Cold, Demonic Eyes Ch. 02

After the demon's visit, Soraya was convinced she wouldn't be able to sleep. There were too many conflicting emotions and her tired brain tried to sort through the events of the day. The killings, the demon, her strange attraction to this foe and Nira, the cute, freckled servant. When Soraya closed her eyes, she could see the blaze of lightning reflected from the demons twin blades and his cold, blue eyes. Alas, she was utterly exhausted and drifted into sleep not long after the door closed, not even realizing it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

... Don't you dare faint... the midwife's ageless voice hovered through her dreams.

Strong arms clothed in black leather held her from behind. She felt his warm breath on her neck. It was the sole source of warmth in the pouring rain, his body producing the only shelter from the sharp wind.

Looking up, she saw the angel faced-demon amidst her men. Their screams drifted to her ear as she saw him rampaging among them. The muddy ground turned red despite the heavy rain. Soraya struggled against the arms that held her in a futile attempt to escape and help her men. Instead, she was just drawn closer to the warm, yet motionless body and was pressed to his chest.

When no one was still standing but the demon, the twin swords vanished in smoke and dark light. Blue eyes set on her and with slow, purposeful strides, the he came her way.

"Who are you?!" she shouted against the storm, her pulse racing.

No answer, just a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and lasted no longer than a heartbeat, when he stopped in front of her. His face was stained with her men's blood. Seeing the it, she swayed on her feet, but was held upright until she found her balance again, fighting the dizziness she felt.

I'm jealous, you know... He will get to caress you...

The arms around her then no longer restrained her. Instead, she felt them wandering over her thin, soaked dress and caressing her flat stomach.

When the blue stare locked onto her, she could hardly resist the urge to feel his lips again, touch the white scar on his face despite all the blood and all the death he had just caused. Pain, disgust and desire battled within her, but she could not hate him. Instead, she hated his unknown master, the one with the power to control a mighty demon as him.

Biting her lip, she silently pleaded for another kiss, as a hand slid inside her robe, searching for the little bud on the breast that fit easily in the large, strong hands. Fire shot through her core. With movements as graceful as ever, the demon bowed down.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Tasting the sweet lips kissing her, Soraya wrapped her arm around a slender neck. She returned the kiss with an unknown fire, almost hungrily. Then she heard a silent chuckle, that couldn't have come from his throat. The voice was too light, too... female. Also, he didn't smell faintly of freshly baked bread and clean sheets. Startled, the princess almost jumped out of the bed.

"Easy there, sleeping beauty" laughed the merry-faced servant who had her hand in Soraya's robe, rounding her nipple with a gentle finger. "Beg your pardon, I couldn't resist... You won't tell, will you?"

The princess drew a shaky breath and shook her head as the servant retracted the hand. Her face was burning hot and probably as red as fresh blood on new snow. "You confuse me, you know..." she muttered and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Again, the servant chuckled benevolently and a bright smile made her eyes shine. "Nevertheless, you seemed to like it..." She was cocky, that servant.

The sun was hanging low, lit the room through the small, round windows and a low fire burned in the room. "Good morning to you, too..."Soraya replied to avoid a straight answer, ignoring the burning between her legs.

"Morning? Milady, you slept all day long. It's almost sunset but the midwife told us to let you sleep, since you had quite a day, yesterday." The servant informed, frowning. "I am Nira, by the way..."

"Nice to meet you, Nira. My Name is Soraya..." Slowly sitting up, she looked around the room. For the first time, she was really able to take in her surroundings. The cream-colored curtains on the four poster bed were drawn. Lush carpets covered the stone floor and parts of the white-rendered walls. A dresser stood beside the door to the bathroom, there was a large wardrobe and living room suite made of dark blue velvet and ebony. The room had a friendly feeling to it, nothing that betrayed it to be her prison.

The princess swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Looking at Nira, quite red, she inquired: "Is it customary here to just... touch people?"

"Err... No, milady. I just couldn't help myself. You smell like a forest after a nightly rain... Do you mind?" Nira gave the impression of being a child, just caught with one hand in the cookie jar, but didn't seem genuinely embarrassed.

