Chapter 6

Raven's POV

I sat on the roof of my hut, once again tying it. There was a storm last night that quite literally blew my roof away. I had woken up due to the howling winds and the rain beating down on me. When the roof was blown away, I searched in the dark for it to no avail. I had to sleep in an uncovered hut, the rain pouring.

I woke up with a slight fever that I chose to ignored. My first priority was to make a new roof. That took me half of the morning to do. The other half I was tying it to the hut. Amon told me that he wouldn't meet me until after lunch, so I wasn't in a hurry. But I was hungry. I was so busy with my roof I forgot to look for food.

My white dress was damp with sweat. Actually all of my dresses were wet from the rains last night. Without a doubt, they were now ruined. I can't let Amon know. He wouldn't be too happy. As a child I was deliriously happy every time I got a new dress from him. But as a teenager I had to be cautious. Who the hell am I kidding?! Whenever I get a new dress from him I would hug him tightly.

A familiar tremor ran through my body. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain. Recently, the tremors I felt when Amon was approaching were starting to feel like lightening bolts running through my body.

Dropping my body on the roof, I laid on my back, waiting for the pain to go away. Normally the pain disappeared after about five minutes. After almost fifteen, the pain finally vanished. Sighing in relief, I jumped off the roof. I'll finish it later. Right now I want to see Ami. There's something I have to tell him and he wouldn't like it.

Running through the forest, I smiled as I approached the river. I spotted Ami near the edge looking down into the crystal water. I suddenly skid to a halt when someone stepped out in front of me. Looking at them I realized it was one of the men from the village. To be precise, he was the son of the man that stabbed me repeatedly when I was nine. I think his name was Orias or something like that. I paid little attention to the people in the village now.

Looking back at the river, I noticed that Amon had disappeared. He was hiding. Orias looked at me with shock written on his face. Why the hell is he so surprised to see me? The leaves rustled nearby and a woman walked out of the shrubs. Her olive skin was flushed and there was a slight sheen of sweat covering her. Her long brown hair was a mess, twigs and leaves sticking out of it. Tilting my head to the side, I wondered what they were doing there? But I don't think they thought people came this deep in the forest. Orias eyes were as large as saucers. He was shocked that he got caught. Was it bad that he got caught?

Shrugging my shoulders I walked past them, only to have Orias grab my hand and yank me back.

"You won't tell anyone about this?" He asked.

His voiced was calm but his eyes betrayed him. They were filled with fear. Who was he afraid of? Also why would he ask me that? Didn't he know that I'm mute? Well mute to the villagers anyway. I just looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. Which he probably was.

"Baby. Leave her. The freak doesn't talk." The woman said, holding his free hand.

That reminds me. He's still touching me. I yanked my wrist away from his grasp. Over the years, thanks to Ami, I got over my fear of humans. Now I just hate them. He kept telling me not to, but then he also said he understand why my hatred was there.

"Right." Orias said, ignoring me now.

I chose that moment to disappear. I hope they leave quickly. With them here, Ami won't come out of hiding. When I approached the trees closer to the river, a large hand covered my mouth and I was pulled deeper into the forest. My hands were held behind my back as I was dragged away from the river. I reacted on instinct. I jammed my elbow into my attacker's ribs and kicked his shin. Thank you Ami for teaching me how to defend myself. The person grunted but didn't let go. It was like he didn't even feel it.

I felt lips close to my ear before I heard a voice whisper, "Relax little Raven. It's me."

Ami! The hand from my mouth dropped and I spun around. I threw my arms around Amon's waist, hugging him tight. He chuckled before returning the hug. Looking up into his deep green eyes, I smiled. His hands were linked behind my back. Bending, he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I missed you." I told him, nuzzling his chest, inhaling his scent.

He smelt wonderful. He always did. It must be a demon thing. Pulling away from him, I looked at what he had on. Over the years, Ami taught me the names of things. Like clothes, food, shoes, things like that. He had even taught me to read. It started when I was ten. To my joy, I was a quick learner and every praise I got from Ami, made me want to do even better.

He was wearing a black faded jeans that hugged his hips, white fitted t-shirt with a leather jacket over it. He was wearing boots on his feet. I had asked him where he got clothes like that and his reply was the human world. Apparently there was a whole different world outside the forest. Ami promised to take me to see the outside world one day.

I was eagerly awaiting that day. Ami touched my cheek, cupping it. "I know you missed me. You always do when I'm gone."

