CHAPTER 9
The past 1
Ok, think, think. How are you going to get yourself out of explaining this one? Out of all the creatures she could ever run into, it had to be Darun. It had to be here and it had to be now. Aziki was already on edge from the kiss earlier and now she had this to deal with.
"Just my luck."
"What was that, sweet?"
"What luck it is to sit here." She quickly said. She was sitting next to Lashrael, who was occupying the middle of the table with Zael sitting on his other side. They were in a massive cave turned a ballroom hall, still in celebration of the Festives. Lashrael had told her that the elves celebrated for nearly a whole month. Elves were dancing and singing all around her. A few of the females were staring at her in awe and whispering to each other. They had never seen a mermaid before and they seemed to be fascinated by her. She also got one too many looks from the males as well, including Darun, who was currently sitting in the far end of the cave, his hands tied and his eyes glued on her. Talk about being hung up on someone. After what happened in the cave earlier, her and Zael had spent the walk to the village in complete silence. She hadn't looked at him since the cave, she felt almost ashamed, as if she had done something wrong. What had happened between her and Darun shouldn't be of any concern to Kissy McGee or anyone else. That kiss, he had tried denying it but she knew better. It was an all consuming, I-must-have-you-or-else kiss and she kept thinking of it. Her brain had gone completely haywire, all she wanted to do was have more of it, she hadn't even noticed when they had resurfaced. He tasted like pure ecstasy, no wonder since he was the embodiment of sex itself. Elves might be the sexiest and sirens the slutiest, but the incubus sure knew more about sex than any other creature. His touch made her skin tingle and her scales stand up. She still couldn't understand how someone who she disliked so much made her so-
"Um, sweet, I know I am absolutely irresistible, but please control yourself. The entire hall can smell you." Lashrael whispered to her. She looked around only to see the eyes of every elf glued to her. Demons, Aziki, you gotta get yourself under control.
"I am not sure what you mean by that." She said, her voice trembling. She knew Lashrael wouldn't buy but it gave her time to think of something else to say.
"I'll pretend that I believe you just like you pretend you don't know what I mean." He gave her a playful wink.
"Look, we are here for a reason. Can we skip all the games and just get down to it." She was starting to get irritated by him. No wonder he was Darun's brother.
"That is very straight forward, but ok. I like a female who knows what she wants." He stood up, took off his shirt and threw it across the hall.
"What in demons names are you doing?"
"We're getting down to it. Sorry, did you want to undress me? I still have my pants on so-"
With one swift motion, she pulled out her dagger, pushed him back on the table and pointed it at his special place.
"Listen here, Sparky. I am tired of you playing your lame word games on me. We will talk now, not later, not after we get down, as a matter of fact there will be no getting down of any kind. Are we clear or would you like me to carve it on your elfhood?"
"My oh my, Zael was right, you really are feisty. May I however recommend you never do this again unless you'd like to look like a pincushion." He said and pointed to the 40 odd archers that were surrounding the table and aiming at her. She sheathed her dagger and sat down. Lashrael stood up, walked around the table and sat opposite her. "Nothing personal. Just protecting my elfhood." He said to her and then turned to Zael. "Good luck."
She looked at Zael, who was now smiling.
"Here's the deal. We are looking for a book and in order to get it-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You need to collect all these bits and present it to the book. One of them being an elf medallion. But how will you ever acquire it? Wars have been waged for one being stolen. Maybe if you ask politely, they'll give you one. Did I get it?"
"How do you know all of this?" She feared that the knowledge of the book has spread and other creatures might be on the look for it.
"Funny story actually. Would you believe me if I told you that a fortune teller was here a few days ago." Aziki looked at Zael, whose face had gotten dead serious. "Well, she told me that I will have guests who will require an elf medallion to help them find a very special book and that I must forge one for them as a welcome gift. It wasn't even the next day, when I received the message from Zael that he will be coming to our land because he has something important to discuss. I only put the pieces together to figure out why we are here."
"The fortune teller again." Zael said to Aziki. "Uron would be very displeased if he heard her being mentioned again. I am starting to question this as well."
"We can't yet assume anything. If she is here for the Festives, odds are that we will keep hearing her name pop up everywhere we go. After all, who wouldn't like to hear their future for free."
"I suppose but it still wouldn't hurt to be wary. So does this mean that you have the medallion for us, Lashrael?"
"Not just yet. You see, at the heart of every medallion is a gem that the wearer has to pick themselves, otherwise it won't be real, and from what I gather, this book is going for as real as they come. Now, since it's two of you, you'll need two gems which will make the forging process a little bit more complicated and will take two days to complete. Audark, my best forger, has already made the base and the chain. You just need to choose your gems so he can start working on them."
