The smell of cooking food woke Devyn. Am I still alive? Devyn's stomach growled in response to his dramatic thought. Well, I guess whining won't help me right now. Devyn decided to try his luck and psyched himself up to face his dreaded new life as a slave to a demon.

Devyn held his breath as he cautiously opened his eyes. He was lying in a small cave. A crackling fire caught his attention. A small pot hung above the fire. The human's nose caught the aroma from the pot, and his mouth began to water. Devyn's heart dropped, however, as he looked at the figure kneeling beside the fire.

The red light from the fire illuminated the attractive silhouette of the demon as he tossed twigs in the fire to keep it alive and stirred the pot of food. The flames danced on his pale face, and his crimson hair hung in his eyes. His jaw clenched as he was deep in thought, highlighting his sharp features. His narrow eyes were a deep grey.

"You hungry?" The demon spoke to the human without turning to look at him. His voice was surprisingly soft and smooth. Devyn swallowed as he looked at the demon. The demon turned to look at the human before adding, "You haven't eaten in a while."

The demon stood and walked over to the human, presenting his full height and muscular frame. Devyn swallowed as he looked up at the man looming over him. The crimson-haired man was easily four to five inches taller than the human. Devyn instinctively shrank back as the demon bent down beside him, shutting his eyes as the demon's hand reached for him. The human's breath hitched when the demon placed his hand on Devyn's forehead and checked his temperature. His hand was overwhelmingly warm, making Devyn's tense body relax a little.

Waahhhhh. This actually feels so nice. Devyn found himself wanting to lean into the demon's touch. He had never felt anything so warm. Who knew a demon could be so warm? I thought they were cold creatures.

"It's better. You won't die," the demon commented on the human's temperature before scooping his hands under Devyn's knees and back and lifting the human in his arms. Warmth spread throughout the human's body as the demon carried him towards the fire. The demon gently set Devyn down on a fur beside the fire and filled a bowl with porridge from the pot.

"Why won't you let me die?" Devyn asked the demon as the man held a spoon to his lips.

"You're more valuable to me alive. Now, eat."

"No. You can't keep me alive forever." Devyn stared straight into the demon's eyes. He resented the idea of being a slave for the remainder of his life. Why am I fighting to die? Should I not fight to live? Something about the man in front of him made Devyn want to fight, to keep on going, but the longing to finally rest got the better of the human's resolve.

The demon sighed and set the bowl down. "Why do you want to die so badly?" The demon's grey eyes stared into the human deeply, eager for Devyn's answer.

This question made the human pause. "I'd get to be with my parents, and...won't be hurt anymore."

"So you just want to give up. Death is just an easy way out for you."

The demon's words shook Devyn because what he said was true. I just do not want to try anymore. I am tired. Ughhhh. When did I become such a coward?

"Well, good news," the demon continued, "you will die...eventually. Just not now." He picked up the bowl. "Eat. I decide when you die," the demon said as he forced the spoon in Devyn's mouth.

The food actually tasted pretty good, and Devyn ended up finishing two bowls. He had not realized just how hungry he was until he tasted the first bite.

"How 'bout we make a deal? You live now so you can be my sacrifice later. You help me; I help you. What do ya say?" The demon proposed once Devyn had eaten to his heart's content.

This actually made Devyn laugh. "A deal with the devil, eh?"

"Sort of. I'm a slightly different type of demon."

"So, why do you need a sacrifice?" Devyn could not believe he was intrigued by a demon. "Just so I know what kind of deal I'm making," he tried to convince himself.

"It's kind of like keeping myself and my family safe. My family has to offer the souls of human men each year to the king of Hades, so we don't get killed."

Devyn leaned back on his hands, interested. "Why would demons kill their own kind?"

"My family and I are part of a clan of demons that are a different kind than the demons in Hades. One of our ancestors bred with an angel, so we are a type of mutation from them. We were discovered and banished to this planet, Sendrum. We have to buy our lives with the souls of humans. That's why I bought you."

"What makes you different?"

"We have this ability called soul crypting."

"What's that?"

"We can basically trap a person and their soul in a fire crystalline crypt. It's mostly used to keep people imprisoned, but it can also be used to save a person who is close to death."

"How does that work?"

The demon smirked at the human's unusually high level of curiosity. "I would have to encrypt myself with the person and slowly heal them over time. But we don't do that because we will be vulnerable."

