Kapitel 17: Chapter Nine - The Stirring of Emotions (Part 1)
Cautiously eyeing the alleyway Zagan had disappeared into, Akila climbed off the old barn horse and traced the demons' footsteps. She yanked the hood tighter around her head, making sure to hide her face. Her heart pounded from fear of being caught and the anticipation of discovering what Zagan was up to. God only knew what he'd do if he discovered she had escaped and was attempting to spy on him.
Fortunately, the demons were unaware about the hidden passageways in the castle that connected every chamber from within the walls. She played in them often as a child, familiar with every bent and nook — her only advantage against them. Even her siblings couldn't navigate the tunnels without her help and once, Errina was lost for three days. She never dared step inside again.
Creeping along the cobbled walls, she found herself staring up a gilded door with strange cursive symbols. Lifting a hand, she hesitated between knocking or leaving until a familiar voice startled her from behind.
"Are you going to knock, or shall I do it for you?"
She yelped, body jumping an inch at the sound of Balan's voice. Whirling around, she pinned him with murderous eyes. "It's you!" She placed a hand over her palpitating heart. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"If I were you, I'd be more worried about Zagan if he caught you here." Sarcasm filtered his voice, his expression self-possessed.
"You don't need to remind me," she muttered, rolling her eyes heavenward. "I was curious about where Mara was taking him and HE" — she stressed the pronoun — "was the one who provoked me into coming here."
He raised a brow, looking as if she'd lost her mind. "By keeping you safe, he's provoking you to behave recklessly?"
"His high-handed manner grates on my nerves," she regrettably admitted, unable to meet the demon's observant eyes. "Besides, it sounded as if they were headed to a forbidden place. I couldn't resist taking a look for myself." Noticing his pointed stare, she defended hotly, "I can't help it, alright. The more someone forbids me from doing something or going somewhere, the more I'm tempted to break the rules. Don't tell me you've never experienced the same urge?"
Perhaps he did — once upon a time — but the cruel environment he and Zagan lived in didn't allow such luxuries. Having an opinion was forbidden, and life was continuous work, eat and then sleep. In that exact order.
Poor Zagan. He was going to have his hands full with this one.
With grim faced determination, he wondered why she was curious. Was the human jealous of Zagan's relationship with Mara? He decided it wise not to inform her about the meal Zagan was probably partaking right now. Taking a calculated risk, he hammered the door on her behalf.
"What are you doing!" Akila gasped in dismay, instinctively hiding behind his back.
He didn't answer but waited patiently for Nithran to appear. For years, Balan worked as Zagan's additional eyes and ears, operating in the shadows, and providing covert information that couldn't be found through common methods. Disreputable locations and hideouts were like home to him, and this sex den for demons was no different.
"Friend or foe?" A gruff voice spoke.
"Neither. I'm a Castus."
"And the human?"
"A participant."
Akila wondered what Castus meant. She remembered he had addressed Bennu's husband as Sparus. Before she could dwell on it, the door opened with a heavy creak, and Balan gestured her forward. His chivalry surprised her.
"After you," he said, levelling a hard stare at her. "And please, don't make me regret this."
Her brows drew together. "What are you talking about?"
He waited until they were beyond the threshold before he took the lead, assuming a protective stance. "You're not to leave my side until he comes for you."
"He?" Her eyes widened as realization dawned upon her. "You don't mean—"
"For whatever reason, you care about Zagan and that's enough for me to break my own rules," he graciously cut her off. Without giving her a chance to respond, Balan stopped the dwarf from escorting them through the curtains. "I'll take it from here, Nithran."
The dwarf muttered something under his breath and returned to his post.
"Explain yourself, Balan. What do you mean?" she asked in bewilderment, her question shy of desperation. "And you're wrong. I don't care for him." To correct his wild assumption, she added, "I don't know him enough to care."
Annoyingly, the demon shook his head. "I won't explain it to you. You're going to have to find out for yourself."
