My Demon, My Love...: Changes of Heart
The Human Realm

It had been, nearly, two years since Azlyn had fallen through the portal and found herself in the human realm. She had not been certain how she had survived without Reve or her bracelet. Yet…she had. Dalair had been waiting to meet them on that night. She was frantic when she had arrived and refused to leave the area of the portal until Reve came through.

Azlyn and Dalair stood in the woods all night, waiting. Reve never showed. When the morning came, Dalair had insisted that they return to his home. He knew that Penelope was, eagerly, waiting for them to return. Not to mention, Azlyn had been through a challenging ordeal and needed to rest. Azlyn had reluctantly walked away from the portal and followed Dalair. Her mind abuzz with questions; millions of scenarios running through her head. Why did Reve not follow her? Had something happened to him? Had he changed his mind after all?

Later that night, Azlyn returned to where the portal had dropped her. She was distraught to find that Reve was still not there. It was then she noticed something, across the clearing, as the faint light of the moon shown on it. She walked towards it and there sitting on the ground, between two tall trees, glittering in the moonlight, was her bracelet. She rushed over to it and picked it up, staring in disbelief.

“How did this get here?” Azlyn wondered.

Azlyn tucked the bracelet into her pocket; deciding that there must be a reason for its unexpected appearance. She stood where she had found it for the next several hours, carefully scanning the tree-line for any sign of Reve. Just as the sun began to rise in the sky, she sighed, sadly, before she returned to Dalair and Penelope’s home.

Every night since, Azlyn had returned to the portal and waited. Sometimes she only stayed for a few minutes and other times she stayed for hours on end. No matter how much free time she had available, she diligently went to the portal and looked for Reve. Always believing that he would, eventually, come for her.

Despite Azlyn’s initial convictions, over the last several months, her hope had begun to wane. She did not know how long she could continue watching and waiting. If Reve was coming to be with her, would he not have been there by now? Azlyn shuddered, pulling her coat tight against her frame. She stared out into the darkness, scanning the empty forest for, what felt like, the millionth time.

“Azlyn…” Dalair attempted to make his presence known without frightening her.

“Why isn’t he here, Dalair?” Azlyn sighed.

Dalair shook his head, sadly.

“I don’t know, Azlyn. I wish that I had an answer. But, I just don’t know.”

Dalair had often joined Azlyn while she stood at the portal, waiting. He did not feel that it was a safe place for her to be, especially, because of the demons who may be given to using the portal without any warning.

“Come on, Azlyn. Let’s get you home. It is getting late and it’s cold out here. Hunter is waiting for you.” Dalair offered.

Azlyn quietly scanned the trees one last time; praying for a glimmer of movement, but as usual none came. She took in a deep breath before nodding her head in agreement.

“You’re right. I should get back to Hunter.”

They slowly made their way back home. Penelope greeted them the very moment that they walked through the door.

“I am so glad that you guys are back! Dalair, you better go speak with your son, right now! I am done with his attitude.”

“What is he still doing awake?!” Dalair demanded.

“That would be exactly what you need to talk to him about.” Penelope huffed.

“Where is Hunter?” Azlyn interrupted.

“In your room.” Penelope informed her. “Hopefully, sleeping.”

Azlyn left Dalair and Penelope downstairs as she rushed up to her room. She opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb Hunter. As soon as Azlyn closed the door, she could feel the eyes boring into her back. She turned around slowly to see two small, black orbs staring at her from across the room.

“Mama!” Hunter exclaimed.

“Hunter, baby, you are supposed to be asleep.”

Azlyn walked over to the crib and scooped up the sweet, baby girl into her arms. She hugged her tightly, needing to feel her close. Hunter was the only real piece of Reve that Azlyn had with her in this realm; other than the bracelet, of course. She looked exactly like her father did; olive skin and jet-black hair, except the two locks of shock white hair that framed her face, which was clearly inherited from Azlyn. Her tiny onyx horns sat atop her head and the moonlight gleamed as it fell upon them.

Azlyn sat down in the large rocking chair near Hunter’s crib. She, slowly, rocked Hunter back to sleep. Letting her thoughts wander to Reve. Why did he choose not to join her? What made him stay in the demon realm? What had he been up to for the past two years? Had he found happiness with another? As Azlyn let her mind race, her eyes began to grow heavy. It was not long before, she, herself, fell asleep still sitting in the chair with Hunter cradled in her arms.

The next morning, Azlyn woke and got Hunter ready for the day; which was no easy task. Hunter was very much a demon-child and she acted out, frequently, as such. Eventually, Azlyn got her under control, and once she was dressed; she took her downstairs and joined Penelope in the kitchen. She asked Penelope to watch Hunter for her while she got herself ready. She took a quick shower and threw on some clothes before heading back downstairs.

