Chapter 7
She awoke to the light of dawn creeping over the horizon, and a large, warm mass against her side. The previous day came rushing back to her, and she stiffened.
There was a demon beneath her. She could feel his chest expanding, lifting her slightly with each slow, deep breath. She peered up at his face. He was looking back at her with his strange, hollow eyes.
“Have you slept enough?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, her voice small.
He unwrapped his heavy arms from her, freeing her.
“How long have you been awake?” she asked.
“I did not sleep.”
“Don’t you need to?”
“No.”
Demons didn’t sleep. Of course. That would be too simple.
Azreth stood up and stretched, lifting his arms high over his head—and like when he’d bathed, Raiya was struck by what a strangely human gesture it was. In the morning light, she could see him much better than before. She realized his skin had a faintly iridescent quality to it, subtly changing tone depending on where the light hit it. The color gradually darkened near his hands and feet.
The demon looked down at her, and she realized she’d been staring.
“I must feed now,” he said.
Raiya tensed. “Oh. Give me a minute.” She went to the creek to complete her morning ablutions. She rebraided her hair and scrubbed her face until all the makeup from last night came off, which took some time, but Azreth didn’t interrupt her.
When she returned to him, he frowned at her. “You’re injured.”
She remembered the bruise around her eye. It was old enough that she couldn’t feel it anymore. “It’s nothing. I can perform just fine, I promise.”
He hesitated. “Did I do that to you when they put you in my cage?”
“You don’t remember?”
He frowned at her and said nothing.
Had he been so unwell, so out of his mind with hunger, that he couldn’t remember what had happened that night?
“No. This was my husband.”
His hand went to her throat, lightly touching the old scrapes there. He pulled her collar down to follow the marks to her collarbone. Those ones were indeed from Azreth, as were the scratches on her ankle, which were hidden by her robe and trousers. Raiya just watched him defiantly.
He put her collar back into place. “I have heard that humans only take willing mates.”
“Usually.”
“Did your husband force you into marriage?”
She felt an ashamed flush climbing up her neck. “No, he didn’t force me.”
One of his eyebrows arched slightly. “So you formed an alliance with him, agreed to be equals, and now you have betrayed him.”
She frowned at him, fully understanding his implication that she was untrustworthy. “Yes, I suppose I have.”
Azreth waited for further argument, and she gave none. “I must feed,” he repeated.
“What do I need to do?”
“Arouse yourself.”
Raiya scoffed a little. Did he really expect that she would be excited about this? Or that she could excite herself on command? “I can’t,” she said shortly, partly because she was frustrated by the path of the previous conversation. “Just… just do what you want with me.”
Azreth hesitated, then reached for her, putting an enormous hand on her jaw. She saw interest flare in his eyes.
Her heart beat faster. “Remember our agreement,” she said, knowing perfectly well that she had no way of enforcing it.
“You do not want to be bruised, or bloodied, or forced,” he repeated verbatim, surprising her.
His fingers drifted down her throat. She would have expected claws, but his hands were just like any other man’s: strong and dexterous with appropriately sized, flat fingernails. And they were blue. She supposed that part was a little different from the average man.
He moved slowly, watching her face all the while, as if he was testing to see how far she would let him go. He thought she was lying. This was a challenge.
She stiffened further when his hand slid down her chest, between her breasts. A twinge of anticipation pulsed between her legs. But more than arousal, she felt shame, anger, and fear.
Azreth’s hand slowed, then dropped. He glared at her.
“What?” she asked.
“You said you would be willing.”
“I’m trying,” she said quickly. She feared what would happen when he lost patience with her. “Keep going.”
He began to reach toward her, then stopped again, making an irritated sound in the back of his throat. “If you cannot do this, then you must find someone else who will.”
She hadn’t guessed he would suggest an alternative, rather than simply taking what he wanted from her.
“I can do it,” she assured him, but she had her doubts. Would he even fit inside her? What if he couldn’t? “I could… use my mouth,” she offered. Her cheeks burned.
His lips curled with irritation. “That is not how it works.”
“Then how does it work?”
“The energy I feed on comes from others. From you. My body is not relevant. Only yours matters.”
She blinked. She was a fool. Arouse yourself, he’d said. That was what he needed. She had to come for him. Oh, gods.
“Do you know how to pleasure yourself?” he asked.
“Of course I do.”
“Then do it.”
He didn’t need to be involved at all. Fascinating. “Do you need to… watch me?” This entire situation was beyond the pale.
There was a faint flare of light in his eyes. “No. But I must be nearby.”
Raiya looked around. They were in a wide, empty plain dotted with stones. There were no other living things nearby, and the castle and nearby roads were all far out of sight.
She slid to the other side of the boulder they’d slept against and sat down in the grass. After a moment, she heard Azreth sit on the other side of it, giving her some privacy—but not much.
