Wait to start the song.
***There will be no smut in this story because the characters are underage, and I felt uncomfortable writing underage smut on top of everything else in this book.***

The temple was actually pretty unextraordinary, but it still scared Tyler. He was clinging onto Josh's arm like a lifeline as they followed Mr. Dun through the simple wooden building. There were a few separate rooms within it, but Tyler was scared of most of them. They contained large altars and shrines that made the hairs on the back of Tyler's neck stand up.

None of the rooms they passed through were even remotely similar to their destination though. Thick silken tapestries were hung on the walls, and braided rugs and animal skins had been spread across the wooden floor. Incense was burning as well as what had to be one hundred candles. In the centre of the room was a large four poster bed with black silk sheets.

Every detail of the room had Tyler in awe, and Josh looked just as amazed. "Whoa," his husband whispered.

Mr. Dun chuckled. "That seems to be the common opinion for this room."

They watched as he walked over to the small stool beside the bed, picking up two chalices. He handed one to each boy. Both chalices contained a red liquid that smelled a bit bitter and sweet at the same time. Tyler glanced at Josh, who was studying his drink closely, likely searching for mistletoe berries.

"What's this?" Tyler asked nervously, keeping his eyes on the chalice.

"It's wine," Mr. Dun replied with a smile. "You've never had wine?"

Tyler shook his head. "I'm only fifteen. It's not legal."

He went to hand the drink back, but no one took it.
Mr. Dun chuckled as he pulled his dagger out of his strange coat.

"That's just fine here, son. This is a celebration. Satan has given the two of you the power and the privilege to stitch your souls together tonight. Wine is necessary."

Anxiety bubbled in Tyler's stomach as he watched Mr. Dun lift Josh's free hand, pricking his pointer finger with the tip of the dagger. Josh didn't so much as blink at the poke. Tyler, on the other hand, squeaked in pain when his own finger was pricked. Neither boy argued when Mr. Dun commanded them to squeeze their blood out into the other's cup. Tyler watched his blood drip into Josh's wine in fascination.

"That should be enough, boys. Now, bottoms up," Mr. Dun coached.

Josh drank his without hesitating, but Tyler froze for a moment. He looked nervously at Mr. Dun. This felt like one of those times where drinking the Kool-Aid could lead to something horrifying.

The prophet smiled encouragingly. "Blood binds, Tyler. If Satan is going to give this marriage his blessing, you'll have to drink first."

"It's okay, Ty," Josh assured him, showing Tyler his own empty cup. "No berries, and I feel fine. You can trust my dad. You're family."

That word felt like a plague to Tyler now. The Family had robbed that word of its meaning, making Tyler even more nervous. However, even if he didn't trust Mr. Dun, he trusted his husband. He drank the bitter liquid down, hating every second of it. As soon as he'd finished, Mr. Dun took the chalices back.

"Well done. Joshua, remember what we talked about. You aren't an animal," Mr. Dun said firmly, which was apparently something Josh truly did understand.

"Yes, sir. I'll take care of him," Josh promised.

The prophet continued. "And should he ask you to stop?"

"I will," Josh replied easily.

"And when are you done?" Mr. Dun asked, a devious glint in his eyes.

Josh glanced nervously at Tyler, who had no idea what was going on here. He cleared his throat before responding quietly. "When he collapses."

Tyler's eyes widened, not sure if he should be frightened or turned on. At this point, there was going to be a little bit of both no matter what.

Mr. Dun nodded his approval. "I'll leave you to it then. Be careful. Remember to come find me or an elder when you're done."

"Yes, sir," they both replied quietly.

The thick wooden door closed loudly behind Mr. Dun when he left, leaving Tyler and Josh alone. Their eyes scanned the room in amazement.

Josh pointed at the ceiling, sighing sadly. "We just can't escape it, can we?"

Tyler redirected his eyes to where Josh was pointing, seeing a large pentagram having been painted onto the ceiling right over the bed. "That's not terrifying at all," he said quietly. "I really hope that's just paint."

Josh climbed onto the bed, standing on it and touching the symbol. His nose crinkled in disgust.

"Nope," he replied. "This is an altar. They had to use blood."

"Goat blood?" Tyler asked anxiously, climbing onto the bed as well and standing beside Josh. From up close, he could definitely tell that this wasn't paint.

"I really hope it's from a goat," Josh replied distractedly.