I pouted. Would it kill him to admit that he missed me too? I know it's stupid of me to feel this way when he doesn't say it, but I can't help but feel disappointed. As if sensing my feelings, Ami bent and planted a kiss on my cheek. I pushed him away and covered my face. My face was now heated. He only kisses my cheek to see me blush. Which I have been doing a lot of lately.

"Stop that Ami!" He chuckled and pulled me in an embrace.

"Okay I'm sorry. Are you hungry my little Raven?" Did he even have to ask? I'm always hungry.

That could be because I barely eat when he's not with me, but still. Actually, I didn't even have to answer him. My stomach did the answering for me. It growled so loudly that it could have given Amon's roar competition. I thought the sound would have made him laugh. Instead he just got pissed. Oh right. He doesn't like it when I don't eat. It's not my fault I have nothing in my village to eat. And food is getting scarce to find.

Amon sighed and pulled away. He held my hand and lead me to the waterfall. Since people were near our river, we couldn't have our meals there any more. I'm just really glad that the villagers don't follow me when I run into the forest.

When Ami stopped, I sat on the grass while he walked away. I'm guessing he's going to open a crater to get our food. There were a few things I noticed over the years. Whenever Ami opened a crater, he never let me see. He always moved away from me. So I'm guessing it's dangerous for me to be around a crater. But the crater that opened when we first met seemed okay to me. I won't ask him though.

Another thing I noticed, the food we ate was unbelievably delicious. Also he never brought any meat to eat with him. When I asked about that, he asked me if I want to eat human flesh. I stopped asking after that. So we stuck to a vegetarian diet. Well at least I did. I'm sure when he returns home he eats all the humans he wants. Why the heck am I even okay with being friends with a man eating demon. Oh right. He's the only one to ever be nice to me.

The most important thing I noticed about Ami was that he never aged. It's been almost nine years since I met his human form and not once has he aged. I guess it must be a demon thing. As a child I was fascinated by his beauty. Now as a teenager, I felt my heart race whenever I saw him. And every time he touch me or kiss me, I feel as though my heart explodes. I wonder why I feel so?

Amon returned with a tray of food. He sat down next to me and gave me the tray. It was loaded with potatoes, rice, grass (he calls it lettuce, I call it grass), and I think that is meat. Meat! I pushed the tray away and Ami looked at me quizzically.

"What's wrong?" He asked looking at my face.

"You brought human flesh for me to eat!" I shouted.

He looked confused at first but then a slow smile formed on his lips. "That's not human. That's chicken."

"You lie. You told me the only meat in your home was human flesh." I am so not eating that.

"Raven, look closely at it."

I didn't want to but I did. Looking down at the roasted meat I noticed...were those wings? Two tiny wings were clearly visible and the legs of the bird were tied. It really was chicken. Snapping my head back up to Amon, I saw him smirking.

"Where did you get the bird?" I had to know. I really was curious.

"I stole them. I wanted you to taste it. So please try it." He all but begged me to taste it. What's the matter with him? He never begs me to eat. He usually demands that I eat.

Breaking off a piece of the chicken, I plopped it in my mouth. The moment it entered my mouth, I melted. It was delicious. And I told him just that. Amon released a breath he was holding. Apparent he made this. He wanted to make something for me, that's why he didn't meet me this morning.

Smiling like an idiot, I ate the meal in pure happiness. Ami cooked for me. He never did that before. I wonder what possessed him to do this? Oh well. I'm not complaining. I get food.

After my very delicious lunch, I leaned against Ami's side. He lifted his arm and dropped it around my shoulders. At his touch, my heart started to race. What is happening to me? That never happened before. Why is it happening now? Not wanting to ruin the moment, I pushed the thought away.

We didn't part ways until late that night. It was only after I was back in my hut, did I remember I had something important to tell Amon. He's no longer in the forest. I don't feel him anymore. I guess it will just have to wait until I see him in the morning.

My roof was only half done, since I decided to spend my time with Amon instead of fixing it. I just hope that it lasts the night.

Thankfully, my dresses were dry. Even though they were ruined because of the water, at least they would keep me warm in the night. Taking off my dress, I went out back to take a dip in the river. When I started to grow breast, Ami insisted that I stop bathing with him. He had once again given me the lecture about being a girl. So now I either bathe early in the morning, or late at night. When the rest of the village was asleep and no one would see me.

