Chapter 62. Scarlet and Azael

**62. Scarlet and Azael**
***Third Person's POV:***

After Astrid assured Azael that he couldn't resist the desire to taste her blood, he was determined to avoid it at all costs, but his body refused to cooperate with his mind. When Astrid exposed her neck to him, all doubts vanished, and he quickly found himself by her side, holding her shoulders.
"Think about it one more time, Little Mate; I won't be able to stop myself after this," Azael said, his black eyes now swirling with turquoise.
"Yeah, I'm sure about it," Astrid gulped, but not out of fear but of nervousness and intimidation brought on by Azael's proximity.
Azael bared his fangs only to see Astrid's reaction. Azael was giving her a chance to run if she so wanted, but Astrid didn't even flinch, encouraging him to proceed. He moved her hair away from her shoulder slowly.
'Don't hurt her, Azael,' Rafael warned.
'Shut up, Jackass; she's also my mate,' Azael retorted.
Astrid's musky vanilla scent wafted into his nostrils as he took a deep breath. He ran his tongue around her neck gently. He knew it wouldn't sting Astrid as it had before, and it wouldn't even leave a scar or wound as it had before. The scene had only happened because Rafael and Astrid hadn't finished mating, which is why that mark served as a reminder to Astrid. This time, Azael's feeding of Astrid would be a pure pleasure as long as Azael stayed within his limits and refrained from sucking Astrid dry of her blood.
He pressed his lips against her neck, sucking and nibbling for a while, and he knew he'd found her soft spot when Astrid moaned in delight.
She scratched Azael's chest without realizing it, which turned him on even more. He licked from Astrid's earlobe down to her neck, and when he realized Astrid was lost in her ecstasy, he ever so carefully punctured her skin, and as soon as his fangs were inside, they both left a soft growl. For a fraction of a second, Astrid's eyes turned violet as Scarlet couldn't keep back feeling the pleasure coursing through them, but Astrid was so lost in the pleasure Azael was giving her
Azael was feeding directly from his mate for the first time, whose blood is the most sacred yet powerful thing for demons. Unlike vampires, who are repulsed by the thought of feeding from their mates, demons' mates' blood is the best flavor they could ever have and serves as the greatest surge of energy for them, and a little goes a long way only because Azael was leashed; he craved for the blood, and that's why it hurt Astrid.
Azael savored the satisfaction as blood cascaded down his throat, filling him with newfound energy. Fortunately, the bull's blood lingered in his system, providing a sense of contentment. Swiftly, Azael withdrew from Astrid before any pain could register on her face.
Astrid opened her eyes, missing the pleasure she felt until Azael fed from her.
"Is that it?" Astrid asked, her face lowering.
Azael licked what was left on his lips. He wiped his blood-splattered mouth with the back of his hand.
"I hope I didn't tire you out, little mate." Azael asked.
"No, you didn't. I didn't even realize when all this ended," Astrid replied, moving her hand to her neck, half-expecting an itch from Azael's feeding. To her surprise, there was no discomfort, not even a trace of the puncture mark.
"Don't worry, little mate. This is how it'll be between us whenever I feed." Azael was pleased with himself for finishing everything so quickly.
"But are you full, and is that enough?" Astrid looked at him with concern.
"I wouldn't have pulled back if it wasn't sufficient, and to be honest, I had planned for this. No, not specifically for this, but I analyzed the situation and knew I needed to feed from you to feel full, which is why I fed from the bull. Well, that was enough to satisfy my hunger, but my body wanted your blood, so this was in my favor," Azael chuckled.
Astrid began to notice his height gradually returning to normal, as well as his wings retreating.
"Thank you," Astrid mumbled.
"I should be thanking you, little mate," Azael joked. "See you soon!" Azael winked at Astrid, and soon he was back to Rafael's height, his eyes returning to normal, and Rafael was in command. Rafael shook his head vigorously to get rid of his dizziness.
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked.
"Huh? That was some daring shit," Rafael sighed, his gaze shifting to Astrid, who was quick to hug him. "Little Dove" Rafael wrapped his arms around her too.
"I'm glad we're past the difficult part now; we don't have anything to worry about," Astrid said, relieved, her thoughts returning to Cindy's words. She only wished that they could avoid the situation for as long as they could, and it wouldn't even be difficult if Azael's rage was under control, and judging from their first meeting, she knew things wouldn't be any worse than she had imagined.
"Yes, Azael is calm now, and he won't show up in his full glory unless triggered, just like you do with your Lycan. Scarlet and Azael are a part of us, and we must learn to live with them," Rafael explained.
"How about we leave Scarlet and Azael alone for a while? Maybe they'll want to feel peace in each other's presence." Astrid suggested, and Scarlet was happily whining in her head, as was Azael in Rafael's.
