by Raquel Dove
The water of the hot spring Tavi had directed her to bubbled around Alexandra, relaxing her sore muscles. She rested her head against the rocky side, closing her eyes. She tried to steady her mind. Perhaps if she could concentrate she might remember something about how she got here. More importantly, she might be able to find a way back home. Her eyes slid open and landed on a particularly muscular demon standing before her, his charcoal blue gaze fixed on her half exposed breasts with a quirk in one of his eyebrows.
“What is wrong with you people?” she shrieked, slapping a hand over her breasts. She reached over the edge of the spring for a towel to cover herself with. “I said I wasn’t going to run away, I don’t need to be watched while I’m bathing you pervert!”
His eyes slid over her body as she pulled herself out of the spring and frantically tried to cover her nudity. He lingered on her curves, not even attempting to hide his interest in them. The demon stepped closer to her, his eyes finally peeling themselves off her body to focus on her flustered face. There was something very familiar about him, but she just couldn't place it with her mind so frazzled as it was. He was shirtless, offering an even better view than Tavi's chiseled core, and he looked down at her over his perfectly narrow nose and plump kissable lips. Alex cursed her body as it began to heat up.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion. Alex couldn't tell if he was taunting her or asking her if she was actually enjoying her bath. He took another step closer.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned, her voice shaky as the demon continued to stalk ever closer to her.
“I suppose you're going to stop me, girl?” he asked. This time Alex definitely heard a ghost of amusement in his voice. She immediately decided that she didn't like it. Whatever his intentions were, they probably weren't good.
“There’s another demon,” she said raising a pointed finger at him as if that would stop him from coming closer, “and he will tear you to pieces, I’ve already seen him do it once. He's Devasi royalty...so...”
“Is that so? Devasi royalty?” he asked, a smirk playing across his clean-shaven face. “And where is he now?”
He looked around to exaggerate his point. His smirk spread into a full smile that showed off beautifully deadly fanged teeth. Alexandra’s heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought it would burst right out onto the ground. The demon’s eyes held her frozen in terror as he half circled around her, continuing to assess her feminine assets.
“Lord Balthazar,” Tavi said, appearing suddenly beside him. Alex thought she saw him holding back a smirk. “I told you the human could be troublesome.”
Alex whipped her head back and forth between the two demons. A hot flush washed across her already heated flesh as the name of the demon registered, bringing flashes of her dream to mind. Her arousal lifted through the air, reaching the sensitive noses of the brother demons. They simultaneously turned to look at the girl as the musky, unmistakable aroma caught in their nostrils.
“Indeed,” Balthazar said, his eyes burning into Alex, “but intriguing nonetheless.”
“She calls herself Alexandra, my lord” Tavi said.
“Alexandra,” Balthazar said, his eyes moving from Alex to Tavi. He seemed to be mulling the name around in his mind for a while. “Come,” he said finally, speaking to Tavi, “there is much for us to discuss.”
Balthazar disappeared in a flash. Tavi turned to look at Alexandra who was still standing by the water, a damp cloth hugging her gentle curves and an expression of bewildered arousal on her face.
“I would suggest showing Lord Balthazar some respect in the future,” he said, giving her a pointed glare before disappearing as well.
Balthazar was usually high strung, which was understandable given his position, but Tavi had immediately noticed the extra stress his brother was carrying when he had showed up in the camp. Tavi had quickly given him a rundown of the measures he had taken to secure the borders, but as soon as he mentioned that he had found a human, his brother’s countenance had shifted. He’d immediately rushed out to find her and see what she was like for himself.
Now that they had returned to Tavi’s tent, a servant was already laying out the afternoon meal. Balthazar and Tavi sat down on the cushions beside a low table. The aroma of honey from the coated strips of dried meat filled their noses, but neither one moved to eat.
“What brings you here, my lord?” Tavi asked, finally reaching for a strip of meat and putting it on the empty plate in front of him. “I’m only about a day’s march from the palace. I sent word.”
“We have a problem,” Balthazar said, his eyes moving onto Tavi. The look on his face said everything. Tavi knew exactly why Balthazar had come here in person. There was already someone challenging his right to the throne, and there was only one person that Tavi could think of that would do that.
“Baal?” Tavi asked, raising a brow as he leaned back.
“With Hasan,” Balthazar said. He picked up a piece of flat bread and smeared it with the vegetable paste that had been put out. “And half the royal army.”
“Half the army?” Tavi spat, his eyes widening. He pushed his plate away. He wasn’t hungry now. Balthazar popped the piece of bread into his mouth and chewed it quietly, his eyes locked on Tavi.
“Why don’t you seem more concerned about this?” Tavi asked, noticing an odd sense of confidence in him. Balthazar was always confident, but he was never cocky. If he wasn’t worried about this new development then he must knew something Tavi didn’t.
“I’m not entirely sure yet,” Balthazar said, his eyes glancing thoughtfully out towards the door of the tent.
“We need to stop him quickly,” Tavi said, more than a little disturbed by his answer, “before he has a chance to gain support from any of the nobles.”
“I agree,” Balthazar said, dabbing at the corner of his lips with a cloth napkin. “Have the men ready to move by late afternoon. Baal and Hasan are about a day’s travel from here if we move quickly.”
“All the men with me are scouts,” Tavi said. “So speed won’t be an issue. However, they aren’t exactly my best fighters and we’ll be severely outnumbered.”
“We only have to kill Baal,” Balthazar said. He leaned back a little, taking another piece of bread with him. “Hasan was never a good leader and the men with him know that. They won’t fight once we take Baal out of the equation.”
“Oh,” Tavi said, looking back at him incredulously. “Only kill Baal. That doesn’t sound terribly difficult.”
“Just leave him to me,” Balthazar said, waving off Tavi’s sarcasm. He bit into the piece of bread, tearing a chunk of with his canines. “Besides, we will have the element of surprise.”
“That’s good, cause we’re going to need it if he has half the damn army,” Tavi said. Balthazar chewed his food slowly as Tavi stared back at him, trying to figure out what had him so relaxed. “What about the human?”
“Bring her with us,” Balthazar said.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Tavi said, shaking his head. “She’s trouble.”
“I think she may be important,” Balthazar said. He leaned forward and Tavi finally saw his eyes flash with a moment of concern. “We can’t just let her go.”
“Is she the reason you’re not so worried right now?” Tavi asked, cocking his head to the side as he considered his brother.
“Maybe,” Balthazar said. “I know she plays into this, I’m just not entirely sure how.”
13
