𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍𝐄𝐃 || 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐍

Vernon

"Are you sure?"

Seungkwan gulped, and I couldn't help but track the movement. My eyes lingered on the bruises, and I could feel my anger rising once more. Only the thought of the torture Joshua and Seungcheol were currently dishing out on my behalf calmed me.

"I'm sure," he said with a half-smile. "How bad can it be?"

I gave a bitter laugh and pulled my hand from his. He frowned at me, but I didn't think he would want to be touching me when reality set in. "Bad. That's the first thing I need to make clear. I am not a good...person. I won't sugarcoat this for you. You deserve to know what you're getting into by being with me. The things I've done would be enough to give you nightmares for the rest of your life. I've hurt people, tortured them, killed them. It's not the life I live now, and it's never been something I want to do. No matter what I try, though, I can't escape it fully. Pain and suffering follow me like a shadow."

He paled, but his gaze didn't waver. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I was ordered to—and because they deserved it. They earned their punishment through their behaviour during their life."

"Did you ever hurt someone who didn't deserve it?"

"No." It wasn't a rule that all demons followed, but one that my brothers' and I followed like law.

"Did you have a choice?"

"No. At least, I believed I didn't. It took a long time, far too long, but my brothers and I woke up and saw the truth eventually."

He nodded slowly, his brain processing what I was telling him. He was fascinating to watch. Under different circumstances, I would've loved to sit and ask him what he was thinking, to dissect his thoughts and emotions. "So you're a...demon? What does that mean exactly? What about your brothers? Does that mean angels exist too? And do you really have wings, or is that my imagination going wild again?"

I couldn't help but smile as the questions tumbled from his lips. His inquisitiveness was yet another draw for me. "Yes, I'm a demon, and so are my brothers. Unlike our ancestors, we were born in Hell thousands of years ago, but we've lived on Earth since 1573. Our forefathers were angels who fell when they questioned God's rule. Now we exist to punish sinners. To balance the scales of light and darkness. We were sent topside to tempt others away from the path of righteousness, but my brothers and I discovered how much...freer we felt living on Earth. It became our home in a way that Hell never was. And no, your imagination isn't going wild. I do have wings."

His mouth opened and closed a few times as though he couldn't decide which question to ask first. "Where are your wings now?"

"I use a small amount of power to keep them hidden. I'd show them to you, but I rather like this shirt, and I've already ruined one today."

"That's a shame. I quite like you shirtless." His face went beet red, and he buried his head in his hand. "Shit, I didn't mean to say that aloud."

A slow grin crept across my face. "Say the word, and I'll happily strip for you."

He lifted his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "No, if you do that, I'll never finish asking all the questions I have. What did you mean when you said power? Is that like magic?"

It should've felt weird talking about this with a human. I'd spent centuries keeping the reality of my world hidden, and now I was spilling it all. But Seungkwan wasn't just a human. He was mine. Even if I would never be his, it didn't change the fact that he was mine. It felt natural to share everything with him. "Sort of. Every demon has a level of power within them determined by their lineage. The older the family, the stronger the demon."