Qrow.

Chapter 21 | Scripture

Ryan made sure the door was locked. The last thing he wanted was to let out the crazy one. Then again, they let Ghost run free, so what more harm could happen letting another one out? He grabbed the last set of meds on the tray and continued down to the cracked door. Pushing it open, he wasn't surprised at all to see Kuza laying naked on Croc's chest. Thankfully the pair was covered loosely by blankets. Not like Ryan hadn't seen the scene before anyways.

"Afternoon." He greeted them, "I agreed to help Micah with his evening chores today, so I can't stay long, but I needed to give you your meds."

Croc sat up slowly, his submissive doing the same. "Thank you. Where's Shae?"

Ryan handed him the cup of pills along with some water. "He, apparently, had to conduct force feedings on some of the patients. I'm not sure which ones, though none of them would surprise me. Aside from the twins, I don't think a single patient in this place is savable."

"I don't think they want us to be." He handed the medicine cup back after he'd downed it's contents. "Mike told me about the secret society meeting here. Think about it. If they keep all these dangerous creatures here, they've got some pretty powerful people to protect the manor. I know because we used to do something similar with the gun ring. My family went for a whorehouse full of assassins instead, though, but it's the same concept."

"That makes sense. Most of them are so grateful for Jasper's help, they would fight for him. I need to ask you something that might be a little... personal." He said.

"I don't mind." Croc replied.

"The chef, I saw he had the marking of a demon pact on his side. I think that might be more important than I'm giving it credit for. I was wondering, how do they work?" Ryan asked.

He gently moved Kuza's hair over his shoulder to reveal the mark on the back of his neck. "They're similar to brandings in that they're all specific to the demon who put them there. We don't decide our markings, our genetics do. Mine, for example, is the combination of the alchemy sign for water and Egyptian script meaning 'Sea Devil'.

A branding is meant to indicate permanent ownership. It tells me where he is at all times, and if he engages in sexual acts with someone that's not me, it'll hurt him. When we're near each other or when we're intimate, it glows with power. This can never be removed and another demon can never put a branding or pact on him. Even if I die, he is mine forever. A pact, on the other hand, is temporary.

It's more of a contract. It won't tell the demon where his prey is, but it will give him a mental link to his prey to know what it's doing. The prey will be able to understand his orders, no matter when and where they are given. A pact is essentially a deal, and when both parties complete their ends of the bargain, the pact is broken."

"If they look the same, how can you tell the difference?" He asked.

"Brandings are always on the back of the neck. Pacts will be anywhere but. They only glow when an order is given, versus a branding, which glows when the two parties touch. Like this." He set his fingertips on the mark on the back of Kuza's neck.

His submissive jumped some, "Stop! That tickles!"

"Tickles?" He chuckled, "Baby, it's supposed to burn when I do that."

"Mike could have his arm cut off and sat it tickled. He's... Him." Ryan numbly replied, "A demon has to make the pact, right?"

"Yes, of course. If you could find a way to show me what it looks like, I could read it for you. It'd help you discover who he belonged to."

"He's not allowed in this ward. I'll... Figure something out, though. I always do." He sighed, "I need to get going, though. They don't give me much time for breaks here."