*Mild violence, mild language*

Jophiel’s feet touched the concrete once more as he took a step forward, recognizing that the rational thing to do was punish the creature now. With each step, Jophiel increased the wind speed and pressure around the building, and felt a curious warmth spread through his belly.  

Dominic gripped his arms and faced forward as he dug his toes into the concrete of the ledge, looking down at the traffic below. He could make out a few humans walking below. It was always windy this high up, but the force of it had suddenly increased and kept increasing. Is he doing this? Jerk.

The wind seemed to push against him hard in response and fear left a bitter taste in the back of his throat. His body could heal from a crushed windpipe, but not a crushed… everything. If you’re just gonna kill me in the end—

Despite the divots Dominic’s toes made in the concrete, the wind managed to push him off the edge mid-thought, and all the anger  and words he’d ever had left him. Now all he felt was gravity forcing him closer to the ground, a violent push and pull down. 

Jophiel watched the vampire’s descent from the edge of the roof, slowing time down so the fall would feel like an eternity for his prey. Focusing on that chalk-white face was enough to make the angel lose all sense of reason.

Those dark eyes that initially looked at him in arrogance were now wide with helplessness, the unique sheen of terror made them glossy even from a distance. 

Or is he about to cry? The possibility of the latter being true… Now that was a pleasant prospect.

I want to keep seeing that face. 

Jophiel’s wings breathed a sigh of relief as he glided down to his falling vampire, his breath catching as those frightened eyes met his own. He felt a tightening somewhere deep inside his stomach, and an image popped into his mind of the vampire lying on his stomach, his backside completely exposed. Was that him… or me? 

Jophiel could only focus on the little bubbles  of red liquid welling up in the vampire’s eyes. There was only room for one thought.

“If you do what I ask, I promise to spare you. And we angels are unable to break our promises.”

“Y-y-yes! Please save—”

Everything seemed to stop before picking up speed again and Dominic found himself on his back, staring up at the night sky, more or less unharmed. Due to the late hour, there were no pedestrians,  but cars drove by often. All Dominic could think though was, I’m alive? 

“Yes, yes you are alive. On your knees again. Now.” 

The angel hovered above him and Dominic’s eyes burned from the sight of milky white wings clear against the night sky, spots of gold in the feathers that seemed to pulse with every wingbeat. Angels really are beautiful. 

In a trance, Dominic did what he was told, unable to take his eyes off the otherworldly being in front of him. The unrelenting coldness that had emanated from the angel was replaced with inescapable heat. Not just from the wings; all of him burned into Dominic, somehow. 

“Do you know why I was sent for you?” 

Dominic shivered at the primal edge in the angel’s question. “N-no, I d—”

Jophiel gripped Dominic’s jaw and forced his chin back, filling Dominic’s eyes with his electric irises. “Do not lie to me.”

The vampire blinked up at him and Jophiel could hear nothing but Dominic’s elevated breath.

Such a vain thing to get distracted by my appearance. 

“Since you seem to be robbed of your faculties for the moment, I shall enlighten you.”