Chapter Seventeen

The wind whistled across his skin in the grey sky that was spotted with rain amid thundering. Sharp needles of rain dug into his skin as his body turned over and over, through thick clouds into more thick clouds. His hand shot out to grab onto something, but all they met with was air whizzing past. Lightning flashed across his front, striking the cloud he was formerly in, lighting it up and a ghoul-like face appeared in the shadows lingering inside.

Azarel tried to face himself towards the ground as his body tore through the stormy sky, but tendrils of light struck the tip of his right wing and latched onto it. Pulling it back, the root of his wing separated from his back. With one swift yank, his right wing sliced out of the skin on his back and flew back upwards where the pearly gates were. The impact sent Azarel's body tumbling over and over in midair as the tendrils reached for his other wing.

"No, no!" Azarel yelled.

His body pierced the night sky with a sharp hiss, and his other wing was forced from his body in similar fashion. He cried out in pain as the blood flowed from the open wounds in his back, the rain pelting on them and intensifying the pain. His hands wrestled with the racing air around him, and soon, Earth was in view.

Lightning struck across the fierce clouds again and a boom echoed around his body. He somehow managed to face his body to look at the sky, but he forced his body to look towards the ground instead. There was green everywhere, and the seas far away were surging and crashing onto rocks mercilessly.

He closed his eyes.

This was retribution.

Eyes flying open again, the trees grew and grew in size. He willed for his wings to appear again and stop his descent to the earth but all he felt were the two gaping wounds on his back.

Dawn!

He fell and fell and fell. Where was Dawn? Was she safe? Christ, he never thought he'd give up Heaven for a human, and now he was well on his way to his demise. Birds passed him dizzyingly as he plummeted to the ground. He could see the people now.

Dawn! Dawn!

And then his body hit the asphalt.

❃❃❃

The door slammed open at the same time thunder bellowed overhead, and he limped inside before sprawling across the ground in a wet heap. Pieces of branches and leaves flew everywhere from his body and the wounds on his back burned hot against the cold inside the home.

"Azarel!" Dawn said in shock as she ran across the living room to fall onto her knees at his side. "What happened?"

"Christ, it fucking stings," Azarel muttered in pain.

"What stings?"

Azarel peeled his white shirt over his head and threw it across the room. There were two angry red slashes on the back and bits of flesh were also decorating the surface of it.

"Let me see," Dawn said as she positioned herself at his back. "Oh, wow." Azarel felt her eyes trace the slits on his back, shaped in a caret. Her fingers grazed the jagged edges of one slit lightly, and the shockwaves of pain caused him to wince.

"It hurts like a bitch," he said.

"What are these?"

Azarel paused for a moment. How was he going to explain this? "They're nothing, Dawn."

"Umm, my eyes are working, thank you very much. How did you get these wounds?" Dawn asked and he felt her breath touch the open slits.

"I can't tell you."

"These wounds - They look like - like - " Dawn said, pausing.

He turned around to stare at her. "Like what?"

"Nothing."

"Like what, Dawn?"

"Well, you don't answer my questions, so why should I answer any of yours?"

"Dawn."

"I've been suspicious for a while," Dawn said. "But I think I have a good idea now."

"What idea?" Azarel asked, breath hitching.

"You're not human, are you?"

❃❃❃

A roar of pain pierced the silence in the still home as acid exploded inside him, coating everything in its path. He tossed in the turmoil, until he struggled out of bed, falling at the side. Pulling his legs up to his chest, another roar left him as his hand struck the bedside table. His alarm clock toppled over the side and fell with its clock face staring at him.

It was 3 am.

Smoke poured from his body and a burning smell stretched throughout the entire small room, permeating every surface on it. The door was soon thrown open and Dawn raced inside, dropping to his side again. Picking him up into her lap, she touched a hand over his forehead.

"You're burning!" Dawn exclaimed.

He shivered in the cold sweat, his body teetering between fire and ice. "Dawn, get out."

She ran her fingers through his hair, but instead of a smooth surface, her hands connected with a hard object. She pushed his hair aside and Azarel could feel her curious stare on his head. She rubbed the hard object between two fingers and a huff of laughter escaped from her lips.

