"Chutes and Ladders"

By the time Keir suspected something was off, Regal had already completed his fifth virtue and was searching for a hotel to stay at for the next three weeks. It had only been a half hour until the sound of sirens caught Keir’s attention and signaled that something was wrong. He walked over to the window, looking out to see police cars surrounding the building. He had a feeling that Regal was the cause of this and decided to try and check on the Demon.

He walked up to the bathroom, knocking on the door lightly. After no response, he tried to open the door with no avail. Panic flooded through his veins. He grabbed a table lamp and smashed the metal base against the door knob until the broke off. He kicked open the door and saw the screen torn away from the window and Regal nowhere to be found.

Keir felt a wave of dread wash over him. He looked down, almost expecting to find Regal’s crumpled body on the concrete. Instead police officers and bystanders surrounded the building. Keir could make out a hysterical woman talking very loudly to one officer about seeing a man flying away.

Regal had fled? Why did he run? Why would he run in the daytime?!



A loud banging on the door let Keir know that they were after him. He did the only thing he could think of and slipped himself through the window and extended his wings.

A garish shriek ripped through the air – most likely from the hysterical woman below; but there was no time to worry about being seen. Keir launched himself up until he was far from the building.

The Angel immediately began to search the skies, his gaze flickering from the open air down to the city below. He desperately tried to feel for Regal, hoping that he would be able to sense his presence. However, the Incubus was nowhere to be found.

He needed help. He would never find Regal at this pace. So he called on Michelangelo once more for advice. However, the Archangel didn’t come. Instead, an Archangel in training – a green eyed blond – was sent to help him.

“You rang?” he said in a silky voice as he floated down to Keir’s altitude. The swirling silver portal above them dissolved away as he hovered beside him. “Ah, where are my manners? I am Malach, Archangel of Charity at your service.” The Angel bowed somewhat and grinned.

The name was familiar to Keir, but he couldn’t remember why. He ignored that and focused on the question that was really on his mind. “Where is Michelangelo?” Keir asked breathlessly.

“Working of course! Archangels have to do a lot you know. Protect the ill, train the apprentices, and practice fighting techniques. It’s hard being in Garrett’s army and all,” Malach said with a grin. Keir’s eyes widened.

“Army?” he said disbelievingly. Malach nodded and crossed his arms.

“Yes sir. Who else is going to fight in the war once the world heads south?”

That surprised Keir greatly. A war when Earth went to Hell? Was this why Garrett was slowly accepting more Archangels to train? “I didn’t realize that you guys were warriors…” he murmured softly.

Malach shrugged and slapped Keir on the back in a friendly manner. “Don’t worry about it! We mostly just care for others and watch over the humans. We just also learn how to defend the humans and Angels from anything bad that might happen.” He waved his hand dismissively, “However, enough about what we’re trained for. Let’s focus on the reason why I was sent down here by Duffy.”

Keir suddenly felt very self-conscious. Did Malach know about his...situation? Malach’s wings were a stunning white color, while Keir’s was a dark and dingy gray. Surely he must have known or else they wouldn’t have sent him.

“The Demon I was bonded with ran off. I need to find him as soon as possible,” Keir said vaguely. He didn’t want to tell this stranger every detail. However, Malach seemed to already know most of the story.

“No problem. We’ll have him found in no time. You’re in luck because I am a Tracker and specialize in these sorts of things,” Malach said in an almost sadistic tone – as if he was going to take great pleasure in tracking a Demon.

“I thought you were an apprentice?” Keir said with a tiny frown. Malach rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Details, details. Either way, I am a Tracker and this is my trusty companion.” He reached into the breast pocket of his striped polo shirt and pulled out a compass. He flipped it open and pressed a button which opened up a small slot.

“Whoa…” Keir said as he hovered closer, looking at the white and gold trinket. “That’s going to help us?”

Malach nodded, “Yep. Do you happen to have anything with his scent on it? A scrap of clothing would do nicely.”

Keir frowned, “No…I don’t have anything like that on me…the only thing marked that I have would be myself.”

The Angel of Charity grinned widely, “Perfect!” He reached forward and plucked a few strands of hair from the top of Keir’s head and placed it into the small compartment on the side. The needle instantly began to twitch and spin, at first spiraling around to focus on Keir before it wobbled off to point in a direction west of them. “Ah, there we go! Now we’re on the track!” He chuckled a little, “It worked faster than I would have thought. He really has you marked, doesn’t he?”

The Angel of Kindness flushed, “Y-yes…I suppose.” He wasn’t sure if Malach’s remark was one of understanding or mockery. The Angels headed west and followed the direction the compass took them. They flew for hours, soaring high above the fields of crops as they headed farther from the Midwest. Keir had always wanted to travel and was enjoying his trip over the United States. However, the worry of Regal’s well-being was constantly at the back of his mind.

“Can’t we just create a portal?” Keir asked as they crossed over the border from Illinois into Iowa.

“Unfortunately we can’t because we don’t know the exact location the compass is taking us,” Malach said simply as he continued to guide them. He looked back at Keir and quirked a brow, “So, tell me more about your Demon friend.’

Keir blinked a bit and flushed, “Oh…he’s…he’s not exactly a friend…at least I don’t think he’d call me one.”

“Eh, Demons often say they don’t have friends. If he’s managed to stick by you for this long, you’re the closest thing he’s got I’m sure,” Malach replied with a grin. Keir smiled a little bit and flapped his wings to take him up a bit higher.

“Well…he’s not all that bad. He’s got a good heart underneath all that nasty stuff,” Keir mused thoughtfully. “He’s a bit prideful and stubborn, but he’s really smart and cunning…and I like to think that he started to care for me in the end.”

Malach watched Keir and grinned. He was a connoisseur of love and Keir was the poster child of an Angel in love. He continued to talk about him, going on about all of his talent, likes, dislikes, and bad habits. It was endearing to see how the Angel of Kindness had fallen for an Incubus. Perhaps the Incubus would reciprocate the feelings? Malach had no doubt in his mind that if it were possible, Keir would make it happen.

And as he continued to talk about Regal, Keir realized that he didn’t want Regal to change. If he was an Angel, he wouldn’t be the person he had fallen in love with. Of course, he first fell in love thanks to a curse; but it had evolved and grown into a true love that he didn’t want to deny any longer.

This realization fueled his desire to find Regal and to save him from ascending. He was meant to be a Demon, and Keir would help him stay that way.

The two were just over the city of Des Moines Iowa when Malach stopped flying and hovered in the air. Keir stopped behind him, looking over his shoulder. “What is it?” he asked curiously as the green eyes Angel tapped his finger against the side.

“It lost the trail. Something happened…the Demonic energy is weaker than it was,” Malach explained with frustration. Keir paled and grabbed the compass.

“No, no! That can’t happen!” Keir said in a panic as he shook the tracking device, hoping it would make it work.

“Hey, don’t break it! Then it definitely won’t trace him!” Malach said sternly as he took back his compass.

“He’s still ascending!” Keir shrieked in horror, “He’s learning to accept the virtues even without me being there! He’s turning into an Angel!”

Malach blinked a bit and laughed, “I don’t see what the problem is; the more Angels, the better.”

“You don’t understand!” Keir snapped.

“Maybe I don’t, but what I do know is that I can’t track him anymore,” Malach snapped.

“What do you mean you can’t track him? You’re a Tracker! That’s your job!” Keir said in a panic. Malach placed his hand of Keir’s mouth to shut him up.

“We track Angel and humans. We normally don’t need to track Demons because they know their place! You’re going to need darker sources of tracking to find him now,” Malach said with slight disdain. “I suggest finding a warlock or witch to help you. They’re neutral beings and will be willing to help for a price.”

Keir back away and rubbed his mouth with the back of his wrist. “Warlocks and witches?” Keir remembered the club that Regal had taken him too when they stopped at Niagara Falls. If he could get back there, he could find a warlock who might help him! But he didn’t have a way to portal there. Only higher up Angels had those, and Keir was still a few years too young for his.

“You need a portal device, don’t you?” Malach said with a smirk. He pulled off a bracelet around his wrist and slipped it onto Keir’s. “You can use mine. It’ll get you where you need to be faster than flying.”

Keir blinked and held his wrist up, looking at the white beads. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I am an Angel of Charity! Giving a fellow Angel a gift that will help them when I cannot is the least I can do,” Malach explained in a voice of grandeur. “Just think of where you want to be and draw a circle in the air with your finger.”

“Thank you…thank you so much,” Keir said with a smile. He went through the motions, thinking hard of the club. He couldn’t remember the location, but he hoped the image of the house would be enough. Sure enough, a thin silver line followed his fingertip and opened up to create a portal he could see clearly through. The house was there, and deep inside was the club he needed to get back to.

