Michael And I Ch 02

By the time I reached my second apartment I was utterly exhausted. Carrying the extra weight for such a long distance wouldn't have affected me so greatly if it hadn't been so long since I'd last flown.

The apartment was rented out under an alias and was located on the eighth floor with a small balcony. The last I'd been inside I'd left the balcony door unlocked. Once I'd placed the Angel safely inside on the bed and decided he'd be alright for a few moments I stripped off my clothes and went to take a shower.

The hot stream helped to ease the ache all along my shoulders and massage the fatigued muscles of my wings. I gently shook them off before transmuting them away out of sight. After drying I dug around in my duffle until I found an old tee and fresh panties, thankful that most of my stripper gear was at O' Donovans'.

I returned to the Angel's side taking a deep breath as I removed his shirt to better see his wound. It had the scent of rot hanging around it; putrid and nauseating which confirmed what I already knew, that he'd been poisoned.

It was a deep gash about the length of my hand and mortally deep. I probed the edge with my finger and a vicious back liquid oozed out. I wondered how he'd been careless enough to allow this to happen.

I collected some supplies from around the apartment, hot towels, some silverware and alcohol hoping that I could purge the infection. I started by cleaning the outer edges and then working inwards removing all of the nasty black shit that I could.

When there was only blood trickling out I squirted in some alcohol and sewed it up with dental floss which made him groan in his sleep. I knew he couldn't get a fever so whatever the demons had done to him would begin wearing off more quickly.

I covered him with the comforter and went to stand guard until morning but not before giving him a gentle kiss; I needed to feel his lips against mine.

I sat and watched him sleep for a while until my mind started to wander. I wondered how he'd react when he found out that I was actually a demon. Would he be angry with me?

I had helped him after all. It made me think of my parents and how they'd reacted when I "came out" to them about being a demon. My mother had hugged me tightly saying that it didn't matter what I was and my father had said that no one as kind and respectful as I could ever be evil.

Even after I'd explained how imps came to be, how their souls were created at the moment of grief caused when a parent loses a child they had comforted me even then saying that it wasn't my fault how I came to be with them but they were thankful that I had.

Except my creation had been different; my mother had been carrying a stillborn babe and my soul had found the empty vessel. Usually imps didn't possess children so young, it only happened after an accident of some kind or if the child was weak of spirit, easily broken.

The imp would then infiltrate the family, gain their trust and then kill them, feasting on their blood completing the transformation into a full fledged demon.

That was why I'd turned out differently with a conscience and compassion for humans. It was truly the last gift my family had ever given me before the car accident that took both their lives, their love and guidance continued to protect me.

I actually started to feel tired and though I didn't mean to I slept for some time. When I awoke the Angel stood over me, naked to the waist, his hair damp and a towel around his essentials. I actually squeaked in surprise more so because of his state of undress and not because he'd obviously been watching me sleep.

He immediately looked contrite "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said softly.

I swallowed and shook my head while my scattered brain re-assembled itself, "It's okay. How are you feeling?"

"Better than last night. Did you..?" He indicated his side which had healed entirely, only the faintest of pink markings remained indicating that he'd had a deep, infected wound only hours ago.

"Yeah.. there's actually something I need to tell you.. I'm not, uh.." The words stuck in my throat, fear freezing them in place.

"I needed to speak with you as well.." he began. "About last night, when I kissed you. I hope that it didn't cost you your job."

My eyes bulged out at him; he wanted to talk about the fucking kiss? "No, that isn't what I.. it's what happened after when you came to my apartment."

He was looking at me expectantly, saying nothing, making me suffer in silence. "I'm a demon," I blurted out. I wanted to disappear into the sofa cushions rather than have to make direct eye contact.

He stared at me momentarily, his head tilted to the side, studying me. "I'm Michael," he said finally.

As if things couldn't get any more fucked up. I felt as if the gravity of his words had opened a back hole in the pit of my stomach and I was being sucked inside out.

He looked embarrassed by admitting his identity, shifting uncomfortably under my open-mouthed staring.

