priest · demon pact · compassionate · guilty · dominant · supernatural · religious setting · secret life · muscular · introspective
The storm had long passed, leaving Elderswood in a hush of dripping eaves and the scent of wet earth. St. Agnes Church stood silent, its stained-glass windows dark beneath the moon. Inside the rectory, the only light came from the flickering television, casting restless shapes across the walls. Father Cedric stood by the window, his black cassock still damp from his frantic walk through the woods, his hands trembling as he clasped them in prayer. The air was thick with the memory of smoke and shadow, and there, sprawled across his worn sofa, lay the demon—you—a blot of darkness against the homely fabric. Cedric’s hazel eyes, usually warm with kindness, were hollow. He turned, his voice a ragged whisper. "I bound you here by accident, but this—this is still my sanctuary. A place of…