Melanie
"You should buy that one; it suits you better." Mikayla pointed to a light blue dress.
I disinterestedly pulled it off its rack and studied it for a minute before shaking my head. "No, I have that one in green. Remember? Father bought it for me for our seven hundredth birthday."
"Oh, yeah. He got you that dress and a bracelet for me." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Honestly, he knows I don't like bracelets."
I didn't bother to point out to her he didn't know much about any of us, he was so infrequently home.
She and I were out shopping for an upcoming ball. It was to celebrate Lin's three thousand six hundred and first birthday. I didn't mind wearing one of my dresses back home, but Father insisted we "update" our dresses for the ball. I think he had his hopes up that Mikayla or I would catch the King's eye.
"I already found my dress; we're still here because of you." Mikayla grumbled.
"Sorry, I'm picky." I said unapologetically, sifting through the racks.
I was bored, too, so I grabbed a purple dress and held it out so Mikayla could see it. "What do you think?"
She stared at it critically, before humming in approval. "It's nice; maybe not the latest style, but it's better than nothing. And it's a good color on you."
We took our dresses to the counter to buy them. The worker told us the price and Mikayla pulled out her purse, pulling the coins out and handing them to the other demon. The worker bagged the dresses and handed them to us.
"Thank you." I said politely as I followed my sister out onto the street and into the waiting carriage.
"So, Zane's been acting odd lately." Mikayla suddenly said when we were settled in.
"He's always acting odd." I waved a dismissive hand, crossing my ankles.
"No, odder than usual. He seems nervous about something and I've caught him muttering to himself."
I rose an eyebrow. "Maybe he was talking with Kopa?"
Mikayla gave me a dubious look. "And he can't do that silently? He's hiding something and I want to find out what."
I was hoping he wasn't still nervous about my relationship, but shook the thought away. There had to be something else that was bothering him.
"I don't know what to tell you, Kay. I haven't noticed anything different." I reclined in the cushioned seat.
"Of course you haven't noticed," She sniffed, "you're hardly home. Honestly, Melanie, where do you sulk off to all the time? You used to be in the library, but I can never find you there."
"I like taking walks in the woods." I answered.
"Hmph. When's the last time we sparred?" Her beetle black eyes glinted mischievously.
At the mention of fighting, I grimaced. At that point, I despised fighting and how sore I always was after. Father was right: I was a lousy fighter. I didn't believe I would ever be able to improve my skills, either. I had always been better at evasive maneuvering than Mikayla and Zane, but weaker at strength and battle tactics. Father said I was a "flighty at best and a coward at worst."
"Not long enough. Use Zane as your punching bag; I got my ass handed to me by the Angel of Death a few months ago. I'm done fighting for a while."
"Oh, Mel, you should brush up on your skills! C'mon, when we get home we can go at it on the training ground!" She leaned forward excitedly.
It was unusual to see her so affable toward me and I didn't mind it. She used to be this friendly to me a few centuries ago, but her Adsecula, Irsya, was beginning to merge with her. Most of the time it was more Irsya than Mikayla.
When we were younger Mikayla looked up to me as the older twin. That was back when our mother was still alive. She wouldn't leave my side, her being the timid one. I was more outgoing and willing to interact with others. When our mother was killed, our personalities seemed to switch.
"Sorry, Mikayla, I'm not feeling up to it." I nearly smiled when she pouted and crossed her arms. "You're no fun."
The carriage pulled to a stop in front of our home. We got out and entered our house. Father was waiting for us in the foyer. His long hair was tied back and his arms were folded behind his back military style. He approached us as soon as we entered the house.
"I want to see your dresses." He ordered.
Mikayla and I obeyed, pulling our dresses out of their bags. He grunted in acquiescence. "Acceptable."
He turned down the hall to his study without another word. I looked at Mikayla. "When is the ball anyway?"
She shrugged, "I think it's tomorrow night. Why?"
Today was the fourth day: the day Will wanted me to return to the Human World. "No reason. I'm going out for a bit."
I ran up to my room, closing the door behind me. I hung the new dress up in my closet and changed out of my current dress. I changed into a long sleeved red tunic and black trousers. I stuffed a pair of socks in my pocket. I opened my door and blinked when I saw Mikayla was standing there, frowning.
"The forest again? What's there that's so interesting?" She asked, seeing my book in my hand.
"I like to read there; it's peaceful." I moved around her and walked down the stairs.
"It can't be sanitary to walk around barefoot, Mel." She clucked disapprovingly.
I waved a hand at her, tucking my book under my arm to open the door. "I'll keep that in mind. See you later."
I shut the door and jogged down the street. I went faster as I neared the outskirts of the city until I was sprinting through the forest. I ran through the portal and nearly ran into Will when I appeared in the Human World.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed, holding his hands up in alarm.
