Dabria's breath quivered shakily as her terror filled eyes locked onto the icy silver ones of the demon, lord Lucian.
She immediately recognized him, no doubt. His ethereal feature and melancholic aura was something she could never forget.
Left in a state of chokehold, the eerie yet enthralling voice of Lucian brushed her ears, snapping her back to reality as he said "What do we have here? A caged peculiar thing."
As his unsettling voice whisked into her mind, her heart palpated in uncontrollable rhythm as the rush of fear surged through her body, it didn't help that the darkness around him seemed to cloak him in an eerie embrace.
As if sensing her fear, he slowly stretched one hand toward her with an unsettling smile tearing through his lips, but his teeth weren't visible.
"I assume you were abducted, luckily I was around the vicinity." He said in a casual tone, his hand still hanging midair.
Dabria's cautious eyes narrowed between his extended hand and his face. She was wary of him, but he was the king and even though it was hard to believe, he was saving her. Wait, the demon king was saving her? Her inner mind scrawled.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she placed her hand on his, his palm was warm as he squeezed slightly and slowly, he helped her out of the cart.
Immediately her feet touched the forest floors, the stench of blood whisked it's way into her nostrils and instinctively, Dabria's head whipped toward the mutilated corpses lying scattered on the floor, drowning in a pool of their own blood.
A petrified gasp escaped her lips as she took instinctual steps back, but as scared as she might be, she felt a sense of relief.
But then, the realization that it was the demon king who had gruesomely murdered them hit her. Trembling in fear, she backed away from him.
He was dangerous and she needed to get away from him, she knew as much, after all she had heard of his sadistic pleasure.
"Don't fret little angel, I won't hurt you." Lucian intoned in a rather nonchalant tone, as he perceived her fear.
"T-Thank you my lord for helping me, I-I should get home now." Dabria spluttered in a whispering breath as she took small steps back.
His dark eyes squinted at her as he drawled "And what home is that?"
Dabria swallowed softly as she stuttered in confusion "M-My home."
A small smile grazed his lips as he scoffed "You're uncertain of your own words, why would you go back to the people who tried to sell you, hm little angel?"
"What makes you think so?"
"They're famous human slavers and you certainly didn't go with them willingly, or did you?" Lucian drawled.
Dabria's lashes fluttered at how noticeable he was, but she was also wary of this demon in front of her. What exactly did he want and why did he save her?
"I doubt you were willing or you won't be in chains." Dabria heard his eerie voice slither through the cold air but before she could say a word, he was standing right in front of her.
His built physique towered above her, his eerie presence and cold silver eyes staring down at her like a predator looking down at its prey left her in a state of chokehold and for a moment she forgot to breathe. She was struck dumb by his striking beauty or perhaps his melancholic aura.
Dabria hadn't realized she was still in chains until he took her hands in his and within a second, crushed the shackles to bits.
The cold chains turned to dust and her wrists were light as a feather again. Sighing in relief, yet still wary of the demon before her, she summoned the courage to speak up.
"W-Why did you save me?" Her words came out in a stammering mumble, her voice betraying her in the presence of his terrifying aura.
"Perhaps, I didn't fancy the idea of my prey being tainted." Lucian intoned in a drawl, leaving Dabria to contemplate about his words and the situation she was trapped in. The demon king saw her as his prey and as she realised his devious motive for her, her blood curdled.
Clutching the hem of her dress tightly, her quivering lips parted as she spoke "My lord, I thank you deeply for rescuing me, may I be excused to go home now?"
Although she couldn't properly see his face because of the darkness clouding his form, but the moment she spoke, Dabria saw a wicked glint light up in his silver eyes and a dark grin split his lips as he smiled eerily, wicked fangs glistening in the glow of the moonlight.
Dabria swallowed at his reaction. She could see it in his glowing moon orbs, he wouldn't let her go, after all predators never let their prey go free. Perhaps that was why he saved her. Her inner thoughts chimed. She was only a prey to him, another defenseless girl for him to hunt in the woods at night.
