Ruan
Ashmoder grabbed my head and slammed it against the wall, laughing.
" You're a dummy" He said while he looked at me with something other than anger that I couldn't quite pinpoint.
I looked at him through the blood and saw him looking at me expectantly, waiting for something. Just want did he want me to say? If he wanted me to apologize he could wait all day. I wasn't doing that.
" Don't you have anything to tell me?" Ashmoder's tone was deep and husky, exactly the same tone he had when he was talking to someone who was already dead in his mind. I shuddered.
" Like what?" I said in between coughs, my throat sore from not having any water for more than a day.
"Hah" Ashmoder tussled his hair while he looked at me, a look of utter defeat on his eyes.
What was wrong with him? Was he really that annoyed that I had bitten him?
" Fine, sorry" I forced the apology out of my mouth, knowing that it would only get worse, not better.
Ashmoder stopped his self pity fest and looked at me, his eyes claiming defeat.
If an apology wasn't what he wanted then what was? What did he want?
I was frustrated and beginning to feel pissed, so all my inhibitions that kept me alive went off the roof.
" What the fuck do you want then? What do you want if not an apology? I don't understand!" My voice got higher and higher the more I talked, my anger seeping through my pores.
" Maybe I want you to see it for once" Ashmoder said, his tone defeated.
See what? See what? I screamed in my mind as Ashmoder turned around and threw me the keys.
Just what had that been about? I caught the keys and used them to free myself, my muscles sore from the manacles.
As soon as I was free I ran to the door, not wanting to lose Ashmoder. I ran as fast as I could, but still, by when I reached him he was gone, disappearing right before my eyes.
Crap! Just what had that all been about? What didn't I know? What had he wanted?
I sighed as I walked to my room and changed from my tattered clothes to more presentable ones. Since Ashmoder didn't seem willing to tell me anything I'd have to figure it out by myself.
As soon as I was dressed I ran up to Els, who was eating dinner happily in her bed. I opened the wall with one hard kick and the marble flew everywhere, shards spreading all through the room.
I went up to Els and glared at her from outside the bed. If she knew something she was going to tell me now.
" What's going on with Ashmoder? Do you know anything?" I asked in my most threatening tone.
" Why do you ask me?" Els asked, pissed.
" Do you really want to play games right now?" My voice had gotten dangerously low and sparks were flying from my whole body, ready to touch something and burn it to ash.
" I don't know what you mean. You always spend more time with him than me, you should know what's wrong with your beloved Ashmoder" Els's moking tone set me off. How dare she say it like that, as if she knew I had something going on with Ashmoder, and yet kiss him and go into his bed? I knew we weren't exactly friends, but I did hope she'd have more loyalty than that.
" Really?" My eyes were gleaming and the few sparks from before seemed like a game compared to the fire that was raging in my body, my every feeling and instinct screaming at me to kill her now while I could.
I held in my instincts, Ashmoder would kill me if I killed his lover and commander, and I punched the wall instead, making the whole structure tremble from the strength of my punch.
" Why are you so angry?" Els got up and was by my side in a second, her hand over my shoulder.
I glared at her and shook her off. How dare she try to console me when she was the source of all my problems?
" As if you don't know" I huffed, my anger rising by the second.
Els looked at me as if she wanted to say something, but she must've thought it over because she shut her mouth and just sighed.
" You should talk to Ashmoder. I saw him earlier and he isn't so angry anymore, but still" her frown turned into a smile, though mine didn't " how did you think of kidnapping his daughter?"
" It wasn't kidnapping" I said, throwing myself into her bed and sprawling all over it, my anger somehow gone after she had dropped the fake pity. I still hated her, but less " she asked me to take her back, so I did"
Els looked at me and smiled.
" And what did you get in return?"
" What do you mean in return?" I smiled back, my smile all crooked.
Els laughed and then sat on her bed.
" If I were you I wouldn't let Ashmoder know that you made a pact with his beloved daughter. You're dead if he finds out"
" And you think I'm safe now?" I chuckled, taking off my shirt. " Look" I said, pointing at the multiple slashes from whips that crossed my chest all over. They would be gone by tomorrow morning, but right now they were still there.
" Wow. He was pissed" Els said as she crawled up to where I was in the bed and started staring at my wounds, raising her hand and lightly touching my wound.
As soon as I sensed her hand I pulled away, surprised. What the fuck? I didn't think she'd try to touch my wounds, made by my guy after I had gotten mad and tried to pay him back for sleeping with her.
I stared at her with wide eyes and a frown until she retreated, her expression grim.
" Anyway, you should talk to Ashmoder"
" As if I'd ever talk to that womanizer piece of trash" I said, knowing perfectly well that I had almost forgiven him for that and that what I was feeling was just residual anger.
Els raised her eyebrow, and looked at me with a confused look in her face.
" What are you talking about?" She asked, surprise in her voice.
I clenched my teeth and turned around, not wanting to play this theater any longer, but she was a good actress. I'd give her that.
" I'm going" I said, a frown on my face.
" You should really talk to Ashmoder. I'm sure there has been some kind of misunderstanding"
" What misunderstanding?" I asked, my voice hoarse. " I caught him on bed with you. How can you call that a mistake?"
Her eyes widened and she looked at me with surprise before her facial features changed and a smile spread all over her lips.
" When?"
" The other day. In a pleasure house in the middle of the city. You had a threesome with him and another woman" My voice was low now and my tone defeated. I had already given up on trying to justify it. I'd just have to live with it, no matter how much it hurt just thinking about it.
Els looked at me and laughed, really laughed, her whole body shaking from it.
" You should check your facts with Ashmoder before you make assumptions" She said in between laughs.
" What assumptions?" I was getting more pissed by the second.
