Chapter 15: Rewarding Favors

True to his words, Aleister did arrive faster back to the house. He carefully placed Ruby down on the sofa and told her to wait as he retrieved the first aid kit. He immediately returned and asked her to lift her sleeves so he can treat her wounds but Ruby refused his treatment saying that she can do it herself.

"Stop being stubborn. This is your dominant hand, you can't possibly treat it with ease. Let me do it for you so it will be faster and better if you do it yourself." Aleister reasoned looking at her authoritatively with no intention of backing down.

"I told you I can do it. I've been treating myself for a long time. This is nothing compared to what I've been through before so just let me do it for myself. You don't even have to do anything, it will heal itself in a few moments, a few hours give or take." Ruby replied with equal determination, holding her injured wrist and willing her face to not twist in agony of the pain to prove her point. Her blood continued pouring over her dress while her hand twitched. Her face started paling while it was taking everything in her not to moan in pain and show her suffering to the demon.

"You're such a stubborn woman."

Aleister sighed pushing his hair back.

The demon leaned forward and pushed her back down to the sofa before climbing on top of her. He held her uninjured wrist to prevent her from fighting and lifted up her skirt. Ruby instantly colored bright red at the demon's actions. Aleister pushed his knee against her crotch eliciting a weak moan from her lips while she struggled in vain to release herself from his hold. The sudden shock and blood loss are making her dizzy and black dots started appearing from her vision. She felt his rough hand traveling up her thigh sending shivers up her spine. She saw him lean down expecting him to kiss her lips so to prevent their faces from touching she turned her head away from him. She shivered in disgust when she felt his tongue traveling up her cleavage.

"If you don't let me treat your wound, I'm going to fuck you and let you bleed to death as I cum inside you. So what will it be, master?" he threatened, whispering seductively in her ear-tickling her sensitive nerves with his hot breath.

"F-fine...just get off me!" Ruby replied weakly.

"Ahhh, there's a good girl." Aleister patted her head before pulling away.

Ruby frowned at him with a cold gaze and the demon was suddenly forced to kneel by an unknown power. Aleister tried lifting himself from the ground but found his limbs unable to comply. The demon had a look of disbelief in his face as he was rendered powerless under the witch's control.

"You forgot your place, familiar." the witch said coldly. The sharpness of her tone nearly made him wince.

"Sorry, little witch. I just have to do it to get you to comply." He apologized with a shaking voice. Her power also made it difficult to speak and think coherently, a perfect spell to make a familiar fall completely within her command and abandon any thought of rebellion.

"Fuck you." Ruby seethed. The witch lifted her hand and like a puppet being controlled by invisible strings, Aleister stood up obediently. The demon suddenly found himself removing his clothes. He threw his jacket away and lifted his shirt up presenting his stomach to his mistress.

"Wha-what are you doing?" he asked.

"Just making sure you don't turn back on me during the Blood Moon." Ruby replied and with the blood on her fingers, she started drawing a symbol on his hard-packed stomach.

"This is going to sting a bit." Ruby warned. She pointed her index finger on his face and started drawing a butterfly symbol that burned violet in the air.

"Insania mentis nec vincere. (Madness will not conquer your mind)" The witch chanted, making the symbol burn in the demon's stomach, engraving it into his flesh like a hot brand. Aleister cursed and winced in pain. The butterfly symbol Ruby drew in the air erupted into hundreds of butterflies that fluttered around the demon and formed chains that tightened on his body. The chains of light soon vanished and allowed his body to move on its own accord. His legs collapsed under him making him kneel once more before the witch.

"Is that the Madness Counterspell?" he asked gasping for breath.

"Yes but a more potent one because I used my blood as a catalyst. I descended from a line of Dragons making my blood a very potent ingredient for magic spells. For Manticat I usually use lipstick which doesn't seem to sting one bit, it just seems to tingle. The effectiveness also depends if it's waterproof and or matte with lip balm."

"So you really want it to hurt, huh?" He questioned pulling himself up.

"Yes, but also because you're also not a normal beast I reckon that you need a more potent binding spell. Who knows how blood moon will affect you." Ruby answered plainly. The witch stood up and walked closer to him.

"Don't say that I don't reward favors." Ruby suddenly placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Aleister felt his wounds closing up and healing while his energy returned back to normal like a good rest. He suddenly felt Ruby collapsing upon his chest in lethargy but he luckily caught her body before she could hit the ground.

"I might have overdid myself with the spell." she mumbled weakly, leaning against him.

"Such a stubborn little witch. But thanks anyway for your tender love and care." Aleister lifted her in his arms and gently laid her on the sofa before walking away and retrieving a basin, a towel, and a jug of water. He dabbed the wet towel on her face to remove the dirt and dust that had accumulated on her face due to their sudden encounter. He cleaned her injured wound afterward by pouring water over it and catching the bloody liquid with the basin, making her winch a little due to pain. He carefully dried it with the towel then applied disinfectant on the open wound before meticulously wrapping it in clean bandages, making sure that it was tight enough not to loosen but not too tight to restrict her blood flow.

He was about to leave to allow her to rest and continue with his work however he felt her hand pulling him back by his shirt. He knelt down to the level of her head and gently whispered to her.

"Do you need anything?"

"While you were carrying me back to the house, why did you look so angry?" she asked, astounding him. He paused for a bit debating whether or not he should answer her question or go away and keep it to himself.

"Please don't be mad at Manticat. It's not his fault. Our son just wanted to play. He rarely gets to play with the other children." Ruby said deliriously.

"I'm not angry at Manticat. I was angry at myself. I shouldn't have left you alone in the first place or you wouldn't be in this condition. I knew that the forest was very dangerous but I still let you venture on your own I-I... I'm sorry. I'm a failure as a familiar." he placed his palm over her soft yet cold hand holding his cheek.

"I'm just glad you returned for me. Unlike Rel. Will you promise to never abandon me? I don't think I can handle it if I lose you too as well."

"Yes, of course. I will always stay by your side. I'm still here holding your hand so you don't have to worry about being alone or ever feeling lonely. I'm not like the other men who will leave you behind. Because I need you too." he paused knowing that she won't remember any of his words which is a bit reassuring since he is being out of character but also quite disappointing at the same time. If only this girl knew how much she torments him.

"Thank you so much. I feel like I can rest now. Will you be there when I wake up? And if you leave, you will come back right?" Ruby mumbled before falling asleep, tiredness finally registering in her body and letting her collapse to the comforting darkness of rest. A smile made its way to the demon's lips. He picked up his jacket and placed it over his mistress' sleeping form. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead.

"I will always come back for you."