Lines of exasperation marred her smooth forehead. "Are you always like this? It's rude to leave a person hanging when you're the one who raised the subject." She released an exaggerated sigh. "Forget I asked, I don't have time for cryptic riddles. Are we going in or not?"
"I sincerely doubt your delicate senses will be able to handle what's happening behind these curtains," he stated bluntly.
Golden eyes narrowed and she pushed him aside. "After witnessing a massacre at the hands of your master, I'm lucky to have retained my delicate senses."
Balan didn't try to stop her. If the human was going to be involved with Zagan, she needed to face the cold facts of her new reality — the danger, jealous adversaries and most importantly, the wild beasts that lurked within every demon.
Akila gasped audibly at the unfolding, lascivious display of sensual, naked bodies writhing and grinding shamelessly in unbidden ecstasy, the bold moans of pleasure and the screams of gratifying pain from both male and female demons sang in the air. The undeniably intoxicating yet pungent scent of sex, blood and cum invaded her nostrils, stirring her newly awakened sexuality.
She felt a sudden dampness rushing between her legs. It was appalling how her body reacted to this baseness, her robust pallor altering from ashen to mortified blush.
"What is this place?" Her voice was embarrassingly breathless, as if she'd just ran a thousand miles. Without a doubt, Balan could smell her lust.
Her uneasiness intensified tenfold.
"This is a demon sex den," Balan stated the obvious, his manner bored and aloof, telling her that he was no stranger to this wicked side of life, making her question the company he kept. "Plainly speaking, it's a club that caters to demons — for us to fuck and feed."
"Is it always this...intense?" she questioned, seemingly stunned yet curious.
He shrugged. "Sex is a near requirement for feeding in order to enhance the experience — for both parties."
"Are you telling me that demons need sex in order to feed?"
"It isn't necessary but, it won't be as fulfilling. Fucking while feeding sates our inner beast. I'm uncertain if Zagan has enlightened you about our nature but, every demon hosts an untamed beast inside — the voice of our instincts. In simpler terms, we are made up of two entities. The man is driven by logic while our beast is motivated by instinct. We are different yet the same. It's why we feed. The beast and man exist in a symbiosis state of harmony."
"I'm not sure I fully understand but, you're saying that there are two occupants inside your body, and to leash your inner beast, you have to feed and have sex." She winced. "Am I getting it right?"
"More or less. We are complex simplicity. The beast may exist within us but, it's not why we're called demons. Essentially, our biology differs from yours."
More questions flooded her brain. "But can you eat food—"
"ROARRRRrrrrrr!"
Her words lodged in her throat as that ferocious sound bounced off the walls. Primal panic whipped through her, knotting her guts, and tightening her muscles. "What was that?" she whispered, unconsciously edging closer to Balan. He was still as a statue.
Even the demons who were in the throes of achieving climax stopped, their fear overwhelming desire. Dread and anxiety turned the air stagnant. Something was coming!
Akila caught the inexplicable shift of Balan's mood as he braced for impact. But for what? They might have just met, but she knew he was strong, yet his strange reaction to whoever was coming, had her instincts screaming for her to run. "I think we should leave," she insisted, thankful her voice wasn't trembling.
Suddenly, a large and blurry figure crashed into the lounge hall, eliciting cries of terror and distress. Akila scurried backwards when it charged and pounced, hurling Balan mercilessly through the wall. There was no way he was recovering from that. Fear kicking in, she pivoted on her heels and ran.
A cry escaped her as she was caught in a brutal grip, being hauled off like a prized possession over the creature's shoulder. Desperate to save herself, she fisted her hands and unleashed her fury. "Unhand me, you beast!" She shot a helpless glance at the hole in the wall that was fast disappearing from view. "Balan, help me!" she screamed, hoping he could hear her.
"He can't save you," it spoke, startling her. "He knows better than to interfere."
Despite its garbled voice, Akila recognized that sneering arrogance. "Zagan, is that you?"
A growl was his only response as he ensconced them within a vacant room, dumping her to the ground.
"Ouch!" she cried, her waist slamming against the hard concrete. "Can't you be gentle?"