"Wow. Why would they banish you for that?"

"They're scared we'll crypt their souls."

"Oh."

"Mmm hmm," the demon nodded. "So what do you say?"

"What's your name?" Why am I asking him his name? He is going to sacrifice me!

"Denzyl. You?"

"Devyn."

Why did I tell him my name? Wait, why did he ask for my name? I am just a slave to him. Oh well, we will see where this goes. One problem though, I have finally gotten over the shock and scare of being kidnapped and sold to a demon, and I do not want to die anymore. I refuse to let my soul be absorbed into the king of Hades. I will not help that demon in his efforts to take over the universe!

The result: I begin thinking of escape.

"Ok, Devyn, what do ya say? Be my sacrifice?" A slight smirk accompanied the demon's intense gaze.

"Deal."

Now, how to get away...

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Damn. It happened. Why now? Denzyl sighed as he looked at the sleeping human. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a huff before checking Devyn's temperature. It was dropping again, so Denzyl channeled more warmth into the human. Devyn soon stopped shaking as the demon pulled the blanket under his chin.

Denzyl let the human rest for an hour or so before gently rolling him onto his stomach. He moaned in response but remained asleep. Denzyl lifted the end of his too-big shirt on Devyn to reveal the whiplashes covering the human's back. The demon's blood boiled at the sight of the caked blood, and he fought the urge to rip the dendrum who did this apart. Why do we have to be so possessive and protective? Why did we have to mutate this way? Couldn't we have gotten more powers? We just had to mutate to fall in love.

Why didn't I tell him the real reason we were banished is the fact that we can fall in love. It is extremely rare and usually happens once in a demon's lifetime, but it is still possible. It usually happens in the blink of an eye, too.

And why, just why, did I fall in love with the human I bought as a sacrifice?! I knew as soon as I saw his green eyes. The moment I held him in my arms, I wanted to protect him from everything and everyone. Why does it hurt so much to see him in pain? And why does he want to die so badly???

I have to find him a reason to live.

I cannot tell my clan yet. They will be furious. I have to find a way to protect Devyn and keep my family from sacrificing him. What should I do? Should I just run away with him? No, that will spook the clan, and they will search for us.

Aghh! Denzyl bit his lip in frustration. Okay, first thing's first, take care of Devyn's wounds. Figure the rest out later. The demon steadied his racing thoughts and began to gingerly clean the lashes on Devyn's back.

Devyn did not even flinch as Denzyl dabbed the ointments on his wounds. Either he was extremely exhausted, or he was used to pain. Denzyl supposed it could be both.

The demon finished cleaning the wounds and turned Devyn over. He moaned but stayed asleep. Denzyl sat the human up and leaned him against his chest. His head rested on the demon's shoulder as Denzyl gently wrapped his back.

Once his wounds were bandaged, the demon slowly laid Devyn down. He gave the human more heat to fend off Sendrum's cold and brought the blanket up to his chin.

Devyn snuggled into the blanket as Denzyl left to tend to the fire. The sky grew darker as clouds began to gather. A rainfreeze was coming. The planet was forever dark and cold. The temperature was below freezing, but nothing actually froze.

Rainfreezes were dangerous and deadly if one was caught in the storm for too long. The rain was cold as ice, but it remained as a liquid. The freezing rain quickly lowered one's body temperature, especially a demon's. Sendrum was the perfect place of banishment for demons.

Denzyl brought Devyn as close to the fire as he could without burning him. The demon kept a hand on Devyn to provide the human warmth as he sat and studied the ever-darkening sky. Rainfreezes build for two or three days and grow to span over a vast distance before releasing its freezing torrents, but it was too late to try to outrun the storm and Devyn was in no shape to be moved.

The temperature began to drop quickly as the clouds thickened and the rainfreeze grew. The first night of the rainfreeze's expansion approached with a critically cold temperature. Devyn began to shiver fiercely as the storm pushed a cold front through. Denzyl tried to channel more heat into Devyn, but the contact from his hand was not enough; he would need more skin-to-skin contact if he wanted to save the human.

Denzyl removed his hand from Devyn's shoulder before gently sitting the human up and taking off his shirt. Blood was beginning to soak through the bandages, but the ointments seemed to be speeding the healing process. Denzyl laid Devyn back down before taking off his own shirt and wrapping it around Devyn's feet. The demon then lay down next to Devyn and held the human flush against his chest before pulling the blanket over both their bodies. Careful to not touch the wounds, Denzyl wrapped one arm around Devyn's body just below his waist while the other cradled the human's neck, bringing Devyn's head under his chin.

