Page 99 of Unbinding the Demon
I gazed over at Valarendrik as he tucked a strand of his thick, unruly hair behind a pointed ear while concentrating on his sword. “Good grief. That’s awful,” I said, lowering my voice. It was hard to imagine someone so frightening-looking suffering from so much pain. My heart squeezed at the thought of it, and I decided not to judge him too harshly based on his ghoulish appearance. “I’m sorry he went through that.”
“I am too. Besides Belzar, he was my only company in this lifeless world. I care for him deeply and think of him as a brother.” Azathoth glanced over at him too, catching his attention. Valarendrik smiled at us both, seeming not to want to interrupt our conversation. “Luckily, he’s content now.” He wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer. “You should get some sleep. It would be best if you’re well-rested once we find the vovin.”
I snuggled into his embrace. “I’ll try. But I doubt I’ll be able to fall asleep in this nightmarish place.”
“Well, luckily, you have me,” he grinned.
I laughed. “Oh, right! I almost forgot that you’re like a living cup of chamomile tea, and I’ll never have to worry about insomnia again,” I teased lovingly.
His eyes grew bright with joy, and a soft chuckle escaped him. “Sleep,” he whispered.
My eyes glowed with love at Gwendolyn while she fell asleep. Her skin felt like the softest velvet beneath my touch as I lightly caressed her shoulder and neck. Her last words caused an overwhelming feeling of hope to bloom inside my heart. If she thought that she’d never have to worry about insomnia again, did that mean that she intended to stay with me? Although she was straightforward about needing time to think about coming to Hell, she had been unclear about whether she would choose to stay.
“Azathoth... Your human companion...” I gazed up to see a look of complete horror contorting Valarendrik’s face as he spoke in the abyssal language. “Did she just perish?” he asked with concern, remaining frozen in place with the blade he was sharpening still in his hand.
Oh right... The abyssal undead don’t sleep.
I smiled and shook my head in amusement. “No, she’s perfectly fine. Humans need to go into a comatose-like state every so often. Otherwise, they weaken and get sick. It’s calledsleep.” I waved my hand as if I were explaining some mystical phenomenon.
His look of horror turned to one of confusion. “That is very strange. How does she protect herself during this,” he waved a hand the same way I had done, “sleep?”
I shrugged. “She can’t, actually. She has no idea what’s going on around her right now. Watch...” I grabbed her face and squished her cheeks a few times, making her mouth move like a fish.“Blub, blub, blub,”I jokingly said to make her seem like a puppet. “She’ll have no recollection of that whatsoever.” My eyes met his with a mischievous snicker.
He cocked his head, both fascinated and confused by my demonstration. “That seems very impractical. She already looks quite helpless, even with her awareness intact.” He went back to sharpening his blade, glancing at Gwendolyn as though she were some sort of enigma.
“Yes, you’re right. She is helpless, for the most part.” I held my hand next to my mouth as if I were telling him a secret.“Although I’ll never tell her that. She’s a feisty one.“My hand lowered while we both chuckled. “Humans are naturally very weak and delicate, but they do have sharp minds. Luckily, she has me to protect her to make up for the lack of physical strength.”
His eyes trailed over her sleeping face. I tightened my wings around her and suppressed a possessive growl. I knew he was just curious, but my claim intensified my proprietorial instincts when it came to her. “You should arm her, then,” he stated, and then inspected the edge of his sword, flicking it a bit with his thumb.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I mean, that’s the most defenseless-looking being I’ve ever seen.” He pointed at her with his sword. “She has no fangs, no claws, and from what I can tell, she is extremely weak. So, you should give her a weapon to defend herself with.”
Horrible images of Gwendolyn accidentally killing herself with various weapons flashed through my mind. “No, no, no, she doesn’t need that. I’m her weapon,” I boasted, while pointing at my chest.
“Ehh...”He tilted his head with a skepticalexpression. “I disagree, my friend. She’ll never become stronger that way. If you care for her well-being, then I believe you should strengthen and arm her.” Sagacor whinnied behind him.
I genuinely thought about what he said for a minute. “No, I still think that’s a bad idea. She’s too clumsy.” My hair swayed as I shook my head. “But believe me, I would never let anything harm her. Not only do I care for her, but I also love her. She’s extremely precious to me.” I smiled down at her delicate, sleeping face and caressed her cheek.
He raised an intrigued brow. “Love?”
Oh, I forgot. Love doesn’t exist for the abyssal undead. How do I, a demon, explain what love is to a Tenverian?
“Well, you see,love...” I waved my hand again as I began to explain. “It’s sort of similar to the pleasurable rush you get when you’ve really wanted to kill someone for a long time. And then, at last, you finally feel glorious satisfaction from seeing their blood violently spill from their flesh.” He nodded his head in understanding, letting me know that my explanation was getting the point across. “Only that blissful feeling is constant and for someone else. It makes you want to protect and cherish them always...and constantly copulate with them.”
He looked awestruck as he gazed over at me. “That sounds wonderful. I envy you and thislovething you have with the flimsy human female.” He nodded toward her. “Does she experience such things, too?”
His question froze me on the spot.Did she still love me?It hadn’t gone unnoticed that she hadn’t said it since finding out the truth about what I was, and I was too afraid to ask. It would shatter my heart if she didn’t.
“She did, and I hope she still does,” I said quietly, gazing down at her with a sense of longing. “Well, anyway.” I cleared my throat and looked over at him. “Will you join us and slay the vovin with me?” We had been discussing it while Gwendolyn was still awake. He was on his way to the great lake to slay some hydras, so I had a good feeling he’d say yes to my offer.
“My friend, I would never turn down such an invitation.” He grinned murderously while twirling his blade.
The mist drifted by as we continued to catch up. I shared with him every detail about my less-than-ideal five years back on Earth and my matrimonial hopes regarding Gwendolyn. He always enjoyed my stories about the living worlds and was fascinated by the idea of them. He had many questions regarding humans and Earth, all of which I answered to the best of my ability.
Hours passed as we chit-chatted and plotted the vovin’s demise.
42. Blades and Bones