The response made Tyler's eyes widen. "They wouldn't actually use...." He trailed off. Of course they would. After all of the horrors he'd seen since arriving here, the idea of someone painting with human blood didn't seem too far-fetched. "Where would they have gotten it from? That would take a lot of blood. It's pretty much the whole ceiling."

"You really wanna know?" Josh asked, plopping down to sit on the bed. He looked up at Tyler curiously as he continued to inspect the blood.

"I'm not sure," he whispered. "Was murder involved?"

"Define murder," Josh replied.

The response should've shocked Tyler, but at this point, nothing seemed unusual anymore. "Killing a human being?" Tyler raised an eyebrow as he sat down across from Josh. "How do you define murder?"

"Killing a human being against their will, I guess. I don't know. No. I guess I've seen people be sacrificed against their will too. I guess I don't really have a solid definition of murder," Josh deduced, looking a bit miffed by this revelation. "That's fucked up."

Tyler sighed. "Yes, but ultimately not your fault."

Josh looked around again. "It might not be good to talk about this in here though, is it? We're kind of trash talking Satan in his own home. That's kind of rude."

A laugh escaped Tyler, making it impossible not to sit forward and press his lips briefly against Josh's. "No offense to you or Satan, but I'm not really that concerned with his personal emotions," he whispered conspiratorially.

"Careful," Josh whispered back, smirking slightly. Tyler climbed into his lap, keeping their foreheads pressed together. "He's watching."

His eyes slid away from Tyler's, looking directly behind him. Tyler turned around to look, his eyes meeting a small figurine of a sinister goat-like man. It was made of black stone and quite honestly terrified Tyler. He turned back to Josh, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes.

This was really happening, wasn't it? He was consummating a marriage within a Satanic cult. There was a pentagram painted onto the ceiling in blood and Satan was watching them. This was happening.

Start the song. It's We Are The Ones by Son Lux.

"Josh?" He whispered.

"You're safe," Josh whispered back knowingly. He kissed Tyler slowly, making his heart race as his eyelids slipped shut. Keeping their lips attached, Josh moved Tyler out of his lap and laid him back against the soft pillows. "I'll protect you. I promise," he whispered against Tyler's lips.

Tyler smiled into the kiss, his anxiety ebbing away slowly underneath Josh's weight. His fingers slid through Josh's hair as the kiss deepened. The scent of the incense mixed with the candles and Josh's natural scent was making Tyler lightheaded in the best way possible. At this point, he couldn't care less if Satan really was in the room with them. Nothing mattered when Josh's lips tasted this good.

Their lips separated for a moment for Tyler to pull Josh's shirt over his head, dropping it before pulling Josh back down to make up for lost time. His heart was pounding in his chest, but for entirely different reasons.

Before they'd come here, Josh's dad had explained to him exactly how this needed to happen in terms of rituality, but apparently the rest had been taught to Josh from a young age. Josh knew what he was doing to some degree, but Tyler hadn't even been allowed to think about touching another boy like this. He had no idea what he was doing.

Adrenaline was the only thing guiding Tyler at the moment. He just focused on the kiss, allowing his hands to wander along Josh's bare torso as the other boy unbuttoned his stupid white shirt. One thing was certain, Tyler wasn't going to miss the childish clothes he'd been forced to wear. Never in his life had he wanted to wear a plain black t-shirt more.

Josh broke the kiss once again, helping Tyler out of his shirt before throwing it off of the bed. "You have to tell me if I hurt you," he told Tyler as he helped him out of his white pants.

Tyler chuckled, kicking the pants off and away. "I will."

"No, I'm serious," Josh said soberly. "When they teach us this stuff, they don't teach us how to do it soft. We learn how to take someone's innocence, not to have it given to us. For the most part, I know what I'm doing here, but I only know the rough version."

"I'll tell you if you hurt me, Josh," Tyler assured him. "I trust you, though."

Taking a deep breath, Josh nodded. "Okay." His expression softened then. "Hey, I love you." His voice was gentle, just like his fingertips along Tyler's sides.

Tyler smiled sheepishly. "I love you too."

Josh smiled, taking another deep breath before nodding. "Okay. We can do this." He glanced over at the statue of Satan briefly. Tyler followed his gaze before looking back to his husband. Josh's eyebrows drew together slightly before he looked back to Tyler. "This isn't for him, okay? It's his house, his altar, his land, whatever. He can own me all he wants, but he doesn't get to have you. and he doesn't get to have this, okay? This is for us."

