Alex had spent most of the day in bed, recuperating from the sudden ill feeling that had overcome her when she woke up. Apparently, they didn’t have doctor’s in Devasi. Lady Carolina had explained that there was never much of a need for them. The Devasi immune system was incredibly resilient and there wasn’t very much that could kill them aside from old age and a properly placed attack. Alex quietly watched the demoness were she sat in a bed of cushions a short distance from the bed. She leaned against a triangular backrest with a bolt of white silk across her lap and a thick spool of gold thread by her side. She pushed a needle through the fabric with amazing dexterity as she weaved an elaborate floral design into the shimmering soft fabric. Her hand stopped suddenly as she looked up at Alexandra with a sigh.
“Must you watch my every move, girl?” Carolina asked with raised eyebrows.
“Sorry,” Alex said, looking away. She hadn’t realized she was staring, but the demoness was so graceful that it was easy to get caught up watching her.
“You should go for a walk,” Carolina said, glancing back down at the fabric in her lap. “The gardens are most enjoyable this time of year.”
“A walk?” Alex said, perking up. Getting some fresh air sounded really good, and she was feeling much better now. She needed to get out of the bed and stretch her legs for a while. “That actually sounds really good.”
“Well go on,” Carolina said, waving her hand in the direction of the door to her apartments. “Just go down the large staircase…you remember where it was, yes?...Then take a left and you’ll be outside.”
Alex slid out of the bed, adjusting the silk robe Carolina had given her after her clothes had been incinerated. Carolina insisted they be destroyed, much to the dismay of Alex, because they were not fit clothing for a female in the Devasi royal harem. She wasn’t happy about her favorite jeans being burned, but the silk robe was actually quite comfortable, and it was beautiful, embroidered with gold threads and embellished with precious gems. She tightened the belt around the soft green fabric.
Alexandra made her way down to the first floor of the harem, and out into the royal gardens. No one stopped to question where she was headed, but all the demonesses and eunuchs of the harem craned their necks to watch as she passed by them.
She followed one of the paths that snaked through the royal gardens, stopping occasionally to pick a few flowers. The gardens were very large, with an artificial pond in the middle and small streams that wound through the landscape. Alex stopped on a slatted wood bridge, leaning against the railing as she watched the water trickling by underneath. She felt much better now that she had gotten some fresh air, but the sky was beginning to darken and she knew she would need to get back to Lady Carolina before too long.
“You’re the human everyone is talking about,” a smooth voice said behind her.
Alex whirled around to see a pair of deep grey eyes staring back at her. For a moment she was reminded of Balthazar. He had almost the same eyes, the same dark hair and the same bone structure, but this demon looked younger. His body was smaller and not as well defined.
“Um, yeah,” Alex said, turning around to face the demon. His charcoal eyes trailed down her body. Alex shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks heating under the weight of his gaze. She looked around, searching for a way to escape his attention as he lurked closer to her.
“I’m surprised that Lord Balthazar would allow such an exquisite creature like yourself to roam the gardens unaccompanied,” he said as he closed the small gap between them so that his body was only inches from hers. Alex tried to step back but she was pushed into the wood railing of the bridge.
“I…” Alex sputtered out, “…Lady Carolina…”
“Ah, yes,” the demon said, grasping Alexandra’s wrist and pulling her closer to him, “the Sultana. She’s found herself a new pet.”
He chuckled as he trailed a hand up Alexandra’s thigh, grasping her butt firmly. She squeaked in shock and tried to pull the offensive hand away, but the demon’s grip was like a vice, and the tips of his claws bit into her flesh through the fabric of her robe.
“Let go of me,” Alex screeched, as she beat her free hand against the rocky chest of the demon.
“You’re a feisty little thing,” he laughed again, bringing his face closer to hers. “I like that.”
Alex cocked her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could. He didn’t even flinch, but his eyes darkened and the mirth disappeared from his expression.
“I said let go of me,” she hissed between clenched teeth, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.
The demon rubbed at his cheek, as if trying to understand what she had just done. His hand cocked back and Alex winced in expectation of his retaliation.
