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."

"We'll see you on night rounds, then?" Croc asked.

Ryan headed for the door, responding, "Most likely. If not, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

After saying his goodbye, he closed and re-locked the door. The two enjoyed seeing him but they valued their alone time a lot more. This whole deal might not be so bad. They get to spend all day together without worries of work or bills to bother them. No one discriminates against them. All they get to do is enjoy each other. It sounded like paradise, but it was hard to believe that kind of peace existed in an asylum.

Croc gently kissed the back of his love's neck. "Your skin is so flawless." He mused, "Even after how much I've beat you up."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He turned his head towards his dominant, their lips centimeters apart, "I love when you're rough, Daddy."

He laughed like the evil bastard he was, "That's my good boy." Croc placed his hand over Kuza's throat. He didn't squeeze to a deadly point, only to a painful point. "Do you want Daddy to hurt you?" He whispered.

Kuza's voice shook in his throat, "Yes, please."

Croc dragged his claws down his chest, drawing blood. He wiped up the red liquid as it dripped down Kuza's chest. A second later, it healed back up, as it should. His demon licked his blood off his fingers, humming. Croc had determined no one's blood tasted quite as good as his baby's. When the day came that Kuza died, he'd eat his soul. Lovers or not, that's what demons do. He obviously didn't want to lose the love of his life, but he knew when he did, it'd be one Hell of a feast.

| | |

Dusk whimpered and whined, shaking her head. She knew better than to fight but she'd hoped if they saw how upset she was, they'd reconsider for once. Shae never defied his orders from the doctors. Felix, on the other hand, did have a softer heart. Having him back meant she had the opportunity to actually get out of this for once.

"Not so tight, please." She winced pathetically as Shae strapped her arms down to the chair she sat in.

He ignored her plead. She'd made her bed, though. All her manipulation and lies had led him to have no sympathy for her. He was capable of it but only a few people knew that. Tears rimmed Dusk's eyes. Being restrained drove her insane. She wanted to break out and scream. If she could, she'd kill her doctor for demanded this.

"This was the one part of the job I wasn't looking forward to having to do again." Felix muttered.

"Your heart is far too kind. Need I remind you this little bitch is responsible for some of the biggest tragedies in human history." He placed his hand over her forehead to hold her head still. "Tell me, which were you more proud of? Burning down Nova Scotia, or spreading The Black Death?"

Dusk's personality flipped on a dime. The desperate girl still remained in her eyes but an evil laugh danced off her lips. "Actually, The Black Death outbreak wasn't me. A demon was responsible for that one. I was responsible for Typhus and Scarlet Fever, but I'd have to say my favorite was Katrina. I'd never seen so many people grovel. They were so desperate, yet remained arrogant."

"They're humans, after all. You have to agree, it is rather hypocritical of you to call anyone else arrogant. I'll give you one more chance to swallow your pride and eat." He offered.

"Go to Hell." She scoffed, then grinned, "Oh, wait, you can't. You can never go back home."

Shae gritted his teeth, "Have it your way then."

While he held her down, Felix began the procedure. He forced a tube up her nose and down her throat. The process had to be slow, to make sure they didn't accidentally go into her lungs. Dusk's thrashing around didn't help much. She knew it would put her own well being in danger to fight, yet she still did it. It was almost like she wanted to be in pain. She didn't care what happened to her as long as she could continue to fuck with them.

She choked repetitively while the small tube was forced down the back of her throat. Once it reached her stomach, a protein dense substance was pumped through the tube. They had to go very slowly to not overwhelm her body. For the next two hours, they'd have to endure her rage and keep her as still as they could. It was just as hard on them as it was on her.

About a half hour in, Shae said, "Give her a break for a few minutes to catch her breath."

Felix stopped pushing anymore liquid in for a moment. She continued to cough occasionally but was thankful to have a few seconds to relax. "I heard about what happened last night." He replied, "Is Yuki okay?"

"He will be. He's just a little shaken up, but some time with the others should help him out of it. It was the strangest thing. He got in a fight with Kettil because Kettil took something of his, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. That's unlike him."

He shrugged, "He's still an elf. They're pretty fond of keeping secrets."

"That may be true, but he'd never kept anything from me." Shae spoke, earning a laugh from his patient.

Angered, he told Felix to start up treatment again. Dusk saw something that he failed to. Sure, she might be in pain now, but in an hour and a half she'd forget about it. The kind of agony he suffered isn't something you just walk away from. It would burn in his head for hours, days, possibly even weeks to months. Trust isn't something you should toy with. It leaves deep scars on the minds of the ones you love the most.