My Demon, My Love...: Changes of Heart

The very next day, Azlyn was moved back to her cell from the hospital wing at King Gedeon’s behest. Despite Reve’s desire to keep Azlyn under medical care, he knew that he must tread lightly. Now that he suspected that Gedeon was, somehow, involved in Hunter’s kidnapping; he could not risk pushing him on the issue of Azlyn anymore. Everything he said and did had to be carefully calculated for the benefit of his older brothers and their traitorous henchman lurking around the castle. Gedeon already had Azlyn, if he indeed had Hunter as well, then he held all the cards that he needed to keep Reve under his strict control. Reve’s hands were, essentially, tied and he hated it. He could not stand feeling powerless and he had never felt that more than he did now.

Later that night, Reve waited for the perfect opportunity to begin enacting his plan. He knew that if he was going to make his move, he had to do it while everyone was either too tired or too drunk to notice anything that he did. After the middle of the night had passed, he quickly went about putting his plans into action.

Reve was able to make his way to Azlyn; sneaking past the guards as they were distracted with their shift change. He slipped into her cell and rushed to her side; wrapping her up in his arms. Holding onto her for dear life. No matter how hard he tried to keep this situation under control, he could not deny that he had never felt like he had such little power before; his wife was in jail and his child was missing, likely in grave danger. If there had ever been time for a break down, this was it. But he knew that he could not do that to Azlyn. She was in a much worse place than he was, and she was depending on him to remain strong; they needed to find Hunter and Reve had to have his head in the game to do so.

“I am so sorry that you had to come back here, Az. I just cannot risk going against Gedeon right now. I suspect that he knows something about Hunter’s disappearance.” Reve explained with a sigh.

Azlyn wrapped her arms around Reve and he melted into her touch. This was all that he needed right here. One touch from her and he was immediately calm; no matter where they were or what their circumstances may have been. As soon as he felt her against his skin, he was instantly home.

“There is nothing that you need to apologize for.” Azlyn assured. “You are doing what needs to be done to keep Hunter safe. You never have to apologize for protecting our child. Do anything that it takes to save Hunter, no matter the cost.”

“I promise that I will always do whatever it takes to keep both of you safe. From this day forward, I will never let either of you down again. The two of you are all that matters to me in this world and any other.”

“I am serious, Reve. No matter the cost.” Azlyn reiterated.

“Of course, Az. No matter the cost.” Reve nodded, in agreement.

Azlyn took a deep breath in and released it, slowly, before continuing.

“Even if it means my life.”

“Even if it means…” Reve had been on autopilot, automatically agreeing to any of Azlyn’s demands, repeating her words as she said them, without a second thought. But not this time, this time he had caught what he was about to say before he had uttered it and it disturbed him, greatly. “Wait, what?!”

“We both know that there is a very good chance that Gedeon will want you to kill me as a show of loyalty to him. If this situation arises, I want you to do it without hesitation.” Azlyn explained.

“I will NOT do that, Azlyn!”

“You have to! We cannot allow him to harm Hunter! I swear if they touch a single hair on my daughter’s head then I will tear them all to shreds with my bare hands! You have to keep her safe, no matter the cost!”

Reve had never heard Azlyn talk like this before and he had to admit that he liked it. Azlyn was usually meek and unconfident; she did not like violence and would certainly never participate in aggressive activities. However, in this moment, when she talked about Hunter, there was a fire that burned in her eyes that Reve had never seen before. The flames danced in her soul and threatened to consume everything in their path. Reve had never been more drawn to Azlyn than he was now. Turned out that she had always had a little demoness in her, she just needed to something to protect to unleash it.

“It will not come to that, Az. I swear to you.” Reve assured her. “I am going to take care of everything. I will save Hunter and then I will get you out of here, after that, we will leave this place forever. We will find somewhere that we can become the family that we were always meant to be.”

“I know. I have faith in you, Reve.” Azlyn paused for a moment, laying her head against his chest. “You are the only thing, in all of the realms, that I have complete faith in.”

Reve leaned down and kissed the top of her head, pausing for a moment to breath in her scent. Everything about her was so perfect to him. Even after all this time, he still found her as beautiful as he had that very first day they spent together. He had not realized how incomplete he had felt without her, until she was in his arms again. It was as though, he had been holding his breath, for these past years and now he could finally breath.