“Ooh, a dare devil aren’t you? Going into a place like that,” Malach teased with a boyish grin. Suddenly it hit Keir where he had known the name before.

“Wait a second…you’re the one with the half-brother; the one who was banished to Earth, aren’t you?” Keir asked. It made Malach’s smile fall into a thin line.

“Yes…” Malach said lowly, “I find it funny that it the part about me you remember best.”

“You’re also Gabriel’s son. The Golden Child,” Keir murmured when he realized who he was just flying with. This was the son of the strongest Archangel to work under Garrett.

The young tracker rolled his eyes and grinned with amusement, “That’s normally what people remember first. I’m amazed you thought about Ciaran first.”

“I remember him because I remember thinking it was tragic as a kid,” Keir said simply. Keir was only a few years old when the banished child was born. They tried to keep the entire situation hush hush, but gossip spread that a half angel had been born with elven blood. A riot would have formed if Garrett didn’t do something, so he banished Ciaran from Heaven and Malach had raised him before going back to train under his father’s wing.

“It was tragic,” Malach said solemnly, “So if you happen to see him while searching for your Demon, tell him I said hello.”

“I will,” Keir promised as he dove through the portal with ease, leaving the Golden Child behind him.

The portal closed behind Keir, leaving him stranded alone on the rooftop of the abandoned building. Underneath the home was the night club filled with damned creatures who would most likely tear him to shreds if they dared. Keir had a feeling most of them would.

Swallowing back his anxiety, Keir flew off the rooftop and landed lightly on the ground. He walked around the porch to the front door and pushed on it. It was locked. Keir groaned when he remembered that Regal had used his abilities to open it. He made his way around the building, looking for another entry way. He noticed a broken window on the second story and flew up to it. It was only partially broken; shards of glass were still intact and jutting out at different angles. Keir used his shoe to kick out the rest of the shards before slipping in.

The glass cut his hands and his wings as he wiggled in. He landed heavily, picking out the shards from his palms as he walked down the stair case and toward the basement. He couldn’t hear any music playing and wondered if it was still too early for it to be open.

Slowly, Keir walked down the steps, his hands reaching out to hold onto the railing as he descended deeper. His eyesight was better than the last time – most likely due to the fact he was only one sin away from becoming a Demon. He was glad at that moment that he was so close, or else he wouldn’t see where he was going at all.

As he made it to the last step, he could hear the music playing, but not as loudly. Slowly, he walked down the corridor and entered the empty club. No one was there, not even the bartenders. Yet music still played; just loud enough to make it hard to hear if someone was walking behind him, but not nearly as loud as it was the last time.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” he called out as he walked across the dance floor. He looked around, searching for someone – anyone – who could possibly help him. “Hello?”

“Why hello there, Angel~” a voice purred from behind. Keir’s wrist was grabbed and he was pulled back, spinning slightly until he was in the arms of a familiar looking face.

“You’re the warlock!” Keir said as Pythos grinned and grabbed Keir’s hand, his other slipping down to his waist.

“Ah, indeed I am. And you’re the Angel Regal had marked. I could never forget such a face,” Pythos said as he began to sway along to the changing music, pulling Keir into a waltz.

“Regal is actually the reason I’m here,” Keir squeaked as he was forced into dancing, his free hand resting on the warlock’s shoulder instinctively.

Pythos quirked a brow and chuckled, spinning them in wide circles. “I figured as much. I can’t imagine why an Angel would ever come to a place like this, even if it is empty.”

“Why is it empty?” Keir asked out of curiosity.

“It’s a holiday; at least for the damned. Sort of like a Christmas to Catholics,” Pythos explained. “I like to come here on holidays because my friend owns the place and I don’t have family to spend the holiday with, so I might as well take advantage of this place.”

“That’s too bad,” Keir said softly as Pythos pulled him closer. Keir stiffened somewhat, “Having no family to spend it with I mean.”

The warlock smirked, “Nah, it’s not too bad. Now,” Pythos let go of Regal and stepped back, “You said you were here because of Regal. Yet he’s not with you?”

Keir fixed his shirt out of nervous habit and cleared his throat. “Ahh…yeah, he ran off. I’m trying to find him and I thought...”

“You need someone to track him, hmm?” Pythos said with a sigh, “Of course, come searching for the only warlock you know of.” The Angel nodded timidly. Pythos clapped his hands, turning off the music before crossing his arms. “Fine, I’ll help for a price.”

“What do you want?” Keir asked eagerly, ready to give anything. Pythos lifted his hand and dangled the Angelic Portal Device in between his fingers. Keir widened his eyes and looked at his wrist. The warlock had slipped it off.

“This can be sold for a very large price, so this will be good enough,” Pythos said as he slipped it into his coat pocket. Keir paled, uncertain if Malach would be happy about that; but he had no choice.

“As long as you let me use it to get to where Regal is, you have a deal.”

Pythos grinned and held out his hand for Keir to shake, “Let’s track a Demon.” He took Keir toward a back room that was hidden from the view of the main dance floor. Keir felt nervous following him, but he knew that warlocks were neutral and he wouldn’t harm him. Pythos pointed over to a chair, “Sit down and get comfortable.”

Keir followed his orders and sat down, watching as he rummaged around briefly. Pythos pulled out a small box and headed back over, taking a seat across from Keir. He set it down on the table and opened it, pulling out a sharpened obsidian knife, a small bottle of a liquid that looked like water, and a board that looked similar to an Ouija Board.

Out of all the materials were brought out, the board was the most intricate. It was made of dark wood with different symbols burned in. There was a large oval in the center, with various numbers and letters surrounding. However the oval was filled with horizontal and vertical lines which created a map of the world.

Keir watched attentively as the warlock took his time setting up the board, putting everything in their right place and murmuring under his breath some incantations. He opened the bottle and sprinkled some of the liquid over the table. It started to sizzle and smoke as it hit the board, making Keir jump slightly.

“All right, it’s ready. Now we just need a source to track from.” Pythos looked up at Keir with a gleam in his eye. Keir went to pluck some of his hair but Pythos stopped him. “Ahh, something much more potent.” He lifted the dagger and handed it over to the Angel.

“My blood?” Keir asked, his mouth going dry from nervousness.

“It’s the strongest thing to work with. Even with the Angelic properties, we will be able to use the Demonic influences to track him.”

Keir swallowed and glanced up at Pythos. He nervously took the blade and gripped the handle tight. The blade gleamed in the low lighting of the back room. He pressed it against the meat of his palm and bit his lip. Before he could chicken out, he cut his palm.

The golden blood beaded up at the seam. Pythos made a soft humming sound, obviously pleased at seeing it. He took Keir’s hand and squeezed, making the blood well up faster until it dripped down his wrist and onto the board. Whatever liquid was sprinkled on it instantly began to affect the blood. It made it bubble and split into two separate beads of color; one bead was a very bright gold – much brighter than it was before now that it was cleansed from demonic influence – and the other a dark black.

The ichor began to run quickly toward the center of the board, coagulating into a ball the size of a bead. The Angelic blood headed toward the compass in the left corner of the board and formed a ball there. From what he could tell, the small circle his own blood was in symbolized the seeker, while the large circle acted as a map for the missing person to be found.

Pythos took two small glass thimbles from his coat pocket and placed one over each ball. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to Keir, “You can wipe yourself off now. It’s all set for tracking.”

Keir took the cloth and wiped off his hand. The small wound was already healing over and hardly hurt anymore, but the cloth was still stained with the strange golden blood that Angels had coursing through their veins.

“Now what?” he asked as he handed the cloth back to Pythos. The warlock cracked his knuckles and his neck and waved his hands over the board for a moment with his eyes closed; as if he was trying to get a feel of the energy that each glass encased bead held.

“I need you to focus. Think of his face. Think of his essence. The stronger the image in your mind, the more accurate the tracking will be,” Pythos said as he tapped the top of the glass casing of Regal’s blood. “This will move to the location of where he is.”

“And what about my vial?” Keir said as he looked down at the container holding his blood.

“We could do this without it; however it does help make the process faster. It’s more…personal,” Pythos mumbled shortly. “Now no more questions. Focus.”

Keir nodded and closed his eyes, trying to think about Regal. How they had first met, their first kiss, their bond and the first sin Regal had placed on him, the way the Demon’s feathers seemed to molt 24/7 and cause a mess, and the way his face seemed much more peaceful when he was asleep…

The golden vial began to glow a bit brighter, which in turn caused the black vial to begin to glow a strange purple and gold hue. It seemed to flicker with golden light as it vibrated on the board. Pythos was intrigued by the reaction, but didn’t stop murmuring incantations.

