There was indeed more than breakfast in the morning. The witch couldn't have enough of Nyx's body as Nyx brought her over and over to climax. First, it was in the kitchen. Then they were in the shower. Then they took things back to the bedroom again, before returning to the couch in the living room.
Finally, after hours and hours of pleasuring Meredith, Nyx took one look at the bliss on her lover's face and knew that the witch had had enough. She sighed, basking in the warmth of her lover's body. Never had she felt so utterly satisfied, so complete in her life. Normally, she would have to be with multiple women at the same time for several days until she felt half as good as she felt right now. But Meredith was more than enough for her. And once she had her, Nyx was certain she didn't want anyone anymore. The witch was an addictive drug she just couldn't get enough of.
After several minutes of comfortable silence, Meredith finally said, "So... Onixcasria, huh?" She traced circles on Nyx's chest. Even after all that vigorous lovemaking, Nyx still felt shudders whenever Meredith touched her. "That's your actual name."
"Hmm." Nyx grinned. "Did Ezerix tell you?"
"That, and the fact that I saw almost everyone in your memory calling you by that name."
"Oh, right." Nyx had almost forgotten about that. The last stage of the fated bond opened their minds to each other, such that they knew everything the other had experienced. Nyx wondered how much of her almost five-decade worth of memories Meredith still remembered. That must be overwhelming, she thought.
"And you go by Onyx Castle?" Meredith chuckled. "So subtle."
"I'm too attached to my name."
"I mean, it's a cute name. I would be attached too."
It was a simple thing Meredith had said, but the demon couldn't help but smile earnestly. She gently but firmly held the witch to her chest, the even rhythm of Meredith's heart soothing her.
"Hey," Nyx whispered into Meredith's ear, "what's wrong?"
It might not be obvious to anyone, but Nyx had committed everything about her lover to memory. Even the slightest change in the witch's mood was very perceptible to her, and right now, something was bothering her girlfriend. She just knew it.
Meredith's gaze met hers and she sighed. "I just... I guess I'm a little nervous about meeting your family."
"You have nothing to worry about, my love."
Meredith smiled. But she didn't look convinced. "Your parents literally rule Hell."
"Heldan," Nyx corrected.
"What?"
"The demon realm... it's called Heldan." Then as an afterthought, Nyx added, "I have no idea why people call it Hell. Propaganda, I guess..." Seeing the look of puzzlement on Meredith's face, Nyx continued, "But yes, you're right. My parents are the supreme monarchs of Heldan. It doesn't change anything though."
"Really? You're the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. There should be some kind of a rule for Hell's... Heldan's princess dating a witch."
"Please," Nyx scoffed. "My parents are Primordials. They don't care about such trivialities. Besides, this demon-witch hatred only exists in Rorel. I don't think demons in Heldan care about witches at all."
Meredith raised a brow. "Primordials? Rorel? I'm sorry, what are we talking about again?"
Nyx laughed. She always forgot how little is known about the world at large by people in Rorel. Well, they had science but it had barely scratched the surface of everything they knew. "Okay, so Rorel is the realm... or universe that Earth belongs to. But usually, it simply refers to Earth. And Primordials are..." She paused, thinking of the best way to explain it without confusing Meredith. "They're ancient cosmic entities."
"You mean gods?"
"Hmm. Something like that." She grinned at Meredith's adorable look of confusion. "How much do you know about demons?"
"Apparently, nothing," said Meredith.
Nyx didn't blame her. Almost every piece of information in the mortal realm about demons was complete bullshit. Sometimes it made Nyx laugh at how utterly delusional some of this nonsense was. Pure conspiracy theories, straight out of a badly told myth, obviously to keep people hateful of demons. It was no wonder the hatred between witches and demons had spanned for millennia in this realm.
But she wouldn't want her girlfriend to be in the dark. If anyone deserved to know more about her history, then it was her fated mate.
So Nyx began, "In the beginning, there was Vasteri..."
Vasteri was the Primordial Realm, home of immortal beings born from magnificent cosmic events like supernovas. Primordials. The first of these entities was Alfina, Queen of Vasteri.
