The Demon's Love

XV

He couldn't take it anymore. It was only the beginning of mating season and he was hardly able to control himself any longer. His demon side just told him to take her, and to hell with the consequences, but his rational side kept him in check. He didn't want Naevia as just some 'mating season entertainment', he wanted her.

Naevia was having pretty much the same thoughts as Kael. She had gone through mating season only once before, since she was technically only about two years old. She knew exactly what her demon instincts wanted, but she was more hesitant to act on them due to her lack of experience. And all her desires were aimed at the mighty Lord of the Western Lands.

Naevia sighed. 'Why me? Why did I have to fall in love with him of all people? I mean, what are the odds of him having feelings for me.'

"Lady Naevia, are you sure you're ok?" Rin asked again.

"I'm fine." Naevia replied. Rin had asked her if she was all right several times, and she constantly repeated that she was fine.

Rin c****d her head to the side. "Are you sure? You have been acting funny for several days now." She tapped her chin. "Actually, Lord Kael, Master Jaken, and Ah-Un have been acting rather strange too."

Naevia patted the girl on the head. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"But-"

"It's a demon thing." Said Lucretia. Being a demon slayer, he knew exactly what was affecting them.

"What kind of demon thing? Tell Rin."

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Kael replied, trying to keep his distance from Naevia, less he be unable to hold himself back any longer.

"But Rin wants to know."

"When you're older."

Rin pouted. "Why does Rin always have to wait until she is older to know everything?" 'Because you're too young to understand.'

"Because you're too young to understand."

Rin sighed and let the subject drop… for now.

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Later that night, Kael came to a decision. And he was happy with what he had decided, which actually surprised him. He knew that once he ended up figuring this out that he would feel something, but 'happy' was something he had not expected. Normally he felt content with everything, so this was an interesting turn of events. And he knew that if everything went the way he hoped that he would become very familiar with this emotion.

The demon lord looked over at Lucretia and Rin. They would be fine on their own for a few days. And they wouldn't be alone, Jaken and Ah-Un would be with them.

"Jaken." He said, startling the toad-demon.

"Y-Yes, milord." He asked, thinking he did something wrong.

"I am leaving for a few days. You are to watch Rin and Lucretia."

Jaken blinked in confusion. "Why me? Why not Naevia?"

"Because she is coming with me."

Naevia looked up in surprise. "I am?"

Kael turned to her. "I had hoped you would accompany me. This Kael would appreciate your presence."

Naevia blushed. "S-Sure."

"Where are you going?" asked Rin. "Or can Rin not know until she's older?" she joked.

"It's just business." Kael replied.

Naevia frowned. She had gone and gotten her hopes up that just maybe Kael had wanted to spend some time alone with her.

'Guess I was hoping for too much.' She thought, plucking her feather. "Well, where do you want to go?" she asked.

Kael shook his head. "This time I shall provide our means of transportation." He said.

A cloud of sparkling dust surrounded his feet, lifting the demon lord off the ground. Naevia raised an eyebrow at this ability.

"Interesting." She said. "But why do you need Ah-Un if you can fly on your own?"

Jaken waved his staff at her. "Do you really expect Lord Kael to waste his energy doing something as insignificant as flying when someone else can do it for him?"

"Jaken, be silent." Kael ordered. He held out his remaining hand to Naevia. "If you are ready."

Naevia was surprised by his strange behavior, this was so unlike him, but she took his hand all the same, blushing as he helped her onto the dust cloud.

"Such a gentleman." She teased.

Kael had to hide the smile that dared to appear on his face as he commanded the dust cloud to take lift off. Rin waved goodbye, smiling enthusiastically.

"Bye, Lord Kael! Bye, Lady Naevia! Good luck with whatever you're going to do!"

Kael didn't reply, but Naevia waved to her and the others, watching as they vanished in the sea of trees.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

Kael was silent for a moment, but then he said, "To have some time away from everything else. Consider this as a vacation."