"Be grateful that's all you're getting in my current state," he forced out, lost in swirling rage. His irrational beast wouldn't accept logical reasoning from his human half. Already feeling on edge, he lost control the moment he scented her arousal, the beast salivating to stake its claim. It didn't help that Balan — a prime male — stood close to her, tipping the scales of his sanity and he snapped.
Distancing himself from her tempting scent, Zagan shut his eyes and regulated his breathing.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale...
He hadn't felt this way since he killed his human master. The agitation and restlessness coursing through his veins debilitated his composure like it was yesterday's rubbish.
"Zagan?" Akila's timid voice wrapped around his senses.
He ignored her.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
His eyes flew open when he felt the barest brush of her fingers against his palm — seeking and hesitant. It unleashed the flood gate of his desire and he growled low in his chest. From where he stood, she appeared small and dainty, her beautiful and foolishly trusting eyes locked with his as she grabbed his other hand and brought it up to her cheek, nuzzling him like a kitten.
"It's alright, I'm not afraid anymore," she murmured, her gaze unwavering. Akila started humming a gentle melody. It was calm and soothing, and he felt his muscles relaxing. After the song ended, she stroked his arm. "Is the beast at ease?"
He started, blinking slowly. "How did you know?"
Her shoulders lifted and fell gracefully. "Balan explained it a little to me. I was taking a guess."
"What was that song? It managed to calm the beast..." Awe replaced his animosity.
"It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I had nightmares." A mischievous smile lit up her face. Her eyes...they sparkled, captivating him. "Who knew it would be useful one day?"
Zagan couldn't move. He glanced down at her in bewilderment, as if she was a mystery to be solved. He honestly didn't know what to do with her. She made him feel too much...threatened to destroy his immeasurable control.
"You can do it, you know," she vaguely urged, squeezing his hand.
Though her hand was smaller, her touch warmed him — a feat never done before. "Do what?" he mumbled distractedly.
"Drink my blood or for us to...you know..." Her lashes lowered with embarrassment, her courage fleeing as she fell silent.
"Tell me," he insisted, the words coming out as a command. His eyes devoured the beguiling bloom of her cheeks, his hunger rising and his blood rushing south.
"I…I don't mind it when you do all those things to me," she admitted in a breath above a whisper.
Zagan couldn't believe his ears. When he planned to attack the castle and kill the emperor, he never envisioned that one day, he would be in a sex den, receiving a confession that was the closest to affection he ever experienced, and he wasn't referring to sex. It was something more — visceral and soft — wrapping around him like a meaningful embrace.
It was addictive. Heady. Dangerous.
He shook his head, disentangling the threads of her siren's allure. "This is the problem with you, Akila. You act without caution, always vulnerable and you don't have the common sense to protect yourself."
"Why do I need protection when I'm standing before the Demon King who destroyed my life's existence?" she demanded in cold, deadly quiet. "If I tell you otherwise — that I don't desire you — will you set me free? Is there a purpose to self-preservation when I've already given you my body, my soul?" Her golden eyes fixed on him, accusing him of sheer villainy. "Answer me, Zagan."
His hardening jaw proved that he didn't appreciate being challenged. "It's futile to rehash the past, Akila. You belong to me, and that's final. I don't share what's mine and contrary to popular belief, I care for the lives under my rule and responsibility."
"A responsibility," she repeated with a trace of undisguised hurt. "Is that all I am to you?"
His lips thinned. "I will turn a blind eye to your disobedience tonight. It's clear you couldn't have set foot inside without Balan's assistance. He'll be punished for defying my orders."
"Please don't," she pleaded. "It was my fault. If you have to punish him, then punish me too."
Zagan wasn't pleased by how she begged for his friend's life. "The more you plead, the harder he'll be punished. Perhaps that will teach you both never to disobey me again." He gripped her chin firmly between his thumb and forefinger, his hard, angular face was a shadow in the lantern's glow. "Make no mistake, I will punish you but," his eyes trailed over her delectable body, "I'll do it in more pleasurable ways."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein