Love as a Form of Binding

**The relationships count in this tale. Most demons on this plane (as I've written it) don't care to have any. They're just promiscuous if they get the chance. These ones are trying to build something important to them. Even so, they're not human, so one can't expect conventional human reactions from them - just something a little like that. O_o

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He knew where to start looking -- finally. From the final earthbound thoughts and impressions of a twenty year-old vampire, no less.

Not twenty years AS a vampire, Tereth smirked, since he'd only lasted two months, twenty years old when he'd been turned. The hunter had been forced to sift through the testosterone-soaked thoughts of a post-pubescent waste of space who'd been turned into an undead waste of space, eternally post-pubescent, and so full of himself.

Well from Tereth's point of view, his last look over his shoulder as he strode away had indicated that the kid was about to be full of something else now, the way that the sand giant was pounding him. From what he'd seen, his second death at the hands of a hellhound had been entirely preventable -- unless you thought that you had something to prove. Now, of course, he was sobbing and shrieking for his mother.

Tereth smirked as he wondered if she was here as well somewhere.

The last impressions were of the ass end of a green pickup truck stopped on a snowy road. The hunter thought it over as he made his way to the scene. On the way, he dug deeper into the memories that he'd scooped. From that, he got a view of a license plate, and that told him where in general. He thought about the sign next to the mall earlier that night and headed that way.

He found the mall.

He found the roads that had been seen in the memories.

The soul had been held inside another. Well he was hunting a huntress, so,...

Where had the soul been held before transfer? Where was the 'holder' then?

Where?

He left the scene and went higher, looking for communities. From high enough, you could see plenty of them. He looked around, and went in the direction that just felt right to him.

Thirty minutes later, he was in the garage, looking at the ass end of a green pickup truck, and he was feeling that he was right in the groove now.

The door wasn't even locked, not that it would have changed anything. Tereth went inside.

He stood there, just feeling.

Tereth wondered why he was feeling what now came to him from the inside of a human's dwelling, not a normal place for his kind. There'd been demons here not long ago, more than one.

Why?

Why more than one?

What was this?

He walked around, trying to get some reason, or sense to this. He began to grow frustrated, since he knew that he was so close to something that might get him out of the future that he'd gotten a glimpse of earlier.

He walked around aimlessly and his hand came up to his face unconsciously. Without being aware of it, his fingers ran over the ripped out feature that had once been a rather handsome cheek to his way of looking at it. But the red bitch had changed that for him.

He'd walked in to the old lord's main hall and saw her perfection almost a century before. The wonderful hunter girl who never failed to bring back what was wanted, and often what others like Tereth had failed to retrieve.

The bitch had stood there, waiting for the slimy lord's attention and carrying a soul that Tereth himself had failed to get three times running before the job was given to her, of all hunters. She'd stood there, all demure and pretending to be respectful. When the lord had nodded to her, she'd bowed so low that no male could have looked at that and not felt it in his balls. So he'd only done what was natural for any male. He'd walked up to that perfect ass and grabbed her hips to get started. Anyone would understand.

That was when she'd ruined his face -- and she hadn't even looked to see who it had been yet. What she'd done to his prick had been far worse. It still didn't work right. Any worthy demonlord would have seen it his way, surely, but not the slimy asshole that he had the misfortune to have to work for. Tereth had gotten a year on the table then, a year strapped down in an elevated kneeling position where anyone could just come by, pick up one of the flame whips there and flay him to their heart's content with no fear of reprisal.

Most of the time, the bastards had aimed at his nuts. They still didn't work right either, and they looked like shit.

After six months of yelling out his hatred for her, she'd stopped by one day. She didn't say a word, nothing apologetic or anything else as she applied the sticky salve to his torn up cheeks and balls. And she'd done it so thoroughly, too.

It felt very nice and he told her so.

She'd said nothing.

He'd almost gotten to like the way that she'd slathered on the runny ointment. He could even remember the way that she'd made him groan, applying the stuff onto his dick and then sliding her finger into him to get some of the stuff in there. He hadn't been hurt there, but he'd liked what she'd done -- as though she was promising to make it up to him.

