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

The guard had hoisted Azlyn over his shoulder and carried her down the long, winding stairwell that led to the dungeon. He carried her to a private, secured cell with a heavy metal door. He tossed her inside onto the cold, concrete floor. The guard slammed the door closed and shut out the lights. Moments later, Azlyn could hear the metal grinding as the locks slid into place. She jumped up, rushing to the tiny window in the door, attempting to look out into the hallway. She watched as the guard walked away, laughing to himself.

Azlyn had never seen this room before, it was different from the last cell she had occupied during her prior stay in these very dungeons. She groped around the room, the light through the window in the door, barely enough to make out the outlines of shapes in the room with her. It was a simple, bare, concrete cell. In one far corner sat an old toilet that’s cleaning had been neglected for far too long. Otherwise, the room was empty.

Azlyn crawled into the far corner, opposite the disgusting toilet and curled into a little ball. She knew that she would be left there to rot until Reve decided how and when to finish her off. Azlyn could not believe that she had done this; she desperately wished that she had listened to the warnings of the others. She should not have counted on Reve. She should have gone to Umay and Kane or allowed Dalair to assist her, as he and Penelope had argued that she should.

“…Hunter…”

The thought of her defenseless daughter made Azlyn’s heart ache. She had failed Hunter in the worst possible way and, now, she would never see her again. Now there was no one that would come to Hunter’s rescue. She would die knowing that her daughter was still out there, suffering some unknown and terrible fate. All because she had made the mistake of placing her faith in the wrong demon. Because he clearly no longer cared about her; he did not give a damn about either of them. He had found himself a new distraction now…Emilie, apparently.

Whomever this Emilie was, Azlyn hoped that she knew that she was destroying, what once could have been, a very happy family. She also hoped that she knew the risks of what she was doing falling for a demon like Reve. She could easily end up in Azlyn’s place one day. Reve was so smooth and so skilled at convincing you of the sincerity of his feelings. But apparently his intentions were more fickle than they seemed. Azlyn wondered how long Reve had waited after she was gone before finding a new plaything. She chastised herself for her loyalty to him. She was angry at how much she allowed herself to love him. She had let him into her heart when she should have known better. How could she have been so foolish?

Azlyn pulled out the pictures that she had kept of Hunter. She was grateful that she had slipped them into her pocket instead of into her bag. Who knew where her bag was now. Her belongings were probably being divvied up by the demon servants or guards at that very moment. Thankfully, she had her pictures; they were the most important things that she had brought. She would keep them with her until it was close to her death, then she would destroy them. No one else would ever know about Hunter. Azlyn could only hope now that Dalair would find out that something was wrong and come to Hunter’s aid. Maybe somehow Kane would get word of the situation and could find some way to save her. Azlyn prayed with every fiber of her being that somehow, someway Hunter would find her way back into friendly, loving hands.

Tears began streaming down Azlyn’s cheeks; she bid them to stop, but they paid no heed. Her breathing became labored, her chest heaved, and her body started to shake. She sobbed harder and wailed, loudly, into the darkness. She clutched Hunter’s picture, tightly, to her chest.

“I…am…so-sorry…Hun-Hunter! I…l-let you d-down! I let u-us…all…all d-down! I…am…so…so-sorry! Please…so-someone….sa-save her! Please!”

Azlyn knew that her pleas were of no use. No one who cared would be listening. However, she felt that it was necessary to let the universe know her wishes, nonetheless. Even if nothing would ever come of it.

Meanwhile, Reve took Blaz all the way back to his chambers with him. He was unsure what else to do at the moment. Reve rushed inside and slammed the door shut before releasing his grip on Blaz’s shirt. Blaz merely stood there, watching Reve, as he began pacing back and forth across the floor.

“Uh…sire?” Blaz ventured after several moments of silence.

Reve stopped his pace and looked up at Blaz with a murderous glare. Blaz thought better of speaking again and decided to wait, quietly, while Reve decided what to do with him.

“Dammit, Blaz!” Reve finally roared. “Why did you have to get involved?! Now everyone expects me to make you pay for sleeping with my wife! Normally, that is something that I would rip your head off for!”

