Dark Angel Ch. 03

PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here

Natanael began kissing his neck, shocking Ashriel.

"I'm yours. Take me anyway you want, Ash. I don't have any credits, but I can at least repay you with my body. I'll be your whore for as long as you like...forever even. What you did for my sweet mother—"

Ashriel pulled him away, horrified, but held onto his arms, afraid the reaper would fall to his knees and try to suck him off. "Natanael, no. I don't want you to repay me."

He pouted, wiping his tears from his cheeks in confusion. "Well, that's a first."

Ashriel frowned. "What is?"

Natanael's eyes filled with sadness as he looked down into the water at his reflection. "Am I losing it? God—I never thought about that. I guess I'd better start socking away for when I'm too old to fuck."

Ashriel shook him. " Don't be silly. You're only a little over three hundred siglons. Being a male whore is not what you were meant to be, Natanael. Why can't any of you get a decent job?"

Natanael stared at him. "But, Ash...we're not allowed. The LOS has prohibited any of us from working in anything other than the pleasure field. They say we're too dangerous."

Ashriel's jaw dropped. "W-what?" He immediately felt incensed. "That's preposterous. It's mad," he raged.

Natanael shrugged. "It's the law. If you break it...well, life is hard enough for us without having a fucking bounty on our heads."

Ashriel released him and turned, raking a hand through his hair. His dreams of being able to survive doing honest work vanished. He'd never lower himself to being a whore. He'd rather die. Ashriel fell to his knees in a stupor.

Natanael knelt beside him, his fingers stroking Ashriel's long hair. "You don't have to worry about anything, Ash. This is our home now. Devon's going to take care of us."

"It's a trap," Ashriel hissed in alarm. "He used me to lure the rest of you here. Don't you see he wants to create an army of reapers to...to..."

Natanael shook his head. "To what, Ash? Set Lucifer free? Destroy the universe?"

"You don't understand. Devon's essence is that of a divine angel. I'm sure that his son is also. They want to go back to heaven but are trapped here. The only way they can traverse back into the divine realm is to destroy this one. Our universe is blocking the entrance to heaven. It's the only barrier between the realm of darkness and the realm of divine light."

Natanael stood. "Ashriel, get a grip. If Devon wanted to destroy this entire universe, he probably could just thinking about it. He doesn't need us."

Ashriel covered his face with his hands, not knowing what to think anymore.

He felt when Natanael knelt by his side again and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want to fuck me?"

Ashriel glared at him and Natanael withdrew his hand as if burned. "Just making sure. Don't beat on me." He scratched the back of his neck absently. "Anniel is making us breakfast. Why don't you pop in? She makes some mean waffles and sausages."

Ashriel looked away. The mere mention of Anniel set his heart to pounding against his ribs and heat shooting into his cheeks. "I want to fast."

"What the hell for?"

Ashriel glared at the reaper. "I want to re-purify my body."

Natanael threw his head back and laughed throatily. "Dude, all the fasting in the universe won't make you a virgin again."

"That's not what I meant, imbecile," Ashriel snapped.

"Look, the girl can cook like a dream. Don't pass up this opportunity because most times she's locked in her quarters for days and Devon won't let us disturb her. If you ask me, some idiot broke her heart. Damn shame too because she's just too hot."

Ashriel shot to his feet, going nose to nose with Natanael. "Stay the hell away from her."

Natanael stared wide-eyed at him. "So it's true. She's the one who caused you to fall. Not bad Ash. Not bad. I'd gladly submit to being re-deplumed for a chance—"

Ashriel grabbed him by the crest of his outrageous Mohawk. "I suggest you stop your foolish ramblings if you'd like to keep your teeth and manhood."

Natanael cupped his cock as if trying to hide it, mouth and eyes gaping. "Man, you've got it bad for her. You poor bastard."

Ashriel released his hair abruptly. "Leave me alone."

Natanael raised his hands. "Fine. I'm outta here before the others scarf up all the good food."

With that he disappeared, making Ashriel frown. They were already using teleportation to move around the space station instead of walking. Ashriel shook his head in disapproval. They'd all become fat and lazy using telekinesis for everything. Maybe that was Devon's plan. To turn them into fat lazy pets incapable of lifting a sword to protect the galaxy.

***

Anniel felt their eyes boring into her from behind. Every time she looked over her shoulder there were more. The reapers sat at the closest table watching her whip another bowl of batter for waffles. Remien manned the waffle grill and Zak kept an eye on the sausages.

