“I’m not your master,” he flatly repeated.
“I want you to be,” Sasha begged as she slumped down against his chest, her head feeling dizzy while her hands weakly clung to his shirt. “I’ve had nothing to live for out here, I’ve lost everything in this horrible land. Let me prove my strength to you, let me serve someone as strong and great as you, I’ll show you I can be a perfect mate for you, one who is worthy of your seed.”
“I’m not your master, and I’m not looking for a mate.”
Sasha grunted as she felt the pain in her side growing more, taking a few sharp breaths before looking up to him with gentle eyes as he watched her with a solemn expression.
“Then kill me,” she implored. “If I can’t serve you then I truly have nothing left to live for. Toss my worthless being into that chasm and be done with it. You are the noblest and strongest human I’ve ever heard or known, if I cannot become worthy of you then I’m lost in this world.”
Daemon watched as Sasha whimpered and lowered her head, her hand slowly dropping down off his shirt onto his leg.
“I’ll do whatever you want,” she softly spoke. “I’m yours, to do with as you wish. Please, make me yours, don’t let me go, otherwise I’ll be dead inside.”
She then gagged as she felt her stomach lurching again. Quickly pushing away from Daemon she keeled over to the side and threw up with a hoarse groan, with the swordsman watching with a dull expression as Sasha vomited onto the ground before dropping onto her side with a whimper.
“Wow, you really did hit rock-bottom, didn’t you?” Tabitha chuckled.
“One more comment and you will die on this very night,” Sasha hissed. “It’s important you see the pain and struggle I went through to understand why my master is my whole world, and that if anyone, such as you, speaks ill about him or tries to harm him, then I will KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!”
“Okay!” Tabitha exclaimed. “I’ll be quiet! Please continue!”
Sasha groaned with eyes shut tight, feeling all her pride and hope for a future vanishing as her side continued to ache and her stomach felt like it was tied in a knot.
‘I’m so pathetic and weak. I truly am the lowest of the low of reptile girls. Perhaps I should just throw myself into the valley over there and end it; this human couldn’t possibly want anything to do with me after this horrendous display.’
She then quietly gasped as she felt herself being lifted up. With eyes of wonder and surprise she saw Daemon holding her in his arms, having her legs and tail over one arm while he held his other around her back. She blinked then noticed with astonishment that he was holding her broadsword in his hand, held inversely and lifted up off the ground behind him before he started walking along the trail again. Sasha stared at him with disbelief as he carried her and her sword without showing any signs of discomfort, words failing to form in her mouth as she questioned what she was seeing.
‘I must be dreaming, or perhaps I died, that would be more believable. How can he possibly be holding me and my sword like this? Who is this human?’
“Wait, he carried both you and your sword?” Tabitha asked skeptically.
“That’s what I just said.”
“How?”
“Let me tell the story and then maybe you would understand.”
Sasha watched Daemon with eyes of wonder as he traveled through the wasteland without rest, the sky above slowly turning to night with stars twinkling above while the scenery shifted from the badlands to a grassy countryside with a few rolling hills and small woodlands stretched out in the distance. Daemon carried the reptile girl along the trail without saying a word or making eye contact with her, going strong into the night before coming across a stone ruin near a small river. He walked over towards the clear flowing stream and set Sasha down next to it, the reptile girl staring up at him in awe as he then struck her sword into the ground at his side.
“How…” she breathed out.
“Drink up,” Daemon said glancing to the river then back to her. “You need it.”
Sasha slowly looked to the water for a moment then back up to him as he watched her with a calm expression.
“Am I alive?” she questioned with much doubt.
“Are you thirsty?” Daemon dryly asked, getting a few nods from her. “Then drink up. Now.”
Sasha jumped with a squeak then quickly scrambled over to the river and started scooping up water with her hands. As she slaked her thirst Daemon merely gazed around the area, seeing the stone walls and archways of the old building standing with several pillars and piles of rubble lying around them, then looked to see Sasha sitting down next to the river as she sighed with relief after drinking so much. She glanced back to him then blushed before she quickly started using the river water to wash her body, frantically trying to clean all the blood and dirt off her as she felt embarrassed again.
“I’m sorry, I know I must look repulsive,” she quickly pleaded. “I swear I would bathe often if I could, there wasn’t anything to clean myself with let alone drink back home. I would never consider this to be acceptable for you. I promise I’ll remain clean for you from now on, master.”
“I’m not your master,” Daemon corrected her again.
“But-” Sasha said turning to him, freezing and halting her words as she saw Daemon staring at her with his piercing gaze. She then flinched and glanced down to her side as she held a hand over her wound, feeling it aching once again. Daemon walked over and knelt down next to her, moving her hand aside and examining her injury while she stared at him with a blush on her face. He then took her skirt and ripped it off her, causing her face to blush even more while her jaw dropped.
‘Dear lord, he’s going to take me as his mate right here and now. This truly must be a dream.’
She watched as he then rinsed the skirt in the river before tying it around her over the wound. He showed no emotion or concern about her injury but rather bandaged it the best he could with her only clothing.
“Thank you, master,” Sasha timidly said as she lowered her head.
