The Demon's Love

XIV

Kael awoke from yet another erotic dream about Naevia. He couldn't take this anymore. The woman was driving him crazy. It had gotten even harder to control himself now that mating season had begun. All demons became lustful during this time, and it was even worse for demons in love. So Kael felt like he was in Hell.

He wasn't the only one feeling the affects of mating season. Naevia, Jaken, and Ah-Un were feeling it too. On a few occasions, Kael noticed Jaken looking at Naevia hungrily. It made Kael want to kill the little toad-demon. But Naevia wasn't his mate, so he had no claim to her, which left Naevia available to other demons. But the demon lord swore to brutally kill any demon that approached her.

He glanced at the sleeping Rin and Lucretia. He was thankful that humans didn't have a mating season, and even if they did, the two of them were too young to feel its affects. But they had gotten a lot closer since they had confessed; they sometimes shared a few innocent chaste kisses. Kael dreaded the time when their hormones kicked in and they would begin to do more than share a few kisses. Luckily he wouldn't have to deal with that for a few years.

For now he had to deal with his own desires. If he hadn't had feelings for Naevia, any female demon could satisfy his urges. But all of his desires were aimed at her. The thought of being with any other woman didn't appeal to him. He thought that only happened when two demons became mated. Perhaps it was because his demon side already recognized her as his mate, he just needed to make it official.

His own thoughts surprised him. Did he want Naevia to be his mate? Sure he loved her, but to be his mate. That was permanent, unlike those human marriages.

Kael took a calming breath and decided to take a walk. He had some serious thinking to do, and he couldn't do it around Naevia when her very presence drove him mad with desire. He cursed the mating season.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Naevia sighed as she sat in the shade, trying to keep cool. Mating season was a real nuisance. It was even worse this year since she was actually with someone she wanted to be with rather than Naraku and his minions. And with Kael always around, it was very difficult to control herself.

Speaking of Kael, Naevia wondered where he went. He was gone when she and the others had woken up. She figured that he went somewhere to 'cool off'. Even though he appeared to be acting normal, her demon senses could detect the affects that the mating season was having on him. It was making him even more irresistible to her. It was taking all her willpower not to 'jump' him.

"Where do you think Lord Kael went?" asked Rin.

Lucretia shrugged. "Maybe he went to find something to eat."

Jaken laughed at their lack of knowledge. "Foolish humans. It's more likely that Lord Kael went to find a female demon. It is mating season after all."

Naevia's eyes narrowed as she was filled with jealousy. She would tear apart any female that dared to touch her Kael.

Naevia shook her head. 'What am I thinking? He's not mine… But I'll still kill any woman who lays a finger on him!'

"Why would Lord Kael want to find a female demon?" asked Rin.

Naevia's jealously was put on hold as she looked at Jaken with interest, wondering how he was going to explain this.

Jaken paled as he realized that he had given out more information than he meant to. "Um… well… you see, during mating season, demons will, um, want to… spend time with other demons."

Rin looked confused. "But, Master Jaken, you're a demon, and Lord Kael is always with you. So why would he go find another one?"

Jaken smacked his head. "To be more precise, male demons want to spend time with female demons, and female demons want to spend time with males."

"Oh." Rin still looked confused. "But Lady Naevia is here. Why wouldn't he want to spend time with her?"

Jaken laughed. "Ha, as if Lord Kael would 'spend time' with that wench."

Naevia angrily whipped out her fan and send a gust of wind at the toad-demon, sending him crashing into a tree.

"Watch how you talk about me, toad!" she snapped.

She stood up and walked away, needing some time to herself. Normally anything Jaken said she would just ignore, but when he said that comment that he made really hurt her. Was Kael repulsed by her because she was one of Naraku's incarnations? She had thought that there was at least something going on between them after that kiss they shared. Or had he really been just trying to prove that he wasn't afraid to love?

