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

Late the next night, the doors of Gedeon’s bed chamber suddenly burst open with a loud crash. The interruption caused Gedeon to jump up in his bed; surprising the slave who was working beneath his sheets. Reve stood in the doorway, a murderous expression in his eyes.

“Reve, what do you think you are doing?!” Gedeon snapped, more out of shock than anger. “I implicitly instructed that I was not to be disturbed. Guards!”

“You can call for your guards all that you like. They have been subdued.” Reve smirked.

Dalair poked his head into the room, gave Gedeon a cheeky wave, and took post guarding the doorway. Immediately, sending a sense of panic coursing through Gedeon. The slave under the covers sensed the tension and decided that it may be best to attempt to separate herself from Gedeon during this ordeal. She lifted her head out from under the covers, wiping her mouth as she did so. She glanced up at Reve and was overcome with embarrassment as he looked down at her with disgust.

“Emilie. How nice of you to join us.” Reve stated.

Emilie attempted to climb out of the bed and away from Gedeon. If he was about to endure Reve’s wrath, she wanted no part of it. However, her efforts were quickly thwarted as Gedeon grasped onto her shoulders. Forcing her to sit in front of him, acting as his shield. Her eyes grew wide with terror as she stared at the sword in Reve’s hands.

“Reve? What is the meaning of this?!” Gedeon demanded.

“Where is my daughter?” Reve’s eyes narrowed in on Gedeon while he growled out the words.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Gedeon contended.

“Do not play coy with me.” Reve hissed. “I know that you know where Hunter is, and you will tell me. No more games. Your life is at stake here.”

“You would not dare kill me. I am your brother and your king!” Gedeon declared, hoping to make Reve think twice about his decision.

“I do not care for your titles.” Reve sneered. “You do not impress me or frighten me. You have no fight in you and your men are useless against me; I have trained every one of them, I know what move they are going to make before they do.”

Gedeon slunk further behind Emilie, trying to make himself disappear, to no avail, behind her tiny body. He knew how right Reve was, but he was not eager to admit such. His mind began working overtime as he attempted to think a way out of this for himself.

“Calm down, Reve, everything that I have done has been in your best interests. We are brothers. Surely you will show mercy…”

“The only reason that I have not killed you yet is because you have been holding my wife hostage. I know that you have my daughter as well. I am done with your threats.” Reve stepped forward, interrupting Gedeon’s pleas, his blade out in front of him. “I am done with your control of my life and my decisions. I am a husband and father before I am anything else. You speak of mercy because you are my brother. You cry out in the name of family, well, what about MY family? What about mercy for my wife or for my child?!”

“The half-breed is unharmed!” Gedeon cried out, hoping this would encourage lenience towards him.

“So, you admit that you have her.” Reve confirmed.

“Y-yes, I-I have her.” Gedeon stammered, nodding his head. “I will give her to you, if you swear not to harm me.”

“You will tell me where my daughter is this very minute and I will promise to make your death quick and, relatively, painless.” Reve snarled.

Gedeon began to tremble as he buried his face into Emilie’s back. Emilie sighed, never having been more turned off by a demon before. Gedeon barely deserved the title; he was sniveling and worthless being who caved at the slightest threat. This being did not even deserve the title of human; much less king of the most feared species in all the realms.

“You would not kill me.” Gedeon attempted to counter. “You cannot harm me without harming this woman and I know that you will not kill someone innocent.”

“Innocent?!” Reve scoffed at the suggestion. “This woman is far from innocent. I should kill her for her offenses alongside you.”

“What offenses?!” Emilie challenged in surprise.

“I know that you have been spying on Azlyn and myself. I know that you are the one who keeps reporting back to Gedeon. Did you really think that you were so skilled that you would escape my notice? It is part of my job to constantly assess all threats. You made my radar very early on.” Reve explained.

Emilie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. For the first time, she realized that she may have made a mistake that would cost her the only thing that she held dear, her life. Prince Reve was known to be brutal and she had helped to put his family in danger with the ultimate intention of getting his wife killed. It would take a miracle for her to make it out of this alive and she knew it.

“You would really kill me over such slight offenses? Especially in the defense of your whore wife?” Emilie charged, the words spilling from her mouth before she could stop herself; she knew that it was a mistake, but it was too late to stop it.

Gedeon gasped, realizing Emilie’s error. What was wrong with this psychotic woman? Did she have a death wish?

“What did you just call my wife?” Reve growled, the words coming out in a slow grumble.

“Well, she is pregnant by another demon; while you have remained faithful to her even when you believed her to be dead.” Emilie argued, attempting to defend her position, as Reve approached with a murderous glare in his eye.

“My wife has not been with another. She is pregnant, as YOU have ensured that everyone is aware of. However, she is pregnant by me, not by any other.” Reve snarled, glaring down at her. “Normally, I would not relish in killing a slave and, especially, not a woman. However, you have disgraced my wife and put my family in danger for the last time. I have given you more than enough opportunities to learn from your errors, but you consistently make the same mistakes over and over again.”

“Reve…” Gedeon cautioned.

Reve drew back his sword and in one fluid motion he swung it, quickly, slicing Gedeon’s cheek. He cried out as the cold steel penetrated through his flesh. Reve continued his assault by drawing his sword back towards himself, before lunging it forward, aiming dead center between Emilie’s breasts. Emilie screamed as her life flashed before her eyes; her breathing labored as she felt the pain from the tip of Reve’s blade piercing her flesh. She looked down, the steel still buried into her skin, just enough to wound, but not enough to maim. She realized that she was still alive and sighed with relief. Reve withdrew his sword…

“Let that be your final warning. I will kill you. I have no loyalties to either of you or any sense of morality that you may assign to me. If we meet again, I will end you, Emilie.”

Emilie shuddered at Reve’s words, as her hands clutched at her open wound. She stared at him for a moment and she understood, he was not allowing her to live because he wanted to; it was some unspoken value that he held onto because someone else expected him to. She let out a deep breath and counted herself lucky that she had been spared. She would not make this mistake again; she would stay out of Reve’s way from this day forward.

Gedeon clutched at his cheek, feeling his blood moistening his hand as the thick, black liquid found its way through gaps between his fingers. He quickly moved and pushed Emilie to the left, forcing her off of him. She was useless as a shield if Reve was not willing to kill her.

“What do I have to do to get out of this alive?” Gedeon questioned with an air of certainty. Reve had to offer him an opportunity for reprieve. He could not just kill the King of the Demon Realm without expecting consequences for his actions. There had to be a way for him to get out of this.

Reve was acutely aware that he was running short on time now. The plan to rescue Azlyn was already underway and now that Emilie had screamed; another set of guards was mostly certainly on their way to this room to determine if there was threat to the king or if it was just another slave being tortured. Reve needed to get Hunter’s location and get out of there before they lost their opportunity to escape without a battle.

“Tell me Hunter’s location and I will let you live…” Reve assured Gedeon. “…for now.” He thought, keeping this last bit to himself.

Reve lifted his sword and held it directly at Gedeon’s throat, the sharp tip settling just below his chin.

“Alright. Alright. I give in. I’ll let you have Hunter.” Gedeon pled. “She is locked in the west tower, at the very top. I promise you that I have assured that she has been cared for.”

“You are lucky that I am short on time.” Reve grumbled before quickly turning and slashing his sword across Gedeon’s chest, leaving a deep gash. “Let that be a lesson to you; do NOT mess with my family.”

Gedeon fell to the floor, clutching the wound and crying out in pain. Reve watched in amusement, momentarily, before turning to exit the room with Dalair behind him. They rushed towards the west tower; worrying that they would soon have a set of guards on their heels.

The guards did arrive at Gedeon’s bedroom a few minutes later; wondering what all of the yelling was about. They found the guards outside the door had been knocked unconscious and they rushed inside. Seeing Gedeon clutching his chest in the middle of the floor, they hurried to his aid.

“Do not worry about me, you fools!” Gedeon huffed out in labored breaths. “Get to the dungeons. Don’t let Reve anywhere near the slave that he calls a mate.”

The guards nodded in understanding at their orders and rushed off towards the dungeons as instructed.

“Slave whore!” Gedeon called out. “Where are you? Get over here and assist me!”