Then about thirteen billion years ago, shortly after Alfina's extinction created Rorel, a war broke out in Vasteri over who should rule next — Lucifer or Yavehu. So powerful and devastating was the war, that Vasteri physically ripped into two distinct realms — Heldan and Avana.
Lucifer and his followers claimed Heldan while Yavehu claimed Avana. Eons passed, and life sprung up in Rorel. Thus began the age of humans. And with it came their understanding of the world.
Heldan became Hell, Lucifer and his Primordials became devils and demons, Avana became Heaven, and Yavehu and his Primordials became gods and goddesses.
"Wait..." Meredith interrupted. "So there's no such thing as royal demons and all that?"
"Not entirely," Nyx answered. "Primordials created immortal beings from their essence. Those created by Heldan's Primordials became known as royal demons while Avana's became angels. But the distinction is just a mirage. Like I said, propaganda."
"I'm sorry, what?" Meredith's eyes widened. "What the hell is this story?"
Nyx laughed heartily. "I know. After everything you've heard, this probably sounds like bullshit."
"I mean it's a lot."
"Oh, it gets worse."
And then Nyx continued with the story, explaining the hierarchies of demons.
The first royal demons were created from the essence of Primordials. A Primordial's essence was any part of themselves powerful enough to exist as an autonomous entity. These royal demons were called clogrons, and many of them were almost as ancient and powerful as the Primordial who birthed them.
Nyx's oldest brother, Darizen, created from Lucifer's crown horn, was the strongest clogron in Heldan. He was also Lucifer's firstborn, and the most manipulative bastard to ever exist in the three realms. Second only to Lucifer, of course.
"Hey." Nyx felt Meredith squeezing her hand gently. Until then, she hadn't realized how furious she was while talking about Darizen. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." She forced a smile. She was no longer in Heldan. She didn't have to waste her time thinking about that monster.
Meredith nodded. "What about you? I'm guessing you're not a clogron, right?"
"No. I'm a digron — a demon born of two Primordials."
When Primordials took on human forms and mated with other humans and witches, and sometimes even werewolves and vampires, their offspring became demigrons. While demigrons were stronger than greater demons, they were still the weakest of the royal demons.
Greater demons were born, created, or turned by royal demons. And the lesser demons, at the foot of the demonic food chain, naturally sprung out of environments full of strong emotions and energy.
"Is Ezerix a greater demon?"
"He's a guardian. Guardians are only as powerful as their birth masters. So that makes Ezerix a digron. Just like me."
Most clogrons and digrons were born into the world wielding their guardians. That made them the birth masters of the guardian. The majority of guardians were in the form of weapons. A few, however, were born as living beings.
When Nyx was born, she cradled an egg in each tiny hand, formed from her demon energy. The eggs hatched when she was a year old, and out came her two demon guards. Technically, Nyx's demon guards were both her siblings and children at the same time.
"Damn. This is..." Meredith was speechless.
"...crazy." Nyx completed the sentence.
"That's not the word I'd use," Meredith countered. "But it's certainly something. Confusing at best."
Nyx chuckled. "I know." When it came to demon sexuality and reproduction, it could get even more complicated than that. But she chose not to delve into it. She'd already blown the witch's mind.
"I didn't think much about it when Ezerix introduced himself as your Second Demon Guard. But now it makes so much sense. I don't think I've met the first. Have I? I don't know, your memories are pretty overwhelming."
"No. You haven't met him yet." Nyx pressed the witch's body to herself, inhaling her sweet scent. "But you'll meet all of them tonight. I promise."
She spent the rest of the day explaining things like demoncraft, demonic skills, and all the other things Meredith was curious about. She didn't bring up the concept of Chaos though. That was a whole other level of madness her girlfriend wasn't ready for.
* * *
It wasn't Meredith's first time in the Union. But this time, it felt different. This time, she wasn't some random witch lost in a sea of supernaturals. She was here as the girlfriend of the royal demon who owned the Union. The same demon, who since meeting with the Witch Council and Demon Circle at the Herald Tower, had struck fear into every witch and demon in the city. The name Onyx Castle was now a name that must not be named.
