Duriel Ch. 02

***Sorry about the wait, guys, it's been hectic and depressing lately, not a good combination. I've been trying to make everything flow smoother, I'm working on it, I promise! As always, I love your feedback!***

I fly out to the beach and land on the warm sand. As pretty as it is, sitting in my tree is getting boring. I pull my shirt over my head and let my shorts drop to the sand, so that I'm standing in just a thong bikini bottom. With a contented sigh I stretch out on my stomach. I may miss home, but I have to love the sunshine. I close my eyes and concentrate on the warmth soaking into my skin. If nothing else, I'll have a killer tan by the time I leave. As I sunbathe I contemplate the task that Lucifer gave me before I left, out of earshot of the others.

"You will be among my enemies for years. I cannot protect you there, and I cannot allow Andariel to fly to your rescue. I ask only that if they plan to move against us, you warn me." he said. I studied him for a moment.

"Why did you save us?" I asked. He smiled, showing the tips of his fangs.

"I could not allow someone to possess a strength that I did not." he said. I blinked at him.

"Truth is surprising from an archangel." He nodded gravely and walked away.

So now I lay in the sand and plan my infiltration. If I'm to know their plans, then I must walk among them. Well, not just walk, I have to get them to trust me, to talk around me. Not fun. I'm not sure it's worth it. A shadow falls across my body and I sigh. Damn clouds.

"Are you not a bit underdressed, my lovely friend?" a man asks. I roll onto my side, showing him just how underdressed I am. He smiles hungrily, and to my surprise I see a hint of fang. "I do appreciate the view, but I simply came to talk to you."

"Ah." I answer, and I roll back over. I badly want to ask him what the fuck he is, but that would be the height of impropriety. At least he is a familiar face, though I still don't know his name.

"Duriel..." he mutters. I make a pillow of my arms and sigh, not quite as happy as I was before. Though my name does sound lovely on those strawberry lips of his. "Allow me to introduce myself."

"Have at it." I invite.

"I am Ahren, son of Michael." he says. I go perfectly still. Sadly, it is not the perfect stillness of serenity. More the stillness of blind panic.

"I would not have thought that Michael would sully himself with humans." I answer, my voice careful. It explains the fangs, then. He's no more pure than I am, perhaps less. Which means he can also lie.

"His Lord ordered that it be done, and he obeyed." This time I catch the hint of anger in his voice, and my muscles wind even tighter. Damn, I have to be stuck on an island with the son of the man my sister killed, don't I? What kind of fucking luck do I have? He drops to his knees in front of me and jerks me up, so that my face is nearly level with his. The orange of his eyes is now joined by swirls of red and yellow, making them as hypnotic as flames.

"Do you wish to kill me, to avenge his death?" I blurt. He stares at me, and I can't help but shiver despite the warmth of the day.

"My father wanted nothing to do with me, once he found out about my oddities." That's not an answer, but I'm more than happy to keep him talking.

"What of your mother?" I ask. His grip on my shoulders tightens, and my breath quickens a bit. Wrong question. He spins me around, and I yelp. His hands brush the sand from my skin with quick, feather-light strokes.

"Let us speak of other things." he whispers huskily. He cups my breasts and nibbles lightly on my throat, making me squirm a bit.

"Ahren," I breathe, and I mean to make him stop. He clutches me tighter, and I can feel his nearly painful need for touch. It takes me a few breathes to summon the will to speak again. "Ahren, you're hurting my wings."

"So beautiful." he groans. He spins me around again and grips my arms tightly. His eyes are feverish. "I need you."

"No sex." I manage. He lifts me to my feet and jerks my bikini bottoms down. I make a strangled sound as Ahren kisses up my thigh.

"Do you want me to hold you to that, or do you want me to give in if you beg?" he growls. I shiver and sway in his grip. He smiles wickedly and runs his tongue up higher. He presses his face between my legs and breathes in my scent. "Well?"

"I said-" I begin, and he chooses that moment to begin his assault. He wraps his arms around my legs, drawing me closer to his face, and presses one finger teasingly against my entrance. I whimper as Ahren fastens his mouth over my clit and sucks gently. Another finger joins the first, just barely breaching me. He captures my clit between his teeth and begins flicking it with his tongue.

"Oh, gods." I moan. He laughs and slowly presses his fingers deeper, as I squirm and beg. "Oh, my God!"

