Runaway Devil

I growled through my teeth, long trails of mucus, and blood hanging from my mouth. My wrist was mangled, essentially useless at this point. His words hung in the air with deafening silence. My eyes dared him to try.

With a bellow of rage, he charged me again. He went to plant his shoulder into my midsection, I kicked my legs out behind me and brought my elbows down into his back. He pushed through me, the balls of my feet digging trenches in the soil. His arms reached around my back, keeping me pressed to him.

His wings, still out, were inches from my face. They were white with small flecks of burnt orange close to the base of his feathers. When they caught the light, they looked like embers. My eyes lit up and my fanged smile dripped with malice. Wings, on both angels and demons, were the most sensitive things on our bodies. the nerve endings were supercharged, so even a caress could send a shiver down our spines. I reached out and grabbed his flight feathers with a rough grip, digging my talons in.

His steps faltered, and I could hear his shaky gasp through the struggle. I took my shot and sank my teeth into the base of his wings, the most sensitive and softest area on them. It was a low blow. It was the equivalent of kicking him in the balls with steel-toed shoes. All the air left his lungs and he dropped like a stone. I swung my legs out from behind me and vaulted over his back. I kept my grip on his wings as I used my momentum to launch him against a nearby tree. His breathing became erratic, his face pale and his lips tight. I circled him, looking for signs of movement.

His body was shaking, all of his muscles were tensed, processing the pain. His wings were still, any movement would trigger wave after wave of pain. I crouched by his head and lifted his chin so he could look at me. I kept my eyes blank, my face neutral. ”You are going to tell me who sent you,” I said. He sneered, spitting in my face, a combination of spit and dirt splattered across my lips and chin. I was suddenly reminded of the night at Dante’s when I spat in his face. ”And then, you’re going to tell me why you healed me." He went still. He lost his sneer and looked like he was weighing his options. He got his hands beneath his chest and pushed himself into a sitting position. ”You aren’t like the other angels I’ve seen. You aren’t just a mindless soldier, are you?"

I sat back and leaned against a tree, resting my wrist in my lap. He flinched and closed his eyes as he straightened his wings. Extended fully, they must have been at least seven feet each. Wings grew proportionately to the body they were attached to. So if you were shorter, you would have smaller wings. His wings had a good foot on mine, and he was a good ten inches on me.

"No, I’m not just a mindless soldier.” He tried to control his breathing, absorbing the pain, calming himself. I watched his struggle and gave him a moment to collect himself. ”You have a bounty on your head, Karau. A big one.”

"So you’re a bounty hunter?" He stretched his back, aligning his feathers.

"In a way. I was sent to collect and deliver you to my employer." His voice was tight and rough like he was talking through the pain. I liked it. He grunted and tried to put his wings away, to absorb them into his back. He got halfway, his face pale and sweaty, before giving up. ”What the fuck did you do to me?"

I raised my brow and stood slowly. He looked up at me, preparing for another attack. ”Calm down, I’m just going to look." I rounded his body and assessed the damage to his wings. I knelt behind him, keeping my movements slowly and unthreatening. They were bloodstained and ruffled. There was a deep wound where I had bitten him, it was taking longer to heal, keeping him from putting them away. I moved some of the crooked feathers out of the way, his back tensed and he sucked in a harsh breath. ”I’m not going to hurt you." My voice was softer than I had expected.

"I thought we were killing each other," He said. There was a hint of humor in his tone like he was smirking.

"Yeah, I thought you would need a minute." The bleeding was slowing, but he would be tender for a few days. ”You should be fine, just a bit sore." I sat back down against the tree. We sat in comfortable silence, both of us losing motivation to kill each other.

"My wings have never been bitten before," He said, looking at my boots.

"There’s a first time for everything." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, keeping my ears open. ”Your demon tongue is good, how long have you been studying it?"

"A long time." I liked speaking my language. I hadn’t had anyone but Balan to speak with for years.

"So, what’s the plan? Are you going to leave me alone?" I was thinking about letting him live. He did heal me after all. The reason why didn’t matter at that point. He saved my life, and to return the favor, I wouldn’t kill him now.

"You know I can’t do that.” I heaved a sigh and opened my eyes, staring at him.

"And why is that?"

"You’re worth too much. And you tried to kill me."

"You tried to kill me too, though."

"Yeah, but you started it."

"What is this, third grade?" I got up and stretched. He got up and looked over his shoulder, deeming his wings to be in one piece. ”See, you’re fine."

He raised his strong brow at me. ”You don’t seem all that worried about me being here,"

"Honestly, I don’t know what to make of it at this point. You save my life and then tried to kill me. And now we’re having a conversation in the middle fo the woods. Not much is making sense right now."

He nodded and moved as I walked past him. ”Where are you going?"

"Why don’t you just follow me like you’ve been doing?" I was over this. I was tired, I wanted to get back to Balan, and we needed to disappear. This angel situation was not going to be a simple fix. He walked next to me, adjusting his pace to match mine. I seemed to have put him in his place, for now. But when he’s fully healed up, there’s no telling what he’s going to do.

This whole thing rubbed me the wrong way. I was used to mindless killing, slashing, and disemboweling without hesitation. But we weren’t in the middle of an active war zone. We were in my backyard. And he didn’t seem all that intent on killing me just yet. I had certainly made him angry earlier, but then I almost ripped his wings off.

His energy was brewing under the surface, and I still had countless questions for him. Why did he save me? Where did the fire come from? What kind of power did he really have in there? What did he really want with me?

"What’s on your mind?" The rich timbre of his voice broke into my thoughts.

"Who are you?" I said without looking at him.

“Well, since I know who you are, it’s only fair that you know my name. Adramelechk.”

"Gesundheit."

"No, Adramelechk." I stopped walking and looked at him through lidded eyes. I took a deep, calming breath, shaking my head, and continued back to my apartment. This was going to be a long day.