After another ten minutes of Keir going through all his memories and Pythos’ chanting, the black vial began to shift and move. The ichor bead pushed against the glass wall of the thimble sized container, forcing it to head toward the west side of the board. Keir opened his eyes and watched as it made its way across the board, slowing down until it stopped over the point where two lines crossed.

Pythos smiled and pulled out two caps, swiftly flipping the vials and trapping the blood samples inside. He wiped off his hands briskly before looking up at Keir, “There you go.”

Keir looked down at the map with a frown. That black trail that was left by the ichor didn’t tell him much of anything, “I don’t exactly know where that is.”

The warlock’s grin widened, “I can always tell you the exact latitude and longitude. However, it comes at a price.” Keir’s eyes flickered up at him cautiously.

“And that price is?”

Pythos scooped up the vials in his hand and raised his eyebrows with delight, “Even samples as small as this can pay a hefty price.”

Keir sneered, “Selling Angelic blood is sacrilege.”

“What religion do you expect me to believe in?” Pythos countered back, “The vials for the location; your blood for latitude and his for the longitude. It seems like a fair price, don’t you think?”

The Angel knew that allowing the warlock to be in possession of not only his blood, but Regal’s as well, would be a very bad move. Who knows what sort of person he would sell if to. If Angel blood got into the wrong hands…

Keir squeezed his eyes shut to block out the negative thoughts. He couldn’t think of that. Right now, the most important thing was finding Regal. If selling his blood would help find him, he had no choice.

“Alright. You can keep the vials. Just tell me where to go, and let me use that portal device to get there,” Keir bargained. Watching Regal bargain and talk his way around paying full price at stores was finally paying off. Pythos grinned and agreed, taking the bracelet and handing it back to Keir.

“No can do,” Pythos said in a teasing manner, “I may be a neutral being, but I’ve learned not to trust those who are above me. You’re going to have to fly there yourself.” Keir groaned, annoyed that the warlock was being so stubborn. But he understood that Pythos was serious about his business.

He sighed and agreed, “Fine, just tell me where he is.”

“He’s at a latitude of 36.0955 and a longitude of -115.1758,” Pythos said quickly as he read the board.

“Where exactly is that?” Keir asked impatiently. He wasn’t in the mood for guessing games. After all, he only had one chance to get where he needed to be.

“That would happen to be one of the hot spots for Demons,” Pythos said with a laugh, completely entertained at how predictable Regal was acting. “He’s in Las Vegas; most likely stealing away another young woman’s drunken virginity away—”

Keir was out of the back room and heading toward the stair well before Pythos could say another word. He focused on the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas!” sign and headed west, flying as fast as he possibly could.

The warlock chuckled and took his prizes and pocketed them away into his coat pocket, “Not even a thank you. Regal really is rubbing off on you."

The sound of music over the speakers and loud laughter and chatter filled the tavern. Terrible karaoke was being held near the bar area, which is where the greedy Demon swirled his tall glass of beer lazily. Etoile sighed and watched the humans laugh and drink as they ate, sang, and bowled. The occasional sound of pins falling down followed by loud laughter made Etoile rub his temples. He really wasn’t the type to be in this kind of crowd.

But he was on a date of sorts, and his partner had chosen to meet up here before going to do more demonic deeds. Etoile took a large swallow of his drink, hoping it would help his headache just a bit.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to soothe his ears of a familiar laugh behind him.

“Ettie, you actually showed up?”

Etoile grimaced at the pet name and turn to look over his shoulder at Viraine, “I may be a Demon, but I do have manners.”

The glutton rolled her eyes and sat beside him, waving over for the bartender, “Who needs manners when you’re as old as Jackal himself.” Etoile growled lowly at that and took another drink, guzzling down the last few drops. He silently pleaded for the alcohol to kick in. He would need something much stronger.

“I’m not as old as Jackal. I’ve been around a long time, but not that long,” Etoile argued as he ordered himself a cocktail. Viraine seemed to ignore his statement and merely giggled as she ordered a dirty martini for herself. “Why did you choose a place like this?” he asked with annoyance in his tone. Bars were not the place for greedy people. Gluttons and drunks thrived here. No wonder she chose this place.

“I thought it’d be fun. Grab a few drinks, play a few rounds of bowling, and catch up on old time?” She said as sweetly as she could. Etoile couldn’t stand the way she would try to suck up to him and make him like her.

“Fun for you,” he grumbled as he took his cocktail and drank a bit.

“Much more fun than sitting around playing video games all the time,” Viraine snickered as he ate the olive of her martini first.

Etoile sighed and turned to watch the humans. They were far more entertaining than Viraine was. Her sense of humor – if her sarcastic attitude could be considered humor – did not match his own; he was far more sophisticated than that.

“Ettie –”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Wanna bowl?”

He lazily rolled his head to look over at Viraine. Her red eyes glittered playfully, her grin seeming innocent. Etoile knew better not to trust that smile.

“I’m not the athletic type…” Etoile said simply, sipping his drink again as he kept his gaze locked on her. Viraine groaned and rolled her eyes.

“It’s just bowling. I’m not asking you to play football or run a mile,” she complained, getting out of her seat to go grab one of the bowling balls off the rack. “You used to be so much fun, Ettie!”

“That was when you and Regal were children and I could entertain you with a game of Chinese Checkers,” Etoile grumbled as he set his drink down and followed after her. He only did so because he knew she couldn’t be trusted. If he let her be, she would be hunting the humans and making a mess of a lovely establishment such as this one; if bars could be described as such.

She grabbed a bowling ball and tossed it toward him, laughing when he scrambled to catch it and made a grunt as it hit him in the stomach. He glared at her but kept his cool as she slipped off her heels and put on less comfortable bowling shoes.

“You go first, Ettie,” she purred as she rolled her ball between her hands. Etoile sighed and stepped into the alley.

He stood at the foot of his lane, a frown locked on his face. He aimed the ball before swinging his arm back and practically throwing it down the lane. It made a loud bang as it connected to the floor and crashed into the bowling pins.

“Wow! You’ve got some game! I thought I’d be a shoe in to win,” she chortled as she watched his first set go down in a strike. The comment made him grin just a bit.

“I’m not completely uncoordinated.” Etoile walked back to his seat and took another sip of his cocktail as he watched Viraine bowl her first set. She too managed to get a strike and beamed at him coyly as she sauntered back.

This continued on, back and forth, for the entire game. Etoile would get a strike, Viraine would match it. They ordered more drinks – although Etoile switched to soda once he felt that he had met his limit despite Viraine trying to make him drink more.

It was this mature and responsible attitude that was driving Viraine insane.

One of her favorite past times was to irritate Etoile. She adored seeing his synthetic feathers ruffled. However, she didn’t ask him to meet her at the bar just to play tricks on him; she had more serious and devious schemes to pull.

Viraine wanted information. She had been keeping an eye on Regal ever since she last saw him in New York City. The moment she sensed his essence had left, she was tracking him. She found a lower ranked Demon lurking in the sewers and promised her the scraps of her last victim if she would help her find Regal again. At first, the Lesser Demon was hostile, but after some convincing and a handful of well said threats, she agreed. It took nearly a month to trace Regal to Michigan, but by that time he had moved on again to Chicago.

The moment she learned Regal had gone to Chicago, she knew he would run into Etoile at some point. She was 95% positive that the two Demons would catch up, and that was her reason for making a connecting with Etoile. She had questions, and she hoped to get him drunk enough to spill the beans.

So the moment she realized that their boring game of bowling was not getting him to loosen up and that he was done drinking human alcohol, she knew that it was time to kick her antics up a notch.

As Etoile aimed his final bowl for their game, Viraine opened up one of the mouths in her hand. She gingerly reached into the pit of the mouth and pulled out a small vial of demon liquor laced with heavy amounts of gluttony. It was extremely sweet in taste, but she hoped the flavor of the soda would block it. Her liquor of choice wasn’t very alcoholic. It was the equivalent of a shot glass filled with beer. However, she was not looking for potency. She was looking for addiction.

The glutton swished the cup around as Etoile aimed and put all of his focus on winning their game. She dropped the vial back into her hand and closed the mouth, smiling innocently as Etoile turned back around at the end of his turn. She hopped up and grabbed her ball, skipping down to the lane to quickly wrap up the game. She let herself miss the strike and her spare, allowing Etoile to win the game. The moment the ball left her hand, she turned to look back over at Etoile who was taking another drink of his now laced beverage.

“Aww, you won! I want a rematch!” Viraine asked cheerfully as he put down his glass. Etoile groaned and shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips to soothe his irritation towards her.

“I’ll pass on that,” he said quietly as his bi-colored eyes flickered up to her. She smiled and walked over to pat the top of his head.