“I’m going to begin now,” she said uncertainly.
Azreth said nothing.
She closed her eyes and sighed softly. This was among the most outrageous things she’d ever been tasked with. But she was going to find a way to make it work. There was no point in delaying.
Eyes still closed, she lifted a hand to her breast and gently pinched its peak. A soft flutter went through her as her nerves awakened.
“Good,” came Azreth’s deep, toneless voice, and Raiya’s eyes flew open. She glanced up to see if he was watching, but he was still on the other side of the rock.
She shifted her other hand to the apex of her thighs. Knowing he was so close put her on edge. It made her body respond quickly. She pressed her hand between her legs, over the fabric of her trousers.
She imagined her fingers were someone else’s. She imagined a man. A tall man with strong hands. He was stern and powerful, but gentle and handsome. His fingers were big and bold as they touched her, as they penetrated her.
Her hand slid quietly beneath her clothes. She felt like she was a girl again, surreptitiously touching herself in bed after everyone else had fallen asleep. She supposed there was no point in trying to be quiet when he already knew exactly what she was doing, but she tried anyway.
The handsome man in her fantasy struggled to hold her focus while the demon was right behind her, observing her every move through this strange sixth sense he had. He would know when she’d touched a sensitive nerve. If she made herself come, he would feel it. Gods. She may as well have just allowed him to watch—it would have been the same.
“How long should I continue?” she asked.
“As long as you can,” he replied, sounding very near. Raiya couldn’t help but look up again, just to make sure. He had remained on the other side of the boulder where he couldn’t see her, just as he’d promised. Her nerves settled. She closed her eyes again, trying to relax. Azreth’s voice was strangely reassuring. Calm and steady. Patient and confident. “You are doing well.”
The low vibration of the words combed over her, and a shiver went through her. She hadn’t expected his approval.
She dipped her fingers deep into herself, tipping her head back against the rock. Her flesh had grown thick and slick.
For a long time, Azreth didn’t speak.
“Is this working?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes,” he said. Then, again, “Yes…” His voice sounded heavy with arousal. Or was it hunger? Did he want her body, or did he just want to feed from her?
Fleetingly, she imagined it was his fingers touching her, stroking her and dipping inside her, making her back arch.
Is this so bad?he might say, smirking.
No. It wasn’t.
What would it have been like if he had insisted on making her come, instead of letting her do it alone? What would it be like to be fucked by him? Big-and-brutish was not her usual type, but he was undeniably beautiful.
She wondered how he would do it. She imagined him palming her breasts and pinching her nipples until she cried out. She imagined him towering over her, his hands locked around her ankles and spreading her thighs wide as he thrust into her. His cock would be too big for her, and she would struggle to take him, but he wouldn’t be deterred.
He’d be in absolute control, stretching her to her limit until her body yielded completely. He would take her until she was a gasping, whimpering heap.
You are so wet for me,he’d say. Come for me, mortal.
Climax exploded through her. She pressed her lips together to keep from moaning aloud, but a whimper managed to escape as pleasure ravaged her body.
She stifled her ragged breathing and quickly withdrew her hand from beneath her clothes. It had been a long time since she’d been so aroused.
Gods. If he could sense what she felt, he would know exactly when she’d thought of something that excited her. Maybe he would wonder what she’d been thinking of. Maybe he would even guess correctly.
When she heard him moving, she hurriedly got to her feet and pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear, conscious of her crooked robe, damp fingers, and bruised, flushed face. She was a mess. She went to the other side of the boulder, folding her hands in front of her to keep them from fidgeting. Her demon voyeur surveyed her coolly.
The real Azreth was less flirtatious than her imaginary version of him. His lovely, pouting lips were unsmiling, completely without humor or sultry cockiness, but his eyes did linger on her longer than she expected them to.
“Good,” he said simply. That was it.
“Doyou know where you’re going?” Raiya asked, trailing beyond Azreth as they waded through the dry grass.
“Away from your master.”
“My husband.”
“Yes.”
She’d almost expected him to go back to the castle to kill him, now that he’d fed and restored his strength. “You’re afraid of him?”
“He is a powerful man. He has many fighters and magics at his disposal.”
Raiya was impressed by the accuracy of his assessment. “He does not give up easily, and he doesn’t like losing. If we aren’t careful, he’ll find us, and he’ll put us under his heel again.”
Azreth had been walking a few steps ahead of her due to his long strides, but now he slowed his pace to walk beside her. He looked down at her thoughtfully. “Since you’re his mate, you know him well,” he said, as if it had just occurred to him.
“We don’t say ‘mate’ here. I’m his wife. And yes, I do.”
“Tell me what he will do next. What methods will he employ to find me?”
She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, running a hand down her braid. “I’m not sure. But I know he won’t limit himself to methods that are legal and moral, and he’ll be relentless. It’s a matter of pride. But you got rid of his mage, at least. That will give you a good head start.”