Tyler nodded, running his fingers through Josh's hair again. He sat up just enough to reattach their lips, kissing Josh slowly, but putting as much emotion into it as possible. His hands struggled to pop the button on Josh's jeans and unzip them without detaching their lips. He was determined to do it though. A feeling of accomplishment filled him as he shoved Josh's pants down his thighs.

He couldn't help but smile when Josh broke the kiss to remove them the rest of the way, throwing both of their pants onto the floor. His husband's dark hair was messy from his fingers running through it so much, and his lips were slightly swollen.

"You're beautiful," Tyler told him quietly.

Josh laughed, rolling his eyes as he nudged Tyler's legs apart and situated himself between them, pressing a soft kiss to Tyler's lips. "That's you, sweetheart."

Tyler blushed, his eyes diverting from Josh's shyly. It should concern him that he felt so giddy with love even as his eyes met those of the Satan statue. That just didn't seem to matter anymore, though. He belonged to Josh, or at least he would when they were finished.

"Are you still sure about this?" Josh asked quietly as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of Tyler's boxers, making the air leave his lungs temporarily.

He nodded quickly. "Yes. Definitely."

Dark eyes studied his momentarily before Josh eased Tyler's boxers off. Tyler lifted his hips to help him get them off, his cheeks burning. No one had ever seen Tyler naked like this. Josh had bathed him when he'd first gotten here, but he'd barely even been conscious for that. This was different. This was vulnerable and intimate. Every inch of Tyler was on display to Josh, and Tyler was giving away every centimetre of it.

"Whoa," Josh breathed out, making Tyler's blush deepen.

"What?" He asked anxiously.

Josh's lips pulled up into a crooked smile as his eyes slid across Tyler. He dropped Tyler's underwear onto the floor with the rest of their clothing. "You're perfect," he whispered.

"I'm definitely not perfect, Josh." Tyler laughed. "Are you going to take yours off too, or do I not get to stare at you too?"

It was Josh's turn to blush. "Oh. Right. Shit. Sorry."

Tyler giggled as he pulled Josh's boxers down, allowing him to wriggle out of them by himself. Once again, the breath left his lungs. Apparently, blood and mistletoe did the body good. Every inch of Josh's body was just as perfect as the rest. Unsurprisingly, Josh seemed less fazed by his own nudity than Tyler was. Modesty wasn't really something that was stressed here.

He didn't get a lot of time to ogle at Josh's body though before Josh was pushing his legs apart again and kissing him deeply. Maybe it was the wine or the incense or the fact that a very naked and very beautiful boy was on top of him, but Tyler's body was loving it. His skin was tingling and warmth was growing between his legs.

Josh's lips travelled down his neck while his hands slid down Tyler's chest, and yeah, Tyler trusted Josh to be gentle with him. He trusted Josh to keep him safe. Even with Satanic relics littering the room of their consummation, there wasn't a drop of fear in Tyler's body. All he felt was warmth, and that made up for everything.

-----

All Tyler wanted to do once they'd finished was be held. He wanted to touch Josh, kiss him, listen to his voice, feel his strong hands, and hear him laugh. Unfortunately, Josh slid out of the bed, pulling his underwear back on.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Josh said softly. "They just have to check you, and then we'll be left alone for the night."

There wasn't any energy left in Tyler's body that could be devoted to anxiety at the idea of one of the elders checking to make sure his virginity was gone. Instead, he allowed Josh to roll him over onto his stomach, spreading his legs slightly.

"What're you doing?" He mumbled sleepily to Josh.

"I don't want them to see the front of you. I know they have to see the back, but I don't want them to see anything they don't have to. That's not theirs to look at," Josh replied simply, rubbing Tyler's back softly.

Tyler smiled slightly. "You're getting territorial, aren't you?"

"A little," Josh replied with a sheepish smile. "I don't even want to leave. I just want to stay in here with you."

"I want that too. Be fast, okay?" Tyler sighed out as he grabbed Josh's pillow and pulled it over to himself.

They hadn't been in this bed long enough for it to smell like him, but Tyler still knew who it belonged to. That brought comfort.

Josh nodded, rubbing Tyler's back one more time before leaving the room. He closed the door quietly behind himself. Tyler turned his head and stared at the statue. A feeling of guilt settled in the pit of his stomach as its smiling face watched him. His parents would never forgive him for this. He'd just lost his virginity to a boy on a satanic altar. How the hell could he justify that to anyone who hadn't lived within this fence?

The door opened again, capturing Tyler's attention again. His guilt dissipated as soon as he saw Josh. That was who he belonged to-not Satan, not his parents-just Josh. Josh climbed onto the bed with Tyler while his dad examined him, letting him rest his head in his lap.