“Are you referring to me?” Emilie questioned, incredulous.

“Who else would I be referring to?” Gedeon demanded. “Go get the doctor and have him come to me at once.”

“I do not have to do anything that you say any longer. I am out of here.” Emilie asserted, boldly.

Emilie went to leave the room, walking past Gedeon as she did so. Suddenly, she felt a warm and slimy liquid soaking into her skin as a hand grasped, tightly, around her ankle. Gedeon yanked hard on her leg and she slammed against the floor with a loud thud. He pulled her towards him and leaned over, staring down into her face. He wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze, slowly.

“You may have made the mistake of thinking that you have somehow earned my favor or that I am weak or forgiving.” Gedeon snarled, his lips curling into a sneer, the likes of which Emilie had never seen before. “I will kill you without a second thought. You are mine! Everything is falling apart, you helped to start this and now you will be here to see it finished.”

Gedeon lifted up his hand and ran it along Emilie’s cheek; leaving a trail of black blood smeared from her eye down to her neck. When Gedeon reached her throat again, he stopped to grasp it; squeezing it harder this time, shutting it for a few moments, before allowing her to gasp for air again.

“Do not test me. I may not be as dangerous as Reve, but I am still a demon. I will not hesitate to rid this realm of one more useless human.” Gedeon released his hold of Emilie’s neck, before giving his next command. “Now, go and fetch Dr. Jayr.”

Emilie scrambled to her feet, terrified, and rushed off to the infirmary. She had pushed her luck and now she had stumbled into the clutches of the wrong demon. Gedeon was going to lose this fight and he intended to drag her down with him.

Meanwhile, in another area of the palace, Reve and Dalair rushed into the west tower and found themselves in front of two guards at the entrance to the stairwell which led to the room at the top. Reve slowed his pace and attempted to calm himself. Perhaps they could convince the guards to allow him to pass without having to shed the blood of more of his own demons.

“Stand aside.” Reve demanded.

“I am sorry, your majesty. We have been given strict orders not to allow anyone to pass.”

“I am your Prince! You have no right to disregard my order.”

“We are sorry, sir. This order comes directly from the King. Only Prince Hadeon may pass without prior permission from the King himself.”

Reve sighed, he had hoped to avoid bloodshed.

“I am sorry too.” Reve expressed as he drew his sword; Dalair, quickly, following his lead.

The two guards glanced at each for a moment, unsure of what was happening. They assessed their options; they did not wish to fight Prince Reve, but they were sworn to follow the orders of King Gedeon. Their express loyalty to Gedeon and Hadeon had been what led to this opportunity at such a trusted post. They did not know exactly who they were guarding, but they were told that this being posed a great threat to the realm and they took this position seriously. Hesitantly, they drew their swords and matched their opponents’ stance.

Reve and Dalair rushed forward; swinging at the guards as they went. Reve broke from his normal routine, knowing that the guards would have studied his usual tactics in their training. He swung high several times aiming for the chest and shoulders, which the guard easily parried, but Reve had anticipated this. Reve swung to the left again, encouraging the guard to focus on this location to block him; while the guard moved to parry, Reve quickly reverted his momentum, turning on his heel towards the right instead, spinning around the guard placing himself in the doorway that led up to the tower room.

Once Reve had the placed himself into the position that he wanted, he took advantage of the confusion, and swung down low. His sword connected with the guard’s knees and dealt a painful blow. The guard cried out as his legs went out from underneath him. Reve rushed forward and disarmed the guard before finishing him quickly, slicing his throat; allowing an end to his pain and ensuring that his cries did not alert others.

Reve turned to assess Dalair’s situation, ensuring that Dalair did not require his assistance. However, Reve was pleasantly surprised to see that Dalair was handling himself quite well. He was impressed by Dalair’s combat abilities; he had been hiding these skills for all of these years.

“Go, Reve, I am right behind you.” Dalair assured him.

Reve nodded his head in response, trusting that his friend could take care of himself. He turned and began rushing up the staircase towards the room at the top of the tower. As he neared the top of the long, winding, staircase; he breathed a sigh of relief that it was almost over. He would soon have his daughter safely in his arms. It almost seemed too easy.

