Will and I had been getting closer. It became a habit for us to meet at that specific tree and sit together and just talk. I'd bring a book and try to read and he'd have his Book of Life, but we'd both grow bored and talk. He still had to keep writing, though. Sometimes, he'd share the name of a baby if he thought it sounded particularly funny.
I told him about the dinner with the King, curious about what his reaction would be. He didn't disappoint.
"You let him touch you?" He asked, incredulous.
"Well, I couldn't smack his hand away; he's the king. He could order me drawn and quartered if he wanted to." I replied dryly.
"You don't even like being touched, though!"
I rose an eyebrow at him. "And what makes you think that?"
"You flinch whenever I accidentally touch you. Unless it's an angel/demon thing." He grumbled.
"I don't mind being touched, it's just because your scent sticks to me and my clothes and then I smell funny. And I flinch because my smell probably gets on your clothes."
Will shrugged thoughtfully. "You don't smell bad; you smell like meadowsweet. So, I don't mind if your smell gets on my clothes."
I was oddly touched by his answer and offered him a small smile. He grinned back, revealing his pointy teeth. They looked almost as sharp as Father's. I focused on his pink lips and subconsciously ran my tongue over my own, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. That snapped me out of it, perturbed by the direction my thoughts had been going.
"You know, I'm glad you gave me a chance." I said honestly.
Will's grin lessened and grew softer. "I am, too."
I stretched my legs out and leaned back against the tree. Across from me Will had his legs stretched out as well, the bottoms of my feet and his boots touching. It was peaceful but cold. Winter was coming and it smelled like it would snow soon. The sun was weakly peeking out from behind the gray clouds. The bare trees shuddered as the wind blew through their naked branches.
"We might have to visit each other in a different location." I thought aloud.
"Huh? Why, does the cold bother you?" He asked.
I nodded. "Demons can suffer from hypothermia just like a human. It just takes us a lot longer."
"Oh. The cold's never bothered me. Then again, I am the Angel of Life: everything about me is warm." He chuckled slightly.
I rolled my eyes and playfully nudged him with my foot. "Yeah, alright, Flame-brain."
"If you're going to call me names maybe I should call you Sparky." I gave him an unamused glare. "Besides, where else could we meet? The town wouldn't be good; more Angels would be aware of your presence. The only reason why they haven't been coming is because you are still near the portal and it isn't really worth checking out."
I shrugged. "Maybe we should stop until spring."
He didn't look too happy with my suggestion. "What if I bought a house or something?"
I gave him a puzzled look. "A house? That seems kind of odd. No one would be able to upkeep it."
"I could send one of the Lesser Angels to do it; it's not uncommon for an Archangel to have a 'sanctuary' for his or herself. The Angel of Love has an entire garden in the Human World for himself. Only he and people he trust are allowed in." Will hit his hand in his palm.
"It's settled; I'll purchase a house in the Human World so we can still meet even when it's cold out."
I sighed and decided to go along with it. It seemed no matter what I'd say he would do it anyway. That was Will's personality; once he put his mind to something one could do little to dissuade him. "How come you want to keep in touch so much? It's not like a couple months would be that big of a deal."
The faintest hint of a blush bloomed across his nose and he pointedly looked away from me. "I've just gotten used to your company."
I couldn't help but tease him, my face turning pink as well. I leaned forward to poke him in the cheek, smirking when he growled and swatted at my hand. "You're fond of me, aren't you?"
"Of course I'm not! What a stupid thing to suggest!" He started to get up, as though he was about to leave.
I stood as well and tugged on his arm, digging my heels into the hard earth in an attempt to slow him down. "Nope, you fancy me! Why else would you go through the trouble of buying a house just to see me? Especially since I'm just a nasty ol' demon!"
I found myself craning my neck to look at him. I tugged on his arm again, noticing it was nearly as long as I was tall, and hard with finely corded muscle. He stopped walking so abruptly, I nearly fell backwards. He turned around and I suddenly found myself pinned against the tree. His hands were gripping my shoulders tightly, but not enough to cause pain. His eyes were brighter than usual, boring into mine with an intense emotion dancing in them.
I knew you shouldn't have trusted him! Rayi screeched, sounding about as frightened as I felt.
"H-hey, if this is because I was teasing; sorry! I was just joking; n-no need to kill me over a jest! W-why not let m-me go?" I stammered nervously, his crimson eyes smoldering.
I wasn't sure what he planned on doing to me, his face giving no clue to what was going through his head. His leg moved and my attention was drawn to the fact I was all but straddling his thigh. I was careful not to shift.
"What would you do if I was fond of you?" His voice was deeper.
"H-huh?" I mumbled dumbly as he leaned closer to me. His warm breath washed over my face. My eyelids fluttered.
"I said, what would you do if I was fond of you?" He all but whispered, his eyes dark.
I swallowed thickly and stared at him. His lips slammed into mine, our teeth knocking together in his haste. It was shocking to me to realize that Will had likely stolen both of our first kisses, given the inexperience of the kiss. I gave a muffled grunt of surprise before squeezing his shoulders. He grumbled an incoherent apology and softened the kiss until his lips were a whisper against mine.