“You’re so old you can’t even handle playing another round!” she harassed, snickering when Etoile flashed a cold glare in her direction. She hurried off to order another round of drinks and some appetizers to snack on. She walked back and slid into her seat, sliding over the drink toward him.

“I don’t want any more alcohol,” Etoile said as he pushed it back; however, Viraine wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Oh come on, we’re Demons. We can hold our alcohol better than any of these humans. One more won’t hurt,” she persuaded. Etoile sighed, his eyes moving between the drink and Viraine for a moment before he took it and drank. Viraine drank as well, grinning behind her glass as she watched him guzzle it down easily.

The glutton based alcohol she had slipped in was doing its job. Soon, he would crave and desire more and more, and “one more” would soon turn into two, then three, and eventually he wouldn’t be able to count anymore.

It only took about an hour of drinking before Etoile was drunk in Demon terms. Viraine had nursed her drink and was barely even buzzed in the end.

“How are you feeling, Ettie?”

“Better than ever!” he slurred, chuckling a little as he leaned against the table. “How’re you holding up?”

She smiled, teeth flashing dangerously, “Absolutely wonderful! Although…I’ve been a bit worried lately,” she said with a pout, allowing her voice to fade away as if she were nervous. It seemed to convince Etoile enough.

“Worried? You rarely like…ever get worried about anything,” he said with pause, seemingly trying to get his words to work together. His mind was a bit fuzzy, but he was certain that he could help Viraine enough to soothe her.

“Well…” she started, her eyes peeking up to glance at Etoile, “I saw Regal about a month ago, and he was being followed by an…Angel…”

Etoile laughed a little and shook his head smiling, “Oh Viraine, hun, don’t worry about that. It’s all under control. That’s his pet or something. He’s making him fall. He even asked me to help him out!” he bragged. He left out the small bit about the Angel returning without Regal beside him.

“Oh, really? How is that going along?” she asked, trying to coax more information out of the Greed Demon.

“It was going pretty good. The Angel totally didn’t even suspect that something funny was going on; soaked up that sin really easily,” Etoile murmured as he took another sip of his drink. “Though that Angel is a slippery one all right; Regal was less than peachy when he came to see me.”

“Came to see you?” Viraine probed curiously, “Why did he see you?”

Etoile shrugged, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to think back to that day, “He was upset about somethin’…not really sure what it was…oh! Oh, I remember now; he was worried ‘cause Jackal abandoned him and he was close to ascending.”

“Ascending?!” Viraine screeched, flushing when some customers looked in her direction. She sunk slightly in her seat, “What do you mean he’s close to ascending? How many virtues did he have placed on him?”

“Smelled like a lot,” Etoile said a bit more soberly, wrinkling his nose, “Probably four or five if my memory is correct.” His memory was far from trust worthy at the moment, but he wasn’t too far off.

Viraine hissed and gripped the edge of the table angrily, her polished nails chipping at the wood as the mouths on her palms ate away at the table. How dare that Angel place virtues on Regal. Didn’t that kid know who he was dealing with?! She felt anger and vengeance bubbling up within her. She would make that Angel pay.

“He won’t ascend. Not while I’m alive and breathing,” she growled as she stood up forcefully reached over and grabbed Etoile’s wrist, yanking him from his seat and out of the club.

“Wh-whoa Vi! Where are we going?” he asked with shock as he stumbled behind her. Even wearing those insane high heels, she was quick and agile enough to move too fast for Etoile to keep up – at least when he was drunk and had no balance.

“That Angel won’t get away with making Regal ascend!” she barked as she led them out of the front door and out onto the streets, “We’re going to find him and kill him if it’s the last thing we do!”

That made Etoile sober up a bit more. “Wait, wait! Kill him? Kill the Angel? Viraine are you out of your mind?! Do you realize what you’re suggesting?”

She whipped around and growled at him, her red eyes shining brightly in the twilight. “I am perfectly aware of what I’m saying. I will kill him, and I will save Regal.”

Etoile dug his heels into the ground and pulled Viraine over so they were hidden from the crowd in an alleyway. “Viraine, listen to me,” he said as he held onto his shoulders, “Killing Angel’s is off limits. If you do that, they will not hesitate to blow you to smithereens. Just think about this for a moment before you go rushing into things!”

“I have thought about it!” she hissed, baring her fangs at her elder, “If Jackal won’t protect him, I will! And you’re going to help me!”

“Whoa now, don’t you dare drag me into this!” Etoile threatened as he snarled back at her, “I’m not going to get my hands dirty because you’re in a vengeful rage.”

“Oh yes you are Etoile! I have information on you that I know you’d never want to slip out,” she said dangerously. Etoile scoffed at the idea.

“What makes you think you’ve got dirt on me, huh?” he challenged, letting go of her shoulders to shove his hands into his pockets.

Viraine smirked and stoop up on her tip toes to whisper in Etoile’s ear, “I know your real age.”

Despite how simple the blackmail was, it still made Etoile pale and stare at her with nervous eyes. “You’re bullshitting.”

“I’m the queen of gossip and eavesdropping. I don’t have to lie about things like this,” she boasted with a short laugh. “I overheard some of the elder Demons talking about how Jackal had taken the throne despite other Demons being older and more suited for the job,” she continued lowly, watching as Etoile’s eyes widened with apprehension. “One even said that you would have been a good heir.”

“Is that all you’ve got?” Etoile said with a nervous laugh, “That doesn’t tell you my age.”

“No, but it tells me enough. I know you’re older than Jackal, and that makes you a threat to the throne by default.” Viraine stepped back and opened her hand to release her umbrella, “I could easily portal back to Jackal and let him know that you’ve been hiding your true age and that you helped Regal with his mission despite orders to leave him be.” She swung the umbrella in her hand, giggling softly as he watched him, “I wonder what Jackal would do if he found out his most trusted Greed Demon was plotting against him.”

“I’m not plotting against him!” Etoile said defensively, his voice higher pitched than normal. Damn that girl and her way with words. He was certain she could easily create some lies that would be easy to believe.

“Would you want to risk him believing that?” she dared. It was now or never. She would need his help to take down the Angel. Tension was high as they stared each other down, trying to size up each other. After a moment, the eldest backed down and sighed.

“All right…I’ll help you.” He lashed out and grabbed her wrist, gripping it tightly as he growled lowly, “But only because I feel sorry for you.”

“Sorry for me?” Viraine asked with an amused laugh, “Why do you feel sorry for me?”

“Because you can’t stand the fact your excuse of a mate is falling for that Angel.” Etoile let go of Viraine’s wrist roughly and started walking down the alley, pulling out his pen to start tracing Regal. Viraine stood stiffly in her spot, her adrenaline rushing and her anger rising.

“He’s not my mate…” she grumbled as she followed behind. She continued to tell herself this wasn’t due to some held back feelings she held as they walked through Etoile’s portal.

It took nearly three days for Keir to finally make it to Las Vegas. He flew through rain, wind, and sunshine without stop. He only paused to sleep for five to six hours a night and to eat while traveling. He was exhausted and weary, but he flew regardless. Nothing else mattered except to get to Vegas to find Regal and somehow save him from ascending.

He arrived late in the evening, when the buildings were beginning to shine their multicolored lights and the sun started to set over the horizon. The Angel yawned and landed behind one of the many casinos and started to walk the streets despite his body’s desire to rest. Luckily for him, the fact he was treading on the edge of falling gave him an advantage. The night time didn’t drain him of energy. Instead, it seemed to charge him and fuel his determination. The sinners that surrounded him didn’t make his head ache or distract him.

In fact, they seemed to draw him in. He found himself searching the bars, the casinos, and even the love hotels. He searched for the lustful essence that Regal always gave off. But any senses of lust that he felt were not the result of his gray eyed Demon; they were only humans who were struggling to pay the bills or were lonely and in need of some attention.

For being Sin City, there weren’t many Demons here.

After hours of searching, he was ready to give up and find a hotel to fall asleep. Although, he had no money on him except the bit he managed to find deep in his pockets. It allowed him to pay for food while traveling, but now he was broke.

He sighed, looking up and down alleys to try and find a comfortable and safe place to sleep for the night. He didn’t want to be any place near the casinos or bars; he planned on avoiding as many drunks as he could.

Keir found a place to rest behind one of the many hotels on the strip and got himself ready for the night. He shrugged off his jacket and leaned against the wall, hiding behind the dumpster. He folded up his jacket and propped it up between his head and the dumpster and used it as a make shift pillow.

The last three nights he had been sleeping like this had been the worst of his life, but it was worth it in his eyes. If this meant he could find Regal and save him, he would do anything. Even sleep through heavy rain or wind. However, luck was on his side, and the weather was clear and the perfect temperature. He was able to sleep for a few hours before the sound of rustling woke him.