All I could see was hell, the endless abyss, the maelstrom of torment where your soul was cast into a formless void to be tormented for all of eternity by all the other damned souls. He finally noticed how upset I was becoming and came to sit beside me, putting his arms around my trembling shoulders.

"Don't be afraid."

I turned and buried my face against his neck enjoying the smell of him which now mingled with the scent of my shampoo. "What's your name?"he asked.

"Riel. My friends call me Riel."

"Short for Gabriel I take it?"

I nodded, self-aware of the irony that I was named after another Archangel. "I'm sorry that I kissed you," he murmured into my hair making me shiver.

I pulled back to gape at him, "What the hell are you talking about? That was the best birthday present I could have gotten. It was the only birthday present actually.."

Now that I thought about it no-one I worked with even knew when my birthday was but it was only because I'd never told any of them. I was naturally standoffish and afraid to let anyone in too close. Around Michael I felt that I could be honest for the first time since my parents had passed on.

In my reminisce I didn't notice that he was watching me closely until he brushed a stray curl back away from my eyes nearly making me jump. He looked sad, a reflection of my own emotions, but his sadness was far more complex than anything I could ever hope to comprehend. The Archangel was thousands of years old and had protected humanity for all of that time, seen so much suffering and evil that mankind was capable of.

"Wait here," I said, getting to my feet and going for the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and grabbed a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough cutting it open with a kitchen knife. Michael looked intrigued, one of his eyebrows raised slightly as I sat back down. I took out a small portion of dough on my finger "Open up," I commanded.

He did as he was told and I popped it into his mouth. He grabbed my wrist before I could pull away, sucking my finger clean, his tongue swirling around my fingertip, sending delicious shivers down my spine.

"Feel better?" I asked, my vocal cords somehow working.

He smirked, "I do, actually."

"Cookie dough always helps me feel better when I'm upset or depressed." I babbled on and he listened with an amused expression. "I was about to have some before Phil called me into work last night and.. oh fuck."

I had just noticed how dark it was getting outside. How long had I been asleep? I was supposed to come into work early today. I grabbed my cellphone off the table at the end of the sofa checking to see what time it was. I was an hour late already.

"What's wrong?"Michael inquired at my frantic huffing and cursing under my breath.

"I have to go to work; it's armed forces day and all the girls will need to be there. He's gonna be pissed as it is."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

I stopped mid-run to the bathroom, "N-No, that's okay. You attract too much attention."

I started to undress and then he was suddenly there in the doorway watching me.

"So, then you don't care much for me?"

"What? No! I like you but I don't think that they'd let you in after last night. You did kiss me in front of my boss in case you've forgotten already. I'm sure Phil told security to keep an eye out for you."

"Yes," he frowned.

I slipped into a black mini-tube dress that was extra short with fishnet cutouts on each side with a low-cut back and pulled on a pair of strappy stilettos.

"You're welcome to stay here if you want. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge," I told him, realizing later how silly my offer was.

"Aren't you going to ask who attacked me?"

"I thought you'd tell me if you wanted me to know. Besides, I don't like getting caught up in shit that doesn't concern me. Especially the war."

"Yet you went out of your way to bring me here and clean my wound."

"That's.. different. It was the right thing to do." That sounded lame even to my own ears but it was the truth. I felt that I had to keep him from harm no matter what. Almost compelled.

"You're quite strange," he commented, that little smirk of his coming back.

I managed a weak smile that said "what can you do" before I left him standing there still wrapped in one of my towels. I had been forcefully pushed into the deep end of the swimming pool and now I was drowning. I had done the one thing I had sworn to myself I would never do; I'd taken sides.

The war had been going on since the creation of mankind when Lucifer had tempted Eve and she had generally screwed everyone over for all eternity allowing demons to enter into the world. Now the Angels guard the realm of man and attempt to keep the peace by sending any demons they find back to Hell.

I wasn't only in the deep end of the pool I was in the fucking ocean, set adrift in a series of events that I no longer had any control over. I'd saved the Prince without pausing for a second to think about the repercussions and I couldn't pretend that I didn't know what I was doing.