"Red, are you ready?" she called out.

"One sec." He opened the waffle iron and waved his hands. The perfectly golden waffles floated out onto plates leaving the griddle ready for the next batch.

Anniel poured the mixture onto the waffle iron and Remien closed it with a flourish.

Natanael appeared and grabbed a plate of waffles after Zak slid a couple of sausages next to them.

"Hey, no fair," Abdiel protested. "You just got here. We've been waiting."

"Seniority," Natanael murmured around a mouthful of waffles and sausage.

The other reapers frowned.

"Now-now, Kiddies. No fighting. There's plenty more to go around," Zak drawled with a grin.

"Hey, where's your girlfriend?" Abdiel piped.

"Asleep," Zak answered. "She's had a difficult morning." He frowned and turned to Anniel. "I'm really thinking of leaving for Arboria for a spell. At least until she gives birth. Jaz is really doing a number on her."

Anniel sighed, feeling pity for the poor girl. It was her first pregnancy and she had three little dragonesses in her belly. She was bigger than Rowie who was more advanced in months than her.

"When is Alluna due now?"

Zak sighed. "According to Quinn, any day...just like Rowie. Rem said that a gestation period for any dragon breed is supposed to be two years, and although I must confess that I'm relieved she doesn't have to carry that long, She's expanded to thrice her size in less than five months. Poor baby's skin is stretched so tight, Rem keeps on having to repair painful tears. I don't want her to suffer anymore and Dev won't let me take Jaz over my knee."

Anniel gasped. "Zak, he's just a baby."

Zak hung his head, placing his hands on his hips with a frustrated sigh. "I-know-I-know. But the brat's gonna owe me when he gets bigger."

Anniel gave him a chastising look.

The doors to the dining hall opened, making everyone look. Ashriel walked in, his cheeks pink and scowl firmly in place.

Anniel's heart slammed into her throat and she turned, busying herself with whisking the mixture for the waffles again. Remi gave her a questioning look, but she ignored him.

"Hey, Ash, You're just in time for the best breakfast you're ever going to taste," one of the reapers called out.

"You're going to have to wait your turn though," Abdiel muttered. "Fuck seniority."

Anniel turned to see Natanael lifting a middle finger to the other reapers with a satisfied grin on his stuffed face.

"No thank you," Ashriel said walking over to the food replicator. He studied it a moment and began typing on the screen.

Anniel's curiosity was piqued. What was he ordering for himself?

"Hey, Annie," Remi began with a snicker, "I think you've beaten that batter to death. I'm ready for the next batch, baby."

Ashriel glanced at her and she fumbled with the bowl.

"Here, sweetness. Let me help you," Remien said taking the bowl from her shaking hands. He brushed a kiss to her cheek and turned to the griddle.

Anniel shot a glance back at Ashriel and caught his scowl before he turned away abruptly. Every feather on his beautiful black wings was raised in agitation.

The food replicator dinged and Ashriel opened the glass door.

Sitting atop a simple white porcelain dish sat a cube of something brown. It almost looked translucent, but not quite.

Anniel frowned when some of the reapers held their noses and made gagging sounds.

"Seriously, Ash?" Natanael scoffed. "You're going to continue to eat that...crap?"

"Prinut is good for the body," Ashriel replied walking to another table next to theirs.

"Yeah and it tastes like shit," Abdiel snorted as the others laughed along.

"Oh, stop picking on him or I won't make anymore waffles," Anniel scolded.

Six pairs of grey eyes widened.

"We'll be good, Anniel. We promise," A golden haired reaper called Ruebel blurted.

Ashriel set to cutting his square of...Prinut?

He cut smaller cubes and then proceeded to poke each one with a fork and place it in his mouth. He chewed stoically, no expression on his face.

Anniel watched the other reapers stuff their faces with her waffles and sausages.

She suddenly felt very sad for Ashriel. He held on so tightly to his beliefs. It made what had happened between them feel all the more tragic.

She walked over to him with a friendly smile. He stiffened and looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Hey, can I have a taste of that?"

He opened his mouth and seemed to have the need to inhale sharply before he could speak. Did she really affect him so much?

"Of course," he answered, almost a whisper as he poked another piece and offered it to her lips.

Anniel took the offered food between her teeth and bit down. It was like chewing on Styrofoam, but it tasted...like shit, just as Abdiel had said. She couldn't swallow it, instead felt her bile rising.

