Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Daemon
THE INVITATION
Iknew this day would come, but I had hoped it wouldn’t be for many years. Although, I should have anticipated it sooner rather than later.
I entered my parents’ estate, the home I had grown up in when we moved here when I was young.
Asher followed close behind with a grin on his face the entire way.
He knew this wasn’t what I wanted but that I would feel pressured by our father—plus the entire Umbra Ministry. Because it was what was expected of me.
“Then perhaps you should listen to them,” the voice said, practically pleading.
“No,” I snapped. “I’ve already told you. It’s not happening.”
Asher followed me through the grand foyer and into the sitting room. Upon entering, I found three Ministers draped in dark cloaks, my mother sitting with her hands folded in her lap, and my father standing at her side with his usual stoney expression.
I recognized the Ministers instantly. Cahir, Zevon, and Draven. While I knew who they were, Cahir was the only one I was really acquainted with, though I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years. His black hair was longer than I remembered, framing his pale face.
“Daemon.” My mother’s eyes lit up when she noticed me enter, and she gracefully stood to greet me.
I walked over and kissed her on each cheek. “Hello, Mother,” I said with a warm smile.
“Asher, thank you for retrieving him. You are excused,” our father stated, not even looking at him.
Asher’s hands tightened into fists before spinning on his heel and stomping out of the room. He wanted to witness this and watch me succumb to my inevitable fate, but that wasn’t happening.
“Mr. Corse, please have a seat,” Cahir requested, gesturing to me once my brother left.
My mother took my hand with a smile on her face and pulled me to sit next to her.
Let’s get this over with.
“Daemon, I think you know why we’re here,” Cahir said.
“I do.” Though I wasn’t happy about it.
“Good.” He pulled out a folded piece of paper from underneath his cloak and handed it to me. “The Umbra Ministry is greatly privileged to extend an invitation for you to participate in this year’s Hunt on the Wal of Two Tears Island. Congratulations.”
“Yes! We accept!” The dark voice inside me arose with excitement.
The folded paper burned between my fingers, like it would sear my soul if I opened it. A hand fell on my shoulder, drawing my attention up to my father. He had a proud smile; and emotion was a rare occurrence to see on his face.
Shit.
He had wanted this for me for my entire life—trained me for it since I was a boy.
I swallowed and raised my chin slightly. “Firstly, I would like to thank you for this opportunity, as I know what a great honor it is. Secondly…” I paused. This was the part I wasn’t looking forward to.
Rejecting this opportunity would be a stain on my family. It was uncommon, but some demons did decline, and those who did were seen as weak, unbecoming, and dishonorable. But they would all just have to fucking deal.
I wanted no part in their savage tradition.
Feeling their expectant gazes dig into me, I cleared my throat to continue. “Secondly, I must decline your offer.”
“No! What have you done?!” my demon protested.
Everyone froze in the room, the air stifling as they held their breaths. My father’s hand slipped from my shoulder as he made his way around the couch to stand before me.
“Daemon, what do you mean?” he demanded coldly.
My mother squeezed my hand, and when I looked at her I could have sworn I saw a ghost of a smile—though I had to have been mistaken. She had always been supportive of my father’s insistence for me and Asher to fulfill our obligation as part of the demon society. Or, so I thought…
“I’m not going on the Hunt, Father.” I rose, standing my ground. “Gentlemen, thank you again, but you are welcome to extend the invitation to someone else in my place.” I held out the still-folded paper to Cahir, his jaw gaping as he took it from me.
I assumed they would move on down the family line and give it to Asher.
Only one person from each family was permitted to go.
My father was getting older and likely couldn’t handle going again—so they offered it to me.
But since I had declined, Asher was next.
He had been wanting to go since he first learned about it, and as a demon, that was his prerogative.
“Daemon, you need to think about this. This is your chance to discover your circle—your power. Not to mention, you need to let your demon out. You can’t control it forever.” My father’s lips tightened.
“Listen to him!”
“The decision is made, and this discussion is over,” I announced without room for argument.
“You fool!”
“Daemon, you will accept,” my father commanded.
“Titus.” My mother stood, facing my father. “It’s his choice. That’s why it’s an invitation. We have to respect his rejection.”
