Disclaimer: There are foreign languages in this chapter that may not be correct because I used Google Translate.
Also: throughout this story you will see that I took just a teeny bit of inspo from Twilight being popular again; don't judge me lol. I also took some inspo from some other stories with this similar plot line but I definitely think I changed it up enough to make it unique and my own 😊
He appeared.
Carlotta's eyes widen and her heart falls to her stomach. She'd been practicing for a couple of years now, after putting it off despite her family's long time ties to the craft...but a part of her was unsure if her magick would be advanced enough to bring forth such a powerful force. Everything else had failed though; this was her last hope. Her grimoire, the book of spells and rituals that she'd written, lay in front of her - a large leather bound journal with the sigil drawn on it, taking up the entire page.
The demon looks down at the woman with curiosity. Clearly, she'd done her homework. The room was dark, the candles were lit, and the sigil had been drawn perfectly. The human woman sat on the floor, looking up at him. He could hardly believe it. One moment, he'd been with his fellow order, planning strategies for their next advance into the astral realm. The next, he felt himself being summoned, for the first time in nearly three hundred years.
"Well, then..." He purred to the woman who sat on the floor beneath him, "This is quite a treat."
Carlotta forces herself to look up at the entity she'd summoned. The fearful look in her eye remained, but a hint of confusion became present as well.
"You're not what I was expecting," She admits.
He certainly didn't look like a demon. Granted, he didn't entirely look like a normal human either. He stood tall, wearing all black, his pale skin covered in an array of colorful tattoos. His cheekbones were high, and admittedly, he was rather beautiful. The fact that he looked as human as he did was a surprise though.
"You were expecting horns and black wings?" He asks, "I could certainly present myself to you in my true form if you wish. However, many of us do have the ability to shape-shift. We at times present ourselves in human form should we need to work in the mortal realm in secret. Since I've not been summoned in nearly three centuries, I thought the least I could do was make myself look presentable."
Carlotta nods, supposing this made sense. The demon gets down on his knees in front of her, so that he could look her in the eyes. Carlotta's hair was dark and curly, and she had eyes that were a bright, brilliant blue. Carlotta was surprised to find that the eyes of the demon before her weren't red, or black, or pure white. In fact, they were hazel. Carlotta had read in her many books of demonology that there were plenty of demons who were kind and compassionate, and it appeared that this one was one of them. Carlotta did not quite relax though, knowing that the entity before her was incredibly powerful and ancient.
"What is it that you desire, dear?" He asks.
Carlotta gulps, brushing her dark locks out of her eyes before answering the demon's question.
"I want to have a baby."
He furrows his eyebrows in confusion, "Isn't that something that the humans typically ask of...lighter entities?"
Carlotta looks down, "I tried...I tried the church, I tried every angelic figure that I could think of, but nothing worked..."
The demon observes Carlotta. She looked as though she could burst into tears at any moment, clearly desperate.
"Why me then?" He asks, simply out of curiosity, "Why not the plethora of other demons associated with fertility?"
"I've reached the end of my rope," Carlotta explains, "The endless rituals, the constant poking and prodding of the doctors; I don't know how much more I can take. I thought the best course of action would be to not only summon a demon who is ancient and powerful, but also one who is rarely summoned, and therefore may be eager to assist a human in need."
The demon narrows his eyes at her, before glancing up and taking a look around the room. Carlotta sat facing the altar that she appeared to have set up with this ritual specifically in mind. To her right though was a book shelf, lined with books on witchcraft, demonology, and demonolatry.
"You are perhaps one of the smartest humans I've yet to meet," The demon admits. He looks at the bookshelf in more detail; there were also books on fertility, IVF, and so on.
"Have your doctors given you an explanation as to why you cannot bear children?"
"They say that my body can't handle it. The pregnancy may not be healthy; I may not even survive."
"Hmm..." The demon hums, "Well, you did make the right choice in selecting an elder. However, I am not a high elder. I am powerful, but I am not all powerful. I can grant you a pregnancy, but I cannot guarantee your safety."
Carlotta eagerly nods, "Yes, yes, that's fine."
He couldn't understand why she was willing to risk her life for this. Perhaps it was for the chance that she would survive the pregnancy, and be able to be the mother she always wanted to be. It was clear that Carlotta was desperate.
"If I grant you this," The demon begins, "What's in it for me?"
Carlotta nods, knowing that this question was coming, "I'm only human. I'm going to die eventually. When I do, you can feed off of my death energy."
The demon's eyes darken in delight.
"I haven't fed off of death energy in almost a millennium."
"I know," Carlotta says.
"I underestimated you, mortal. For someone who is still something of a novice, you are very knowledgeable."
"I come from a long line of witches."
The demon nods, understanding.
"Do you have a mate?" He asks.
"My husband, yes. He's asleep in the next room."
"Wake him. Lay with him. You will fall pregnant shortly after."
The demon then presses the palm of his hand to Carlotta's forehead, then speaks in a language that Carlotta had never heard before. Perhaps the language of demons. Carlotta knew what he was doing though: he was sealing their deal.