“I have taken some precautions to ensure your safety.” Reve spoke up after a few moments, breaking the silence. “I have sent word for Zareb. He will be transferred to the dungeons to act as your guard.”

“You are making Zareb a prison guard?! That is not fair! That is a huge step-down for him!” Azlyn protested against Reve’s suggestion, she was far too aware of how important Zareb’s rank in the demon army was to him.

“This is all temporary and he is aware of such. He is more than happy to participate as he is eager to protect you, as well. I will also be promoting him, out of gratitude for his assistance, despite his protest that this is not necessary. I am thinking that MAJOR Zareb has a nice ring to it.”

Azlyn clapped her hands together in excitement, before jumping up and wrapping her arms around Reve’s neck, pulling him against her, as tightly as she could.

“That is so wonderful, Reve! Thank you so much!”

“There is nothing to thank me for; your safety is a top priority for me. Zareb is one of the few demons left that I trust. Not to mention, he is an excellent soldier and should be rewarded as such.” Reve explained. “I have also contacted the Viveks and requested that Nissa be returned to the palace.”

“What?! Why?!” Azlyn was ready to protest again. She did not want Nissa coming back here. She was safe with the Viveks and did not need to be returned to the volatile and dangerous castle grounds.

“That was one of Gedeon’s demands.” Reve sighed, more than uncomfortable with the situation. “I have to prove that I am ready to move on by finally replacing you as my personal slave. He tried to push the new sex slave, Emilie, on me. But I informed him that I would picking out my own slave. Nissa is the perfect choice; she is trustworthy, fiercely loyal to you, and she knows her way around the palace. She is, also, already acquainted with Zareb; making it easier for the two of us to pass messages back and forth using her.”

Azlyn relaxed some after accepting Reve’s explanation.

“So, when will I see you again?” Azlyn pled, looking up into Reve’s eyes, feeling her own beginning to grow misty.

“I wish that I could tell you something that will make you feel better, but…” Reve paused, not wanting to finish his sentence. “I honestly don’t know when we can see each other again.”

Reve could see the tears threatening to burst forth from Azlyn’s eyes and he could not deny that the thought of being separated from her again, made him want to cry as well. He wanted to reassure her, but he was at a loss. How could he calm her fears, when he was not at all sure himself?

“This is not forever, Az. It’s just for now.” Reve made an attempt at soothing them both.

“Yes, but there is no way for us to know how long ‘for now’ will be.” Azlyn pouted, struggling to contain her emotions. She did not want to upset Reve, she knew that he was doing everything he could, given the circumstances.

“That is true. I am not going to make any false promises about a timeline. Any move against Gedeon would be considered high treason and could, potentially, put Hunter at risk. Everything that I do, has to be done very carefully.”

Azlyn knew this to be true and she would never do anything that would threaten Hunter’s safety more than it already was. Though she could not help but feel devasted by the fact that she did not know when she could see Reve again. After tonight, he would disappear from her life, just like he had been for the last two years. How she had ached to be in his strong arms again. How she had longed to look into his eyes. How she had craved the intense way that her body felt when he was near her. Now that they were finally reunited, the thought of being without him tore her to pieces. The thought of surviving without him was completely and utterly unbearable.

“Just find Hunter, Reve. Find her and get her far away from this place. She is so sweet and so innocent. This is all my fault.” Azlyn said with a sigh.

Reve tightened his grip around Azlyn’s small frame, holding her tightly against his body.

“Do not say that, Az. None of this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is. I should have protected her better. I should have known that it was not safe. I should not have stayed in the same place for so long. I should have been more cautious with my decisions. I should have been there that night.”

The tears began to freely flow from Azlyn’s eyes, streaming down her cheeks.

“Stop it, Azlyn! I will not allow you to beat yourself up like this! If you had been there, then you probably would have been killed and Hunter would have been taken either way. If any of this is anyone’s fault, then it is mine.”

“How do you figure? You did not even know that she existed.”

“That is also my fault.” Reve sighed, releasing his breath slowly. “If I had just gone through the portal, then everything would have been different. I would have been there to protect you and Hunter.”

“You didn’t know. You had no reason to believe that I would have survived the portal. There was nothing for you in the human realm; it made sense that you would stay here.”

“I should have gone through, just to be sure.”

