by Raquel Dove
Tavi tossed Alex down onto the bed in the center of his tent. Pain wracked every limb of her body as she bounced lightly on the overstuffed feather mattress. His tent was large, with swaths of fabric falling from the roof to separate it into sections. It was dark, lit only by a few candles that were scattered throughout, and a small brazier of coals in the middle that provided warmth from the cold of the night.
She stilled on the bed as the demon towered over her, his eyes narrowed disapprovingly. His fingers worked to untie the blood spattered silk shirt that covered his absurdly toned torso and the garment slid off his shoulders, falling noiselessly to the ground. Alex instinctively roamed over the hard curves of lean muscle and felt her cheeks growing hot. She quickly looked away from him, running a hand through her dirtied hair.
Tavi’s nose twitched as it caught the tangy sweet smell of the girl’s faint, but unmistakable arousal. He turned away from her and made his way to the other side of his tent where a small table held a pitcher filled with water. He grabbed a clean washcloth and began to wash the blood from his hands.
When he finished, he rang the cloth out and turned to face the girl sitting on his bed. His face betrayed no emotion but he was utterly perplexed by her. She was a frustrating paradox. Tavi could clearly smell the terror in her aura, but her ever-increasing arousal was also very apparent. Not to mention the fact that she was actually a human being, and his men had found her lying unconscious just inside their borders. He didn't know what to make of her. He wasn't sure if she was a threat to his kingdom, perhaps sent to spy on them, or worse, or whether she was just some innocent human girl that had gotten caught up in something way over her head. She seemed innocent enough, and Tavi couldn't smell any deception coming off her, but with the Lord Sultan's recent assassination he couldn't be too careful. Still, he hadn't intended any harm to come to her, at least not until he found out more about why she was here.
Without a word, Tavi bent down and reached out for Alexandra’s bloodied feet. She pulled away, her eyes wide with terror and attempted to scoot further back on the bed. A sharp growl made her freeze.
“Continue to fight me and you will find yourself in much more pain little girl,” Tavi said. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want to spend the night struggling to treat her wounds either.
“I’m not...” she shook her head and sighed heavily, “I don’t know what you want from me.”
Tavi reached for her ankle again, this time moving slowly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. When she let him grab her leg, he scooted a little further up. He bent over and brought his lips to her thigh, hovering above a large gash that was still oozing blood. Her eyes watched him warily as her arousal continued to increase. He began to sweep his tongue across the large wound, carefully lapping up all the blood and soaking the surrounding area with a good bit of saliva. She squirmed and wriggled, trying to get away from him.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to pull her leg away from him. Tavi wanted to sigh in annoyance. She acted like she was terribly offended by the gesture, and yet the scent of her arousal was almost to a point of discomfort.
“Be still girl,” Tavi commanded, his voice low and soft. “I'm only trying to heal you.”
“But you're—“ Alex promptly stopped struggling when she saw the torn skin on her thigh close over and heal right before her eyes. Tavi continued to lick the larger wounds and scratches that covered her body, each one healing only moments after his tongue dragged over it. When he had finished, he wiped a small smear of blood of his chin and looked up at her.
“How is that possible?” Alex asked, as she examined her now completely healed body.
“There’s a component of my saliva that will heal almost any wound, so long as it's not life threatening,” Tavi said very matter-of-factly, as if Alex should have already known that.
“Can all demons do that?” she asked. She ran a finger over the spot on her thigh that had been gouged and bleeding only moments ago.
“Only Devasi,” Tavi said. He paused for a moment, as if he were thinking. “Only Devasi royalty.”
“Oh,” Alex said, looking up at him. She had a curious look in her eyes as she settled back into the cushions on the bed.
“Did you honestly think that you would get away?” Tavi asked. He leaned back a on the bed, examining her as he waited for her answer.
“What would you do if someone was holding you against your will?” she said softly, avoiding the half-naked demon’s gaze.
The girl had a point. Tavi had to admit that he too would try to escape if he was in her position. He climbed off the bed and walked to the other side of the tent, where another table held the possessions that where found with her. Tavi picked up the small silver box with the intricate carvings on top.
“Hey, that's my stuff” she said, her voice rising as she moved to get off the bed.
“Where did you obtain this?” he asked, turning to face her with the silver box held up for her to see.
“That’s none of your business,” Alex said. She reached out to grab at it, but Tavi quickly pulled it out of her grasp.
Tavi narrowed his eyes at her. She really was a most ungrateful creature. He had rescued her from rape and death, treated her wounds, and now she would not even answer a simple question. Tavi had never met a woman so disrespectful and frankly he'd had enough of it. Before Alex could blink he was on top of her, his body pressing hers against a thick timber that held the tent up.
“You will answer my question,” Tavi said straining to hold back a growl.
“No, I will not,” Alex said, sticking her chin out in defiance. Her eyes glared back at Tavi, determination shining in them, but he could still smell her fear. What an interesting creature she was. A bundle of contradictions. He wondered what his brother would think of her. Tavi let out a deep growl that shook the cloth walls of the tent. Alex flinched, and her fear rose, but still she said nothing.
“If you continue to defy me, your fate will be lamentable,” he warned, his voice barely more than a whisper as his face invaded hers.
Alex just stared back at him, defiance still plastered on her face. In an instant Tavi had whirled her around so that he was standing behind her. His arm wrapped around her midsection and pulled her into him. He firmly grasped her narrow chin with his other hand, and pulled her ear close to his mouth.
“You will submit to me, girl. Or I will make the intentions of your previous attackers look tame,” he said, his voice a velvety whisper as his hot breath tickled the lobe of her ear.
The scruff of his unshaven face scratched against the skin of her neck as a low rumble echoed in his chest and vibrated through Alex. She felt the heat in her stomach begin to stir again as her back was pressed further into the muscular chest of the powerful demon behind her. The heat of his body warmed Alex through her badly torn pajama remnants.
Tavi felt the shift in her aura and his nostrils flared as he scented the girl’s arousal once more in the air. He released his grip with a grunt of frustration and stepped away from her.
“Sleep,” he commanded, not looking at her. “I expect you to be more forthcoming in the morning.”
11