He'd watched as she'd come around into his field of view drooling the golden salve onto the ground in front of him so that he could see what she'd been applying. Honey. It was ordinary honey.

He'd asked her why.

She shrugged, "Because I was forbidden to kill you. I'm just here today to lay down the honey and the drum there. I just do what I'm told. I always do as I'm told. If it were up to me, you'd already be dead."

Then she'd walked to the metal drum and knocked it onto its side to release the large fire ants.

"The ants aren't my idea," she'd said, though she didn't look apologetic in the least, "They're from our ruler, since you can't keep your dick from controlling your brain. Next week, I'll be back to see how you are," the red-haired bitch had smiled, "I'll bring the armadillos with me. They like to rip up whatever's between them and ants. They're my idea. You say you're sorry and convince me that you are, and I won't let the armadillos loose."

A week later, he was truly sorry - that he wasn't a better liar. It had taken him years to be able to ...

Tereth was frustrated now. This was his chance to get even, and he was stuck.

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The snow stopped falling and the temperature began to climb rapidly from the sudden chill that Lily had brought. Sharon stood together with Lily very near to the canter of the large chamber.

Sharon looked around them at the others who drew near, "This -- this is your family, Lily?"

The woman smiled, "I hadn't thought of it that way, but all of my daughters are here with the ones who are important to them. All of this boils down to one of my daughters taking a human male for herself not very long ago. It happens that she's wanted by another demonlord who has no real claim on her, though he's the kind who would think that he has. She's tied her soul to the man's, and in doing that, she's made him into a demonlord himself. We're here because he'll be safer here as he learns so that he can rise with hopes that his appearance won't start a war as it would if he were to just show up in the middle of the hells. It's a little complicated."

She indicated Racephet and said that he and Megaera had joined them. "They wish to live free, outside the confines of having to own and operate a hell." She chuckled a little, "To explain all of this -- what's going on here would take most of a day, Sharon. To keep it simple, I needed a place like this for the new lord. I found the hall above, and right away, I knew that this was here, though I didn't know the extent of it. I knew that an old lord slept in the old tower along with his consort and knowing who it was, I awakened them. Yesterday, we opened the doors and took the place from the goblins who still lived here, and here we are."

She stopped speaking as the others neared them. Sharon tried not to stare, but it proved almost impossible. As she looked from one to another, she felt very nervous but she began to feel a lot more comfortable after a minute. They all drew near, but they remained about three meters away. It seemed to be everyone's comfort distance, she noted. That was fine with Sharon, since to her, there were some formidable-looking individuals among them. It took a few minutes, but Lily introduced them all until she suddenly stopped.

Maezou walked toward them alone and stood beside Toby.

"Where are- " Lily stopped as she looked farther out. Zele walked to her with Thiery and Illa. She wore what they'd found in the pack and she carried the axe on her shoulder. Sharon stared as they came nearer.

"Zele," Lily said, recognizing her daughter no matter how she looked, "What's this?"

"Miss Zele's found more goblins," Thiery said with a grin and Sharon was smitten with the smaller ones instantly.

Illa held Thiery's hand and looked a little remorseful, "I think that I may have caused ye a bit of trouble, Mother."

Zele shook her head, "No, Illa, it's not like that." She briefly explained that what had happened to Thiery had also happened to her, and the subsequent events afterward. She shrugged, "And now I have this shape as well."

She looked at Sharon, "Who -?"

Lily smiled, heading off Sharon's question by just saying, "My daughters have always just called me Mother. It seems to have caught on."

"This is my friend, Sharon," she smiled at Zele and her companions, "She is the curator of another old castle and several others, including the one above. This is very strange for her, but she wanted to meet you all. She writes and illustrates books, some of them about demons."

Sharon looked around her and noted that all of them were bowing. She looked at Lily, who only smiled back.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

Lily grinned in surprise, "Something that I didn't expect. Why not break the ice by asking them?"

"Eh -- excuse me," Sharon said, rather nervously, "Why are you all, um, bowing like this?"

No one spoke for a moment, and then Maezou lifted her head, "You are important to my mother," she said rather simply, "It's never happened before for Zele and I. We see the way that she feels toward you, and so you deserve respect."

