"Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." -Luke 17:33

The echo of the void was not treating his heightened hearing kindly, experiencing each of Kat's panicked gasps and feeling his heart clenching at every utterance. He yelled out, shaking his head and trying to get to her, halted by claws delving through the fine skin of his neck and locking him into place. Kyle groaned, looking up towards where they'd left Kenny, seeing the memory of his horrified face as he'd tried so desperately to reach them in time. He turned a bit, seeing Kat flailing from Damien's opposite side and his tied jaw trembled. A few minutes. Kenny said a few minutes…

He slumped a bit. That didn't matter, he knew well enough it wouldn't come to fruition. Kyle was what one could only call an expert on this game now. Damien knew just what chords to strike and would do so with vigor. He gulped, wincing at the claws pulling out of their light clasp on his throat and threading back up around his chin, pulling him further against Damien's side and scraping down the side of his burning cheek. A deep chuckle barreled through Damien's chest against Kyle's head, Kyle closing his eyes and shuddering. He and Kat yelped as they changed course and began floating back upwards towards their destination. Kyle glanced up, seeing that orange and red hue he'd hoped to never deal with again after becoming so accustomed to the crisp clarity that Heaven had provided him with for all his visitations.

Kat's jaw was trembling, teeth clattering as this turn of events ravaged everything she thought she knew. Her fingers unwittingly gripped tighter into the unknown man's shirt, scared to fall out of his grip and be lost in this plane of darkness. She looked over with wide eyes at her dad as he was kept in place by a bony hand and long fingernails, unused to anyone but her papa touching his face so casually and throwing her for a loop. Kyle jerked around, groaning as he was forced back into place and she gulped. He didn't want to be here either, his paled skin alit with an ashen, clammy glow as they drifted upwards towards wherever they were heading. Her head shot up at an approaching light far off in the distance, a warm hue beaming down towards the three of them. She yipped as she was hiked up a bit higher in Damien's grip, hearing a simple murmur coming from that unfamiliar voice in words she couldn't wrap herself around. She glanced down and squeaked at a soft glow radiating over her skin before it settled as quickly as it began.

Kyle shot his head back towards him, expression burning with fury at the Latin spilling from Damien's lips, unable to decipher just what it is that he just put against his daughter. Damien glanced down at his rage and chuckled, voice echoing deafeningly around them and squeezing his cheeks pointedly. "There there, little mouse. Just keeping her safe." Kyle growled before it slipped into a gasp as they burst through the portal back into light, both he and Kat slamming their eyes shut at the abrupt shift. They flinched as Damien landed hard on the broken wasteland, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck nonchalantly. He shook Kyle's head to get his attention back up and focused, watching him creak his eyes open towards an all-too-familiar cave, his expression dropping further like a deflating balloon. "Home sweet home, hm?" he taunted.

Kyle jerked his shoulders about, trying to get out of his grip and groaning as he was merely grabbed tighter. He watched with a panicked screech as Damien calmly tossed Kat forward, softening her landing against the ground with a small bubble of power and letting her topple over with an 'oof'. He turned Kyle violently around in his grip, pulling him closer. Kyle attempted to get over to Kat as she looked up at him in tears, Damien forcing him to look back up at him and relishing in the pure hatred in his eyes. "There, there," he repeated, lightly brushing back curled bangs and watching the nausea creeping through his expression. "Nothing sinister about that spell. Put the same one on you when I brought you down here the first time," he assured him, flicking his nose lightly. "Just making sure the heat doesn't kill her. I'm doing it for your benefit," he drawled.

Kyle's teeth clenched in his gag, eyes glowing wildly and Damien smirking at every ounce of power transferring down into the metal cinched around his wrists. Too easy. That entire exchange was just too easy. Leave it to a child to completely overshadow any hope of his target working through his words and figuring out the gaping loopholes he'd left. Kyle definitely wasn't going to be at the top of his game, not this time around; not when Damien had something so precious to dangle over his head.

"Leggo!" a tiny voice demanded, looking down at shaking, small fists slamming against his thigh.