No, it couldn't have been only that. The way he had reacted and responded to her presence was more than trying to prove a point. But if he did have feelings for her, or was at least attracted to her, why would he avoid her like this? Most demons would settle for whatever available demon they could find; especially during mating season.

'You're thinking too much into this.' she told herself. 'Kael isn't the type of person to just settle for anything he can find. But… does that mean that I'm nothing to him?' That thought hurt. It hurt more than she thought it would. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the phantom pain in her heart. 'Damn, I've got it bad. No wonder he sees love as a weakness if it affects you like this. There's so much pain and confusion if the one you love doesn't return her feelings.'

She plucked the feather from her hair and took flight. Flying always calmed her down. Being a wind-demon, she loved the feeling of the wind blowing in her face as she flew; it was soothing.

Her peaceful flight was interrupted by a spear flying towards her. She managed to avoid it, but just barely. Her eyes scanned the forest beneath her, looking for whoever or whatever had the nerve to attack her.

"What the hell was that?" she seethed.

She redirected her feather to come in for a landing. No one just openly attacked her and got away with it.

"Alright, who threw that spear?" she shouted. "If you're looking for a fight, you've got one! Now come out and face me, you miserable coward!"

Tree branches shook as her attacker hopped down from his hiding place. It was a tiger-demon and, as far as Naevia knew, she had never seen him before. So why the hell did he attack her?

"Well, what was that all about?" she demanded.

The tiger-demon just snickered. "Just trying to get your attention."

"Trying to get my attention?" Naevia cried. "There are better ways to get a person's attention!"

She waved her fan, sending her Dance of Blades attack at the tiger-demon. He easily dodged it, moving very quickly for such a big guy.

"No need to get upset, my dear." The demon said. "I have a right to know who's in my forest."

Naevia rolled her eyes. "Right, your forest. Sure."

"That's right, my forest. This forest belongs to me, Warumaru. And I just happened to notice you flying over it."

"I can go wherever the hell I want."

The demon, known as Warumaru chuckled. "But of course you can. A lovely demoness like you can indeed go wherever she wants." He grinned at her and inhaled her scent. "A very lovely demoness."

Naevia gave him a disgusted look. "Whatever." She said, plucking her feather.

The tiger-demon moved quickly, and was suddenly in front of her. "Going somewhere?"

Naevia didn't even blinked at his sudden appearance in front of her. "Yes, away from you."

Warumaru took a step closer. "And why would you want to leave?" He sniffed her. "You don't have a mate, and it is mating season." He flexed his large muscles. "Want to find out what it's like to be with a real demon?"

Naevia took a step back, not in fear, but in disgust. "I have more pride than to jump on the first unmated demon I come across, mating season or not."

The tiger-demon just smirked, revealing his pointy teeth. "But I'm not just any demon."

"To me you are. Now get out of my way; I'm not interested."

Warumaru laughed. "Sweetheart, you're an unmated demon in mating season, of course you're interested."

'Not if you're in love.' Thought Naevia. Her body desired the touch of another demon, but there was only one she wanted, and she was repulsed to think about being with anyone else besides Kael. 'Another reason why Kael thinks love is a weakness, because you can't satisfy yourself with anyone besides the one you love.' But even if she didn't have feelings for Kael, there was no way in hell she was going to lose her virginity to a demon she just met.

"We're both feeling the season's affects." Warumaru continued. "Lets just go with it."

"I think not."

"Why not?" he asked, taking another step forward. "I'm not asking you to be my mate or to get into a relationship. I'm just suggesting that you and I enjoy ourselves."

Naevia glared at the demon. "You can go enjoy yourself by yourself. I'm sure you can use you hands for something other than throwing spears."

The tiger-demon wiggled his fingers. "Want to see what I can do with these hands?"

Naevia held up her fan in a threatening manner. "No, and if you come any closer you're going to lose those hands." She snapped, annoyed and unafraid.

"A fighter." Warumaru chuckled. "I like fighters."

"Lets see how much you like this. Dance of Blades!"

