Bind Me To You

Chapter Six

Avery sat in a moment of silence that felt like an eternity as she tried to comprehend the events of the night. Her eyes eventually drifted to the yellow envelope and she reached for it, turning it over in her hands. It was sealed shut with a red wax marking with the imprint of a goat's head with horns following the circles curve. She broke the seal with her nail, opening the envelope to pull out the papers inside. She began to read;

Binding Contract

Section 1 - Purpose

This is the document that details the binding agreement between you, the mortal, and Azrael Black, the demon, into a contract of ownership.

Section 2 - Duration

This contract will last for as long as you, the mortal, wish for the contract to continue.

You acknowledge that once you, the mortal, have terminated this agreement, you will no longer have any claims to ownership over, Azrael, the demon.

Once terminated, if you, the mortal, wish to sign a new binding contract, Azrael, the demon, has full right to refuse.

Section 3 - Conditions of Contact

A) For as long as the you, the mortal, continue to hold this contract, you, the mortal, will have full ownership of Azrael, the demon. This indicates that:

I) Azrael, the demon, may not serve any other mortal.

II) Azrael, the demon, must appear when called, and disappear when told.

III) Azrael, the demon, must comply with any and all orders by you, the mortal, as long as the request is of human capability, and complies with Section 4 - demon capabilities. Requests using supernatural capability is detailed in Section 3 - C.

IV) If Azrael, the demon, does not comply with the above conditions, Azrael, the demon, will face punishment as scripted in the 'punishment' section of this contract.

B) For each minute that Azrael, the demon, serves you, an equal time of your life span will be transferred to Azrael, the demon.

I) This includes time in which Azrael, the demon, is dormant. This means that as long as the contract continues to be in effect, every minute will be counted, regardless of the demon's presence.

C) If Azrael, the demon, is asked to perform supernatural requests (within the bounds of his capabilities) you, the mortal, must agree to lose extra time from your life span.

I) The amount of lifespan which is lost due to a supernatural requests should be agreed upon by both Azrael, the demon, and you, the mortal.

II) Azrael, the demon, can suggest any amount of extra time for each request based on the difficulty of the task, the time it would take to complete and the effects your request this will have on the mortal world.

III) Azrael the demon can use supernatural abilities of his own will. However if you, the mortal, are unhappy with his actions, you, the mortal, are free to punish the demon as you see fit.

IV) If an agreement is unable to be made between the demon and mortal, the request cannot be completed.

D) Azrael, the demon, is not under any obligation to reveal his personal background to you, and as such, this information cannot be requested.

I) However, if Azrael, the demon, wishes to reveal such information, he is under no obligation to keep this information confidential.

II) Requesting Information regarding the agency in which Azrael, the demon, is employed is strictly prohibited.

Section 4 - Demon Capabilities

Each demon is limited to their own capabilities as indicated in the following section. Azrael, the demon, cannot perform any of the following requests:

I) Bring a mortal or demon back to life.

II) Change the appearance of you, the mortal, or other mortals using supernatural capabilities.

III) Manipulating time and space.

IV) Speak of the agency in which he is contracted.

V) Manipulate Memory.

VI) Possess a Human.

VII) Killing a mortal who is accompanied by another demon.

Requests that do not involve any of the above restrictions must be completed by Azrael, the demon, otherwise punishment will ensue.

Section 5 - Punishment for Non-Compliance

If Azrael, the demon, does not comply with requests that are within his capabilities he will be punished by the agency in which he is employed. This punishment can consist of any, or all of the following;

I) Physical torture.

II) Removal of abilities.

For minor incidences, punishment may consist of;

III) A punishment of you, the mortals, choosing.

Section 6 - Agreement

By completing the binding ritual you agree to the terms and conditions listed above and will take ownership of Azrael, the demon, beginning immediately.

If you do not enter this binding contract, a demon from this agency will remove all memories of this encounter.

If you do enter this contract, and then later terminate this contract before death, you will retain all memories associated with this contract. However, you will not physically be able to speak about any of your experiences.

_____

As Avery finished reading the contract she only found that she had more questions, and even more concerns. The first thing that Avery noticed about the contract was perhaps the most morbid detail, the only restriction for killing a human was that they were not accompanied by a demon. So if they aren't accompanied by a demon, I can ask Azrael to... She couldn't fathom ever ordering someone's death, even if that person was Paige.

The next detail was the second half of the note, 'not accompanied by another demon', meaning there are others out there with these powers at their disposal. She could only imagine the damage someone could cause with this kind of power, and she hoped she would never find out.

The fact that she would be giving up her life span was her first concern. For as long as the contract continued her life would become shorter, even when the demon was not around her, even when he was dormant.

Furthermore the vagueness of what would count as 'requests requiring supernatural abilities' made her anxious. The only saving grace was that Azrael would have to negotiate a price - this way she couldn't lose time without realising it. However, what if Azrael only ever negotiated at high prices and so she would have to gamble away weeks at a time for each request.

The biggest concern that Avery had was something that she knew she couldn't get an answer for. It was clear what Azrael got out of the contract - life, time. However, what was it that the 'agency' was getting from this if all of the life span that gets taken went straight to Azrael. The idea that an 'agency' from Hell got nothing from this was ridiculous at best. The contract was clear though, Azrael could not answer any questions about them.

As Avery shifted in her bed, letting the contract slide from her hands, she wondered why she was even considering this seriously. A demon wants me to give away my life span for 'happiness'. She realised that while his speech was charming, encouraging even, happiness was not guaranteed. If nothing else the only reason she would consider signing this contract was the hope that it gave her, and if she was honest with herself, she needed more than a glimpse of 'hope'. She needed proof.

Avery's eyes slid shut, deciding that her light should be kept on for the rest of the night, just in case any other dark creature decided to visit her. As she drifted to sleep she continued to think about the contract, about what could change if she really did sign it.

And as much as she wanted to believe that she would never bind herself to a demon, she couldn't help but imagine the dark haired boy who would then stand by her side.