The darkness loomed above her, beating on weary senses from all sides. Evil. And tears. Was she crying? She didn't even know. Sobs wracking a worn-out body. Unrelenting darkness surrounding her, invading her, tainting her. Evil. More tears...agony and fright overwhelming an innocent mind. Pain...intense, searing pain... Fear. Frightened gasps escaping from a throat screamed raw. Wasted screams, no one had heard them except 'him.' Evil. Increased discomfort, the slight throbs of pleasure ignored. Evil. Pain reaching a dramatic peak...
Amelia sat up quickly, awoken from her nighttime anamnesis. She clutched the dingy sheets to her chest, her heart pounding against her ribcage, the dream/memory still fresh in her mind. Shadows. Strands of purple hair falling over lust-filled eyes. Grasping hands...no, no, she wouldn't think about that. Amelia slid out of the uncomfortable inn bed and padded softly across the creaky floorboards, determined to get up and forget about the dream. Breakfast sounded like a good idea. She made her way to the rickety dressing table, rummaging through a purse that might have once been beautiful, but was now soiled and torn. Disdained by the emptiness of the purse, she threw it across the cramped room and fell to her knees.
It had been nine months. Nine months since she'd run away from home. Nine months since she'd seen her father or any of her friends. Nine months since... She rubbed her swollen belly absently, repulsed by the memories that once again flooded her mind. Nine months since 'he' had visited her on that dreadful night.
There was no way she could face her father, her people, after 'that.' She'd wanted to run away to the temple at Serga for a few years, thinking the priestesses there could cleanse and purify her. She'd hoped they could erase the effects of 'that', but then...
Stupid, stupid, stupid Mazoku. Damn him and his human form.
Amelia had been forced to fend for herself since she couldn't return home. It wasn't so bad at first; she'd been young and strong and able to find work easily. But as the signs of her condition became more pronounced, money became harder to come by. After all, who wanted to hire an unmarried pregnant girl?
Soon she would have another person to worry about. Another mouth to feed besides her own. Amelia knew she didn't have the money or the strength to take care of a baby. Of course, she could always dispose of it. After all, it was a half-Mazoku bastard. It was half of 'him.' Half evil. But it was half of her, too, and her own code of justice refused to allow her to harm the baby. No matter what trouble it might bring her...
"Sleep, sleep, little one, close your eyes and sleep..." Amelia sang softly to the white-swathed bundle in her arms, rocking it gently back and forth. It had only been a few months since the baby's birth, and already she was finding it financially difficult to live. She could barely feed herself, often going with one skimpy meal per day. This made it hard to feed the baby as well. It was at times like this that she wondered if she should simply give her child to someone else.
But she couldn't. The baby, which she'd named Razilee, had already wormed its way into her heart. She loved her tiny daughter. Razilee was so beautiful...big blue eyes like her mother and a flawlessly angelic face. Her only marring feature was the shock of purple hair on her head...hair like her father's. The one reminder of her dark lineage.
The former princess tucked the baby into a linen drawer, planting a goodnight kiss on her pale forehead. "Sleep safely, Razilee," she whispered, smiling down at the snoring infant, mentally wishing that she could provide a better life for her.
A soft chuckle startled her out of her silent prayer and she froze, recognition filling her with fear. Masaka... She whirled around.
'He' was seated on the edge of the bed, trademark staff resting across his knees and a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Hello there, Ame-chan."
She nearly screamed.
The Mazoku gave her a look of false surprise. "Why, Ame-chan, I'm hurt. Do you not remember me?" His smile darknened as he rose from his position. "Have you forgotten?"
Amelia whimpered quietly and backed into the wall, desperately wanting to get as far away from him as she could. She sank to the floor as he approached her, afraid. But at the last second, he turned and walked over to the chest of drawers in which the baby slept. "No," Amelia choked out, irrational fear gripping her heart. "Xelloss, please..."
He reached into the drawer and lifted the infant into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "So this is Razilee," he breathed softly, shifting and waking her. "You chose a fitting name, Ame-chan...'my secret'. She is your little secret, isn't she." Xelloss smiled as the baby blinked her large blue eyes at him inquisitively. "My little secret, too." He tickled the child's feet.
