Marcus's eyelids fluttered open to find three faces staring down at him with varying expressions of concern. Professor Chen looked clinically worried, like a doctor monitoring a patient. Julian looked guilty and terrified. And the demon—the actual demon with golden eyes and elegant horns—looked mildly amused.
"He's waking up," Julian said, his voice tight with anxiety.
"Give him space," Professor Chen instructed, though none of them moved back very far.
Marcus's head throbbed as he tried to sit up. The room tilted alarmingly, and he had to close his eyes for a moment to fight off a wave of nausea. When he opened them again, the demon was still there. Not a hallucination. Not a stress-induced breakdown. An actual supernatural being standing in Professor Chen's living room like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I'm going to be sick," Marcus managed.
Professor Chen immediately produced a wastebasket, but Marcus waved it away. The nausea was more existential than physical—his entire understanding of reality had just been shattered, and his body was trying to catch up with his brain's complete system failure.
"Take deep breaths," Professor Chen said calmly, settling into the chair across from where Marcus sat on the floor. "What you're experiencing is normal. The human mind isn't designed to process supernatural stimuli without preparation."
"Normal," Marcus repeated weakly. "Right. Because finding out demons are real is totally normal."
"For what it's worth," Valerius said, his voice cultured and surprisingly gentle, "you handled it better than most. I've seen grown men weep at the sight of me."
Marcus stared at him, taking in the elegant horns, the golden eyes that seemed to glow with their own light, the aura of ancient power that made the air around him feel heavy. "You're really a demon."
"I really am."
"And you're..." Marcus looked at Julian, who was wringing his hands nervously. "You're bonded to Julian?"
"Yes."
"Like, permanently?"
"Very permanently."
Marcus closed his eyes again, trying to organize his thoughts into something resembling coherence. He was pre-med. He believed in science, in things that could be measured and tested and proven. But he'd also seen those shadows in their dorm room. He'd heard the voices when Julian was supposedly alone. And now he was sitting on Professor Chen's floor staring at undeniable proof that everything he thought he knew about the world was wrong.
"Okay," Marcus said finally, opening his eyes. "I need someone to explain what the hell is going on. All of it. From the beginning."
Julian sat down beside him, maintaining a respectful distance. "Are you sure you want to know? Once you know everything, you can't unknow it."
"I think we're past that point," Marcus said dryly. "There's a demon in the room. My reality is already shattered. Might as well know why."
So Julian told him. About the desperate wish during the storm, about Valerius being pulled from his prison in the underworld, about the blood bond they'd formed. About Malphas, the Soul Reaper who'd been hunting Valerius for six hundred years and was now targeting Julian as revenge.
Marcus listened without interrupting, his expression cycling through disbelief, horror, and finally a kind of resigned acceptance. When Julian finished, Marcus was quiet for a long moment.
"So let me get this straight," he said finally. "You accidentally summoned a demon with your loneliness. You're apparently some kind of witch or wizard or whatever. There's an ancient death demon trying to kill you. And I'm caught in the middle because I happen to be your roommate."
"That's... pretty much it, yeah," Julian said miserably.
"And those shadows I saw in our room—that was this Malphas guy testing our defenses?"
"Yes," Valerius confirmed. "He's using your connection to Julian to find vulnerabilities. The fact that you could see the shadows means he's already marked you as a target."
Marcus rubbed his face with both hands, trying to process. "Okay. So what do we do about it?"
"That's why I brought you here," Julian said. "Professor Chen can help protect you. There are wards, magical barriers—"
"Temporary measures," Professor Chen interrupted gently. "I can give you basic protections that will help, but against a Soul Reaper as determined as Malphas? They won't be enough. Not long-term."
Marcus looked at her sharply. "What do you mean, not enough?"
Professor Chen stood and moved to the fireplace, her expression grave. "Malphas is ancient and powerful. Basic wards might slow him down, but they won't stop him. Not if he's decided you're worth claiming."
"Claiming," Marcus repeated, his voice hollow. "You mean killing."
"Soul Reapers don't kill, exactly. They collect. Your body would die, yes, but your soul..." She trailed off, leaving the implications hanging.
Marcus felt cold spread through his chest. "So what are my options? Run? Hide? Hope he gets bored and goes away?"
"He won't," Valerius said quietly. "Soul Reapers are patient. He has six hundred years of experience hunting prey. If he wants you, changing schools or cities won't help. He'll find you."
"Then what?" Marcus's voice rose with panic. "I'm just supposed to accept that I'm going to die because my roommate accidentally summoned a demon?"
"No," Professor Chen said firmly. "There is one option that would give you complete protection. But it's... complicated."
Marcus laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "More complicated than finding out demons and Soul Reapers are real?"
Professor Chen and Valerius exchanged a look that made Julian's stomach sink.