After I cleaned up, I put on a long red dress. It had thin straps. The top of the dress hugged my breast and fell loose by my waist. A thin black ribbon was tied around the waist. The dress was very beautiful. Amon had given it to me for my seventeenth birthday.

Even though I'm not allowed out of the village the day of the sacrifice, Ami had told me to meet him at dawn that day. When I met him by the river, he hugged me, wished me a happy birthday and gave me the dress. He left after he kissed me on the cheek. That day was when my heart started to act erratic.

I'm afraid to tell Ami about that though. If I tell him, he would blame himself. I think I am dying. That's the only explanation I could think of for my heart speeding up and beating the way it does when I'm with Amon. He is a demon after all. So that must be the reason. Yes I'm dying. That's the only thing that makes sense to me.

Sighing, I walked out the hut. I wanted some fresh air. Plus I wasn't sleepy. It was midnight and the moon was high in the sky and yet I felt more alive than I do in the day. My long black hair swaying in the light wind that blew.

I walked aimlessly through the village. Everyone was fast asleep in their homes. A warm fire burning in the hearth, thick blankets to cover them and keep them cosy through the night and a warm bed to sleep in. I envied them. I'm not complaining. I'm happy now. Things were a lot harder before I met Amon. I may not have a bed, but I do have thick warm blankets to sleep with.

I had wandered to the other side of the village. Away from the rest of the houses was the village chef house. The lights were still on and I heard noises coming from inside. Curiosity got the better of me. I really want to see what's making those sounds. But the last time I let my curiosity take control, I was beaten. That's it. I'm going! I will take the risk.

I sneaked up to the window and peeked through. The first thing I saw was the girl from earlier. The second thing was the village chef. The girl was leaning over the bed, her hair falling in her face. The village chef was behind her, his hips moving. They were both naked. With every movement of the village chef, the girl's breast swayed to the beat. I suddenly felt sick, bile rising in my throat. I watched as the village chef moved from behind the girl. She bent and started sucking on his......

Moving away from the window, I emptied my stomach in the bushes. Oh my god. What the hell did I just see?! I feel really sick. On wobbly legs, I made my way to my hut. I fell on my make shift mattress. Waves of nausea kept coming up. Whatever I just saw, I wouldn't be able to unsee it.

**********

Five days. That's how long I went without sleep. My body was exhausted and I was sleepy. But for the life of me, I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the village chef and the girl.

I thought I could have kept it a secret from Amon but I thought wrong. Ami kept asking me what was wrong, but I couldn't tell him. How could I even explain what I saw when I don't even know what I saw? I sighed for the hundredth time that day.

A booming sound caused me to jump. Looking over at Ami, I saw that he had punched a tree, shattering it. He looked angry.

"Ami what's wrong?" I asked walking over to him.

"Tell me what is bothering you!" He shouted, making me jump again.

He's never this angry with me. In fact, he's never angry with me at all.

"I want to help you but I can't. You think I don't know that you haven't slept in a few days?! I have been with you for years. I notice the little things about you. Never take me for a fool Raven."

Well when he puts it that way I feel like a fool for not telling him. He moved my hair from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. I can't keep this from him any more. I have to tell him. And I did. I told him everything that I saw that night and how I couldn't sleep because of it. After I told him my story, Ami just stared at me, his mouth hanging open. He didn't move for five minutes. I was starting to worry.

"Ami...." I shook his shoulder.

"What? Sorry. What?" He dragged his hand down his face clearing his stunned expression.

"Okay little Raven. Let me explain what you saw. That was sex." He then proceeded to explain to me what sex was. My eyes widen to the size of the moon.

"That was sex?! It looked so disgusting!" His face fell at my words.

"That's what people do little Raven. It's only a natural action."

Why do I get the feeling that my words hurt Amon? That's impossible. He's a demon. Words can't hurt him. Right?

"Never mind that. I want you to sleep." He said holding my hand and pulling me to the base of a tree.

He laid down, tugging on my fingers for me to join him. I didn't want to close my eyes. I was afraid I would see those images. As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, Ami pulled me to him and covered my eyes.

"Hey!"

"Relax. I'm right here. You won't dream anything bad."

"Promise?"

He moved his hand from over my eyes. "I promise."

Smiling, I laid in the grass next to him. Amon pulled me in his arms. Snuggling closer to him, I closed my eyes. Within the warm embrace of Amon, I quickly fell asleep.