Page 38 of Virgil's Demons

My chest tightened painfully. Every word she spoke felt like the truth, sinking into me with the weight of inevitability. I was losing this fight.

"Then help me!" I cried, desperation clawing at my throat. "If he can't, then help me!"

A small, eerie smile played on Death's lips. "I can help you. I can offer you life, free you from the demon's hold... but there is a price."

The air shifted, her words settling over me like a veil of ice. "What price?" I asked, though deep down, I already feared the answer.

"You," she whispered, her voice silken, wrapping around me like a vice. "Your body. Your soul will remain intact, protected, but I will take over. You will become the vessel. The demon will have no hold on you, but you... will no longer have control."

Possession. She wanted to possess me.

My pulse raced, fear climbing up my spine. "You want to use me?"

Death stopped in front of me, her shadow consuming everything around her. "Think of it as a trade. A deal, if you will. I take what I need to survive in your world, and in return, you live. You will be with Virgil, feel him, touch him... but I will be the one in control. He will never know, unless you choose to tell him."

A shiver of revulsion ran through me. "And if I refuse?"

Her gaze darkened, and the air grew colder. "Then the demon wins. It will hollow you out, leaving nothing for Virgil to love. You will be lost to him forever."

My entire body trembled, the gravity of her words crashing down on me. I could feel the demon stirring again, its claws scraping at the edges of my mind, ready to drag me back into the pit. The pain it caused was deep and I screamed once again.

"You have little time. You must give me permission."

I looked at it, at Death, and I grabbed onto its cloth, writhing in the pain the demon was causing. "If I do this, then you have to promise to protect him."

"What?" Death just stared at me, perplexed that a human would actually request something from it.

"Promise me, you won't hurt him or allow anything to hurt him."

"I promise," it hissed.

"I... I'll do it," I whispered, the weight of the decision choking me. "I'll take the deal."

Death smiled—a smile that sent a fresh wave of dread through me—and as she reached out to place her hand on my chest, her cold touch sent a rush of icy energy flooding through me. It was like being submerged in freezing water, my body going numb as her essence spread through my veins. I could feel her pushing out the demon, forcing it back into the recesses of my mind. But with each second, I felt myself fading, slipping away.

Virgil's voice echoed in the distance, faint but filled with desperation.

"Virgil!" I screamed, my voice lost in the void. "I'm here! Don't listen to it! She's not me!"

But he couldn't hear me. I was trapped, locked inside my own body as Death took control. Its presence was overwhelming, dark and powerful, yet chillingly seductive. It craved something—something twisted.

The demon purred through my lips, a voice that wasn't mine. "Virgil…"

I screamed, helpless as the demon moved my body, trailed my hand over Virgil’s chest, licked his lips. I could feel him, but he could not sense me. Desperation settled in my core, and I screamed again as suddenly the Death reappeared.

The demon was fighting it, clawing at my soul as it was being dragged out. I huddled in a corner as Death and the demon battled it out. There was no hope, I'd lost that at some point and I questioned my weakness.

What the hell did I just agree to?

What kind of a bargain did I just make with death for my soul?

I wept, my heart breaking as I watched the scene unfold, powerless to stop it. I had allowed Death to take control, and there was no telling what it would do next.

VIRGIL

Ipressed down harder on Barythaya, my hands trembling, fingers digging into her skin like I could somehow pull her back. The words of exorcism fumbled from my mouth, cracking and breaking under the weight of my fear. My voice wasn't steady, wasn't strong, but I prayed it was enough.

"Come on, come on, Barythaya…" My breath hitched; my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might tear through my chest. I pressed my hand to her heart, trying to feel for something—anything—that was stillher.

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