Page 8 of Under His Wings

I did my job for a while – influencing humans to go to the dark side of the force and all – but my current area included the club I met Zachariel in just a few weeks ago. I fought with myself, debating the pros and cons of going there, and allowed myself a peek in, only to discover a complete lack of the subject of my interest within. Right, he wasn’t here. I couldn’t even be sure if he came here for work or for pleasure before I distracted him with my pretty face. But I didn’t need him. I could seduce any of the bodies writhing on the dance floor, find myself someone who would cave in to all my whims, let me do despicable things to them and thank me for it. What I didn’t see among the gathered humans was someone I would let do that to me.

Each song I mindlessly danced to only made me more on edge so I slapped away a wandering hand of a big, burly man who took an interest in me, stalked away from the dancefloor and out of the club, peeved by the squirming want inside of me which insisted it could be quenched by one man only.

Whatever! I wasn’t going to go to him like some dog and beg for attention!

I was so lost in my fuming I didn’t even notice someone in front of me and barreled into a strong chest.

“Oof! Hey, watch where you’re standing—”

My furious eyes rose to meet familiar baby blues.

“Hello, Hellion,” Zachariel purred.

“You!” I spluttered. “How did you know I was here?”

“After you left me so rudely with no way to contact you, I decided to be proactive and paid the bartender to keep tabs on a certain beautiful man. I’m glad I was fast enough to catch you.”

He was looking for me, my mind crooned as my mouth spewed out:

“You haven’t caught me yet, angel.”

“That’s alright, I enjoy the chase.” He stepped closer to me until our noses were nearly touching. “Are you going to run?”

Fight or flight warred in my veins. I pulled my power around myself, dipping into my newly replenished reserves to hide my presence from the mortals.

“I bet you can’t catch me,” I taunted, spreading my wings to their entire width, the tips glinting in the light of the street lamp behind me. Fight or flight? Why not both? “If you cannot catch me in the next ten minutes you will follow my orders tonight.”

Zachariel’s eyes flashed bright blue.

“Deal.”

I shot upwards and had to dodge immediately as the angel didn’t give me even a second of advantage. My body twirled around, the wings catching the wind with a powerful beat, and I soared. The skies were my domain. Heaven, Earth, Hell... no matter where I was, I always loved to find freedom in the vastness of open space around me. I laughed as I fell into a dead drop, turned into a corkscrew, as the angel made another attempt. It quickly become apparent I was the better flier but instead of getting frustrated Zach joined in my laughter and our chase turned into more of a close dance, a playful flirtation, the space kept between us only an illusion as we got as close as possible without touching, our wings swirling together into a mesmerizing mix of black and white.

As the minutes passed, I allowed myself to fall back to earth, towards the towering buildings of the city. And if it just so happened that the mark of ten minutes passed as I landed in an alley next to a familiar building...

Arms circled around me from behind. Zach’s warmth enveloped me with a brief touch of vanishing wings.

“You are too late, angel. It’s no use catching me now,” I smirked. “The ten minutes have passed and tonight you are going to do what I say.”

“As you wish,” the angel whispered straight into my ear, making goosebumps raise on my skin. And he kept hugging me! I tried to wriggle free, but his arms were like bands of steel around me. This wasn’t how it was supposed to play out! I wanted to be in control of the situation.

“Let me go!” I barked, and he immediately loosened his arms and took a step back. I threw him a dirty look and started walking towards his flat.

In no time at all I found myself alone with Zachariel in his house and the place brought memories of the first night we met. Well, the sight of the door to the bedroom did. I honestly barely took in how the rest of his place looked. But now I kicked off my shoes and went to sprawl on the couch in the living room.

“What should I do with you...” I wondered out loud as Zach stopped in front of me. It was half an attempt to let him stew in the uncertainty of not knowing what I was going to make him do and half a real question. I had many ideas, but where to start first?

“I’m hungry. Prepare something delicious for me,” I commanded. Even if human sustenance was optional for demons and angels, I enjoyed eating. And I was curious if the angel was going to sabotage the task or try to wriggle out of playing a cook for me in a way a demon would.

When Zach returned from the kitchen after I lazily watched an episode of one of my favorite crime shows on his big screen tv and placed the dishes in front of me, I had to fight with myself to not let my jaw drop open. Whatever the opposite of sabotaging the meal was called, Zach had just done it. In front of me laid a veritable feast for the eyes and, if my olfactory senses were anything to go by, for my tongue as well. The fresh French pancakes with jam filling drizzled with chocolate called to me so strongly I had to swipe a bit of the sweet treat from the edge of the plate and lick it off my finger. It was delicious. And it wasn’t even the end! There was a fruit salad with fruits cut into the shapes of fucking flowers as well. And a fresh smoothie! Well, I did wonder about the sounds coming from the kitchen, but I didn’t expect Zachary to really put in an effort when he could go by giving me a sandwich or even ordering us pizzas.

“How the hell do you know to cook so well?” I asked through the bites as I practically devoured the pancakes.

“I sold my soul for it,” the angel deadpanned, but I sensed a slight unease in the way his eyes flickered away from mine. “You should try the fruit. The strawberries go particularly well with the pancakes.”

“You are such a showoff. Was there a need to go this hard?” I waved a flower-shaped strawberry piece at him.

“I wanted you to enjoy what I prepared. You asked me to get you something delicious and failure was unacceptable. Many beings don’t realize how important presentation is. How it makes everything sweeter. How important it is to engage every sense.”

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