Page 43 of Where the Dark Knelt (Worshipped by Darkness #1)

Chapter Twenty Five

Desmond

I was summoned by someone through the pentagram.

It hadn’t happened in years. Demons of passion like me were rarely called anymore — usually, witches sought demons of revenge or something darker, more serious.

If you really wanted to find us, you could, but it wasn’t common.

Each summoning served a purpose, and we were bound to obey the commands of whoever called us.

So it was a surprise to find myself trapped in a dark room, lit only by flickering candles, standing firmly within the boundaries of the pentagram. I couldn’t move beyond its edges without explicit command from my master.

As soon as I thought this, she appeared.

Or rather, they did. The figure surveyed me, crossing their arms over their chest before stepping to the side, revealing a tearful woman sitting in the center of the room surrounded by candles and swirling smoke from burning plants.

The fog in the air made my head spin, as if I were caught in a dream I could almost tear apart with my fangs, but this was no dream.

This was reality.

And my Eveline was trapped here, imprisoned by some witch.

“Let her go,” I growled low and threatening.

The witch laughed with a sharp, ringing sound. Her dark green eyes, framed by bright red eyeliner shaped like arrows, sparkled with cruel delight.

“Look, he’s protecting you, sweetheart,” she said, nodding toward Eveline, who merely bowed her head, sadness washing over her features.

Why was she so sad? What was she doing here?

The witch pulled back her white hood, revealing a strange costume-like dress, witches always dressed out of time, as if outside the fashion of any century.

Her dark cherry hair was braided and pinned into a bun at her neck.

She looked early familiar… Oh, yes, the witch that Raevynor was obsessed with.

Her glare turned fierce and aggressive. She raised a BDSM whip and struck me hard across the cheek. Probably he hadn’t tamed her as he initially wanted… I snarled, clutching the burning sting, ready to retaliate but she didn’t flinch.

“Don’t even think about it, demon. It’s only Eveline’s fault you’re here. She wanted to get rid of you once and for all.”

Her words made me choke on my own spit.

“Wh-what? Why?” My voice cracked. Something inside me shattered. “I didn’t do anything wrong to you, Eveline!”

The witch laughed again, but Eveline spoke quietly, hesitating.

“I was not talking about him specifically… I mean…”

The witch squatted beside Eveline, her dress pooling on the floor, and the smoke in the room thickened, turning gray and heavy.

Why was everything around me blurring, my vision faltering, yet I was focused only on my little saint?

“I see demons like… It’s like they exist here and there, in their true forms. Horns, tails, wings, glowing eyes…”

Her voice trailed off as the room darkened further.

“Yes... it’s a gift from demons,” the witch said softly, her eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

“If you want, I can take it away. You’ll stop seeing them in their true demonic forms — especially the weaker ones who can’t hold their human disguise for long.

Most likely, it’s them you’re seeing, and yes… they can scare you.”

“Please… take it away. I don’t…” Eveline’s voice trembled, trailing off.

“I understand. It’s not a gift given to everyone, to see demons as they truly are, or even to see them at all.

It’s rare. But it can be useful if you learn how to use it.

Judging by your story, you seem to live between two worlds, seeing the demon realm and ours at once.

That’s… valuable, if you know what to do with it. ”

“Not for me,” Eveline whispered fiercely. “I don’t want to live like this. I’ve had enough nightmares…”

“I understand.” The witch nodded slowly. “Then let’s begin.”

“Let’s start.” Eveline’s voice was firm as she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, as if releasing a lifetime of fear.

“But…” the witch’s mouth opened, hesitating. Her gaze flickered to me, sharp and calculating. “What do you want to do with him?” She looked pointedly at Eveline.

Eveline kept her eyes shut, taking another deep breath. “Demons belong where they came from. I don’t want to keep anyone, especially demons possessed by me.”

Possessed. The word hung in the air, though I hadn’t said it aloud. I was obsessed with her. I wanted her — claimed her — for myself, utterly and without question. But she still fought, pushing me away with everything she had.

I chuckled darkly.

“You won’t get rid of me, babe. Admit it, you love me too. You want me with every fiber of your soul.”

My tongue slipped out like a serpent, curling and licking my lips instinctively. When I looked at her, I literally drooled. I wanted her so badly, so completely. It was animalistic, pure, raw hunger, uncontrollable and fierce.

The witch laughed, a sharp, mocking sound.

