Sin

"Sorry," she said quickly, turning to leave.

"Wait!" called Estielle, "I don't want to be alone."

Estielle turned off the water, pulling the towel down and wrapping it around herself, Patricia opened the door, helping her out of the shower, Patricia gently rubbed her back, trying to dry her off, without hurting her wounds. Together they made their way back to the room, and Patricia helped her dress,

"It's so soft," wondered Estielle.

"Didn't you have stuff like this where you came from?" asked Patricia.

"No..." Estielle frowned, "nothing like this, or the... shower."

Darren was sitting at a large round table, sipping his coffee, from outside anyone would see a content man in a suit, but inside was turmoil, he was buzzing with energy, he refused to touch any of the dishes set out in front of him until the ladies had arrived, it just... seemed rude. What the fuck is wrong with me... He sighed, taking another sip of coffee. A few moments more and he was greeted by the sounds of footsteps. He held his composure as the ladies entered the dining room, he did his best to look up and smile.

"Good morning," he said, "please, sit down, join me."

He gestured to the two seats either side of where he sat, Patricia helped Estielle to lower herself onto a chair, before quickly taking a seat of her own. Darren couldn't help but notice Estielle was watching him intently, as if expecting an attack.

"Please, eat, there's plenty to go round," he said, trying to diffuse the tension.

To emphasise the point, he and Patricia immediately started plating up, there was sausages, bacon, eggs, toast and a variety of cereals. As they began to eat, he watched Estielle, she slowly reached out, taking a fried egg, she brought it to her nose, giving it a soft sniff before stuffing it whole into her mouth, chewing for a few moments before swallowing. Darren just watched, it had never occurred to him he had no idea what or how angels ate.

"Can... Can I have more?" asked Estielle, not looking up.

"Please, help yourself," said Darren, "eat as much as you want."

Darren stared in wonder, as she reached out, taking a sausage, stuffing it whole into her mouth, quickly followed by a piece of crispy bacon. She stopped suddenly, shaking slightly, he could see tears running down her face,

"Are you OK?" asked Darren.

"I.... I don't know," she replied, "It's so good, I've never eaten food before."

"Really?" said Patricia with a gasp.

"Angels don't eat, not really, we just... absorb energy from around us, we just drink water if we need anything else."

Darren pushed the plate of bacon towards her, "eat as much as you want," he said quickly, "Patricia, I want every flavour of ice-cream and anything else you can think of brought here by tonight."

Patricia just raised an eyebrow at him, the irony of having his favourite expression used against him was not lost.

"Please..." he said.

"Better," chuckled Patricia.

The remainder of the meal was in silence, other than the sounds of the ravenous angel devouring everything in reach, but soon even that was gone.

Patricia stood up, "well... I suppose I have some shopping to do", she said.

"Wait," Darren couldn't help but shake his head, Fuck am I doing? "Can you pick up some clothes for Estielle, she can't live in your hoody."

"I want a damn pay rise," she chuckled.

"Done," Darren said immediately.

"Wait... what? really?" she stammered.

"We'll sort out the details later," he said, "you've got things to do, charge my accounts for the bill."

"Ah... yeah.. thanks," she said, "Estielle, you can trust Darren while I'm gone... OK."

Estielle, looked up at her, then quickly glanced at Darren, her eyes were filled with fear, but she took a deep breath.

"OK."

Darren watched Patricia walk away, turning his gaze back to Estielle, he ached in his chest as she turned away fearfully.

"Would you like to see your room?" he asked softly.

"My room?" she looked at him with confusion.

"Yes, where you can stay, while you're here," he smiled.

Darren offered his hand, but she ignored it, slowly standing up, her sapphire eyes dropping to the floor, filled with such pain. Darren lead her through the house, he didn't say much, he didn't even know WHAT to say, but as he approached a door, he noticed she had fallen behind.

Estielle was terrified, this was it, he was taking her to the dungeon where he would interrogate her,God why must I still suffer? But she didn't run, she knew who he was, the Sin of Lust was a powerful demon, she was already caught in his trap, it was too late to run. She watched as he took a small rectangle from his pocket, and held it to a box on the wall, a second later she heard a beep and the door swung open by itself. She was shaking now, could she run? If she ran would he kill her and be done with it?