Meredith tightened her grip on Nyx's arm as her lover paraded her through the club. She felt their gaze boring right through her. Yet, she didn't care one bit. On the contrary, an indescribable sense of pride surged through her as her demon girlfriend clutched her protectively. It sent a tingling sensation through her body, and she almost went weak in the knees. Thankfully, Nyx was holding onto her firmly the entire time.
"Are you alright?" Nyx whispered to her as soon as they entered a stylishly furnished room.
Meredith nodded as Nyx led her to the couch. Her smile calmed Meredith's nerves a little. Although Nyx had assured her over and over that meeting her family would be okay, Meredith couldn't help but feel a pit widening in her stomach. Fortunately, most of the pit had been filled when she learned that they weren't going to Heldan. Instead, the family reunion would be right here at the Union.
"You have nothing to worry about, my love." Nyx handed her a glass of water. "Everything will be fine."
Sipping the water, Meredith managed a small smile. She trusted Nyx with everything she had. If Nyx said she would be fine, then there was no point worrying.
Meredith didn't realize how thirsty she was until she downed the entire glass. No, it was more nerves than thirst. Maybe demons in Heldan couldn't care less about hating witches. But Meredith was still nervous about meeting Nyx's family because she wanted to make a good first impression.
"You ready, my love?" Nyx asked after Meredith returned the empty glass.
"Yes." She tried to give her most optimistic nod.
"Alright then." Turning to the door, she said, "Come on in."
A tall guy with shoulder-length black hair walked into the room. Wearing a white sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans, he looked awfully familiar, although Meredith was sure he had never met him before.
"Hello there." He flashed her a charming smile. "You must be the witch who stole my sister's heart."
Sister? This was Nyx's brother? They looked nothing alike. Where Nyx had hazel eyes, this guy had dark green eyes. Where Nyx was chocolate-skinned, he was as pale as marble. But they did have the same smirk.
"Her name is Meredith," said Nyx in a firm tone. Then her gaze softened once it fell on Meredith. "This is my half-brother, Rexadan."
Rexadan? Meredith narrowed her eyes. Now it was all coming to her. She recalled this name from Nyx's memories. Except that the Rexadan she had seen in Nyx's memories was very young, barely a teenager, and Nyx often called him Rex. Could he be the same person? Those green eyes, jet-black hair, and mischievous smirk were unmistakable. It was him. Surely. Nyx's earlier memories of young Rexadan were happy ones. Until...
"Meredith? You okay?" Nyx whispered to her.
That brought Meredith back to her senses. "Oh sorry." She took Rexadan's outstretched hand and gave him a firm handshake. "Hi."
"What a pleasure to meet you, dearest Meredith. You're a sight for sore eyes."
Meredith smiled. It seemed Rexadan had Nyx's smooth-talking skills too.
"There are three others I want you to meet," said Nyx.
"Okay."
"I hope you don't misunderstand this."
Meredith tilted her head. "Misunderstand what?"
Nyx paused. "Yessin."
Just before Meredith could wonder what Yessin meant, something walked... no, phased through the walls as though it was just another doorway. But Meredith barely had the time to dwell on that, because right there was that same woman she'd seen all over Nyx when she came to return her gift. The same woman who had suddenly appeared in Nyx's home, the morning after they had almost had sex.
"Your Highness." Yessin bowed curtly to Nyx. And then turning to Meredith, she gave a small nod. "Lady Meredith."
Meredith just stood there, not moving, not reacting. She felt Nyx's arm slither around her waist. It was the only thing calming her down at the moment.
"My love, you've already met Yessin, my chief spy. Other than my guardians, she's my most loyal subject, and I consider her family."
Meredith didn't say anything for a long time. It was childish to hold anything against the woman. Sure, Yessin and Nyx did sleep together. But that was before Meredith was in Nyx's life. She couldn't be mad at the woman when she'd done nothing wrong. The rational part of Meredith knew this to be true. Yet she couldn't help the jealousy suffocating her. No, she had to banish these thoughts. She trusted Nyx. It was time she started acting like it.