“Reve, just as you will not let me blame myself, I refuse to allow you to blame yourself.” Azlyn scolded. “We have no way of knowing that anything we may or may not have done would have changed this outcome.”

“You are right. There is no use in worrying about what could have been. Instead we need to focus on the here and now. I will find Hunter and I will find her soon. I promise you.”

Azlyn smiled but did not feel the need to respond; she trusted that Reve had everything under control. She knew that he would do whatever it took to bring Hunter back safely. He had almost killed his own mother when she had taken Azlyn from him. She knew that he was more than willing to do that much, or worse, for Hunter.

“You know…” Reve began, with a smirk, as he ran his fingers over the mark on Azlyn’s shoulder. “Your mark is starting to heal nicely.”

Azlyn flinched at Reve’s statement. She felt so guilty over attempting to destroy something so sacred to them. She knew that she had not been herself at the time, but even as delirious as she had been, she could not fathom wanting to destroy something so beautiful. The only thing in all of the realms that was as important to Azlyn as Hunter, was Reve. She would never want to destroy their connection.

“Reve…” Azlyn hesitated. “I am so sorry! I would never…”

“Shh, Az…” Reve hushed, soothing her. “Do not worry about it. There is nothing to apologize for. I know that you were not in the right mindset. These are not normal circumstances. But you do not have to worry about getting sick like that again. Part of Zareb’s duties will be to ensure that your food is edible, your water is clean, and that it arrives on a regular schedule.”

“I swear that I will never do anything like that again. I will cherish this mark, the way that it deserves to be.”

“I know that you will, as you always have.”

Reve lifted Azlyn’s chin so that he could look down, clearly, into her eyes. After a moment of staring into them deeply, Reve brought his lips to her forehead and kissed her softly. He knew that his time was running short and he needed to get out of the dungeons before he was caught.

“I really hate to do this, but I have to go now, Az.” Reve informed her and Azlyn nodded her head in understanding. “I have instructed that Zareb ensure that you have light for the day, and he will shut them off for you at night. I will also do my best to arrange for him to bring you some items in an attempt to make your life here more bearable.”

“Do what you can but be sure to be discreet. No matter what I have to suffer through, it will be worth it, if it leads us to Hunter. Everything that we do, we are doing for Hunter.”

“For Hunter.” Reve affirmed.

Reve reached out for Azlyn and wrapped his hand into her hair. He pulled her into him and brought his lips to hers with an intensity that made her knees go weak. They kissed passionately, each wanting to remember every detail of the other’s lips, not knowing how long it would be until they were able to meet again. The kiss pressed onward as neither was willing to be the one to part from the other; knowing that Reve would be leaving as soon as the kiss was over.

Alas, eventually, Reve knew that if he did not break the kiss now, he would be driven to stay all night and day with Azlyn. Gedeon would never allow for this, of that, Reve was certain. So as reluctant as he was, Reve released his hold on Azlyn’s hair and slowly pulled away from her. He could see the tears beginning to fill her eyes and it killed him inside. If he did not leave her, while he still had his resolve, then he would never leave her.

“I love you with everything that I am, Az. I will fix this.”

“No matter what happens, know that you and Hunter are the best things that have ever happened to me. I love you more than I ever thought possible. Keep yourself safe and protect our little demoness.”

Reve leaned in and gave Azlyn one last, quick kiss before slipping out of the cell door and into the cold, empty hallway. Leaving Azlyn alone in the dark with nothing but her thoughts.

Several days later, Nissa found herself back at the palace. After two years of peaceful living as a servant for the Viveks’; she was back to being a slave in the castle. At least, this time she would be the personal slave to Prince Reve. Not to mention, she was extremely excited to see all of her friends again, especially Azlyn. She had not seen her since the morning after Azlyn’s wedding; when she and Reve had driven off in the hopes of finding a better life.

Nissa was supposed to report, immediately, to Reve. However, Kane had dropped her at the front gates and had to run off. Leaving Nissa time for a much-needed detour. She did not want to keep the Prince waiting, but the person that she was headed to see had been on her mind since her last trip to the palace. She knew that any potential punishment for her tardiness was well worth getting to gaze at him for a moment.