"Let's do it first thing tomorrow because I'm exhausted right now," Rafael sighed.
Though Scarlet was sad, she recognized that her mate needed some rest and was willing to wait until tomorrow.
"Okay, that's understandable. Now let's go inside, and I'll make something for dinner. Until then, you go take your bath and freshen up." They both went inside, and Astrid began making some noodles for dinner while Rafael took a bath, which helped relieve his stress and relax his muscles.
"Hey, how about we eat outside on the shoreline?" Rafael suggested. "The weather is nice as well, and it would be very romantic."
"Romantic, is it?" Astrid raised her eyebrows and considered it. "OK, I'm in." They both took their bowls out, and as soon as they were out, a cool breeze rustled around her, making her locks dance.
"It's chilly in here," Astrid observed.
"Oh, I'll go get a quilt," Rafael said as he teleported inside and returned with a quilt in no time. They built a bonfire, sat on the sand, wrapped themselves in a quilt, and ate their dinner in complete peace. They finished by leaning against a log and cuddling against each other, enjoying the warmth of the fire.
"Little Dove, when do you say we leave?" Rafael asked.
"How about tomorrow night? I am already missing my folks," Astrid suggested as Rafael intertwined his fingers with hers under the quilt.
"Yes, you are right, so I will call the yacht tomorrow and then we can leave; I, too, have begun to miss home," Rafael said, kissing the back of her hand.
"It's so peaceful here; I don't want to leave. It's just me and you, and no worries in the world," Astrid exclaimed.
"I have an idea. How about we make an estate somewhere? I'm not suggesting we live there, but we can go there once in a while just to get our minds off things and have a mini vacation. What do you say?" Rafael proposed.
"Can we do that?" Astrid asked.
"Of course, there's nothing I can't do," Rafael said proudly, but his tone was sarcastic.
"Okay, we'll think about it when we get back," Astrid said, laughing.
Rafael, on the other hand, had already designed a plot of the structure in his mind, which is how his artistic mind works every time. His mind was wandering to the idea of building a large, furnished tree house in the mountains, and he was certain Astrid would love it after all; she had previously expressed her love for tree houses.
"Look, there's a shooting star there," Astrid said, drawing Rafael's attention away from his thoughts. He smiled as he noticed Astrid's excitement at seeing the mere star. "I wish I could fly someday so that I could see them up close, even though they are light years away. I know basic science, and we can't see them in person, but.. shit, I don't even know what I am blabbering, but I wish I could fly." Astrid turned her face away, embarrassed that she had just ended up blabbering some nonsense, which doesn't even make any sense to herself, whereas Rafael thought it was cute hearing Astrid's thoughts.
Suddenly, Azael suggested something in his mind. "Would you like to fly?"
"Leave it; that's not practically possible; those were some strange fantasies of mine." Astrid clicked her tongue and tried to ignore what she had just said.
"Turn around and promise me you will not open your eyes unless I say so." Rafael stated that, by literally turning her around, he did not allow Astrid to argue, and she eventually gave up.
Astrid was startled as Rafael's arms snaked around her waist from behind. She teetered on the verge of opening her eyes.
"Shh, relax, little dove. Trust me; I won't let anything happen to you." Astrid felt Rafael effortlessly carrying her, but she wasn't surprised because Rafael did that every other minute, but suddenly she felt like she was floating.
"Open your eyes, little mate." Astrid's heart skipped a beat when her mind registered what might be happening.
"No, it can't be," Astrid exclaimed, still not opening her eyes.
"See it for yourself." Astrid slowly opened her eyes and squinted down. Everything below appeared as a miniature model.  Azael gently turned Astrid to face him, noting her racing heart.
Astrid was taken aback when she saw Rafael's features on Azael, which meant he didn't have the scars or bulky body that Azael had; instead, he was Rafael, but with wings on his side that allowed them to fly in the sky.
"This is how I'm going to appear every time, so I guess I won't scare you any further," Azael chuckled.
"But I wasn't scared of you to begin with," Astrid argued, but Azael cut her off.
Azael clicked his tongue and said, "Now come on, give my other mate control; I am eager to meet her." Astrid smiled and closed her eyes, and Scarlet took control as soon as she did, and when Astrid opened her eyes, they were gone.
Azael and Scarlet had a few random conversations that served as an icebreaker between them.
Though Azael and Scarlet were in command, they had physical manifestations of their other side, with the exception of Azael's black wings flapping in the sky. They shared a kiss in the sky before landing on the ground, completing their aerial escapade.
Scarlet shifted into her Lycan form and gave Azael a ride, and they soon began chasing each other.
The night ended with them having fun and spending time together, competing to see who could run faster in their other forms, which are Scarlet and Azael's speeds.
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**Finally, no cliffhanger for you all.**