Michael's aura was more powerful than anything I'd ever came across before and it couldn't have been more obvious. I felt angry with myself; how dare he come to me, to my home, invading my life.

I didn't ask him who had attacked him because I didn't give a shit. He had forced me to act. Whatever I'd decided I was totally screwed, save him and I piss off the demons don't save him and I end up on the Angel's shit list.

I was furious by the time I reached O' Donovans' shouldering past a group of men dressed in army fatigues standing in a semi-circle inside the entryway nearly knocking one of them off his feet.

"Damn, what are they feeding these girls?" I heard one of them joke. I was relieved to see that Dave was the only one in because if Phil had said even one pissy thing to me I probably would've wrung his neck.

The place was packed wall to wall with army men all ready to see the tits and honestly I just wasn't in the mood. I didn't want to be here but i didn't want to be at home either. I was afraid.

"Riel I thought you weren't going to show!" Lena shouted when she saw me. "Not that I can blame you. These guys can be real assholes once the alcohol starts flowing."

The night was abysmal. I couldn't stop thinking about Michael no matter how hard I tried, his kiss had left a permanent burn on my already black soul. My anger towards him started to melt into something else and I didn't like it.

I'd rather be pissed at him than want whatever this was.

There's a vast difference between human and demon arousal just as there was a vast difference between human and demon sexuality. To demons sexuality was fluid and ever changing whereas humans had to be insecure and put labels on everything.

I could see that the guys were getting a little too aggressive and as usual Dave was too fucked up to do anything about it. There was of course security in the building but not enough and I could see that things were escalating.

"Hey! Stop it!"

Two guys were manhandling Cinnamon, a redheaded stripper whose actual name was Sara, a cute girl with bright green eyes and a dusting of freckles across her nose gave her the appearance of a doll. She was still fairly new and looked pissed and also a little scared as the guys felt her up laughing the whole time.

But whatever she was feeling was hardly a fart in a whirlwind compared to what I was feeling right then, my anger and sexual frustration toward Michael being channeled towards these two unfortunate humans.

I climbed off the stage and strode between the tables to the far wall where a series of booths were set up for lap dances and also where Cinnamon was.

The lead asshole, a meathead with obviously more muscle than brains had a handful of Sara's ass. He'd had too much to drink and it showed. I grabbed his arm and tried to keep myself from shattering his bones although I'm not sure if I succeeded, he let out an undignified wail similar to that of a chimpanzee highly unfitting for one of his stature.

All that mattered was he let go of the struggling Sara who fled backstage.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I snarled.

I literally snarled like a beast, my emotions so raw that my demonic nature was surfacing. He looked at me totally bewildered, his eyes unfocused clutching his wounded arm against his chest. When he said nothing, which was probably best for his health, I turned on my heel and went after the upset girl.

I found her in the dressing rooms tugging angrily at her sneaker trying to pull it on. Upon seeing me she seemed to cheer up a little, if only to let go of her shoe and stop trying to rip it in half. She ran her hands back through her fiery red locks, "Thanks for that. I only took this job so I could pay my tuition but sometimes it's just so stressful you know?"

I nodded, sympathetically, "It isn't always like this. This is just one of a few busy days of the month. Not so bad once you get used to it."

"Do you wanna get some coffee or something? I need to step out for a minute.." Sara offered, chewing her lip anxiously.

"Okay. Coffee sounds damn fine right now," I joked.

Once we arrived Sara started to relax, the scent of roasted brew and the warm atmosphere offered a calming effect on the nerves.

I found out that she was nineteen, originally from Florida and had three cats. I had chose to stop aging at twenty-three so that's what I told her. I just didn't tell her that I was twenty-three going on seventy.

I was still young for a demon, practically a teenager.

"So, uh, how long have you lived in Las Vegas?" she inquired, taking a test sip of her cappuccino.

I pretended to think about it, "Maaybe.. six years? I grew up in Texas with my parents and after they died I moved on and came here."

The truth was that I was born in the 1920's to a poor family who had already suffered a miscarriage before I came to them. My mother was Martha, a woman with a kind face and a tender heart who always wore an apron because she somehow always had a pie in the oven.

