15 The Pact

Emily sat on her porch swing, her face buried in a book as she tried to occupy her time and distract herself from the complicated situation she had found herself in. She tried to engulf her mind in the story, but sighed in defeat as she struggled to stay focused on the words.

She felt sick to her stomach, conflicted with her feelings for Az and who he really was, unable to bring her heart and mind to agreement.

As the gentle quiet of the campgrounds settled in around her, she suddenly felt her stomach drop at the feral sound of someone roaring out in anger coming from the woods. She quickly glanced around to see if anyone else was outside paying any attention to this. When she decided they wern't, she put down her book and ran off towards the woods.

* * *

In the solitude of the forest trees Az stood shirtless and panting, his muscles sweating and spotted with blood from his furious pounding of his fists against the rough shield of the trees.

He was arguing with himself, or rather he was arguing with Jared, his sharp canines gleaming as he snarled and cursed, "Shut the fuck up you Stupid. Emotional. Mortal!" A painful impact was made upon the tree at the enunciation of each of the last words. "I will NOT sacrifice my power for a weak human like you, shes no different, she's just a stupid gi..."

At the crunching sound of feet on leaves, Az stopped his rant short and turned slightly to see Emily standing there, her hand on her chest with a pained pang in her eyes. Azazels gaze quickly relaxed and became warm at the sight of her, but he corrected himself and turned his attention away from her, reminding himself not to give in to these unnecessary weaknesses.

When she finally took a step forward and spoke, her voice was filled with so much anguish that he felt his chest tighten with guilt, "Is that....how you really feel, Az?"

He snarled in annoyance, turning to her with bared teeth and extended claws, "What difference does it make!? You don't ACTUALLY give a shit about me do you? I mean I'm a heartless demon, Emily! And I'm supposed to just toss aside what I am because some girl has feelings for me? Jared was right, I will only break your fragile little heart and crush all your expectations, so just get out!" He smashed the tree again, staring her down threateningly, but she did not run. To his surprise, she stepped forward once, and then again, closing the gap between them.

She hesitated only briefly, reaching her hand out to stroke his cheek, stopping his angry snarling and watching his face relax in her hand, she smiled at him. "Maybe you would hurt me....but maybe you might find that you actually need me. You might be a demon...but I don't think you're heartless...and I really do care for you" She lifted his head to make him look at her. The silver shimmer in his eyes had dimmed slightly.

"Em...there is a way..." From his change in tone and mannerisms she could immediately recognize it was now Jared speaking to her, his voice more timid and restrained. "I have always pushed anyone I care for away, to protect them from him. He fed on power, when I wanted to settle....girlfriends were mere sources of energy to him, tampering with their actions and feelings to benefit his own strength. I couldn't stand to put them through that so I became the sly flirt, wooing girls with no intention of any commitment. It made me seem like a jerk, but it gave me the comfort of knowing atleast none of those girls would become batteries for him.."

He continued, taking a seat on the ground, "The thing is, Em, as long as we are in disagreeance our equilibrium is off, in a way. Thats when one of us starts to weaken, and thus we have always remained in a power struggle. Him seeking control and power, and me desiring a normal life.

But you've struck a cord for him, I dont know how, but you have. He has feelings for you..and so do I." He hung his head and blushed, "that means...we have a chance for normalcy. If he accepts his feelings and chooses not to hurt you, we will have a common ground. We can both protect you...and in turn I told him I will help in his effort against Lord Xiaxial...but you have to love us both....For us to be able to reside equally within this body, our heart must be in agreeance."

He paused briefly, as if listening to something in his head before responding to himself, "Yeah well I dont love the idea of sharing with you either you Mutt...."

He looked back at Emily, "Anyway, it will save us both...and he can gain some strength from you without harming you, but he will need to learn that power is not priority. It will be hard, for all of us...are you willing to accept the beast? Are you willing to love...us?"

He looked up at her and she stared down at him with a look of intrigue. Date...both? I mean she supposed it was only really ONE body. But...could she really bring them to peace? And could the three of them really defeat Xiaxial?

At a loss for words, unable to think of any words to accurately express her thoughts , Emily answered with her touch. She leaned down and cupped his cheek, bringing her lips to his in a deep kiss. After a few moments of passionate embrace, she pulled back slightly and whispered in a sultry voice, "Now, Azazel...."

At the call of his name his eyes shined over and her lips returned to seal his, his silver eyes closing shut at the act, returning her kiss with a hesistance she wasn't used to from him. She understood his fear....this was merely a game to him before. He was feeling now, something he had never really done before as far as she was aware.

In spite of his attempt to ignore these emotions, he gave into her soft kisses and rested his hand on the back of her neck, sliding his tongue in her mouth to dance around her own, warm and sweet in their rhythm.

She was showing them she accepted, she loved them both, she loved them as one. And as they lie on the forest floor, locked in their hot, passionate embrace with Jared and Az occasionally switching over to enjoy her touches, she felt a sinful satisfaction with this sudden turn in her fantasy-like life. If loving a demon wasn't twisted enough...now she had two men that belonged to her. And together they were going to take down the demon lord...together they would find a power they never knew possible.