Demons

Chapter One

I stared out of the board room window while the Devil spoke. His voice was the same smooth baritone it had always been. The same voice that had coaxed me from my place in heaven. Storm clouds filled the night sky as I watched. I had no need to pay attention to what he was saying. I had already been briefed. I was just here as a formality. Just so the other's still knew I was on his side. Today at least.
"Nathaniel." My assistant stepped in the boardroom on quiet feet. I glanced over at her. Once again the urge rose to smile and tell her she worked for the Devil's right hand. I wondered if she still smile at me like that if she knew the truth. I smiled back at her pretty face.
"Why are you still here, my dear? It's late."
"I was just going over the paperwork for monday for you. I was just hoping to get some signatures on these. My apologies for the interruption, Mr. Lucian." She nodded at the Devil. He grinned back.
"No apologies necessary, Ms. Arden. It's always wonderful to see your beautiful face. If only Nathaniel hadn't stolen you first."  He was still smiling as he said it. She blushed a little. The Devil was an attractive man after all. I glared in his direction. Mine. I hissed at him in my head. He winked at me as I turned my attention back to the woman standing beside me.
"Go home, Lydia. You work too hard." I told her as I signed the papers she put in front of me.
"Oh, I don't mind, sir. It gives me something to do besides sitting at home with a pint of ice cream." Her jaw dropped open and her cheeks turned bright red like she couldn't believe she had just said that out loud. I chuckled as I handed her the paperwork back.
"Home to your ice cream, Lydia. I mean it."
"Yes, sir. Of course. Thank you."  She hurried out of the room.
"That's all I have for you all anyway. You all can go. Nathaniel, stay a moment." The other board members cleared out quickly leaving me with the Devil.
"I am only telling you this because you have a thing for her and she seems to be good for your growing depression despite my attempts to keep you happy here."
"Lukas." I ground my teeth together.
"What? Were you trying to hide it? You can barely spark a fire anymore, Nate. I need you at the top of your game. I believe my brother's return is emanate."
"Michael doesn't concern me." I said just as the rain started to come down outside. It wasn't entirely true. I could spark a flame, maintaining it had gotten difficult.
"That's not what I'm here to tell you. I've seen Lydia's death." Lukas said in a nonchalant tone. My spine stiffened and flames licked to life along my finger tips. "Ah, There's the Angel of Fire. It's preventable. But only with intervention. Maybe with you at the right place, right time."
"Where?" My voice was gravel.
"Now. She's attacked on her way home from work. She's taken back to her home beaten, raped then murdered. You have about 15 minutes." Lukas smiled his most devilish smile. I turned from the room and ran.
When I hit the staircase I jumped down 70 floors. I snapped my wings out to slow my descend about three fourths of the way down. I landed lightly on the first floor platform and snapped my wings back into my body before I burst out into the lobby. I shoved at the people in my way as I ran for the doors. When my feet hit the pavement on Lexington Avenue I stopped closed my eyes and pushed my senses outward. The rain beat down lightly on my face. I knew the fastest way to Lydia's Bay Ridge apartment but she could being headed in any direction.
Ping!    
South. She was headed south. I took off running again. I suspected I looked a little ridiculous running full tilt in a three piece Armani suit and italian loafers. It didn't matter. I had to get to her. I rounded the first corner to the left and I could see her. About a mile away, she was on her phone and laughing at something. She didn't seem to care about the rain. I could see a man in a black hoodie a few feet behind her. I pushed myself harder. I saw him grab her as she hung up her phone and push her into the dark alleyway. The flames inside me burned hot as fury flowed through my veins. I kept  it in check so I didn't burst into flames on the streets.
When I rounded  the corner into the alley the man in the hoodie had Lydia against the brick wall of the building. A gleaming switchblade rested against her pretty throat. Tears already streamed down her cheeks. No, my sweet girl.
I slammed my fist into the side of his face suddenly. Sparks flew on impact. I didn't even realise I had gotten close enough to hit him. Lydia screamed as I landed on top of the man. In seconds blood covered my knuckles. Small hands touched my shoulders and I stopped the brutal assault to look back at Lydia. She was shaking her head.
"You'll kill him, Nathaniel." Tears still streamed down her face.
"He would have killed you." I told her and turned back to the man under my knees.
"Please! I don't want you to get  in trouble, Nathaniel." She begged me.
I realized she was only trying to make sure I didn't go to jail. And killing a man in front of her in her state may be damaging to her mental state. I stood leaving the man bloody and fairly close to death as it was. He might die if I just left him here. I decided I would find him later if he was still alive. This man would not live the next 24 hours either way. I turned to Lydia to apologize but instead she ran right into my arms. She hugged me so tight her arms shook around me. I kept my bloody hands away from her clothes.
"Where did you even come from?  I was so scared. Thank you. Thank you so much." She said into my chest.
The feel of her small body against mine did nothing to diminish the flames inside me. Instead they turned white hot and smoldered with desire. Something about Lydia had gotten to me the day I saw her. She was no taller than five foot three without those 5 inch platform heels she wore almost daily. Still her head only just reached my chest. Her long auburn ponytail reached the small of her back even on the top of her head. She was a perfect hourglass. Thick thighs I wanted to sink in between. Today, she had worn a black pencil skirt that I wasn't sure how she had gotten her glorious ass into. Her white silk button up was also soaked from the rain that had started to pound us. My body tensed violently to stop the erection forming. I had never actually touched her until now.
