Chapter 11 #2
“That is everything.”
“It can't be.” He scoffed.
“But it is.” He chuckled. “All that’s left is the world outside. A dead, boring land, full of rock and brimstone. It’s hot and smoky and devoid of life.” He paused, frowning. “I imagine you wouldn’t like it.”
Slowly, Cullen turned to look out the nearest window with a soft sigh.
“No.” He agreed quietly. “I wouldn’t.” Even though it would be smart.
He could try to find a way out, a direction he should go if he did decide to run…
But how dangerous would it be? What if there were creatures out there?
Monsters? What if other demons found him and did unspeakable things to him?
Maybe it would be better not to even try.
Hadn’t he already decided not to anyway?
Better to die here, he reminded himself gently.
With that in mind, he made no argument as he followed Leviathan back to his room.
They hovered just outside the door and Cullen shifted uneasily, surprised by how awkward it felt.
He wasn’t sure how to say goodbye without being too nice or too mean.
A dumb concern when facing an immortal demon who had kidnapped him.
There shouldn’t have been a sliver of nice in his head.
Just when he finally opened his mouth, Leviathan spoke.
“Is there anything you wish you had?” He asked softly, a surprising kindness in his voice, in those unnatural, snake-like eyes. “Anything at all? I have full control of this world, Cullen. I can give you anything you want.”
He blinked, surprised by the offer. After a short hesitation, he shook his head. “No. There’s nothing I want.”
Leviathan frowned, clearly displeased. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
He flicked his eyes away with a scoff, looking irritated. Cullen fought the urge to grin at the sight.
What the hell was wrong with him?
“You liked to work out.” Leviathan insisted, turning back to him. “How about a training room?”
He couldn’t keep the surprise from his face. “What, you’re going to build me a whole training room overnight?”
Leviathan grinned and gave his fingers a quick snap. Cullen gasped as a door materialized behind him.
"You think it would take me that long?" He asked, pushing the door open, gesturing for Cullen to go in first.
His eyes went wide as he entered the large room that Leviathan had created.
There were large circles drawn onto the stone floor and ropes hanging from various beams across the sloped ceiling.
Several dozen types of weapons hung on the wall across from them, all of them looking very deadly and sharp.
And some engraved with heavy jewels he knew meant the weapons were old–and unique.
It was much more impressive and intense looking than the training room back home.
"Good enough?" Leviathan asked as Cullen moved forward to examine the weapons more closely. "If there's anything specific you want, just let me know. I will happily create it for you."
Cullen hesitated, his fingers lingering on one of the sharp blades, before he turned to him. "Why are you being nice to me?"
Leviathan’s face went very still, and then broke into a smile. "Because I want you to like it here. I want you to be happy with me."
Cullen blushed, biting back the harsh words he wanted to say as he examined the room again.
"You took me from my friends and made me into a demon against my will, Leviathan.
Did you think that was a good start?" His voice was quiet.
He kept his eyes away from his face. This seemed too… casual. Too open and honest but…
"And how would you have gone about it, Cullen?
" Leviathan asked quietly. "I couldn't get you alone for more than a few seconds and it would have killed you to bring you here as a human.
Your body could have exploded just from a second of being in this dimension.
It can be difficult to travel between worlds. I didn't want to hurt you."
"You burned me–"
"I didn't have a choice. That's how a human is made into a demon."
Cullen shook his head with a deep sigh. "You should have asked me first." What was he saying? Why did it almost sound like he would have considered it if he’d only been asked?
"You would have turned me down. It would have been pointless." There was an edge to his voice now.
"Then maybe you should have moved on to someone else!" Cullen snapped. "Why did it have to be me?"
Leviathan’s eyes popped wide and then narrowed. For a long time, they simply glared at each other. Until Cullen finally rolled his eyes and walked back to him.
"Spar with me."
Leviathan looked shocked. "Why?"
"I have no one else to do it with." Cullen muttered, stopping in the center of the room. "And besides, I want to test out how strong this new body is."
Leviathan walked towards him slowly, his hands calmly at his sides even as Cullen raised his own.
"Eager for me to drop another building on you?"
Cullen winced at the memory. "No. Keep it reasonable. Fight me fairly."
"Fine." Leviathan muttered, shifting into a new position. “Just fists and shadows.”
He twitched, his eyes narrowing. “Shadows?”
Leviathan smiled and lifted a hand. Shadows swirled around his body, stretching towards Cullen and making Leviathan look as if he had deadly tentacles. The thought brought a flush to his face.
“You are a demon now,” Leviathan murmured. “You no longer have the power of light, Cullen, but the power of darkness. The powers of Hell. Use them well.”
A slow, heavy feeling seeped into his chest. The powers of Hell.
Of shadows. Demons used them to fight and they were deadly and could do fucked up things.
He’d once seen a man drown in their depths as if he were flung into the ocean.