I sway, nearly falling, and he lifts his face, his mouth dripping from my wetness. He lies flat on his back, jerking me down with him, so that I straddle his face.

"Ahren?" I murmur. He licks me until I'm grinding against his face, unable to control myself. I'm so close to orgasm that I can't stand it. "Ahren, please!"

"Anything for you." he purrs, and he takes me higher. I roll to the side as I collapse forward, trying not to crush his face. My body still quivers from the aftershocks when his fingers find my entrance again. He slams two fingers inside and twists, making me yelp. I clench around him helplessly, too stupefied by my first orgasm to react quickly.

"I want to feel you grip my cock like this." Ahren hisses. I make a small noise of protest as he rolls on top of me, but he ignores it. He shreds his jeans quickly and settles between my legs, trying to fit our bodies together.

"Ahren, please, don't!" I scream. He stops moving and I breathe a little easier. He moves up onto his elbows and knees, taking most of his weight off of me. I crawl out from under him and dive into my clothes. He stares at me, his eyes still like twin flames. I laugh a little bitterly and hug myself tightly, the warmth of the sun no longer enough.

"No one believes that evil can have innocence as well." I whisper. He blinks, and his eyes fade back to their normal orange luminosity.

"They sent us a virgin?" Ahren asks. I just look at him. He throws back his head and howls. I glare at him, not at all amused.

"It's not funny." I snap. He dives forward, stopping just short of me, so that his face is inches from mine.

"It has been sixteen centuries since any of us have had the touch of female flesh, and they send us a virgin. A scared virgin at that."

"Andariel is the only one of the three of us that has been touched, and you guys wanted one of the three of us. You can't have Andariel since she's mated, so you get me."

"I am a triplet as well." he says, setting back onto his heels. I shrug. It seems to run in partially angel families. All of us are either twins or triplets. I hug my knees to my chest and he sighs.

"I apologize for my forwardness. I did not know, as poor an excuse as that is." Ahren says, his voice coldly formal. I roll my eyes and cuddle myself. He hesitates visibly. "May I hold you?"

"Oh, Ahren, when will you learn to treat bitches properly?" We both look up as another angel slips out of the trees. "I have told you repeatedly that you do not ask, you take."

"You have no business here, Damon." Ahren hisses. Damon comes closer regardless, until he stands over me.

"You know what where one of us goes, the other will follow." Damon laughs. He leans down and cups my face between his hands, examining my eyes. I have an instant desire to hurt him, magnified by the spike of pain he sends ripping through my body. I jerk away and he laughs. Ahren growls low in his throat, almost ready to rip the other apart.

"Who are you?" I ask. Damon stares down at me, his icy eyes arrogant. Unlike Ahren, his eyes are a flat blue, almost white.

"Come now, Ahren, you had your turn. Surely you will not attempt to deny me my own fun."

"She's-" he pauses and glances at me.

"I'm not a fucking toy." I hiss. I rise to my feet, though at five foot nothing, it's not exactly impressive. Ahren lifts his hand idly, and a ring of flame springs up around Damon.

"Who is he?" I ask Ahren. He sighs and looks away.

"My brother." he mumbles.

"Your twin." Damon corrects. The flames pull in closer, catching his clothes and lower feathers on fire.

"My triplet." Ahren snarls. Damon laughs and smoothes the flames down off of his body, extinguishing them with a mere wisp of magic.

"As you wish. The fact remains, however, that it is my turn to play with the girl."

"I am not-" Damon grabs me by the throat and lifts me. I flap my wings, using them to hold me up a bit. Ahren looks shocked as his brother slowly squeezes, until I can't do anything but squeak.

"You do not talk down to me, bitch." he hisses. I kick him and he throws me, hard. A tree snaps under me, but I climb to my feet. He dives for me, and Ahren is just there to take the blow. They roll into me, and this time I just lay there. This tree is fairly comfortable, for a tree.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I open my eyes to find a near crowd of faces hovering above me. They all look completely concerned, though I'm not so far gone that I think they actually care about me. More than likely they were threatened with something they hold dear, so that they would watch over me. I roll over and throw up an odd mixture of blood and fruit. One of the angels apparently drew the short straw, because he picks me up and cuddles me to his chest. I look up at his gorgeous face and sigh. He looks terrified.

"What's wrong?" I try to say. It comes out as one, horribly slurred word, but he understands.