Naevia liked the sound of that. "I've never had a vacation. That damn Naraku always worked me to the bone." Then she remembered something. "Wait, a vacation? I thought you said that this was a business trip."

"I lied." He said simply.

The two of them were silent as Kael brought them to the place he had in mind. Naevia was rather surprised by the scenery. There was a waterfall that poured into the clearest crystal lake that ran into a stream. The light of the moon reflected off the water, providing the area with a silver glow. It was, dare she say it, romantic.

"Why did you bring us here?" she asked curiously.

Once again, he paused before answering. "I thought you might enjoy the scenery."

He had been thinking of her? 'How considerate.' "Well… thank you."

She walked over to the lake and sat down, dipping her feet in the water. Kael was content with just watching her for the time being. He wasn't sure how long he stood there watching for, but eventually he found himself slowly approaching the wind-demon. He also found, much to his surprise, that he was nervous. Him, Kael, was nervous. He never would have believed it had he not been the one feeling the emotion.

"What's on your mind?" Naevia asked, when she noticed that he was standing beside her.

"Many things." He replied. He wasn't looking at her, but at the sparkling lake before them. "Naevia, when you got your heart back, that only freed you from Naraku's hold over you. He will still want you dead for your betrayal. You won't truly be free of him until he is dead."

Naevia sighed, but knew that he spoke the truth. "I know. But I swear that I will see him dead."

"This Kael has already sworn to put an end to Naraku's life. And I intend to keep that promise." He paused for a moment. "What do you plan to do once he is dead and you are truly free from him?"

Naevia frowned. She was surprised by his question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I am curious."

'He's curious about me? That's new.' "I'm not exactly sure. To be honest, I never thought beyond getting free of Naraku. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have nothing planned."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "You don't desire to find a mate and start a family?"

Again, she was surprised by the question. 'Why the hell is he asking me that?' "Someday. Yes, I would like a mate, children, a family, but not just any old demon that wants me for my body or my power. I've already been offered that and I don't want it."

"A wise decision." said Kael. "Many demons chose any mate simply for the sake of having a mate or to gain power."

Naevia shrugged. "Well, I'm not one of them. I want more than that. But like I said, I haven't thought about it before." She looked up at the handsome dog-demon. "What about you? What are your plans after Naraku is dead?"

"This Kael had originally set out to find the Tetsusaiga. But then Naraku dared to challenge me. After I slay him I shall return to my castle and build up my empire."

Naevia nodded. "I see. And do you have any plans to have a family of your own?"

"As Lord of the Western Lands, it is required for me to have a mate and an heir." He replied.

Naevia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but do you want one?"

Kael didn't reply right away. "Originally, this Kael did not care whether he had a family or not. But that has changed. Now this Kael would like a family." He glanced at Naevia. "And I already have a someone I intend to take as my mate."

Naevia froze. He already had someone in mind? Of course he did, she should have realized it. He was the Lord of the Western Lands. He probably had suitors thrown at him daily. He was over 70 years old, by now he would surely have found an intended mate.

'Probably some rich and powerful demoness that owns a nice piece of land.' She thought, feeling very jealous. 'It's always about power, isn't it. I was a fool to think I had even the slightest chance with him. You i***t, you're Naraku's daughter! Why would he even look at you in anything other than disgust or pity?'

Naevia felt her heart break. The phantom pain she felt in her chest was a thousand times worse than when Naraku had crushed her heart. She stood up. She had to get away. She couldn't stand to be in his presence any longer. Tears were threatening to escape her eyes, and the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Kael.

"Naevia?" said Kael. Even though she was fighting against them, he could smell the salt of her tears.

"I'm leaving." She said, plucking her feather.

"Leaving?" Kael repeated. "Why? Where are you going?"

Naevia's temper flared up. "What's it matter to you?" she snapped. "I don't know why you're even here with me when you already have an intended mate! Why don't you go back to her and leave me alone!"

