“That is all I will ask of you through this bond. Welcome brother.”
The beautiful man brought the bleeding palm to his lips, kissing his hand gently before he drew away again, giving his own bleeding hand to the kneeling man. The man–Leviathan–pressed his lips to his palm. Black blood spilled into his mouth, burning like acid. He gagged and winced, but raised his face calmly, his eyes meeting the beautiful man’s.
“No longer slaves of Heaven.”The man–his brother, the mind supplied–whispered to him.“None of us.”
“Never again.” He promised, rage flooding his chest.
The vision ended, leaving Cullen gasping, Leviathan’s hand sweeping his short hair back from his face as he gazed down at him with a gentle smile. Cullen could still feel the phantom ache of the slice on his palm and the shredded arm. Even the echo of rage. Rage towards heaven itself. It made him shudder in revulsion.
“This blade.” Leviathan purred. “Has magical properties. Bonuses for how it was created. For the power of fallen angels it was crafted with. It can turn you into a demon.”
No…No…This was so much worse than anything he had ever imagined Leviathan wanting him for.
“It will only take a moment.” Leviathan murmured, bringing the blade to his own wrist. It sliced through his skin effortlessly, spilling black blood that dropped to the ground–and burned dark patches into the dying grass. Cullenwhimpered and fell back, his hands beginning to tremble.
“Hold still–”
Cullen began scrambling away from him, a scream building in his throat. "No… Get away from me. Dom!" He screamed. "Walker–"
"Shut up!" Leviathan snarled, looking irritated. He darted forward faster than Cullen could react, grabbing him by the hair and lifting him to a kneeling position again. Cullen froze in fear, his eyes going wide as Leviathan smiled again. "Don't ruin this moment between us." His voice was soft now, persuasive.
"No!" He cried. "Please! I don't want this!" He felt some of his hair being ripped out of his head as he pulled at Leviathan's grip.
"Your darkest desire is to be with me, Cullen. I know it is. This is the only way. Now." He yanked his head back, forcing him to look up at the sky–and the cut wrist that moved over him. The blood splattered onto his face; he clamped his lips closed, shock and terror locking down his body. "Open your mouth, Cullen." He commanded.
He shook his head, tears streaming down his face.
"Open!" He snarled, a deeper, nastier sound that made Cullen whimper in terror.
But he shook his head again, squeezing his eyes shut.
Leviathan let out a growl and slammed his foot down on Cullen's ankle, snapping it. His mouth and eyes flew open as a scream tore from him. Blood flooded his mouth instantly; he swallowed it on instinct and screamed again as it burned his throat. He coughed and spit as Leviathan held him, not letting go of his hair.
He couldfeelthe blood rush through his system, making his own blood run cold, his insides twist painfully, as if theywere being torn apart and rearranged. He cried out, sure he was either going to vomit or pass out from the pain. He couldn't move, the poison making his joints lock up. He could feel himself twitching, his eyes wide, still staring up at the gash on Leviathan's wrist, and the bright stars behind it.
The poison hit his brain, clouding his vision, and making his body arch backwards as it invaded his mind. His fear for his friends, for himself, it all was replaced instantly with thoughts of death and disaster, rivers of blood and the crunch of bone under his foot. He could see it all. Hearit all.Tasteit all.
And then his vision cleared. He could see Leviathan's arm again, see the night sky beyond it. Leviathan's fist loosened in his hair, no longer gripping it, but running his fingers through it, pushing the wet strands off his face with gentle strokes.
Cullen gasped at the sight of his torn wrist, his stomach twisting again. He heard Leviathan chuckle quietly. And then he lowered his wrist to Cullen's mouth. He gasped again as the fresh blood pooled in, and then let out a vicious, inhuman growl, latching onto Leviathan's arm with his teeth, his hands wrapping around the appendage so that he could not pull away.
He moaned, drinking the blood greedily, and chewing on the soft skin of the arm, wincing when he felt his ankle shift and throb, mending in seconds. Leviathan let out a hiss of pain, but only squatted down beside him, continuing to let him chew on his flesh as he pet his hair.
"There now," he murmured. "Doesn't this feel much better than being human?"
5
Leviathan stood slowly, starting to pull his arm away from the new demon on the ground. “That's enough.”
The boy snarled fiercely, his teeth sinking deeper into his arm. A deep red glare flashed beneath the new black pearls of his eyes.
Leviathan grimaced and pressed a hand to Cullen's forehead, forcing a command into his mind.Release me.Power burst through their shared connection, rushing through his veins and down into Cullen’s head. His teeth disconnected and he fell backwards as if he'd been pushed. And when he sprang back up a moment later, his clawed hand swiping toward Leviathan’s bloody arm, Leviathan whipped his good hand forward and slapped him hard, sending him sprawling several feet away. He gave his mangled arm a quick flick and when he raised it again it was whole, the lingering blood the only proof of what had occurred.
“You've had a taste of blood now, Cullen. Calm yourself.” His voice was quiet but authoritative, a clear order that anydemon with half a brain would follow.
But Cullen, in his blood-addled state, had no mind beyond what his instincts were telling him to do. It was how it usually was in the beginning. So Leviathan was not surprised when Cullen sprang back up again–though he remained on his knees this time, defiance flashing in his eyes, even as the command Leviathan had given forced him to remain still.
He gave a quick snap of his fingers and pointed to the ground at his feet, another clear order. But Cullen didn't move, his furious gaze locked on Leviathan's face. Black blood dripped from his snarling teeth–the canines now lovely delicate points–and his body was trembling as if he were fighting off the urge to attack. Leviathan was sure that he was.
