Page 12 of Virgil's Demons

"Hold him, dammit!" I shouted as Hellsing's grip slipped.

"I'm trying, Father!" Hellsing growled through gritted teeth, fighting to maintain control.

"I told you not to fucking call me that!" I shouted, pressing down on the crucifix.

The demon's voice slithered out again, mocking, "You're too late. He belongs to me now. They'll all belong to me when I'm done with you."

I leaned closer, bringing my face level with Mr. Robinson's. "Not today, he doesn't."

With one final, guttural shout, I finished the exorcism. A scream tore from Mr. Robinson's throat, so loud and raw that it felt like the walls themselves trembled. The demon's presence was ripped from his body in a sudden burst of energy, a black cloud dissipated into nothingness.

Mr. Robinson fell limp, his breathing shallow but steady. The room, once cold and oppressive, returned to its normal state. Hellsing, drenched in sweat, looked up at me, panting.

"Christ, Father... You always have to pick a fight, don't you?"

I wiped the sweat from my brow. "Old habits die hard. And you keep calling me Father, and you're next, kid."

The man was free now, but the demon had only dispersed, to chain it would be an entirely different ritual. One that Hellsing couldn't win, not yet anyway. Somewhere out there, another poor bastard would fall prey to whatever crawled out of these shadows.

"Let's go, kid."

"That's it?" He just stared at me blankly.

"You want more, you've got to learn to build those walls. Demons don't fuck around. You lose your focus just once, and it's over."

I grabbed my coat and my bag and headed out the door. "And I'm not willing to have more blood on my hands that way," I muttered as I went down the stairs and into the parlor where Father Delaney and Mr. Robinson's wife sat waiting for me.

"Is it done?" The wife stood up, looking up at me expectantly.

I nodded. "For now. He'll need rest, make sure to hydrate him, and then send him here." I gave her a card with the directions to Madame Laveaux'shounfours, her sacred space. There, the man would get what he needed for protection, just like we had.

I slowly rolled down my sleeve, the fresh ink still throbbing beneath the fabric. The symbol of protection, strength, whatever the hell I thought might keep me from slipping further into the dark, was still healing, the skin raw and tender. But that pain was nothing compared to the one twisting inside me, the oneshehad stirred awake.

Barythaya.

My thoughts went to the woman who had tattooed me. Beautiful, fierce, and tempting in ways that tore at my control. She knew how to wield a needle, how to draw out pain so sweetly that I craved it, like a sinner begging for penance. I wanted to see her again, wanted to feel that needle burn through my skin, to feel her hands on me like she could pull the demons right out of my bones.

But more than that, I wanted to mark her too. I wanted to carve myself into her flesh, taste the copper of her blood on her soft skin, and claim every piece of her in ways that terrified me. The thoughts were violent, raw, laced with hunger that had long lay hidden. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I shut my eyes against the images flashing through my mind. I couldn't go down that road. Not with her. Not with anyone.

Keeping myself away from her was the best thing I could do. I was poison, and anyone who got too close would end up as broken as I was. The darkness that lived inside me wasn't something I could control. It was something that fed on everything and everyone around me. And she deserved better than to be devoured by it. Byme.

I needed to stay away, but damn if she wasn't already under my skin.

As I stepped outside, the warm air felt suffocating, I couldn't shake the thought of her. The way she looked at me like she could see through all the layers of bullshit and straight into the core of whatever I had left. I wasn't used to that. People usually took one look and kept their distance. But not her.

I paused for a second, wondering if they, the Royal Bastards, the shit I was tangled up in, were the reason my power had heightened. My senses today had been sharper, more intense, and I could feel them ever since the runes were etched into my skin.

But was it just the ink? Or was it something else? Something she had done to me?

Shaking off the thought, I headed down the steps and out to the road.Hellsing was on my heels as I got into the old beat-up truck that was left behind for me."Where are you going?"

"Home," I gave him a short answer because the kid didn't need more than that. He was the type to hunt me down and follow me.

"Where is home?" He asked expectantly.

"Far away from here, kid." I threw my back in the trunk and slammed it shut. I tried ignoring him as I slid into the driver's side. "Take Mr. Robinson to that address I gave them. Keep honing your skills and then look me up. And don't go off doing shit you're not supposed to. You hear of anything you call me."

"Yes, Sir," he nodded excitedly.

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