"I... am not sure, to be honest... And how exactly does a forest after nightly rain smell?" muttered the princess, getting up.

A mischievous grin spread over the freckly face. "We could find out... As long as we are careful..." she suggested. "And it just smells... like water, trees, wild berries, fresh, clean... Nice, I guess?" Nira shrugged.

The princess blushed again. "Maybe... Something to eat first?"

"Ah, yes... Of course, lady... And we then we got some things to do. The master ordered it..." Putting an arm around Soraya's waist, the servant pulled her towards the couch. On the low lacquer table was a tray crammed with delicacies. "Cook doesn't yet know what you like, so she made everything she could think of. There are eggs, three-minute eggs, scrambled ones, omelets, bacon, pancakes, not as many different fresh fruits as she would have liked and some canned ones, butter, honey, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, some marmalades and of course fresh bread... And probably some things I forgot about..."

Soraya eyed the full tray suspiciously. "Your master wants me rested and relaxed. Does he want to fatten me as well?"

"Oh, no, no! There is just no need for you to lack for anything, right? Just because the master has plans for you, it doesn't mean that he has to put you in a cell and starve you, right?" Nira directed her to the sofa and gently pushed her onto the cushions. She obviously was the rather bossy type of servant.

Sitting down, Soraya allowed the servant to pour her a cup of tea. The porcelain in her hand, her golden eyes came to rest on Nira. "The master... Is he a demon as well?"

"Of course he is..." Nira sat down on the ground beside the couch, after her serving duties were done, deciding it wasn't a breach of protocol.

Soraya meanwhile chose from among the cut, fresh fruit. Not all of them were known to her, but despite her situation, she was eager to try them. As the midwife had said, there was no need make it worse than it already was. The princess was and had always been rather curious. "You know, when my father's men -- or my fiancée's -- come to free me, I could take you with me. Life under an evil overlord must be hard."

Nira made a face. "Begging your pardon, milady, but 'evil overlord' is a political term. I know he is ruthless when it comes to his enemies. Last summer, he wiped out an entire village that had opposed him. But so did the one of the lords in the southern lands and he was celebrated as a savior. That our master is a demon is just an excuse for everyone."

Disbelieving, Soraya arched an eyebrow. "Do I understand the meaning of your words correctly? You claim he is a good man?!"

"Nah..." The freckled servant laughed. "For one, he is not a 'man'. A male demon for sure but there is a difference. I think... But that's usually the point, when cook tells me not to. Think, I mean. Just saying that good and evil are things of perspective and that he is just as bad as every lord I have ever heard of. For us servants, he is probably even a good lord. I can walk the streets at night without fearing to be raped or robbed. We don't have many criminals here, as our master knows only one punishment, regardless of the crime. With the magic he controls, no offender goes unpunished and we are not harassed by his soldiers, whether human or demon. Everyone who agrees to work is fed, sheltered. So no matter what he is, I'm not eager to leave here. I appreciate the offer, though."

Soraya wasn't sure how to respond, so she just focused on her breakfast. Nira's words rang with truth, but after a lifetime of dividing her world into good and evil, the princess couldn't easily agree. Especially when it came to the man who ordered her capture. Additionally, it was hard not to picture her father as the better ruler, but she had no arguments to prove her point yet. The silence stretched despite the fact that the servant's words had been very friendly. Finally, when Soraya put her plate away, she addressed the servant again.

"You said there was work to do?"

Nira nodded and got on her feet and brushed down her dress. "In the bathroom, if you please. I am very well aware that in your country, certain hygienic necessities are performed just before a girl's wedding. We'll take care of them. And then, since you will be staying with us for quite some time, the tailor is waiting."

Soraya nodded curtly, following the servant to the adjoining room. As her bedroom, it was hardly less luxurious than her own chambers at home, just smaller. Marble covered floor and walls and all armatures were golden. The shelf on the wall was lined with hundreds of crystal flasks of every shape and size and the large, round window was a colorful mosaic, lighting the room in different colors. The master had given her a suite worthy of a princess, which only added to her puzzlement.