"Alright then, bring the gems so we can choose." Aziki said.
"That's the tricky part. When I said that you have to pick them, I meant you have to physically pick them out of the rocks. There is a cave on the other side of the mountain located behind a waterfall, you must go in it and get your gems from there. The energy you use to dig them out of the rocks is what gives the medallion its individuality and uniqueness. That is why I waited for you."
"Excellent. Take us there." Aziki said as she stood up. She wasn't planning on wasting anymore time.
"It's too dangerous to go there at night. My brothers are still out there and they will attack my tribe at any opportunity, as I'm sure you've already realised." Lashrael said, looking at Darun, who was now standing up and talking with one of the guards. The guard then walked over to Lashrael and announced "The captive wants to speak."
"How interesting, I wonder what he has to say for himself. Bring him." Lashrael waved to the other guard, who brought Darun forward. The entire walk he kept his eyes on Aziki, and Zael kept his eyes on Darun. This must've been the most awkward situation she had ever been into. Her only hope was that Darun wouldn't do or say anything stupid. "My dear brother, what is it that you'd like to talk about? Are you going to offer an apology for attacking my tribe? My guests?"
"Lashrael, you know very well I have no quarrel with you, and unlike our brothers, I have no intention of overthrowing you. Not only were the arrows not laced with poison, as I know is your practice, but they were harmless. My archers were specifically instructed not to aim at any of the elves. On top of that, the first arrow shot was enough of a warning for them to take cover. We both know perfectly well that if I actually wanted to kill anyone, I could have easily done so."
"So is that what the arrow that flew right in front of my eyes was?" Zael said barely keeping his anger. Darun gave him the coldest look Aziki has ever seen on an elf.
"In all honesty, had I been shooting, I probably would've aimed at your head."
"You fucking prick! Do you know who I am?" Before she could do anything, Zael was already in Darun's face. One of the guards stood between them.
"Now, now, Zael you are my guest but I will not tolerate violence on my land. Calm yourself down." Zael took three steps back, eyes still fixed on him. Lashrael continued "I will accept your explanation, I neither agree with it nor do I forgive, but I will accept it. If that wasn't the reason for the attack, what was it then?"
"I have already cleared that up with her." His gaze returning to Aziki. "I am here for her."
"Do you two...know each other?" Lashrael was as confused as a fire demon in a pond. "I did not see that one coming. Wait, could she be the female that you were telling me about? And she is now with Zael? Now, this is what I call entertainment." He started laughing so hard, he almost fell off his seat.
"You've told him about me? I told you that nobody needs to know about it and you still told him." She could not believe Darun, he had sworn to keep it a secret. To Lashrael she said "Zael and I are not...together or whatever he has told you."
"But you're his-"
"Lashrael, not now." Zael intervened. His what?
"Aziki, listen to me" Darun said as walked over to stand in front of her. "I overheard the story, you need a gem for the medallion. I know where the mountain is, I will take you there right now. Just say the word." He was so close to her. She felt the heat radiating from his skin, his scent filled her nose and she felt all reason leaving her.
"I...I need to go there with Zael...for his gem."
"No, you don't. I will come with you and help you find the book. Please, I just want to be with you again. I cannot imagine spending the rest of eternity apart from you." He leaned in, just a whisper away from her lips. "Please let me do this for you. I still lov-"
"Like demons you would, you fuck!" Zael shouted as he punched Darun. He span around and Zael got him again. As he fell on the floor, he straddled him and what followed was a rain of fists all falling on Darun's face. "She is mine, you hear me, mine! You fucking lowlife, don't even think of going anywhere near her or I will kill you! Mine!" It took three guards to pull Zael off Darun. When they finally did, the look he gave Aziki was like she had never seen before. He was like wild savaged beast and for the first time she felt scared of him. She was already stepping back, almost reaching for her dagger, anticipating the worst.
"We are talking. Now." The last word was almost like a roar. He stalked over to her, grabbed her arm and walked her out of the cave.
He loves her? Loves her!? Not in this or any other lifetime will Zael allow any other male but him to say that to his mate. He had tried so hard to keep himself under control but as soon as he heard that, he knew he could not allow it. Aziki was about to give in to his sweet talk as well. No way was he allowing that either. And he was going to make sure that Aziki knew that. He had taken her to the cavern where they were to sleep. The inside of it was fully decorated to look just like any other home. It had a living space with tables, chairs, two couches, a massive fire place, which was now burning, two separate sleeping spaces with beds and even a hot spring. He walked in and stopped in the middle of it, still holding Aziki by the arm. He stood there for a while, not only because he loved the feel of her skin, but because he needed to compose himself before he started speaking, lest he said something wrong.
"Will you let me go now?" Aziki's gentle voice sounded. "My arm feels bruised."