Kyle turned his attention her way as well, eyes widening, begging her through his cloth to get away from him, stay her distance and out of his reach. She couldn't make out his words, too busy focusing on getting this stranger away from the both of them and continuing to pummel him.

Damien cocked his brow with a smirk, looking back at Kyle and chuckling. "Definitely has your spunk," he repeated, Kyle's eyes drifting up under a furrowed brow, an infuriated breath leaking through his nose. Damien looked back down at her assault, beginning to quickly grow impatient, displeased with his moment of relishing in his victory being interrupted. "Child," he said flatly, kicking his leg lightly against her to get her attention up on him. "Do you want to know what happens when you misbehave?" he questioned, Kat staring at him with squinted eyes. She gasped as a hand clasped around Kyle's throat, her dad choking as he was lifted up off the ground and struggling to get down. Free fingers casually traced down Kyle's torso, eyes simmering with famished malice. He reared back, knuckles locked and claws catching the light of the sky as they flew forward, delving into Kyle's side. Kyle let out an agonized, muffled scream, Kat's sounds of horror rising over it at once. "Your father gets punished," Damien finished casually with the writhing man hectically kicking at him, pulling blood-soaked fingers back out of Kyle's muscle. Kat's vision locked at the dark solution, pupils shrinking as it dripped down his palm and soaked through her father's shirt. "Do you want him hurt?"

She shook her head briefly through her tears. "N-no," she croaked.

"Then you're done with your little tantrum," he declared, whipping his arm to the side and sending Kyle crashing and sliding on the ground, kicking up dust and curling into himself as he tried to recover his breathing and fight the throbbing of his torso. Kat turned, stumbling as she ran over to him to look at his heaving form. Kyle tremored, bitter at his inability to automatically heal from the unexpected assault. He felt a light tugging on his sleeve, looking up to find Kat desperately trying to sit him up and his eyes widened. He scrambled upwards onto his knees and got between her and Damien, feeling her clutching into the back of his shirt and peeking around his waist as he and Damien stared each other down.

Damien crossed his arms, hip cocking and a smug grin curling up his lips. "Little mouse, you look so upset with me," he taunted. "Now I think it was very kind of me to not kick her into a rock for being so rude. I would've thought you would've raised her to be the nonviolent type."

Kyle screeched through his blocked mouth, green and muted red continuing to fire off with his infuriation. He flickered his eyes back at a small pull against the back of his gag, Kat trying incessantly to get it off of him and groaning as it refused to budge. He moved it out of her attempted grasp, leaning up a bit and sliding his bound arms down around her to shield her in, holding her tight against his back. Her face buried in against his shirt and tiny fingers gripped into the fabric, her mind just overwhelmed with everything happening in such a short span of time, no one explaining to her just what was going on. Kyle shouted past his gag, words of fire spitting in muffled bursts.

Damien chuckled, loving every ounce of spite garnered. He pointed towards him, Kyle picking up his eyes' glow and holding onto Kat tighter, yelping as the cloth ripped from his mouth and flew back into Damien's hand. The antichrist casually tossed it in his palm, watching him in anticipation. "You were saying?"

Kyle took a shaking breath, swallowing down the terror in his voice. "Let me take her home," he worked out steadily. Damien gave him a scoff of a laugh and he growled. "Let me do that and I'll fucking stay," he insisted. "I won't fucking argue, I'll tell Ken to stay out of it and leave me here. Just let me take her home."

He rolled his eyes, "Again: How stupid do you think I am?"

"Incredibly if you think threatening mine and Kenny's kid is going to get you anywhere but fucking killed!" he shot back.

"Not happening," he said stoutly. "She's collateral. If she's not here, I'm just dealing with you being a rebellious little fuck all over again."

He narrowed his eyes, voice dripping into monotonous acidity, "Isn't that why you wanted to fucking keep me in the first place?"