He jumped up and scrambled to his feet, pulling on his jacket and peering around the dumpster to see who could be coming near. Even with his improved night vision, it was hard to see the face of the man coming in his direction. The lights behind him created enough of a shadow to conceal his identity.

What Keir could make out was that he was very short, probably only five foot four at most. His build was small and lean, though his shoulders were broad. He walked with a heavy gait, as if frustrated and lost. And he reeked; the stench was almost spicy, as if Keir was breathing in pepper spray after eating jalapenos. It made his eyes sting and his nose itch.

As the man came closer, Keir noticed his attire consisted of a dark brown hoodie that covered unruly ginger hair and ripped and faded jeans that had holes in the pockets. His eyes were a deep auburn with golden flecks in his irises, and he wore a scowl on his face that intimidated the Angel.

He was no doubt about to face a Demon, a young one at the looks of it. He seemed to look like a fourteen year old human; however, a Demon’s appearance could be deceiving. After all, Regal looked to be twenty, when in reality he could easily be one hundred years old. Even Keir, who resembled an eighteen year old, was already eighty-six. The only way to determine an Angel or Demon’s age would be to gauge their power.

Keir wanted to hide, but he knew the Demon was well aware of his presence. He could flee, but the idea that perhaps the Demon would help him was tempting. Keir decided to go for it and stepped out from his hiding spot, nearly bumping into the Demon.

“Watch where you’re going,” the Demon spat aggressively. Keir shied back slightly and smiled.

“Ah…s-sorry,” he murmured, trying to figure out how to engage conversation. “My name is Keir…”

“You think I care?”

Keir paled slightly and could tell that this Demon wanted nothing to do with him. He was aggressive and seemed ready to attack anything that crossed him. He reminded Keir of a wild animal in a cage.

“What’s your name?” he asked cautiously, hoping that maybe the Demon would loosen up.

“If I tell you, will you leave me alone?” he growled, his eyes glowing a deep auburn. Keir nodded quickly and quietly. “It’s Aeshma.”

Keir smiled sheepishly, “That’s a nice name.”

“I thought you said you’d shut up?” Aeshma barked as he continued on his way through the alley. Keir shook off the hostility he felt and jogged after him.

“Actually, I had a question for you!” he called as he came up behind him. Aeshma turned quickly and growled, his Demonic essence seeming to grow thicker around them.

“Get lost, Angel! I don’t need your purity tainting me,” the Demon growled. However, he had used language much more foul and aggressive toward Keir, but he ignored it.

“I was hoping you could help me find a Demon named Regal! He’s an Incubus,” Keir said quickly. However, Aeshma was not having any part of it. With a guttural snarl, the Demon of Wrath hunched forward. Long talons grew from his hands and his face elongated into a lizard like muzzle. His eyes began to glow with an internal fire of rage. His flawless skin hardened and became scaly and green in color. His clothes ripped around him as he grew to the size of a full grown lion. Spiked frills grew along his spine and crested on the top of his head and shook as a shrilled growl escaped his fang filled mouth.

Keir stepped back, pressing himself against the wall as he stared wide eyed at the Demon. He knew he was waist deep in trouble and he needed to get out now. He bolted, turning in the opposite direction as the creature Aeshma transformed into chased him down. His tail whipped and smashed against the garbage cans and boxes that littered the alley.

The Angel spread his wings, pumping them as best as he could. His wingspan was too large to fit in the tight quarters and he couldn’t lift off. He jumped up onto a box and tried to get into the air, but the Demon’s claws latched onto his leg and dragged him back down, throwing him into the ground.

Keir cried out as he hit the ground, the asphalt scraping his body as he tried to crawl away. There was a gash on his leg that was bleeding. Aeshma crawled over him, his jaws dripping with saliva as he stared down at his trapped prey. Nothing but hatred filled his expression and Keir cowered under his presence.

Jaws opening and teeth bared, Aeshma lunged to rip Keir to shreds. The Angel threw his arms up to attempt to block the attack. He rolled back, trying to wedge his legs into the Demon’s mouth as it latched onto him. His wounded leg ached as he put his pressure on I; however, the fabric was torn away and exposed his halo.

He jammed it into Aeshma’s mouth and held it in place as hard as he could. The halo was weak, but it left a decent sized burn in his jaws. The Demon reared back and screeched in pain, stumbling and falling onto his side as he shook his head to try and soothe the pain. Blisters were already forming in his mouth and it only made him angrier.

Aeshma hissed and turned, throwing himself at Keir once more, but the Angel had already gotten to his feet and was limping out into the open. Keir jumped up as high as he could with his hurt leg and flew himself up and over the streets, far out of the reach of the Demon’s grasp.

Panting and weak, the Angel flew to the nearest roof top and landed heavily onto his knees. He groaned and rolled onto his back. His leg was throbbing and his arm was beginning to sting. He looked over and noticed that Aeshma had managed to bite his arm. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Demon’s jaws were laced in bacteria or some sort of poison with the way it was beginning to fester.

He sat up and began to rip his jacket to shreds. He took the strips of fabric and began to make a tourniquet around his arm to try and stop any infection or poison from spreading. He wrapped up his leg tightly to stop the bleeding and bit back the pain.

How the hell was he supposed to find Regal now when he was hurt this much? Granted he wouldn’t die from it – that’s assuming that the wound on his arm wouldn’t become fatal. Keir laid back on the rooftop and stared up at the night sky for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath and let the pain fade away. He prayed that Garrett was watching and would protect and heal him through the night. He needed the help desperately.

Keir forced himself back up onto his feet and began to limp away toward the edge of the building. Luckily his wings weren’t damaged so he was able to lift himself up and into the sky after some slight struggling. He left the casino rooftop and the bloodstains to try and find a safer place to stay. Being out in the open would make him an easy target if Aeshma wanted to find him. He needed a proper place of shelter, and he would break into a home if he had to.

Regal was feeling less and less like himself as time passed. He awoke in his hotel room in a panic when he noticed that his wings were now unmistakably gray in color with more white feathers than black.

It terrified him, seeing his reflection and being unable to recognize the being looking back at him. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t an Angel. He would never be an Angel. So why was it happening despite his attempts to stop it?

With a heavy heart, Regal realized that he may be too far in to stop it. He had been trying to do more “Demon” like activities, but that didn’t seem to help. It was as if all his motivation to be a Demon was fading away over time. He wasn’t even hunting humans for souls. What kind of Incubus was he?

His answer hit him suddenly, making him loose his breath. He wasn’t collecting souls. He wasn’t having one night stands. He wasn’t doing anything that had to do with his very own sin. The lust in his soul had dried up and all that was left was chastity. That was the virtue that had slowly been taking over. In his attempts to win Keir’s trust, he had avoided even touching a human being to please him. Now it had manifested into something he had been trying to run away from.

The Demon groaned and sat on the floor, leaning against the bathroom door as he closed his weary eyes. He wasn’t an Incubus anymore; or at the very least, he didn’t consider himself one. What sort Incubus didn’t go into a human’s dreams and court them?

He couldn’t give up now. The fight still wasn’t over. Regal forced himself to get up for the night. Despite the fact he was very tired thanks to this slowly changing sleep schedule, he got himself clean and ready for a night on the Las Vegas Strip. He wouldn’t allow himself to go to sleep early; he would stay awake until the sun came up.

Though it was far more difficult than he had imagined it would be. By midnight his eyes were growing tired. By one in the morning he had a pounding headache and couldn’t stop yawning. He tried to busy himself with the Vegas night life, but gambling was never his cup of tea. He always ended up losing; it was ironic that he was also slowly losing this game of who would change first.

Pushing negative thoughts out of his mind, Regal decided to drown himself in alcohol to try and calm his nerves. The liquor at the club did the trick, making him far less anxious a lot more ambitious. In no time he was smooth talking the ladies and buying them drinks. However, he was too buzzed to woo them into heading back to his hotel room; and even if he did manage it, he would never have the coordination to effectively steal a soul. His desperate actions were only digging a deeper grave.

He stumbled out of the bar after a few hours with a grunt. His head was pounding and his vision was getting hazy. He cursed under his breath and headed back to his hotel. There was no point in getting himself tipsy if it was only going to hinder him from doing his job.

What was his job at this point? He had been assigned to make Keir fall, but that turned around to bite him in a not so lovely place. Now he was cursed with the slow onset of ascension and far too blessed to do his natural abilities any justice.

He rubbed his temples, trying to soothe away the headache that was beginning to form. He couldn’t stand how the darkness of the night was actually working against him. The dark making a Demon hurt? It was demonic blasphemy. Not to mention that the warm fuzzy feeling he was practically walking into only made it worse.

