At the age of sixteen, Kapri already had a perception that was clear in her mind: a good deed from a demon is not a good deed at all. By the time she realized this, it was much too late. She found herself handcuffed and placed in the back of a cop car, charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and treason, along with her best friends—Kira and Jasemin. The three of them were accused together, united by circumstances beyond their control. Kapri had committed her first murder of a demon with a cigarette still lit between her fingers.

•••

Kapri's eyes fluttered open, her mind heavy from the memory of nearly decades ago and the morphine pumping through her veins. The high ceiling of the manor room loomed above her, the sleek lines, minimalist furnishings, and large windows overlooking manicured garden with a pond. It made her feel like she was imprisoned in a zoo made to look like what they thought the natural habitat of a human was.

I wonder if they're living well?

Her nose filled with the scent of nicotine lingering nearby, and above her, smoke swirled in the air. Strangely, it didn't make her cough and it wasn't heavy on her lungs.

Her gaze darted toward the source of the smoke and saw Dazriel sitting on the ledge of the open window, holding a cigarette. He observed her squad training in the courtyard with a look of boredom and disinterest; he didn't seem impressed by their skill level. His vest and suit pants were navy blue, adorned with golden buttons intricately engraved. His usually neat hair was tousled and damp, falling haphazardly over his eyes.

"Where's Jugo?" she croaked, her mouth tasting dry and raw.

"You just realized you're alive, and the first thing you ask about is a reaper?" Dazriel chuckled, his eyes glancing at her with a sudden spark of malicious amusement replacing his earlier boredom. "No matter how hardened you humans become in battle, you're still sickeningly cute."

He turned his attention back to her squad. "They're sending just about anyone to join the LDRA. Strangely, most of them look like you. Are they trying to recreate you?"

"More like risking the lives of those they care the least about, hoping they'll gain some power in the demon hierarchy," Kapri said, sitting up weakly, extending her trembling hand toward him.

Though he wasn't looking at her, he noticed her hand and smirked, standing up from the ledge. He walked over and sat beside her, pressing his cigarette gently to her lips.

Kapri inhaled deeply, trying to block out thoughts of the prejudice those people held against her. The smoke filled her lungs, different from the cigarettes she was used to, and she coughed hard. Dazriel laughed as he took another drag, blowing the smoke playfully into her face.

"What are you trying not to think about?" he asked, his hand slipping under her back as he lightly caressed her hip.

Kapri pressed her head back against the pillow. "Trying not to think about punching you in your bitch ass face," she muttered, closing her eyes.

"Is that so?" Dazriel said, sounding amused. He leaned over her, letting the cigarette dangle loosely from his mouth as smoke curled above them.

"Don't think I didn't notice it was you who made my heart stop. Were you trying to punish Jugo or me?" she asked, her brows furrowing as she recalled the last time she'd seen Jugo—just before he fainted.

Dazriel hummed, pretending to ponder. "Would you believe me if I said it wasn't me?"

"No."

"You haven't done much to piss me off lately," he said, pulling her closer to his side. "Your injuries were severe. It took an excruciatingly long time to heal you."

Kapri stared at the ceiling, recalling the sensation of her heart being squeezed and the chill that overcame her just before she fainted. She could almost sense the threat back then, but she couldn't quite identify its source before everything went dark.

"It could be someone trying to ensure your death," he whispered in her ear, his voice low and cold. He held her closer, absorbing the warmth and energy radiating from her now that she was fully conscious. "An assassination attempt wouldn't be implausible, especially given the rising resentment toward you holding a title here, even from higher-ranked demons."

"You're the one who gave me the title," she retorted irritably, annoyed that the resentment seemed to target her and not Dazriel.

Dazriel bit his lip and flicked his cigarette to the floor. Then he crawled over her, pinning one of her hands above her head as he placed light kisses along her neck. Kapri's eyes shot wide open, and she jabbed him in the neck with her elbow.

"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped. Her blow seemed to have little effect, as Dazriel looked at her with a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Weren't we on the same page?" he asked, his other hand still resting at his side.

"Why would I want to have sex when I just woke up and someone might have tried to kill me?" she said, hitting him repeatedly on the head until he finally backed off with a grin.

"There's no question of 'might.' I'm sure they did, especially if they were so sloppy that you could sense them while barely conscious," he chuckled. "At least you survived. I'm the one who actually got caught."

Kapri's expression grew serious, understanding the gravity beneath his words. "What happened to you?"

Dazriel lifted his shirt, revealing a large, gaping hole in his chest. She could see clear through to the other side, the tissue inside raw and bleeding.

"I got my heart stolen," he said with a sigh, as if it were a minor inconvenience rather than a mortal injury.

Kapri felt a pang of unease. If someone could steal Lord Dazriel's heart—a Duke's heart—how powerful could they be? Dazriel chuckled at her worried expression.

"Don't tell me my baroness is afraid," he said teasingly, his hand grazing her cheek.

"Of course not," she said, swatting his hand away. "This is just a problem that will give me and Jugo trouble in my current state."

Dazriel raised an eyebrow. "You talk like you can handle it."

"Of course I can. Your failure lies in your arrogance, thinking no one could or would ever challenge you," she replied.