Light powers were the opposite. Light was…
hope incarnate, heaven made tangible. It left a warm, tingly feeling in his hands and made his chest feel light with wonder…
To use shadows…to give up on his humanity that easily…
“Just…just fists.” He said quietly, his eyes on the shadows around Leviathan.
Slowly, they melted away, leaving Leviathan looking just slightly more human, even as a dark smile spread across his face and his onyx eyes flickered with excitement. “As you wish, pet.”
There was a tense silence.
Leviathan smirked. "You get the first move, Cullen."
He burst forward before Leviathan had finished his sentence, rushing straight at him.
He ducked to the side just as he reached him and swung at his face.
Leviathan dodged him. He growled, rage tearing through him when he saw the smirk on the other man’s face.
He swung lower this time, aiming for his chest, and Leviathan stepped back just far enough to avoid him.
Cullen brought his leg up–Leviathan blocked it with a laugh. He sucked in a breath, trying not to let himself get distracted by his annoyance.
The next time he swung, Leviathan caught his fist. "You're faster, Cullen.
Much faster." Cullen kicked at him with a growl. He almost grazed Leviathan’s hip that time.
"But you leave yourself too open." Leviathan landed a punch in his gut that made him taste blood when he coughed.
He stumbled back from him, wiping his mouth.
He ignored the smear of black that came away and lunged forward again.
He wasn't sure how long it went on like that, with Leviathan dodging and blocking every hit he threw. Leviathan hardly ever raised his hands to attack back, but each hit he landed sent Cullen sprawling. And he got more pissed off with each hit, each miss, each laugh that popped from Leviathan’s mouth.
He could feel sweat pouring down his face, feel his breaths getting faster, his heart racing, and he was grateful to Leviathan for giving him this.
He had needed the outlet badly. He could see that Leviathan was enjoying himself as well.
And he didn't miss the bead of sweat that ran down his temple as he smirked at Cullen’s next attempt.
Leviathan was actually trying. At least a little bit.
Cullen grinned and aimed a kick for his leg.
Leviathan caught it and twisted, making him cry out in shock as he fell.
He rolled over instantly as Leviathan dropped to his knees over him.
Cullen slammed a fist into his jaw, shocked when his hand connected, but then Leviathan grabbed his wrist, pinning it down to his side.
He blocked his other arm as it came up, pinning that one down as well. His hands tightened on him.
Cullen squirmed under him, trying to tear away from his grip, but Leviathan was definitely still much stronger than him.
He leaned over him then, his fingers tightening on Cullen as he put their faces closer together.
Cullen glanced down automatically, taking in the sweat rolling down his neck.
He could hear Leviathan's pounding heartbeat matching his own. He squirmed again, bucking his hips to try to get Leviathan off of him–and then froze when his crotch bumped Leviathan’s ass.
There was a twitch in his gut that shocked him.
"Let me up." He breathed, feeling his face getting warm. Fuck. What was with this body?
Leviathan didn't move, didn't speak. His eyes remained disturbingly focused on Cullen’s face.
"Get off me." Cullen demanded, going tense as Leviathan released his hand to touch his throat, trailing his fingers down it. He felt him swipe away sweat and felt a shiver roll through his body in response. The darkness from before seeped closer…heavier…
"This is how I want to see you everyday." He whispered, trailing his hand lower, over his chest. Cullen froze, the fear that had started to lessen clutching at him again as he fought the fogginess in his mind.
"Pinned under me, sweaty and out of breath…" He leaned in to run his tongue up Cullen’s throat, groaning as he licked the sweat off of him. Cullen whimpered, unable to form a coherent thought as the darkness bolted through his mind.
Leviathan’s hand dipped lower, his fingers hooking into the band of his pants.
Cullen found his voice just as Leviathan brought his mouth down on his, parting his lips with a growl.
Cullen let out another whimper as Leviathan pressed his tongue in, forcing his to move with it.
He shoved at him with his free hand as Leviathan untied his sweatpants and stuck his hand into them, grabbing his dick and rubbing it.
Cullen could feel his body betraying him, could feel himself start to harden.
He turned his head to the side, breaking the kiss with a gasp.
Leviathan moved his mouth to his throat, kissing and sucking at his skin and the darkness surged inside of him–
"Stop." Cullen gasped. "Stop. I don't want this."
To his shock, Leviathan stopped moving, pulling back to look down at him.
Cullen kept his gaze to the side, tears building in his eyes as he expected the worst. He’d heard stories of the types of things Leviathan had done in his long life.
He had no doubts rape was just as common as murder to him.
And, despite whatever the fuck his body was reacting to, he didn’t fucking want it.
It took too long. Far, far too long. But finally, Leviathan sighed before removing his hand from his pants and getting smoothly to his feet, his hand coming down in front of him in an easy offer.
Cullen remained frozen for a split second and then he jumped up without Leviathan’s help, still looking away from the demon.
"A servant will bring you down to dinner." Leviathan muttered, heading for the door.
Cullen said nothing, only took a few deep breaths before moving to follow him.