Kapri found herself staring down at the decimated county from the highest tower on the estate. Her gaze, it was cold and distant as she surveyed the ruins of the area due to a perverse obsession of that woman. The things she saw, it made her stomach ache and she wasn't even sure what Lord Dazriel would do if he were to face Velmuth, the man who pretended to be Lirael to take her heart in the first place.
Lord Dazriel voice cutted through the silence, "You made quite the mess, Lady Kaprice," he muttered as he stepped beside her to share the view as a cigarette lingered in his mouth. He leaned against the stone ledge with his gaze following hers down towards Jugo walking through the shattered land. "I'm sure you're quite happy to see your boyfriend."
Kaprice didn't bother to argue back against his teasing. Her eyes still on Jugo surrounded by the ruins with a calm face, he didn't seem to notice her. "She was teleporting missiles," she muttered, before she finally looked towards him. "They were obviously from the middle world, so you won't be able to hide this as much as we thought."
Lord Dazriel exhaled sharply, but he seemed amused. "Yes, I will have to come up with an explanation for that. I'm sure the middle world media is chaotic right now. Though, I can't believe she did this to my people."
They both stood in silence for a long moment, with the sound of screams and sword clashing finally reaching their ears. Below, soldiers were busy executing both demons and humans a like who ran up towards the castle in rebellion. No matter if it was due to the intimacy pact or sheer devotion.
"They haven't been your people for a long time, Lord Dazriel," Kapri replied, with her voicr careying a hint of bitterness. "We don't have the resources to get thousands of people out of an intimacy pact either."
Lord Dazriel's face hardened as he turned toward her, his lips curling into a tight smile. "Are you suggesting we just kill them all, Lady Kaprice?" His tone was amused.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, except the small children and infants. I will take them in to my county," she answered bluntly.
"Even small children would remember the heartache of seeing their families slaughtered," Lord Dazriel said to her.
"I will glady take responsibility for the death of their families if they were to seek revenge," she muttered with her hand pressing against the ledge as Jugo finally looked towards her. Her stilled heart pounded as he lifted his hand up in acknowledgment and she waved back.
"Unless you want to explain why you let this happen and risk your dukedom." She sighed, rolling her shoulders as she let her gaze sweep over the burning city below. "Burn the evidence and tell everyone it was a plague or Count Lirael simply went rogue. Nothing more, nothing less."
Dazriel let out a short, sharp laugh. "You've become quite the villainess over the years," he remarked as he leaned in closer. His arm extended in front of her as he pulled her against his chest. Pale lips brushed against her ear as he spoke. "Keep this up, and I'll really start to believe Ose may have fell for you."
Kaprice barely had time to respond with a retort before Lord Dazriel kissed her just by the window. She was sure he did it on purpose so Jugo could see, though they both knew he wouldn't care.
The force of his tongue against his lips made her breath hitch in her throat. She didn't pull away, even as his gloved hands moved to her waist and pressed against every crevice of her body.
She gripped the sleeve of his shirt feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers. Her heartbeat was even quicker as she stuck her tongue out to meet his. Kapri wasn't sure what she was hoping to accomplish by not pushing him away—perhaps it was pity.
That was her first mistake.
Lord Dazriel suddenly pushed her away as he held her shoulders. His green eyed narrowed as he studied her face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he muttered as his voice grew dark. "What did you see?"
Kaprice's breath caught in her throat, but she forced herself to meet his gaze.
"What are you talking about I saw nothing," she said, the words coming out more softly than she intended. She looked away, trying to hide the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.
He grabbed her cheeks as he locked his eyes on hers with a burning intensity. His voice rose as he demanded, "What did you see?" His words echoed through the stone walls of the tower. It virbated through the air and made her wince in pain, but she remained silent.
"Speak," he demanded as he held her face.
"I saw nothing," she repeated, before she snatched her face away. "Nothing except two halves of a heart."