Zael let her arm and turned to face her.
"What is he to you?" He said that a bit more raw than he wanted.
"Who is what to me?" Aziki said, her voice almost shaking. He only just noticed the worried look on her face. Was she scared of him? He tried to compose himself even more.
"You know who I'm talking about. As you said it earlier, I'm tired of your lame word games. I will ask again. What is he to you?"
Aziki crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "We used to see each other."
"Is that another word for fuck mate?" Please say no.
"We were more than that."
Demons help him.
"How long ago?"
"Some time."
"How. Long?"
"A couple of years give or take."
"So that makes him your ex?"
"In a way."
"What does 'in a way' mean?"
She walked over to the fire place and put her hands towards the fire. She looked so delicate and fragile, a side of her he had been waiting to see since they met. Granted, he'd rather it not be under these circumstances but he'll make do. She was wearing skin tight trousers, accentuating her perfectly toned legs. Her vest ended just around her rib cage, leaving her gills exposed. He knew that she needs them as well as her lungs to breath as anything restricting them would make that painful at best. She just stood there watching the fire. He noticed small streams of steam coming off her.
"Fire is bad for mermaids, you know. It makes us dry up. That is why we don't like the fire demons. Being near them is dangerous enough, but being touched by one is excruciating. Even with our ability to heal, scars are inevitable. One of my subordinates died from her wounds."
"Answer my question."
She looked at him over her shoulder. "I'd rather stay in front of the fire than do that."
"Aziki, do not play with me. You do not want to provoke me any further. You don't know what I am capable of. Answer me now."
She faced the fire again and stepped closer to it. "I have a pretty good grasp on what your kind can do."
That was about all that he was going to tolerate from her. If that's how she wanted to play it, he was all for it. He needed a good sparring session. He pulled out his tanto and lashed at her. Next thing he heard was the clink of metal against metal. She had pulled her dagger as well. He stroke once, twice and each time she had anticipated it. They continued this for a while. Every time he thought he had her, she had somehow blocked his attack. He wondered if she really was that good or was he off his game because of all the tension from the day.
"You all fight the same way." She said to him at yet another strike. Temper: lost. He swung at her again, she blocked, he quickly grabbed her arm, twisting it and knocking the dagger off her hand. He pulled her arms behind her back and pressed her flat against the wall. He towered over her, her wrists were slim enough for him to be able to hold both of them behind with just one hand. She looked at him, unfazed.
"Now will you answer me?"
She looked away and said "I don't think you'll like the answer."
"Tell me." He almost roared the words. His inner incubus was getting as anxious as him.
"Fine. After Darun and I broke up, I was involved with someone else."
"How involved?"
"Physically. It was just for the sex, until I found out why he had gone for me in the first place. He was a Darun's rival, they always competed for everything. Who would win the most fights, or get the biggest loot or sleep with the most females. I had never met him while I was with Darun, but he always spoke of him. Eventually I found out that he had only 'seduced' me to get back at Darun. I ended it then and there."
"Who was he?" A sense of dread fell over him.
She looked at him with those bright green eyes, swirling with emotion. "His name is Eli'ah." Zael could not believe what he just heard. He let her wrists and took a step back. His incubus was going insane.
"Eli'ah. As in my admiral, my 3rd in command, Eli'ah."
Aziki nodded. She looked at her feet now. All Zael could do was stand there, motionless. She was right, he did not like this answer. She was with another incubus? He must've known. Incubi can sense it, it prevents them from sleeping with someone else's mate. Kill him, his demon whispered, he shall not be allowed to live. He has tasted what's ours.
"Ahhhhgg!" Zael yelled in frustration. He walked to Aziki again and looked at her. Looked into her green eyes; those eyes, he could look at them for the rest of eternity and he'll love every second of it. To think that another incubus has looked at them like that, touched her skin, kissed her, tasted her… He punched the wall right next to her head. The stone pulverized to sand under the pressure. Aziki shielded her face. He punched the other side. Again, and again, and again.
"Stop, please stop!" Aziki pleaded. But he didn't, he continued until there were gaping holes in the wall. His breathing had quicken and his blood felt like lava. His knuckles were bleeding.
"You will never talk about this again, do you understand me? I never want to hear that you have been with another incubus." Punch. "One that I know and have trusted for centuries." Punch. "Because you are mine, do you hear me?" Punch. "Mine!" The last word was a roar. She looked at him in disbelief and anger.
"I am not yours to claim."
Between ragged breaths, he said "Yes, you are."
"Just because you stole a kiss from me, doesn't mean I'm yours."
He took a deep breath, exhaled and looked at her dead in the eyes "You are my mate, sweet, and there isn't a thing you can do about that." He said as he stole another heart stopping kiss from her.