He paused, looking up at the bright lights of the casino and furrowing his brow. Why was he suddenly feeling this way? It was a familiar sensation, one that he felt like he craved. The Demon stared up at the rooftops, wondering why he felt like he could sense Keir’s presence. Surely the Angel hadn’t managed to track him down this fast.

Regal wondered if he should investigate. He almost didn’t want to in fear of the Angel finding him and latching on again. After all, he had fled to try and escape Keir’s grasp. However the overwhelming and powerful desire to check was too much for him to ignore.

He opened his wings and headed up as the stench of Angel blood grew stronger. It didn’t hold the same aura as it did when it was coursing through Keir’s veins. This smelled pungent and almost rotten. It made Regal’s stomach flip with worry.

The raven landed on the rooftop and walked around for a moment, trying to see if he could find Keir anywhere. He didn’t want to give himself up in case he needed to run again, but he had to soothe his worries or else he would go insane.

Unfortunately for him, the pool of blood he nearly stepped into only made his anxiety double. He knelt down and ran his fingers through the puddle, rubbing it between his fingertips. It still made his skin tingle and it was beginning to dry in some places. It was stale, but still fresh enough to be wet. He smelled it and could tell instantly it was Keir’s. The Angel was here, and something had hurt him.

All plans to avoid the Angel flew out the window. His need to protect Keir was greater than any fear of ascending. He got up and ran in the direction of the trail of blood Keir had left when he fled from the roof top. Regal leapt off the building and soared into the early morning sky.

He had two hours until sunrise. At that point it would be harder to search for Keir without someone noticing him flying around. It would also be harder for Keir to stay out in the open with a wound. It pained Regal to think that Keir may be hurt somewhere. His mind was racing with nervous questions; what if he couldn’t get to him in time? What if Keir ended up dying? What would happen to him in the process?

This feeling in his chest; it drove him to throw away caution all to help someone who he shouldn’t want to save. Regal was desperate to put his own life on the line to try and save Keir.

Was this…what love felt like? Demon love was violent and aggressive, but this was an entirely different emotions. It wasn’t filled with pride or lust or any other sin. It terrified and elated Regal at the same time.

He flew faster, circling the city as he kept his eyes peeled for any trace of the Angel. He began to follow the strong scent of Keir’s blood and followed him through the alleyways and the back roads. He was flying up to the source when the strong scent of Wrath flooded his systems. He landed heavily and walked around the building to find Aeshma hunched in a ball nearby the canal. Regal walked up to him, wings expanded as wide as he could. Aeshma looked up and growled, his face welting up from his exposure to Keir’s halo.

“What do you want?” Aeshma said lowly as Regal came up in front of him.

“I’m looking for an Angel, and you reek of him,” Regal said authoritatively, “So you had better explain yourself.”

The Wrath Demon laughed and washed the golden blood off his hands in the water. His hands were scarred and blistered from the contact; something that should have happened to Regal but hadn’t thanks to his slow ascension. “Kid was bugging me. I warned him to back off but he just wouldn’t quit talking. He was so invested in finding you.”

Regal’s eyes widened slightly. So Keir really was looking for him. It made him swell up with happiness and pride, but it also bothered him. He should have known better; of course the Angel would search for him.

“So you let your take control and you harmed him?” Regal asked aggressively. He didn’t want to say “kill”…he didn’t want to believe that the Angel had been killed; if he did, he surely would have felt it due to their bonds.

“Tch, you sound like one of ‘em. “Let is control me”, ha! I am Wrath! How can I control what I am?” Aeshma said indignantly. The young looking demon grinned, his monstrous fangs gleaming in the moonlight reflected off the water, “But you wouldn’t know, would you Incubus? There isn’t a single hint of lust on your skin. What a pity.”

“Do not pity me. Once I find my Angel and treat him, I will hunt you down and be sure to maim you twice as bad as you did to him,” Regal growled lowly, his wings shaking behind him with hostility.

The Demon of Wrath laughed. “Your Angel? Angels aren’t property. They can’t be owned.”

Regal smirked boastfully, “He chose to be mine.”

“And you chose to be his?” Aeshma asked condescendingly as he gestured to Regal’s tainted wings. The comment made Regal flinch. “I didn’t think so. I’d like to see your Angel’s face when you come back crawling to him like the pathetic excuse of a Demon you are.”

The comment made Regal bristle with rage, but he quelled it and forced himself to not attack. Hurting Aeshma would not help him find Keir. It didn’t seem like questioning him would help either. Tracking the Demon who harmed the Angel proved to be fruitless.

Regal turned and leapt into the air, flying away from the scene. He could get his revenge back at him once Keir was safe. That was the priority he needed to focus on. He turned sharply, heading back toward the center of the city where he had found the puddle of Keir’s blood. The angel couldn’t have gotten too far, so he decided the best place to search would be near there.

He glanced over at the horizon and could just start to see the glow of sunlight peeking over. He only had another hour and a half or so to find him, and he was starting to wonder if that would be enough time.

Time was ticking away fast for the both Regal and Keir. As the Demon searched frantically across the city for his Angel, Keir was pulling himself through a window of what seemed like an empty hotel room. He lacked Regal’s abilities to open locks with the wave of his hand, so Keir had to carefully smash the window open.

He fell into the room heavily, gasping for air as he crawled to the bathroom. He needed to clean himself and find bandages to properly tend to his wounds. However, he wasn’t able to get far before the pain became too much. Keir lied on the floor groaning, trying to heal his wounds; but he was too weak to do any good.

Keir wanted Regal badly as he stared up at the ceiling of the hotel room. He knew deep down that Regal would protect him and heal him. He desperately needed help and the only person who would was the Demon. And what made the entire situation worse was that he could practically feel him nearby. The essence Regal emitted was almost tangible in front of him and Keir couldn’t reach it.

He tried to pin point it, hoping that somehow he might be able to contact Regal in some sort of way. He knew some Angels were able to communicate to each other by simply focusing on another’s aura and thinking hard about their message. Could Demons do the same?

Keir tried to contact him in that manner, but it wasn’t working. After another hour of lying on the floor and giving himself a headache from thinking too hard, he gave up. Regal wasn’t going to come save him. Why would he? He had run away from Keir after all. The Angel began to doubt that this plan of tracking Regal was worth it.

Shuffling in the hallway caught his attention. He forced himself up, biting back the agonizing pain in his leg as he limped into the bathroom and closed the door. All the lights were off and the only sound coming from him was his deep breathing. He could hear the front door unlocking and a person stepping in. From the sounds of it, two people. He hoped they didn’t notice the blood stains on the dark carpeting.

Their voices were muffled, but it was obvious that it was a man and woman – most likely a newlywed couple coming to Vegas on their honeymoon. Keir groaned softly to himself and knew that they would find him eventually. Oh, if only he still had Malach’s bracelet. He could portal himself out and back into Heaven where he knew he would be safe.

The door knob jingled and Keir froze. He glanced over toward the tub and wondered if he could slip inside and close the curtains before they came in. However, his wounded leg would only hinder him more. He could hear the woman speaking a bit clearer now. Something about…smelling him.

The vaguely familiar voice chilled him to the bone and he only had one more moment to stumble backwards against the wall before the door opened and the light flicked on. Viraine stood in the doorway and cocked her head to the side, a venomous grin on her blood red lips. “Ooh, you smell divine~” she purred coyly.

“How did you find me?” Keir asked in shock. Why was Viraine here? Why did she come looking for him? Etoile stepped up behind her and sighed, crossing his arms as he looked over her shoulder at Keir.

“You know, you really gave yourself away with the whole bleeding issue and the not so clean break in,” he said with a small snort of amusement. “Next time you have to hide a bit better.”

Keir was in panic mode; all the pain he felt was gone and all he could think of was escaping. His eyes moved around quickly, trying to find any sort of escape; but Viraine stood in front of the door and blocked any attempt at fleeing.

“Quit looking so scared. It’s not like we’re going to do anything bad to you,” she teased with a laugh. “Unless you count killing you as a bad thing; though for us it’s wonderful accomplishment.” The comment made Keir pale in complexion and his eyes widen.

“Viraine, do you really have to traumatize the boy?” Etoile asked with a sigh. He nudged her shoulder so he could step in front of her and closer to Keir. The Angel backed up against the bathroom wall, nearly falling into the bathtub, as Etoile approached him. “Oh, come now…I’m not going to hurt you.”

“If you think I’ll believe that you’re crazy…” Keir said stiffly as he tried to put as much distance between him and the Demons as he could. There was no way he could fight them off or defend himself when it was two against one. Even if he wasn’t wounded he doubted he could fend off to Demons who were older and more experienced than him.

