Page 26 of Under His Wings
The disparity between angels and demons wasn’t actually that big. Demons tended to be more raw, more intense, more honest with the needs of their bodies and souls, not given to unnecessary self-limitations as angels preached. But there were extremes on both sides, and, while Hell tried to curb its denizens without morals with rules, it didn’t always work. The act of inflicting eternal torment upon human souls proved to be a source of satisfaction for some, but for others it was simply an occupation that lacked any enjoyment. It was too easy. Too boring.
It’s more fun for people like Leonius to corner new prey, I thought as I kneeled next to him in the public space of the Steel Velvet club.
My back was ramrod straight and my hands were clenched in fists where Leonius bound them behind my back. This humiliation, a show of how much power he had over me, was just a prelude to the real payment for him keeping his mouth shut. He had made that clear when he had me in his private room at the beginning of the night.
“Strip,” he ordered then, and I had to grit my teeth and follow his order. After all, I agreed to be his slave for tonight. Anything to keep Zachariel safe. “I’m going to enjoy whipping that beautiful body. I find demons take it much better than mortals... Humans break too easily. But you... oh, I just know we will have fun for hours.”
His fingers glided over my naked body, and I had to suppress a shiver of revulsion. I wanted his paws off me.
As if the Heavens answered my prayer his hand left me as he gave a yelp of surprised pain.
“What is this? A brand?” He reached for the faint red lines on my shoulders and neck. The angelic power tried to bite at him once more. Even when he wasn’t here, Zachariel was trying to protect me. “Hahaha, you let that angel put his dick and his power into you? How precious. This is turning out to be better than I imagined. I’m going to enjoy making you beg. Do you think you will scream for him to save you? Don’t worry, I will drop what’s left of you on his doorstep after I’m done.”
“No! He can’t know about this!” I protested, though I was aware how little say I had here.
“Hah, then be a good little slave for me for the next hour, and I will consider letting you stay here until you can move on your own. You can fight me all you want once we are back – please do in fact, I will delight in putting you in your place – but out on the floor of the club I have a reputation to maintain. Now, stay still.”
He buckled a heavy black leather collar around my neck, made me put on a pair of leather pants – not for my comfort but because the rules of the club prohibited full nudity outside of private rooms and specific playrooms – and led me out to where I was now. Sitting like a prized pet at his feet while he made idle conversation with the club goers, enjoying my humiliation and drawing my torment out.
I wished I could bite his hand off when he started petting my hair, but I remembered his ultimatum.
Zachariel can’t know, I repeated to myself like a mantra. Zachariel can’t know. Zachariel can’t—
I heard gasps around me and jerked my head up.
Zachariel was here.
Demons and angels parted for him as he made his way towards me, his white suit gleaming, his wings on display, his expression...
No... oh, no... the pure anger in his expression...
He can’t know, I thought in despair.
The angel stopped in front of me.
“Hmpf, why are you making such a show, angel? It’s rude to be taking up so much space. If you want attention so much, I’m sure we can find someone here who will take you over a knee,” Leonius said and even without turning my head I could tell he had a grin on his face. He knew who stood before him.
“Hellion,” Zachariel said, ignoring the demon. I ducked my head as shame and fear warred in my mind. I knew how it looked, with me kneeling at another man’s feet.
“What do you want with my pet?” Leonius asked with a sneer, making sure everyone in the gathered crowd heard the possessive declaration.
“Yours?” the angel’s voice was deadly quiet, like a garrote before it tightened over a neck. “Hellion, who do you belong to?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but a harsh grip on my collar stifled the words on my tongue.
“Everyone can see whose collar he wears,” Leonius scowled, jerking me toward himself.
“No, they can’t. But I will make them see.”
I was pulled out of Leonius’s now bleeding clawed hand and pressed with my back against a familiar, warm chest as Zachariel’s hand settled against my throat in a possessive grip after tearing the black collar off.
Angelic power flooded into my brands and I opened my mouth in a silent scream. Grace poured into me all at once, the dimly lit room growing bright with the light emanating from my marks. As the shining collar appeared on my neck the pain was immense.
But so was my relief.
“Yours,” I gasped. Forget trying to get breath into my lungs, speaking those words was more important. “I’m yours. Yours.”
“Mine,” Zachariel reassured me. “And you, demon, you knew he was mine. That he was collared. That he had a master. You will pay for what you did.”