Bren held his breath, staring up at Ryva’s glinting red eyes, framed by long white lashes. There was something haunting in the way the demon looked at him, like he could see through him. Bren’s heart stuttered, frozen under the tender touch of Ryva’s long fingers on his. “What do you mean you want my power?” Bren asked in a whisper. Ryva was so close he hardly felt the need to raise his voice. 

Grinning, Ryva lifted his finger from Bren’s hand, moving it to brush up his chest. Bren felt transfixed, his body unwilling to move as he allowed the demon to rest his fingers lightly on his throat. Certain that Ryva could feel his pulse, Bren couldn’t stop himself from swallowing nervously, unsure what action this man would take next.

Ryva hooked his long nail under the chain around Bren’s neck, the cool metal of the pendant almost sizzling against his flushed skin. As Ryva took the vessel to lay flat in his open palm, Bren looked at the soft glow forming between them, illuminating Ryva’s handsome features. He was just as interested in Ryva as Ryva was of the vessel.  

The demon’s voice startled Bren out of his intrigue, low and beguiling as he murmured, “You use this vessel to stave off your corruption…but I could do that for you.” His eyes flashed up from the pendant back to Bren, reflecting the hues of magic from his hand. 

Bren felt Archer’s hand slip from his shoulder, seizing his upper arm instead. He had almost forgotten his brother was standing next to him, he’d been captivated by Ryva and his silken words. Bren could feel the tips of his brother’s fingers dig into him in warning as if he wanted to pull Bren back and away from the demon.

Flashing him a glare, Bren jerked his arm out of Archer’s grasp, his attention back on Ryva as he met the demon’s gaze. “Explain it to me. If we’re to make a deal…I want to understand exactly what you’re offering me, and what it will cost me in return.” 

Smirking, Ryva dropped the vessel, the heavy jewel hitting Bren’s chest with a small thud against his shirt. “In order to fulfill your requests, I’ll bind our souls together so our magic will be shared.” His eyes scanned over Bren, lingering on his hands before he lifted his stare once more to Bren’s eyes. “You can use your magic without limits during the time of my services, just like your Manos kin, and I will absorb the corruption for you. You’ll have no need for a vessel. In exchange, when our deal is over and we sever the bond, I will claim what magic and power you have remaining…and you will be left with all the corruption you have incurred during our time together. That is my offer…and the price you’ll have to pay for it.”  

Before Bren could really process what Ryva was saying, Archer’s voice hit the air like an icy shock. “That will kill him!” 

Bren flinched, tensing as his eyes snapped to Archer. His brother looked livid, as if every ounce of strength he’d used to keep silent was spent. His hands were in fists so tight his knuckles were white, a snarl on his lips as he stared at the demon.

“Archer…” Bren muttered, hoping his tone would be enough of a cue to silence him again, but he was wrong. 

Archer shoved himself in front of Bren, pushing him behind his back as if he were a shield. 

Bren leaned around his brother’s broad shoulders to see Ryva smirk. His eyes were unsmiling, deadly like daggers, steely and sharp as he stared at Archer. His voice carried with it a wave of authority as he said, “The corruption may consume him, but it won’t kill him.”

“No?” Archer snapped in retort, sarcasm and disbelief coating his words. 

The demon was calm as he slowly shook his head, his eyes moving to look at Bren. “No… It will change him.”

Archer scoffed, “Into what?”

Tilting his head to the side, Ryva observed Bren carefully. It made Bren feel vulnerable and exposed, those red eyes taking in every detail about him. He waited for a moment, wanting to hear the answer, too, hoping Archer didn’t interject again. 

Their patience was rewarded. 

“Corruption can take many forms when it devours its host.” Ryva’s voice was solemn as he spoke, a heavy weight to his words. “Some lose their corporeal form and find themselves as restless spirits, trapped in a plane of limbo. Others find themselves twisted and shaped into monsters that are far from anything human.” A smile curved Ryva’s lips, a knowing look in his eyes as he stared at Bren, a gaze that was almost inviting as he said, “And there are the seldom few…who end up like me.”

Bren blinked at Ryva, his lips parting as he asked quietly, “You mean… I could become a demon?”

Before Ryva could answer, Archer let out a loud and mirthless scoff. “You think you can persuade my brother by promising him life as a demon? The chances of that happening are slim to none! He’d be giving up everything he is, his whole life! So you can gain more power?” He stepped forward, uncomfortably close to Ryva to the point he was nearly nose to nose with him. “He’d be as good as dead. What kind of deal is that? How is that any kind of fair trade?”

For the first time Ryva looked dangerous, his eyes glowing red as he stared down his nose at Archer. “I never said it was fair. It is a sacrifice. And not one for you to decide if it’s made.” Ryva’s voice sounded sinister, the playful amusement he’d had with Bren suddenly replaced with a menacing threat. “He summoned me. Not you.” Black smoke sprung from the red glow beneath Ryva’s feet, curving around him like a curtain before he disappeared from in front of Archer in the thick swirls.

Bren felt a moment of panic seize him, but there was relief as he felt gentle hands on his shoulders, the same shadowy vapor curling in the air around him. Ryva had materialized behind him, his muscular chest pressing against Bren’s back, warmth radiating from it. 

His breath left him in a shudder, feeling Ryva bend down to whisper in his ear from behind, “It’s your choice, sweetheart.” Ryva’s voice was softer, comforting, and held nothing of the anger toward Archer.     

Bren’s eyes flicked up to stare at his brother, left standing alone in front of him. He felt his heart strain, Archer’s expression pleading as he stared back at Bren. “Don’t do it, Brennon,” Archer nearly begged, his brows creased with worry. “You don’t have to do this. Not for Mother or anyone. You can still have a life. I’m with you. We can find a way to survive! Together!”