My father’s eyes pinned my mother with a glare, but she refused to back down.
“Alva is correct, Titus,” Draven interjected as he stood.
“He is more than welcome to decline. That is his right. Besides, if he doesn’t require this time to let out his demon, then it’s better if it’s offered to someone else who does.
This tradition isn’t meant to force those who don’t want it, but only to help those who need it.
So our kind may continue to peacefully live in this world.
And if he doesn’t wish to learn his ranking, that’s also his choice.
” Draven stepped over to stand next to us.
“And this isn’t the end for Daemon and his demon.
Since he’s the eldest in the Corse family line, he will be invited next year, and the year after that, until he too chooses to ultimately pass the invitation to his own son.
He will still have his chance, I assure you. ”
My father held his stare for a moment before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again to look at me. “I just don’t want you to regret this.”
I blinked in surprise. That was easier than I thought it would be.
“I won’t. I promise.”
My father nodded slowly with a tight expression. “Please send in Asher when you leave.”
As a demon, receiving the invitation to partake in the Hunt was a great honor.
Almost like a rite of passage. All of us, including myself, had to stay hidden in plain sight—holding back the demon within that made us what we were.
It wasn’t easy. I constantly battled mine as it threatened to take over, to plunge me into the darkness it craved.
An invitation to the Hunt was the one way demons could unleash their true selves and give into those gruesome temptations.
Additionally, it was how we could determine our ranking—and which circle of the Hells we belonged to.
Decay, Frenzy, Pain, Madness, Rage, Dominion, or Ruin.
Each demon’s power level was directly correlated to the circle we were destined for. But in order for me to discover and unlock the true extent of my power, I had to relinquish control to my demon.
It was something I never wanted. I didn’t want to succumb to my darkest desires because I feared that, once I did, I would never come up to the light again. Once I’d had a taste, I’d never want to go without.
I had seen what happened when a demon lost control, how many people it hurt—how many people it killed…
Seven years ago
“Daemon,” a deep voice spoke, rousing me from sleep.
I blinked against the light coming from the candle held in my father’s hand as he stood at the side of my bed.
“Wake up, son.”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then glanced out the window. It was pitch black outside.
“What time is it?” I asked, looking back at him. And that was when I noticed he was dressed in his ceremonial Umbra robes with a pile of fabric and a mask tucked under his arm. “What’s going on?”
“It’s almost midnight. The Ministry has called for members to gather.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “But I’m not a member yet. I don’t know my ranking.”
“Yes, but you’re nineteen, and that means you’re now of age to learn your duties as a demon.”
After hurrying me to get dressed in the new robes he’d brought, he ushered me through the house. We went past my parents’ room where I saw my mother sitting on the edge of her bed with a solemn expression.
Asher came out of his room. “Father?”
My father didn’t pay him any mind as he continued on right past him. “Let’s go, Daemon.”
“What’s going on?” Asher asked.
“Everything’s fine. Go back to sleep,” I said, trying to reassure him. When he gave me a concerned look, I added, “Just Ministry stuff, I guess. It’s okay.”
“Daemon,” my father urged and I turned to follow him through the house and into the night.
Still half-asleep, I hadn’t really taken in what was going on. My father led me to the horses outside, and we rode off to a field far outside the town.
We dismounted and left our horses next to a line of others. A lot of them. At least for being in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.
“Put your mask on. Keep your hood up and your head down. Don’t speak.
And Daemon,” he said sternly. I looked up at my father, still completely confused.
“Whatever you see, whatever you hear, don’t make a sound.
You are to stand still and observe the deliverance of the Ministry’s law.
Insubordination will not be tolerated. Now, follow me. ”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean? This was my first real involvement with the Umbra Ministry, and I had no clue what to expect.
We came over the ridge of the hill, and cloaked demons stood in a circle, several of them holding torches. As we approached and took our places in the circle, I noticed two trembling figures in the center. They had bags over their heads, kneeling in the grass with their hands bound behind them.
We stood there for several long moments with only the sounds of whimpers from one of the figures. Then, one of the demons stepped forward into the center of the circle.