"Hi, Yessin." She managed a cordial smile.
"Hello, Lady Meredith."
Meredith turned to Nyx. "What about the others?"
In a commanding yet soft voice, she said, "Baatrov... Ezerix"
No sooner had the words left Nyx's lips than two figures materialized behind Nyx. Meredith almost yelped in shock. Where the hell had they come from? Her eyes wouldn't leave the two demons standing behind their master. The two couldn't have been any more different from each other.
While Ezerix was as dark as midnight, Baatrov was the literal definition of white. His skin was snow white, and his long silky hair draped past his shoulders like a mass of ice cap. The only things they had in common were their heights and the two golden suns acting as their eyes.
"These are my guardians, my love. You've already met Ezerix. This is Baatrov, his brother." Nyx touched the pale-skinned demon's shoulder. "My First Demon Guard."
Meredith was just speechless for a while. All she could do was stare at everyone she'd just been introduced to.
"This is a lot, huh?" Nyx rubbed her neck awkwardly. "They're all very important to me. So I wanted you to meet them."
Meredith caressed Nyx's arm, flashing her an assuring smile. "Thank you, Nyx. This is perfect." The way her heart swooned when Nyx smiled, she knew that her demon lover no longer felt insecure about the whole thing. "But I'm curious," said Meredith, not letting go of Nyx's arm, "Where did they come from? You call them your demon guards, but I've never seen them around you."
"You don't see them because they exist in the guardian plane. But they never leave my side... or at least they're never too far away. Well, that was until I asked Ezerix to keep an eye on you."
Meredith blushed.
"They'll only appear when I summon them," Nyx continued, "or if they sense that I'm in a life-threatening situation."
"A life-threatening situation?" That got Meredith's attention.
Nyx chuckled. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself. So that never happens."
Not that it consoled Meredith. But she knew how powerful her demon girlfriend was, so she didn't worry too much.
When all the introductions were over, Yessin and the guardians left Meredith in the company of Rexadan and Nyx. Rexadan tried to make small talk with Meredith. He was quite the storyteller, regaling Meredith with stories of their childhood. He was also very funny, and Meredith couldn't help but laugh at his silly jokes. Nyx didn't involve herself much in the conversation. But the amusement in her eyes told Meredith that her girlfriend was just as engaged in the story as she was. While they talked, someone knocked on the door. Nyx asked them to come in and a man with a ponytail entered.
"Boss, Ghorzon is here."
Nyx eyes darkened. "Don't let him out of your sight," she said rather calmly. Yet the anger was all too discernible.
When the man with the ponytail left, Nyx whispered to Meredith, "I'll be right back, okay? There's something I need to take care of." Turning to Rexadan, she said, "Keep her company, will you?"
"Of course."
"She's angry, isn't she?" Meredith said when Nyx was gone. "With this Ghorzon person."
Rexadan paused for a moment. "He's a werewolf. And he stole from her. I don't know what the hell he was thinking, stealing from Oni. Such an idiot."
"Oni?"
Rexadan narrowed her eyes. "You know her name is Onixcasria, right?"
"Right... We um... we talked about it this morning." Meredith's cheeks heated up as she remembered those talks that turned into more than just talks. She shivered a little, recalling all the reality-altering positions Nyx had taken her in, over and over again.
Rexadan grinned at her, and for a moment, Meredith felt like she'd been caught doing something bad. She looked away, her face heating up in embarrassment.
"If it makes you feel better, she's just as whipped as you are."
Meredith didn't think her cheeks could get any hotter, but they did. She already knew how Nyx felt about her. But hearing it from someone else, especially one who was important to Nyx, meant a lot to her.
"I was a little nervous when I found out that her fated mate was a witch," said Rexadan.
"Why?" she asked a little too quickly.
"Because the fated bond only affects demons." He shrugged. "I was afraid my sister was going to hopelessly fall in love with someone who would never return her feelings. But I guess I was wrong." He smiled fondly at her, dispelling Meredith's fears. For a moment, she had thought Rexadan was one of those witch-hating demons. He was born in Rorel after all. "I see the way you look at her like she's your whole world."