“I’m not your master,” Daniel repeated with a glance to her. “Stop calling me that.”
“Sorry, master,” she quickly apologized with worried eyes.
“You don’t listen at all, do you?”
Sasha glanced to him and flinched slightly, remaining silent before looking over to her sword then back to him again.
“Um… how did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Carry me and my weapon like that,” Sasha said as she eyed him over with wonder. “It was as if we didn’t weight anything at all to you.”
“Your point?”
“Well…” Sasha hesitantly said. “It’s just I wasn’t aware humans could be so strong. How did you manage to carry myself and my sword like that so far and for so long without tiring? Do not misunderstand, I mean no disrespect. I’m quite grateful that you came to my rescue, which by the way why did you do that? I mean I’m eternally thankful you did, I swear I’ll serve you to the best of my ability for the rest of time, master, it’s just I don’t understand why you would wish to save such a lowly reptile girl such as myself. Ah! That’s not what I meant; I’m not that lowly, I can still be of use to you, master.”
“I’m not your master,” Daemon repeated, causing the reptile girl to jump with a squeak. “Now, how about you calm yourself and ask one thing at a time.”
Sasha looked to her sword in the ground, down to her bandaged wound, then to Daemon who watched her with a calm gaze.
“Who are you?” she asked shaking her head slowly.
“Daemon Warrick.”
“And… why did you save me? I’m a monster, and one that surly had to have come off as troublesome for you by now,” Sasha said with remorse.
“Would you rather I left you to die back in that cave?” Daemon asked, with Sasha lowering her head with timid eyes at him before shaking her head. “I saved a young girl who called out for help, that was the extent of m
y intentions. I didn’t expect her to be stubborn and to follow after me.”
“Girl?” Sasha softly repeated. “You called me… a girl.”
“You’re a reptile girl, that word is in your name,” Daemon reminded her.
“No, that’s not what I meant. You called me a girl, like… I wasn’t a monster.”
“What defines a monster for you?” Daemon questioned.
“What do you mean?” she asked with confusion. “Those that are not human, like me. I’m a monster.”
Daemon watched her for a while in silence then slowly held his gloved hand up, with Sasha looking to it then to him with wonder as his cold blue eyes started to make her feel weaker with their firm gaze. He then removed his glove, causing Sasha’s eyes to widen and her mouth to open in shock.
“Like me?” Daemon repeated.
“Wh… wha… what are you?” Sasha cried out as she dropped back and stared at his reptilian hand. “Your hand! Your hand, why is your hand like that?”
“What?” Tabitha exclaimed with surprise.
“His hand is scaly like yours?” Scay said with wonder.
“At first the only explanation I could think of was perhaps he altered it with some form of twisted magic,” Sasha explained. “But then...”
Sasha gasped as she saw Daemon holding his reptilian hand out to the side, then screamed in horror as his arm started to shift from human skin to dark scales.
“Because this is what I am,” Daemon answered her.
“Oh my god!” Sasha screamed as his arm turned into that of a monster, with a sharpened bone sticking out behind his elbow while his upper arm formed small talons that curved upward along his limb. The swordsman kept a calm expression as he slowly moved his arm about, eyeing his transformed limb then turning his sights onto Sasha who was frozen in place with wide eyes at him.
“It can’t be,” Sasha nervously stuttered. “Your hand, your arm… you… you’re not… you’re not…”
“Human?” Daemon said raising an eyebrow at her.
Sasha froze in place as she stared at him with complete shock, seeing the swordsman under the moonlight having a monstrous reptilian arm while his cold blue eyes seemed to show something chilling behind their piercing gaze.
“It can’t be…” she breathed out. “You’re a male, you can’t be… you can’t be a…”
She wavered then dropped back as she lost consciousness, lying on the grass while a few droplets of water on her breasts and belly rolled off onto the ground. Daemon watched as the reptile girl fainted then looked to his arm, slowly tilting it while the scales and talons receded and shifted to human skin again. However his hand remained the same, still appearing like that of a monster with its black scales and sharp nails. He put back on his glove then looked down to Sasha and he stood up over her, seeing the girl remaining still and quiet after she had fainted from the shock of seeing him like that.
*****
“Whoa, hold it!” Tabitha shouted as she and Scay were staring at Sasha with disbelief. Rulo and Forrus however weren’t showing any surprise or concern from Sasha’s story, rather they were watching the two stunned girls solemnly while Sasha was looking down at her satchel still.
“What do you mean his arm was all scaly and different?” Scay asked holding her own arm with concern.
“What are you trying to pull here?” Tabitha accused the reptile girl. “You’re talking like he’s some sort of monster or something.”
“My master is a monster,” Sasha snapped at her.
“Bullshit! There are no male monsters in Eden. Everyone knows this. You’re just trying to scare us with some made-up story about him.”
“You’ve seen how he’s different, haven’t you?” Sasha questioned as she tilted her head slightly. “He can go for days without eating, his strength and stamina are far above that of humans, his reaction time is sharper than you would dare give him credit for, and the look behind those eyes of his… you can see something else lies behind them.”
“You think you can scare us that easily?” Tabitha demanded.