Etoile raised a brow and glanced over at Viraine for a moment before rolling his eyes. “If I had a choice I wouldn’t be here,” he whispered lowly.

“I could hear that!” Viraine barked as she closed the door and locked it.

“Good, wanted to make sure you could,” Etoile snapped in retort.

“Why do you want to kill me?” Keir asked in fright, finding Viraine to be much scarier and deadly than Etoile – who honestly didn’t seem to care whether he lived or died.

“Because you made Regal ascend,” Viraine sneered as she walked up beside Etoile. Keir tensed up and looked at her with astonishment.

“He…he already…”

The She-Demon smirked and crossed her arms, leaning against Etoile lazily, “Yep. Already ascended and out of Jackal’s grasp. Aren’t you proud of yourself?”

Keir’s hands shook as he tried to soak up what she was telling him. No…no, it couldn’t be true. Regal wouldn’t let himself rise so easily. There was no way he could already be an Angel. Viraine had to be lying, but…that look on her face was so genuinely upset and vengeful. She wouldn’t be this angry if he had managed to stay a Demon, right?

“I’m so sorry…” he said softly, his voice trembling with regret. Keir slid down the wall slightly, his legs feeling weak underneath him. He stared at his hands with disbelief and quivered, “I didn’t want this.” He truly didn’t want this to happen. He was trying so hard to fix what he had done, and he was too late.

Viraine looked taken aback. Why did the Angel seem so upset? He mouth fell open slightly for a moment before it hardened into a scowl. “You should be sorry.”

She opened her left palm, the jagged mouth stretching so she could slide her right hand into the opening. The teeth cut at her hand and wrist as he forced it inside, gripping the hilt of a long blade as she pulled it out slowly.

Etoile stepped back slightly, eyes wide with surprise, “Don’t you think that’s over doing it a bit?”

“A chainsaw would be over doing it,” she growled menacingly as she took a step toward Keir with her blade in hand. Keir forced himself back up onto his feet and quickly grabbed the first thing he could find; which happened to be a bottle of baby powder.

She cackled and threw her head back with amusement, “Oh that’s hilarious! An Angel fighting with a plastic bottle of powder? How will that save you?”

She lunged forward, closing the gap quickly. Keir did the only thing he could think of; duck and squeeze. The powder flew out of the bottle and directly into Viraine’s eyes. She rammed her blade into the side of the wall up to the hilt and cough violently. She rubbed at her eyes and screeched as Keir awkwardly scrambled for the door. Etoile stepped in his way and pushed him back onto the floor.

“Sorry, kid. I can’t help you escape,” he said almost regretfully. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and clicked the top, allowing a long, sharp blade to slip out from the bottom. The eldest attacked as Keir tried to move, but the bathroom was too small and Etoile was able to jab his dagger dug deep into his already wounded thigh.

Keir screamed, his voice echoing off the walls of the bathroom. The agonized sound seemed to resonate and make the cry twice as loud. Etoile and Viraine cringed and covered their ears, their body buckling from the pain the Angel’s scream created. Panting, Keir forced himself up and limped out of the bathroom quickly.

He needed to get out and fast, but his limp was slowing him down. He fell against the wall and the dresser, trying to stay up on his feet. Grabbing a lamp, he threw it out the window to break as much glass as he could before throwing himself out. He spread his wings, the feathers catching on the shards of glass, and dropped several feet before he caught the wind. He glided up and was almost to the roof when Viraine’s hand reached out and grabbed his ankle, dragging him down.

The Angel crashed into the wall and grunted in pain as she tried to drag him back into the room. He dug his hands into the walls, trying to pull himself out. If he could get out of her grip, he felt like he could have a chance to escape.

But Etoile grabbed Keir’s other leg and gripped tightly, causing him to yell in pain as they dragged him back in.

“Regal!” he screamed; his voice hoarse and shrill as panic and terror overtook him. He prayed that his Demon was near to save him. If he wasn’t, he was going to die a very painful death.

They pulled him in, ignoring the extra shards of glass that dug into Keir’s flesh as they dragged him across the floor. It didn’t matter at this point to Viraine. She wanted to end him and didn’t care how cut up he ended up in the process.

“The more you fight, the more it’ll hurt,” she growled as she slashed her knife down. The sharp edge cut a clean line against Keir’s cheek, tearing it open and allowing the golden blood to flow. Keir cried out again, causing both Demons to flinch, but Viraine didn’t let up.

Keir thrashed and continued to fight despite how weak he was becoming. Even with his crude bandages, he was losing too much blood and was starting to get light headed. He tried to block the knife from hitting any vital areas. His hands and arms were cut up from her constant attacks and his legs were being held down by Etoile.

“Viraine,” Etoile said as she continued to cut at him. “Viraine, stop. Viraine!”

She continued to ignore him, indulging in the pleasure of wounding an Angel. It was addictive; the power and strength she felt was like a drug. She was high with sadistic joy and never wanted to come down.

“Viraine! Listen to me!” Etoile yelled, causing her to pause just for a moment. Keir fell limp the moment she stopped.

“What do you want?!” She hissed as she glanced over her shoulder.

“Get rid of his weapon!” Etoile said as he grunted in pain. Viraine looked down at him and noticed that Etoile was holding down Keir’s ankle, his hands pressing up against the halo that was burning into his skin. She smiled and looked back at Keir who was bleeding and crying in front of her.

“Oh, yes…that weapon is causing a problem, isn’t it?” she purred, bending down to run the tip of her blade along the jugular of Keir’s throat. He shivered with fear, swallowing thickly as she moved. She turned so she was facing Etoile, straddling Keir’s waist as she spun the knife in her hand effortlessly. “No harm in playing butcher, hmm? I don’t care if he has a missing limb or two.”

“No!” Keir shrieked, trying to sit up to stop her, but he was too weak. The room was too dark for him to see and he felt like he was going to black out from the pain. He could see her lifting her knife into the air, swinging it down to chop off his ankle; and he screamed.

The pain never came. A flash of white flew overhead and rammed into Viraine before her blade could touch Keir’s ankle. She tumbled forward, screeching and hissing as she tried to throw off her attacker. Etoile rush to her aid, grabbing the assailant and yanking him off of her.

Keir scrambled back, gasping for air as he tried to pull himself to safety. However this room was a war zone and he couldn’t get too far away from the battle. He could see the glimmer of a blade and the pearly white and red of blood stained feathers dropping to the floor. Growling and hissing echoed around him and made him nervous. The noise would soon attract someone else in the hotel. The fight needed to end!

Etoile seemed to appear out of nowhere and grabbed Keir from behind, choking him as he dragged him up to his feet. “Don’t even think about going anywhere,” the Demon growled as he tightened his hold on Keir’s throat. The Angel gasped and clawed at Etoile’s arm, desperately trying to loosen his grip.

Spots began to form in front of his eyes as the oxygen was blocked off. He tried to scream but he couldn’t raise his voice much louder than a wheeze. He bucked and arched and flapped his wings to try and get Etoile off him; but the Elder was much stronger than Regal had ever been. Keir couldn’t push him off.

For a moment, Keir thought that he had blacked out. Everything went dark around him, but soon his vision was covered with nothing but a bright white and the grip on his throat was released.

He fell to his knees, crying out at the pain as he gasped for air. The Angel looked up and saw Viraine getting up to her feet, using the bed as leverage. Her eye was clawed and was bleeding heavily. She yanked her blade from the wall and started coming for Keir.

The Angel reached down to grab his halo and gripped it tightly. It burned his hand, but it was nothing in comparison to the numbing pain he was feeling in his arm and leg. Whatever poison or bacteria was in Aeshma’s fangs was started to spread faster due to his fast heart rate.

As Viraine lunged forward, he ripped off his halo, cutting into his ankle as the metal unhinged itself. He swung his arm up, slicing upwards at Viraine. She screeched as the angelic weapon tore into her cheek. She seized up and howled in pain, clutching her face in agony. Her blade fell from her hand, clattering to the floor after it managed to cut a deep gash into Keir’s chest.

Keir fell forward, buckling under the pain that was all over his body. He needed to get out…he couldn’t stay here any longer or else he wouldn’t have a chance at survival. He got up onto his feet shakily, his leg numb from venom. He collapsed back onto the floor, unable to hold his body weight up.

His ears were ringing and the sounds of fighting and Viraine’s screaming was making his head pound. He groaned and began to drag himself away toward the window. He could fly…he could always try to fly; and if that didn’t work, maybe throwing himself out the window would be a better death than under Viraine’s control.

A body landed in front of him, causing him to yelp and stumble back. He didn’t want Etoile to grab him again. But white surrounded him again, soothing him with a familiar warmth he craved.