"You hit your head on a tree and were unconscious for several days. Our Master feared that the twins had permanently damaged you."

"Ahren?" I sit up, adrenaline making my head a bit clearer.

"Ahren is fine. Damon has been punished for hurting you." I settle back against his chest with a slight sigh. My head throbs in time with my heartbeat.

"Why're you guys here?" I ask. He almost smiles.

"We were assigned to watch over you and take care of your needs." I give a vague thought to what kind of needs he thinks he will be satisfying and decide to keep my mouth shut. If they can stay happy and noninvasive, they can think whatever they want.

"As luscious as you are, you are most definitely not my type." he murmurs, low enough that the others can't hear. I flush pink and he laughs softly. He takes me to a small room with a deep pool of water. I yelp as he tries to set me down in it. He steps into the water, still holding me, and very slowly gets me to let go of him. I blush when I realize that the water only rises to my waist.

"So what is your type?" I ask, sinking to my knees. He grabs a wash cloth and begins washing my back. I sigh as he kneads my sore muscles. I should probably protest, but it feels so damn good. He steps closer, pressing his body against mine, and I shift nervously. He cleans me slowly, carefully, rubbing the rough cloth against my sensitive skin until I squirm for him. I rub my ass against him, making soft noises in the back of my throat. He drops both hands to my hips and kisses my ear.

"Please do not make me do this." he whispers. I jump and turn around, finally noticing the rather frantic look on his face.

"Why are you touching me, if you don't want to?" I ask. I know there have to be a few guys here that would be more than happy to have me naked and alone.

"My Master sent me because I can read what you wish directly from your mind." He keeps his voice carefully neutral, and I wonder what he's thinking. Most people only control themselves when they seek to not offend someone more powerful than themselves, and I know that's not me. Even the weakest angel could kick my ass on a bad day. "I am bound to do whatever you wish, my lady."

I lay my head on his chest, trying to think only clean thoughts. I'm not sure why the thought of sex with me bothers him, but I'm not going to force him to be with me. It would be rape, whether he's on top or not. He hugs me hesitantly and I smile. I've missed cuddling since I got here. All of us liked to be touched, liked to be petted, even Andariel, our little warrior queen. Well, I suppose Belial will be queen, since she's after Lucifer, but Andariel will still be the most bad ass female angel. Not far behind Izual to be the most bad ass angel, period. I let my mind drift until I can feel him as just another extension of my own emotions. He's worried about someone. I can feel equal measures of lust, love, and annoyance.

"Do you like Damon?" I guess. He actually blushes, which pretty much makes my day. I made a warrior angel blush.

"It does not matter what I wish, only what you wish." he replies carefully. I roll my eyes and try to think around that convoluted bit of logic. I can guess that whatever his punishment is for disobeying me, it's highly painful.

"If I ask you to get Damon and Ahren and bring them here, would you be bound to do that as well?" I ask. He nods, once. I wave my hand in a shooing gesture and he gives me a huge smile. He goes to the door and whispers to someone standing just outside. I watch him walk back, trying hard not to regret his taste, but damn if he's not gorgeous.

"They should be here shortly. I told them to simply send them in." I kiss his cheek and smile.

"Happy?" I ask. He nods.

"Why do you care?" I blink at him.

"We all have to live here. Why shouldn't I be nice to you?"

"You have only to order us, and we must obey. Master will not risk another suicide." I consider this for a moment. Unlimited power over some of the sexiest and deadliest warriors on Earth. Damn, now there's a fun prospect. His words catch up to me as my little happy buzz fades.

"Another suicide?" I have a bad feeling about this.

"The last female angel here was the twins' sister. Her mother killed her and committed suicide." Okay, that explains why Ahren is touchy about his mother. I twist around to look at my wings and sigh. Completely soaked.

"Ahren would probably dry them for you, if you asked nicely. He is fire, after all." I daydream for a moment about what asking "nicely" would entail. His naked skin under my lips, hopefully.

"Does he like you?" I ask suddenly. He looks away.

"We love each other, but continuing the species is more important than any emotion." Oh, I can fix that. Damon wasn't going to get to touch me anyway. Now I have a good reason, if I can think of a way to use it without getting anyone in trouble. The door opens, and Ahren carries Damon in. His wings are a bloody mess, crushed into an unrecognizable state. His lover chokes back a sob and takes him from his brother's arms. I'm not sure that he's conscious until he turns those pale blue eyes to me.