Running over to the sink adjacent to the counter where Remi and Zak were still working, she spat out the horrid tasting substance. Behind her, the reapers snickered.

"God—Ashriel. How can you consume that?" she panted.

"It is all I was ever fed since I was two sun orbits," he replied in a small voice.

Anniel turned to him again after rinsing her mouth out.

His blazing grey eyes rose to hers. "It has all the nutrients the body needs and can be prepared in different consistencies."

Anniel bit her lip. "Sweetie, that's all good, but aside from nutrition, one should enjoy what's eaten too."

"Pleasure weakens the spirit," he whispered not looking at her anymore.

"This is where I leave," Natanael huffed grabbing another plate of food and disappearing.

The other reapers began to stand also. In a matter of seconds, they all vanished.

Remien snorted, "Well, next time we want to get rid of them all we gotta do is start preaching virtues." He winked at Ashriel. "Way to go, man. And not that any talk of virtues is enough to spook me away, but I've got a pregnant female waiting to open a vein in my neck to feed our little blood dragons. See ya later."

He was gone in a flash of red-gold fire.

Zak grabbed a platter full of sausages after flicking off the heat under the grill. "Can't let these go to waste. See you two lovebirds later."

He was also gone in a puff of golden light. Anniel scowled where he had been standing. Why did he have to go and mention lovebirds? It made the vibes between her and Ashriel grow more tense.

Anniel walked over to the reaper and sat down next to him. "Ash, sweetie, there's more to life than just imposing strict rules on yourself."

"Without rules there is chaos."

Anniel blinked at him. "Rules were made to keep in line those with darker souls. There is nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure as long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else. Enjoying a meal just for its exquisite taste is not a sin."

"It's called gluttony," Ashriel answered.

Anniel frowned. "Only if you over indulge, which is harmful. That is the sin."

Ashriel just stared at her.

She bit her lip and pulled a plate of her waffles and sausages over. "Would it be so terrible if you tasted these? I made them from whole grains and the sausages are vegetable based. My own recipe."

Ashriel looked down at the plate and then back into her eyes. He nodded once.

She smiled and cut him a piece of waffle. Placing her hand under the forkful so that the syrup didn't fall on his magnificent chest, she offered the bite to his lips.

Anniel watched mesmerized as his white teeth closed around her offering. There was something so intimate about feeding a man. It made her shiver. Made her want to kiss the drop of syrup that lingered on his lush lower lip.

Ashriel closed his eyes and chewed slowly. Anniel could not resist. Her mouth watered when he swallowed, watching the lump at his throat bob. Before she could stop herself, she crawled onto his lap. Ashriel's eyes snapped open and stared at her in surprise.

Anniel looked down at his chest. He was so strong, so buff. She used the tip of her finger to tease one bronzed nipple. He jerked and bit his lip, gripping the edge of his plastiform chair until his knuckles turned white.

Anniel let her hungry hands skim up his silky flesh until she reached his shoulders. Leaning into him, she took his mouth. He tasted like maple syrup. Between her legs, she felt the hard evidence of his escalating arousal. She wanted him also. Now.

Her hands sank into his luxurious hair. She hoped he didn't cut it. He looked totally hot with it long like it was now.

Anniel rubbed against him, provoking a low moan in the back of his throat. He began to rock against her also.

"I thought you hated me," he panted when she licked and nipped down his throat.

The reminder of Garethiel made her pause. It wasn't Ashriel's fault he was related to that loser, but it made her think that maybe she needed to go a little slower here.

She caressed his face with a smile. "I don't like feeling hate toward anyone."

Ashriel looked at her warily. "Not even Garethiel?"

Anniel shook her head. "Hate is a terrible emotion. It darkens your spirit, makes you sick and sad. No one should hate. What I had with...him just wasn't meant to be. I'm over it now."

Ashriel stared at her in wonder. He traced a soft line down her cheek to her lips. "You're so incredible. Do you know that?"

Anniel felt her face heat up at the compliment.

"Any man would be lucky to have you. Garethiel is a fool."

Anniel looked away. "I don't really want to talk about him though."

Ashriel shook his head. "Of course not."

He turned her face back to him with the tips of his fingers and leaned into her.

With his hand cupping the back of her head, there was no escape, not that she wanted any.

He kissed her softly.

