Two Betrayals

**Natalie POV**

"You are a true demon!" The gun's final shot rang out. The disgusting advisor's triumphant chuckles were the only sound in the deafening silence that followed.

In front of me, the clouds became fuzzy with spots of black speckled. I could feel nothing, no pain, no sickness, just emptiness. Hardened dirt became softened, releasing my feet as I failed to hold onto my element. On the edge of my hearing was a soft plop sound. The now jolly-filled Santa appeared taller, as his face was high above me. I couldn't figure out why.

Recarad was saying something to one of us. His words made no sense. Cold zaps running up my spinal cord caused me to close my eyes and curl around myself for warmth. When they opened again, two blurry figures were talking to each other. One wobbled while the other stuck out his hand. I knew their names, but did that matter? The clouds were trying to take me. They offered warmth. Better than the haze that had infected me earlier. Then it kept me in pain, made me stay; it now begged me to let go.

One of them thundered a string of random words. I could only make out a few as I negotiated with the drug to take me to a peaceful slumber. The words were annoying and kept some primal part of me fighting against what me and the fluffiness wanted. "Assassin… What's… demon… Trevor…happy…yes…he drugged me."

The more I listened, the more I could make out. I didn't want to make out any words; they made me angry; they made the pain come back.

A sharp stabbing pain entered me from my neck. A liquid was racing into my system, burning me from the inside out. Instinctively, I yanked the syringe out, breaking the vile part. Miniscule shards of glass punctured my hand as I glared up at my attacker.

For the second time since leaving the brothel, I regained my senses. A loud gasp came from the shaking form I had realized was under me. A crimson piece of glass was sticking out from a bruised lip. Princess Lydia gulped slowly, staring up at me.

I was breathing heavily from my nostrils to calm myself down. A pang of strange guilt cut through any leftover pain from my injuries, seeing the straightforward Princess battling her fear because of me.

"You stupid bitch! Why are you helping Lucifer's spawn?! You see her monstrous red eyes! Kill her before the prince gets here! Do not give her a chance to trick him further!"

Princess Lydia lifted a hand to my cheek. "Drag my soul to hell if you want. But you do owe me for giving you the antidote. Just please, kill that true demon!"

Careful not to hurt her, I stood up, letting go of my returned bloodlust. A quick inspection and I saw no second gunshot wound anywhere on my body, just my leg. A new faint red line appeared near my chest, my wrist was still very much broken, and my face felt bruised slightly, but that was it. And, of course, the contents of whatever I had drank were vanishing second by second. A small soft smile curled on my lips as I held a hand out to my rival.

"I thought you were drugged, Lydia! You said you were forced to drink some!" Outrage muddied his logic. His Princess had made her decision and saved me.

Lydia hesitated, shaking profusely as she looked up at me. I could only imagine the thoughts circling around her head. Quietly I told her, "I'm not from hell, nor do I take people there, ya know. And making a deal with a demon is more involved than just taking my hand. I'm not asking for your trust here, just ya know, mutual aid for the real monster."

She took my hand and stood beside me, never losing her nervous, skeptical gaze or trembling. Ahead of us, Recarad yelled about his Princess becoming a whore of Lucifer's, a traitor choosing a demon over her kingdom, and a disgrace to her royal family.

I grunted as I stepped near the advisor, happy I would no longer be killing him out of bloodlust influencing my choices.

His blubbering got worse the closer I got to him. "Her father, he isn't just a cruel Lord! You saw her eyes; he must be an actual demon lord! Why? WHY would you trick me and save a lying whore?! The one trying to steal your man. Did you forget how important our King said the marriage was? You're being manipulated."

I wobbled slightly on my feet, the rest of the drug still clearing out of my system. "You are done manipulating her, or anyone else." I was no longer seething as before. Oh, I was still angry and couldn't wait to get revenge for Izzy. For raping her, for making her relive those memories.

"Stop! I am an advisor and human. Humans have their own faults! You would forgive Prince Trevor, would you not? He agreed to marry Lydia before King Ulrich and sold you to me! He's drinking and seducing back there while sending Lydia off! But you'll still crawl back to him. I have my sins too! Like any other human, I can work on them!"

In the dark night, I could not make out much in front of me, but I could hear the desperation in his words. He had given up on the shaking Princess and thought I would be more sympathetic. Like he was willing to try and change his ways. As if he hadn't just touched me, tried to force me the way he had Izzy.

I took two more deep breaths before speaking again. "Some humans, creatures, demons; doesn't matter, they can be villains and become absolved. Monsters cannot. Rapists are irredeemable."

The royal advisor fought against the tree binding him. Recarad let out several nasty pain-filled shouts. He pleaded for someone to come save him. We weren't too far from the town, but it was Low City. From what I'd witnessed on my way in, screams and crying were typical, especially at night. Chances weren't high someone would risk a fight with a demon this late at night. Low city wasn't known for its thriving heroes. It didn't take long for Recarad to figure this out.

"You…you don't want to kill me! Hahaha, you don't want to be an assassin!"

I let his words sink in. It was true I never wanted this life. Still don't. "I am still myself, but we all change with the years. We become other versions of ourselves through our memories and experiences. I am that girl wanting a simple life, unwilling to kill, but at the same time, never will be again. I am a mix of all my past selves. In another five years, another version of everyone will be standing in front of the mirror, growing as individuals. Like a plant, ya know! It grows based on environment and nurturing…" I stopped my words. He wasn't worth them. "But ya know one thing?"