Once Denzyl had Devyn situated, he began to channel his warmth into the human. Devyn's shakes slowly turned into small shivers as his body hungrily absorbed the demon's heat.

Devyn's heart began to pound in fear as the arms around his body tightened and he was pulled closer. The warmth and safety being given were accompanied by a deep, instilled trauma. Devyn tried to fight the rising horror, but all he could feel were his hands, his breath, his touch. Devyn found himself back with that man. No, no, no. Devyn struggled to calm his mind, but the memories were dominating his thoughts.

"No, no, no, no! Stay away!!" Devyn began to fret in his sleep.

Denzyl looked down to see Devyn's face twisted with fear, his brows furrowed in distress. "Devyn?" Denzyl patted the human's shoulder gently. "Devyn?" Denzyl's attempts to wake the human were in vain as Devyn began to whimper and shake in fear. Unaware that his touch sparked a deep trauma, Denzyl began to gently pat Devyn's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the human.

The continued contact only increased the human's trauma as he struggled to break free from his past. "Stop, please!" Devyn cried out in an attempt to put an end to his horror.

Devyn's desperate cry pained Denzyl. Realizing that his touch only strengthened Devyn's fear, the demon slowly removed his hand and scooted away from the human. By this time, tears were streaming down Devyn's face and his eyes were shut tightly. Denzyl resisted reaching out and wiping away a teardrop and instead slipped his shirt back on before cautiously sliding his shirt over Devyn's head again. Devyn slowly calmed, but small whimpers continued to escape his lips and his brows remained furrowed. Devyn's body temperature had returned to a safe range, but Denzyl was still worried about leaving Devyn with just a blanket; however, if it kept Devyn from experiencing another post-traumatic episode, Denzyl would resort back to channeling warmth into the human minimally.

Who did this to you? Denzyl wondered as he laid the blanket over the human before going to tend to the fire. The demon's blood boiled at the thought of someone hurting Devyn. His eyes turned red as he stared into the flames deep in thought.

As the night continued, Denzyl would return to the human and provide him with warmth before leaving to tend to the fire. Devyn never completely healed from the episode and stayed curled up in a tight ball as he slept. After four hours, Devyn began to wake. Through his delirious, trauma-founded state and blurry vision, the human saw a man sitting beside the fire watching the sky. Devyn's heart spiked with fear as he saw him.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Denzyl looked out the opening of the small cave in which the two took refuge and watched the clouds grow. Nothing happened for several hours; however, a slight movement caught the demon's eye just as the rainfreeze was preparing to drop its chilling fluid. Denzyl's alarm raised, and he turned around as a rock was smashed into his head.

Blood trickled down the side of Denzyl's face as he looked at Devyn. The human dropped the rock and began to run, but the demon caught him by his waist.

"Let me go!" Devyn protested in the demon's arms.

"Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you! You can't leave right now. It's dangerous!"

Devyn stopped squirming in response to Denzyl's warning and relaxed a bit.

"Plus, you're hurt. You won't make it very far," Denzyl added. The demon started loosening his hold as Devyn settled down. But Devyn suddenly reached under his shirt and pulled out a broken shard of sharp rock he discovered in the cave. With quick maneuvers, he stabbed the shard into Denzyl's side.

The demon yelled out in pain as Devyn took off his shirt. The human whipped behind Denzyl and quickly wrapped the shirt around the demon's throat.

"No, Devyn," Denzyl choked as he pulled on the twisted shirt. "You can't...go!" Denzyl barely managed to finish the warning before he had to gasp for air. Devyn pulled harder until blackness blocked Denzyl's vision. The demon's breaths became shallower until he could not breathe, and he lost consciousness.

Denzyl woke up coughing. A pool of blood had collected from the shard in his side. The demon gritted his teeth as he pulled the shard out. Denzyl tossed the blood-stained shard aside and looked around the cave. It was empty.

A gushing sound drew his attention to the mouth of the cave. The rainfreeze had come.

Devyn! He's out there. I need to find him! Denzyl wiped the blood out of his eyes and stood to his feet. Holding the wound on his side, the demon stumbled out of the cave and into the rainfreeze.