Runaway Devil

"You’ve been busy."

"How long have you been watching me?” Now that I knew this angel could cover his scent, hide his power from other supernatural beings, I had no idea how long he’s been on earth.

"Long enough. I’m here on orders, to take you to heaven with me," he didn’t sound convinced that was what he wanted to do. He looked and acted like a soldier, so the fact that he was carrying out orders could not be ignored. His nonchalant tone was unnerving. My hackles were raised, I was ready for a fight where the only way for it to end was with death. But he seemed completely relaxed.

"Well? What are you waiting for, permission?" I was drawn tight, like a rubber band, just waiting to snap. I didn’t want to give the impression of anxiety, but I knew my limitations. I was in human skin, I have already proven how impeded I am within it. I had a small peak into what this man was capable of in his, and it was far more than me.

"Calm yourself, I have no intention of doing anything just yet," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him, and Balan growled, he was becoming impatient with this man.

"Then what do you intend to do?"

"I want you to tell me a story." His tone was friendly enough, I had never seen an angel who didn’t have hatred rolling off them in waves.

"A story? Are you serious?" He was getting on my nerves. ”What makes you think I won’t kill you right now?" This guy was unbelievable. His arrogance baffled me. He crossed his thick arms across his chest and raised his brow, challenging me. If he wanted to poke the bear, so be it. I growled openly at him, letting my fangs surface. ”If you think I won’t kill you in broad daylight, out in the open, you’re wrong."

"I’m fully aware that you have no problem killing openly, I watched you cut down that child in the schoolyard." He took on a condescending tone that did not sit well with me. Mister high and mighty did not approve of my way of handling the situation. His mask slipped, and he revealed his agitation for the first time.

"Then you know how little patience I have," I said. I lunged, talons at the ready. I cleared the space between us and went straight for his neck. My jaw was unhinged, fully prepared to sink into his flesh, my mouth watered at the thought of angel blood. It had a sweet twinge, especially when it was laced with fear. But I expect this angel’s blood to be bitter with memories of war and experience.

He predicted my actions and braced for impact. Absorbing my momentum and rolling through it, he pivoted and threw me off. My landing was less than graceful, especially without my wings as a counterbalance. I looked through tangled hair to see him rolling his shoulders, coolheaded and ready.

Balan, distract.

Balan wasted no time and charged him. I stood slowly and watched the angel attempt to fight a dog, rather than a humanoid opponent. I suddenly missed my true form more than ever. My lioness tail was a perfect tool for balancing, my horns hefty enough to throw their own weight around, and my wings were powerful enough to trigger storms.

Balan snapped at the angel, testing the water. ”Your solution is to sick your mutt on me?" He sneered at Balan and pulled a knife from somewhere on his person. ”Disappointing.” He threw it.

I could feel it sink into Balan’s hindleg. I felt it pierce his flesh, ripping into the muscle. His yelp rang in my ears. The throw was meant to debilitate, so he could go in for the official kill. The rage that I had on a tight leash suddenly broke free. In my rage, everything was amplified. My sight grew sharp, my breathing evened out, and I felt total control. My wings snapped open and I beat them powerfully

The layer of dirt covering the parking lot was swept up into a whirlwind. My hair whipped around me, my face set like a stone. With the angel distracted and his sight impeded, I slipped in through the confusion.

I swooped in and targeted his knees, his ankles, and shoulder girdle. Time felt slow, my heart beating steadily in my tight chest. My slashes were precise, all of the necessary tendons were separated from their neighboring muscles, rendering them useless. I landed next to Balan and brought my wings protectively around him. I leaned over his body, assessing the damage.

The angel staggard a few steps, and collapsed, letting out a frustrated growl. I removed his knife and placed my hands over Balan’s fresh wound, closing my eyes. I calmed myself and let my bond with him glow with energy. I tightened my wings around us both, hiding us from the angel’s eyes.

I opened my eyes and let them glow with my golden warmth, feeling the energy leave my body and flow into Balan’s. Through our bond we share energy, feel what the other is feeling, and heal. I could feel the excess energy dispersing as heat within my makeshift shelter. Once Balan’s leg was as good as new, I let him rest. The energy exchange took a toll on not only the giving side but the receiving side as well.

I slowly opened my wings and laid Balan’s leg back down. He was already drifting off into a peaceful sleep. My eyelids felt heavy and my body felt cold. I looked back to the angel with tired eyes and slowly got up. I prowled around his prone body. ”Seems like you don’t know the human body all that well,"

He growled at me as he grasped his knee, which was bleeding badly. He had well-placed cuts along his joints. ”Never fought within human skin, huh?" He didn’t respond, just watched me. I continued to circle him, knowing he had to heal before moving. ”It has its own limitations, but I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.” He did not have the experience of the human world as I did. I had lived amongst them for years, learning, studying, blending.

He shuffled, trying to sit up. I placed my foot on his chest and pressed him back into the dirt. He grunted as I dug my heel into his sternum. I looked down at him, my patience was now gone. ”Tell me everything," I said. He smiled snidely, his eyes knowing something I didn’t. He suddenly grabbed my ankle and sat up, using his wings to push off the ground.

He beat them as I did earlier, taking me with him. He drove forward, his chest pressing against my body, forcing me through the air. I pulled my wings in close, trying to avoid damaging them. I squinted against the speed, struggling in his arms. My talons were centimeters from digging into his chest, but he caught my wrist. His fingers tightened, snapping the bone, pulling a pained growl from my throat. I hadn’t fought an angel in a long time, I had forgotten how evenly we were matched.

With every passing second, I was taken farther and farther from Balan’s sleeping body. That thought snapped me out of it. I sank my fangs into his shoulder, his blood flooding my mouth. I could feel the muscle and it was divine. The blood held a hint of the angel in it, but it was mostly human tasting. Bummer.

He yelled in pain, grabbed my hair, twisting it around his fist, and pulled. He underestimated the strength of my jaw. I took half his shoulder with me as he pulled. His wings faltered, sending us both skating across the forest floor. He had taken us far into the woods, I had no idea what his endgame was.

I cradled my wrist as I got to my feet. He grasped at his bleeding shoulder, his arm slick with it. ”What now?"

His breathing was labored and gruff. "Now, I bring you back dead.”