Damien's firm gaze broke for a bit of a smirk and a half-shrug. "True. But after the shit you pulled, I'm done playing with how much you'll fight. I want to see how far you'll bend before you break," he spat bitterly. Kyle's teeth gritted, feeling Kat continuing to hide in his back and trying to escape whatever it was they'd been thrown into. She could feel the anxiety rushing through him, the utter fear he was working through as he kept defensively wrapped around her.

Kyle's lungs ached as he worked through a trembling breath, trying to keep his head on straight. He should've known it'd come to this one day. He'd just had too much hope, too much faith in the protection he was promised would fall onto his daughter. He slowly and calmly fought his way through his words, "It's one thing to keep me down here. But she's a baby. Please," he battled to get the word out. "Just let her go. Find a way to keep Kenny out, keep me in these fucking cuffs; I don't care, just don't do this to a child."

He snorted lightly. As much as he was expecting such an automatic bend of will, he didn't think it would be quite this delectable to observe. "Do what?" he asked innocently. "So long as you do as instructed, she's absolutely safe."

His upper lip raised in a snarl, turning back slightly to that curly blonde head as she trembled and feeling his heart sink. He had to get her out of here, absolutely had to. Pride didn't matter here. Fighting for anyone but her didn't fucking matter either. He could figure out every other element he had to work through as soon as he had her out and kept under protection in Heaven where Damien could never get to her. "What can I trade for her to go home?" he asked, eyes flickering back up and remaining steadily locked in Damien's.

Damien rolled his eyes in amusement, clicking his tongue lightly and shaking his head. "Little mouse, I don't think you quite understand. You're doing what I say. Regardless of the outcome. Because no matter what, if you decide not to… you're gonna watch her little neck get snapped." Kyle's entire chest seized, bringing her in as closely as he could in his restrained position, jaw shaking.

"You can't," he whispered.

"You survived a lot while down here, I guarantee she won't if you don't make the choice to keep her safe," he challenged with a smug smile.

Kyle gulped, "You realize that you have all of Heaven against you. That they're going to be coming to rescue both of us."

"And what a fine job they did of that already," he hissed. "Got there after I slashed up your dear parents and already had your little runt." He paused, Kyle flinching a bit at the mention of his parents and he chuckled. "Oh, you would've loved seeing your mother and father trying to protect her," he cooed. "They tried so damn hard." Kyle's eyes slid shut, sniffling and trying to focus on Kat's hands still needing him to remain steady. This could all come later. He had to strike a deal of some kind. He glanced back up, jerking as he approached them. He tried moving Kat backwards, stopped with a hand in his hair as the demon knelt down in front of him. Damien leaned in closer and grinned, "And besides. Don't you want her to see what you really are? What I made you?"

He shook his head, eyes shining with petrified tears. "Don't do this. She doesn't deserve this."

"No, but you do. Honestly you should be thankful she's around as a bargaining chip. My original plan had you barely kept alive," he cocked his brow.

Kyle's jaw shook, "Then do that! Goddammit I'm willing to fucking compromise!"

Damien snorted, eye picking up its glow once more and Kyle tensing for whatever was coming next. He looked behind him at movement, Kat slowly slipping upwards out of his grasp as she desperately clutched at his shirt. He tried grabbing her, brought down with a strong hand on his shoulder. "There, there," Damien cooed, grabbing around Kyle's face and making him watch as Kat was genially set onto the ground a few feet away before turning his attention back forward. "That is the compromise," he informed him. "You behave and she gets treated with care. You fucking step out of line and that goes away."

Kyle growled, looking back over at Kat slowly patting the ground, eyes full and round of disbelief at what'd just happened. Did she make it happen? And if so, how? Kyle gulped at the loss on her face, trying to figure out where the fuck to even start explaining all of this to a three-year-old, how he was going to reassure her when he himself had no goddamn idea how this all was going to turn out. Damien watched the bobbing of his throat, the quickened rises and falls of his lungs, unable to help the smoldering stare of his gaze. There was so much happening at once, and he had Kyle already backed into a corner begging for mercy. Not for himself, no. That would come later. But this was a delicious foundation to build upon, seeing true helplessness once again and relishing in every ounce leaking from the dad's tremoring form.