"What is it?" Julian asked. "What aren't you telling us?"
"Demonic protection," Valerius said after a long pause. "If Marcus were bonded to a demon, Malphas couldn't touch him. The bond would create a supernatural barrier that even a Soul Reaper couldn't breach."
"Like what you and Julian have?" Marcus asked.
"Similar, but not quite the same. Julian and I formed our bond through..." Valerius glanced at Julian, "through intimate connection and blood magic. For Marcus, it would be purely protective. A guardian bond rather than a romantic one."
"Okay," Marcus said slowly. "So you'd protect me? Like a bodyguard?"
"Not me," Valerius said. "I'm already bonded to Julian. Demons can only form one bond at a time—my connection to Julian means I'm not available to protect anyone else. It would have to be a different demon."
Professor Chen moved to her bookshelf and pulled out what looked like an ancient contact book. "I know someone who might be willing. Another demon who owes me a favor. But Marcus, you need to understand what you'd be agreeing to before we go any further."
"I'm listening," Marcus said, though his hands were shaking slightly.
"A demonic protection bond is permanent," Professor Chen said, her voice heavy with the weight of what she was explaining. "Once formed, it can't be broken. Not by death, not by distance, not by will. You and the demon would be connected for the rest of your life."
"But I'd be protected," Marcus said. "That's the important part, right?"
"There's more," Valerius said, and something in his tone made Julian's chest tighten with dread. "Demonic bonds don't just create supernatural protection. They create... emotional connection. Over time, the human bonded to a demon will develop feelings for their protector. It's part of the magic, not something that can be avoided or resisted."
The room went very quiet.
"You're saying," Marcus said slowly, "that this bond would make me fall in love with a demon? Against my will?"
"Not love, necessarily," Professor Chen said carefully. "But deep attachment, certainly. Trust. Affection. The kind of emotional connection that comes from having someone literally tied to your soul. It's not instant, but it is inevitable."
Marcus stood up, pacing to the window. "So my choices are: die and lose my soul to a Soul Reaper, or live but lose my emotional autonomy to a demon I've never met. Is that what you're telling me?"
"I know it's not fair—" Julian started.
"Not fair?" Marcus spun around, his voice sharp. "Julian, you're asking me to tie myself to a supernatural being for the rest of my life. To accept that I won't even get to choose how I feel about them. That's not 'not fair,' that's—" He stopped, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I have plans. I'm supposed to go to medical school. I'm supposed to have a normal life. And now you're telling me I have to give all that up because you made a wish during a storm?"
"You can still go to medical school," Professor Chen said gently. "A protection bond wouldn't prevent you from living your life. It would just mean you'd always have a supernatural guardian watching over you."
"And eventually making me care about them whether I want to or not," Marcus said bitterly.
Julian felt guilt crush down on his chest. "Marcus, I'm so sorry. If I'd known this would happen—if I'd known you'd get caught up in this—"
"But you didn't know," Marcus said, and his voice broke slightly. "And now we're both stuck dealing with the consequences."
"You don't have to do this," Valerius said quietly. "The choice is yours. We can try the temporary wards, see if they're enough—"
"You already said they won't be," Marcus interrupted. "Against someone like Malphas, basic protection is just delaying the inevitable."
He turned back to the window, staring out at Professor Chen's garden. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the grass. Somewhere out there, a Soul Reaper was hunting him. Somewhere in the supernatural darkness, his death was already planned.
"I need time to think," Marcus said finally. "This is too big a decision to make right now."
"Of course," Professor Chen said. "Take all the time you—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her expression shifting to alarm. Julian felt it too—a sudden chill in the air, like all the warmth had been sucked out of the room. Valerius immediately moved to Julian's side, his golden eyes scanning for threats.
"What is it?" Marcus asked, turning from the window.
That's when Julian saw it. A single crow landing on the windowsill outside, its black eyes fixed on the room. Then another crow joined it. And another.
Within moments, dozens of crows were perched on every available surface outside the windows—on the roof, the fence, the bare branches of nearby trees. All of them completely silent. All of them staring into the room with unnatural, focused intensity.
"Oh no," Professor Chen whispered.
The temperature in the room dropped further, and Julian could see his breath misting in the air. The crows didn't move, didn't make a sound, but their presence felt wrong in a way that made Julian's skin crawl.
"What are they doing?" Marcus asked, his voice tight with fear.
"Watching," Valerius said grimly. "Malphas followed you here, Marcus. And now he knows where Julian is, where Professor Chen lives, where we gather. He knows you're unprotected."
"He followed me?" Marcus's face went even paler. "You mean I led him right to—"
"This is exactly what we meant," Professor Chen said, her voice heavy. "When we said Malphas could use you against Julian. There are so many different ways—and this is one of them. You're a tracking device, Marcus. A way for him to find Julian's allies, his safe spaces, his support network."
