Note: And chapter two is up. After this, the length of the chapters will get much, much shorter (unless I decide to add more) because there are some parts that just work better/have a greater affect if it stops there (yes, im talking about cliff hangers), so don’t be disappointed if the next ones length is like 2/5ths of this one.
You can find Chapter 1 here if you have yet to read it.
She felt herself shudder awake, body freezing yet overly warm at the same time. Everything ached, her muscles, her head. She felt a whimper building in her throat but she swallowed it down. She felt someone’s arms wrapped around her waist and a warm body pressed against her back.
‘The demon’
Her mind supplied, and while she knew logically that she wanted to get away, to escape her captor, she felt much too ill to even think of moving, let alone running. She forced her eyes open, blinking as the watery light of morning made her head ache. Wincing slightly, she turned over a bit, trying to get a better look at her sleeping captor.
The demon looked much younger when she was asleep, although that didn’t tell the human much as it was a well known fact that demons didn’t age like humans did. A demon that looked no more than a child could easily be hundreds of years old, so the blonde could be ancient and Lexa would never be able to tell just by looking.
As it was, the demon looked to be her age, if maybe a little younger, like any normal human girl, an irritatingly attractive human girl. The one thing that set her apart, however, were the horns atop her head. They were curved and thin, the bases just above her hairline and hidden by blonde locks. They jutted forward ever so slightly before curving back sharply along her skull. They seemed to have grown in a way that it didn’t hinder the blonde when she lay down as she was sleeping rather peacefully on her side with half her face pressed into the pillow, mouth slightly parted, revealing small, admittedly adorable, fangs where a human's incisors would be.
Rolling back onto her side, she grit her teeth as the demon pulled her closer, murmuring in her sleep. The demon's embrace was grudgingly comfortable and it made the human angry and confused. Her people had been fighting the demons for as long as she could remember. She’d always been told they were beasts in human skin, only content when they were causing suffering, yet here she was being taken care of by one such demon; a demon that had assured her that she was safe, and had only ever done things to care for her, even if they were unwanted.
She was broken from her thoughts as she began to tremble, shivering because of some imagined chill, and a body wracking cough that clawed its way from her throat. She curled into herself as her body convulsed, unable to contain her whimper after it was over. Her throat was on fire and her head pounded, making it difficult to form anymore coherent thoughts. She could feel the demon shifting behind her, guiding her to roll over and cupping her face with cool hands.
“Shh, Pet. It’s okay.”
‘Pet.’ The demon had called her that a few times now. Is that what she was to her? Feeling as she was, she didn’t think that prospect sounded so bad as she felt her hair being stroked gently and a flask of water being brought to her lips. The cool liquid felt wonderful on her throat and she whined again, feeling much too awful to care about appearances at this point, when it was taken away. Her breaths were laboured as the demon pulled her up into a sitting position. She didn’t resist as she was pulled into a warm lap, or flinch away as cool lips were pressed to her forehead.
She felt weak, taking comfort from the enemy. She was a warrior, trained to fight and kill for her people. Even sick and injured, even near death, she was duty bound to keep fighting.
But her people were gone
They’d been destroyed months ago, at the battle of Polis. When the demons had won; when she and the last of her fellow warriors had been forced to flee with the few civilians that they could save. Her people were scattered to the wind, either dead and gone, or captured as she was now. She felt tears in her eyes as the demon began to gently rock her from side to side. She swallowed harshly as she tried to force them down before they spilled over. She felt awful, her head hurt and her wounds stung, everything ached, and she felt small and alone.
She didn’t realize that she’d lost the battle with her tears until the demon swiped them from her cheeks with gentle fingers. A sob choked it’s way from her throat, high and keening. In response, the demon only held her closer, humming softly as she continued to rock back and forth. All the pain and stress from the last several months seemed to well up all at once, making her sob harder as she buried her face into the demon’s chest.
She missed her people, her home, her family. She missed her siblings, Anya and Aden. She missed her father, Titus. She missed Polis. She missed Costia. She ached to turn back time, to return to the calmer days, when they’d had some semblance of peace, when they’d been at a stalemate with the demons. What hurt the most was that she knew that she could never even have a small semblance of what she had before. Polis was a burnt husk, void of all life. Costia was long dead, lost to a battle over a year ago. She had no idea where her family was, or even if they were alive. All she had to look forward to now was whatever the demon holding her had planned.