Penelope had just finished cooking breakfast for everyone. Azlyn helped her to fetch all the kids and got them to sit down around the table. Dalair joined them in the kitchen, once he had readied himself for work. They all sat down for their meals; each helping a child tend to theirs. Their morning was going as any other morning did; they had developed a steady routine the last couple of years. Nothing seemed strange or out of the norm. They ate their breakfast and chatted some; soon Dalair would go to work, leaving Penelope and Azlyn home with the kids.

But this morning was not going to be like every other morning. Their peaceful, ritual was, suddenly, interrupted by the front door flying open. Slamming, loudly, as it did so, causing Hunter to begin crying. Dalair jumped up from the table; flaring his nostrils and extending his horns. He sniffed the air attempting to catch a scent that would allow him to assess the threat. Azlyn scooped up Hunter into her arms; partly to console her and partly for protection. Whilst Penelope reached out, placing a hand on each one of her own children.

“Anyone home!” A familiar voice called out.

Dalair’s demeanor, immediately, softened and a large smile stretched across his face.

“We are in the kitchen!” Dalair called back.

Umay casually strolled into the kitchen, all smiles. She had not been to visit in over two years. She had been very busy with her new duties as a princess in the demon realm and did not find it easy to get away. However, it had been too long. She could not stay away from her brother or her niece and nephew any longer. So, she snuck out of the realm for a quick visit.

“Sorry! I know it has been too long!” Umay began to apologize, before her eyes fell on something that she had not expected.

“Azlyn!!!!” Umay was in complete shock. “Azlyn, is that really you?!”

Umay’s eyes began to fill with tears. If she was being honest, it was the loss of Azlyn that had been one of the reasons it had taken her so long to return. Umay had found Azlyn’s memory hard to think about, and she had struggled with the notion of traveling through the portal that had led to Azlyn’s destruction.

Umay rushed over to Azlyn, prepared to embrace her in a tight hug. She was stopped short in her tracks as she realized that Azlyn had a child wrapped up, tightly, in her arms. Umay stared down at the baby, analyzing it for a moment. She glanced to Barin and Asha, noting their features. Then returned her attention to the child that Azlyn held. The skin color was too light to be Dalair’s child. The baby removed its head from where she had it buried in Azlyn’s chest and turned to face Umay for the first time. Umay gasped, there was no mistaking who this child belonged to.

“That’s how you survived the portal.” Umay spoke barely above a whisper. “You were pregnant.”

Umay stared into the child’s beautiful eyes. The same dark, black, pools of her father’s.

“What’s her name?” Umay asked.

“Hunter.” Azlyn responded.

“Reve would love that name.” Umay smiled.

“I doubt that.” Azlyn rolled her eyes.

Umay was taken aback by this.

“Why would you say that?”

“He has not cared enough to come find us when he knows where we are. So why would he care what I named our child?” Azlyn asserted, angrily.

“Uh, Azlyn…” Umay was not sure how to broach this next subject. She decided it was best just to get straight to the point. “Reve, uh, well…everyone, really, they…um…they all think that you are dead.”

“What?! Why?!” Azlyn was startled by this news.

“You went through the portal alone. You did not have the bracelet, either. Reve assumed that you had been destroyed. I’m guessing he did not know that you were pregnant.”

“Well, he wouldn’t have. I didn’t know…until…after I got here.”

Azlyn had never considered this. In all the time that she had spent watching that portal, wondering about what had happened to Reve; she had never once contemplated that he thought she was dead. Is that the reason that he had not come? Why he had abandoned her in an unfamiliar realm? She could not believe that she had not given thought to this sooner.

“This whole time, he has thought that I am dead?!”

Umay merely nodded in response.

“So, what has happened?! Is Reve alright?!”

“As far as I know, he killed the demon that pushed you through the portal. Then Gedeon convinced him to come back home. King Chesed was not well and being that Reve believed you had been lost; he returned to his former life.”

Azlyn was relieved to hear that Reve was alive and well. She had worried that he may have been harmed or arrested. Though she wondered how much of his former life he had returned to; was he still forced to marry a demoness? Did Lorelei win his heart after all?

“King Chesed and Queen Mara forgave him for everything?”

“Well, they did not have much of a choice.”

“Why?”

“Well, uh, King Chesed passed away shortly after you left. Gedeon is the king now. Reve has taken his place, alongside his brother, as the Minister for Defense.” Umay explained.

Things had certainly changed in the time that Azlyn had been gone. Azlyn took a deep breath and hesitated before continuing with her questioning. She was not sure that she wanted an answer to her next question. But she felt that she had to ask it; as much as she may not have wanted to, she needed to know.