Once Nissa approached the stables, she slipped inside, careful to go unnoticed. She made her way, cautiously, looking into the stalls. She had to ensure that there was not a demon present before making herself known. When she felt comfortable that the coast was clear; she gathered her courage and called out…

“Blaz! Blaz are you here?!”

Blaz’s head shot out from the back room where supplies were stored and Blaz’s bed was kept. A large smile spread across his face upon seeing Nissa standing there.

“Nissa!”

Blaz rushed to Nissa as quickly as his legs could carry him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around in a circle before setting her back down. Nissa, happily, reciprocated by wrapping her arms around him in turn. Once he set her down, they leaned in for a long and grateful kiss.

“I am so happy to see you!” Blaz exclaimed. “What are you doing here? How long are you here for this time?”

“I am happy to see you too! I have missed you so much these past few months! In answer to your questions, I do not know how long I will be here for. It could be a permanent reassignment for all that I know. I am the new personal slave to Prince Reve.” Nissa responded, proudly.

“What?! No!!!!”

Blaz thought that he might have a panic attack. First, Reve had claimed Azlyn and used her up before tossing her aside. Now he had his sights set on Nissa! This was far too much for Blaz to bear. He would not stand idly by and let Reve take her; Nissa was his.

“What is wrong? I thought that you would be happy because I would be back at the castle and we could be together.” Nissa was hurt by Blaz’s reaction. She had thought this all to be good news.

“Of course, I want us to have more time together! But this is in no way, good news!” Blaz ranted, releasing his hold on Nissa’s waist. “Reve decides that just because he is done with Azlyn that he can have you as well! How can he do this?!”

Nissa stared at Blaz with a look of confusion on her face. She had no idea what he was going on about or why he was so upset about her working for Reve.

“Done with Azlyn?!” Nissa asked, perplexed. “What are you talking about?! Didn’t Zareb tell you what was going on?”

“Zareb?! What does Zareb have to do with this? I have not seen him for several weeks, he rarely has time to sneak away, nowadays. King Gedeon is much less tolerant about friendships between humans and demons than his father had been.”

“Oh goodness!” Nissa exclaimed. “I thought that you knew!”

“Knew what?! What is going on?!” Blaz demanded.

“Azlyn and Prince Reve are back together.” Nissa informed him.

“Really?! But isn’t she still in the dungeon?” Blaz questioned with surprise.

“Yes, unfortunately. They believe that King Gedeon may be involved in Hunter’s disappearance.” Nissa explained. “He has demanded that Prince Reve continue acting as if nothing has changed. He wants things to remain as they have been for the last two years. So Prince Reve has been forced to comply.”

“Why would he want that?! Prince Reve has been unbearable the past couple of years.”

“Apparently, King Gedeon likes him that way.” Nissa shrugged.

“So, what is the plan then? Is the Prince really just going to allow these threats against his family? Hunter has been kidnapped and Azlyn is in prison!”

“Prince Kane and Lord Dalair are searching throughout the realm, following every possible lead. Prince Reve is scouring the castle, high and low, for any evidence that ties Gedeon to the kidnapping. Zareb is acting as Azlyn’s personal guard in the dungeons, ensuring her safety. I am Prince Reve’s new personal slave; my job will be to act as messenger between the Prince and Zareb.”

Blaz breathed a sigh of relief. Not only, was Reve not intending to take Nissa for his new lover; Reve and Azlyn had managed to work things out. They were seeking to save Hunter. Hopefully, things would start to get a little better for all of them from this point forward.

“What is the Prince’s plan for getting Azlyn released from prison?” Blaz inquired, realizing that Nissa had not mentioned anything about Azlyn’s freedom.

“That we do not know yet. We cannot risk freeing Azlyn without knowing Hunter’s whereabouts. There is too much concern about possible retaliation against Hunter for such a treasonous act. Though, I am certain that as soon as we have Hunter, Azlyn will be rescued.”

“I just worry about how long this all may take; King Gedeon will, eventually, want Azlyn’s head. Prince Reve will be very short on options when that time comes.”

“Don’t worry, Blaz. Prince Reve will figure something out. He will not allow Azlyn to die.”

Blaz smiled at Nissa, reassuring her that he believed her words. However, inside, his mind told a different story. He was not sure that Reve would be able to do anything to save Azlyn from her fate. They would not do anything that would risk Hunter. Blaz could not see any way out of this for them.