"Come on in, take a look," Darren said with a smile.

Estielle, fought back the tears, as she slowly entered the room, imagining chains, iron bars, tools of torture, she almost choked back a cry... The room was well lit, the first thing she noticed was the large window, she could see outside, they were in the mountains, she could see trees for miles, a city in the distance. The sunlight lit up the room with beautiful yellow light, she stared at the bed, it looked even larger and softer than the one she slept on the night before, there was a large cupboard and through another door, she could see a bathroom, this one had both a shower and what looked like a large bath, much bigger than any she had ever seen before.

"I don't understand," she said.

"What do you mean?" frowned Darren.

"We're at war, I'm the enemy, you're Asmodeus," Darren flinched, "why are you being so kind?"

"What do you know of my kind?" Darren asked, settling himself on the edge of a small writing desk.

"You're demons, you steal souls to gain the power to overthrow God, you torture and maim humans to appease your desires, we've been at war for millennia."

"Is that what they're teaching you now?" Darren smiled darkly, "I suppose Patricia told you about the people who hurt her?"

"Yes..."

"Then I must inform you that the ones who hurt her, weren't demons, but human."

"But-"

"Demons, like humans, like... angels..." Darren said softly, "Come in all shapes, some good, some... not so good."

"And which are you?" asked Estielle, "Will you take my soul?"

Darren stared into her eyes, there was such pain, but something else, there was strength, power... beauty...

"I swear to you, I have no intention to hurt you, not now, not in the future," he said, holding out the card to her, "take it, only you can come in here now, even I won't, unless I have your permission."

Estielle paused for a moment, slowly reaching out and as she took the card, her fingers brushed his hand. Her skin was so soft and warm, their contact was only for the briefest of moments, but the feeling was electric. Both of them quickly pulled away, Estielle had a look of fear, Darren barely managed to cover his shock. He quickly turned to leave,

"Wait," Estielle said quickly, "you can stay."

Darren turned back, forcing a small smile while his heart tried to beat itself free from his chest, "would you like to see the rest of the house?" he asked.

"There's more?" she gasped.

Darren chuckled, "Much more."

Leading her down the corridor, he showed her the living room, a large spacious room lined with comfortable chairs, cushions and blankets with a strange rectangular black piece of glass on the wall. She jumped as Darren picked up a box and pressing a button, the rectangle lit up, playing music, she stared in wonder as a woman with the voice of a goddess filled the room. She stood transfixed for several minutes before she noticed Darren was waiting for her to follow him to another room, this one worried her, it was full of strange contraptions, but she couldn't smell blood.

"This is the gym," Darren said, "This equipment is to help train the body."

He spent a few minutes showing her the basics on how to use a treadmill and a basic weights machine.

"When you're done working out, you can take a dip in the pool."

"What's a pool?" she asked, unsure of what exactly he meant.

Darren smiled, opening another door, she gasped, she hadn't seen this much fresh water in one place since the war, she loved water and before Darren could stop her, she dove in head first. Sinking to the bottom, she opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, she could see the shape of Darren standing at the edge, He hasn't tried to hurt me yet... allowing herself to rise, she took in a great gasp of air, rolling onto her back, she floated in bliss, the cool water felt amazing on her wounds.

Darren couldn't help but smile, her look of joy was infectious, I wish she would smile like that more often...

"Shit..." he said, Estielle heard him, quickly righting herself, she looked scared.

"I'm sorry, am I not supposed to be in here?" she had an expression somewhere between sadness and fear.

"No no, swimming is fine," Darren said quickly, "but your clothes are all wet, I'll be right back."

Estielle looked confused as he turned and walked away. making his way back to his room he pulled out his phone and dialled Doctor Grey.

Ring ring, ring-

"Yes Darren?" Patricia said, sounding worried.

"Can you also pick up some swimwear?"

"OK?"

"She saw the pool and dived right in," he chuckled.

"You owe me a new hoody."

"Then get one while you're out with your bloody pay rise," he growled.

"About that..." she started, "are you serious-"

"Yes I'm serious, you now have two pending patients, besides, you two seem to get along."

"What's that got to do with it?" Patricia chuckled, "it's not often you need my expertise anyway."

