Raven

A man stepped into view. His dark hair was casting a shadowy look over his eyes. The heavy boots he wore crushed the flowers beneath them. I felt the urge to save them; to revive them with my powers.

"Hey little fairy, what are you doing in this part of the forest?" He snickered.

I blinked up at him. I wanted to speak, or even fly away, but my mouth stayed mute and my wings stayed hidden. It was as if I was frozen in place.

"Zander! Zephyr! I found one!" The man shouted over his shoulder.

He dangerously trudged towards me, crushing more plants with his thunderous footsteps. I heard more pairs of heavy boots advancing on us. My heart was beating erratically. I have to get up. I have to move.

The fox in my arms hissed at the fast-approaching man, snapping me out of my frozen state. I stood up fast, my wings forming in an instant. I held on to the small creature in my arms as I flapped my wings forcefully, trying to get into the sky as fast as possible. I didn't make it far off of the ground when I felt a hand tugging me down by my wings. His grip yanked me out of the air and the little fox yelped as he fell from my arms to the ground below. I hit the ground, landing on my already bruised rib cage and arm for the second time today. Though, I was more worried about the state my wings were in. The man continued to grasp onto them and I couldn't move. I cried out, feeling my delicate wing being torn under his powerful grip. Two more men appeared, they seemed to be identical twins.

"Hurry, bind her wings!" The first man ordered.

There was no need. I could no longer fly; not with a broken wing. I pulled my wings back into my skin quickly so that they couldn't tie them up. The brown-haired twins gasped at my actions and scrambled to the man's side to help him.

"Shit, did you see that?" One of the men spoke.

"Shit, I didn't know fairies could do that"

"You idiots, just tie her up!" The first man boomed.

The two men grabbed my arms pulling them behind me. I struggled against them, thrashing to no avail. They wound a thick rope around my wrists, tying them securely behind my back.

"P-please l-let me go!" my voice broke as I pleaded.

They ignored my distress. Tears ran down my face. The first man came into view, as the others held me back. A scar ran across his cheekbone, the light marred flesh was a contrast against his dark skin tone.

"Hey boss, are you sure she's even a fairy?" one of the brown haired men asked.

"Yea, she's got no colorful hair." His twin stated the obvious.

"You idiots, of course she's a fairy," he stepped towards where I kneeled. His accomplices held my tied wrists behind my back.

The scarred man leaned in close, inches away from my face, "You're going to make me a rich man," he whispered. I flinched as he lightly stroked my cheek with the back of his rough fingers before standing up to his full height. He was at least a foot taller than I was.

He then turned around, facing the forest. Crouching down, he drew an odd symbol in the dirt. In seconds a magic ring appeared above the ground. It looked as though it was a doorway to another realm. A dark one.

The man willingly stepped through the glowing circle. I felt one of the twins pull me up and push me towards it. I regained my balance and stepped back. The only method I prefer to travel is flying.

The man saw my hesitation and rolled his eyes. He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me through the ring to the other side.

I gasped at the temperature change. The once sunny summer day was now a cold night. My body shivered uncontrollably, the short dress doing nothing to shield me from the wind. The only light in this dark barren land came from the stars and the double moon. Wait. Cold barren land and double moons. Panic set in once more. I had never been before, but I know from hearing all the scary stories growing up. We were in the demon realm.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

"Your highness, can I get you anything?"

My jaw ticked hearing Odelia's shrill voice pierced my eardrums.

"No, I would like to be alone tonight." I voiced, still facing away from her. I was uninterested in the little game she was playing.

"But we had so much fun last time." She smirked.

I heard her walk up behind me. Feeling her trace my spine with her long fingernail. I turned in an instant, grabbing her wrist and holding it away from me. She grimaced at my actions, taking the chance to pull her body closer to mine. "I love it when you play rough."

I dropped her wrist. She was starting to get on my nerves. I stepped away from her. Just because I play with her when I'm bored doesn't mean she's at leisure to get her way. I only keep her around because she's Alastor's sister. Also, she's a nice piece of ass when I'm in the mood. But tonight wasn't one of those nights.

"Leave."

"Adrik-"

"I said leave."

Her smirk had dropped. She ran her hands through the ends of her fiery red hair, staring into my nonexistent soul. I stared back, challenging her. Already pissed off from earlier in the day. I was getting nowhere with my kingdom's upheaval. Then her brother had to go and spew the ridiculous idea of capturing a fairy to make all of our problems go away. I mentally cursed just thinking about it.

Odelia looked a lot like her older brother. They both had scarlet hair and dark blue eyes. They acted the same as well, always trying to persuade someone into getting them what they want.

She sauntered up to me slowly, smoothing down the midnight blue dress around her hips. Trying desperately to get my attention. I crossed my arms in front of me, standing my ground. She stilled in front of me. "No wonder you could never find your mate. The gods didn't give you one."

She didn't know what she was talking about. I seethed, my anger bubbling over the edge. Her words had carved into my heart like a knife to the flesh. She knew how to get a reaction from me. My hands reached out, fingers wrapping around her neck tightly. I pulled her in, my bath fanning across her face.

My lips smashed into hers. Harsh words exchanged for a harsh kiss.