"Lydia, my hands."
"Oh!" She jumped away and started to dig through her giant purse.
She pulled out a small bottle of water hand sanitizer and handkerchief. I held my hands out and she dumped the water onto them slowly. I rubbed my hands together and watched the blood run off them. I used the handkerchief to wipe away the rest then shoved it in my pants pocket. Lydia squirted the hand sanitizer onto my palm.
"We need to get out of here." I told her while I dialed my driver. "Christian, I need you at the alley by starbucks on 27th. Like 5 minutes ago."
"Yes, sir. I'm close."
"Are you alright, Lydia?" I said turning to her. I could feel the concern on my face.
"I'm fine physically, yes. I'm a little shaky otherwise." She was looking at me with an odd expression on her face. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I'll get you home." I said, just as Christian screeched  up next to us on the curb.
"Wait! I... uhm..." She twisted her hands together nervously. "I would really like some company right now. Could you come back to my house for dinner maybe?" She looked embarrassed and shy as she asked me. I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and running a thumb across her cheek.
"You don't have to be embarrassed, Lydia. That was traumatic. I would love to come back for dinner. I can order us take out. No need to stress with cooking a meal." I smiled down at her and she beamed back at me before throwing her arms around me again. I locked my core tight again but hugged her back. Fuck. A small moan escaped her. Fuck again. Little minx. She cut it off short but I heard it. I let go of her immediately and turned to open the car door for her. She smiled with her bright red cheeks and climbed into the all black Maserati Levante that Christian most often drove me in. She was giving Christian her address while I was climbing into the suv.
In the confines of the SUV her scent hit me like a gut punch. I gritted my teeth. She smelled biteable,  like crisp apples. I wanted to taste.
Angels were not supposed to mate with humans. Nephilim were strictly forbidden. I was technically considered a demon after my Fall. But leaving the rules of heaven didn't mean there weren't rules in hell. The Devil was a harsh prince. On this he was absolute. With the only exception being that the person was nephilim themselves. But he also knew full well what I felt for this woman. Why wouldn't he just let her die then?  My phone buzzed. Speak of the Devil.
"You found her?" He asked. I could hear the smile on his face.
"Yes. Did you think I wouldn't?" I hissed into the phone.
"Of course not. I would never risk her like that. Listen to me, Devil's Flame. Lydia Arden is my daughter. I have kept her safe all of her life. And now the safest place for her is with a man that loves her more than I. You, of course."
"I don't..."
"Don't interrupt me, Angel Fire!" The Devil's power seeped through the phone and over my skin. He continued when I went silent.  "You do. You simply don't know it yet. There's something else. I know you are thinking I've broken my own rule. I have not. She is of angel blood. Her powers are being suppressed by me. As far as she knows she's human. You will keep it that way, Nathaniel. I'm hiding her. Her mother believes she's dead. I will not have my daughter taken away from me as my wife would surely do. You will not speak a word of what I've told you, Nathaniel. Do you understand?"
"This is Ceth?" My voice shook.
"Yes, she is Ceth. I know you speak to my wife still."
That was news to me. I had kept those meeting extremely discreet. Azrael had been my closest friend in Heaven. She had been so angry with me for falling she didn't speak to me for hundreds of years after my descent. Especially after the loss of her husband and daughter.
"How have you..."
"Memory wipes. She's a new person every 5 years."
I was stunned. How had he kept this under wraps for thousands of years? He had changed his daughter's entire life every five years. Completely erasing and rebuilding her memory from scratch could be very dangerous. Anger shot through me.
"I'll keep it safe."
"Good. If you do this, I'll stop the memory wipes after the coming war is over." He knew I wouldn't agree without that .
"Alright." I hung up. Not willing to listen to his bullshit anymore.
"Is everything alright?" Lydia's voice pierced my thoughts. I looked over at her. Ceth. 
"Fine. It was Lukas. Just business stuff." I told her.
I truly looked at her this time. I could see her mother's eyes now. The same deep ocean teal. Azrael's eyes held streaks of black in Lydia's I could see the same streaks but in white. The Lightbringer's eyes. Her auburn hair was her mother's too. Her beauty was that of both her parents. Azrael was the most beautiful angel in heaven with an equally handsome husband always at her side.
Everyone loved them both. But Lucifer was power hungry on the inside. When he fell Azrael refused to go with him. Even though it broke her heart to lose him. Now she stood at Michael's side while Lucifer kept her sister Andromeda on his arm. They hurt each other in the end.  I knew they both still loved each other deeply. But this, if Azrael knew he had kept her daughter from her, That would be the end.
"Nathaniel?"  Lydia was blushing. "Your just staring at me."  She whispered.
"Oh. I...uh... I'm sorry."  But  I continued to look at her. I couldn't stop. She shivered under my gaze. "Are you cold?"
"A little." The look in her eye said that shiver was from something entirely different but I unbuttoned my jacket and opened it.
"I've been told I'm like a space heater, Come on over." I smiled and kept my tone light. She gave me the honor of a shy smile and scooted closer. When she got close enough I wrapped my jacket around her and pulled her into me. I let the heat inside me seep through. She gasped when she settled against me.
"You really are like a space heater." She said while rubbing her cheek over my heart.
My heart sped just slightly. I don't know if she noticed. It  didn't matter. Lydia had worked for me 19 months. I'd wanted her for 587 days. Maybe the Devil was right. Maybe I did love her and just didn't know it yet. I suppose it was time to find out.