Her emotions seemed to drain away just as fast as they’d come, leaving her exhausted and shaking. The demon's arms were the only thing keeping her upright as she slumped against the blonde, breaths coming in harsh hiccupping gasps. The demon continued to rock and hum, carding soothing fingers through her hair.
“What’s your name?” She asked quietly, voice rough and shaking. If she was going to be the pet of this creature for the rest of her life, she at least wanted to know her name. The demon pressed a kiss to her temple. She could feel the curve of a smile on the blonde’s lips.
“Clarke. My name is Clarke.” The name was murmured against her skin. The brunette breathed a sigh and nodded, shifting to more comfortably rest her head on the blonde’s shoulder. At this point, she trusted that Clarke wouldn’t do anything to harm her, or at least not yet. The demon had shown time and again her intentions to heal her, tending her wounds when the blonde could have easily taken advantage of her body’s weakness. She let her eyes flutter shut as she pressed her forehead against Clarke’s neck, sleep beckoning her.
For now, she could take comfort in her temporary safety. Clarke would care for and protect her until she was healed at the very least, so for now, she would take advantage of it and rest.
The cart rattled over the uneven road, jerking its riders from side to side every so often. Clarke winced as a particularly violent jerk had Lexa whimpering as it aggravated her wounds. The demon carded her fingers through the brunette’s hair as the girl pressed her face into the blonde’s stomach in an attempt to hide from the dim light of the overcast afternoon.
Lexa lay with her head cradled in Clarke's lap, wrapped in a spare cloak as she lay stretched over the carts long bench. She'd been feverish for the past few days, dropping in and out of lucidity as she fought against both illness and infection. The blonde was relieved they would finally be going home after having her company’s mission confirmed as a success. There was only so much she could do for the poor girl in a rudimentary military camp, where supplies were limited and hygiene practically nonexistent.
But now they were going home, to her big, empty apartment where they'd have warm, running water, which meant nice long baths, and decent food rather than the dehydrated mush and broth they'd both been subsisting on for days now. They'd have a nice large bed where they could spread out rather than be cramped on a military issued cot. It would be warm, no longer waking up to cold noses and tingling fingers and toes. She sighed happily at the thought, chuckling softly as Lexa mumbled sleepily when the blonde massaged behind her ear.
The other occupants of the cart paid her no mind as she doted on her human, too busy trying to catch some much needed sleep to actually care. In other carts up and down the line, the blonde could see other humans, heads tellingly bare of any horns, tucked against the sides of the warriors that claimed them.
It wasn't an uncommon practice among her people to claim someone from a group they'd conquered. She'd seen demons with an assortment of pets and companions, from centaurs to night elves to nymphs. It was almost a point of pride with demons, to show off who their strength had defeated. And while there weren't any explicit laws about claiming pets or servants from battlefields besides required registration and identification, it was an unspoken rule that a demon was to treat their pets well, and Clarke fully intended to pamper her human.
BREAK
It was nighttime when they finally reached Arkadia. The streets were silent as the carts moved along, the only sounds being the clopping of horse hooves on cobblestone and the light murmur of conversation between the warriors. Clarke had pulled Lexa into her lap as the temperature dropped, the early chill of winter nipping harshly. The brunette had woken at the movement and stared wide eyed at the towering buildings around her. The blonde smiled at the look of awe and wonder on the girl’s face.
She had to admit that, for those who hadn’t lived in Arkadia their whole lives, it was probably overwhelming. The buildings were tall, made from carefully cut stone, metal and wood. They were packed together to conserve space, with specially designated open areas dotted between the blocks. Arkadia itself was large, built around a palace of metal that towered into the sky. Legend’s said that the demons themselves had come from the sky, falling within their metal castle as it burned red in a ball of fire. It was thousands of years ago, long before Clarke had been born, so long ago that not even the demons themselves knew the details.
The blonde hummed as a strong wind whistled through the streets, Lexa curling closer as she shivered. Winter would be upon them soon, and the snows in recent years had been particularly heavy. Clarke would have to ensure they both dressed warmly.
The carts arrived at the military headquarters just as a few wayward flakes started to fall. The warriors groans and sighs from the long ride quickly turned into cries of happiness as loved ones rushed to meet them.
“Clarke! Hey, Clarke!”
