Angels Ch 05

***As requested, I'm trying to make my stories longer. I'm working on it, I promise. The next chapter should be out in about a week, if not less time. As always, I love comments!***

I look up at him with lust filled eyes, waiting for him to finish. He's already made me orgasm. I just want to fill him inside me, to show him the same pleasure he's shown me. I lift my head, offering my lips, and he kisses me slowly.

"Take me." I beg. Izual shakes his head and pulls away.

"Lucifer." Izual says. Their eyes meet and I squirm in Lucifer's grasp. He throws me onto the bed and pins me down. I look up into those piercing green eyes and resist the urge to scream.

"Izual, damn you!" I shriek. He laughs, but not as if he's truly happy.

"I am a demon, child. Damning me is redundant." Izual's lips brush across my pulse.

"Every time I trust you, you-" he cuts me off with a rough, hungry kiss. I moan helplessly as he touches me.

"Andariel, I would not abandon you to such cruelness." he whispers. I strain upwards and he kisses me again, pinning me to the bed with the weight of his body. Lucifer rolls out of the way, but stays perched on the end of the bed to watch.

"I notice that you don't argue." I manage. Lucifer laughs silkily and fists his hand in my hair. I yelp as he jerks my head back, making me arch.

"I try not to argue with the truth." he whispers. Izual growls and bites my throat, teasing my nipples until they are stiff and aching. He kisses his way down my stomach and puts his hands on my thighs.

"Spread them." Izual orders. I shiver and obey him. He rewards me with the tip of his tongue and a questing finger. I scream, all too eager for more, and he pulls away from me. "Let us see if you still feel the same when I offer you nothing but torment."

He walks out of the room, and I sit in stunned silence. Lucifer crawls forward sinuously, his tongue darting out to taste my tears. I curl up against the headboard, retreating from him like a frightened rabbit, and he follows me. His lips are on my pulse, and I can feel his arousal against my leg.

"Beg." Lucifer orders. I snarl and dive to the side, sliding under the bed easily. Lucifer peers under the bed and sighs. "Do you plan to stay there?"

I make a soft, scared noise and he retreats. I stay under the bed until I see him walk out of the door. Then I come out cautiously and unlock the window. I want Izual to love me, but I doubt I will get my wish. There's no real point in staying here. I put my palms flat against the stone wall and cling. Normally I would fly, but wings still haven't healed completely. I'm not sure they ever will, actually. Father intended that I would never fly again, and people usually carried out his wishes. I slip into the woods, thinking of sleeping curled against my love. Izual used to let me sleep with him, in the purely platonic sense of the word, and I would wake up wrapped in his scent, and often his body. I miss those times more and more.

Michael steps out from behind a nearby tree, and I go completely still. He ignores me, for some reason, and simply walks past, towards the castle. All of my instincts say to run now, before he notices me and decides to have a noon snack. I glance over my shoulder at him. He could kill Lucifer and leave everyone else alone. It could happen. I creep after him, cursing under my breath all the while. He lounges against a tree, and I duck behind a convenient bush. He looks around, and I feel his magic brush me. Instantly I want to stand up and go to him, to kneel at his feet and gaze in awe at his glory.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are." he purrs. I blink away my lassitude and back away. I don't trust myself around the freak. His magic is just too good. Unfortunately he's not the only one out here. I trip over his servant with a startled cry and turn to run. No use for subtlety now. Michael raises his hand, and his power swamps me. I stop dead in my tracks, resisting the urge to whimper. I hate being helpless. His hands glide over my sensitive skin, and I hate him for it. I glare at him, unable to open my mouth to curse him. He lays a soft kiss upon my mouth.

"Remember this, when the time comes that my life is in your hands." Michael whispers. He kisses me again, but this time his magic pours through me. It hurts, but it feels so very wonderful as well. I can feel my bruises healing and my bones popping into their rightful places. I scream, caught between agony and joy, and the world goes black.

My lashes flutter as I return to consciousness, and I resist the urge to dwell upon what a recurring theme that is. I just keep getting knocked out. Perhaps I'm a bit more delicate than previously thought. Or maybe I should just quit playing with beings that could kill me as easily as they breathe. Nah, that would be too logical.

"Are you done passing out? I do have things to do today aside from stare at your beautiful little ass." Lucifer says. I jump and look over my shoulder at him where he is, indeed, quite fixated on my ass.

"I should probably be thankful I haven't been tied to a tree yet." I grumble. Lucifer laughs and pulls me to my feet. In the process he jerks me off balance and pulls me against him.

