Wings that Guard Me

Chapter 23 Raphael

The next few weeks of school are relatively uneventful. Of course I take advantage and mess with her as much as possible, it's just too hard to resist. She responds so differently and it's nice to finally have a change from the typical human.

Tony organized this little sight seeing day for the both of us new people in town. I'm meeting them at his house in a few minutes. I've been up for hours but haven't done much, aside from my daily training which I don't usually do unless I'm bored. I even let my wings out for a little bit, letting them stretch and relax in their full size. Checking the time I pull my wings back in and grab a shirt. I make my way to Tony's house.

When I arrive they are already sitting on the front steps to his house. The first thing that I notice is that if she is an angel she made a crucial mistake. She's wearing a tight fitting white shirt. As soon as I see her back I'll know for sure.
On noticing my arrival they stand up. I notice the lighthearted atmosphere around them and it sickens me. I try to hide this though as they step towards me. "Ready?" Tony asks. I shrug and Seraph smiles and nods. With that we start walking away from the house and down the neighborhood.

For some reason we walk in a line so I can't clearly see her back yet. Every time I would try to lag behind to get a better look they would slow down with me. Finally we reach our first stop and can only enter through the door one at a time. When she steps through in front of me I see it. Her entire back is covered in gold markings of angel wings. Any human would call it a tattoo but I know better.

"Are those wings I see on your back Angel?" I lean forward and tauntingly talk in her ear. I smirk as I feel her body tense. "N-no." She stammers. Somehow I don't believe her. "Now why don't I believe you?" She turns her head to look at me and I can see the worry in her eyes. "I think you're lying Angel," I whisper to her, "I think you're an Angel."
"That's ridiculous." She tries to give a breathy laugh but her nervousness is obvious. I pull away from her and smirk. "What if angels can live among us? What if their wings turn into tattoos on their backs? What if that's your tattoo?" I taunt her loudly. She squirms under my gaze and words. This is when Tony decides to join the conversation, if you can call it that.

"Leave her alone man. Don't be a jerk." Tony tries to defend her however weakly. I was about to respond when Seraph snaps her head towards him.

"Excuse me, but I can take care of trash just as good as a man thank you very much." She snaps at him. I try hard to choke back a laugh at the fierceness in her voice and the utter shock in his expression.

"I was just telling Seraph here how I like her angel wings tattoo. Very fitting for your name, Angel." I cut in, directing the new found tension back at me. I just smile at the two of them and watch. Tony is surprised, he obviously didn't see her marks on her back before. I catch him glancing at her back and squinting to try and see it through her shirt.
"When did you get that? It's huge. You're not even fourteen yet, how did you get it?" Tony asks, dumbfounded. I smirk and watch her closely, expecting her to be caught off guard. Instead she remained calm with a perfect poker face. "My mom helped me get it."

Now with me knowing what it's like to get a tattoo, I ask the important question. "Didn't it hurt?"
She turns slowly to look me dead in the eyes, "More than I've ever felt before." I smirk, I can imagine. "Pass out?" I ask. She tilts her chin up ever so slightly, obviously proud of herself. "No." comes her simple response.
I have to admit I'm impressed, but it don't show it. Then I decide to take advantage of this new knowledge and make her life even more troublesome. "So Angel, now that I've seen your wings, where's your halo?" I glance pointedly at the crown of her head. She stiffens and glares at me but out of the corner of my eye I notice her finger twitch. That's when I realize she has a thin gold band on her finger.

I grin mischievously and reach for her hand. Taking it in mine and lifting it so we can all see it clearly I point to her ring. I glance at her face for her reaction to my scarred and calloused hands and I'm not disappointed. With my free hand I twist her ring. There's an irritating stinging sensation where my skin makes contact with the righteous metal. A normal Fallen would not be able to touch it without receiving serious burns as bad or worse than the burns received by the acid pits in my homeland. But that's the advantage of being me, pain has no effect in this regard, and my heritage gives me the ability to touch and hold such precious and powerful material from the Righteous realm without getting any form of injury. This of course is another thing that separates me from my fellow Fallen, but prefer such separation, even if it is shameful.

She gasps in surprise when I twist her ring and my hand does not immediately begin to burn. I show no sign of pain and she doesn't seem to believe her senses when she registers these details. I'm sure by now she has at least a suspicion as to what I am, if she hasn't figured it out already. But every test she has been told in training for spotting my kind isn't applying to me. Of how confused she must be! And I thought messing with the lives of humans was entertaining! This is the best vacation I've had in my entire two hundred and eighteen years of life!