Blaz began to panic as his heart started to beat so rapidly, he feared that it would jump right out of his chest. Suddenly, Reve’s demeanor softened a bit before he continued.

“But…I know that you were not sleeping with her.” Reve sighed. “Gedeon and Hadeon were merely attempting to make things worse for Azlyn. As if her situation were not already bad enough.”

Blaz allowed himself to breath, relieved for a second, knowing that he would not be killed, at that moment anyway.

“So, you…are…going to rescue, Azlyn?” Blaz asked, regretting the question as soon as it left his lips.

Reve returned to pacing, angrily, across the floor. Smashing anything in his path underneath his boots with a determined crunch.

“Why did she have to come back here?! She was safe where she was!” Reve ranted. “Everything was fine the way it was! Why did she come back and ruin it all?!”

“Um…your majesty…” Blaz began cautiously. “If I may be so bold, she came back because she needed you. Something terrible has happened and she trusted that you would be there for her.”

“What happened? What could possibly be so important that she would risk everything to come back here?!” Reve demanded.

“I think that is something that you need to discuss with her. She was apprehensive to confide in me and I do not wish to further betray her trust. “ However…” Blaz cautioned. “Her reason for returning is of grave importance and time is limited. You need to go to her and let her explain the situation. I beg of you sire. She has returned to you because she trusts you more than any other being in all the realms.”

“Well, she shouldn’t have!” Reve shouted. “I told her that if we got separated that she needed to continue onto freedom in the human realm and stay there!”

“This situation is more serious than Azlyn’s safety. Please, your majesty, you must go speak with her.” Blaz pled.

Reve stopped his pacing and, without warning, began roaring, loudly, at the ceiling. He stayed like that for several minutes, as Blaz hunkered down towards the floor with his hands clasped over his ears. Desperate to protect his hearing; he knew all too well the stories of slaves going deaf after experiencing the force and volume of a demon’s roar.

Once Reve finally finished his tantrum; he turned to face Blaz.

“Hand me your whip.” Reve instructed.

Blaz reached back into his boot and slowly withdrew his long rider’s crop. He handed it to Reve who immediately began to swing it around, getting a feel for it in his hand. Blaz kneeled down on the clearest area of Reve’s floor that he could find and removed his shirt.

Reve stood behind him and swung the crop thrice quickly against his left shoulder and then three times quickly against his right. Blaz winced from the pain and braced for more that was to come. However, he realized that Reve had stopped; there was no more to come.

“There you go, just enough to prove you have been punished if someone were to ask.” Reve announced, returning Blaz’s crop.

Blaz took the whip, staring at Reve in shock. Surely, six lashes were not all that he intended to do.

“If anyone asks, tell them that I gave you twenty-five lashes for your offense.” Reve instructed.

“Y-yes…s-sire…” Blaz stuttered, his brain attempting to make sense of the situation.

“Now, get out of my sight. Don’t think that I forgot that you lied to me to get me to the stables. You’ll want to stay out of my way for some time.” Reve warned.

Blaz stood up and put his shirt back on, careful to not rub it against his fresh wounds. He turned to exit the room, but something inside of him bid his feet to stop. He did not turn to face Reve, he knew that it was a risk to speak up at all, but he had to say something. He cared too much about Azlyn to allow her to rot in the dungeons, kept away from her child.

“For what my opinion is worth…I really think that you need to speak with Azlyn. She needs you now more than ever.” Blaz stated firmly.

“What would you know?” Reve snarled.

“I know that no man or demon, for that matter, had a chance with her after she spent five minutes with you. You were it for her from the moment that she laid eyes on you. I desperately wanted a chance with her. I tried so hard…at first. Then I saw what you meant to each other and I realized that, no matter how hard you try, you can never compete with…true love. I cannot believe that after everything you have been through that you would turn your back on her so quickly for no good reason.”

With that, Blaz swiftly excused himself from the room not wishing to invite Reve’s wrath. He knew that he had pushed his luck and now he needed to distance himself.

