"And where might you be going?"

Stepping out of the shadows, Michael walked toward Lucifer. Emerald wings, as long as he was tall at nearly six and a half feet, twitched as a breeze blew through the alley. Blonde hair spilled over his shoulders and he stopped just in front of Lucifer, arms crossed over his chest.

"This is not your realm."

Lucifer became motionless with the challenge. "That would be my business, not yours, Michael."

Lucifer’s body took on a tense stance, hidden beneath the cloak. No more than a faintly amused smile showed on his lips as he stared boldly at Michael. In his stubborn pride, he refused to show obeisance or cast his gaze away from Michael.

"You’ve grown more impertinent," Michael said coolly. "And you are gravely mistaken." He stepped closer, blue eyes sharp as he stared at Lucifer. "Everything here is my business," he whispered, his voice stern and deep.

Once the most beloved and trusted of Michael’s creations, Lucifer now felt the coldness of separation more keenly with his creator’s closer proximity. Yet he hid the depth of it within himself. "They no longer even believe in me. And the few who do..." he trailed off, unable to even complete the sentence.

"What I want has nothing to do with your creation." Not about to get into a war of words with Michael, he disappeared and returned to his own throne room.

"You cannot run from me. I am a part of you, just as you are a part of me."

Angrily, Lucifer shut out the words as several of his minions scattered with his sudden reappearance. He hadn’t expected to come face-to-face with Michael. Stalking from the room, he headed out into the corridor towards his own private quarters.

The Hunter and the Prey He started down the sidewalk that led to the main entry of the building, when he felt an all-too-familiar presence. He stopped walking and closed his eyes, all the while trying desperately to reign in his insanely-beating heart. This time was different. He could feel it. He was now the hunted.

Turning in a slow circle, he looked around the deserted parking lot. Aside from the few cars of church officials, he saw nothing. Yet the feeling of being watched remained, and Lev knew he had a choice. Alael was giving him a choice: destroy him, or give in. And that was the question that loomed in Lev’s mind, as his head told him to destroy the demon once and for all, but his heart? Now that was a whole different story.

"Funny how the hunter can easily become the hunted."

Lev spun around, knowing that voice well. Its rich tone had haunted him for four years, speaking to him in the dead of night, when his fantasies drove him to the brink of madness. Now he stood, once more face to face with the very demon he had vowed to destroy, and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to move a single muscle.

Alael stepped out of the darkness near a corner of the building, his black feathery wings settled against his back as he approached Lev. Stalk was a better word, really, as the demon’s movements were sleek and graceful like a cat’s. Lev knew, if he were to give into his darkest fantasies, the demon would purr…and growl. Both were sounds that resounded in Lev’s mind, every time he climaxed at his own hand.

"I could destroy you easily," Lev said, exuding a calm he certainly did not feel.

"Ah," the demon said with a soft, silky purr. "But you won’t." He stopped close to Lev; too close. When he reached out, Lev stepped back. Alael’s forked tongue slid across his lips as the dark depths of his eyes reflected what Lev had always fought to control.

"And what makes you think that?" Lev continued to back away, unaware of how much room he had left to move. Before he was ready for it, he backed right up against the cold brick wall of the warehouse.

Alael closed in on him until their bodies were an inch apart. Lev’s breath caught in his throat as Alael smiled. With a speed that left him dizzy, Lev found himself pinned tightly to the brick wall, with a demon’s tongue darting down his throat. A momentary lapse of reason and he tangled his fingers in Alael’s hair, holding it in a painful grip as he deepened their kiss. Every inch of him, from the inside out, flamed with an unholy fire, and only when Alael’s hands left the wall to slide across his wings, did Lev come to his senses. He shoved the demon away and took off, darting around the corner.

Unholy Need Oddly enough, during the times he'd visited Earth, Nichael had acquired a taste for junk food. Not needing to eat, he simply did it for the sheer enjoyment of the taste. As Nias entered the kitchen, the angel was busy at the counter. A couple of bags of different chips were opened, and he had a bowl filled with a mixture of them.

"Feeling better?"

Nias straddled one of the bar stool, hooking his feet on the sides. "Much. Thanks." He eyed the counter with an amused grin. "At least I'm not the only one who's managed to pick up a few mortal likes along the way."

"I believe cigarettes and alcohol are mortal habits. At least mine are less hazardous." Smirking slightly at Nias, he leaned comfortably against the counter.

"Hazardous to mortals," Nias said. "Not to me. Besides, alcohol has a distinct burn, almost like a man's come. It's addictive."

"You seem to have a one track mind. I certainly hope you don't plan on bringing anybody here for your own amusement."

"No worries," Nias said, seconds before a wolfish grin settled on his lips. "Besides, the eye candy is enough."

"I'm not here for your amusement either." His tone was dry as he noticed the grin then looked him in the eyes.

The grin spread considerably. "You ruffle easily," Nias chuckled.

Nichael fell silent, eating some of his chips. His eyes never left Nias, the silvering depths glittering faintly with his own amusement.

Nias slid off of the stool and bent his body over the counter, reaching into the bowl for a chip. "Stupid question, but where do you want me to sleep? I only saw one bedroom." As he popped a chip into his mouth, the black depths of his eyes sparkled with a touch of amusement...and something more.

"You can have the couch. It's comfortable enough." A small quirk at the corner of Nichael's lip betrayed the odd flit of his own thought.

Sliding off of the counter, Nias turned and walked over to the couch. He stretched out on it, resting his arms under his head. One foot hung off of the edge, while the other was drawn up. Even from the distance, he could see clearly and he let his gaze wander over Nichael's body for the first time since meeting him. Oh, yeah; the angel definitely looked good.

Nichael caught the invitational look Nias gave him as he settled into the couch. Ignoring the stirring he felt at the idea, he said, "If I thought you would behave, you could share my bed."

Turning away from him, Nichael closed up the bags and put them back in the cupboard. After setting the empty bowl in the sink, he moved out into the living room.

A sharp, almost predatory gaze followed Nichael's every move. "I couldn't promise that," Nias said quietly.

Aware of the eyes following him, he looked steadily back at Nias. "Then it would better if you slept on the couch."

The smile never left Nias' face and he pulled his leg up further, making more room on the couch for Nichael. "And such a lonely, cold bed it will be."

"Some how I doubt you would appreciate it the fact I prefer it that way. It leaves more room for me."

"Suit yourself," Nias said with a shrug. "Body heat does wonders. Aren't you going to sit down?"

Carefully, Nichael sat down at the open end of the couch. He wasn't all that happy to be aware of the demon. His presence nagged at the fringes of his mind, reminding him of how relatively close Nias was. Several choice words were already forming in his thoughts, and he planned to express them to Michael as soon as he could.

"Don't you have any other thoughts to occupy you, Nias?"

"Like...?" Nias prodded. One hand rubbed absently over his chest and stomach as he watched Nichael.

"Anything that doesn't include sexual gratification." His eyes strayed down to his hand, watching the movement before fastening back on his.

Nias didn't miss that stray look and he kept his gaze locked onto Nichael's. His expression didn't change as his fingers brushed over the crease of his hip before settling on the inside of his upper thigh. "Are you saying there is something wrong with it?"

Nichael knew he was being played, but even knowing it, he reacted nonetheless. His gaze narrowed slightly on Nias as it swept the length of his body then went back to his face. Abruptly he stood up. "If you don't think there is, apparently there isn't."

Without a backward glance, he went down the hall to his bedroom.

Nias chuckled. Maybe this whole thing would prove to be quite interesting after all.