“Did, uh…” Azlyn could hardly bring herself to form the words. “Did…Reve…um…remarry?”

“No, Azlyn. Absolutely not. Reve could never love anyone besides you!” Umay assured her. “As a matter of fact, after he thought that you died, uh, something broke inside of him. He is not the demon that you knew before.”

“What do you mean?” Azlyn ventured.

“Things are not good back home, Azlyn. It has gotten so bad that Kane and I moved out of the palace and are living at my parent’s estate.” Umay paused before continuing. “Reve has…well…he has grown cruel and heartless.”

“Reve?!” Azlyn asked, astonished. “My Reve?!”

“Yes. I am afraid so.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Dalair interjected. “I know that I have been gone for several years, but I’ve known Reve most of my life. He is rarely cruel and never heartless.”

“I agree with you, brother.” Umay explained. “Two years ago, I would have never thought it possible. Reve was one of the few good ones in the realm. But when he lost Azlyn that was the end of him. It was, as though, the only way to survive his grief was to quit caring about everything altogether.”

This news broke Azlyn’s heart. While she hoped that Reve thought of her from time to time. She had never wished for him to be miserable without her. She had still hoped that he had found some happiness. As much as she missed Reve and longed to be with him; she had been able to still be happy, thanks mostly to Hunter. Maybe that was the problem, Reve had not been left a part of Azlyn to remind him of the good things. Azlyn had a very important part of Reve, and Hunter kept her going every day.

“I cannot believe this. I won’t. Reve is a good demon. That would not have been changed so easily.”

“Maybe, you have just spent too much time here, questioning his love for you.” Penelope interrupted. “Maybe, his love for you is stronger than you have let yourself believe.”

“Honestly, you are his mate, we are lucky that he did not die once he thought that you were gone. The overwhelming depression of losing a mate has driven many a strong demon to suicide.” Dalair added.

“Yeah…” Azlyn stated, after a moment of thought. “Yeah, I am his mate. I have been marked. Couldn’t he feel that I was still alive? Or, at the very least, felt my despair being without him? Or, what about the intense pain that I felt when delivering his child into the world?!”

“You are in a different realm, Azlyn. The mate bond is strong, but it isn’t strong enough to penetrate realms. I cannot feel Kane, right now, and he cannot feel me, either. As soon as you went through the portal, Reve could no longer sense you.” Umay informed her.

Now that Azlyn thought about it, this made complete sense. It is not like the veil between the realms was thin. Why would Reve be able to feel her? She had gone through some powerful and supernatural portal; one that would have shredded her to pieces had she not been carrying Hunter.

“None of that matters now…” Umay spoke up again, interrupting Azlyn’s thoughts. “Now that I know you are alive, we can tell Reve. Maybe this will fix things. Especially, once he knows about Hunter.”

Azlyn’s mind swam with a million thoughts at once. She thought about Hunter’s safety and whether or not, she wanted it known that she existed. On the other hand, something was obviously wrong with Reve. He needed to be saved from whatever had happened to him. Reve was Hunter’s father, he did deserve to know that he had a child. Not to mention, as his wife and mate, was it not Azlyn’s responsibility to help him when he needed her?

“Penelope…” Azlyn said, shakily. “Can you watch Hunter, please? I think that I need to go lay down.”

“Of course.” Penelope responded, moving towards Azlyn.

“I’ll take her. If that’s alright.” Umay offered.

“Yes, yes, of course. You are her aunt.”

“Oh, I guess, I am! That hadn’t occurred to me.” Umay squealed with delight. “Come to Auntie Umay!”

Umay reached out for Hunter and Azlyn handed her over, in a daze. She could not focus. She needed to get away from everyone. She needed to be alone to process all that she had just heard.

Two weeks later, Umay had returned to the demon realm; Azlyn stood staring out her bedroom window and up into the stars. She desperately needed guidance and she begged the universe for a sign.

“Oh, Reve…I wish I knew what to do for you.” Azlyn sighed. “As your wife, I want to come running to you and save you from yourself.” Azlyn paused for a moment fantasizing, briefly, about rushing off to the Demon Realm and jumping into Reve’s arms the very moment that she saw him. “But…I have to think of Hunter. Her safety has to come first, and I know that you would want it that way as well.”

It would not be safe for Hunter in the Demon Realm even being that she is half-demon. There were too many demons who would want her dead the moment they noticed that she was a half-breed. Unfortunately, her shocks of white hair screamed half-breed the moment that you looked at her. All full-blooded demons have black hair; this never waivers, therefore half-breeds are easy to identify.

