Virta couldn't move.
She was mesmerized by the splendor and power in those eyes, virtually drowning in them.
No! This couldn't be happening. How could he – Athan - be here? In Heaven!
She didn't want to accept that this wicked devil was actually here, right now, in front of her. This was supposed to be safe, sacred ground.
Her mind began to look for explanations. She considered that this was just a nightmare brought on by her time spent on Demons Dot Com. Yeah, that was it. She was actually in her own bed right now. She would wake any moment...
She heard his quiet laughter. It reminded her of the bamboo wind chimes on her back porch: Deep and sweet as they chinked together in the breeze. Pleasant.
She was utterly terrified.
He broke eye contact. Virta was jolted out of the thrall. She stood stunned for a few long seconds. Then her mind called out an order: Fly! Make a run for it!
Suddenly, he was right up against her. His large hand went toward her neck, and she flinched back. He caught her gently under the chin with his fingertip and raised her face up to look at him. She tried to resist, but he was overwhelming her senses.
Athan was touching her.
It was just his fingertip.
The demon is touching me, Virta thought. And I like it.
She was all too aware of him at that moment. He was so close, she felt the warmth radiating off of his body. She closed her eyes and inhaled his manly scent. It was tobacco, leather and sandalwood.
She'd never been so close to a body like this one, humanoid except for the supernatural power it contained. And he can have orgasms, she thought jealously.
Being mindful of his delightful firmness made her all the more aware of her own body. It was so very deficient in femininity. She felt a moment's frustration and shame at her own wisp of a figure.
A picture of Mandi flashed in her mind, the gorgeous human girl with voluptuous curves. Her body was equipped for sex. Virta scolded herself silently for her jealousy. And, for yearning to fuck a demon.
She watched Athan's gaze travel from her face, down the length of her slight form and back up again. The look in his eyes seemed appreciative.
I wish, she thought.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, shivering with fear and delight in his closeness. There was a stirring in her body.
She snapped her eyes open as realization set in. She should be feeling nothing right now except the wind in her wings as she made her getaway.
Damn his sorcery! She jerked her chin from his touch. How she wished she could reach up and slap that infuriatingly smug look off his face!
But she held her response in check for now. Who knew when he might let loose and slay her?
She heard him exhale and felt the absence of his warm body as he took a step back.
Virta was aware that he was still looking at her, and she peeked up at him through her lashes. He was staring at her chest. She was acutely aware of the thin, filmy fabric clinging to her skin.
"Nice tats." He said with a smile that was nearly as devastating as the power of his eyes.
He pulled up the sleeve of his T-shirt. She saw words in a language she didn't recognize tangled across the inside of his prominent bicep.
"What does it mean?" She found her voice and her curiosity somehow.
"I'll tell you sometime."
When she didn't say anything else, he just dropped his arms back to his sides and continued to regard her with interest.
Why was he just standing there looking at her? He surely didn't drop in on her from across the span of the universe just to compare body art?
She looked up to find him grinning at her as if she'd just said something funny.
He must truly be unbalanced, she thought.
This was certainly not what she expected from the frightening mass-murderer of Demons Dot Com. Perhaps he was just sizing her up, determining whether she had any abilities that could harm him.
"Yeah, that's it," he smirked in a voice so low, she just barely caught it.
"What?"
"I can read your mind." He said it as matter-of-factly as if she'd asked him for the time.
"That's impossible."
He gave her a smug grin.
Then, he tilted his head as if listening to something faraway. "Yeah, it IS pretty cool..." he said playfully. "...I've been reading your mind since I got here... It only works when I'm close to you... No, you can't learn it. I mean, you've either got it or you don't.
"You know what I'm thinking!" She nearly screeched.
He smiled at her.
Virta glared. Her hands balled up into tight fists. "That's not fair."
Athan shrugged. "Back when I was made, you know – back when dinosaurs roamed the earth – angels weren't so specialized as they are now. We early models were given lots of powers and abilities. I can do all sorts of neat tricks. I think they're afraid to dole it out like that anymore."
He looked her up and down. "They keep you pretty weak. Of course, they don't want to have an uprising in Heaven like before."
Virta regarded him with wide eyes. She didn't believe she could trust him, but he certainly was opening up the curiosity in her.
"Tell me more."
Athan shook his head. "This isn't the best place to talk," he said. "Why don't you come with me? I know places where we can say anything... DO anything." His tone was wicked.
She gulped.
"I don't think that would be wise on my part," she said. "Besides, I can't leave even if I wanted to. There's a device implanted, and, let's just say Security would have me before I could even turn around."
He stepped closer again. He peered down at her through the blackness of his eyes. His big hand went to the side of her face, caressing it. Reluctantly, she pulled away.
"I'll protect you," Athan said. "Once we're back at my base of operations, I can disconnect anything they're using to track or control you. They might look for you, but I can keep you safe. No worries."
Then his ebony eyes turned seducing.
"I know everything you want, Virta, everything you need. And I can give it to you. Hell, I WANT you to have it: Strength... power... knowledge. And sex. Lots and lots of sex."
She felt excitement twist her stomach.
"No," she breathed. "That's insane. You make it sound so easy. But I don't want to get myself banished or... Fall. The consequences are more than I can bear. Besides," she glared at him, "I will never trust a demon."
He just stood there and watched her, his mouth a firm line.
"Why are you so interested in me anyway?" Virta asked, nervously grabbing a lock of her hair and pulling it through her fingers. "I mean, I'm as low level as they come. Why not go for a powerful angel that could help you in your... cause?"
"I'm always keeping a look-out for new recruits," Athan began, "angels such as yourself, who fit a certain profile. You definitely have potential, little one. You want to be free." His voice quieted. "But, you're afraid. I understand."
She shook her head. Virta doubted this creature ever knew fear.