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Dazriel nodded slowly, a reluctant acceptance of her words. "I admit, I got too comfortable and let my guard down. It happened right under my own court."

"Really?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I had to wipe out my entire court. They despised you, you know," he said bluntly, and she felt a cold relief knowing he was aware. She was well aware of how easily Dazriel could eliminate her if he chose to.

"Well, good luck with that," she sighed, lying back down.

"You think I came here just for small talk and no sex?" he said, frowning. "I need you to get my heart back."

"With what? I have no strength, my soul essence is unbalanced, I think I have Kú overload, and I'm practically a skeleton," she said. "You want to rely on a skeleton."

Dazriel's expression darkened, and he placed his hand on her neck, his face inches from hers, all trace of amusement gone.

"Listen, woman, I can't even leave this human form right now, and I can't protect myself. You have three options: get my heart back, give me your heart," he said, "or we all die."

"Guess which option is my favorite," he said, and Kapri's eyes widened in fear as she glanced at his growing arousal.

"That thing won't fit," she muttered. "And that wasn't an option!"

"I get excited when I'm frustrated," he said, a grin returning to his face.

"What are you doing to my lady?" Jugo's voice came from the open doorway.

His eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, and he looked thinner than usual, holding shopping bags under his arm. Kapri felt a rush of relief as she kicked Dazriel off the bed and stumbled over to Jugo, clinging to him, despite her weakness.

"You couldn't have possibly missed a reaper this much," Jugo said flatly, placing the bags down and resting a gentle, yet emotionless hand on her head.

"I have," she admitted, almost embarrassed by her vulnerability, but uncertain if there would be many more moments like this.

"Lord Dazriel, why are you aroused around Lady Kapri?" Jugo questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion toward his creator.

Dazriel sat up on the bed, another cigarette between his lips. "Why do you ask? Is she your lover or something?" he laughed. "It was going to be consensual."

"Oh, well, that's fine then," Jugo's expression relaxed. "Though I'm confused as to how, because Lady Kapri is repulsed by you."

"Keep running your mouth, and you'll be her replacement," Dazriel growled, his tone darkening.

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds, Lord Dazriel," Jugo said, bowing his head slightly in submission.

Dazriel sat on the edge of Kapri's bed, with his elbows pressed against his thigh, and his fingers intertwined. His expression quite serious, as they both looked at Dazriel with the attention of soldiers they were groomed to be.

"Seriously, if I don't get my heart back, I could lose my dukedom, especially since I have no many nobles I can trust besides a human baroness now that I killed a lot of demons," Dazriel fidgeted, as his eyes grew black, and he bit the bottom of his lips so hard it bled. "The thought of it makes me want to destroy my terroritory and kill myself before they take it away."

Kapri felt a bead of sweat slide down her forehead, even more uneasy by the Kú emitting from Dazriel. Despite his demeanor, Dazriel is greatly weakened.

"When everyone evacuates, right?" Kapri asked nervously as she looked at him with his expression growing more grim.

"No, I will do so with you in my arms, so when they find our bodies they would spread stories about us being lovers," he said, his face not once having the tug of a smile on his lips.

She would had rather have her body disintegrated than have that news spread about the within the empire. Especially with how many lovers he has by himself, why would she want to be known for being one of them?

"Ooh, I don't really like that idea," Kapri said as if she was asking for a raincheck of a date.

"What if we go scout for where it could be for now, before we actually take action to get it back?" Jugo suggested, an air of coolness surrounding him that she always found impressive. "When we are in better state, then we can go on a retrieval mission for our Duke's heart."

"Just keep away from the media and ensure no one knows you wiped out the entire ducal court. Somehow," she said, doubting he could. The Duke seemed to love the media too much, especially the attention he gets from the middle world about his looks.

Dazriel hummed as ash fell from his cigarette against the floor. The smoke lingered near him before it came towards Kapri, and she could fell it caress her lips like a kiss. She felt heat rise to her face, and Dazriel chuckled seeming to sense it—how flustered she got at the thought of kissing, yet so indifferent to any of his other advances.

"Fine, I'll accept that much," Dazriel said, as he buttoned his shirt up and straightened his vest.

"Why is it you can't go and get it yourself, exactly?" Kapri asked him, a little curious about that because Dazriel had the type of temper where he would start a war under Great Demon Lord Ose over this, even by himself.

"Don't question your duke," he kiss his teeth before he fell back against the bed. "You're dismissed; I need my rest."

"What?" she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "This is my house!"

Jugo locked his arm with her, as he pulled her away while she wheeled her morphine in her arm. He placed the bags down as they sat on a chair in the hallway just outside the bedroom. Her eyes fell on the bag as he pulled out a delicate pastel blue sundress from the bag.

Kapri felt a surge of apprehension fill her chest, her fingers trembled as she placed her hand upon the cotton fabric. Her head tilted to the side as she looked up at Jugo who looked at her blankly.

"You seem happy," Jugo mentioned.

"I am," she said softly. "Mostly, because you're alright though."

"That doesn't concern me as long as you're in good shape, Lady Kapri," Jugo muttered, as he laid it across her body. "Your soul was strong, but I managed to be strong enough to hold you for quite a while."

Kapri chuckled. "Then I hope my strength will never exceed yours."