Kyle finally shifted his gaze back into Damien's, flinching at the far-too-close proximity. "Why am I down here?" he finally braved the question that he desperately didn't want an answer to, but knew it was inevitable nonetheless.

Damien smirked, thumb running along his narrow jawline. "Why do you think?" he purred.

Kyle's stomach lurched, claws dancing across his skin and leaving pained pink marks in their wake. "You do realize how lucky you are that you're even alive right now, right?" he snapped. "You do this and you fucking won't get a third chance."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, are we already straight back to how McCormick is going to rescue you? Figured you'd wait a little while before regressing back to day one."

"For one, it's Broflovski-McCormick," he said snidely. "For another, you know as fucking well as I do that you're fucking with the wrong people!"

Kat sniffled in the background, overwhelmed and lost at such enragement in her dad's voice that she'd never heard before. "Daddy, I wanna go," she pleaded, sitting on the ground and staring at her legs exhaustedly.

Kyle's furious expression dropped, glancing towards her and gulping, brought back around with those damning claws. Damien leaned down in his face and grinned. "And you know as well as I do that so long as she's on the line, you or your shithead husband aren't able to do a single. Fucking. Thing," he hissed. He pulled back, face dropping back casually. "Now. Gragor will take excellent care of her, won't you?" he called off into the distance, Kyle turning to see the demon he so loathed leaning against the cave, black eyes staring daggers at the compromised man.

He gritted his teeth, "Like fucking hell he's watching her!" he spat.

Damien smirked, "You'd rather she be left here all alone? She a good swimmer?" he jerked his head towards the pond. "Or how do you think she'd hold up if she caught a stray demon's attention?"

"I'm not fucking leaving her," he seethed.

"Oh, you are," he challenged, shoving him down onto his back and hovering overtop of him, hand clamping around his throat. Kat let out another dismayed cry, Kyle groaning as Damien moved his palm, bearing his weight down on his collarbone. "We have an errand to run. So I'd suggest you tell the runt goodbye and we be on our way. Before I decide she's just taking up space."

Kyle looked up at him, chest heaving under his hold. Damien wouldn't let him get her out, he'd lose every ounce of leverage he held over both himself and Kenny. He'd have to figure out something else, something to keep her as safe as he could possibly manage while he was being dragged around… He paused. Aside from him and Kenny, there was one other creature that would tear apart anything that posed a threat towards her, wouldn't leave her side for an instant. And he could get him to her, if he could get Damien to compromise.

"If you let me choose who watches her, and Gragor is still watching but keeps his fucking distance, I'll go where-the-fuck-ever. No arguments," he offered.

Damien licked over his fangs with a grin. He was waiting for this; he knew Kyle would want more than the monster he'd beheaded watching over his child. "Depends on who, little one. You know it can't be McCormick," he purred, gripping his chin again and turning his head. Kyle shuddered, feeling the promise of what was to come in his foreboding grasp.

Kyle heaved a deep breath. He figured. It'd give Kyle far too much of an advantage if Kenny was down here fighting for both of them. And he couldn't get Kenny to Hell without leaving Kat by herself with Gragor, which was strictly out of the question. "Valefor-" he paused. He needed someone else, too. Someone who'd talk her through this, someone she could communicate with that wasn't just the dog. Someone who'd done the same goddamn thing for him five years prior. "And Pip," he finished, looking back at him firmly.

"Hmm," he mused, flicking Kyle's chin in thought. "Don't know about that one."

He gritted his teeth, "Pip is fucking mortal, he can't fucking do anything but talk to her! And Val won't fucking attack anyone unless they're coming after her!"

Damien placed a finger on his chin, forcing him to stay directed towards him. "If I allow this arrangement, allow you to offer comforts that otherwise I'd be opposed to… Would I have your absolute compliance?"

Kyle gulped but nodded, "Yes."

"No matter what I ask of you?" he grinned maliciously, hand tracing down and hitting his claw wounds, digging back into the tears and watching him arch in agony with a pained cry. "No matter how awful for you?" he pressed, claws pressing deeper into the gashes.

