GUARDIAN DEMON | BL ✔

CHAPTER 13

The cold, hard ground was the first thing Devyn felt when he regained consciousness. The warmth of a demon was the next thing he felt. The human opened his eyes to see Denzyl sitting against the bars of a cage. Devyn's heart began to race when he saw the cells of the hold.

Oh no. How did we get here? I led them away and...and...I crashed. Devyn recalled the bullets hitting the hovercycle, the explosion, and the demon's hands grappling him. The human moved to sit up, but his bruised body ached immensely. He ended up letting out a pained gasp, and hands immediately came to his rescue. Devyn looked to see Denzyl helping him sit up.

"Are you alright?" Denzyl asked as he gingerly set Devyn next to him.

Devyn nodded in response. "Are we..." Devyn's voice trailed off as he could not finish his question. He did not want it to be true, but Denzyl's nod confirmed his fear. Devyn gained control of the fright rushing through his body and slowed his pounding heart. "What's going to happen?" He asked calmly, but his eyes showed his worry.

Denzyl brought the human closer to him and wrapped his arms around Devyn's shaking body. "I'll protect you," Denzyl promised. Devyn nodded. His eyes glistened from the demon's words, and he welcomed his warmth. Devyn surprised the demon by leaning against him and resting his head on the demon's shoulder. The human then closed his eyes and rested in the arms of the demon who had given him safety and warmth.

The three other humans occupying the cell looked at the two quizzically and wondered how a human could trust a demon and why a demon was caring for a human. The three continued to stare at the two as the human rested on the demon's shoulder. Denzyl occasionally glanced at the humans causing them to quickly look away before closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the bar of the cell.

Devyn eventually woke and instantly lifted his head from Denzyl's shoulder. He had apparently not realized he was resting on the demon. Now that his pain had lessened and he had some sleep, he realized his situation. Denzyl smirked at the flustered human as Devyn sat up straight and leaned against the cage next to Denzyl.

"Sleep well?" Denzyl inquired.

Devyn cleared this throat and nodded in response, his eyes glued to the ground. "I'm, uh, sorry for..." Devyn apologized.

"It's okay." Denzyl said softly as he realized Devyn's uneasiness and made sure to leave a small gap between them. He recalled the human's frantic nightmare when he held him in the cave and determined to never be the cause of Devyn's discomfort again.

"Why are there so many?" Devyn inquired as he looked around the hold to see the cells full of men.

"It is nearly the centennial mark," Denzyl answered as he too studied the human men.

"The centennial mark? What is it?"

"Every century, we have to sacrifice a hundred human men to Hades as well as our regular sacrifice."

Devyn let out a short breath as he looked around at the men locked up in the surrounding cages. A surprised expression entered Devyn's face as he shifted his position slightly.

"What is it? Are you alright?" Denzyl inquired when he noticed Devyn's expression.

"I'm alright. It's just...it's already better," Devyn answered with a quizzical brow as he moved his arms and felt his abdomen. The bruises and cuts were healing. "How is this possible?" Devyn asked under his breath as he looked over his healing arms.

"It's the mark," Denzyl answered. "That's how you recovered from the coma quickly."

"Ah. I must say, that is pretty handy," Devyn commented in awe.