Bren blushed as he gazed up at Ryva, still leaning against the man’s chest. There was a warmth radiating under Bren’s skin, a strength he couldn’t place. When he’d used his magic before, with or without the aid of vessels, it had always felt cold; an icy prickling through his veins that was uncomfortable and dangerous… This was different. 

“Can you feel me inside you?” Ryva murmured, his voice sounding hot under his rush of sweet breath. 

Flustered, Bren snatched himself away from the demon, stepping back as he put a careful distance between them. He didn’t want to answer the question, wondering if it really was Ryva’s magic he felt in his blood…Ryva’s soul. 

Trying to grow accustomed to the new sensation that charged him, Bren found himself muttering, “I…don’t know what I feel.” He forced himself to look away from Ryva so he didn’t have to see the demon’s smug expression, teasing him, flirting with him. 

Instead, Bren looked down at his hand, observing the thin scar that split his flesh. Though he didn’t want to admit it, especially not to Ryva, it felt like more than just a mark. It was like a branding, a symbol signaling that he belonged to this demon…and, whether he liked it or not, they belonged to each other. It was what he had chosen.

Despite his earlier conviction, Bren couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking up to Ryva, startled as he saw the demon still staring at him carefully, watching Bren like prey. 

There was a hard tug on Bren’s arm that snapped his attention away, pulling him to turn his back on Ryva. Archer stood there, anguish on his face as he gripped Bren shoulders, looking over him with manic desperation. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice choked as if he were holding back emotion. Archer’s gaze went to Bren’s hands, sucking in a breath as he brought his eyes up quickly to meet Bren’s stare, “How do you feel?”

Bren looked down at his hands, seeing that they were trembling. He clenched them into fists, bringing them to his chest to quell the nerves as he uttered, “Archer… I feel fine.” Still in Archer’s worried hold, Bren turned to look at Ryva, swallowing as he steadied himself. He wanted to bury any uncertainty in his voice as he asked, “The corruption…it’s gone?”

“As long as we’re bound together I’ll keep hold of it for you.” Ryva stepped forward, closer to Bren as he eyed Archer with a smug smirk. “Don’t worry, Archer, I’ll be sure to treat your brother gently and take excellent care of all his…needs.”

Archer’s hands automatically tightened on Bren, squeezing him protectively in a hard grip. Bren winced, glancing at his brother to see Archer snarling at the demon, his eyes filled with hatred. 

It only seemed to amuse Ryva, a grin spreading across his face as he saw how much he crawled under Archer’s skin. 

Caught in the middle of their tense glares and silent feuding, Bren lifted Archer’s hands from him. He could feel the stress and tension in Archer’s reluctance, but Bren gave him a look of reassurance. “It’s alright.” Bren turned to face Ryva once more, Archer staying close to his side like a watchdog. “What happens now?” Bren asked, his voice carrying through the clearing.  

Red smoke curled around Ryva’s fingers as he brushed the backs of them across Bren’s cheek. It was a soft gesture, like velvet caressing him. Bren didn’t pull away or flinch, standing his ground as he met Ryva’s red eyes. 

The demon leaned in, his voice a low rush of heat, heady and seductive as he whispered, “Now…you give me an order.”  

“Brennon,” Archer snapped, interjecting before Bren could answer. Bren looked at him, meeting his brother’s worried gaze as Archer uttered, “Choose your words carefully.” His voice was baleful, eyes flicking to glare at Ryva for a split second before he looked back at Bren. “Just…don’t rush into anything.”

Ryva chuckled darkly, his fanged teeth showing between his curved and smiling lips. “How sweet. You are a very protective brother. I admire that.” Ryva’s voice was like a weight in the air, thick and curling around Bren’s hot ears as the demon murmured, “You really think I’d take advantage of my dear master?” Ryva cocked his head to the side as his eyes slid back to Bren, scanning him with a sultry look. “I only want the best for him.” 

Ryva placed a large, warm hand on Bren’s back, the sudden touch making Bren blush. He dropped his gaze instantly to his feet, averting his eyes as he hoped Archer wouldn’t notice.

His brother’s retort was biting as he snapped, “You’re enough of a temptation for him as it is. The least I can do is remind him of what you really are. A demon. You can put on whatever disguise you want to fool him, but we both know you’re a monster and a trickster… And all you really care about is claiming Bren’s power in the end. You’re a selfish bastard and don’t give a damn about him!”

Archer’s voice echoed past the trees, making Bren blink up at him. You’re all I have left. That’s what Archer had told him under the bridge; the reason he’d followed Bren through the portal instead of denouncing him when he’d been discovered as an Umbra. Though Archer could be overbearing and temperamental, he’d done nothing but cared for Bren every moment that he’d needed him. 

Archer was right, they were all they had left.    

Bren had always been the quiet one in the Endrith family, reserved and soft-spoken. To suddenly be the master of a demon, where his every order would be waited for and fulfilled… It was more power at his grasp than Bren had ever expected. It was dangerous…and Archer saw that. The more he asked of Ryva, the higher his price in the end would be; the more corruption he’d incur. 

A strong finger lifted Bren’s chin, pulling him away from his thoughts, away from Archer, and guided him to meet red eyes. Ryva licked his lower lip as he looked at Bren, his voice a welcome tone as he observed, “I fear your brother has distracted you… I know he’s well meaning, but you’re the one that summoned me. You entered this agreement because you need me.” Ryva’s tone was patient and careful, but Bren could sense an irritation under it. Bending in lower, the demon’s lips brushed the tender skin of Bren’s ear, making his face grow hot as he whispered, “So, tell me what I can do for you, sweetheart. I’ll do anything you ask.” Ryva pulled back, a coy smile on his face as he raised a brow, waiting for an answer. 