Kyle gasped, blinking off tears and his head falling to the side, watching Kat as she shifted uneasily, torn between running up and staying back yet again after Damien's warning towards her. Her face was wrought with despair and terror, confusion and misery; all the things Kyle couldn't fucking protect her from. He'd have to do what he could, no matter how goddamn small at this point. He gave another brisk nod, "Yes!"

He flinched violently as the claws retracted, Damien looking up and over at his minion. "Gragor," he gestured, watching the stocky creature make his way forward, Kat finally taking notice of him the first time and letting out a terrified scream, trying to scramble back up towards her dad.

"Kat, it'll be all right!" Kyle promised, yelping as he was ripped back upright against Damien, watching as Gragor bent down and picked her up with a single paw. She looked at the appendage with a dropped jaw as she was shifted to be clutched in his scaled arm, every ounce of her perception seeming to shatter at once. These were the types of things her fathers told her weren't real, the stories they read to her at bedtime always finished with a promise that the mythical monsters weren't lurking and waiting for her. Given, Kenny had a tendency to tease that if they were, he'd save both her and her dad with a sword, Kyle always smacking him with one of her pillows and rolling his eyes when he made such a claim. All she wanted now was for that promise to come to fruition. Kat gulped, poking the hardened, golden flesh and tremoring. This was just so wrong.

"All right, here's the deal," Damien leaned down and husked into his ear, Kyle cringing at his breath beating against him. "I'll let you out of your chains to summon them. You're not to heal your wound. And you're not to go for me or Gragor. You make one move towards either one of us, he snaps her in half without question. Understand, my mouse?"

"Yes," he muttered bitterly.

"Good boy," he praised, snagging the cuffs and ripping them off his wrists with ease, backing away and watching him fighting to keep himself from breaking forward and doing just what he'd advised against.

Kyle rubbed his left wrist, mind flittering over his required words. He'd used his summon only a handful of times since getting back home, Valefor having an awful tendency to jump their fence and hunt down goddamn squirrels. He placed his hand on the ground, left eye glowing an odd hue of brown with the meshing colors fighting against one another. A deep breath flowed through him, digging his fingers down firmly and trying to not focus on Kat begging for him to get her out of Gragor's hold. "Adduc eos ad me; adduc Valefor et Pip per latus meum."

The group watched as Kyle slowly got to his feet, a portal appearing at the dictation of his concentrated stare. Kat blinked, baffled as she seemed to catch light beaming from her dad's eye, the gaping vortex at his feet appearing to be coming from him. "Daddy?" she whimpered, stopping as figures began emerging from the hole, gasping at a winged blonde man and Valefor popping out of the ground and landing in a heap at Kyle's feet.

The man groaned, shaking his head and looking up at his summoner, blinking in shock. "Kyle?" he asked.

"Pip, Pip, I'm so sorry," he said hurriedly, reaching down and helping him onto his feet, holding his hands desperately. "Please, I need your help!" he begged.

"O-of course," he said in bewilderment. "With wh-" he paused, seeing the devil lingering behind Kyle, his heart dropping. "Oh dear," he murmured, hand coming up over his mouth in worry as he glanced around the far-too-familiar surroundings. His eyes landed on the bleeding mess of Kyle's side, chest clenching at the acquainted sight of that dark merlot hue.

Valefor shook off his surprise and looked up at Kyle, hitting his leg with his paw for attention. His nose wriggled a bit and his ears perked, catching a very particular scent and whipping his head around, seeing Kat terrified and watching from Gragor's grip. His fangs bared and he snarled, leaping forward and Kyle gasped, reaching down and snagging the nape of his neck. "Valefor, NO!" he ordered, holding back the barking, infuriated hellhound.

Damien smirked, crossing his arms and watching the show amusedly. "Remember how you would praise him for protecting you?" he cooed.

Kyle looked back at him with a scowl before he turned his attention back to Pip. "Pip, please, I need you to watch Kat," he pleaded, wrangling Valefor back and lifting his front half up against his chest to keep him steady. "I don't trust her with anyone down here, you and Val have to keep her safe!"