Reve stood in the middle of his bedroom, his mind reeling. He tried to focus his thoughts and feelings, but he only grew more anxious. He felt like he was drowning in his mixed emotions. He loved Azlyn, yet he was furious with her. She reminded him of someone that he once had been, but he did not believe that she could remedy what he had become. His breathing quickened, and his heart raced, he needed to calm down, but only knew of one way how. Either he rode out the storm brewing inside of him or he needed to get to Azlyn. Her touch and her sweet voice had always been the most effective remedies for his anger. But Reve had very little time to debate his choice; as a knock at the door interrupted his thought process.

“Who is it?!” Reve demanded.

“It is Emilie, sire. I was told that you requested me.” A sultry voice called from the other side of the door.

Reve had completely forgotten that he had done this. He had not really wanted Emilie to come to his quarters, he had requested her presence more as a dig at Azlyn than anything else. Selfishly, he had wanted to cause her jealousy and pain. On the other hand, maybe this was exactly what he needed. Maybe distracting himself with the embrace of another woman after all of this time was the answer he had been seeking. Maybe Azlyn had not been that special after all. Maybe any woman could make him feel the way that she did. He would never know unless he tried.

Reve strode over to the door and swung it open. He bid for Emilie to enter and she did as requested, carefully, stepping over the shards of shattered belongings. She wore a sheer nightie and bit her lip, suggestively, as she approached Reve.

“I am so glad that you called for me, Prince Reve. I felt like there was a spark between us the last time. I was hoping that you would give this another chance.” Emilie cooed.

As Emilie moved closer, Reve, instinctually, moved backwards. Emilie took this as encouragement to direct him towards the bed; though this was not what Reve’s reaction had meant, at all. She backed him up until Reve ran into the edge of the bed frame, he hit it with such force that he stumbled backwards onto the mattress. Emilie grew excited by this and took the opportunity to climb on top of Reve, straddling him.

The last time that anyone had done this had been Azlyn, on that final night they had shared. The memories began flooding back; the feel of her lips on his, the taste of her, the electrifying sensation of their touch. His experiences with Azlyn were like nothing that he had felt before and remembering them now, only made him long for Azlyn more.

In a desperate move, Emilie reached out and pulled Reve’s face into her, her lips crashing down onto his. Emilie’s arousal ignited, as she attempted to heat up the kiss and turn it into something passionate. However, Reve’s deepest fears had been confirmed; it was not just any woman, it was Azlyn and Azlyn alone. Reve felt sick from the very moment that his lips touched Emilie’s. The only stimulation that her lips provided was nausea. Her taste was not pleasant, and her smell was not appealing. There was no electricity in her touch, no racing pulse, no desire at all. Without warning, Reve pushed Emilie off of him; throwing her backward with more strength than he had intended.

“Get away from me! What the hell do you think you are doing?!” Reve demanded.

Emilie rose up off of the floor and adjusted herself. She could not believe that Reve had just rejected her again, especially after he had called her to his room.

“Is it that wife of yours? I know you miss her, but I promise, majesty, that I will make you forget all about her.” Emilie attempted, beginning to step towards Reve again.

Reve jumped up from the bed and towered over Emilie before she had a chance to react.

“Do…Not…Ever…Speak…About…My…Wife…Again. Do you understand?” Reve hissed, a murderous look in his eyes.

“Y-yes, your h-highness.” Emilie responded, terrified. “I only meant, that you deserve some happiness, too. She is gone, and I am sure that she would not want you to spend the rest of your life miserable.”

“My wife isn’t gone…” Reve whispered.

“What?!” Emilie asked in surprise. “But I thought that…”

“You thought wrong. Everyone thought wrong.” Reve began to rant. “This is not right, you should not be here. It was childish of me to act out like this without having talked to her.”

Reve turned to face Emilie, a confused look etched on his face.

“Is there something that I can help you with, sire?” Emilie pressed, hoping to regain Reve’s attention.

“No. No. There is nothing that you can do for me. I need to speak with Azlyn.”

Reve rushed out of the room without looking back. His mind and heart were so conflicted that he thought that he might explode. Emilie huffed, stomping her foot on the floor of Reve’s room. She had missed her chance at him, again. She considered waiting until he returned but thought better of it. He had told her that she needed to leave and last time she did not do as told, he threatened her life. So, Emilie wandered out of the room, in search of a guard to play with.