirt was likely expensive, I would say a minimum of fifteen lashes. This would bring my total to forty-five.” Azlyn began.

Reve listened intently, already surprised by what Azlyn was saying.

“Next, your bathroom shower will need to be cleaned as my filth spread all over it when you rinsed me in there. That is a minimum of ten lashes. Bringing my running total to fifty-five. Then your robe, I not only wore it, but I slept in it. It is absolutely filthy now, so it’ll be a minimum of ten to fifteen lashes depending on whether or not you would like it cleaned or burned. I may also remind you before you make your decision that I was nude while wearing it, so it may never truly come clean again.”

Reve found himself wanting to interrupt Azlyn, but he forced himself to allow her to finish.

“Finally, we have the problem of your bedding. I slept in your bed which I apologize for, profusely. I cannot imagine how disgusted you must feel right now.”

Reve could not help but laugh as Azlyn said this. How could he possibly feel disgusted when he was the one who instructed her to sleep within his bed? The idea was preposterous.

“Therefore, it is your choice how you would like the bedding handled.” Azlyn continued. “We could get it cleaned or have it burned. If it is cleaned, then I would say a minimum of fifteen lashes due to the size of the bed. If it is burned, it would depend on how much of it you desired to have destroyed. If it is just the bedding, then I would say a minimum of twenty lashes due to size. If it is the bedding plus the mattress then a minimum of twenty-five lashes. If you want the entire thing, including the frame, destroyed then at least thirty lashes for such an offense.” Azlyn rattled off all the numbers and offenses as if she was reading them from a book in her head.

Azlyn took in a deep breath and her eyes began to water. Reve was just about to speak up when she interrupted and began talking again.

“As a slave with a whip total of over fifty lashes, it is my duty to inform you…” Azlyn paused and she began staring down at her toes. “…you, as my master, have the right to end my life without further cause or explanation. After you have finished, please leave my body outside of your front door, so that I may be collected and properly disposed of. Any remains left within the residence will be the responsibility of the property owner. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, King and Council.”

Reve was disgusted by all of this. This had clearly gone on long enough.

“Azlyn, I will not be killing you.” Reve reassured her. “However, I would like to go over your totals again because I believe that I have some corrections.”

“Yes, Reve. Of course.” Azlyn breathed a sigh of relief that she would not be dying today, at least.

“So, first things first, there was the cost of the two guards being away from work for a day or two while they recover.” Reve began.

“A minimum of thirty lashes.” Azlyn added.

“Hmm…well I feel that it is actually a total of zero lashes for that offense. As I believe that you were the victim and not the aggressor in that situation. The guards are the ones who will be punished for this. I will also take full responsibility if anyone would like retribution for the cost of the guards missing their duties.” Reve informed Azlyn.

“But…sire…” Azlyn attempt to protest.

“Secondly, was my shirt.” Reve interrupted her. “It is just a shirt. You did not bleed on it because you chose to do so. You were hurt, and you were bleeding. I will not punish you because I made the decision to hold you while you were injured and needed comfort. As for my robe, it can be cleaned, and you will not be punished for using it. I placed it on you and I am not bothered in the slightest that you wore it while naked, quite the contrary, actually.”

Reve paused and eyed Azlyn from top to bottom again. She was still clinging to the robe, blocking his view. However, this did not hinder him from enjoying the sight.

“Now to my bed…” Reve continued after a moment. “…I do not see any reason why it should be destroyed. I am also not super concerned about how quickly it needs to be cleaned. I do not see you, sleeping in my bed, as contaminating it. As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed having you there with me. You may clean the bedding on the regular schedule. So, I see no reason to punish you in this regard, either.”

Azlyn was about to object. She could not believe that Reve was dismissing her punishments without a second thought. Nothing like this had ever happened before. However, Reve did not give her the chance to interject…

“I believe that covers everything except for my shower.”

“Yes, that is still worth a minimum of ten lashes.” Azlyn informed him.