Julian felt sick. "So even if Marcus stays away from me, Malphas can still use him to hunt me down."
"Precisely," Valerius confirmed. "Wherever Marcus goes, Malphas can follow. Every place he visits, every person he talks to—all of it becomes intelligence for the Soul Reaper."
As if responding to Valerius's words, one crow tapped its beak against the glass. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound echoed through the room with unnatural resonance, making Julian flinch. Where the crow touched the window, frost spread across the glass in delicate, deadly patterns.
"Your wards—" Julian started.
"Are holding," Professor Chen said, but her voice was strained. "Barely. But he's testing them, looking for weaknesses."
More crows began tapping against the windows, creating a discordant rhythm that set Julian's teeth on edge. The frost spread further, and Julian could see Professor Chen's breath coming faster as she maintained the magical barriers keeping them safe.
Then, as one, all the crows opened their beaks.
Malphas's voice came from dozens of bird throats simultaneously, overlapping and distorted into something that barely sounded human: "I always get what I want in the end. Always."
Marcus stumbled backward from the window, his face pale. "Jesus Christ."
"He can't get through the wards," Professor Chen said, though Julian could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "Not yet. But he's making a point."
"What point?" Marcus demanded, his eyes never leaving the crows.
"That nowhere is safe," Valerius said quietly. "That he's patient. That he will wait as long as it takes."
The crows continued their terrible tapping, and through their collective gaze, Julian could feel Malphas's attention like a physical weight. The Soul Reaper was watching them through dozens of eyes, listening through dozens of ears, and the message was clear: Marcus needed to make a decision now, not later. His time was up.
"How long do I have?" Marcus asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Now," Professor Chen said, her voice strained as she maintained the wards against the assault of crows. "You need to decide now, Marcus. Malphas isn't giving you days to think about this. He's here, he's pushing against my wards, and he's making it clear that he's done waiting."
Marcus sank into a chair, his hands shaking. The crows continued their vigil outside, patient and inevitable as death itself. Julian wanted to say something comforting, wanted to promise that everything would be okay, but the words died in his throat. There was no comfort to offer when the alternative was watching his roommate's soul get collected by an ancient demon.
"If I do this," Marcus said finally, his voice hollow, "if I accept the bond—will those things go away?"
"Once you're protected by a demon, Malphas can't touch you," Professor Chen confirmed. "The bond would create a barrier he couldn't breach, no matter how hard he tried."
"But I'll be changed," Marcus continued, still staring at the crows. "I'll develop feelings I don't want. I'll be tied to someone forever. My life will never be normal again."
"No," Valerius said gently. "It won't."
Marcus shook his head, his breathing getting faster. "Wait. Wait, you're not thinking this through. You're telling me I'll develop feelings for this demon, but what if they develop stronger feelings for me? What if this demon wants more than just a protection bond?"
"Marcus—" Professor Chen started.
"No, let me finish," Marcus interrupted, his voice rising with panic. "You said I'll feel attachment, affection, trust. But what about them? What if they're lonely? What if they've been alone for centuries and suddenly they have this human who's magically compelled to care about them? What if they want a real relationship, not just a guardian situation?"
Valerius's expression grew grave. "That's a valid concern. Demons who form protection bonds can develop... attachments of their own. Especially if they've been isolated."
"Exactly!" Marcus gestured wildly. "So what if this demon decides they don't want to stay in the shadows? What if they demand I acknowledge them publicly, or want me to move in with them, or—" His voice cracked. "What if they want me to go to the underworld with them? How do I know this won't completely destroy the life I'm trying to save?"
"You can't force a bonded human to the underworld," Professor Chen said quickly. "There are supernatural laws—"
"Laws that an ancient demon might not care about if they're lonely enough," Marcus shot back. "You're asking me to trust that whoever you call will be reasonable, will respect boundaries, will be content with just protecting me from a distance. But you don't actually know that, do you? You don't know what they'll want from me once the bond is formed."
The room fell silent. Even the crows seemed to pause their assault on the windows.
"He's right," Julian said quietly. "We're asking him to bind himself to a complete stranger and hope for the best. That's... that's not fair."
Professor Chen looked at her contact book, then back at Marcus. "I've known Zevrael for a long time. He's not the type to take advantage—"
"But you don't know what he feels," Marcus said desperately. "You don't know if he's tired of being alone, if he's been waiting for an excuse to form a bond with someone. Once it's done, once I'm tied to him and starting to develop these feelings you say are inevitable—how do I protect myself from him if he wants more than I'm willing to give?"
Valerius stepped forward. "The bond creates connection, but it doesn't remove free will. If a demon tried to force their bonded human into something unwanted, the bond itself would weaken. It's designed to be mutually protective."
