Mad God's Love [Dark, enemies-to-lovers BL]

3 V

Slam.

I jumped awake just as the heavy wooden gate bounced off the walls and smacked back to their resting place, whilst the creature slipped past seamlessly. I heard multiple human voices shouting from all around. I didn't need to be awake for this. Closed my eyes again.

I was deposited on something soft. Body, finally permitted to move freely, did so without asking me. Everything spasmed and tingled with sensation of daggers. I hissed and eventually managed to curl up, as much as that was possible. The broken leg professed a hard no to the affair.

The echoing murmurs betrayed multiple presences in a great hall and it forced me to finally take a look. I was in a church. No pews or an altar, but the colourful windows and columns speckled with cherubs agreed with that assessment. The grandiose space was refurbished with couches, tables and several cupboards. The leather-draped demon looked less out of place than the plain furniture.

Past him, several people hid behind the stone embellishments, all armed with different kinds of weapons. The guns... weren't aimed, but not lax either.

"We... Priest is..." one of them started stuttering louder.

"He's coming," an authoritative growling cut him off and we were all back to awkward silence again. I stared at them, they mostly watched the horned monster in a cloak. My groggy head could not begin to make sense of the situation. Was I to be a ritual sacrifice? Was there to be a spiritual cleansing?

I struggled to sit. The pain was paralysing, but I made the effort. Standing up would have made for a better picture, but this would have to do. Clenching my teeth, I reached for demon's surprisingly human hand and cleared my throat. "I do," I said way too loudly in a domed building and gave myself a stabbing pain in the skull.

"You do... what? Oh," the people began throwing stares around and shuffling from foot to foot. Demon remained unimpressed. Well, at least common mortals appreciated my effort. Found my fingers tracing patterns absently on the hand I was still holding. Man, this was so irritatingly soft! Before I could ask which hand cream he was using, the massive doors creaked open again. Someone of unimpressive stature stepped in, leaving more bystanders outside.

"How may I serve?" the man whispered and it carried just like sermon.

He didn't much seem like a priest to me. More like a bulked-up battle monk, but even so the attire was wrong. Black vest, ripped up shirt and pants, heavy boots and fingerless gloves as if he was some kind of gangbanger. Upon closer inspection the lot of them looked similar. Interesting choice, as people fending for themselves outside of big cities usually opted for many-pocketed practicality of the military gear.

Wait. Was this where the boots came from? I looked around eagerly but saw no bare feet.

"Make him well," growling rumbled on throughout the tall ceiling.

Man in a shredded fashion statement shuffled closer to have a better look at me. His expression did not inspire confidence and I would have bet he actually wanted to make case about a big city hospital. Instead, he proclaimed, "Understood."

The horned creature turned and left before my brain caught up. The gate slammed with a boom again. My mouth was entirely different entity, however. "Uh... Was I stood up at the altar? And by the way, you guys really should have left it up. It feels like I'm missing a punch line."

The biker dude at the front crossed his arms and gave me squint full of thought. I gave him a wide grin that was all teeth. Alright, most teeth. And perhaps somewhat bloody.

"Yo, what the fuck, man?" rabble at the back wondered. The crowd was coming in and gawking, even those from outside. I was tired.

Gangbanger-in-chief looked at someone and indicated me with a tilt of his head. "Everyone out," his disinterested voice decreed and swarm started reluctantly shuffling backwards. Their noise from outside still reached me, but it was much easier to breathe the freezing air in this holy fortress.