Dabria was stuck in her reverie, until his baritone, velvety voice snapped her out of it.
"Isn't it only fair if you pay the debt you owe?" Lucian remarked. Although his tone was calm, there was an underlying darkness dripping from his every word that made the hair on the back of Dabria's neck stand.
"My lord…" Dabria trailed off as he immediately cut through her words.
"I saved your life, return the favor and pay your debt." The demon demanded. He was right, she owed it to him to give whatever he asked and she would have been more than willing to return the favor but the demon before her was a devious menace, ruthless and dangerous, how could she possibly accept his request knowing it could as well be a death sentence or torture?
But then again, as much as Dabria despised the situation she was in and was unwilling to do what he requested, she knew she had no choice. Her life was worthless in the eyes of the demon king, who was she to refuse?
"As you wish my lord, I shall repay the favor." Dabria managed to say without biting her tongue, while her heart pounded heavily in her ears as it hammered against her rib cage with dread.
Silence engulfed the vicinity as she awaited to hear what his request would be. No doubt it would be a cruel sadistic request from the demon king and with every pulsating second she spent anticipating what would roll out of his tongue, she could feel her blood draining away and her skin turning paler.
"Be my bride." The words echoed softly in Dabria's ears, but rather, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her as she was lost in thoughts.
"My lord?"
"Consider your debt paid when you become my bride." Lucian repeated it in a clear, sharp voice.
The words sank into Dabria's head, leaving her flustered and confused as she stared blankly at him.
"Your b-bride?" Dabria stuttered in utter disbelief, the words unable to form from her quivering lips.
"Yes, my bride." The demon king whispered darkly, the words reverberating under his breath.
Dabria was left stunned, she couldn't comprehend why the demon king would want to make her his bride and with that being official, she'd also become his queen.
Dabria tried to wrap her head around what his motive might be or perhaps what he was trying to achieve by his strange request.
"My lord, you are asking me to be your wife…" Dabria muttered in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing together in wariness.
"Yes and my wife you shall be." Lucian intoned with an air of finality, enough for anyone to not question his command.
"Forgive me my lord, but you barely know me. Why would you want to wed me and make me your queen?" Dabria asked, pushing aside the fact that she was questioning the demon king.
"So timid, yet brave. Get in the carriage, we're heading to the castle." Lucian spoke and before she could realize what was happening, a royal carriage halted in front of them, embedded with the sigil of the kingdom, A black dragon eating its own tail..
Dabria's feet remained rooted to the ground as she watched him approach the carriage. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the reality of what was happening hit her, the ruthless demon king wanted to make her his and she couldn't help but picture it as a nightmare haunting her in her wake.
"Hurry along little angel, you don't want to be preyed on by the wild do you?" Lucian growled softly, but the lethal look in his eyes told her that he was the predator, not the wild animals.
But then, what could a helpless, unarmed girl like her do to escape her unforeseen fate in the hands of the devil's son? Literally nothing.
Nodding softly, she swallowed a huge lump before saying "Yes my lord."
Stealing cautious glances at his shadowy figure from the side of her eyes, she reluctantly moved to the carriage as she placed one shaky foot in front of the other.
As Dabria reached the entrance, Lucian extended his hand to her. Sighing softly, her eyes traced between his icy gaze to fall on his hand. Hesitantly, she took it as they both occupied the carriage.
As soon as they entered the carriage, Dabria's face fell down, to avoid eye contact with him, his eyes were ethereal yet daunting.
The demon king sat opposite her and as she sat face to face with him, the air suddenly became suffocating. Perhaps it was his darkness clouding every inch of the carriage, as well as his intimidating aura.
The carriage started moving through the forest path and not once did she look up from the wooden floor. From that moment onward, she knew she was being plunged into a different world from the one she once knew. But she had no idea just how perilous his world was.