"'Weaken' isn't the same as 'break,'" Marcus pointed out. "And even if it weakens, I'm still tied to them. Still developing feelings I don't want. Still vulnerable to someone who might be just as desperate for connection as Julian was when he summoned you."
The comparison hung in the air, uncomfortable and accurate. Julian had been desperate enough to tear through dimensions. What if the demon they called was equally desperate for something—anything—to break their own isolation?
"I can speak to him first," Professor Chen offered. "Explain the situation, make it clear that this is strictly a protection bond with professional boundaries."
"And if he agrees now but changes his mind later?" Marcus asked. "Once the bond is formed and I'm starting to care about him whether I want to or not—who protects me from him?"
The crows began their tapping again, harder this time. The frost on the windows spread further, and Julian could see cracks starting to form in the glass. Malphas was getting impatient.
"You're running out of time," Valerius said gently. "I understand your concerns, Marcus. They're legitimate. But the alternative is right there." He gestured to the windows where the crows watched with hungry eyes. "At least with a protection bond, you have a chance at a life. With Malphas, you have none."
"And you may even find yourself feeling the same way," Julian added quietly, making Marcus look at him in surprise. "You're worried about what this demon might want from you, but what if it's you who ends up wanting more from them? You're not sure about their feelings—how can you be sure about your own? What if the bond makes you the one who wants more, who pushes for something beyond protection? The roles could be reversed, you know."
Marcus stared at Julian, the implications sinking in. "So I could become the problem? I could be the one who gets too attached, who wants something the demon doesn't?"
"The bond affects both parties," Valerius said. "Neither of you will have complete control over how you develop feelings for each other. That's what makes it so complicated."
Marcus looked at the crows, then back at the group. "I just... I need to know someone's thought about this. About what happens if this demon wants more from me than I can give. About what I do if the bond makes me want to give it even when I shouldn't."
"Then we set boundaries now," Professor Chen said firmly. "Before I call Zevrael, we establish ground rules. And I'll bind him to those rules magically—a contract he can't break without consequences."
"What kind of consequences?"
"The kind that would make violating your autonomy more painful than living with his loneliness," she said. "I can't prevent him from developing feelings, Marcus. But I can prevent him from acting on them in ways that harm you."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment, the only sound the relentless tapping of crow beaks against glass. Finally, he looked at Professor Chen.
"Make the contract first," he said, his voice hollow. "Make it ironclad. And then... then call your demon. Let's get this over with before I lose my nerve or Malphas breaks through your wards."
"Wait," Valerius said, stepping forward. "This isn't fair to him."
Everyone turned to look at the demon in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Professor Chen asked.
Valerius's golden eyes were serious as he looked at Marcus. "You're creating a contract that binds Zevrael's behavior, sets rules for how he can interact with you. But he's not here to negotiate those terms. What if he has boundaries of his own? What if there are things he needs that you're not considering? It's not right for you to have complete control over both of your lives without giving him a voice in the matter."
Marcus blinked, clearly taken aback. "You're... defending the demon who's about to be bound to me?"
"I'm saying that fairness goes both ways," Valerius said firmly. "Yes, you're being forced into this bond to save your life. But Zevrael is also being bound—permanently—to a human he's never met, with rules he hasn't agreed to. If this bond is truly going to work, if it's going to be sustainable, both parties need to have input."
"So what are you suggesting?" Professor Chen asked.
"Call him first," Valerius said. "Before you create the contract. Let Marcus meet him, let them talk, let them negotiate the terms together. A bond formed with mutual understanding, even under these circumstances, will be stronger and healthier than one where only one person dictates all the rules."
Marcus looked uncertain. "But what if he refuses? What if he doesn't want the bond once he knows what I'm asking for?"
"Then Professor Chen calls in a different favor, finds a different demon," Valerius said. "But I think you'll find that most demons understand the value of consent and negotiation. We're not all monsters, Marcus. Some of us remember what it's like to have our autonomy stripped away."
The weight of Valerius's own history hung in those words—executed for loving someone, cursed into demonic existence without his permission, imprisoned by his own family's magic.
Marcus was quiet for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Call him. Let me... let me at least meet him before we do this."
"Marcus, you don't have to—" Julian started.
"Yes, I do," Marcus interrupted. "Look at them, Julian." He gestured to the crows. "They're not leaving. He's not stopping. If I say no, if I try to wait, he'll just keep coming. And eventually, your professor's wards will fail, and I'll be collected anyway." His laugh was bitter. "At least this way I get to live. Even if it's not the life I planned."
Professor Chen moved to her desk and pulled out a small silver bell. "Are you absolutely certain?"
Marcus looked at the crows one more time, at their unblinking black eyes watching, waiting. Then he turned back to Professor Chen and nodded.
"I'm certain," he said. "I want to live. Call him."
Professor Chen's hand trembled slightly as she rang the bell.