" Or just ask Riss, both of them will tell you the truth"
I scoffed and teleported out of there. What truth? I already knew all I needed to know. She wasn't going to trick me into believing in her lies.
Despite my firm belief that she was wrong my heart wouldn't calm down, grabbing onto the last chance that Ashmoder hadn't cheated on me, my subconscious choosing to believe her lies, which played on record in my mind.
Without really thinking about it my steps took me to Riss's room.
" Hi Ruan" Riss welcomed me with a smile, but mine was skewered. Els had said he had something to do with Ashmoder cheating on me. If he did he was going to pay.
" Hi" I said, my voice firm and deep.
" Why are you mad?" Riss asked, keeping his distance. Smart man.
" Els told me you had something to do with Ashmoder cheating on me" I said, deciding that the best path was the one of honesty. That way he couldn't deny the truth.
" What are you on?" Riss asked, coming closer to me and sniffing me, trying to find which kind of drugs I as taking, which were none.
I glared at him and flipped him the middle finger.
" Answer me"
" Okay" Riss looked at me confused, his eyebrows furrowed.
All of them were very good actors, I'd give them that.
" What do you want to know about?"
" About the pleasure house where Ashmoder cheated on me less than a week ago!" I exploded, fire raising from my fingertips and reaching the ceiling, charring it even more black.
Riss blushed and looked away. I knew it, he had something to do with everything.
" Speak" I grabbed him by the hand, twisting it around until he could barely move.
" It...it...I can't tell you!" Riss screamed, his whole arm twisted in an unnatural position.
What did he mean he wouldn't tell?
My anger rose and the smell of burned flesh reached my nostrils. Riss's arm was burning, the whole thing a blazing inferno.
" It wasn't Ashmoder!" Riss finally screamed after I had been burning him for over ten minutes, his whole body burned and covered in sweat.
" What do you mean?" I asked, putting out the fire.
Riss's eyes went to my face and then to his burned left half and he must've decided his life was more important than a secret because he started speaking again.
" It's just as I said" he said, pulling his arm away from my grip" I was the one having a threesome with Els and Tina. It wasn't Ashmoder. He was doing some paperwork at the time"
My whole body began burning again and Riss screamed as the fire returned, the flames dancing on his skin. I hated liers.
" Lier"
I grabbed him again and threw him on the floor, ready to get the truth out of him one way or another. By now I didn't even care, well I did a little bit, if Ashmoder had slept with other people and he knew, but I was beginning to get tired of being lied to. Ashmoder would never do paperwork, much less on his own.
" I know Ashmoder was in that pleasure house. I tracked his magic" I admitted, not caring at all about the punishment for spying on the King.
" It's true. Els called Ashmoder there to give him some paperwork to do. I don't know if he did it or not, but Els gave it to him" Riss said while he thrashed under me, trying to break free." That's all he did there. He didn't cheat on you" His voice was desperate as he tried to convince me.
I pondered his words for a long time before slowly letting him go. His words did make sense. Ashmoder would never work, but pretending to work or getting paperwork, without really doing it, was another story entirely.
" But the princess said she saw Ashmoder with Els and another woman" I said, clinging to what I believed, because if Ashmoder was truly innocent then that meant I had punished him for nothing.
" The princess?"
I glared at Riss and he shut up real quick. Getting involved with the princess and having our deal discovered was one of the last things I wanted.
" That's not what's important" I said, taking the conversation away from dangerous paths " what's important is that she saw him with them"
" Really?"
Riss was using a really annoying tone, so I glared at him, warning him that I was not in the mood.
" I didn't see anyone enter" Riss said intead, changing his tone.
He saw no one? Then how did the princess get that information?
" It really was me" Riss said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
My teeth clenched and I teleported away from there.
The princess was dead. She had dared to lie to me when I had helped her escape. I didn't know how she had managed to bypass the deal, but she was done for nonetheless. No one lied to me to get what they wanted and got away with it, no one.
I would get my revenge, but first I had to apologize to Ashmoder. I didn't want to do it at all, but it was the right thing to do.
Even if I was going to apologize my heart beated faster, happy. Knowing that Ashmoder hadn't cheated on me had really changed my mood.
" I'm sorry Ashmoder" I said, bowing down as soon as I found him on his throne room, giving orders to some lower demons to go to Earth to find his daughter, all of them scattering as soon as they saw me entering the room.
" You're finally apologizing" He said from his throne, his gaze hard.
" I thought you had cheated on me, but now I know that isn't true. I'm sorry I doubted you and wanted to get back at you"
Ashmoder got down from his throne and picked my head, making our lips be mere inches away. My heart began beating faster and my nerves were on edge. My whole body was waiting for something that wouldn't come, but still, how good would it be if he'd kiss me? I couldn't stop imagining that.
" Since when are we together? How could I cheat on you if we're nothing?"
My heart broke to pieces hearing Ashmoder talk. He was right, we weren't anything at all.
" You're right" I said, my voice weak.
" I didn't mean it like that" He said, his hold on my face strengthening.
I looked at him confused. How had he meant it if it wasn't that way?
My heart beat faster, hope appearing again.
" Then how did you mean it?" I asked, a gleam of hope in my eyes.
" I meant that you should ask"
Before I could process his last words he slammed our mouths together and his tongue entered my mouth.
I only stayed motionless for a few seconds. Not caring what was happening, or if it was a dream I had made up in my mind I grabbed Ashmoder's hair and pulled him closer, moving my tongue as I held him by the hips, wanting him closer to me.
I tasted his mouth as we kissed. He tasted just like I'd imagined, like ash and power.
I pulled him closer, wanting to eat him all up, but Ashmoder pushed me back into the floor and I hit my head as he laid on top of me, looking at me with his deep green eyes.