"Maybe later." he breathes. I shiver as runs the tip of his tongue over my neck. Damn, I do not want to sleep with this guy, but he's extremely good at making me forget that. He laughs softly and sucks on my ear lobe. I moan and try to step away from him, but he wraps his arm around my waist.

"You want me." Lucifer whispers. I shake my head.

"I want Izual." I correct. He laughs silkily and fists a hand in my hair. I yelp as he pulls my head to the side, exposing my delicate throat. I know from experience that if he rips my throat out, I will still live, but it's an extremely painful process. I whimper and he growls. His lips brush ever so lightly across my skin, and I try to stay perfectly still.

"Perhaps, but if he continues to ignore you, then you will become desperate, and desperate creatures do idiotic things." I don't even try to argue with that. I don't know if it's true or not. I just want him to stop teasing me.

"You said you had things to do." I remind him. He sighs and lets me go. I drop to the ground, my knees too unsteady to hold me up.

"Oh, yes, the original reason I came out here to find you. What were you doing with Michael, dragul meu?" I look up at him cautiously, waiting for him to hit me. Or try to kill me. My life kinda goes that way.

"I followed him." I answer. I hesitate, waiting to see his reaction, but he remains simply politely interested. "He was here, and I wanted to see what he was doing."

"Looking for dragul meu, of course." Michael purrs. I look up and growl, softly. He meets my eyes for a moment, and I blush. "It will help to have a queen indebted to me, I think,"

"What did you do?" Lucifer snarls. I flinch back against the tree. It's a helpless reaction, born of far too long under my father's rule. He snarls louder and grabs me by the hair. "Answer me!"

"I- I-" I squeak, and then my throat closes, and I can say no more. I stare up at him, terrified. He jerks me up to his level and pins me against the nearest tree.

"Tell me." Lucifer orders. I open my mouth, but no words will come out. Michael laughs softly.

"Trouble in the royal bedchamber?" Michael mocks. Lucifer snarls at him as well, and he smiles. "Let me help you. Your little pet did not do anything wrong. I captured her, I healed her, and I set her free."

Lucifer's grip on my hair eases, but he keeps me pinned against the tree.

"Is this true?" he asks. I nod and look down intently.

"I had to see for myself, you see. Izual told me that she was not in his bed, but I could not believe it until I realized she had been claimed by someone more powerful than he." Michael says. I realize suddenly that he thinks I'm with Lucifer. Damn, just how pervading is that theory? You wake up in a guy's bed one time and suddenly you're dating. Bleh.

"She is under my protection, and you would do well to keep your hands off of her." Lucifer growls. He bites my neck and I moan for him, more for effect than anything else. It hurts when it's just random. Michael nods and backs away until he disappears into the tree line. Lucifer sighs and starts off towards the castle. I scamper after him, struggling to keep up with his long-legged stride.

"What am I to do with you, dragul meu? Every time I leave you alone you get into trouble." I can't really argue with that, so I choose to keep my mouth shut. I do have an unfortunate penchant for attracting trouble. He glances back at me and shakes his head. "Come along now."

I follow him into the castle and stand at his right shoulder when he sits down, doing my best to look guardly. He looks around for a minute and then rolls his eyes.

"Sit, dragul meu, sit. No harm will befall any of us here." he assures me. Yeah, that's a great thing to assume, if you want to die soon. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure I have to listen to him, so I take the seat to his left. The other high ranking fallen file in, and my stomach drops. Izual sits right across from me, and I very carefully study the room. If I look interested in all the other people who probably want me dead, maybe he won't notice how much I want to leap across the table and snuggle in his lap. They all link hands, and my dread deepens. I had forgotten the manner that the council ensures there are no lies among them. I close the circle and take a deep breath. If I center myself and concentrate on one thing, no one can read the rest of my thoughts. All of the other minds press in on me at once, and I feel as if I am suffocating. I shake my head and blink, and the panic recedes a bit. Lucifer and Izual exchanges glances, then look at me. I can feel them wondering how much power I truly have, and why I'm not more bothered than I am by the joining. I can also feel their rivalry over me, though I can't understand it. Further down the table I can feel a mind that feels almost like Izual, but not quite. I reach out to him curiously and the links shatter. I sit up in my chair slowly and look around, trying to figure out which guy it was. A few second's observation makes it obvious- only one angel looks like the blonde version of Izual. He gives me a little half bow and I blink, sure I'm hallucinating.

"Azrael, quit flirting with the king's lover." One of the others snaps. I frown and he pales instantly. Apparently they aren't sure how much power I really have.

"I'm not-" I begin, and Lucifer cuts in smoothly.