She heard her name as she helped Lexa down from the cart, pulling the cloak tightly around the humans shivering frame. She turned, brow raised as familiar arms quickly pulled her in for a hug. “Hey, O. It’s nice to see you.”
The younger demon pulled away, looking mock offended. She pulled at Clarke’s horns playfully as a dark skinned human came to stand at her side. “Nice? Just nice? You’ve been gone for almost six months and all you can say is that it’s nice to see me? I’m hurt, Griffin. Really and truly hurt.”
Octavia smiled widely, showing she was joking as she leaned against her human, pushing her small blunt horns into his shoulder affectionately. The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed, turning to the new human arrival.
“Hello, Lincoln. Has Octavia been behaving while I was gone?” She sent a smirk at the brunettes look of mock hurt. Lincoln smiled at their antics, shaking his head slightly as he put an arm around his demon. “She’s been doing just fine.”
Octavia stuck her tongue out at the blonde and playfully winked. “Yup, just fine. Also, we came to help you carry your stuff, so you better be nice or we’ll leave you here.”
Clarke laughed, shaking her head as she returned her attention to the cart. Lexa was sitting, shivering on one of the wheels, shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed. She looked adorably disgruntled, making the demon chuckle. The blonde padded over, brushing small flecks of snow from the brunette’s hair. Octavia raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, but didn’t say anything as she helped Lincoln carry Clarke’s things.
After returning any military issued items, she didn’t really have that much. Just a chest of clothing and armour, and a bag with her personal items. Her two friends handled them happily, taking them to their own personal cart, leaving Clarke to handle the shivering human.
“Hey, come on, we’ll be home soon and then I can get you a real, proper bath.” She rubbed the brunettes arms to try and warm them, smiling fondly as Lexa looked at her with hazy, tired eyes and nodded. While the last few days had been easier than essentially living in the wild, the mild reprieve from hardship had sent the girls health spiralling as her body realized it could finally take the time to rest. Clarke had spent her time caring for her, making sure she was as warm as was possible while staying in a tent, and ensuring she ate when she could, and while it had helped, it would still be a while before the human was up to full strength.
She wrapped an arm around the girl’s waist, helping her stand and supporting her as they walked the short distance to Lincoln and Octavia. Her two friends watched intrigued, communicating their slight confusion through looks. She ignored them as she helped Lexa into the back of the cart, shrugging off her own cloak to wrap around the poor girl.
“I’m going to go sign out. I’ll be right back, okay?” She pressed a kiss to her humans forehead, feeling the heat of fever against her lips. Lexa simply curled up in the corner the blonde had placed her in, huddling down into the cloaks. Clarke sent a look to her friends; one that said ‘be nice’ with a rather large amount of intensity, as she hopped down from the cart. Her friends had the habit of teasing anyone new, and she wanted to save Lexa from that until she was feeling better at the very least.
After signing all the proper release forms, the ride to her apartment was a quiet affair. She’d sat next to Lexa, pulling her close and closing her eyes while Lincoln and Octavia had chatted quietly as the man drove at the front of the cart. When they arrived at her building, she smiled tiredly, happy to be home. Lexa had fallen asleep at some point during the ride, slumping against the blonde, cold nose pressed into her neck. Clarke didn’t have the heart to wake her, so she simply carried the tired human up to her floor, her friends trailing behind.
“We got you some basic stuff to get you started, like milk, eggs and stuff, but you should really go shopping tomorrow.” Octavia spoke softly, setting down Clarke’s bag in the front hall. The blonde smiled at her friends after she’d set Lexa on the couch, padding over to give each of them a tight hug. Octavia kept her close after their hug, motioning to Lexa with her chin.
“I want an explanation eventually, Griffin.” The blonde nodded, smiling as she pulled her friend in for another hug.
“You’ll get one. I’ll properly introduce you once she’s feeling better.” The brunette nodded, pulling away to stand next to Lincoln. The duo left shortly after, not wanting to stay too long because of the late hour. The blonde sighed as she closed the door behind them. It felt nice to be home.
She stretched and groaned, her back popping, before she hauled her chest and bag to her room, tip toeing past the sleeping human on her couch. While her apartment wasn’t exactly huge, it wasn’t very small either. The main area consisted of a kitchen, dining area and living room, all spread out and open, and the large window overlooking the street made it seem even bigger. Her room was the same, large and spread out, the window, again, making it seem bigger than it was. However, with Lexa, Clarke hoped her home would feel less empty, more cozy and lived in.