Tyler's legs were honestly a bit too numb to be bothered by having Mr. Dun move them apart. The one thing that scared him, making him bury his face in Josh's lap, was when he felt fingers against his entrance. They were gone as quickly as they'd appeared, but his heart was still thundering in his chest as Josh soothed his hands down his back protectively.

"Well done, Joshua. He's yours," Mr. Dun replied, wiping his hand off on a handkerchief. "There are clothes he can have in the chest over there. Welcome to The Family, Tyler."

Tyler closed his legs instantly, hating how he'd gone from feeling loved to violated within seconds. Thankfully, Josh pulled the blankets up over his body.

"Thank you, sir," Tyler replied quietly.

"Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight, sir," they chorused quietly as he left.

As soon as the door closed, Josh slid under the covers with Tyler, wrapping his arms around him. Tyler hid his face, just like he always did. He never wanted anyone to touch him there again except for Josh. That was who he belonged to.

"I'm sorry," Josh whispered as he massaged the muscles of Tyler's back.

"I love you," Tyler replied quietly.

His response seemed to surprise Josh, but he held Tyler closer anyways. "I love you too."

Tyler's eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, all previous anxiety being slowly drowned out by Josh's touch. "Why did he touch me?" He whispered nervously.

"Checking, I guess. He had to make sure I, um, finished?" Josh sounded just as nervous as Tyler felt. "Did he hurt you?"

Tyler shook his head. "No, but I hated it. I don't like knowing he touched me there. You're the only one who's supposed to do that. I feel wrong now."

He gasped when he felt Josh's fingers slide back inside of him. They remained still for a moment before sliding back out. "Well, from now on I'll be the only one, okay? At least he wasn't the last one to touch you."

Tyler lifted his head to kiss Josh softly before laying back down. He kissed along Josh's neck softly, brushing his lips against the marks that he'd scattered there. They both had collected their fair share, speckling their bodies with little reminders of who had touched their skin tonight.

"Are you going to school tomorrow, or do I get to keep you?" Tyler asked quietly as Josh's hands returned to soothing his tired muscles.

Josh kissed his forehead softly. "You can keep me for the day."

Tyler's heart fluttered. "Thank you."

"You're my husband. If you need me here, it's my job to stay," Josh told him softly.

"Don't say that. I'll never let you leave again," Tyler replied with a smile.

He giggled when Josh peppered kisses all down his bruised throat, pulling him in close. He blew a raspberry against Tyler's shoulder, making him laugh harder, attempting to scoot away. Josh pulled him in close once again though, kissing his lips softly.

"Then I'll never leave. Simple," Josh replied with a smirk.

"I have no complaints," Tyler replied easily.

Josh smiled, kissing Tyler's nose softly. He lifted the amulet hanging around Tyler's neck. "I want you to keep this, okay?" He told him, his voice suddenly soft.

"Was that not already the plan?" Tyler asked with a smile. Something was off though.

"No, it is. I just...you're always going to belong to me in some way. I'm not sure if that means I belong to you, but you can keep a piece of me."

Tyler's eyebrows drew together in confusion when Josh kissed the back of the crest before resting it back on top of Tyler's chest. "What aren't you telling me?"

His husband sighed. "You're going home on Sunday, Ty."

"Home?" Tyler asked, not daring to hope for the home he wanted. He'd banned all thoughts of his family and his bedroom and his church and his piano.

Josh nodded, brushing Tyler's hair back gently. "Outside of the community. You're going home."

The smile that spread across Tyler's face hurt his cheeks. "I am? How?"

"I have a friend who's going to get you and Ashley out of here safe," Josh explained. "I can't tell you much about it though. That's all I can say for now."

Tyler nodded quickly, laughing as he pulled Josh into another kiss. "Oh my god. You're amazing. I love you so much. You're the best husband ever!"

Josh kissed Tyler's forehead. "Get some sleep, Ty."

He nodded again excitedly, his exhaustion weighing his eyelids down once again. Wrapped up in Josh's arms, he felt safe, even inside the temple.

"You're going to come with me, aren't you?" He whispered.

"Do you want me to?" Josh asked quietly.

"Of course I do. I always want you with me," Tyler replied easily. He hid his face against Josh's neck, breathing him in. "You'll come, right?"

"You're my husband, Ty. If you need me with you, it's my job to go. I'll be wherever you need me to be," Josh replied. He yawned. "Goodnight, Ty."

"Goodnight, Josh. I love you," Tyler mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too."