As Reve came around the final spiral at the top of the turret, he heard the closing of a large, heavy, wooden door just before him. The jangle of keys filled the small, stone stairwell as a lock was clicked into place. Reve slowed his pace, prepared to come face to face with whomever had just been alone with his daughter.

“Hadeon.” Reve sneered, as he looked into his brother’s horrified eyes.

“Reve!” Hadeon responded in surprise. “What are you doing here?!”

“Give me the keys, Hadeon.” Reve commanded.

“I cannot do that, Reve. It is better for all of us if word of this abomination never gets out.”

“How dare you speak about my child in such a disrespectful manner.” Reve growled as he approached Hadeon with his already stained sword held high.

Hadeon glanced down at the blood covering Reve’s blade and swallowed hard. He had never desired to go up against Reve again after their last encounter.

“Put the sword away, Reve. I am unarmed.” Hadeon pled. “You would not kill your own brother without giving him a fair chance to defend himself.”

Reve thought about this for a moment. He did not really care about killing Hadeon in a fair or just manner. At this point, he wanted Hadeon dead just as badly as Gedeon knowing that Hadeon was involved in this kidnapping scheme. On the other hand, Reve also knew that he could finish Hadeon just as easily without a sword as he could with it. So, in a show of sportsmanship towards Hadeon, Reve sheathed his sword; switching his focus to the keys in Hadeon’s hand.

Hadeon misread the drop in Reve’s gaze as a drop in Reve’s guard. He, unexpectedly, lunged at Reve; successfully causing him to lose his balance on the stairs. He fumbled his feet backwards down two steps before he managed to regain his footing. He quickly reclaimed the advantage, as he displayed his superior strength to Hadeon, reminding him what he was up against. He grasped Hadeon and lifted him off of his feet before swinging him around, holding him in the air while his feet dangled in the air; stretching out below him in a desperate attempt to find the security of a stair beneath him.

Reve took advantage of the sudden panic that coursed through Hadeon and ripped the keys free from his grasp. He lowered Hadeon down, so that his feet could connect with the ground again.

“How dare you involve yourself in this conspiracy to keep my child away from me.” Reve accused, angrily, still keeping a tight grip on Hadeon’s shirt and jacket.

“It would not have been necessary for us to do this had you been able to control yourself with that wanton woman.” Hadeon hissed. “You could not just choose a nice demoness like the rest of us. No, you were so desperate for true love, like some kind of weaker being. You just had to have the filthy, vile, disgusting slave. A prostitute, nonetheless, from that run-down excuse for a noble manor turned brothel, that belonged to that squirming demon, Sheber.”

Reve’s jaw clenched at Hadeon’s words.

“How did you know about that?”

“Did you not think that we would look into Azlyn’s history after we found Sheber, senselessly, murdered? His slaves had confirmed your presence at the estate just before his death. They also confirmed that Azlyn had worked alongside them as a hooker before she came to the castle.” Hadeon knew that he had hit a nerve with Reve, and he relished in it; pausing to laugh before he continued. “Tell me, brother, how does it feel knowing that your wife has pleased so many other demons before you? Do you think that she cried out in pleasure with them, the way that she does for you? She probably misses the touch of her customers and the variety that she used to enjoy.”

Reve glared into to Hadeon’s eyes. His words infuriated Reve into a new kind of hate. Hadeon knew well that Azlyn was forced into that lifestyle under threat of her life. It was not something that she relished in or enjoyed. She was not some trollop like that Emilie who delighted in her tasks. A fire ignited inside of Reve and he knew of only one way to quench it.

“You do not have to worry about me, brother. I know how to keep my woman satisfied. There is no doubt in my mind about that.” Reve paused, his demeanor growing very dark. “You, on the other hand, have spoken ill about the woman that I love for the last time.”

With that, Reve released his grip on Hadeon’s clothes and gave a slight push as he did so. A look of sheer terror spread across Hadeon’s face and Reve savored it for the brief moments that he was able to. Hadeon reached out for him in a desperate attempt to catch himself, but Reve brushed off his grasp without much issue. Hadeon flung backwards down the stairwell; his body making a sickening smacking sound as it made contact with the stone that made up the staircase around them. Reve listened as it fell, ensuring that Hadeon would not be jumping back up to launch another attack.