And she was off, gone like the wind. Kael was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Once he recovered from his surprise, he understood her reaction. She had misunderstood him. She had thought that he had an intended mate waiting for him back at his castle. The thought would have been amusing had the situation been different.

Kael turned into a ball of light and went after her. He was not going to let her leave him; he couldn't let her leave him. She belonged to him and him alone. Not to Naraku, not to Kouga, and not to that damn tiger-demon, but to him. And he would make her see that.

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When she thought she was far away enough, she let the tears flow. Damn it, she really hated crying. It made her feel weak and pathetic. She cursed her foolishness. She didn't know why she didn't see this coming. From the day she had started to fall for the demon lord, she should have expected that she would have her heart broken.

'Why, out of every person in this world, did I have to fall for him of all people? It's so unfair. Is my life meant to be miserable? Was I truly meant to be what Naraku created me for, a slave with no life of my own?'

For the first time ever, she wished that she had never wandered away from Naraku. If she had been the good little slave girl her father had intended her to be, then she wouldn't have repeatedly gone to see Kael and fallen in love with him.

It was strange the way things worked out. At first Kael had been nothing more than a way for her to escape from Naraku. But somewhere along the line she had fallen for him. Why, oh why, did she have to fall for him?

Her feather began to wobble a bit. She couldn't focus on flying when she was this upset. It would be best to calm down a bit before continuing her… escape.

She landed by the stream, the very one that led to the waterfall she had left Kael at. Naevia went over to the water and looked at her tear-streaked face. She looked half as bad as she felt.

"Look at yourself." She said to her reflection. "I guess Kael was right; love does make you weak."

She took a handful of water and washed her face. What was she going to do now? She couldn't stand to be around Kael knowing that she couldn't have him; knowing that he didn't return her love. She would have to leave.

But what about Lucretia and Rin? She couldn't just leave them, could she? Lucretia was like her little brother; in fact, he was more her brother than those other bloodthirsty creatures Naraku had created. And Rin, she had already won the wind-demon's heart. She adored both of them, and they cared for her in return. She didn't think she could leave them behind. But she knew that Rin would never leave Kael and she knew that Lucretia would never leave Rin. So her only options were to leave or to stay. Both choices were painful.

Naevia sighed as she looked back down at her reflection. She was so lost in her despair that she didn't even notice the arrival of the demon that was causing her all this emotional pain. Not until she saw his reflection join hers.

Trying to hide her anguish, she gave his reflection an angry look, refusing to face the demon lord. "I left to get away from you." she seethed. "Why did you follow me?"

Kael narrowed his eyes. "Because this Kael was not finished speaking."

Naevia stood up, still refusing to face the dog-demon. "Well this Naevia is done listening." She said, mocking him.

She began to walk away but stopped when Kael rested his hand on her shoulder. "Don't." he said. "There has been a misunderstanding."

Naevia gave a forced laugh. "A misunderstanding? I think not. You have made your intentions perfectly clear. Now leave me alone."

She shook his hand off her and began to walk away again. But Kael grabbed her arm, not too hard, but firm enough to stop her and prevent her from leaving.

"Naevia." He whispered. "Look at me."

"Why?" she asked coldly. "I know exactly what you look like." 'I see your face every time I close my eyes.' "I don't need to look at you."

He breathed her name again. "Naevia, look at me."

Sighing in frustration, she turned to him. "Well, what is…"

She trailed off as she saw something she never thought she or anyone else would ever see. Kael had dropped his emotionless mask. All his barriers were gone as he let her see just what he was feeling.

Naevia was caught completely off guard. She was utterly speechless. "Sess-Kael?"

His soft eyes bore into hers. "Naevia, you misunderstood what I meant when I said that I had an intended mate."

Naevia dared to allow herself to feel the smallest spark of hope. "What did you mean?" she whispered.

Kael chose his words carefully. "For the longest time, this Kael did not love or even believe in love. But much has changed. I have learned what it is like to love and be loved by."