Bren sucked in a breath, heeding Archer’s warning as he pulled out the journal, holding it tenderly. His unblemished fingers smoothed over the leather, his mind still full of his mother as he murmured, “I want answers.” His gaze lifted from the book, brows furrowed with ardent longing as he stared at Ryva and said, “I want you to tell me everything you know about why my mother asked me to find you. About Ora and who she is…and the vessel. Everything you know about the vessel she seeks.”

Ryva hummed out a small sigh, his fingers moving to caress the top of the book, almost fondly as he mentioned, “You know the unfortunate part of being a demon is that it’s difficult to remember our time spent on the mortal plane…”

Bren felt his heart stutter, his stomach dropping as he asked in a rush, “Does that mean you don’t know anything? You can’t remember?” For a moment he wondered if Archer had been right, if Ryva had been lying to him to get what he wanted, but the demon didn’t flinch at Bren’s worry. 

On the contrary, he smiled and said lightly, “Fortunately for you, it doesn’t matter what details I can or cannot recall. Everything you need to start seeking those answers is here in this book.” He tapped his fingers against it assertively, saying with a tone of confidence, “Open it.” 

Carefully, Bren opened the journal to the center of the pages, staring down at the dizzying pattern of illegible text. He remembered when Ryva had first looked over the journal, almost as if the demon could actually peer through the illegible writing and read what it said. Had he known what secrets were hidden underneath the encryptions?

Bren didn’t ask. Instead he was transfixed as Ryva moved his hand over the journal, hovering just millimeters from it in the air. He swiped his palm across the air, the pages shimmering as the black scrawls of ink moved to rearrange the symbols. As the magic around the journal was undone, Bren felt a pull in his chest. It was like there was a sharp hook caught under his skin, creating a heat beneath it as something was drawn out of him. 

Was this Ryva’s magic?

Though Bren grimaced, the discomfort didn’t last long, stopping as Ryva lowered his hand. “There,” Ryva stated, a pleased tone in his voice as he gestured to the book that Bren was still holding. “You can read it now.”

A small gasp left Bren’s throat, tears in his eyes as he recognized his mother’s handwriting. He flipped through the pages, seeing a tangle of records and notes, drawings depicting vessels that Bren recognized; gifts from his parents. There was information spanning years, accounts of Bren’s powers and the effects of his corruption, how his magic progressed…how it took a toll on him. Bren felt choked, recalling his mother’s words, This book is for you, Brennon. 

“Archer,” Bren whispered, clearing his throat as he heard it break. “Come see this.”

There was a grunt from his brother as Archer reluctantly came closer, leaning over Bren as he stared down at the journal. Bren slowly turned the pages, realizing how much information he had to go through, wondering how long it would take him to read through it all and pick out pieces that were vital. 

“Wait, stop,” Archer said suddenly, putting his hand down on a page to stop Bren from passing it. 

Bren looked down at what had caught Archer’s attention. It was a map, crudely drawn though distinctly depicting streets and buildings, along with a river that ran through it. The only writing was the date on the page, signifying it was an entry from only a few months prior.

Bren tilted his head as he tried to place the location. “Where in Vitalos is this?” he asked, his brows furrowed as he squinted, wondering if he was missing something. He looked up at his brother, waiting to be enlightened, but Archer shook his head, appearing equally confused. 

“I don’t recognize this place…” Archer seemed lost in thought, his eyes scanning over the paper as if something would suddenly become clear to him. 

There was a dark chuckle that pricked Bren’s ear, making him look up at Ryva. “What is it?” Bren asked, his pulse already racing as he felt the demon's eyes on him. 

Though part of him expected Ryva to brush it off or give some vague answer, instead he pointed to the drawn map that Archer was still fixated on. “You want to know the location of this, correct?” Ryva asked, ignoring the scathing look from Archer as he focused all his attention on Bren. 

Bren nodded, giving Archer an apologetic look as he moved the journal away from his brother, turning it to show Ryva instead. “It doesn’t look like any intersection I can recall. The river bends differently as well,” Bren muttered, following along the drawing with his finger. He gazed up at Ryva, asking softly, “Do you know where this is? Why it might be important?” 

Ryva grinned down at Bren, the demon’s deep voice crashing over him like a wave as he said, “Yes… Would you like me to tell you?” He leaned in closer toward Bren, eyes flashing for a moment to Archer as if he were waiting for a reaction. “Or should I make you beg?”

Blushing harder, Bren ignored the shiver that ran up his spine, his stomach rolling at the idea. 

A scoff of scorn left Archer’s throat, contempt dripping from his snarled lips as he seethed, “Tell. Us. Now.”

The demon was far too amused as he looked at Bren, eyes flicking to his lips for a moment as he whispered, “Is that what you want?” 

Bren could hardly believe the kind of scenes this demon was making in front of his own brother, humiliation eating at him as he nodded, sighing deeply as he said, “Yes. Just, tell us, please.” 

Ryva seemed mildly disappointed, his demeanor shifting to a more serious one as he tapped his finger to the map. “The reason you don’t recognize this place is because it’s not in Vitalos.” His eyes flashed, brow raising as if he was waiting for Bren to finish his thought for him. 

“Where is it then?” Archer snapped, his impatience paramount. 

Ryva remained silent, still staring at Bren with a wickedly handsome smile…waiting. 

Bren cleared his throat, realizing the game the demon was playing… He would only answer Bren. “Where is it then?” Bren asked, hoping this time they’d be met with an answer. 

Almost instantly, Ryva’s lips parted, his rich voice resonating in the air around Bren as he replied, “The place you no doubt fear the most… Outside the city borders and beyond the barrier.”