When he summons a demon in a desperate bid to save his Mother from his abusive Father, the last thing Carter Willows expects is Ryu, the infuriating pyromaniac demon with a penchant for pushing Carter to his limit. Yet to call in his side of the bar...
Carter could hear Ryu, could perceive each word and syllable and consonant he spoke.
And yet, he couldn't seem to understand him.
Burn me.
The words were there, blazing at the forefront of Carter's mind, and yet he couldn't grasp them, couldn't accept them.
Because that would mean-that would mean Ryu was asking-
"No." Carter's bottom lip wobbled, and he bit it to keep it still. "That's not gonna happen."
"Please."
Ryu's gaze was soft and beseeching, and Carter couldn't fucking stand it.
"No!" He said again, desperately trying to tug his arm from Ryu's grip. He had to get to Margo, and they were wasting time-were wasting air even talking about it-
"You can do it!" Ryu insisted, holding tight to Carter's arm. His voice had taken on a desperation of its own, and his touch seemed particularly searing, as though the very heat of it would burn through Carter's shirt. "I saw you in that bathroom! You burned that demon away! I know you can do it to me!"
"I'm not gonna do that!" Carter cried, and oh god, now he was crying, hot tears running down his face and disappearing into the grass below. "It's too cruel, it'll hurt you! And you'll-you'll be gone!"
His voice broke into a wail, and with a fierce yank, he tore free and whirled on Ryu. "We won't know where you'll end up! If you'll even exist anymore! We don't know what happened to that demon! I might've-I might've killed it!"
"Ohhh, mortals!" A voice cooed.
Both turned to find the demon standing a few paces from them, Margo struggling in her grip.
Margo had several scratches on her face and was kicking wildly, but the demon had a talon pressed into her jugular, and her too-bright eyes promised violence.
Her smile promised worse.
"Won't you surrender nicely?" The demon inquired, tone falsely polite. She tilted her head and raised a perfectly manicured brow. "It'd make things so much easier. Of course..."
Margo coughed as the talon pressed into her skin, drawing a thin line of blood.
Carter wondered if this was what dying felt like.
"We have to, Carter." Ryu was at his ear. He was gripping Carter's shoulder now, squeezing insistently with each word. "If I'm gone, this demon will be, too. I'm her only link. I'm the only link for any of them. It's me."