"What?"

"You won't be."

Lydia rushed over to Recarad, confusing me. Did she feel bad for her tormentor in the end? Just minutes ago, she was ready to sell her soul to be rid of him. Swiftly, she ran her fingers between his clothing, causing more question marks to form above my head. It wasn't until she dug out a small dagger that I knew her goal. I hadn't noticed the gun or a knife on him.

I was rustier than I thought.

Lydia was steadier than earlier and no longer showed fear toward me. "You don't like to kill but are willing to? I've never killed before, but I hate what he did to Izzy. I had no idea he was that evil to her. And I cannot forgive him for everything he said to me." She was wobbling like when she shot in my direction, but the determination never wavered. "So let's compromise and share this moment…this sin, demon."

She held the hilt out towards me. It was a small blade, so my hand laid atop hers. We both shared a nod, with our hearts thumping rapidly. We took three more steps, ignoring the nasty threats the no longer victorious gloating royal advisor was spouting out. He could make good on none of them.

Two movements were all it took. We leaned back and stabbed the monster in his heart. Neither one of us looked at him after being pierced. We both felt the warm blood drip down the blade and took it as an incentive to let go. I mustered up my power to remove the tree from Recarad's body. He fell heavily into a pool of his own blood.

Princess Lydia laughed insanely. A mix of relief and horror washed through her. I understood. The same feelings overwhelmed me when I first killed one of Diana's men. The sensation doesn't go away.

We killed him.

I leaned over, away from Lydia, and hacked up the contents of my lunch. Hearing my retching, it wasn't long until the noble Princess was joining me. She was still hunched over when I had finished.

I took both my arms and held her hair back until she was done. Once standing at her full height, I hugged Lydia close, letting a few stray tears free. A couple splashes of water dropped atop my head. "Thank you."

"Seriously, what's with all the hugging today and not from my fiance." Lydia griped but held me close.

For a long while, Lydia and I just stood there in our embrace. We broke apart when we heard the crunch of leaves merge with the bats screeching. No more than two minutes later, Jacob and Trevor both showed up, sprinting in our direction. Trevor had been barely so fast, that he had to dig his heels into the dirt to stop his momentum. He wound up crashing into us. Jacob followed suit and rammed into Trevor.

Trevor didn't miss a beat in checking to see if I was okay. His hands were all over my face, caressing lightly. He wasn't happy, but everything would heal within the hour, two at most. Being a demon had some bonuses.

Confident I was okay, he turned to check out Princess Lydia. Seeing she was in OK shape, he had us explain what had happened. When we finished our short tale, Trevor walked over to Recarad's body and kicked him in the stomach. My true love was enraged at the idea of Recarad's hands on me and then Lydia being told to shoot in the leg.

"Bas-tard."

Trevor gritted his teeth. "Still hanging on to life, Krampus?" He shook his head, turning to Jacob. "He'll be dead soon. Make sure to report this all to King Ulrich. I'm going to have to find a new home for those girls. You hear that, you joyless evil glutton. Those girls will be saved."

"How nice, my Prince Charming was saving all those other girls and burning a building to the ground instead of saving me. Didn't even notice me slip away." Lydia said in an airy tone, moving her body against his.

Trevor walked back to me with Lydia at his heels. "That was dangerous and stupid."

"He needed to be taken care of and not publicly. The drug was clearly not going to kill me. From my past experiences, he wasn't going to take advantage of me on the road. He would tie me up and wait for the drug to wear off, so he could make me suffer in full consciousness. It's how Izzy and I would always be abused. But unlike then, ya know, he didn't know I was demon or elemental. I could easily fight and win."

He kissed my forehead. "Sweetness, things never go exactly as planned."

Lydia rejoined us. Trevor gave her a quick hug around her shoulders. "Thank you so much, Princess Lydia. The one-of-a-kind Princely DSS member Trevor is indebted to you."

Her heart wasn't racing like before when Trevor was around. In fact, her aura was confused and conflicted.

It didn't take her long to notice me staring. "Don't think you've won him, Mistress Natalie." She stormed over to Jacob. "And you are supposed to be my white knight. Embarrassing that the girls had to save themselves. Hmph, the least you could do is escort me back."

*So he's a knight now, is he?*

I grinned. I'd always admired Jacob and his dedication, even with his not-so-fun job.

"Hey there, Cupcake. Don't be watching other men on me! I wanted to come after you, but your eyes told me no! Come on, this gorgeous gift to God's earth is too good to ignore, right?"

I leaned into his warm solid chest. "I've always had eyes for only true love. I was so stupid in the past. I absolutely love you."

Trevor's teeth ground together. He was mad?

He put his lips beside my ear, fanning me with his hot breath. "Tonight, I will have no mercy. You will scream MY name. Everyone in the castle will know you're only mine."

With the night as cover, I blushed. Even after having sex, he still was possessive over me.

A sinister dry voice came from the bloody body of Recarad. "Oh…I can't…wait to see your face… I'll see from Heaven…as you are betrayed…by those two… that you love…so dearly…"

Trevor scooped me up, mindful of my wrist and leg. "Stop trying to deceive us. Bleed out already."

"What reason does…a dead man…have to lie? It will be so sooooon teensy assassin… I'll be looking down from above the…pearly gates…laughi-" Royal Advisor Recarad chose that moment to die, a peaceful grin on his lips.

"Up… You'll have to look up." I muttered, letting the chill be soothed by my true love's skin on mine.