Anger filled him, but his eyes were white once more. She is strong. Brave. He feared that when he got there, she would be dead in trying to fight her way out. If she was truly kidnapped like he wanted to believe, then she was in danger.
His breaths snorted through his nose hole, wet and heavy with exertion. His vision was only impacted by how fast the forest was moving around him, the mist making it hard to see at this intense pace. Wind whistled past his ear holes and brushed across his bony face that could only feel intense sensations, like the coldness of the wind, or the soft warm press of her lips.
Scents bombarded him, but he only cared to smell one – and it was of elderberries and red roses.
My little doe will not be prey for anyone but me. And he was the predator that wanted to protect his prey rather than eat it. If she wants me to save her, then I will fight for her even if it kills me.
It was a four day’s peaceful walk to the castle, but a determined Mavka on all fours could make it there in one.
Reia screamed with all her might when she found herself suddenly within the four walls of a stone castle’s throne room. Pushing and shoving against the hard torso of the man holding onto her, she knew it was pointless, but refused to stop.
“You sure are trying hard for something so utterly weak,” he laughed, before shoving her to the side so hard she crumbled to the ground.
Her sword clattered against the stone, bouncing out of her reach, and slid across the floor when she let it go at the painful impact of her body hitting the ground. A cry was wrenched from her when agony shot through her shoulder and side as her own arm crushed her ribs.
“Hey! I told you not to hurt her,” a feminine voice yelled.
Reia looked up just in time to see a woman, a human woman, getting up from the large stone throne.
With blue eyes narrowed in irritation at Jabez, she crossed the wide room by going down the steps that led to the lone chair she’d just left to come upon them.
Her hair was as black as midnight, her skin a darker shade of white in comparison to Reia’s own pale complexion. Wild freckles dotted her face, and her body was voluptuous while curving beautifully in all the right places.
She wore a long red gown of velvet with gold stitching and a rope that appeared it was made of gold around her hips as it danced down the front of her legs, swaying side-to-side with tassels. Her black slippers were plain, but she had gold bands around her ankles, her wrists, and a necklace with a red ruby in it.
The woman was dressed like a princess, adorned in a fine gown, and wore so many riches that Reia had only ever read about in fairy tales and in history books before the Demons came to desecrate the Earth.
“Yeah, and I told you not to sit on my throne,” he sighed, lifting a single hand up as though to struggle. “I am King. I can do what I want, and you should do as you’re told.”
“When have I ever done what I’m told?” she sneered, scrunching her cute nose up at him.
“All the time,” he winked, wiping a reddish-purple tongue over his lips. “Especially when you’re on top of me.”
Her irritation faded at his wide grin, and she rolled her eyes in return. Well, that plainly explained their relationship.
Reia’s lips thinned as her nose crinkled. She sleeps with him? Sure, he was pretty in an odd sort of way, but he was a Demon. King or not, human-looking or not, he was still one of those creatures.
She may have befriended the cat Demon in the bookstore, but that was as far as she’d go with anything like them.
Then again, Orpheus is not much different, and I care for him. And Jabez was obviously intelligent. He wasn’t like the ferocious ones that lurked around her home.
“Can you not be crude?” She sighed loudly while shaking her head at him. “We have a human guest, and I’m sure she’s rather frightened at the moment.”
Kneeling next to Reia to check her wellbeing, she tucked her hair behind her ear adorned with gold jewellery that had red rubies dangling from them.
Reia immediately shuffled backwards on her arse when she reached out to touch her shoulder, putting space between herself and the two others in the room.
“She is not afraid,” Jabez stated as he gestured to her. “There is no smell of fear in her scent.”
The woman looked up at him, before turning her gaze back to Reia. She smiled brightly.
“No wonder you’ve survived so long, then.”
“You’re a human,” Reia gasped.
What is a human doing in the Demon King’s castle? Why was this woman in the Veil at all?
“Please, don’t be surprised,” she said, her welcoming gaze deepening. “You’re not the only one that was taken and hidden in the Veil.”
Even though she had a warm expression, her voice had been laden with something. It was almost like she was implying that Reia wasn’t special and shouldn’t pretend she was.
“What’s your name?”
“Reia,” she answered swiftly, unable to stop her eyes from raking over her in confusion.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Reia.”
She gestured her hand out to Jabez who was standing off to the side with his arms folded as though that was what he did when he was being idle. He looked at her palm, and then cocked his brow at it.
It seemed as though she was about to introduce herself in return, but instead she bit out, “Oh, just help me up for goodness sakes.”
She wiggled her fingers expectantly at Jabez.
With a chuckle, he grabbed her hand to pull her to her feet.
Reia stared at the woman’s hand when she then offered it to help her up as well. Blinking at it, she wasn’t sure what to make of this.
She is being... nice to me. When Reia was taken, she had expected to be terrorized by a heartless maniac. To be threatened to be eaten or something horrible like that. She expected danger and trouble, not for a human woman to greet her welcomingly.
As much as she wanted to smack it away, she didn’t.
She did get to her feet by herself, though.
“What do you want from me?”
What was their plan and how could Reia get herself from being no longer involved in it? I don’t have the amulet. If she tried to run through the Veil back to Orpheus, she wouldn’t be able to do it safely. It’s why he probably took it from me.
She had her sword, but she couldn’t survive an attack from multiple Demons at once. And say she could leave and get through the Veil safely – she still had no way to navigate it.
Will Orpheus come for me? She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Jabez obviously wanted to harm him, and she already didn’t trust this woman simply because she was here with him.
“You got me,” the woman laughed, clapping her hands together with glee. “I want to get you home, that’s all.”
She raised her brow at her with doubt, her shoulders rolling back defiantly.
“Why would you want to help me at all?” Then her upper lip began to lift, and she had to stem the growing want to sneer. Reia hoped her inability to keep her emotions off her face didn’t cause her trouble. “Who said I even wanted help to begin with?”