Stripping off her travel clothes, she dug through her drawers, smiling when she found everything just as she’d left it. Pulling out a pair of soft sweat pants and a baggy shirt, she padded into the bathroom across the hall and turned on the shower. As the water warmed, she went back to her room, digging in her closet in search of something for Lexa to wear.
The brunette had been wearing Clarke’s clothes since her capture, and while they worked, they were definitely too big. The blonde had broader shoulders, more muscle and was bigger in the chest and hips, making the clothes loose and baggy on the slim human. They’d gotten by just fine, but now that they were home Clarke wanted her pet to be comfortable.
She pulled a night dress from her drawers, similar to the one she’d dressed her human in before. A robe style, it was a soft blue made from light fabric. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the garment, imagining Lexa in it, finally clean after a proper bath and lying curled on her bed, stomach full and resting soundly. She bit her lip to reign in her smile, folding the night dress and putting it on the counter when she returned to the bathroom.
She showered quickly, enjoying the warm water streaming down her back as she ran a check list of things to do through her head. First, tonight would be about relaxing. Cleaning up Lexa, checking her wounds and giving her a good meal and a full nights rest. Then tomorrow would be all about getting the essentials, groceries, new clothes and the like. Then after that, she would have to focus on making Lexa healthy, maybe a doctors appointment, and getting her accustomed to demon society. She nodded to herself as she washed her hair, plan in place.
Stepping out of the shower, she stretched languidly, feeling warm and relaxed for the first time in a long while. While she took pride in her abilities as a warrior, she wasn’t exactly a fan of the whole military lifestyle, and with the war with the humans officially over, she most likely wouldn’t get conscripted again for a long time, which meant she’d have plenty of time to relax and enjoy her time with Lexa.
Once dressed, she padded to the living room and smiled when she saw her human curled up on the couch. The cloaks still around her, Lexa was buried within their warmth, only the top of her head and eyes peeking out. The blonde drew closer, kneeling down and brushing away stray hair from the girl’s forehead. She frowned as she still felt the fever that had been present for the last few days, and stood to go grab medicine from her bathroom. She couldn’t have done much while on the road, but now, she had everything she’d need to make her pet feel better.
Retrieving the bottle of fever medicine, she returned to the main room, setting it on the coffee table before continuing on to the kitchen. She needed to get something in Lexa’s stomach before she could give her medication. She smiled when she found several packets of ready made soup in her pantry, along with the basics of flour and sugar, and other assorted items. She silently vowed to bring Octavia and Lincoln a bottle of something expensive the next time she saw them.
Making the soup took much less time on an actual stove rather than on a campfire. She spooned the delicious mixture into two bowls and brought them to the living room, setting them next to the bottle of medicine. Lexa, once again, had yet to move, still sleeping soundly.
“Lexa. Time to wake up, Pet.” She murmured softly as she stroked her human’s hair. The brunette twitched, brow furrowing, before blinking awake. The girl looked at her blearily, eyes hazy from fever and sleep. The blonde smiled, tucking the brunette’s hair behind her ear.
“I made us some food. You can go back to sleep once you’ve eaten and had a bath.” The human blinked at her a moment, registering her words, before nodding and sitting up with a groan. After handing her a bowl of soup, Clarke worked at taking off the girl’s mud splattered boots. It was miraculous that they’d survived so long while Lexa had been on the run, so it wasn’t terribly surprising when the worn and damaged leather practically crumbled in her hands. Standing, she tossed them in the trash, adding ‘get Lexa new shoes’ to the list of things that needed doing.
She dropped down on the couch with a sigh, loving the feeling of sitting on her own couch for the first time in over six months. It felt wonderful. She was home, she was warm and clean, and she had someone to care for again. Excitement sparked in her chest at the last point, making her huff happily as she turned her head to look at the human beside her.
While she wasn’t ancient, Clarke was indeed old. She’d lived a long time, hundreds of years now, and it had been a long time since she’d had companionship, having shied away from it since she’d lost more than one loved one. However, now, after almost a hundred years since she’d lost Finn, she thought she might be ready to have someone close again.
“Once you’re done, I’ll draw you a bath.” She murmured, grabbing her own bowl of soup and began eating. Lexa nodded, staying silent, but a small smile had crept onto her lips, betraying her eagerness to finally be clean. The blonde smiled in return, bringing a hand up to card her fingers through her human's hair gently.