"I can barely remember...what happened that night," he whispered against her lips. "Just pain, clawing lust, and mind-blowing pleasure."

"Pain?"

Ashriel nodded. "I'd never had my foreskin pulled so far back and you're so tight. It tore me a bit, but...the feel of you around me..."

Bright grey eyes looked deeply into hers. Oh—she could fall so deeply in love with this beautiful reaper... and that scared the shit out of her. She didn't ever want to fall in love again.

"I don't want..." she bit her lip when his brows furrowed in confusion. Taking a deep breath, she began again. "I don't feel like I'm ready for any type of relationship right now."

His face went blank, and he leaned away. "Of course, Anniel. Forgive me for my presumptuousness."

***

He couldn't blame her for being wary. He was in love and every time she spurned him, it was like little razor blades against his heart. She had every right to reject him... after what Garethiel did...not that it was his fault, but he was still the twin brother.

"Um, Devon said you wanted to leave." She avoided his gaze as her finger wound one of his locks.

The fact that she hadn't risen from his lap gave him hope that perhaps all was not lost with her.

"Yes. I need to finish a task—a vow I made."

Anniel's green gold gaze rose to his. "Task?"

"Yes," Ashriel sighed. "Two actually. I aim to find out whom or what started the war."

Anniel gave him a dubious look. "That was a long time ago, sweetie. It isn't going to be easy."

Ashriel's heart constricted every time she used an endearment for him. "Difficult tasks never stopped me before."

She smiled and he felt her tremble a bit. Tilting her head to the side, she grinned when she asked him, "and your second task?"

Ashriel remained grim. "My second task is to kill the new dark prince."

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him in horror.

Anniel must have teleported to the other side of the table because he did not see her get up. One second she was on his lap, the next she was glaring at him from across the gleaming metal table.

"You can't kill Luke."

Ashriel tried to keep his tone even. "Why not?"

"We all love him. He's just a poor victim, don't you understand? Those things took advantage of him when he was young and angry."

"Oh, Please. Spare me the melodrama," Ashriel snorted in disgust.

"You can't kill him," Anniel shouted, very angry now. "I won't let you."

Ashriel regarded her solemnly. "And how do you plan on stopping me?" When all she could do was open and close her mouth in frustration he added, "Are you going to try to kill me, Anniel?"

Her eyes went round, tears gathered in them. "You're...you're a monster. How could you say that to me? Do I look like a murderer?" she bared fangs at him. "Do I look like you?"

Ashriel winced. There was nothing more to say because she vanished like the others. He was left standing alone in the dining hall.

He stared bleakly at the two plates of food left to him—prinut and Anniel's waffles and sausages.

Choices had never been so difficult for him.

***

Anniel teleported into Devon and Angel's quarters; a study in tones from black to charcoal, only the walls were a pearlescent grey with dashes of chrome to keep the color scheme from being too dark.

Anniel thought that once Devon found himself a girl to settle down with, his quarters would acquire feminine touches. The only touches Angel had added were her collection of Venushtian weapons taking up an entire wall in the bedroom.

At the moment, Angel reclined in a corner of the rounded seating area with Jazriel sitting on her lap. Devon was swinging his divine sword, demonstrating battle moves to his son and mate.

The minute he felt Anniel's presence, his sword vanished in a dazzling display of glittering light.

"Dev." She ran into his arms, barely able to contain her sobs.

He soothed her. "It's okay, Annie. Everything's going to be okay."

"No," she cried. "You don't understand. He wants to kill Lucien. We can't let him do that."

Devon cupped her face in his hands. "He needs to find Luke first, Anniel, and Luke is keeping himself well hidden...even from me."

Anniel looked at him in confusion.

"Angel, Take the baby into the hygiene room and go into the bath with him."

Angel rose from the couch and bounced the baby on her arm as she obeyed him. "Be careful, my love," Angel said as she passed them.

Devon turned and brought Anniel to the glass wall that separated the inside of their quarters from the vast vacuum of space.

He began to speak in a strange language she did not understand. The glass shimmered like liquid making her want to back away. Before her eyes, their reflection transformed and the familiar scene of Megdoluc appeared. The poisonous wind on the planet had intensified. The few trees that had once stood barren on the desolate landscape were gone. The surface now looked almost like Earth's moon, except that the sky was a dirty mixture of blood-red and black.

Devon continued to speak softly, his lilting words making the scene move as if they were flying over the surface of the planet.