Rayi was screaming, What are you doing?! Do you have any idea what the consequences are for this? You'll be killed!
I faltered slightly as he began to plant searing kisses down my jaw. I tried to form an intelligent sentence besides the tiny puffs of air escaping my mouth.
"W-Will, wait..." I shoved weakly at his shoulders to try to get his attention.
He growled impatiently and nipped my collarbone rather sharply before hissing, "What?"
"Ow!" He licked away the blood that welled. "We should s-stop."
He pulled back to stare at me. "Why?"
Why should we stop? I wondered, distracted by how close he was. I could see flecks of gold in his smoldering eyes.
You're a demon and he's an Angel! The consequences are severe and I'll be damned if you think I'm going to die over this! Rayi roared.
"We're different races." I panted. "T-this would never wo-"
Will silenced me by kissing me again, his lips fierce and desperate against mine. Our teeth didn't smash together that time but the kiss was still somewhat clumsy. He didn't want me to reject him; I could taste his fear. He murmured something that sounded like, "Don't fight it," against my lips. I relaxed against him once more, hands resting on his chest.
When air became a necessity he pulled away, resting our foreheads together. He was breathing heavily and his eyes seemed unfocused. My lips tingled and I could feel them begin to swell. His were bright red and I wondered if mine looked the same.
"I don't care," He said once he caught his breath, "about the consequences or the fact that we're enemies. We can make it work. I know we can. You just need to trust me. Trust in us."
I was scared, so scared, but he had to be, too. He had more to lose than I did if we were discovered. The fact that he was willing to risk it spoke volumes to me. I couldn't find the words, so I nodded.
He smiled and pecked my swollen lips. "We'll find a way. I promise."
I smiled shakily back and couldn't help but believe him. I whispered, "Okay."
He gave me some room and lightly touched my face. I leaned into his warm palm, lifting up one of my hands to keep his hand against my cheek. The scene was almost reminiscent of the first time we had met, only now he was stroking my cheek lightly with his thumb and staring at me with a soft look on his face.
"I should leave." Despite my words, I made no attempt to pull away from him.
"Luke may start to worry about me; he'd begun to notice how frequent my absences are." Will reluctantly pulled his hand from my face.
He leaned down to press his lips against mine. "Come back in a few days. The house will be ready."
I took a step from him and nodded. We smiled awkwardly at each other before I disappeared through the portal.
******************************************************
Zane was waiting for me when I came home. He took in my dazed expression and mussed appearance with a raised eyebrow.
"What happened to-" His eyes widened and he grabbed me, sniffing me all over.
"You smell like the Angel of Life. Oh, no. Melanie, no!" He hissed, dragging me up to his room further down the hall than mine.
Zane's favorite color was light blue, an odd choice for demons who prefer darker colors. His room was painted light blue, bright and uncharacteristically cheerful given his sullen nature. His four poster bed was crammed into a corner by his large window. His closet door was wide open, revealing his fine clothes, which were organized by color.
He stopped me in the center of his room and all but shook me the minute we were alone. "Are you out of your mind?! You've been seeing him?!"
My teeth chattered with each forceful shake. I struggled against Zane, a fruitless thing given he had nearly two hundred pounds on me. My eyes flared red and I snarled, "Release me."
He did as he was told but didn't step away from me, his gold eyes glaring into mine. He was waiting for me to answer. I adjusted my tunic as I contemplated my answer. "We're just friends."
Zane snorted and a nervous laugh escaped. "Your lips are swollen and red. 'Just friends' don't kiss. You smell like you've been rolling around with him."
"Well I haven't!" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Look, no one has to know about this."
"Oh, Christ, Melanie, do you hear yourself?! You aren't actually planning on continuing to see him, are you? He tried to kill you!"
I huffed. "I was never mad about that. He was just doing his job. Besides, demons are always trying to kill each other. Look at you, me, and Mikayla."
Zane gaped at me in disbelief. "I-it's not the same thing! He's the enemy!"
He was right, of course. I was slowly beginning to come down from Cloud Nine and reality was setting in again. My shoulders sagged and I wrapped my arms around myself. The riskiness of my situation hit me full force and my fingers dug into the flesh of my arms.
"I-I know...I know he's the enemy and we should be trying to kill each other, but he and I get along. We have a lot in common. He likes talking to me. A-and I like being around him." I murmured, blinking up at my older brother with a frightful expression. Part of me knew he wouldn't say anything but the other part was suspicious of him. This would certainly give him excellent blackmail material.
Zane sighed and tugged at his hair. "This situation is so fucked. If you're discovered, you'll be executed."
"I know," I said dryly, "Rayi's been preaching to me about it. I just...I just want to try. Please, trust me. I know what I'm doing."
I didn't know what I was doing and we both knew that but he seemed somewhat reassured by my placation. His gaze softened slightly before hardening back to topaz. "I don't know anything. If they come for you, don't come crying to me."
I smiled slightly. "I know. Thanks, Zane. For trusting me."
"Whatever. Just get out of those clothes before someone else notices that stink." He turned from me.
I exited his room and went directly into my bathroom to take a bath. As I sat in the bath, I lifted my fingers to my lips, tracing over them with a shy smile playing at their corners.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