Sharon was shocked, considering how short a time she'd known her friend. She knew how she herself felt, but she really hadn't expected --

"That's enough of that," Lily said, a little embarrassed, "You're making the two of us feel uncomfortable, though I appreciate the thought."

Sharon looked down at the bag that she carried, "I don't know how to do this, "she said, "and I feel a little silly, but Lily told me that you need brushes and combs, so I've brought some. Please help yourselves."

A few minutes later, Sharon saw Illa and Thiery sitting down and asked to join them.

"Suit yerself, Miss Sharon," Illa said a little impatiently, "and maybe ye could help me a little. I've just brushed out Thiery's hair and that's no small task, the way that he runs around and now he won't hold still fer me te keep his hair from lookin' a mess -- as it usually does."

Thiery half turned, "Ye're always tellin' me that ye love my hair, and now yer rippin' it out and ye expect me te hold still fer it when I havna done anything te deserve it."

Sharon asked if she might help and before long, she had the tangles out of his hair.

"Here," Illa said, looking a little suspiciously at her, "How'd ye do that, and he's stayed as quiet as a mouse fer it?"

Sharon shrugged, "Thiery doesn't know me, and I can see that he's a little proud, likely too proud to complain -- though I was probably pulling on his hair just as you were."

"Is that so?" Illa said, "Well I guess that I'll just be handin' him off te one of the other girls then when he's needin' his hair unwrapped from his axe the next time. He's good with his axe, but it catches on his hair the way that it flies when he's runnin' around. We was killin' goblins yesterday and every time that I looked, there was some of Thiery's lovely hair hangin' onte the haft of his axe."

Sharon looked a bit skeptical, but Lily told her that if she looked, there were still the stains to be seen even in the hall there.

"I thought those were oils stains or burns or something like that," the blonde said.

"No," Illa said as she shook her head while working on Thiery, "Goblins have red blood, but it turns black as soon as it hits the air. I'll take ye te see the pits where the bodies are burnin' if ye want after I get done here -- that is, if I ever do. It's a wee bit longer than mine and it's so fine, so it tangles."

"Why don't you braid his hair then?" Sharon suggested, "That's what men used to do, long ago."

Illa's eyes flew open, as did her mouth as she gasped, "Oh, Aye, ye're right!" she exclaimed, "My mother told me what they looked like then. She never saw them like that either, but she said the men back then had long hair like the women and both braided their hair."

She looked from Thiery's hair to Sharon, "How d'ye do that then?"

Sharon smiled and then began to comb Theiry's hair in preparation, ""I'll show you, and you can do it for him the next time. I think he'd look good with just one long braid."

Thiery looked a little nervous, "Here, Miss Sharon, I'll no look daft, will I?"

"No more than usual, I expect, my love." Illa giggled.

"Don't worry," Sharon grinned, "You'll look dangerously handsome."

"I don't know, " Illa smiled, "he's always lookin' a bit dangerously handsome te me. That's how come I fell fer him. Could ye maybe just make him look handsomely dangerous instead?"

While Sharon worked, Illa asked if Sharon could help her. "I'd just like te have somethin', some wee braids somethin' like Miss Maezou's got. I don't want the same thing necessarily, dye ken? I just want somethin' like it. I've always liked hers."

"I'll do it for you, Illa," Maezou smiled as she sat down behind the imp, "I think it would be a high honor to be part of a set with you." She turned and smiled at Sharon, "There really was a lot of fighting here yesterday, and Illa was an important part of it. She's not big, but she's really fast, and she was right there with the rest of us then, just like Thiery there."

Sharon finished with Thiery and he thanked her before heading off to ask everyone for their opinion. She watched for a time, fascinated with the beauty of Maezou and the imp. She looked around and saw that many of them were looking back at her with much the same level of fascination. "Forgive me for not knowing, but the males here, do they always look like this? I've always had dreams of demons and I can't say that my idea of what they'd look like was all like this. They look so similar."