When he finishes, he removes his hand from Carlotta's forehead. She looks again to the demon.
"Blow out the candles, close the circle, and close up shop in here. Lay with your husband, and I'll see you on your death bed."
Carlotta nods, "Thank you, my Lord. Blessed be."
"Blessed be," He says in return.
He vanishes.
X
Both of the demon's promises came to fruition; that a pregnancy would occur, but that Carlotta's safety was not guaranteed.
When Carlotta fell pregnant, she was overjoyed. As a way of honoring the demon that helped her, Carlotta fashioned a necklace. She made jewelry as a hobby anyway, but the pendant on this necklace was special. Engraved into the metal was the sigil of the demon that had helped her, and Carlotta wore it always from that day on.
Carlotta hoped that she would pull through, that somehow she'd be able to survive the pregnancy and be able to raise her beautiful daughter...but when she saw the demon hovering outside of her hospital room window, she knew this would not be.
Carlotta, weak and connected to several wires and oxygen tubes, gives a small nod to the demon outside, "Enter."
In half a second, he stood in front of the bed, this time in his true form. He was still covered in tattoos, but the skin that was not tattooed was white as snow. His irises glowed bright red. Large horns, that reminded Carlotta of Marvel's Loki protruded out of his head. She'd been expecting wings that looked like those of a bat, but in actuality, his wings were covered in dark, black feathers that were soft to the touch.
"Are you here to visit the child you assisted me and my husband with?" Carlotta asks him, weakly, "Or are you here to collect my death energy?"
"Both," He says, honestly.
"Are you the reason I'm dying?"
"No," He states, "You knew the risks involved with having this child; the practical, medical risks. Neither I, nor supernatural entity for that matter, have anything to do with it."
Carlotta gives a small nod, "It's okay...These past couple of hours with her have been the highlight of my existence."
The demon then noticed the newborn, swaddled in a hospital bassinet, sleeping soundly next to Carlotta's bed. She was pale with rosy cheeks, and quite lovely for a newborn.
"Where's your husband?" The demon asks.
"Talking with the doctors," Carlotta explains, "Which is probably a good thing. I don't want him to see this."
Carlotta's eyes begin to water, and she looks to the baby sleeping next to her.
"Can I say goodbye to her first?"
The demon nods.
Carlotta turns and lightly runs her fingers over her baby's soft face.
"I love you," she whispers, "I'll always love you."
Carlotta sits upright in bed, the removes her necklace with the demon's sigil on it.
"I've always admired that," The demon comments.
"You've been watching?"
"Always."
Carlotta clutches the necklace in one hand, tightly.
"Thank you for helping me."
She extends her other hand to the demon. Wanting to get this over with, the demon extends his hand to Carlotta as well.
However, when their hands grasp each other, something changes.
Carlotta squeezes the demon's hand, and her eyes darken as she begins to speak in a low, deep voice.
"Alligatus es ad Amaris. Amaris tenetur ad vos."
The demon's eyes widen, "What?"
He tries to rip his hand out of her grasp, but he can't. Carlotta takes the necklace and presses the pendant with the sigil on it to her baby's forehead.
"Alligatus es ad Christopher. Christopher tenetur ad vos."
"What are you doing?!" The demon exclaims, falling to his knees, growing weak.
Many witches could control energy. Some could even control the elements. But few could control entities, bending and manipulating them to their will.
The demon stares at Carlotta in horror as he finds himself unable to escape her grasp. Her eyes roll back into her head, blood begins to drip from her nose, and the lights in the room begin to flicker on and off as she continues to chant.
"Duo sunt, tenetur ad vitam vestrum. Duo sunt, tenetur ad vitam vestrum!"
"No!" The demon exclaims before beginning to speak in his own language, trying to break whatever ancient magick Carlotta was performing. It wasn't working. More blood began to pour out of her nose, and her body began to convulse as she finished the incantation.
"Ea vallo, deum videre," Her voice shakes as she takes her final breath, "Sic, sic fiat semper."
The demon and the baby start screaming at the same time. The demon looks to his left palm where he felt the pain. The outline of a perfect circle that outlined his entire palm had formed and was dripping his black blood. It was as if some force had carved the circle into his hand.
The demon stumbles over to the screaming child and removes the blankets from her, to find that a red bloody circle had formed on the palm of her hand as well.
The demon's eyes dart to Carlotta, remembering that she'd promised him her death energy. He immediately begins to consume the energy, healing his weak and wounded form immediately. The circle on his hand did not entirely disappear though. The blood dried and the gash healed, but now a white scar outlined his palm.
I'm the midst of her cries, the baby had touched the pendant that her mother had laid beside her. The pendant seemed to have healed her hand as well, but she too still had a scar.
Despite how refreshed he now felt, the demon could not understand what was going on with this now dead witch and her child. As he looked at the bassinet, a tag with the baby's name was attached.
Amaris Delphi.
"Amaris..." The demon whispers, recalling that Carlotta had said this name along with his in her incantation.
This couldn't mean...No, it couldn't. It wasn't possible.
