9 A New Decision and a New path [Aife]

"Um, um... I grazed my thigh."

Aife jumped from her sprawled position and scrunched her face hoping Faum would believe her.

[And you want me to believe that shit?]

Aife sensed as the man inside her examined her, struggling to target the magical thing that could have changed her gender.

'No! Stop it, you brute!'

[You even talk like a girl!]

'Shut it!'

Aife could almost smell the arousal of Faum. He was going nuts in her as the possibility of Aife being a female crossed his mind. It would have been so delightful!

"Faum, for god's sake," now, words slipped Aife's trembling lips as she couldn't contain them in.

[Um… 'God'? Really? You had to go there?]

Demon conquering her soul was the worst thing that could have happened to her. After her past, Aife couldn't risk her freedom ever again.

[What happened to my mate in the past?]

Faum's possessive and concerned voice took over, and he was stirring Aife up as she pressed her lips together.

"Imma kills this bitch," Aife said unceremonially with unemotional and bored eyes.

[Aife, turn into a woman, I wanna see you.]

"First girl, now a woman. Fuck you, Faum. I am a grown-ass man!"

[Oh, we will. On that, I don't know your age. Even in this form of yours, it's hard to predict. Twenty?]

Aife stormed out of the castle as Faum ignored her last words. As if he was sure Aife was a female.

[And you ignored my first.]

About fucking.

"Don't act like we are really going to have sex."

[Give me a chance, and I'll show you.]

Aife grumbled and furrowed her eyebrows as the all-mighty wink of the demon appeared in her head.

"Demon off!"

As if pronouncing magic words, Faum gasped, and Aife could discern his energy subduing.

"He is gone!"

So there was a wizardry phrase that could summon and withdraw Faum. Fascinating! 'Demon off.' And 'on' when demanding his presence. He would have gone mad. Aw… They were so close to making love. Aife giggled and strolled on the bridge and to Se.

Se rushed towards the warrior. Anticipation was evident in his eyes, permeated with disquiet.

"Where is my lord?" Asked the beast as he eyed the warrior with an intense gaze.

Aife pursed her lips before mumbling: "Um...kinda...in me."

"What? What the heck are you implying on?"

"Um... How do I describe it... I can hear him cussing me out inside my head." She rubbed her neck sheepishly while the man was on a rampage inside her.

"Let him OUT!"

"And how am I supposed to know how to do that?" She blustered, glaring her crimson eyes at him.

"Wait…" Se burned holes in her orbs before lifting his eyebrows as realization hit him, "You are his mate!"

Aife just compressed her lips and rested her hands on her hips.

"Where is Kita?"

"Under the bridge, but there is a more important matter in our hands. You are my lord's mate! You know Faum was banished from his realm, the orange dragon's domain in the northern realm. His own father sold him at a young age, Aife. You can't imagine what mate means to him. It's a sacred bond to him. Please, I'm begging you, don't push Faum away."

Aife was a being with a soft heart and couldn't stand a child hurting. The picture of Faum crying passed before her eyes. Something in her fumed as she envisioned her mate being tormented even though she barely knew him.

"Se,"

The serpent's eyes glowed up as he observed Aife's face contort in gloominess. He had faith in an honorable warrior to comfort and cooperate with her mate.

"Se, I am on the run."

"What do you mean?"

Aife's face broke into a sad smile which squeezed Se's heart with no rational reason whatsoever. Maybe he felt sympathy for the witch because of his lord.

"Dark souls are hunting on me. I'm in real deep shit. I'll bring Faum bad luck."

'At least she developed some caring to him,' mused the beast.

"How are you rated?"

"A."

"What?"

There were ten stages of luck, from 'A' being to worst to 'J' being the best, and apparently, the high lord wasn't favoring Aife.

"Poor thing," Se mumbled and dropped his big head in a tumult of thoughts.

"Don't pity me, snake. I'm strong." She said and slid down the downhill.

She strode under the bridge to find Kita.

"Boo!" He jumped out of the darkness and in front of Aife.

"Aife! We can help you out! My lord can!"

The warrior was listening to Se's shouts while smiling at the boy and picking him up.

"Aife, please help my lord return his throne."

"How, Se? Three creatures against the whole realm?" Aife made a point while arriving on the bridge.

"My lord is a hell of a clever man! He will come up with numerous plans. Your intelligence is impressive too, and I assume you'll surprise us later on as well."

Aife looked to be deep in thought, contemplating Se's offer as she knit her eyebrows close.

"Aife?" Kita's soft voice rang in Aife's head.

"Yeah, dear?"

Se couldn't help but admire Aife's affection for the kid. It was an enchanting sight to witness. How could he devour the child?

"Help him."

"Who?"

"I heard you have a mate. You will regret it if you don't."

Aife took a deep breath, and Se simpered as he felt like kissing the boy.

"Okay, let's fight together."

"YES!" Se squealed in gratification and jerked his head.

As if something hit her, Aife jolted and immediately placed Kita as Se urged him with his tail to distance himself from Aife.

Both of them gazed at her intently as she looked lost and confused.

In mere seconds, golden dust appeared in the air floating and creating a spiral. Aife scrunched her nose as she sensed what was coming.

Faum. He stepped on the ground and seemed to grow in size as his nostrils were flaring with fury, ominous aura seeping from his gleaming green orbs.

'Oi, oi.' Aife grinned innocently, praying to get away without punishment.

Faum cropped up in front of her in a flash, grabbing her hand and slipping off the finger from her.

She snatched her arm away from his vice-like grasp, which was loosening as in purpose. Aife's instincts were too late as she spotted her ring being played by Faum's fingers.

As of Faum, a devilish grin spread across his face as Aife transformed into her true form – into a female and blacking out because of the impact caused by a demon emerging from her body.