Warumaru dodged the attack, but he wasn't quite fast enough as half of his tail was cut off. He turned to Naevia, his eyes glowing red.

"b***h, you're in for it now!"

Naevia smirked. "Oh, I'm so scared. Dance of the Dragon!"

The tiger-demon was surrounded by a tornado. He snarled angrily as blades of wind sliced his flesh.

"You're dead, wench! You could have had a good time, but instead you chose death."

"And you could have chosen to leave me be and gone to find some other unmated demon, but instead you chose to piss me off."

She commanded the tornado to become thinner. The tube of wind shrank, cutting the tiger-demon even worse than before.

"I'm going to kill you!" he cried. "You don't know who I am."

Naevia shrugged. "You're dead."

"No!" Warumaru surprised Naevia by suddenly bursting out of her tornado, nearly getting sliced to pieces in the process. "You're dead!"

Before Naevia could react, he viscously backhanded her, knocking the wind-demon off her feet. He stood over her, struggling to remain on his feet due to the amount of injuries he had.

"Now you'll pay."

His claws extended as he made a move to attack. But his chest suddenly exploded as a hand burst through his ribcage, the claws dripping with poison. Behind the tiger-demon stood Kael, having been the one to deliver the blow.

"You will not lay a hand on her." the demon lord growled, his eyes glowing red.

Kael pulled his hand back. The tiger-demon spat out a mouthful of blood as he stumbled forward. Naevia moved away from the bloody fountain Kael had turned the demon into. She calmly got to her feet, dusting herself off.

"Thanks." She said. Even though she could have easily handled the tiger-demon, she still appreciated his help.

Kael didn't reply. He was too busy trying to control the urge to rip Warumaru to pieces. And speaking of the tiger-demon, who was holding his hand to the hole in his chest, he turned to the two demons with a look of pure hatred.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Kael glared at the tiger-demon. "I do not answer to weaklings such as you."

"Weaklings?" the demon repeated. He pointed to the hole in his chest. "I'm still standing after this, and you call me weak. This doesn't even concern you."

Kael moved in front of Naevia. "The woman is under my protection." He said, giving the demon a look that clearly said, "hands off, she's mine!"

"She's unmated." Warumaru argued, ignoring Kael's warning look. "I can do whatever I want with her."

"The hell you can!" Naevia shouted. "I'm not some common w***e!"

"Shut up, b***h!"

He made a grab for her. Kael immediately grabbed his arm, digging his claws into the demon's flesh, injected a large amount of poison in the process.

"I said you will not lay a hand on her." he repeated.

To prove his point, he completely crushed the tiger-demon's arm. Warumaru cried out in pain, pulling his crushed arm back.

"Bastard, I'll kill you!"

He began shifting to his demon form, but Kael didn't give him the chance to complete the transformation. He lunged at the demon, slamming him against a tree with his claws digging into his face.

"Die." He hissed.

Kael did the same thing to the demon's head that he did his arm, completely crushing his skull. Warumaru's body shuddered for a few moments, before stilling. Kael took a step back, feeling very unsatisfied. He unsheathed Tenseiga and brought the tiger-demon back to life. Warumaru was alive for less than five seconds before Kael killed him again, this time completely mutilating his body.

Feeling a lot better, Kael got himself under control. He turned to Naevia, who was eyeing him curiously.

"What was that all about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, referring to the mess he had made of Warumaru.

Kael cursed himself for not controlling himself, but seeing what that tiger-demon was about to do to Naevia had awakened his inner demon that demanded Warumaru's life, twice.

"He attacked you when you were under my protection." He told her. Naevia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Kael saw that she didn't fully believe him, so he added, "And he dared to insult and attack this Kael."

Naevia sighed. "If you say so."

Feeling annoyed, though he didn't show it, Kael turned and began to walk away. "Let us return to the others." He said, using this as an excuse to drop the conversation.

Naevia wasn't fooled.