Naevia looked away. "I assume you're talking about Rin." She said sadly, not wanting to let herself get her hopes up that he was actually talking about her.

He took her chin and gently turned her to face him again. "Rin has indeed had an impact on me, but she is not the only one. You have as well. I have indeed come to love. The mate that this Kael intends to take is you, Naevia."

Naevia took a step back, her eyes wide in surprise. "What? M-Me?"

He filled in the gap she made. "You." he repeated. "This Kael wants you as his mate."

This was too good to be true. She had to be dreaming. That was the only explanation for this. Something like this would never happen to her in real life.

"How can you want me?" she asked. "I'm the spawn of Naraku."

"One does not choose their parents." Kael told her. "Your father's way of life does not affect this Kael's opinion of you. You are your own person."

"But why me of all people?" She didn't know why she was asking these questions; this was all she ever wanted.

"Because you are the one this Kael has fallen for." He placed his hand on her back and gently pulled her towards him, earning him a blush from the wind-demon. "Will you be this Kael's mate?"

Tears once again crept into Naevia's eyes as she struggled to find her voice. He was asking her to be his mate. This was unbelievable, and she meant that in a good way.

Her fan dropped from her grasp as she took hold of Kael's robes, burying her face in them. "I never thought you would ever return my feelings." She told him. "I thought I was a fool to fall for you. But if there were ever a person that I would want for a mate, it would be you and you alone. So my answer to you is yes. I will be your mate, Kael."

She looked up at him and saw him smiling. She had made Kael smile. His golden yellow eyes looked into hers and she saw the love in them he had for her. Love and lust. No, not lust, desire.

Kael moved forward to kiss her, but Naevia held her hand up to stop him. "Tell me first." She begged. "Please, tell me."

He smiled at her again. "I love you." he said, and their lips met.

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When Naevia woke up she felt very sore, but very satisfied. Kael lay next to her with his one arm wrapped around her tightly. She smiled when she felt him nuzzle her neck in his sleep. She still couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She was mated to Kael. Even now she still expected to wake up and find this to be all a dream. But it wasn't.

When she tried to move away, Kael tightened his hold on her. Smiling, she carefully removed his arm from around her. She went over to the stream, got a handful of water, and quenched her thirst.

Once the water stopped rippling, she looked down at her reflection. She was a mess. She certainly looked like a woman who had some good long loving. Kael had indeed shown her the greatest of pleasures. They had made love in every possible way for several days and nights straight. This made Naevia very glad that she was a demon and was capable of going on for several days without eating or sleeping, but exhaustion had finally gotten the better of them.

Moving her hair out of the way, she looked at the mating mark on neck, similar to the one Kael now bore on his neck. Their auras merging as one as they marked each other had been the greatest experience in the world. This mark meant that they belonged to each other, body, heart, and soul forever, and she couldn't be happier about it.

Suddenly an arm snaked around her, and she was pulled against Kael's muscular chest. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

Naevia smirked. "Missing me already?"

He nuzzled her neck. "It is natural for me to miss the warmth of my mate."

He inhaled her sweet scent. The stench of Naraku was no longer upon her; his had replaced it. Now that they were mated, he would never have to smell that half-demon's scent on her again. He took in her lovely aroma again. She smelled even better than before. Her scent was intoxicating. He nipped her pointy ear affectionately, causing her to shiver. He smiled at her reaction. There hadn't been a single inch of her that he hadn't tasted or touched, and yet he wanted more. He would always want more.

Naevia sighed and leaned back against him, twirling around his silvery white hair with her finger. "So when do you think we should head back?" she asked.

"Why would you want to go back?" he teased. "Have I not satisfied you?"

Oh he had satisfied her all right. His concubine, or what used to be his concubine now that he was mated, must have really enjoyed his visits. But if one of them so much as looked at him in a way she didn't like, she would kill them.

"It's not that." She said. "It's just that we've been gone for eight days now. Don't you think Jaken has suffered enough?"