Maezou shrugged, "They don't to me, and anyway, I can tell them apart in the darkest place. My soul is bound to Toby's. We feel each other no matter where we are. Lord Racephet there is in his natural form, aside from the flames that he isn't showing now," Maezou said as she worked, "Lord Tobias adopts this shape for fighting. He's learned it from Racephet. I think it saved his life yesterday."

She called to Toby, "Can we just see you the way that we'd all like now?" she smiled, "Sharon wants to see what you look like."

Toby walked over and stood looking down at Illa, "Good to see you looking happy," he smiled, "I hate it when I see your tears." He smiled at Maezou, and she returned the smile, since he'd discarded the reptilian look.

"There you go, Sharon, the one who holds my heart and soul," Maezou nodded, "Lord Tobias."

Sharon almost gasped, but she recovered immediately, "What are these markings on you both?"

"His just say who he is," the huntress smiled, "Mine say that I belong to him."

Sharon found herself in conversation with both of them, and was happy that they took some care to try to explain things to her in ways that made sense. She was astounded to learn that Toby had been a normal human male, and they were both quick to explain why it had happened, other than they'd fallen in love.

Lily watched with a proud smile as she stood with Racephet and the others. She looked away for a moment and then turned to them all.

"There is one hunter searching now. Tereth has found your home, Tobias," she said, "What he does next may be guessed easily. He will come to this part of this world looking for Maezou. I have ideas for his welcome, but I think that you need to plan this on your own behalf with me." She turned to Sharon, "And we need to see Lewis, you and I. Come with us. Please, Thiery, you as well."

Sharon stood up and walked with Lily, Toby and the kobold. Mother looked down as they walked, "You look quite formidable now, Thiery. Your hair suits you like this."

He looked at the end of his braid as it hung over his shoulder to his chest and grinned as he saw the leather thongs on his arms and wrists. He looked up and thanked Mother for putting them there.

Maezou and Illa watched them walk off as Maezou finished the last braid. "He looks like a fine young warrior now, Illa."

"Aye," the imp sighed, "He stole my heart in an instant the way that he was before, Miss Maezou. I think that if I were te meet him for the first time as he is now, I'd just throw maself at his feet and beg him te take me."

She grinned after a moment, "Look at that, he's still got that little bum that I just want te chew on fer an hour."

Maezou chuckled as she reached around to hug the imp, "You're right, he does at that. My sister told me that she spoke to you about becoming a pet so that you could come with us if and when we leave here. It makes moving much easier. Your wings can't take you as far and as fast was we'd need. As a pet, you can be taken along easily. Or do you think that you'd like to stay here with Thiery?"

Illa thought about it for a moment as Maezou brought her wings forward to cover them both as they sat.

"I don't know," she said, enjoying the feel of being covered by the wings of another, "I dinna think that I could even live without him if he went. I think I'd have te go along, but te be the laird's pet, Miss Maezou, that's not something that really appeals to me, if ye can understand it."

"Zele told me," Maezou said as Illa felt her nod from where she held her head next to Illa's, "I understand the reasons, Illa."

She grinned a little, "And she also told me about how she showed you another thing that Toby likes to do with his females sometimes. She said that you looked as though you could enjoy that."

"Aye, I could," Illa sighed as she felt Maezou's caress against her breast, "I'm worried about Thiery, that's all."

She turned her head a little to look at the little scales across Maezou's nose, "I think ye all need te understand how he might feel. He's got nothing te be ashamed of te me. I think he's wonderful, but he's nae great beast like the other two males here. I was thinkin' about what Miss Zele showed me, and I was imaginin' how it would be te be held tightly while he was doin' that te me. It's a really nice thought, I'll warrant, and I can see me likin' that so much too, but -- "

"Don't give it a thought, Illa," Maezou sighed, "Thiery would see that you're still his female, and he's the only male that you'd accept like you do. Toby knows that he can't really copulate with you, but there's more to loving than that, and he'd love to do that with you too. He cares for you more than enough for that. We all do," she said as her other hand began to lightly stroke Illa's thigh. "So you liked having my sister put her eggs inside you? She told me that it was wonderful for her to do that with you."

"It was so nice," Illa smiled, "and it felt as though I was the female for a female, though it doesna really sound right for what it felt like when I say it like that."