A farmhouse appeared in the distance. Raiya grew alarmed when Azreth altered his path to guide them toward it.
“Where are you going?”
“There is a house. We will find food there.”
Raiya thought of the bloody mess left behind at the castle. Azreth looked down at her, as if sensing her sudden spike of fear.
“Wait,” she said. “I don’t think that’s wise.”
“Why not?”
“What if there’s someone inside?”
“I will kill them.”
“No!” She ran in front of him to block his path. “Stay here and let me go alone. Please.”
He kept walking. “You will stay with me.”
“But—”
“No,” he said sharply, frightening her into silence.
She prayed there was no one in the house.
As they got closer, she saw her hopes were in vain. There was a young man working in the field by the house. He stopped and stared, mouth agape, shovel motionless in his hand. Then he ran to the house, stumbling over his own feet in his hurry, and slammed the door behind him.
Raiya’s stomach turned. “Azreth, please, wait.”
He stopped in front of the entrance. The house was quiet. He attempted to push the door open, and he met resistance. It had been barred.
Raiya flinched at the thunderous crash of Azreth’s fist against the door. The wood splintered, and there was a shriek inside the house. Azreth hit the door again, which shattered it into pieces. It was bizarre to watch someone wreck such havoc so casually. Usually, violence followed anger, but he was completely calm. He nudged the remnants of the door aside and stepped over the threshold. Raiya hurried after him.
The house was a single large room with a kitchen on one side, two beds on the other, and a low table in the middle. From the corners of the room, a small family watched them. A woman, a young boy, an older girl, and an older man. Raiya couldn’t see the young man they’d seen outside.
Azreth didn’t do anything at first. He stepped into the room, giving the terrified humans only a passing glance. It was clear he didn’t consider them threats, which she hoped meant he would leave them alone. He looked around the room, and his eyes focused on the kitchen.
Something moved behind him. The young man appeared, leaping out from behind the splintered door and wielding his shovel above his head in both hands like a sword. He brought it down on Azreth’s back. The shovel bounced off Azreth’s body, making the man stumble backward.
Azreth turned. He grabbed the shovel from the young man’s hand and threw it across the room so hard that it stuck in the wall. There was a jumble of movement, and then Azreth cried out in pain and hunched over. It took Raiya a moment to make out what had happened.
The older man had pulled an iron poker from beside the hearth and attacked Azreth, embedding it in his side. The pointed end had easily penetrated where swords had failed, and he was bleeding.
The air pulsated with his pain and fury. Face screwed up with agony, Azreth grasped the end of the poker and wrenched it from his body. A gush of black blood flowed out, sizzling on the cold iron as if the metal were fresh from the forge. Azreth threw the poker away from him like it was poisonous. With one hand, he struck the younger man, which sent him flying, then he strode forward to grab the older man by the front of his shirt. He raised him off the ground, letting his feet kick helplessly in the air.
“Azreth!” Raiya rushed to stand in front of him, pulling at his arm until turned toward her, his expression furious, and for a moment, she thought he would simply kill her with one strike of his deadly fist. “They’re just afraid! They’re only farmers. Please let them go!”
Azreth bared his fangs at her. The younger man was on the floor, cowering. The girl on the other side of the room was on her knees, sobbing as she prayed aloud to Astra. The young boy was screaming as he hugged the older woman’s legs. A piercing wail met Raiya’s ears, and she realized that the woman was holding a baby—a shrouded bundle in her arms. The wide-eyed woman clutched the infant tighter against her chest, as if afraid the sound would draw the demon’s attention. Azreth looked toward the baby, his brows pinching together.
“They were afraid you would hurt them,” Raiya said. “They can do you no harm. You don’t have to do this. Please. Please, don’t kill them.”
Azreth glared down at her, still holding the older man aloft. His eyes shifted to the man, then to the weeping children and the woman.
Slowly, Azreth lowered the man. As soon as his feet touched the floor, the man backed away to huddle beside the woman and children. Raiya sagged with relief, astounded.
Azreth glanced back to check on the younger man, whose eyes widened upon catching the demon’s gaze. At the same time, something on the stove bubbled over and hissed. They’d been in the middle of cooking.
When no one moved, Azreth went to the kitchen, holding the wound at his side with one hand. He ignored the overflowing pot and took the raw deer leg that was sitting on a chopping board beside the stove. He gathered a skin of water and a few other scraps, too, before heading for the door.
Raiya glanced over at the young man kneeling on the floor. His eyes sharpened with curiosity when they met hers. He looked torn, like he didn’t know whether to hate her or pity her. His eyes asked a silent question: Was she the demon’s prisoner, or his accomplice?
“Human,” Azreth said expectantly as he stepped over the shattered wood.
Giving the family one last ashamed glance, she hurried after him.