“EEP!” Scay squeaked before she quickly wrapped her tail around herself, the naga then dropping down onto her side and rolling slightly while she hid behind her tail and hair again. Tabitha glanced down to the trembling girl then to Sasha with a dull stare.
“You think you can scare me that easily?”
“I don’t know how easily you frighten,” Sasha replied, with Tabitha watching her very carefully as the reptile girl looked up at the night sky with a distant gaze. “I was certainly scared when he first showed me. I thought I was dreaming, perhaps delirious from my injury, but it wasn’t like that at all. He really isn’t human, at least not completely.”
“What do you mean not completely?” Tabitha slowly asked. “Just what are you saying he is?”
*****
Sasha awoke with a gasp, eyes opening quickly before she sat up and looked around franticly before her sights rested on Daemon nearby. The swordsman was sitting on a collapsed stone pillar, having one leg up on the fallen mainstay and looking at his gloved hand which he tilted slightly in the moonlight. The reptile girl scrambled around on her hands and knees to face him while keeping low to the ground, eyes locked onto Daemon while she shakily took a few breaths. The swordsman merely glanced to her while remaining quiet, watching her cowering before her with a nervously swaying tail.
“Master,” she breathed out while trying to keep her voice steady.
“I told you before, I’m not your master,” he reminded her. “And get up; I don’t want you bowing to me either.”
Sasha lifted herself up on her knees while keeping her hands down at her sides, still leaning forward as if bowing slightly to him while she had her head lowered a bit as well.
“Master, you-”
“What is your name?” Daemon interrupted with.
“My name?” she repeated with a jump. “Um... it’s Sasha. Sasha, my master.”
“Sasha, I told you to stop calling me that, remember?” he said again with a stern tone. “I call you by your name, so you call me by mine.”
“I’m sorry, master! I mean, Daemon!” Sasha pleaded with eyes shut tight.
“Stop it,” Daemon ordered as he got off the pillar and walked over to her. “Stop trembling before me, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Sasha glanced up to him with one eye opened a peek then slowly looked at him with wonder as he stood before her. Taking a careful step she then stood up while keeping her eyes locked onto his, seeing no anger or malice in them yet feeling a slightly cold sensation from them.
“You’re… you’re a monster,” she spoke faintly. “I don’t believe it, how can this be possible?”
“A better question is why are you so insistent on following me,” Daemon dryly said.
“No, I’m quite certain you being a monster is about as puzzling as anything could be,” Sasha assured while shaking her head. “There are no male monsters in Eden, and yet… I’m looking at one. Where did you come from? What are you? Are there others like you as well?”
Daemon merely stared at her in silence, with Sasha growing more uneasy by the second until she shut her eyes and nodded quickly.
“I’m sorry, I have no right to pry about this, you don’t have to answer my questions. I apologize about being so demanding, it isn’t my place. I’ll still serve you and do anything you say without fail, I swear. Monster or human, you’re still my-” She froze then slowly opened her eyes to see Daemon raising an eyebrow at her.
“My… Daemon,” she carefully finished.
“Why do you wish to serve me so badly? I never bested you in combat or even challenged you to a fight.”
“You came to my rescue and have brought me from that horrid place I used to call a home to here,” Sasha praised, looking around the area which actually had plants and wildlife in it compared to the graveyard that was once her home before she turned to Daemon with a joyous smile. “And you proved without a shadow of a
doubt that you are the only one I would ever wish to mate with. Your strength, your valor, the way you gave me a life worth living in this world. You being a monster doesn’t change anything, you’re still the one my life belongs to and I shall gratefully give it to you.”
She then stepped towards him and unsnapped the belts holding her hip guards in place, dropping them to the ground as she smiled coyly at the swordsman with her hips swaying along with her tail behind her.
“My soul and body are all yours, Daemon. Please, grant me my wish of mothering daughters who would have your strength and courage. I humbly ask that you give me your seed, and in return you may do whatever you want with me.”
Daemon held out a hand and stopped her by the shoulder, the girl looking to it then to him with a worried smile.
“I promise to pleasure you to my fullest,” she insisted. “You may be my first but I swear I’ll learn all that you desire in a mate and give you that every day for the rest of your life. I’ll be a perfect mate for you, I really will.”
“I will not be doing anything like that with you,” Daemon stated before lowering his hand. Sasha looked at him worriedly then down to her body as she held her arms across her stomach under her breasts.
“Please, I may be a monster, but-”
“It has nothing to do with that,” Daemon said shaking his head. Sasha turned her eyes to him with concern as he kept a solemn expression on his face. “I told you before I’m not looking to find a mate.”
“But… you have me now. Please, give me a chance to-”
“Sasha,” Daemon spoke, halting her words and causing her to jump slightly. “The answer is no. I cannot give you what you want. That being said you should go and find another who can. I am not the one you should be following after.”
“But why not? It is because I’m a monster, isn’t it? Why does that bother you when you yourself are one as well? I don’t understand, why won’t you have me? You can do anything you want with me!” Sasha cried out as she started to break down into tears. “Please, don’t send me away! Why can’t we mate together? I’ll do anything to earn that from you, just name it!”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VI Page 29