"You don't want the pay rise then?"

"No no no, I'm not saying that at all," she laughed now.

"Then stop worrying, I just might need your help more than usual while Estielle recovers."

"... You gonna tell me what's really going on with you?"

"No..." he hung up.

A few minutes later he was back at the pool with a thick towel and one of his luxury bath robes. Estielle was slowly paddling around the pool, rolling through the water, her eyes closed and displaying a gorgeous smile. Darren couldn't help himself but chuckle, her joy was infectious. Darren sat himself on a lounge chair, overlooking the pool, pulling out his phone, he started checking and sending emails, his daily job after all, never stops.

It was over an hour before he realised Estielle was at the edge of the pool, closest to him, and staring,

"Are you OK?" he said, putting away his phone.

"Are you really Asmodeus?" she asked outright.

Darren swallowed, "Yes."

"You aren't very... lustful."

Darren burst out laughing at that point, "I'm not sure what to say to that," he said, stifling his chuckles.

"I expected the Sin of Lust to be surrounded by women," she said.

"I.... I can still use my allure to gather human women," he said carefully, "in my youth I certainly did so."

"Why did you stop?" she asked.

"Because..." Darren sighed, "it wasn't real... All these women, throwing themselves at my feet, and the moment I stopped trying to control them with my power, they were horrified... It was so... hollow."

"Why would that matter to a demon?" she asked quickly.

"Because maybe I decided a long time ago, to not be quite so bad..." Darren choked now, Don't cry you fucking pussy...

"Is that why you are kind to me?" Estielle looked nervous asking.

"I... I-," he was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hi Patricia," he said.

"I'm back, come give me a hand," Patricia hung up.

"Seems it's almost lunch time, here, I brought you a towel, you'll have to strip off your wet clothes, I've brought you this," holding up the bath robe, "for you to wear, do you remember how to get to your room?"

Estielle nodded slowly, and with a sigh, she hoisted herself out of the water, "what's lunch?"

Darren just winked at her and walked off, For fucks sake, does she even know what a wink is? Soon he was in the garage, loading his arms up with various bags, he looked like a pack mule, but his immense strength made the effort negligible. He carried everything into the kitchen, dropping everything and recollecting all the bags that contained clothing. He carried them quickly down the hall, knocking gently on Estielles door. He started thinking she wasn't back from the pool yet, when he heard the click of the door, swinging open, he was taken aback by those gorgeous sapphire eyes.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Estielle stayed silent for a moment, before slowly nodding and stepping back into the room.

"These are for you," he said, dropping the bags on the floor, "Find something comfortable and join us in the kitchen."

Before he could leave, she pulled out a set of lingerie, a matching lace bra with frilly underwear black like her hair. Darren was awestruck, standing there like an idiot with his mouth open as he watched her remove the bra, she was looking at it with a strange expression.

"Oh... ah," he stammered a little, took a deep breath, "Don't worry about them yet, not until your back heals, but the other thing is to wear around your crotch under everything else."

Estielle looked nervous, and Darren took that as his queue to leave, closing the door behind him he quickly made his way back to the dining room, he buzzed an intercom and said,.

"There's new groceries, please bring a bowl of every flavour of ice-cream and some lunch food."

He didn't wait for a response, but he sat at the table like an excited school boy. After a few minutes Patricia joined him and almost immediately a maid began bringing in food, laying it out over the table in a wide spread. Soon he could make out approaching footsteps, turning, he saw her, wearing a grey, long sleeve shirt that hugged her frame, and a loose fitting pair of black pants, she hardly described beauty and grace, and yet Darren couldn't take his eyes off her, she was stunning.

"Is... something wrong?" she asked, looking worried.

"No, no of course not, come take a seat," Darren quickly said, "Try this," Darren held out a bowl towards her, smiling.

Estielle took a step forwards, taking the bowl from his hand and lowering herself onto the chair, she picked up the spoon and took a bite. Her immediate reaction was to cringe from the sudden cold, but after that, the flavour hit, lighting up her face like a child at Christmas.

"Each bowl is a different flavour," said Patricia.

She quickly moved on, determined to try all the different bowls, the first she had tried was a vanilla, the second, strawberry swirl, the third she picked was chocolate fudge, and as she took the spoon in her mouth, her face dropped.