“Well, actually, I wanted to discuss this matter with you further. Last night, I had a good chance to think about this and I would like you begin showering in my personal bathroom from this point onward. With that in mind, there is no reason to clean it ahead of schedule. So, you may as well wait until the regularly appointed time.” Reve directed.

Azlyn was completely taken aback. What did Reve mean that she should shower in here from now on? Why, in all the realms, could he possibly want such a thing? She was so shocked by this request that she dropped the robe without realizing it.

Reve, however, noticed immediately. Azlyn’s shapely body and supple breasts now exposed in the low light of the room; the flicker of the fire, roaring in the fireplace, reflecting off her skin and hair like a lure drawing his eyes to her bare flesh in front of him. Azlyn realized her mistake at the change in Reve’s demeanor and swiftly bent down to fetch the robe. When she straightened back up, Reve was already standing in front of her.

Azlyn looked up into Reve’s dark eyes as he placed his hands on either side of her face. She appeared startled and he did not want to scare her, but he could not contain his feelings any longer. He pulled her into him and pressed his lips down onto hers.

Their kiss was slow and gentle at first, but as Azlyn melted into his touch, Reve’s primal side began to emerge. The kiss intensified, and their passions increased, as they craved more of each other. Azlyn had released her grip on the robe and her hands became intertwined in Reve’s hair, pulling at it slightly. Reve had let his hands fall from Azlyn’s face as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. As his hands began to explore her body, he realized that if he did not stop himself now, he would not be able to.

Reve forced himself to do the right thing and gently, but briskly pushed Azlyn away from him. They stared at each other for a moment, breathless. Reve attempted to calm himself. Azlyn felt confused and, she had to admit, a little hurt that he had pushed her aside so casually. She could feel her skin beginning to burn red with embarrassment and she hoped that he did not notice.

“Stupid, stupid girl! You are not good enough for him!” Azlyn, silently, reminded herself. “He is only interested in other demons. What would he want with trash like you?”

Azlyn took in a deep breath and attempted to compose herself.

“I am not sure that sharing your shower is such a good idea, Reve. I do not think any demons would approve of such an arrangement.” Azlyn finally spoke, attempting to change the subject.

“It was not a request, Azlyn. It was a command. I will feel better knowing that you are safely showering here. I would worry every time you went to use that communal shower, otherwise.” Reve explained.

After another long pause, Reve took in a deep breath. Then he began…

“Azlyn, about that kiss…”

“I am so sorry! It was all my fault! I promise that it will not happen again! Would you like me to fetch the whip, so that I may be punished for violating you in such a way?” Azlyn quickly blurted out, attempting to clean up her mess.

“What?! No! Of course not!” Reve was shocked by Azlyn’s sudden outburst. “I am the one who kissed you.”

“I am aware of that, master. However, I know that you would never dream of doing such a thing by your own volition. I surely must have been responsible for driving you to such an action. I am such a disgrace! I apologize for what I did, I know that must have been truly disgusting for you!” Azlyn apologized, again.

“Azlyn! Stop apologizing! You did nothing wrong! More importantly, stop talking about yourself like that! It is very upsetting!” Reve yelled out in frustration.

Azlyn was taken aback by Reve’s response. He was truly becoming angered hearing her speak poorly about herself. Though she could not understand what had angered him so badly as she was merely repeating rhetoric about slaves that everyone in the realm was, already, well-versed in.

Reve took another moment to calm himself, then he explained...

“Please try harder to not speak so poorly about yourself in the future. I know that it is what you were raised to believe, but I for one do not believe a word of it. I do not like you repeating it.”

“Alright, Reve. I promise that I will try.” Azlyn agreed, still confused.

“Excellent. Now, why don’t you get dressed and meet me back here in a few minutes. Then we will get our day started.”

“Of course. I shall return momentarily.”

Azlyn smiled and gave a quick bow before exiting the room. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that maybe Reve was truthful about wanting to protect her. Maybe, just maybe, she would be safe in the castle after all.