"I don't care about Jaken." Kael replied. "This Kael has desired you for far too long, and I intend to get my fill."

Naevia chuckled. "We have our whole lives to get our fill, My Lord."

He moved her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. "This Kael will never have his fill of you, My Lady."

Naevia's eyes widened at the 'My Lady' comment. "L-Lady?"

"Lady of the Western Lands to be precise." He said. "Are you displeased with your new title?"

She turned to face him and shook her head. "Oh no, it's not that. I'm just… surprised. I had never thought about that being part of it." She ran her finger up his chest. "All I wanted was you."

He pulled her to him. "And now you have me." He said, tracing small circles over the spider shaped mark on her back. It did feel strangely erotic, just like in his dream; though this was a hell of a lot better than any dream. "And you also have the title as Lady of the Western Lands."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, getting as close as possible. "Lady of the Western Lands." She repeated. "The thought is overwhelming. I never thought I would be anything more than just another demon."

"You are anything but." Kael told her. "Just another demon could never win this Kael's heart."

Naevia smiled. "Well, just another demon could never win mine either, but you pulled it off."

Kael pressed his lips to hers. "Then I shall take my reward."

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"Master Jaken, when are Lord Kael and Lady Naevia coming back?" asked Rin.

Jaken groaned. "For that last time, I DON'T KNOW! Lord Kael said that he would be back in a few days, and that is the most I know on the subject."

"But they've been gone 14 days!" Rin cried.

Jaken glared at her. "He probably got tired of you crying and decided to leave me with you two brats."

Rin shook her head. "Lord Kael would never leave Rin!"

Lucretia gave the toad-demon a dirty look. "Stop it, Jaken. You know that's not true. Why are you upsetting her?"

"Don't be so surprised if it is true." Jaken snapped, waving his staff at him. "I'm actually surprised he let you stick around as long as he did. It's about time he left you behind. Oh, but milord, why did you have to leave your poor servant, Jaken, behind?" He screamed out his frustration before glaring accusingly at the two children. "It's your fault! I got stuck baby-sitting you, and now I can't help milord!"

Rin ran over to Lucretia and buried her face in his chest. "Lucretia, make him stop!" she cried, getting his shirt wet.

"Cut it out, Jaken! Kael won't be happy to know that you upset her."

"If he comes back, you mean!" Jaken shouted. He normally wasn't this harsh with them, but he was in a foul mood. Having to baby-sit for 14 days was a real drag; not to mention he was sexually frustrated since he hadn't satisfied the urges the mating season had brought. "You two chased him away! He finally got fed up with your behavior and-"

Bonk! A rock collided with his head, knocking the toad-demon off his feet. Tears formed in his eyes as a large bump appeared on his head.

"Ow! What miserable bastard threw that?" he demanded.

In response, Kael's foot stomped down on his back, crushing him into the dirt.

"That would be me." The demon lord said.

Jaken made a funny noise. "Oh, milord, you've returned." He groaned.

"Lord Kael!" Rin cried. She ran at the demon lord and hugged his leg. "Oh, Lord Kael, Rin missed you so much! Master Jaken was being so mean to Rin! Why did you go away for so long? Please don't leave Rin for so long again!"

The ghost of a smile appeared on Kael's lips. "Calm yourself, Rin. I have not been gone that long."

Naevia appeared behind him, smiling down at the young girl. "Hello, Rin. No hug for me?"

"Lady Naevia!" Rin cried with equal joy, running to hug the wind-demon. "You too! Never leave Rin that long again!" Naevia chuckled a ruffled the girl's hair, earning a giggle from her. She turned to Lucretia, grinning happily. "Look, Lucretia, Lord Kael and Lady Naevia came back!"

The demon slayer smiled. "I see that, Rin."

Beneath Kael's foot, Jaken managed to speak. "Uh, milord, might you be removing your foot. You're going to break my spine. That'll take months to heal."