Pip's eyes widened, looking over towards the squirming toddler trying to get to her father and dog. "Of course!" he agreed, nodding frantically.

Kyle shifted the dog in his grip and grabbed his muzzle in one hand, forcing his attention on him. "NO," he repeated. Valefor whined, trying to jerk down to get to Kat and Kyle shook him a bit. "Do not attack him," he repeated. "Not unless he fucking hurts her. Do you understand?!" he demanded. Bright red eyes locked in his and Val's urgency simmered at his authoritative tone, ears drooping. Kyle put his forehead down against his dog's. "Keep her safe," he whispered. "Okay?" A gentle tongue hit the bottom of his chin and he nodded, "Good dog," he praised, putting him down on the ground and looking towards Gragor. "Now put her down!" he shouted.

Damien snorted, "I think you're forgetting one very important step in this process, little one. She's not out until you're back under control," he sneered. Kyle looked over at him, glaring at a finger folding for him to follow. He swallowed his pride, taking another look at Kat to push him through it as he silently made his way over to Damien, wincing from the pulsing wound on his side. Pip watched after him brokenheartedly, his hand resting on Valefor's head to keep his shaking form from bursting forward to get Kyle and Kat both out of potential harm.

"Daddy hel- help!" Kat begged.

Kyle looked at her and bit his lip, yelping at a hand gripping his arm and tearing him forward, feeling that metallic clang snapping down around his wrist yet again. "And I'm even being kind," Damien purred, grabbing his other arm and latching it in front of him. "Not even behind your back. Because I trust you to keep our arrangement," he reached up, petting through Kyle's hair and relishing in the raging tremors wracking through him. "Put her down, Gragor," he called out casually, shoving Kyle back a few steps.

As soon as Kat's feet hit the ground she ran towards Kyle and clasped around his leg, shaking the fabric of his slacks desperately. "Daddy, I w-wanna go home," she pleaded.

Kyle glanced at Damien suspiciously who gave him a smug grin and a shrug. He'd won this round and he damn well knew it. Kyle bent down in front of her and grasped her tiny hands. "I know, I know," he croaked. "I can't get you home right now."

"Why?!" she emphasized.

"I… I-I…" he looked back at Damien's beaming gaze and gulped under the intensity. "I just can't," he said quietly. "Look, Val is gonna keep you safe. And Pip will, too," he promised, turning her head a bit to see him as he watched the family brokenly. "Pip was the one watching Val, and he helped me so much a few years ago," he pressed. "They're gonna protect you, okay?" She eyed the strange creature across from them suspiciously, Kyle gulping. "He's an angel," he informed her. "See his wings?"

She nodded, "W-what's a… t-that?" she frowned.

He gripped her hands tighter, Kat looking back at him and he smiled sadly. "Angels are the best people," he told her. "They… they protect us and keep bad things away… They love us. You and me? They wanna take care of both of us. And for now, Pip will take care of you, just trust me."

She stared at him, blues shining and lip wobbling in such confusion it broke Kyle's heart. "I wanna go home," she repeated.

His shoulders sank, reaching up and over her with his bound wrists and pulling her against his chest. "I know," he whispered into her ear through her thick curls. "Papa's gonna get you out, okay? He's gonna get us out of here and we'll all go home together, okay?"

"Where is- is he?" she begged, clutching at him and sniffling against him.

"He's getting help," he promised. "It may take a little while. But he's gonna save us, okay? He will as fast as he can." Kat whined, pressing her head harder against him and he held onto her tighter, eyes scrunching shut and trying to will this all away, just get them back home arguing about her needing to go to bed and Kenny encouraging him to let her stay up for just one more cartoon with him. Anything that wasn't this nightmare.

"All right, little mouse, get up," Damien said with a stifled yawn. "Your day's only just begun."

Kyle slumped a bit, unwillingly pulling away from her a bit, biting his lip sharply as she tried keeping him close. "Kat… Kat, Hon… I-I gotta go," he said.

