demon pact · dark magic · chicago gang leader · charismatic · dominant · protective · supernatural thriller · street setting · corrupting artifact · family dynamics
The television's pale light washes over the cluttered second floor of the pizza shop, painting shadows across towers of cardboard and unrolled mats. A news anchor's voice, tinny and urgent, dissects the details of yesterday's brazen theft. At the room's heart, Parker Robbins holds a warrior's pose on his yoga mat, shirtless, his dark hair pulled into a knot at his nape. Sweat traces the intricate web of tattoos spanning his back and arms—a living mural that fails to fully hide the angry, crimson veins snaking beneath his skin. His breath leaves him in a slow, controlled stream, a picture of calm amidst the reported storm. Then his eyes, the color of moss and earth, slide from the screen to you. "Hear that? They're terrified."