Rin looked down at Jaken as if she had just noticed his position for the first time. "Uh, oh. Lord Kael, I think you're stepping on Master Jaken. You should really let him up."

Thinking that his servant had been punished enough, Kael did as Rin asked and removed his foot. Jaken's body went limp, save for his heavy panting.

"Thank you, milord. It's good to have you back. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, where did you go?"

"To take care of some business." Kael replied.

"What sort of business, milord?"

"That is none of your concern."

Jaken forced himself to his feet. "Whatever you say, milord." Using his staff to steady himself, he turned to Naevia and glared at her. "I see you came back as well."

Naevia smirked. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you… you…" Jaken trailed off as he noticed something different about Naevia. Her scent had changed. And now that he wasn't being crushed, he noticed that Kael's did too. Curiously, he crept over to his master and sniffed carefully.

Kael looked down and narrowed his eyes at the toad-demon. "Jaken, what are you doing?"

Jaken jumped back fearfully. "I, uh, was just curious about something, milord. Your scent seems to have changed."

Rin frowned, looking confused. "Changed? What does he mean, Lord Kael?"

Kael ignored her. "That is none of your concern." He growled warningly at the toad-demon. "Do not question this Kael again, Jaken."

Jaken retreated back several feet. "Y-Yes, milord! Forgive me! I was merely curious! But I had no right to get involved! Please forgive me!"

Rin giggled at Jaken's antics. "Master Jaken, you really shouldn't try to make Lord Kael mad."

"I don't try to make him mad!" the toad-demon shouted.

Naevia cast a gust of wind at him. "You need to cool off." She said. "There's no need to shout."

Jaken turned angrily to her. "Oh shut up! And what's your story? Your scent has changed too!"

Naevia used her fan to hide her smirk. "That is none of your concern." She told him, repeating Kael's words.

"It's my concern when it involves my lord and master! Now tell me why you smell of Lord Sessho…"

He trailed off as the truth hit him, and judging by the smile on Naevia's face, his suspicions were right. Kael's scent wasn't on Naevia, it was mixed with her own scent. Oh, they had made sure to clean up after their activities, but they still carried each other's scent, and would from this day forward. That could only mean one thing.

"AH! YOU MATED WITH HER!" Jaken yelled. "Lord Kael, how could you do such a thing? You chose this wench for your mate over every other demoness? She's Naraku's wench! How could you do this?" He pointed his staff at Naevia in a threatening manner. "You! You did this! You tricked my master! You hoodwinked him somehow into taking you as his mate just so you could be the Lady of the Western Lands! You will pay for thi-"

His rambling was cut off by Kael kicking him, sending the toad-demon crashing into a tree.

"You will never speak to her that way again, Jaken. Do you understand? Never again."

Jaken struggled to look at the dog-demon. "But, milord, she's tricked you into-"

"Do you think me so weak to be fooled in such a way?" he growled. "Do you think this Kael ever acts on an impulse without thinking things through?"

Jaken suddenly realized his mistake, his very big mistake. "Oh no, milord! Please forgive poor Jaken! I do not know what came over me! Of course you could never be fooled in such a way! I was the fool, to think otherwise! I am so sorry. Please have mercy on-"

"Jaken, be silent!" Kael snapped. "I grow tired of your ranting. Do not speak ill of my decisions again. And you are to refer to my mate as Lady Naevia, and are to show her the same respect you do me."

Jaken hung his head. "Yes, milord."

Rin looked from Kael, to Naevia, to Jaken, and back again, looking confused. She turned to Lucretia for answers. "Mated? Does that mean that Lord Kael and Lady Naevia are married?"

Lucretia scratched the back of his head. "Well, sort of. You seem, demons…" He trailed off, looking into Rin's hopeful face. He sighed, figuring that married would be the best way for Rin to understand the situation. "Yes, Rin, they are."

He put his fingers in his ears to bloke out Rin's joyful cry.

"RIN KNEW IT!"