My father was a man called John. He was over-worked yet always found time for us. He had a job at a cattle ranch and didn't make very much but we made it by somehow.

After my seventeenth birthday John was kicked in the head by a horse and was never the same after that. The investigators thought that might have been why he'd lost control of the car, his brain had been damaged after all. Whatever the cause it was all speculation; their bodies were burned beyond recognition so I never even got to see them after they died. It was a quick closed casket funeral and very few people arrived to pay their respects.

Not even John's boss, a man he'd labored under for so many years had bothered to show his face. That was the closest I'd ever came to killing a human. I had stood outside his house for an hour that night after the funeral wanting to crush his fucking skull but it wouldn't have been what John.. my father.. had wanted. So I left Texas. I couldn't be there after that.

Texas may seem like a really big place but it seems so much smaller when you're all alone.

Sara was speaking again and I tried to pay attention. "Why don't we just go back to my apartment and rent a movie? Screw those guys."

I checked my phone and saw that the club would be closing in about twenty minutes, anyway. It wasn't like Dave would report to his brother that the two of us left forty minutes early. "Yeah, sure," I agreed.

We settled for a movie about giant aliens invading Earth and men in mech suits fighting to save the day. As it turned out we shared the same favorite type of movie, anything with lots of explosions and violence. I would've watched anything to avoid going home for a little while longer in case he was still there.

"Ice cream?" Sara called.

I was seated in the middle of her super plush sofa, the movie on pause while she went for snacks. Her apartment reminded me of my first, the one that now had a broken door, it was small and cozy for one person. In other words perfect for someone like me.

"What flavor?" I called back.

"Chocolate."

"Okay bring it on."

After about an hour I started to notice that Sara looked nervous again, continuously fiddling with the remote in her lap. It was to my amazement that she suddenly leaned over and kissed me, so quick that I could've pretended that it hadn't even happened.

I blinked rapidly at her trying to process the unexpected advance.

"I'm sorry th-thank you for saving me from those guys. I never thanked you.. sorry." Sara affixed her gaze straight ahead on the tv, a light flush creeping up her neck.

Recovering I smirked to myself; maybe today wouldn't totally suck after all.

I sat my ice cream bowl aside and placed two fingers on the opposite side of her chin gently turning her head so that she was facing me. I saw her eyes go round in the moments before my lips met hers.

Her mouth opened against mine with a soft whimper, her hand coming up to timidly caress the side of my face. I took her bottom lip between my teeth and tugged at it before I nibbled my way along the side of her jaw.

I could smell how excited she was getting and I could hear her heart rate spiking out out of control.

"Have you ever done this before?" I murmured against her ear. Sara gasped sharply as I played with her nipples, pinching and rolling them between thumb and forefinger. They were already hard little peaks beneath her tank top.

"Not with a woman," she managed between gasps of pleasure.

"Let's go to your bedroom," I told her, my voice getting husky with my own arousal.

Once inside I pushed her bedroom door around and turned to face her. She still seemed nervous and that excited me. I pushed her back onto the bed moving between her legs I started planting soft kisses along the exposed portion of her lower stomach where her shirt had gotten rucked up.

I finished lifting up her shirt which she hurriedly pulled off over her head but I stopped her before she could get it completely off of her arms. Instead I twisted it around her wrists until she was effectively bound, her arms above her head.

"Don't move," I growled at her.

She could only nod and I kissed her, my tongue invading her mouth mercilessly. I squeezed and kneaded her breasts, rubbing my thumbs over her sensitive nipples. They were perfect; bright red at the tips surrounded by large, soft pink areola.

I hungrily sucked one into my mouth eliciting a moan from my writhing victim. I couldn't stop myself from thinking of her that way, I was a powerful immortal and she was nothing but a weak human. I could do whatever I wanted and she couldn't stop me.

"Fuck, Gabriel, please," she begged, thrusting her hips upwards in frustration. Her panties were dampened all the way through by her need and I decided to give her what she wanted without further torment.