Guided by the freckled servant, Soraya undressed completely lay down on a bench underneath the window. Nira took her time studying the princess' slender body intensely, which, after the words spoken last night, made the object of the interest blush. This was her clue to walk over to the shelf with the flasks, and pick one.

"I am surprised that all the demons did not come up with a magic solution for this yet and still rely on alchemy..." Nira informed the princess. "Anyway, just relax, it will not hurt... Unlike what they would have done to you at home." She pulled the stopper free of the bottle and poured some of the viscous liquid into her handy, before starting to apply it on the princess' body to places where there would be hair growing. "Now we just need to wait... It will dissolve the hair, including the root, but it will not damage the skin..."

Soraya sighed, then closed her eyes. She was still feeling weary, since yesterday's events were not easy to handle. It wasn't even that she felt sorry for herself. The loss of life weighted heavily on her conscience and she was ashamed that there had been nothing she could do. She wasn't trained to do anything, really.

Interrupting her dark thoughts, she felt Nira place gentle hands on her temples, massaging her. The hands, gliding smoothly over her forehead, her brows and her cheeks, smelled of some exotic fruit and made the princess sigh with pleasure.

"Stop frowning, you will get wrinkles" chided the servant. "The master will not be happy and I will have more work..."

"What does the master want with me, anyway?" The princess made another attempt to get more information about her situation, before sighing again.

Nira just shrugged. "How should I know? It's not my place. Even if I did, I would not tell. I value my life..." Encouraged by the princess' reaction, the hands wandered down her neck, continuing with her shoulders. The young lady was quite tense, so the servant took her time working the knots. From time to time, she applied more of the oil she was using.

"But you did know what the demon would do?" The princess wasn't easily distracted, despite enjoying the treatment very much.

"Servants hear many things, milady. And they talk. I am sure you are aware of that."

Of course, Soraya knew it. Her own servants were no different. The servant did not want to talk about it and soon found a far more efficient way to keep the princess from talking. Her fingers left the young woman's shoulders, evading the fresh scar, gliding down her chest slowly, appreciative, until they covered the princess' breast. The servant's hands were not as big as those of the demon in her dream, so they covered them barely. Oiling the breasts, Nira let the princesses rosy buds slide? between her fingers until they rubbed small and hard against her palms.

"Like wild strawberries.... Hmm... I wish I could have a taste"

Soraya didn't answer, but the growing blush on her face when the servant started to devote herself to the little buds, rolling them between thumb and forefinger, was answer enough. The princess bit her lip to suppress a moan, heat flowing through her body. The hands then slid lower, caressing her flat stomach, before leaving the princess altogether. Slightly disappointed, the girl opened her eyes, watching Nira pouring hot water into a bowl.

A wicked smile on her face, Nira walked over. "The paste has finished its work... We can continue... I will love this part."

Putting the bowl on the ground, she took a cloth and started to wash the stuff off the princess' body. Only creamy white skin and nothing of the light, black fluff remained on her legs, under her armpits and between her legs. Once finished, the servant took the flask with the oil again. She spread the liquid over the young woman's legs and arms, and then continued where she had left off on the stomach.

Soraya could feel skillful fingers moving down, taking their time. Circling over her pubic mound, the fingers finally found her lower lips. One finger traced the slit between them without actually sliding in when the door flew open and the servant retracted her hands as if she had been burned. The princess' face instantly turned bright red and she put her arms over her body again, turning on her side to face the window, as the demon strode in without hesitation.

"The tailor is waiting..."

Nira hurried to get on her feet. "Yes, lord. Just a moment." Cleaning her hands on a cloth, she raced back in the bedroom to come back with a white cotton sheet. "Please stand up, milady."

Hesitantly, avoiding the demon's merciless stare, Soraya did as she was bidden, keeping her back to the intruder. The cloth was tied around her hips, covering only half of her body, but the servant made no attempt to change it and instead rushed to get a brush.

"Do we have time for that...?" Soraya whispered in her direction, when the servant started to brush her hair.