"You wanted to see me, my lord?" asked Estielle.

"Yes my child," crooned the Archangel of Knowledge, "I have a gift for you."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of a gift, my lord?"

"I have an experiment to perform," he said, with a twisted smile.

"...Oh.... Yes, of course," Estielle said meekly.

"First, I'd like you to taste this," he said, offering her a brown coloured bar, "in the human world, it is supposed to induce happiness."

Estielle took the bar, biting a piece off, it was bitter, dry, but somehow creamy and as it melted in her mouth, not overly pleasant, but a very obvious flavour. She chewed for a moment, before swallowing.

"Do you feel anything?" he asked.

"No, my lord."

"A pity..." he stood, approaching her, "turn around a moment."

Nervously, Estielle did as she was told, and immediately felt the Archangel grab a fist full of hair, slamming her head on the wall she now faced, he threw her onto the floor, climbing atop her while she cradled her head. He pulled her legs open, fumbling around he grabbed her... she screamed...

"Get away from me!" Estielle screamed, "Don't touch me!"

Estielle threw her chair at the wall, smashing a great hole, backing herself into the corner of the room, she was staring daggers at Darren, tears pouring down her face.

"I'll die before someone touches me again," she spat.

"Nobody wants to hurt you," said Darren, "please, I meant no harm," What the fuck is happening?!

Darren watched as she dissolved before his eyes, a moment before she was smiling, but after trying chocolate ice-cream she was now sobbing uncontrollably... that's when he noticed... she was holding her crotch, and his heart sank...

"Estielle, please-"

"NO!" she screamed, "Not again... please God not again... I can't... No... Just kill me...Please."

Darren's face dropped... now he understood... hot tears formed on his face, dripping onto the floor, demons tears are of blood, and even Patricia stared at him in horror as he bled profusely from his eyes. With a giant rush of wind and heat, Darren's body was surrounded in purple flames for barely a moment, before he disappeared with the sound of a soft thud.

CHAPTER FOUR

Purple flames appeared atop a snowy mountain, flaring for a brief moment, leaving Darren standing alone on a mountaintop, surging with energy, he directed his energy outwards, hurling explosive fireballs at surrounding mountains, watching avalanches cascading down their slopes. He screamed at the sky like a rabid monster, the very mountain shook with his anger, before he collapsed on his rear.

There he sat, on top of the world, nobody around for miles, and cried. He cried for Estielle, he cried for his inability to control his emotions, he cried for his confusion on how to deal with her. Since the moment he saw her face, he knew she would be trouble, but he just couldn't help himself, one hundred years ago he'd have snapped her neck, taken her soul and been done with it, but there was something about her he just couldn't shake.

"God you fucking piece of shit," he growled, "I know you can hear me you bastard..." nothing but the wind, "ANSWER ME!" he roared at the sky.

His phone beeped, pulling it out, he read the text.

TAKEN ESTIELLE OUT TO THE PARK FOR AIR, EVERYTHING'S OK, YOU SCARED HER A LITTLE.

Great... just fucking great, all this and now she's scared of me...

"Fuck you God," he growled.

Opening the burning portal again, he reappeared in his room, grabbing a bottle of scotch, he popped the cap, taking a swig settling himself down on his bed, he closed his eyes.

"So... Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Patricia.

"I.... He's really not going to hurt me is he?" sighed Estielle.

"No," replied Patricia, "you saw his face..."

"I was always taught that demons were evil," Estielle said quietly, "I didn't even know they could cry."

"Neither did I," said Patricia.

The pair were walking through the trees in a local park, it was a big place, there was few people in sight, perfect for a quiet evening stroll.

"What happens now?" Estielle asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He hates me..."

"Don't be silly, he's the Sin of Lust, not Wrath," she chuckled, "If he wanted you gone, trust me, he'd have done it himself."

Estielle gulped, she remembered the war.... In this plane, Asmodeus would be almost unstoppable, she wondered if any of the Archangels would have the strength to face him one on one. The thought made her shudder.

"Who hurt you Estielle?" Patricia asked.

Estielle stopped, turning her head down, "It is my sin, I bare it myself."

"You clearly didn't bare this sin consensually," shot back Patricia.