A nurse walks into the room, having heard all of the commotion. She screams at the sight before her, obviously. A dead woman, a demon, and a baby covered in blood. The demon's eyes widen at the sound of her scream.
"Help! Somebody help!"
The nurse runs out of the room to find help, but when she returns, the demon is gone.
X
"Merihem, Asmodeus, my Lords." The demon kneels before them, "I come to you in the hopes that you can provide me with information. Something went wrong with the mortal."
Merihem and Asmodeus were two of many high elders, but seeing as they specialized in malevolent powers and often associated with mortals, they were likely the best to consult with this situation. Merihem's skin was pale and his eyes were completely black, and he seemed to slither as he walked. Asmodeus was more of a blonde, his eyes bright red and almost always lustful.
There were many throne rooms for the many rulers of the many corners of the realm of demons. Merihem and Asmodeus often worked together as their roles were similar.
They all currently stood in Asmodeus's throne room, dark and elegant with high arched ceilings. Lit torches allowed for dim and warm lighting. Chandeliers lit with candles hung above them, surrounded by dark wooden pillars and knights that guarded every inch of the room.
"How could anything have gone wrong? You've clearly consumed her death energy. You don't look a day over two thousand years old," Merihem comments.
"She did something. She comes from a long line of witches, maybe she channeled her ancestors, I don't know, but..." Rather than try to explain what happened, he holds up his left palm so that the two high elders could see the circular scar that had formed.
Asmodeus steps forward and observes his younger demon friend, taking his hand and eyeing the scar. It was hard to surprise Asmodeus, as he'd seen just about everything in his time in the astral and mortal realms. However, when he sees the scar, he gasps.
"My, my..." He says, "Is this what I think it is?"
Merihem shakes his head, "It can't be. No witch should know that spell; we wiped them all out."
"Well, you missed one."
"If the mortal was channeling her ancestors, they may have known the spell as well," Asmodeus says, "Rest, Christopher. We are going to consult some of the other high elders on the matter."
X
He couldn't rest.
All he could think of was her.
Amaris.
How could he have let this happen? There was a reason he hadn't consulted with mortals in such a long time; how could he have been so foolish?
Amaris.
Now bound to a demon.
But that was impossible! Surely a mere mortal woman couldn't have had that much power; even if she had been channeling her ancestors...
Suddenly, he's forcefully apparated elsewhere.
Balam's throne room.
Much darker and more foreboding than that of Asmodeus. The interior was completely black and sharp. Rigid edges and no soft surfaces. The room was as intimidating as the high elder demon himself.
Balam had no hair, and his eyes were completely white. His skin was darker than that of Merihem or Asmodeus, and he gave the impression of being old and wise. His long, black fingernails tapped the arm of his throne, impatiently.
Before Christopher even has the chance to speak, Balam motions for him to come forward. Merihem and Asmodeus stood on either side of Balam's throne, looking concerned.
It made sense that they'd gone to Balam. Along with being a powerful high elder, he was also something of an oracle, able to see all of the past, present, and different possibilities for the future. He was not all-knowing, but he knew more than many of the demons in the realm.
"Show me your hand," Balam demands.
He does as told.
Balam tsks, then states, "So it's true. The mortal bent you, manipulated you into doing her bidding."
"How is that possible?"
"She came into contact with ancient wisdom; wisdom that we were unaware the mortals could still access," Balam explains, "When she realized that she was going to die, she wanted to ensure her child's safety and livelihood."
"I don't understand."
"The mortals speak of 'guardian angels'," Merihem says, the disgust eminent in his voice, "But you...you are now Amaris Delphi's guardian demon. Bound to her as long as she lives."
"Why doesn't he just kill the child then?" Asmodeus suggests.
"Yes, why don't I?"
Balam pauses, thinking. He then purses his lips together and shakes his head.
"The child also has a ring engraved into her palm, does she not?"
"She does. Why?"
Balam pauses again, then motions for Asmodeus and Merihem to come to him. The three of them whisper among each other for a moment, then return to the matter at hand.
"You can try to kill the child to break the spell, if you wish," Balam says, "But you will fail."
"Are you questioning my power?"
"Not at all. All will become clear when you see the child again. Well, maybe not all..."
X
It was interesting how the baby wasn't even phased by having someone other than her father in her room.
He was in his "human" form now, standing over the bassinet in the nursery. He had to imagine that the husband was grieving the loss of his wife. Would the baby be well taken care of?
Why did that matter?
He found himself reaching down and lightly running his fingers through the baby's already full head of dark hair. It was almost as soft as his wings. She was so small, so pure.
He opens her little palm to observe the circular scar that had formed on her left palm, matching his. Upon observing her scar, and holding up his own, something extraordinary happened.
His scar began to glow. A brilliant white light filling the outline of the circle. A similar light began to form on Amaris's scar as well, and he realized what was happening.
They weren't just bound. They'd been bonded.
A/N: I am so excited for this story. All of my dark royalcore and witchy fantasies come to life.
Let me know what you think so far!
xoxo, Scissorhands