Michelangelo…he had come to save him. Someone heard his pleas! He fell into the embrace, burying his head into his savior’s chest. He could hear the low growling rumbling in the Angel’s chest as he threatened the two Demons.

Keir glanced over his shoulder to look at them. Etoile was at Viraine’s side, helping her up to her feet as she tried to stop the bleeding on her face. Etoile was also wounded, but not nearly as bad as her. His years of experience had paid off and all he had to show of this battle was a few cuts on his arms and his ripped clothes.

The blond could feel blood dripping on him from the Angel holding him. He rubbed his forehead and looked at his fingers to see that the blood was…

…not golden in color.

He looked at his fingertips confused, wondering if it was the dark lighting of the room. But he could see his blood clearly, despite how grimy it was from his sins. Why did this blood look like Ichor?

“Why are you attacking us?” Viraine finally snapped, her voice rising in hysterical rage. Keir flinched and glanced over at her, clinging to his protector as she took a step forward. She looked absolutely mad, driven insane from her desire to kill the Angel. Etoile held her back as she lunged forward, “We’re on your side!”

“The moment you thought of harming him you were against me,” Regal growled as he held onto Keir tighter. His wings flapped behind him, the bright white feathers shimmering and casting a warm glow around the room. Etoile and Viraine visibly recoiled and growled.

“You’re crazy!” Viraine spat, his voice growling like a feral animal. “That Angel made you soft! You used to be one of the strongest Demons of this century!”

“I am still one of the strongest!” Regal barked back, “The fact I can stand up to you to save what is mine regardless of what it is proves I am!”

Viraine laughed bitterly, throwing her blade so it drove itself into the ground a few inches from Keir. The Angel yelped and clung to Regal tighter, shaking as he tried to stay conscious. Regal was…he was here. He had white wings. He really had ascended.

Regal knew this as well. His Diligence to save Keir was enough to push him over the edge. He could feel the tugging on his entire being trying to pull him up so he could change completely, but he refused to budge until Keir was safe. He was the reason for him being here after all.

“You act like he’s your property,” Viraine hissed as she stood up a bit straighter, pushing Etoile away from her. The Greed Demon stood back, his eyes flickering back and forth between Regal and Viraine warily. “He was never your property!”

Regal narrowed his eyes and stood up from his crouched position, holding Keir bridal style in his arms. “He’s more than property,” the now half-breed said lowly, “He’s a part of me.”

“Not anymore,” Etoile said cautiously, knowing that both Viraine and Regal had hot tempers – granted, not as hot as Demons of Wrath or Pride – but he didn’t want to set either of them off into another frenzied attack.

“Silence!” Regal commanded as he looked harshly at Etoile. “The fact you’re even here has broken any trust I had for you! I won’t listen to a word you say.”

Etoile seemed visibly hurt by that and frowned, “As I keep saying, I wouldn’t be here if I had the choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Regal growled. Etoile looked at Viraine for a moment.

She widened her eyes slightly and moved closer to him, “Ettie, don’t you dare leave me. You promised to help me! You have no choice!” She smirked slightly as she began to laugh, “Remember, I have dirt on you! You wouldn’t dare go against me!”

The eldest sighed and reached back into his pocket, pulling out his pen. “You really don’t give me a choice, do you?” He drew a thick black line on the wall and shook his head, “I have my own set of morals and killing off this Angel simply doesn’t follow. I won’t dirty my hands for you, no matter what gossip you hold over my head.” He glanced over at Regal and bowed his head somewhat in a silent apology.

Viraine stared with disbelief as Etoile stepped into the portal and closed it behind him. After a moment of silence she began to laugh uncontrollably, her mental stability cracking under the pressure; Regal – the only person she ever could admit to liking – was ascending to Grace, Etoile – her only other “friend” – had just abandoned her like the greedy coward he was, and Keir was going to get away with it all without proper punishment! Where was the justice in that?!

She screamed, lunging forward to attack. Regal held Keir close and turned to ram his shoulder against her, but Keir thought faster than that and grabbed the blade in front of him and rammed it upward, jabbing it into Viraine’s gut.

Choking on blood, she hunched forward. Keir whimpered and twisted the blade as he pulled it back out, dropping it immediately from distress as the black ichor splattered against him and the carpet. Regal pulled Keir away from Viraine as she crumpled to the floor. The Angel’s eyes were wet with tears as he clung to Regal for comfort.

“Regal…I…I…”

“Shh, it’s ok. Keep quiet.” Regal stepped back and slipped through the window, flying out and upwards to fly out of the city as far as he could. Keir clung to him and cried, his entire being shaking from the horror of it all; the near death experience he just had, Regal’s final virtue being completed, driving the blade into Viraine to protect them both.

“I didn’t want to kill her,” he choked, “I didn’t want to.”

“I know,” Regal cooed gently, “It’ll be all right in the end.”

He landed in the middle of a gold course at a nearby country club. The sun was just starting to rise and lighten up the sky. Regal set Keir down gently onto the ground up against a tree and began to rip off strips of fabric from his shirt to tend to Keir’s wounds.

“Y-your wings,” Keir said softly as he hiccupped from crying. Regal glanced over his shoulder to see the now fully white wings spread out behind him.

“Yeah, I guess I’m an angel now, or almost an Angel. I don’t know how the process works really,” he murmured.

Keir felt guilt run through him. He shook his head and tried to hold back the tears as he bent forward to bury his face into his knees, “I’m so sorry…I didn’t want this to happen. I came to try and stop it and—”

Regal cupped Keir’s face and made him look up at him, “Keir, don’t. I knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.”

“I don’t understand,” Keir murmured as he bit his split lip. Regal ran his thumb over it and frowned. He didn’t like seeing Keir so wounded.

“The moment I heard you screaming I knew I was going to ascend. I couldn’t ignore it. How could I?” Regal explained as comfortingly as he could. Keir threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Regal’s neck, holding him close. The half-breed held him closely and tenderly.

“I wish I could have protected myself…I just…I just wanted to stop this from happening,” Keir said mournfully. “You’re not yourself like this…”

Regal frowned and rubbed Keir’s back, “I know. But I have no choice. This is my fate. I’m sure Gloria is already sending one of her Archangels to fetch me now.”

“Garrett,” Keir corrected automatically. Regal was confused for a moment before chuckling. Keir sat back, looking at Regal sternly. “You just said that you always have a choice. Even now, you have free will. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“Don’t you want me to stay with you?” Regal asked with slight confusion. He chuckled a bit, a small grin forming on his face, “Can’t you be a bit selfish for once?”

The Angel laughed, “Not at all.” He held Regal’s hand in his own tightly, rubbing his thumb over Regal’s fingers.

Regal grinned and leaned forward to kiss Keir softly. He could feel the Angel melting into it, enjoying every second that their lips were pressed together. It only lasted for a few moments before Regal pulled away. They could both sense the presence of a stronger being coming; Garrett’s Archangel was coming for him. Regal sighed and let go of Keir’s hands, standing up to wait to be summoned.

“Do what makes you happy,” Keir said softly as he looked up at him. Regal stared down at him silently for a moment, trying to figure out what truly made him happy in the world. Being a Demon certainly did; he enjoyed the power and the mischief that came with it. Living the life of a goody two shoes would fulfill him; but being beside Keir and knowing he was safe made him happy as well. Regal had grown to love the Angel in the end and he didn’t want to part from him. However, being this way…being an Angel, it simply wasn’t him. He didn’t feel right in his own skin. He could never truly be happy like this.

“Being myself makes me happy,” Regal whispered lowly.

“Then don’t let anyone change you.”

Regal blinked with surprise at Keir’s honest request. The Angel did want him to be happy in the end and wouldn’t let his own selfish desires control him. Regal smiled down at him, thanking him silently for letting him go. Keir reflected the smile up at the half-breed sadly, knowing that this could very well be the last time they saw each other if Regal could somehow change this.

“I’ll see you later, no matter what happens,” Regal promised.

Seconds later, two Archangels appeared through bright portals. Beside Keir appeared the strongest of all Archangels; the one who was next in line for the throne is Garrett was to ever fall from his perch. Even Regal recognized the strangely cut short blond hair and fun-loving yet mischievous teal eyes Gabriel possessed.

Regal felt the presence of a different Archangel behind him and turned. He was face to face with a shorter woman whose eyes were are dark as coal and her brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that curled down to the ground.

Both Archangels were wearing battle gear; chest plates and chain mail made of angelic gold and platinum. Although they wore no head gear, they still looked prepared for a fight. However, before Regal or Keir could ever have a chance to lash out, the Archangels swept the two fledglings up in a bright white light and pulled them into their respective portals, taking them to opposite ends of Heaven.