One thing Lexa had learned quickly since her capture was that Clarke was touchy; touchy and affectionate. Throughout the days they’d spent in the war camp, the demon had given almost a constant stream of affection. Carding her fingers through the brunette’s hair, small massages, light kisses. Lexa was never in need of attention, and she had to grudgingly admit she didn’t mind. It reminded her of her family and their unconditional love. It reminded her of her father's hugs, her brother’s playful kisses on her cheeks, and as she sat quietly in a bath full of warm, steaming water, the demon gently washing her back, she was reminded of all the times she and her sister would bath together after long, terror filled battles, helping each other scrub off the blood and fear.
The brunette’s eyes fluttered ever so slightly as warm water was poured over her shoulders, slumping against her tucked up knees. Clarke’s touches were gentle, never rough or too insistent, and she’d never let her hands stray to places that were untoward. It was reassuring that the demon seemed to truly have no desire to assault her, even when the human’s body was laid out before her.
“Come on, Pet. Just stay awake until I can get you to bed.” Her head jerked up slightly, blinking as she turned to look at Clarke. The demon had moved away from the tub, grabbing a large towel from a stack on top of a hamper. The human groaned as she realized that meant she would have to move. She finally felt warm, her stomach was comfortably full, and her muscles didn’t ache because of the water. If she moved it would be cold and her wounds would tug and the stiffness would return.
Clarke chuckled at her groan, a small smile playing on her lips. Lexa had to admit that the smile was attractive. It softened the demon’s face and brightened her eyes. The human bit her lip and shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts. She refused to find her enemy attractive.
She struggled to stand, her legs shaking. The muscles had grown weak after such a long period of starvation. Clarke was at her side in an instant, wrapping her in the large towel, and using it to tug her closer until her body was flush with the demons. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, supporting her, and she shivered. She forced herself to believe it was solely from the chill of the bathroom.
The demon guided her to the bedroom, shuffling together until the brunette was set down on the bed. She swallowed thickly as Clarke turned away to grab a soft looking robe, running her hands over the bed spread.
While she had been tired, she’d done her best to examine the apartment when they’d made their way to the bathroom, and from what she could remember, she hadn’t seen any doors other than the ones that led to the bathroom and Clarke’s room, meaning, there was only one bedroom.
It didn’t exactly surprise her, as the demon had slept beside her the entire time she’d been captured, it still made her a bit uncomfortable. Clarke was supposed to be her enemy, she was supposed to kill the demons that had been tormenting her people for generations, yet she was finding comfort in one of them.
She held in a sigh as Clarke returned, pulling the towel tighter around herself. The demon tossed the robe like garment on the bed beside her, along with a small medical kit. She wrapped the towel even tighter, ignoring the slight sting from her healing wounds. Even though she knew it was a good idea to have her injuries treated, the fact that it was a demon doing it made her shift uncomfortably. It seemed Clarke sensed her unease.
“Come on, Pet. The sooner you let me rebandage your wounds, the sooner you can put on some clothes and go to sleep.” She swallowed, taking a deep breath before she let the towel slid from her shoulders. She received an approving hum from the demon, making heat gather on her cheeks as she looked anywhere but at the blonde.
Clarke was gentle while she worked, only touching where was needed unless she was pressing a kiss to Lexa’s forehead, or tucking a strand of damp hair behind the brunette’s ear. The human only squirmed slightly when Clarke had checked the stitches on the deep cut near her breast. The demon cooed quiet assurances as she wrapped a bandage over the wound, pressing a soft kiss to Lexa’s temple when she was done, then quickly retrieved the robe. Lexa felt herself relax once the clothing was draped around her shoulders and tied at the waist. She felt far less exposed.
“Alright, let’s get you to bed.” She refused to believe that she squeaked when Clarke scooped her up, but she definitely made a noise of surprise, making the demon chuckle as she held her close. The blonde pulled back the covers with one hand while the other arm cradled Lexa to her chest. It was a testament to the demons strength, as well as to how little weight the brunette actually had. As she was tucked gently under the covers, Lexa frowned, unnerved by how fragile she’d actually become. If she wanted any sort of fighting chance against her captor, should the need arise, she needed to return to her former strength. However, she didn’t know if she had the time to recuperate before that strength may be needed.