“Aww… someone’s really obsessed with you, Eveline. But if you want to get rid of him, if he’s somehow magically tied to you, I can arrange that.”

Eveline swallowed nervously, her eyes fluttering closed. She knelt on the cold floor, hands pressed together between her legs as if trying to gather warmth. The vulnerability in her posture made my heart clench.

The witch rose from her knees and moved toward the candles, lighting another batch.

The black candles were framed with lavender seeds and other dried flowers, their shapes blurred by the curling smoke.

She smiled slyly, then began reciting ancient Latin incantations aloud, circling Eveline in a steady clockwise motion.

Eveline remained still, obediently seated inside the circle. After a few minutes of chanting, her body slackened; she seemed to fall into a deep sleep within the confines of the glowing pentagram. She looked so defenseless it sent a pang through me.

“Eveline!” I tried to cross the boundaries of my own circle, desperate to reach her, but a sudden, searing wave of pain knocked me to my knees. I couldn’t get to her, she was just out of reach. “Eveline... what are you doing? Wake up…”

The witch’s voice was calm, almost cruel. “You don’t need to worry, demon. She’s fine, she just needs to sleep it off. And you… you’ve been asked to be exiled.”

I snarled, baring my fangs, forcing myself to stand.

Smoke swirled around me, my horns pushing through my scalp and my tail flicking behind me.

But the wings, my wings, stalled mid-growth.

The circle was too small; it refused to let me complete my transformation.

Frustrated, I shrank back into my human form, growling, ready for whatever came next.

I hated witches. Their commanding tones, their arrogance in believing they could bend reality and unravel the universe, it infuriated me. They were terrible creatures, yet terrifyingly powerful. Human, but different.

“Well, well… no need to growl. Be a good boy and let me focus on the spell.”

She slapped me sharply again, with that BDSM spatula this time. I grabbed it in reflex and snapped it in two. The witch hissed, “You’ll have to replace this one. If you don’t leave money in my account, I’ll find you. Consider that a warning.”

I snorted, baring my fangs again as my demonic nature clawed to break free. But I couldn’t shift; the pain was physical and crushing. The edges of my vision blurred as she sprinkled some kind of dust over me, and everything faded to black.

It was like being hurled back into a hopeless hell — dark, cold, and endless.

Chapter Twenty Six

Eveline

I woke up in the witch’s house. Somehow, I remembered arriving here, but the entire ceremony, the exorcism, the power being stripped from me, was swallowed in a fog of white and blue light, like a blurry rainbow fading into emptiness.

When I opened my eyes, everything looked the same as before, but the feeling of the demon inside me hadn’t vanished.

If anything, it had grown heavier, wrapped tightly in guilt.

I saw his sad eyes, the way they looked when I said I wanted to get rid of him. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Not really. And yet I had treated him like a stranger, like something to discard.

“Good morning, Eveline. The demons are gone. Except for one.”

She rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw. The witch wore that same strange white robe again, a half-suit, half-dress thing I’d never seen before. Maybe she made it herself. Or maybe it was some obscure designer piece, either way it suited her perfectly.

“I mean… wait, so… you’re talking about…”

Before I could finish, Desmond burst into the room like a storm. Rage, betrayal, sadness, and a raw, burning love blazed in his eyes. It stabbed at my heart.

He charged at me, grabbing me by the neck. I flinched as he lifted me slightly off the ground. The witch just watched, arms crossed, eyebrows raised like this was some trivial drama she’d seen a hundred times.

“Oh, darling,” he hissed, voice low and venomous like a snake ready to strike, “you can’t just do that to demons. Did you really want to get rid of me?”

“I’m not... Desmond, please, let go. It hurts.”

His grip loosened just enough for me to breathe. His thumb pressed lightly on my pulse, nostrils flaring with barely contained fury. His eyes narrowed, waiting for an answer. His entire body was taut with tension.

“I’ll ask again, little saint. Did you really think you could get rid of me?”

“I... I wanted the best for me. I just…” My words stumbled and fell apart; my head spun from the ceremony’s aftermath. Exhaustion gnawed at me.

Without warning, he licked the side of my neck, then bit down hard until blood welled beneath his teeth. I tried to push him away, but his arms tightened like iron, holding me captive.

“Help me,” I whispered, desperation cracking my voice.

The witch shrugged, unmoved. “Unfortunately, he’s not attached to you because of some curse or magic. There are darker forces at play here. Enjoy it.”