"You're really not human. These are horns," Dawn said.

"Horns? What the fuck?" Azarel said as his hand connected with Dawn's on top of his head.

They were horns indeed. On top of his head. His hand fell to his side again in exhaustion.

He was clearly a fallen angel now. And that meant he was likely also a demon.

"You smell like you're burning," Dawn said. "Well, you are hot." And she laughed.

"I'd love it if you didn't make fun of my pain right now, Dawn."

"What? I'm enjoying this. I want to see how you can get out of having to explain what you are to me," she said. "Are you an Incubus? I've been having such weird dreams lately."

She was close.

"Fuck, the acid," Azarel said as the pain bloomed from within again. He trembled in her arms, and she covered his forehead with one cold palm.

"Shh…" she said. "Everything will be alright soon."

"I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside," he said with a shaky voice.

"That doesn't sound ideal," she laughed. "I don't think my sex life can suffer another hit."

"Dawn, are you joking right now?" Azarel said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, actually. When did you find out?" Dawn joked and he shot her a glare. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"I'm suffering!"

"Fine, I'll be thoughtful," she said. "Azarel, my guardian, I'll stay by your side to ride the pain out with you. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. And I promise I won't act up while you recover."

"Fuck," Azarel said as the pain intensified. "It hurts so fucking much."

"Oh my god!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

She pointed towards his lower body. "What the fuck is that?"

Azarel looked down at himself. Extending from his back was a long, thick tail the colour of lava unfurling across the floor.

"What the fuck is that?" Azarel repeated in horror.

The end of the tail alternated in its shape, jerking between forms erratically. At first it had a split end, then it was like a club with ribs on it, and then it had wings attached to either side.

"Jesus," he said as Dawn erupted into happy laughter. He glared up at her. "I swear, I'll kill you one day."

"You're more than welcome," she said. "But you better not do it before you use that tail during sex."

❃❃❃

He got to his feet and drank from the cup of water Dawn passed him a while ago. She stood in front of his bed, arms folded with an amused expression on her face. He sat at the edge of his bed in front of her and sighed. He could feel the horns on top of his head and his tail seemed to have a life of its own. It was kicking everywhere and no part of his own will was able to tame it.

"I think it's time for me to explain this," Azarel said to Dawn.

"You think?"

"I'm not human," he said after a long sigh.

"No way!" she said sarcastically.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Dawn."

"Well, excuse me then. You were saying?"

"Angels exist and I was formerly an archangel but was recently demoted. Every human has an angel that looks after them, a guardian angel. Yours was recently promoted and I replaced her as your guardian angel. When I saw that your uncle was a pedophile, I decided to step in personally to become your legal guardian. And after fucking you, I was thrown out of Heaven."

"So you're a fallen angel?"

"Basically, yes," he said.

"That also makes you a demon," she said, a corner of her lips lifting.

"Yes," he said as his tail stretched towards Dawn's leg. Extending on its own, it curled around one of her thighs, spiralling up it. He tried to yank it back to him, but it didn't listen.

Dawn glanced at the tail around her thigh. "I like this guy, Azarel."

"I don't," he said as he tugged on his tail to return to him. An appendage appeared on the section around her thigh and connected to her other thigh. It pushed against it, and Dawn's thighs parted further.

"I think this guy is your inner man. You're so uptight about everything, but deep down, all you want is to throw your responsibilities aside and fill me with your cum, right?"

Azarel scoffed. "As if," he said but they were both interrupted when hair-like tendrils protruded from the tail and wrapped around Dawn's zipper, inching it down bit by bit. "Fucking tail, don't make me chop you off!"

"Let's name it," Dawn said. "I call it Azzie."

"We're not fucking naming it," Azarel said. He caught his end of the tail in a vice-like grip and yanked it hard back. And the tail retreated from Dawn.

"Aww, c'mon," Dawn said. "Things were just getting fun."

"Alright," Azarel said, getting up. "Time to go to bed."

"That's more like it!"

"Hah, it's not what you think," he said, grabbing onto her forearm.

"Wait - "

"Good night, Dawn," he said, pushing her out of his door, just before his tail was about to reach for her again.