Kapri pulled out a box and opened the lid to reveal Lord Dazriel's heart—one half red and still full of life and SE, while the other half was small, pale, and completely devoid of anything. One a reminder of what he is as a man and what he was as a boy.
Dazriel's hand shot out as he slapped the halves from her grasp. "I didn't ask you to find it! I asked you to find information," he growled, his voice full of venom. "You disobeyed me."
His hand shot out again as he slammed her against the wall as his fingers curled around her throat. He lifted her slightly off the ground as Kapri gasped for her. She held a vicr grip on Lord Dazriel wrist, not even able to bruise it as her chest tightened.
"Stop," she choked out as she hit her fist against his arm, but it only grew weaker as she grew close to unconsciousness.
"You won't stop looking at me like that," Lord Dazriel hissed, his eyes widened with his face only inches from hers. His lips were almosting burn against her skin as he pressed them against her neck. "Like I'm a fucking human who needs your pity!"
"I can't," she said to him with a sorrowful voice.
Lord Dazriel tossed her on a table in the middle of the room. She kicked gasped from air being knocked out of her lungs. Then he turned her on her stomach, she tried to get up but he slammed her against the table by her neck as he held her down.
"Get off me," she kicked him in his leg. It had no effect, before she reached back against her sigil and tried to grab her sword. He took her wrist and pressed them against her lower back before she could. "Get the fuck off!"
"Don't you ever in your life pity me," he said as he squeezed her neck while he pressed his torso over her back. His hand left her neck and pressed against the middle of her stomach as he trailed kisses along the back of her neck. "Just because your a knight, don't ever think I can't make you the damsel in distress."
Her forehead was pressed against the table as she grew tired of trying to get out of his hold. Even without his heart, he overpowered and wasn't afraid to prove it. That what she get for ever calling herself trying to care about a demon.
Lord Dazriel chuckled, "You're so stunning when you're reminded of your place."
Lord Dazriel finally released her as she stayed laid against the table. His eyes lingered on her before he picked up the red half and left the other on the floor. "Pick your head up. One of your subordinates is coming." he said to her.
Kapri quickly stood up and straightened her dress. The silence stretched on as Dazriel left, with his footsteps fading as another approached her door. Her hand lingered on the mark that she didn't realized was on her skin, she quickly attempted to hide it thinking Jugo was walking in just as she heard the click of the door opening.
"Are you feeling alright?" Jiron voice said before he looked around the room that was messed up by Lord Dazriel's anger. Then he looked at the bruise on her neck. "I knew I'll regret ever helping that demon."
She lowered her arms by her side not bothrring to hide it. "It was my fault, I made the mistake of feeling anything except fear of a demon who is stronger than me," she replied, "Luckily, he was more restrained than I expected."
Jiron moved closer with his voice softer but filled with concern.
"Do you hear how you sound?" He reached within his jacket and pulled out a few herbs and a bowl, before he started mixing them. She glanced in curiosity, since she was never really taught soul alchemy outside of the one she inherited.
His finger gently touched her, as she felt the coldness of his Kú, cool her neck. "I know shit's tough in the underworld, but as soon as we start accepting anything because its less than death. We'll go right back to where we started before we know it."
Kapri exhaled as he stared at him. "You're right," she said softly, as he placed his hand gently on her shoulders and she gripped his forearms.
"How are Kavi and Nyxith?" she asked with her voice returning to its usual sharpness.
"Nyxith's healed up already," Jiron replied, his tone steady. "Kavi… well, she's riled up over Countess Lirael getting away, and you keeping Count Lirael alive—"
"Velmuth," she corrected.
"Right," Jiron continued, unperturbed. "I tried explaining to her that it's more complicated than just ending him. By the way, your bruise is gone now."
"You think it's safer to kill him too, don't you?" Kaprice asked, her tone more contemplative than accusatory.
Jiron pulled his hand back with his gaze steady as he took a step away from her. "Because… it is," he said bluntly as he pushed his dreads back from his face. "He's still very much loyal to Countess Lirael. Maybe even more than to you."