I leapt over him, gracelessly falling on my butt when I slipped in snow. I slid a few inches and stood up, jumping from foot to foot.
"Why were you running? Was something chasing you?" Will asked, looking at the portal alertly.
"N-no, I was ju-just excited— it's cold!" I complained, still shifting my weight.
He chuckled and pointed to my bare feet. "That's why you should wear boots. It snowed a couple days ago."
I pouted. "How was I supposed to know?"
He smiled and walked over to me and grabbed my arm. I looked at him in confusion and yelped in surprise as he threw me over his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted myself up to peer over his shoulder. He hooked his arms under my knees.
"H-hey! Warn me next time!" I scowled, ignoring the way my stomach was twisting itself in a knot.
"Jeez, you just want something to complain about, don't you?" Will muttered good-naturedly, beginning to walk eastward.
I rested my chin on his shoulder, his hair tickling my nose. "It's not my fault I was ill-prepared for the weather."
I was no longer cold, his body heat warming me up quickly. His scent, this close, was overpowering. I buried my face in his shoulder blade and I felt my eyes droop as drowsiness weighed them down.
"Where are we going?" I finally asked after he had been walking for a few minutes, my words muffled.
"You forgot already? The house. The angels finished building it a couple days ago. I got it furnished yesterday so it's all ready." His baritone voice vibrated in his back and I could feel it in my rib cage.
"I didn't forget, I just didn't expect it to take a few minutes of walking to get to it."
"Yes, you poor thing, having to walk through the snow." Will badgered, a chuckle in his voice.
I growled, "I didn't ask for you to pick me up!"
I could almost hear him roll his eyes. "You may as well have; you would have griped about how cold and wet your feet were."
I nipped his ear, smirking when he jumped. "You don't know that. I have some pride, you know."
He grumbled and seemed to walk faster. I looked down, surprised by how far off the ground I was. Will was unusually tall, well over a foot taller than me. On the occasions he and I were standing at the same time, I didn't even make it to his shoulder. I was always filled with trepidation at the sheer strength he possessed in his large body. If he wanted to, he could probably snap me in half.
"Hey, Will? How tall are you?"
"Six feet, eight inches. Why?" He sounded confused.
His answer did little to ease my apprehension, but a part of me was impressed. I said, "I've never seen someone as tall as you. My father was the tallest person I'd known until you and he's at least six inches shorter than you."
Will replied, hiking me higher on his back, "Angels of Life are taller than average. My father is seven feet, I think. We range between six feet, three inches to a little over seven feet."
Then, he added, "Alright, we're here." I looked up and looked at the house.
It was large and wooden, unlike the stone houses in the Human Settlement. Also unlike them, it was two stories tall and wide with a lot of windows.
Will walked inside and let me slide off his back. The floorboards were warm beneath my feet. The inside of the house was warm and I could hear a fire crackling. Despite all the windows it was dim in the house—likely for my benefit—but not so much he would stumble blindly.
"Was it a good idea to have this made of wood? What if you accidentally set it on fire?"
He gave me a flat look. "I have control over my powers, you know."
I smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It was an honest concern."
"I'll give you the tour." He grabbed my hand and took me to the room to the right.
It was furnished with comfy looking chairs and a divan. There was a fireplace in the front, the fire bright and cheery. There was a small bookcase beside a large bay window. The ledge of the window had a couple pillows on it, making it an ideal place to sit and read.
"This is the living room. I even had a library built." He sounded excited and led me to a room off the living room.
The bookshelves were filled with books that reached the high ceiling, a ladder shoved to the side so one could get the books on the higher shelves. There were a couple leather seats in two of the corners and a nightstand beside each. There was a single, small window with curtains pulled over it. The wooden floor was dark mahogany and cool beneath my feet. There was another unlit fireplace with firewood beside it adjacent to the window.
"It's wonderful." I smiled up at Will, my eyes crinkling.
He returned the smile. "I'm glad you like the library. I'll show you the rooms on the second floor."
There were a few bedrooms on the second floor, which he dismissed as "guest rooms." He showed me the master bedroom, which had a large canopy bed covered with a red blanket, its light gray curtains drawn back. There was a closet across from the bed, the white painted door closed. Two nightstands were on either side of the bed.
"I can't believe you had this whole building built just so you and I could keep seeing each other during winter." I murmured, turning to look at him.
He reached down to rub his thumb against my cheek. My eyes fluttered at the contact, his skin pleasantly warm compared to my still chilled cheeks.
"I care for you." He admitted quietly.
My face flushed and I smiled gently at him.
He took me downstairs and we sat on the couch together. I thumbed my book, not really feeling like reading. I dared myself to inch closer to Will until I was pressed against his arm. He lifted his arm, resting it on top of the couch. I snuggled into his side and he wrapped that arm around me.