"No!" she pleaded, burrowing in closer against his chest. This was too stressful; she couldn't have her dad just walking away from her right now.

His eyes burned and he kissed her head, "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" he assured her, pulling back and off from around her and raising her chin up to get her looking at him. "You're going to be fine," he said firmly. "You're tough, right?" She sniffled and nodded, recalling the common question they asked while she would playfully punch into their palms. "Then be super tough for me and Papa. We're gonna figure it out, but you gotta help us, all right?"

She wiped at her eyes and nodded again. "K-kay," she whispered. Kyle leaned her forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Atta girl," he whispered, squeezing her arms reassuringly. "Go to Val. Don't ever leave him or Pip and go off alone, understand?" She looked at him woefully, but gave him yet another nod, letting him turn her a bit and press her forward. She walked over to Valefor at his dictation with a bowed head, Kyle watching her tearfully and shooting Pip a helpless glance.

Pip smiled meekly, "I'll explain what I can," he promised.

"Thanks," he whispered before yelling at a hand ripping through his hair and pulling him back onto his feet, Damien forcefully shoving him back and leading him away from his daughter. He hissed, looking back over his shoulder as he was escorted off to see her reaching Valefor and hugging his leg, watching after Kyle with tears streaming down her face.

Damien chuckled, shaking him a bit as he lead him onwards around the cave. "So touching," he drawled. "Didn't take you for such the mawkish father, little one."

Kyle looked from Kat as she faded out of his sight behind the cave's walls back over his other shoulder to him with narrowed eyes. "Shows a lot about your understanding of any kind of fucking decency. Since you don't care about anything that you don't think fucking belongs to you," he hissed.

"Hm," he grinned, wrapping his arm around Kyle's forearms, pressing them against his chest. "So you think I care for you, then?"

"You're disgusting," he spat, wincing as Damien squeezed around him. He hissed at another throb in his wound, glancing down at the stain collected around his hip and taking a shaking breath. "Where the fuck are you taking me?" he demanded. He figured he'd be going through a fucking portal to intersect Kenny in Heaven by now, unable to understand why Damien was simply walking him through barren lands towards a field of broken trees.

"Well. I was being kind," he said, picking up the pace and forcing him forward into the forest. "I was making sure your daughter didn't see this."

His throat clenched, pupils shrinking as he was pushed along. 'He fucking can't,' he thought with a silent whimper. 'Oh god, he can't."

Damien felt the rigidity spanning his back and chuckled. "Oh, little mouse, not that," he purred. Kyle couldn't help a relieved exhale, cringing as he was shoved face-first against the forefront tree they came to. His eyes widened as a hand on his shoulder kept him planted, watching over his shoulder as Damien looked him up and down with a forked tongue swiping over his lips. "At least… not yet,' he smirked, Kyle's jaw trembling. "But no, we do however, need to send a message. And what better way to do that than showing it?"

"W-what are you-" he stopped at claws brandishing in front of his face, the tips trailing down his torso until landing right back in his hip gash. He screamed as they pressed in deep, his body bending over into the trunk and Damien keeping him up with a hand in his hair.

"You think that moron of yours is going to get anyone out?" he demanded, twisting his hand and watching his legs buckle as he shrieked in pain. He ripped the offending fingers out and snagged his chin, wiping blood along his cheek and watching it trail down his neck, seeing tears beading his eyes and smiling fondly at the wave of nostalgia breaking over him. His free hand trailed around and under his shirt, stroking over the small of his spine with doting fingers. Kyle made a sound of disgust and gritted his teeth in fury. Damien waited a few patient beats, feeling him swaying on the tightrope of keeping himself or his daughter safe and his lips curled hungrily. He reared his hand back just a tad, jerking forward violently and stabbing into his spine, Kyle's mouth dropping and eyes glossing over with anguish, only able to squeak out his scream. Damien pulled out and let Kyle collapse onto the ground as his legs lost function, torso trembling as he bled onto the ashen ground. Damien smiled, licking a sample of blood from his fingertip and humming. "We'll fucking see about that."