8 Chapter 8: Love's Gifts

A few hours after eating, Sythyon showed me around the castle. After walking for so long, I realized I had underestimated how big the castle actually was. We were walking down a hallway and I wondered how old the architecture was. Occasionally I would see pedestals with very detailed dragons carved from stone, and doorways chiseled with intricate designs. "So, how long did it take to build this place?"

He kept walking and looked around. "This place was originally supposed to be a dungeon. It's construction was started three-thousand years ago, and it took two-hundred years to complete. Of course the construction was delayed and unfinished, at least until my father turned it into a castle for himself." I processed his answer for a moment.

"Your father was alive three-thousand years ago?" He smirked. "You really know nothing do you?" I crossed my arms and glared at him, but he didn't look at me. "All demons and angels are immortal unless killed. I plan to make you the same once we're married." I stopped dead in my tracks.

He noticed, stopped and turned to me. "Are you alright?" I started to shake. "I-Immortal...?" I whispered loud enough for him to hear. He sighed, and walked towards me. "Honestly, you're too easy to scare." I turned away as he stopped in front of me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Understand what I say to you now. Do you know how hard it would be for me to see the woman I love die and be forced to keep living when I could have done something about it?"

I pushed his hand off my shoulder and faced him. "I do understand. But you can't control my life." His expression was emotionless, and impossible to read. It was so cold I regretted ever talking back to him. I grew nervous until he spoke. "You're right. But if I somehow get you to want to be with me forever, will you let me do it?" I paused. 'Like that will ever happen. He will always just be cruel and selfish, so I guess it wouldn't hurt if I agreed.' I thought crossing my arms again. "...Alright."

He smiled and took my hand. "I have something for you." My eyebrows went up in surprise as he pulled me down the hall. "Wait, you didn't have to-" I tried to tell him that it wasn't necessary, but he interrupted me. "Be quiet and let me spoil you." I shut up still shocked and followed him down the stairs to the stables. "Why are we here?"

He didn't answer me and led me to a stall where a black and white horse was waiting for us. I gasped at the sight of him, and ran up to give him a hug. "Bruzey!" I let him out of the hug and pet him with my hand. 'It feels good to see a familiar face.' My face started to hurt from smiling so much. It had been awhile since I was happy. "I missed you so much!"

I looked over to Sythyon who had crossed his arms and was smiling at me. "Thank you. How did you do this? How did you get him?" He shrugged. "I can get whatever I want. I could get you a unicorn if you wanted one." I started to blush. "Really? But only two have been seen in the past hundred years!" He got closer to me and his expression got more serious. "I will give you anything you desire. If you want the world I will seize it for you. I will give everything I have just for a chance to make you smile."

My blush deepened and I looked to the floor. "Tell me... You said you cared about me not just for my soul, if that's true, why would you love me?" He tilted his head and lifted my chin up with his hand. "You're kind, warm, caring, beautiful, and you're the only person who has never treated me like a monster." I looked into his eyes and bit my lip. 'I haven't? I thought I was being mean... But I guess I only thought of him as a rude powerful king, I would never think of him as inhuman.' I looked down again and I whispered my response. "You're the only person... Who has ever treated me so warmly."

A look of worry entered his expression. "I don't want you to think that I'm imprisoning you. So on this rare occasion, I will take you to see my city from the sky." My eyes widened, and I quickly looked back up. "Really?!" He smiled and took my hand again. He then led me out to a balcony at the top of a tower, and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I blushed startled. "W-What are you doing?" He laughed and pulled me closer. "I find it impossible that you keep forgetting I'm a demon."

He then spread his wings wide, and I looked back to see that they were black with a beautiful deep red in between the stems of bones. He shot up flying high, taking me with him. "Ah!" As we got higher, I got more terrified until I saw the beautiful lights of the city as we flew over them. They were so colorful and the sunset reflected off of the buildings making the city glow. "Wow." I was so captivated by the beauty, that all the fear went away and my body relaxed.

I turned my head back to Sythyon who was already looking at me. "What?" He smiled. "You are more breathtaking than any landscape I will ever see." I turned to the view and grew tense again. "Stop saying stuff like that. You'll make me think that you mean it." He stayed silent and kissed the back of my head. "I have never lied to you. And I never will as long as time." I blushed and covered my face. "What did I just say?!" He laughed and pulled me closer. I smiled still embarrassed.

'He's being so perfect all of a sudden. Was he always this way and I didn't notice? Maybe I have the wrong idea about him. Maybe he's not evil, and even if he is, he's perfect to me and that's all that matters.' A few hours later, we came back to the palace, and a question came to me and I got curious.

Me and Sythyon were walking down a hallway and it was the perfect time to ask. "Hey, why did you say you were going to kill your servants if they saw my soul?" He looked at me surprised then sighed. "No matter who is nice to you, once another demon sees your soul, they will try to kill you." I immediately regretted asking. 'Is my soul really that beautiful?' I started to shake thinking about it. "T-Then why didn't you?"

He smiled a little. "Most demons don't know this, but there are many other ways to enjoy a soul besides eating it." Hearing him say that made me nervous. "L-Like what?" He stopped walking and grabbed my hand. "Things like, being around the person all the time, touch, and you can feel amazing by just making them happy, or making love to them." I jumped and he smirked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to seduce you." I felt relief until he spoke again. "Yet."