Kaprice nodded. "I'm aware."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he stepped a little closer to comfort her.
Before Jiron could say more, the door to the room opened again, and Kaprice turned to find Jugo standing in the doorway. His eyes were cold, as he gazed at them both. His eyebrows furrowed, more in curiosity of what was going on.
"Lady Kaprice," he said, his voice flat and emotionless.
He moved closer, nearly brushing Jiron off as his eyes flickered around her body as he noted every injury on her.
"You lied to me," he stated simply.
"I didn't mean to," she said, her voice high-pitched and soft as she tried to hold back from becoming too excited to see him again. Her palm pressed against his chest as she leaned in just to feel his presence—the only constant in her life. "I missed you a lot though. I'm sure you missed me."
"I did not," he replied. Despite the flatness of his tone, she couldn't help except laugh. "I did find myself thinking about you a lot, so I suppose your absence was troublesome for me in a way."
She stepped back, her hand falling from his chest.
Jiron, still nearby, shook his head, muttering under his breath. "This is just sad," he muttered, before placing a hand on Kapri's shoulder, before he leaned in and spoke in her ear. "Let's talk later."
With that, Jiron left, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
Jugo's gaze never wavered. "Sergeant Jiron isn't very good at keeping you from getting hurt," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her. "Though, he does seem to enjoy your company."
Kapri smirked with her lips quirking upward. "Well, he isn't concerned about keeping me safe 24/7 like you. The mission was the priority. Then things changed when it did," she said, her voice soft yet sharp at the same time. "I managed to live without you for a few weeks. Even when I was force into an intimacy pact. You should be proud of me."
"You what?" Jugo's voice shifted, a subtle edge of surprise breaking through his normally emotionless demeanor. He raised an eyebrow as his stance shifted slightly as if he were assessing her very being. "With who?"
"A demon…" Kaprice hesitated, the words feeling like they were stuck in her throat.
"I constantly feel like I'm in love with him," she said almost in embarrassment. She didn't know why it felt like an admission of weakness, but it did. "That's why I want out of it as soon as possible."
"No matter, I'll just kill him instead," Jugo replied coolly, turning as if to leave the conversation right there.
"Are you jealous?" she asked, a teasing giggle escaping her, though the playful note didn't quite reach her eyes as she reached for him. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she stood behind him.
"I am not," he said, as he gently brushed her fingers from his stomach. "It's the quickest solution."
"Then I'll be depressed," she said.
Jugo paused for a beat, as if considering her words. "Depression can lead to suicide," he remarked in his usual deadpan tone, his hand now resting on his chin. Then he turned back to her, his expression unreadable. "I will not kill him then. It's not safe for you to be near him all the same."
"As you wish," she replied with a quiet chuckle, her voice more lighthearted than before. Though, she knew more than not that she wasn't going to not do that. She pressed her body against his, the familiar steady strength coaxing her closer.
His hand moved to her lower back, his touch sending a ripple of warmth through her body. She hummed softly, savoring the sensation.
"Your soul threads are still attached, and you've gained weight. Not much muscle though," he observed, his fingers trailing lightly up her spine before gently resting at the back of her neck. "Nothing hurt where I touched?"
"Nothing," she answered, even with Jugo her mind felt distant. His touch always had a way of grounding her, but not fully as she recount the humiliation she felt as Dazriel slammed her on the table.
Dazriel could really take what he wanted of me if he wanted to.
"You want me to hold you?" he asked, seeming to noticed she was in a daze. The offer lingering in his voice as though he were unsure if she wanted it.
"Yes," she said, burying her face into his chest as the world seemed to fall away. "You like it too because you said I'm the safest in your arms."
"Yes, technically that is the reason I prefer you being held by me," he replied. "You're happy now?"
"I am," she said, a wide smile spreading across her face as she pressed even closer. A brief feeling of peace. "Are you happy?"
"I'm content." he stated.
In the quiet that followed, the world seemed just a little less heavy.