"She is under my protection, but she is not restricted solely to my bed. If she wishes to flirt, then that is her business." he says. I blink at him, slightly shocked. Offering a Halfling protection, even if it's not oathbound, would be paramount to the king allowing me to feed from him. He meets my eyes, and I get a sudden flash of us in the air, our bodies intertwined, feeding off of each other. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and hear his voice in my mind.

"I could offer you so much, if only you would accept it."

"So, brother, where did you find such a delectable little creature?" Izual's look alike asks. I cock my head to the side.

"I never have understood that. If you're all related, isn't it weird for you to kill each other?" I ask. Several of the council members give me dirty looks, but Lucifer just smiles.

"Brother, as in comrade, not brother, as in, sibling." Lucifer explains. "With the exception of Izual and Azrael, of course."

I look from one to the other and decide to keep my mouth shut, though I am curious about how twins come to exist like that. Azrael gives me that same half smile and answers even though I never asked aloud.

"We are two halves of the same person, the same soul. Calling us twins is simply the easiest explanation."

"So if Izual is like the winged Avenger, what are you?" I ask, curiosity overcoming my usual sense of politeness and self preservation. He smiles, unoffended.

"I am the angel of death." he states. Oh. Like that's not creepy at all. so, what can I say that's polite here?

"So you said you had business to be discussed, Lucifer?" I ask. He nods and strokes my cheek gently.

"We must decide what to do with the other Halflings." Lucifer states. I feel the blood drain out of my face and fight to stay calm. They may not have been much help, but they are my family.

"How many have not yet been bred?" a silver haired man asks. He has no lines upon his face, and no other signs of age, just silver hair. Maybe he was born that way? Or created that way, in any case.

"Thirteen, including Andariel."

"And how many winged?" Their eyes slide over my glossy feathers, and I twitch my wings nervously.

"Only Andariel." I shake my head. I know there are more than that, hiding then.

"What do you plan to do with them?" I ask, sounding only mildly curious. Lucifer shrugs.

"If we allow you rights, then we must allow them the same rights. They are free to choose a mate among us, or among the humans, if any would have them." Yeah, I get the implication, angelets without wings just aren't as good.

"And if there were more? Ones who could fly?" I ask. Lucifer turns his gaze to me, and I know I've made a mistake.

"You know where they are hiding." he purrs. I nod. He strokes my throat, ever so gently. "Tell me, dragul meu."

"They are my family." I whisper. Lucifer studies my eyes curiously.

"Would you die for them?" he asks. I cough a bit. Technically I'm immortal, unless you cut off my wings, so no, I wouldn't. I would endure torture for them, though. I wonder if that counts. He squeezes my throat until I can barely breathe. "You know, every other one of the little brood we have found is at least a twin, if not a triplet, except you. Why is that, dragul meu?"

"I'm a triplet." I manage. He lets go and I massage my neck.

"Tell me where they are."

"Give me your oath that you will protect them." I reply. He rolls his eyes.

"I promise you the chits will come to no harm. Where are they?"

"Your oath." I hiss. He smiles slightly.

"I cannot give you oath without names, and names have power." I consider that. With a name, Lucifer and God can call any angel to them. If they are weak of will, or just underfed, they will have no choice but to come. My sisters are not like me. They are most definitely delicate creatures.

"Swear to me that you will personally protect my sisters." I answer. He considers this and nods.

"Andariel, I swear to you by all things within my domain that I will personally protect your sisters." he says. Izual and Azrael exchange long looks.

"Andariel, I swear to you by all things within my domain that I will personally protect you, and I plead that my king will uphold my honor should I fail." We all turn to Lucifer, and he nods.

"So it shall be. Your sisters?" I concentrate and call them to the council room, using our old secret language.

"They should be here in ten minutes or so." I answer absently. I allow myself to stare at Izual, just for a few moments before I have to be good again. He meets my gaze and I look down. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to catch me. My cheeks burn with embarrassment as Azrael laughs.

"Come to me, little one. I will give you what my brother will not." he purrs. I snort and continue to study the table. Suddenly I can feel his hands, slowly massaging the tense muscles in my shoulders. I look over at Azrael, about to snap at him, but something makes me look to Izual. His eyes are dark with lust, and just the sight of him so eager and hungry makes wetness pool in my panties. I shift uncomfortably and his nostrils flair. He leans in closer, following my scent, and kisses my pulse. What can I say, it's not really a large table. His lips brush against my ear, and I shiver.

"After this, we three go to my rooms here." Izual orders. I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. I don't know if the coming night will be heaven or hell, but it will certainly be memorable.