There was an ache in Bren’s chest, his eyes stinging as he swallowed past the lump in his throat. In that moment, Bren realized he’d already made the decision. It had been before he’d summoned Ryva, before he’d even found the paper that revealed that Ryva was a demon… It had been his mother’s dying words, the moment that he realized he hadn’t done enough to save her. 

“Please…forgive me,” Bren uttered, seeing his words shatter all of Archer’s hope. He turned his back on his brother, the demon’s hands slipping from Bren’s shoulders as he turned around to face him. 

He stared up at Ryva, gazing into his red-hot eyes. 

The demon smiled down at him in return, reverent as he asked, “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“It’s Brennon Endrith,” Bren murmured, swallowing as he let out a shaky breath before he offered, “Bren.”

“Well, Bren,” Ryva leaned in, bowing with a hand held out in offering, waiting for him to take it. “Do you understand what I’m offering you?”

Hesitating, Bren pushed the image of Archer’s devastated face out of his mind. Though he was tempted to turn around and look at his brother, he knew he would find no reassurance. The only comfort Archer could give him was in the absence of his footsteps; he was at least still standing there, watching Bren from a distance. 

Concentrating on Ryva, Bren nodded, reaching out to take the demon’s hand. Somehow Bren had expected him to feel ethereal like the smoke he’d conjured, but Ryva felt just like any other man. Though he wasn’t of Bren’s world, he felt real. 

“Yes,” Bren uttered, “I understand. Our magic will be bound…along with our souls. You’ll help me reach my goals and grant any desire I may have…and in the end, when all is said and done, I will be left with nothing but my debt to pay. You can’t tell me what the corruption will do to me, but I understand that it may cost me everything I am.” Bren cleared his throat, feeling his emotions threaten to ruin him. “My brother says I don’t owe this to anyone, but I do… I owe it to my parents, and especially my mother. I don’t want her death to be in vain.”

Nodding slowly, Ryva narrowed his eyes, squeezing Bren’s hand slightly in a comforting gesture. “I’ll take that to mean…you accept my deal?” 

Bren held his breath with unease as he looked at the demon’s cunning smile. Against every warning he’d been given, he thought only of his mother’s dying plea…and nodded. “Yes,” Bren whispered, praying he wasn’t falling for some trick or ruse that would cost him everything for nothing. “I accept your deal.” 

It felt like a vow.

Bren could see Ryva’s eyes flick past him, no doubt at Archer. The demon grinned in triumph, his eyes slipping back to Bren as he murmured in a low hush, “Any last words?” 

It was an ominous question, but Bren shook his head, answering, “I’m ready.”

“Then take my lead,” Ryva said, and guided Bren to follow him until they stood at the very center of the summoning circle, right before the rift that was still split open. Bren watched Ryva carefully as the demon’s eyes flicked to the center of the ring where Bren had written Ryva’s name. “You’ve already given me your blood,” Ryva said, a pleased tone in his voice, “Now it’s time for you to accept mine.” 

Ryva stepped toward the bloody writing, gripping Bren’s hand tighter as he twined their fingers together. Locked together in each other’s grasp, Bren allowed Ryva to outstretch their clasped hands between them over the very center of the sigil. 

Without warning, Ryva took his index nail and dragged it in a circle around their clasped hands. Bren winced, feeling the sharp sting as Ryva sliced through their flesh, drawing blood. The wound was deeper than Bren had expected, the thick streams of their blood fusing together as it dripped down their skin to the ground.

The moment their blood hit the center of the ring, the glow of magic turned red, bathing everything in an ominous scarlet. Wind whipped up from nowhere, the force seeming to suck in toward the rift. Bren grunted at the sudden gusts, struggling to keep his hand extended. It made him want to pull his hand free and stop the turbulent storm surrounding them, but a force kept him from moving.   

Fingers still entwined, Ryva’s free hand went to Bren’s waist, pulling him closer so they were facing each other. Bren caught himself against the demon’s chest in reflex, their bodies touching as if they were now locked in a dance. His heavy, panting breaths pushed up against Ryva’s chest where he could feel the rumble of the demon’s laughter. 

When Ryva spoke, his voice was like an incantation, echoing in Bren’s mind, “Now…I bind you to my contract.”

Liquid light erupted from the cut that circled their clasped hands, enveloping the clearing in a blinding white. It surrounded them like a domed wave, washing out the world in iridescent brilliance. Bren’s breath was shallow in alarm as the white ripples drew closer, compressing until they touched his skin.   

He felt the magic ignite in his veins, surging in a way that no vessel had ever made him feel. It was hot, burning through him as he felt pressure fill his skull and his knees give out. He was dizzy, held up only by Ryva’s strength as he clung to him with one hand, the other trembling in Ryva’s tight hold. 

The glow of white sank into them, turning to auburn as it burned brightly beneath their flesh before it dissipated. The glow of the summoning ring died down too, the wind fading to a gentle breeze. There was a crackling sound, Bren struggling to look over at the rift, catching a glimpse of it just before it fizzled out and closed.

In the quiet of the forest, Bren found himself trembling, exhaustion taking over him as he leaned into the demon, clutching at his shoulder to try and keep himself pulled upright. He looked at his hand, still tight in Ryva’s grasp. Though he expected to find it still cut and bleeding, there was no wound to be found, only a thin silver scar that spanned both their hands. 

And that wasn’t all. 

Bren blinked in surprise, letting out a breathy laugh as he pulled his hand out of Ryva’s hold…and flexed his human fingers, free of corruption. 

Stunned and weary, Bren looked up at the demon, still trying to catch his breath. “Are we…bound together now?” he asked, heart thrumming. 

Ryva grinned, his eyes piercing as he answered in a croon, “That’s right, sweetheart… I’m yours.”