To Bewitch a Devil

275 I haven’t been with another

“Azriel,” Freya called, and he raised his brow the tiniest fraction, the only sign of attention he gave her. “Why are you even here in the first place? I can take care of myself. Look, your best friend has me chained like an animal. I don’t need you here.”

Azriel looked at her then, and the leather contraption that bound one of her hands to the solid wood of the frame of the bed. Zavian’s order had been to ‘imprison’ her to the bed since Freya was not big on fastening her own recuperation.

“Even you don’t believe that,” he said. Knowing Freya, she would have already started gnawing through that strap already.

Usually, a guard or two would keep watch over her, but she somehow managed to chase them away despite being restricted. So it left just Zavian and Azriel who took turns in watching her.

“I will pay you,” Freya said. “Just get me out for a few minutes, and no one has to know.”

Azriel removed his legs from the chair and shifted his body closer to Freya, so he was leaning close to her.

“How much are we talking?”

“A gold bar.”

Azriel chuckled. “You think so low of me, Freya.”

.....

“Wait, wait, wait,” she said before he changed his mind. “Ten gold bars.”

Azriel mused over it. “Still too small.”

“Fifteen.”

“I could still lift that with one hand.”

Twenty.”

“You are a cheap demon.”

“Fifty!” Freya yelled. “Fifty! Now get me out of this place!”

Azriel had that lopsided smirk on his face, and that was when Freya knew he had been pulling her legs. He wasn’t ever going to get her out of that room.

Her palm reached to slap him, but Azriel was fast to back away. She thrashed on the bed, ignoring the bandages and the wounds tearing at their seams, and Azriel was standing now, pinning her other hand down with his own.

“Stop moving!” Azriel yelled. “Freya, stop!”

But Freya wasn’t listening. And Azriel bent another leg and placed it on her lap, using it to immobilize her to some extent.

“Stop moving, dammit!” He ordered, already pissed.

“I am not an animal!” She yelled, yanking at the leather contraption, her wrist bruising.

“You are acting like one now!” Azriel yelled back, taking her now wounded hand and holding it above her, pinning both hands above her head. When his leg didn’t do the job of holding her down, he threw it over to her side, wound one of his legs around her knee and behind her calf, and rested it over her other leg, immobilizing her completely.

“Freya,” he called out amidst her frustration. “You will be out soon. You are healing fast, but you make everything worse when you keep tearing up your wounds, and the more you do, the more you would be caged inside here. Or is that too much for your thick skull to understand?”

“Get off me,” She growled to his face.

Azriel smirked. “You must be the first lady to say that too.”

The door swung open, and Azriel wanted to curse for not keeping his ears open to it while in that compromising situation. The entrant didn’t speak, and he knew what he or she saw.

“Excuse us please,” Freya said, smiling up at Azriel. “We were just so excited we forgot to lock the door.”

“Shut up,” Azriel said.

“Azriel,” Zavian’s patient tone called from behind him. “Mind telling me what exactly is going on here?”

Azriel unwound his leg from Freya’s, and slowly, he let go of Freya’s hands as he climbed off the bed. She was still grinning up at him, and thankfully, had stopped thrashing around. When he looked at Zavian, who wore an impassive expression, his eyes fell on the maid next to him holding a tray of food.

Penelope’s eyes were wide, but she tried to comport herself. He saw the white grip of her knuckles on the tray.

Just the perfect afternoon.

“She was out of control, Zavian,” Azriel said. “I only had to do that to stop her.”

“Now if you can excuse us,” Freya purred. “We have got some business to get back to.”

“Stop talking,” Azriel hissed at her.

Azriel’s eyes shot to Penelope, but Penelope was focusing on a corner of the chambers, avoiding meeting all three of the demons’ eyes.

Zavian followed Azriel’s gaze and caught the book on the floor. He looked at his sister, and back at Azriel.

“I’ll take over watching her,” Zavian said. “You go and handle... your affairs.”

Freya sat up, furious once again. “I don’t need you to watch me. You didn’t even do so when we were kids.”

“There’s always a start for anything, yes?” Zavian directed Penelope to drop the tray on the bedside table furthest from Freya in case she wanted to use them for a bouncing sport against the walls again. As Penelope did so, she could feel the burn of Freya’s glare, and she was grateful Freya was bound to the bed.

“I’ll be going, your Majesty,” Penelope bowed, and exited the room.

She didn’t bother to rush or walk too far, because she knew Azriel wouldn’t be too far behind her. She heard his steps fall in sync with hers, and saw his frame appear by her side.

“I know you want to defend yourself, my Lord,” Penelope began before Azriel could speak. “And I know you had nothing to do with her, but I feel such defense isn’t necessary, and I have spared you the need.”

“Stop walking,” Azriel ordered. Penelope obeyed, and she turned to face him, her eyes directed at his chest rather than his face.

Azriel cupped her face and held it up, forcing her to look at him, and she almost choked back the tears at that simple gesture.

“Even if you don’t believe me, Pen,” Azriel began softly. “I haven’t been with any other lady after you.”

Penelope’s mind went back to the red-haired demon that had been plaguing her dreams and who he had so generously described his intended experience with, but she didn’t say anything.