Once Reve was satisfied that Hadeon would not return; he turned his attentions to the doorway in front of him. He fumbled with the keys for a few moments before he found the one that unlocked the wooden door. He turned the lock, slowly, and sighed as he heard the click. He began to push it open; knowing that this would be the first time that he ever got to see his daughter in the flesh.

Reve hesitated for a moment before stepping into the room. He was lacking the courage to confront this little demoness and he did not understand why he was suddenly feeling so anxious. This was very unlike him, he was never nervous about anything. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly; before a familiar voice broke through the silence and gave him the courage that he needed.

“Go on, Reve. It’ll be alright.” Dalair encouraged, placing a hand on Reve’s shoulder, giving him a light push forward.

Reve took the first step into the room and looked around for the tiny demoness that he was there to rescue. He finally spotted her tossing and turning on, what appeared to be, an old slave bed with a moth-eaten blanket. They had been treating his daughter, a demoness of royal blood, no better than a slave; this bothered Reve greatly, but he remained calm, not desiring to scare the child. Hunter must have sensed his presence, as she shot up in her bed and scanned Reve, carefully.

“Hey, Hunter, I have come to get you out of here. I am going to take you back to mommy.” Reve spoke softly, as he stepped towards her slowly.

Hunter’s first instinct was to reach out for the demon before her. She could, innately, sense that he was a member of her clan which meant that she should have been able to trust him. He had also mentioned her mother, whom she longed for, desperately. However, her recent experience told her that she could not trust him based off of familial connections. She had trusted the last demons; they had returned that trust by locking her in a tower and treating her cruelly. Her young mind began working a million miles a minute, attempting to decipher a problem that she should have never been confronted with. As she thought better of her situation, she quickly recoiled her outstretched arms away from the unknown demon. Instincts or no-instincts, she would not give her trust based off of DNA alone, ever again.

Reve had been elated to see his beautiful daughter reaching out for him. He watched as her sparkling, dark eyes filled with hope at his presence. That feeling was quickly erased, as she pulled away from him. He knew that she was attempting to process whether or not she could trust him, but it was deflating to see her decide that she could not. The feeling was made worse as Dalair walked in, a few steps behind him. Hunter’s eyes lit up and she smiled sweetly at a demon that she knew would protect her.

“Lair!” Hunter cried out as she reached out for Dalair.

“Lair?” Reve questioned.

“She has not been able to say Dalair well, so that is what she calls me.”

Reve could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy that his daughter had a nickname for his friend but did not even recognize who he was. He knew that it was all his fault, but he could still not stop the envy from creeping in. He watched as Dalair approached Hunter and lifted her into his arms. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that this was the reason that he had brought Dalair with him, instead of sending him to rescue Azlyn. He had predicted that Hunter would be more receptive to a demon that she was already acquainted with, given everything that she had gone through.

“Do not worry, Hunter.” Dalair offered, soothing the demoness as he held her close. “We are going to get you to mommy.”

“Mommy?” Hunter inquired, quietly.

“Yes, no need to worry anymore, little princess.”

Hunter gripped onto the back Dalair’s neck, tightly, feeling safe for the first time in months.

“Come on. Let’s get her out of here.” Reve suggested, trying to hide the hurt in his voice, as he watched his child cling to another. This was not exactly how he had imagined their first meeting going. But, honestly, what else could he expect. “We need to meet the others in the stables.”

“She’ll come around, Reve. Just give her time.” Dalair assured him; knowing that Reve would never admit how much it bothered him that Hunter feared him.

“I know.” Reve sighed before drawing his sword and leading Hunter and Dalair out of the tower. “Be on guard, this has all seemed far too easy.”

Reve led Dalair and Hunter down the stairs and out of the tower. Pausing only to encourage Dalair to cover Hunter’s eyes as they carefully stepped over Hadeon’s mangled body near the bottom of the stairwell. As well as, when they passed the bloodied corpses of the tower guards. If Reve could avoid it, then he did not want his daughter exposed to such violence.