Bound in Blood

Chapter 3

When Orion walked back through the office doors to the sitting room, everyone stopped to stare. The cloth wrapped around his hand was evidence of the deal he had made with Mr. Mon. Come tomorrow, Orion would be property of the prince once again. He weaved his way through the various chaises and tables and headed out to the hallway. He pulled his coat collar up around his neck, hiding himself from the gazes that followed him. George held the large front door open and Orion made his way out into the bitter cold. He looked left and right, unsure which direction he should go, unsure if he could face Knox in this state. Humiliated and wanting to forget what he had just agreed to, he turned left outside of the mansion's gate and headed towards a small pub.

Inside, the air was thick with smoke and the smell of beer. He found a spot in the corner away from everyone else. He hadn't been inside this particular pub in a long time as he tried to stay as far away from Mon as possible. Not that the prince would ever be seen in a place like this anyway.

Orion waved down the bartender - "cheapest whiskey you've got, make it a double."

He reached into his pocket for some cash and felt the small soul fragment vial. His phone suddenly buzzed - it was Knox. He quickly declined the call, and turned it off not wanting to hear from anyone for the rest of the night. With a groan he threw a wad of money onto the bar -

"You know what?" He said loudly to the bartender pouring his drink. "I'll actually just take the whole bottle."

He wasn't about to spend his last night of freedom sober. It would be easier to numb the pain and quiet the memories with this bottle of rail whiskey. The bartender took the cash and placed a brand new bottle of liquor on the bar along with a glass. Orion inspected the label after pouring himself an inch. "Whiskey" was all it said. "At least it knows what it is," he muttered to himself.

Part of being a demon, at least for Orion, was not really knowing who he was. For the most part he still looked human. He was too young to have horns, he never possessed any magical ability; he appeared, for the most part, as a human man. There were benefits - he aged much slower and he could hold alcohol better - but they felt shallow compared to what he was losing. Slowly what little remained of his soul would fade away into non-existence and he would be left as a void of himself - empty, apathetic, possibly slightly more unruly. He often thought that it wasn't actually so bad - maybe not caring who he hurts or what he does would be freeing. But he would still be at the bottom of the hierarchy and serving those above him for a long time. Knox was the only one he knew who had ever been successful in becoming a boss. She had spent decades working her way up and had rightfully earned her position but he didn't envy her experiences. None of this was ever what he wanted, but here he sat, drink in hand, attempting to wash away the fact that the only purpose he served was someone else's. Nothing had changed since his childhood.

Lost in thought, watching the amber liquid slosh around, he was interrupted by a man walking over from the other side of the bar.

"You wanna split that bottle?"

Orion looked up. It was a demon, tall and thin, his brown hair lazily brushed to one side, a single white streak running through it. His smile was charming and warm and for a second it almost reminded him of Mon. When Orion didn't respond right away, the man continued, "I don't have cash to split it but I could put the next one on my tab or send you money from my phone." The man seemed disarming and eager to be with anyone but himself.

Cute, Orion thought. "Sure," he finally said, pulling his coat off of the stool next to him to make room. He gestured to the bartender for another glass. After filling it up and topping off his own drink, they clinked the glasses together and each took a sip.