Not to mention, Reve went through a lot to get Azlyn safely into the Human Realm. She needed to respect that and stay put. Hopefully, Umay would be able to reach Reve and convince him that Azlyn was still alive. Maybe he would come for her then. They could be a family and start their lives together in this realm as they had planned.

Azlyn smiled at this thought. She could imagine Reve rushing through the door and sweeping her into his arms. Then he’d meet Hunter and it would be like they had never been parted. Azlyn sighed deeply.

“If only…”

“If only dreams were meant to come true.”

After a few more days, things slowly began to return to normal. The haze that Azlyn had been in since Umay’s visit was finally beginning to lift. She was still struggling with missing Reve and it had grown much worse since learning that he was doing so poorly without her. Nevertheless, she knew that she needed to pull herself together for Hunter’s sake. Hunter was still so young and needed her mother to be there for her. The demon-side of her may cause her to mature more quickly, but she was still too young for that to matter.

Azlyn made sure that Hunter was fast asleep. Then she tiptoed out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly and carefully behind her. She headed downstairs to find Dalair sitting in the living room, watching the television. Trying to unwind after a stressful day at the office.

“Is everything alright?” Azlyn inquired.

“Of course. Just a rough day at work.” Dalair responded.

“Tough case?”

“Just a complicated one. Looking forward to some peace and quiet tonight.”

“Well, I will leave you to it.”

Azlyn began to make her way towards the door to make her exit. She could hear Dalair begin to shifting behind her as he turned around on the couch to face her direction.

“Where are you headed so late?” Dalair, suddenly, questioned.

“I…uh…” Azlyn hesitated, wondering if she should tell him the truth about her destination. “I…was just headed to the portal.”

At this recent revelation, Dalair jumped up from the sofa and began walking towards Azlyn.

“Why would you still be going to the portal? Umay told you that she would talk to Reve.”

“I am going in case he comes for us. He will not know where to go.”

“He will probably come with Umay. She can guide him.” Dalair assured Azlyn.

“I just want to be there in case he comes. Why is that so wrong?” Azlyn asserted.

Dalair stared at her for a moment before sighing, loudly, in exasperation.

“Alright. If you are going to the portal, then I will go with you. Just give me a minute to get ready.”

“You do not have to do that.” Azlyn insisted.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You need to be safe going out there on your own so late.”

“Well, thank you, Dalair. I appreciate that.”

Dalair wandered off towards his and Penelope’s bedroom, and emerged several minutes later, dressed in all black.

“Okay. I let Penelope know that we are leaving. Let’s go.”

Then Azlyn and Dalair headed out towards the portal, talking as they went. Dalair doing his best to distract Azlyn from her worries.

Several hours later, they made their way back home, knowing that they could not wait for Reve all night. Before they had made it very far from the portal, Dalair became aware that something was wrong. His muscles tensed, his horns began to elongate, and his nostrils flared. He took a long, deep breath in through his nose, sniffing at the air. His face changed from a relaxed state to one of intensity and pure anger. The scent that he had feared for so long had just been caught on the wind.

Without a word, Dalair broke into a sprint. He ran full speed in the direction of the house. Azlyn hurried after him as fast as she could. Upon arrival, they found the door broken in and they rushed inside.

“Penelope!!!!” Dalair cried out, waiting to hear a response.

“I’m over here!”

They heard a weak cry, followed by an intense cough.

Dalair darted in the direction of the voice to find Penelope on the floor after having been thrust into a nearby china cabinet. Shattered glass was scattered around her and Dalair brushed it aside as he helped her to sit up. Her face was already bruising, and her lip had been split open. She had cuts all across her arms and blood dripped from a large gash on her forehead.

“Penelope! What happened here?! Are you alright?” Dalair inquired, urgently.

“I-I’m alright…I…”

“Where are the kids?” Dalair demanded.

Azlyn came around the corner and Penelope looked up at her. Her eyes grew wide with terror and tears immediately began to stream down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Azlyn! I tried! I promise you that I tried!”

Azlyn did not need to hear anything else. She immediately turned away from Dalair and Penelope as she took off up the stairs towards her bedroom. Moving faster than she ever had before.

“Please let her be there! Please let her be there! Please!” Azlyn thought, desperately, as she approached the door.

Azlyn’s bedroom door had been busted inward, much like the front door had been. She took a deep breath as she slowly entered the room. She saw Hunter’s crib was empty and laid turned over on its side. Her vision suddenly began to close in on her, narrowing to a pin-prick, and her head began to spin. She put out her hands in an attempt to steady herself, but her effort was to no avail. She stumbled towards Hunter’s overturned crib and fell face first into the carpet. Her heart raced and she heard the sound of screaming. It took a few moments before she realized that she was the one that the screams were coming from.

“HUNTER!!!!!!!!!” Azlyn cried out before everything went black.

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