Nira didn't have the chance to answer the question, because there was a snap of the fingers, and the brush glided through the before tangled mess like a hot knife through butter. "They have magic for just everything..." The servant's answer was barely a whisper in Soraya's ear, before she started braiding the long, black strands. She was really skilled, the finger raced down the strands, before tying them up just below Soraya's buttocks. "Let's go..."

Not very keen, Soraya reentered the bedroom, her arms crossed over her naked chest. The living room suite had been moved to the side. In the middle of the new space stood a small platform that tailors used to measure their clients. Used to the procedure, Soraya climbed onto it. Close to the door a middle aged man stood and approached as soon as she had taken her place. He worked silently, measuring her with a strip, but not writing down anything. He avoided touching her, even looking at her. The princess felt like a puppet, not a human being. But this wasn't about customer experience.

When there were only the measurements of her arms and her chest left, the tailor coughed, looking unsure in the demon's direction. The demon pushed off the wall, where he had leaned while waiting, and walked over to the pedestal. Without a word, he enclosed Soraya's wrists with his hands, forcing her arms apart again. By now, she knew resistance was pointless. The girl felt him very close, but with the tailor present, it was uncomfortable, so she tried to ignore his proximity.

"Why don't you just ask..." she muttered. Of course, there was no answer.

The tailor meanwhile took his last measurement. When he had to go around her chest with his strip, he was careful enough to touch neither the princess nor the demon holding her. Only the strip grazed her bare, still hard nipples.

Upon finishing, the tailor bowed and the demon pulled her of the pedestal, pulling her close and turning her away from the door. Soraya's stomach leaped when the demon's arms covered her nakedness. Meanwhile, Nira had opened the door. Other servants hurried in to remove the pedestal and lift the furniture back to their usual place. When finished, the demon shot them another look and all of them left the room. Nira was the only one left.

Just then, when all the other eyes had left the room, the demon released her wrists. Soraya saw him stretching out a hand in the direction of the nightstand beside the bed. With his magic, he called a small jar in his hand. Putting his arms back around her, the demon took a small amount of salve out. Breathing his warm breath over her neck, he applied it over the scar. As always, his almost impersonal touch was very careful.

The demon's fingers finished just on top of her breast, where the scar ended. Soraya remembered him cupping her breasts in his hands in her dream. In reality, his hands looked about the same size. He really could cover the two apple-sized mounds easily.

When he released her, Nira raced over so she cover the scar with silk bandages and dressing the girl, giving Soraya's pounding heart a moment to rest.

It seemed a bit futile to dress her, even if it was just a short loincloth instead of the sheet, one light, blue silk robe and a broad belt, since the demon was likely to undress her again. In his presence, it seemed, she was mostly naked and therefore ashamed. Soraya did like her body, but her upbringing had taught her to hide it, that it was only to be shown to other females and her husband. The demon was neither, obviously.

The demon then cast Nira another look, so she scurried out. Striding over to the coffee table amidst the living room suite, he pulled a gem out of his robe and placed it on the table. Then he walked back to the empty space, where Soraya waited.

"Get it" he ordered.

Puzzled, Soraya look at him, and then started to walk over to the table. Instantly, the demon caught her with an arm around her waist.

"No, with your mind."

Soraya's golden eyes fixed him. "I am no witch or sorceress or magician..."

Again, there was no answer, just his arm around her waist. His empty eyes met her stare until she had to look away.

"Fine..." Soraya muttered and stretched out a hand. She imagined picking the object up with a phantom hand and pulling it up in the air. For half a minute, she just stared at the thing. It didn't even wiggle. She was close to giving up, already letting her arm sink, and telling him again that she wasn't able to do this, when she heard his voice close to his ear. "Concentrate..." He ordered, while his warm breath covered her skin in goosebumps. Taking a deep breath, remembering herself that this was the man who had murdered all her men, she tried again, lifting her arm back up.

When he nibbled her earlobe, she lost her focus entirely. But... Had the gem shifted ever so slightly?

The demon's lack of comment, when she stopped, seemed affirm her impression. Instead, he pulled her with him to one of the arm chairs, seating her on his lap, and then kissed her just below the earlobe. Instantly, the princess gasped for air, then leaned away from him.