“The human belongs to me, Kaveh,” Balthazar said his voice dark as he suddenly appeared and caught the younger demon’s hand mid-strike.
“Brother,” Kaveh said, quickly releasing his grip on Alex and taking a step back, “I didn’t realize you cared so much for her.”
“Leave,” Balthazar said, narrowing his eyes on Kaveh. He didn’t need to say anything else. Kaveh quickly bowed his head and disappeared.
Balthazar shifted his eyes onto Alexandra. “Is it possible for you to stay out of trouble for one day?”
Alex crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him, preparing to go back to the harem. She didn’t plan on giving him an answer. He had the same condescending look on his face that he always had when he talked down to her and she simply wasn’t going to acknowledge him. His arm on her elbow stopped her from going any further.
“Why are you in the gardens without a proper escort?” Balthazar asked, pulling her arm to turn her around and look at him.
“Carolina told me to go for a walk,” Alex said, wrenching her arm away from him. “She didn’t say anything about an escort, and frankly I think I can handle a walk by myself.”
“Obviously not,” Balthazar said. It was highly unlike his mother to disregard protocol. He took a moment to note how well Alexandra looked in the royal robes of the harem. She was wearing a particularly special garment studded with tiny diamonds. Balthazar remembered this robe very clearly, as his mother had worn it many times. It was one of her favorites. He realized then that his mother had taken a special liking to the girl, and more importantly, she was meddling again. She may live within the walls of the harem, but she had ways of reaching into affairs far beyond those walls.
Alex could feel her stomach buzzing with nervous energy as Balthazar’s eyes scanned over her and she frantically tried to calm the sensations that swirled through her, knowing that his nose would pick up on it in an instant.
Balthazar wanted to groan aloud at the intensity of the arousal that suddenly hit his nose. Before he could stop himself he was reaching for her, his hand grabbing her waist and gently pulling her towards him. He felt her trying to pull away and it disappointed him when his nose caught a hint of fright in her scent.
“Don’t be afraid of me, girl,” Balthazar said, his voice soft as he continued trying to pull her closer.
“My name is Alexandra,” she said, stepping out of his grasp and staring up at him with her lips pulled tight. “Not girl.”
Balthazar ran a finger gently down her cheek and across her plump bottom lip. He held back a smile when her arousal intensified.
“Alexandra,” he said her name slowly. His voice was husky as he cocked an eyebrow at her. “If you don’t wish to remain a girl, that can be arranged.”
Alex blinked in surprise, suddenly very aware of the closeness of their bodies. She pushed away from Balthazar and swallowed heavily. She just couldn’t handle being so close to him. She felt like her knees were turning into jelly. She had to get away from him just so she could catch her breath. He sighed and his face returned to its usual emotionless mask.
“What is it you want?” Balthazar asked. Alex paused before answering. She hadn’t exactly thought about it until that very moment, but when she did, she knew e
xactly what she wanted.
“I want to go home,” she said, looking up at him. He nodded and looked away from her, his eyes focusing on some far away spot while he seemed to be thinking something over.
“I need your help,” Balthazar said. He stepped beside her and leaned over the rail of the bridge, looking down at the water. “Assist me and I promise I’ll find you a way home.”
“Ok,” Alex said. Her green eyes shone up at him and Balthazar couldn’t help but enjoy the smell of her desire that still floated in the air around them. It was probably for the best that he send her home. He couldn’t hold himself back if he was around her for much longer. He didn’t think it relevant to mention that he had no idea how to do that. He needed her to help him and he would have agreed to nearly anything to get that.
“Return to the harem,” Balthazar said, not able to look at her. “We’ll leave in the morning. Do me a favor and try to stay out of trouble until then.”
Alex opened her mouth to rebuke his last comment, but the demon had already disappeared. Her body was shaking from the adrenaline that had built up while he was around and she shook her hands hoping to release some of the tension. She glanced around the garden, suddenly noticing her surroundings in the absence of Balthazar. An oddly familiar face caught her attention. A round, pudgy face that quickly turned away when she caught it watching her. She knew that face from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite place where.
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