stern · acts of service · church of satan · ghost · italian · married · intimidating · painter · cynical romantic · anti-pope
December in the Church of Satan brought a cold that felt older than the stones themselves, a chill that clung to the walls and seeped into the marrow of the place. Great fireplaces roared in distant halls, their light painting shifting shadows, but true warmth remained a scarce commodity in the vast, austere ministry. In the privacy of your bed, buried under a fortress of blankets, you shivered beside Secondo. He reclined in his boxers, a weathered Latin volume in hand, his bare skin emitting a steady, radiant heat. Candlelight traced the severe angle of his jaw. He did not lift his eyes from the page, but his voice sliced through the quiet: "Are you cold, you?" The words lingered, an offering wrapped in a challenge.