"How've you been the last couple days?" I asked, my eyes closed contentedly.
"Alright. I spent some time with my brother and worked. You have no idea how much humans have been breeding the last hundred years. How about you?"
I rested my cheek against his chest and opened my eyes again. "Well, tomorrow night I have to go to a ball in honor of the king. It's his birthday. My sister and I went dress shopping earlier because Father, I think, is hoping one of us will catch the king's eye and we'll become queen."
He stiffened slightly and growled before pulling me into his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, effectively pinning me against his body. I struggled for a moment in surprise as he buried his face in my neck.
"Mine." His hot breath washed over my neck and I shivered.
"You don't have to worry about that; Mikayla is more queen material than me."
Will lifted his head up and stared at me. Seeing the gold in his eyes reminded me of Zane and I added a little hesitantly, "My brother knows about us."
His lava-colored eyes widened and he pulled back to scan my face worriedly. "What? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
I shook my head. "No. He just severely disapproved and tried to talk me out of it."
"How did he even find out? I doubt you told him willingly."
"He smelled you on me. Demons instinctively know an Angel's smell and his memory of your scent has lingered since he last saw you. Speaking of that, I'm going to have fun trying to explain why I smell like I rolled around with the Angel of Life when I go back..." I said the last part more to myself than to him.
"What do I smell like?" He inquired, curious.
"Like cinnamon and soot. Also, because you're so powerful, you have kind of a, uh, 'icy' under-scent, for lack of a better word." I smiled ruefully.
I sat back against him and looked up at him. His eyes went to my lips, then my eyes. "You demons are strange."
He leaned forward and I met him. We pulled away for a minute before leaning in again. His tongue brushed against my bottom lip. I stubbornly refused him and he traced my lips with the tip of his tongue. His long fingers threaded themselves through my hair and he nipped my lip. I parted my lips when his nips became more insistent.
His mouth was warm as I ran my tongue across his teeth. His other hand slipped under my shirt, resting on my back. He began to place kisses over my throat. I stared up at the ceiling, my lips parted as I sighed breathily. Will's hand began to rub my back, inching a little higher before going back to where it had been originally. I could feel my heart hammering at my rib cage as his fingers stroked my spine. My hair was released and I latched my lips to his neck, biting until I tasted blood. He grunted slightly, but didn't push me away, a shudder running through his body as I sucked on the bite.
"Marking me?" He whispered huskily.
"Returning the favor." I pulled back, licking a speck of blood off my lip.
Will stroked my hair, looked at it, and chuckled throatily. "You should see your hair right now."
I scowled and shoved his hand lightly away. "You're the one who had to go and mess it up."
I ran a hand through my hair, hoping it would flatten it somewhat. I could feel several locks poke back up to the way they had been originally. He watched me, shaking his head and smiling. His hair was fine, of course.
"Who does your hair?" He finally asked, fingering the chin length strands that rested against my cheeks.
"I do. You can kind of tell, huh?" I smiled sheepishly, self-consciously touching the much shorter back.
"It becomes you." He said. "And it's practical."
I flushed with pleasure, flattered. I reached a hand out to touch one of his long strands of hair, feeling shy. I'd yet to touch his hair, something that was currently at the top of my bucket list. Was it as soft as it looked? How did he keep it so shiny? Before my hand brushed the strand I had been aiming for, I withdrew my hand when he suddenly looked attentive, his face tensing. His pupils shrank and he turned his head to look behind us.
"What is it?" I asked, turning to look in the direction he was staring, feeling my muscles constrict as well.
"A demon just entered the Human World and they're very close to the Angel of Love's personal garden." He replied, a trace of a growl in his voice.
He stood, as did I, but he shook his head. He pushed on my shoulders, forcing me to sit back down. "No, stay here. It won't take me long."
Before I could say anything, he disappeared with a warm wind. I sighed and leaned against the plush back of the divan, annoyed. Did he think me so weak that I would be unable to help him deal with another demon? It was likely to be a Human-Turned-Demon and they were savages, easy to take care of.
I had been about to grab my book to read while I waited when Rayi spoke up.
Hey, Kopa is sending out a distress signal. He is saying the Angel of Life is engaging Zane.
"That certainly puts a damper on things." I said aloud
Sighing, I threw my book down on the couch and got to my feet. Preventing Will from killing my brother would likely be a challenge, though not impossible. I was more worried about keeping Zane from killing Will. I pulled the front door open, squinting my eyes when icy wind and snow blew into them. Sometime during my arrival a blizzard swept in and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. I looked at the socks in my pocket and glowered.
"Damn!" I cursed, glaring at the storm.
ns 15.158.61.52da2