Razilee giggled happily and grasped the stranger's hair, pulling on it with her infant strength. She liked the silly man already. He was oddly familiar to her, and smiled much more than Mommy. She laughed aloud as he tickled her again.
"Ara, I think she likes me!" Xelloss's smile wavered slightly as he found he couldn't disentangle the baby's fingers from his hair. "What do you think, Ame-chan?"
Amelia held her arms out to him. "Please give her back," she begged, fear making her words sound harsh. "Please, Xelloss..."
The Mazoku raised an eyebrow at her. "What, you think I'm going to hurt her? I wouldn't do that to my daughter." Amelia flinched at his words. "Yes, Ame-chan, she is my daughter. Every bit mine as yours."
The dark-haired girl almost balked at the sudden return of memories, images from 'that night' running through her mind. She shoved them from her head. "Please, give her back..." It was a weak request.
He wandered thoughtfully back to the chest of drawers, placing the baby back in its resting place. "You do know I could just take Razilee and leave. She may prove very useful to me in the future."
"You wouldn't!" Amelia gasped, her eyes widening in horror.
Xelloss knelt by her on the floor, meeting her eyes. "I didn't think you'd like that," he smiled. "Which is why there is another solution that will benefit both of us. I will take both Razilee and you."
"What?"
He continued to speak, his voice soft as silk. "It's the best arrangement for both of us, Ame-chan. I gain the two of you, and you get to stay with our daughter. And," he added, leaning close to whisper in her ear, "as an added bonus, you'll have me."
Amelia gulped, trying not to notice the pulse his words sent to her abdomen. She hated that. He always did that to her, even before 'that night'. Stupid Mazoku, always making her want him even though she was completely terrified of him. "N-no..."
"Why not?" Xelloss murmured, his breath tickling her neck. "You're not still mad about that little incident, are you?"
"Little incident?" Tears of anger sprang to her eyes. "How can you say that? I almost killed myself because of your 'little incident'! I lost everything because of you!"
He shrugged. "You knew that was going to happen. You should not have tempted me, then refused me like that. You punished me, and I punished you."
"So you're saying it was my fault?" she asked incredulously.
Xelloss shook his head, opening his eyes to prove his point. "It's not your fault at all. I'm a wolf, Ame-chan. A beast. When I choose my prey, I always win. No matter the circumstances." His smile faltered for a second. Even if it is regrettable...
Amelia shrank further against the wall, feeling very insecure. "But..."
"You do want to keep Razilee, don't you?"
"....."
The Mazoku's eyes swept over her as he crawled closer, nearly in her lap. "You've gotten so thin," he observed, a note of concern in his voice. "I can fix that. You won't have to worry about food anymore. You won't have any worries."
"....."
His amethyst eyes were pleading now as he climbed atop her, lifting his hands to frame her face. "You do want me, don't you? I promise I won't hurt you." Leaning in to kiss her softly, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I won't hurt you anymore."
Amelia was both surprised and scared at the same time. She was afraid of Xelloss, but even more afraid of the intense desire that flooded her emotions. Even after all he'd done to her, she still felt passion for him. Stupid, stupid Mazoku! she cursed him mentally as her will gave way; he'd made too good an offer to pass up.
So they boinked each other right there on the floor, and Xelloss took his new family home with him.
The Beastmaster hadn't been impressed with the weakness her servant had shown, but she was very intrigued by his "pack", as she called them. She kind of liked the idea of having a baby around the palace, especially since that baby would grow up to be an extremely powerful woman. And Xelloss was in a better overall mood than he'd been before he brought them to live with him. Mostly because of what went on behind his closed doors, she suspected. But who could blame him?
Zelas stooped to pick up the readily escaping child, who had recently learned to crawl, and sat her in her lap. "You're a naughty girl, Razzy. Isn't anyone watching you?" She shook her head. "I guess Mommy and Daddy are at it again, huh."
"A't ag'n."
The Beastmaster smiled. "Yes, that's right." She was amused by the fast pace at which Razilee was learning to speak, especially since she was the one who influenced her speech most. It was quite flattering. She gently joggled the baby on her knee. "I think I'll teach you form-changing magic when you grow up," Zelas whispered absent-mindedly. "Yes, a shapeshifter..."
"S'ay sifah?"
"That's right, sweetie."