"She is my whole world." She wasn't even exaggerating. Meredith could simply not imagine a future without Nyx. "I'll do anything for her."
Rexadan didn't say anything for a while, only watching Meredith as though trying to figure out if whatever she had said was true. Then in a low deflated tone, he said, "Just... don't be like me. It will break her."
"I won't betray her if that's what you're saying."
His eyes drooped. "She told you."
"No. I saw her memories." While Nyx had experienced a lot of different emotions throughout her forty-eight-year-old life, her memory of Rexadan's betrayal held the deepest pain. A pain that strangled Meredith's heart. Yet, here she was, talking to the person who hurt Nyx most like it was nothing.
"You must hate me for trying to kill your girlfriend."
"I don't," she said truthfully. "I don't understand the context behind most of the memories. They're way too many and complex. But what I do know is that if Nyx didn't trust you, she wouldn't have introduced you to me. There's a reason she accepted you back in her life."
Rexadan laughed without mirth. "Yeah, to protect you. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. But I'm not naive to think that Nyx accepted me out of the goodness of her heart. I deserve it though. What I did was unforgivable. But I want to make it up to her. I want to prove to her that I would never hurt her. That's the real reason I came back. I know she might never trust me. But that's okay. I'll do whatever I can to keep her safe. And that also means keeping you safe, Meredith. Because you mean everything to her." Then he paused, sighing. "Sorry, I went on a rant there."
"That's okay."
"How about I give you my number? You can call me if you need anything."
When Meredith hesitated, Rexadan quickly added, "I mean, I know you don't need anything from me. But it won't hurt to be in contact with Oni's family, you know?"
Meredith searched Rexadan's eyes for any ulterior motives, but all she saw was sincerity. This was someone trying their best to atone for their sins. While Meredith hated that this guy almost killed Nyx, there was no point in hating him if Nyx herself obviously didn't hate him. Besides, Rexadan was right about one thing. It would be wise for Meredith to have a good relationship with Nyx's family. Rexadan might probably be the only one among Nyx's siblings who liked her. She would rather not jeopardize that. No longer apprehensive about the whole thing, she let Rexadan put his number on her phone.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked after Rexadan had given her his number.
"Sure. Anything."
"Why did you try to kill your sister?"
If Rexadan was offended by the question, then he didn't show it. Instead, he sighed. "I'm not going to make excuses for myself, but I was only twelve. I was so young and stupid... It was easy for Darizen to manipulate me."
"Darizen?" Meredith frowned. This guy again. "Your older brother?"
Rexadan nodded. "He's hated Oni ever since she was born because she's a direct threat to his future as heir of Heldan. The only reason Darizen never tried to directly harm Oni is because he's terrified of Oni's mother... Lilith. So he uses pawns to get his job done."
"And he used you."
"Yeah. He slowly turned me against Oni until I wanted her dead... I... god... I hate myself so much for what I did." He buried his face in his palms. "I was the only sibling Oni trusted. Yet I broke that trust. Even after I tried to poison her, she still protected me. She could have ratted me out to Lilith, and my life would have been over. But she covered for me and told her mother that she accidentally poisoned herself. I felt like shit. But I was too ashamed to apologize to her. And once I was ready to face my shame, it was too late. Oni had already left Heldan. All I can do now is show her how sorry I am through my actions."
Meredith nodded. The guilt on Rexadan's face was all too palpable. She wouldn't claim to understand the dynamics between Nyx and her brother, but she was certain that her girlfriend still cared about Rexadan despite everything that had happened between them.
Besides, Rexadan was the least of Meredith's problems. She was more concerned about Nyx's older siblings. Most especially Darizen. She'd sensed how angry Nyx had been when she talked about him. What kind of asshole was he?
This whole time, she had been worried that Nyx's family wouldn't accept her. But if Nyx's family was a danger to Nyx herself, then Meredith wanted nothing to do with them. Hell, she would do everything in her power to protect Nyx from them.
From Darizen.
***
Okay, Meredith, calm your tits. Maybe some votes will do the trick.