"Do you enjoy seeing what you have caused?" he croaks. I step back and look down, unable to bare the accusation in his eyes. I haven't been awake to ask for his torture, not that I would have, but that doesn't make this any less my fault. Once again someone else is suffering for my fragility, just like Andariel used to take my beatings because she thought I wouldn't survive them. I grit my teeth and take his hand, forcing myself to meet his eyes. It's like an electric current runs from me to him, the second our skin touches. He stiffens in his lover's arms, then collapses. When he slowly rises to his feet, his wings rise whole and perfect behind him.

"You healed him." Ahren whispers. I shake my hand and step back away from them all, until my back hits the side of the oversized tub.

"I have no magic." I keep shaking my head until Ahren reaches for me, pulling me gently into his arms. I shiver in his embrace, almost too scared to think. Where did that come from? He was definitely healed, but it couldn't have been me. I've never been able to heal a single bruise, no matter how much I cried and plead with the gods.

"My lady." Damon says, for once not mocking at all. He drops to his knees in front of me. "I pledge myself to you. I will go where you would go, and protect you from harm."

I shake my head even more, and his lover cries silently.

"You can't leave him." I answer. Damon glances back at the still nameless man, his face pained.

"I love you, Mitchell. You know this." His voice is as gentle as I have ever heard him.

"If you love me, do not go." he whispers. Damon shakes his head.

"I am now oath bound, and if I taint my honor, I will be forced out." Fuck. They do like to make life complicated, don't they? Ahren turns my face to him and kisses me gently. I hear his voice inside my mind and fight to not flinch.

'If you take on Mitchell as well, then they need not be separated.' Good point. Why didn't I think of that? I give Mitchell what I hope is an encouraging look, and he takes a deep breath.

"Damon is not old enough to understand what he has done." Mitchell whispers. "He is bound to follow you, even into the lands of the fallen."

"Oh." That could be a problem.

"But, she'll stay here if she mates one of us, right?" Ahren asks. Mitchell shakes his head.

"She is not bound to either side, and her family is not among us. Do you truly think she will stay here, when she is no longer required to?"

"I want to go home." I admit in a small voice. Ahren stares down at me, his arms no longer so welcoming. I guess my hopes were for nothing.

"Duriel, will you accept my oath of fealty?" Mitchell asks finally. I hesitate before answering. I know what he's giving up by doing this, but then, I also know what he's giving up if he doesn't. God will forgive him following me, if he is bound to protect me. God won't forgive him following Damon like a lovesick puppy, and Lucifer would likely use it as an excuse to rid himself of some opposition.

"Yes." I answer. Ahren takes my hands in his, studying them far more intently than I like.

"I want to be your mate."

"But you don't want to leave here." I guess. He smiles, flashing the tips of his fangs again.

"But I don't want to die." he corrects. I roll my eyes.

"They won't kill you, because you are mine." He rolls his eyes, not believing me, and I sigh. "If they kill you, Andariel will leave. If Andariel leaves, so will Izual."

"It truly is a love match then." Damon says. I turn to him and he smiles slightly. "We had wondered."

"Why?" I don't see the logic of it. What would be the point of pairing three people that hate each other?

"The two greatest warriors of the fallen, both working to impregnate the same girl? Izual is only not the leader because he does not care for politics." Oh. Put that way, it does sound deliberate. I really don't want to explain that it's a love that started with Andariel's kinky fetishes. That conversation can wait. Until the end of time, hopefully.

"Can we go back to bed?" I ask. The three of them exchange glances, and I roll my eyes. Fine. I'll go to bed. Alone. It's warm enough. I jerk the door open and walk into the room, still naked and dripping wet. The group of them turns to look at me, and I snap.

"Out! Out, all of you!" I scream. The mini-flock obeys me, which is good, and I collapse on the bed. My head is still throbbing. I must have hit that damn tree harder than I thought. Ahren just appears next to me, clad in only a tiny pair of boxers.

"Can I cuddle with you?" he asks. I seriously consider screaming for him to get out too. I really don't want to deal with people right now. Instead I nod and scoot over, giving him room to climb into bed. He snuggles against me, careful of my wings, and strokes my feathers slowly. The familiar motion soothes me, until I'm lulled to sleep.