Wind bristles through the trees as the moon casts a ghostly glow over the silent woods. The sounds of the Earth make their way to Nathanael while he's sitting on the edge of the windowsill with one knee bent. His skillful eyes survey the black trees surrounding the little farmhouse. The peaceful street causes him to relax, leaning slightly off his knee. His nose rises to meet the breeze. The air has changed. The cold has actually turned into a scent: crisp and earthy. The edges of the leaves have started to turn a shade of red. A grunt brings his attention back inside the room. Placing a leg on the ground, he examines the tree line one last time for good measure before climbing to his feet. If the Lord is testing him, he sure doesn't plan on failing. Sera begins to toss and turn on her bed. The covers tangle between her legs. This happens every once and a while. Sometimes he'll catch her mumbling something, but tonight she just rolls back onto her side. Gibberish escapes her lips. Nathanael takes a few steps closer, propping himself onto the foot of her sleigh bed. He assumes his crouched position, always ready to pounce. Things on Earth are so... unpredictable. His eyes dart over her shadowed furniture.

With another groan, her head flips to the other side. "Demons," she gasps, loud enough for him to make out. His wings extend in response to the word. The heat swirls inside the palm of his hands readying himself. It only takes one swooping flap of his wings before he is airborne, hovering above her.

She never awakens. Her auburn hair flings from side to side as she thrashes about. He glances around the cluttered room again trying to remember the protocol: Do not step in with Earthly affairs, unless your subject is in danger.

His fists clench at his sides. He struggles to contain himself. There's this powerful urge inside of him to take action.

Again, he surveys the room preparing for everything, anything. Guarding the Throne has made him a little... paranoid. Here on Earth has proven to be a little monotonous in comparison. Regardless of what he was once responsible for, he will take pride in whatever position he's granted.

The order came from the Lord Almighty, himself. He continues to remind himself, shaking his head. Although, as the days go by he finds it feels less and less like a demotion.

After a few minutes, her thrashing calms and her murmuring halts. His wings retract, causing him to land on the edge of her bed. Her dreams have grown increasingly vivid over the past few months. What could she possibly have been dreaming about that involved... demons? 

Seraphina

The night is so dark, Sera can barely see her hand in front of her face. The streetlights are either broken or nonexistent. She wanders deeper through the city streets looking for the blue-eyed stranger. There's a chill in the air causing goose bumps to sprout up along her bare shoulders.

Tin slams to the ground behind her causing her to burst into a run. She dashes down the street and around the corner before ducking into an open cast-iron gate. Sera slips low behind a bush to make sure no one is following her. The street is silent, not even a car on the road. It's strange for New York City, she thinks. The stores across the street are vacant, the apartments above are all void of movement. What is going on?

That's when she feels it. A breeze tickles her skin from behind. She jerks up onto her feet, heart beating wildly inside her chest.

The church looms high above, hiding her in its ghostly shadow. The moon hides far behind it, lighting up only the tips of the gothic spindles. The arched doorframes mimic the thick wooden doors underneath. On each corner sits a stone gargoyle with a small round head and paws like lions, but what really shakes her are those paper-thin wings, almost like a bat. The statues look down upon Sera. They seem aware she's intruding on their territory, their eyes intense and locked on her, while their paws seem to lean over the edge.

A growl breaks through the silent night. That definitely wasn't in her head—these gargoyles just made noise!

With one last glance above her, she can see the wings along the backs of the gargoyles have spread and their eyes are now glowing a luminous, ruby color. The stone of the church crumbles as they break from their posts. Chunks of rock come tumbling down around her. She whips around to the cast iron gate again. She closes it for good measure before dashing across the vacant street. The gargoyles slink down to the ground like shadows. Their ghostly figures thin to air, slipping between the spindles of the gate. Slowly, their bodies form back to terrifying, demon-like stone figures. Their paws move silently as they stalk toward Sera across the street. The gargoyles have her right where they want her. Her eyes scan the silent street for an escape. Something. Anything.

The deserted city offers no escape. The closer they reach, the colder the air feels around her. The hairs on her arm stand on end and a cloud of air puffs from her open mouth. It only increases as she backs up into the dark alley across the street. Sera can't help but think this is it. This is how I'm going to die. My parents will be so proud to find me shredded to pieces in a dark alley.The alley soon fills with the scent of old garbage. Her back finally hits the brick wall indicating the end of the stone backstreet.

Pressing her lids closed, "Please God, don't let it end like this." She offers up a quick prayer before opening her eyes to the approaching shadows.

A thump comes from somewhere behind the darkness. The ruby eyes growing larger and larger are all that encompass the alley. Suddenly, a crack echoes the tight space and the red eyes of one of the gargoyles grow bigger before it falls to the ground. The stone creature is silent as it writhes there for a minute. Even its companion pauses in shock until the shadow gargoyle vanishes.

A man comes into view dressed all in black. With his long sword, he slices the head off the other gargoyle in front of Sera. A scream echoes in the alley as it too, begins to writhe in pain. The man glances up from the tip of his sword as the creature vanishes. The blue eyes shine through the dark alley. I know those eyes—it's my dream guy.

"Where did you come from?" Sera calls across the alley. Strangely, the enclosed space is beginning to grow brighter by the second. "What's your name?" 

The stranger loops his sword back into his belt. He doesn't seem at all concerned with her questions. His hair moves from side to side as he glances up and down the street.

Sera's legs finally snap out of their trance and walk toward him. "What were those things?" she tries once more.

His eyes finally meet hers again. They soften slightly at her ignorance and he offers her only one word. "Demons."

Unexpectedly, the world around them shakes and blurs. The brick buildings around them fade into the darkness. The moon shines high above, like a spotlight, until he is all she can see.

Those piercing blue eyes envelope Sera, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. As his eyes focus upon her, he reaches his hand out, and she finds herself walking to him. When they are chest to chest, he wraps one arm around her waist, and she takes the opportunity to run her hands up the length of his side before stopping at his biceps. She feels a sense of home and safety in his strong arms. Glancing up to his face, she tries to memorize everything from his jaw line to every last eyelash. Holding her protectively, his eyes dart around the darkened space around him. This leaves her plenty of time to indulge in all his glorious features. His dark hair is long enough to run fingers through, but not long enough to put behind his ears. The color reminds her of a dark cinnamon, making his blue eyes stand out just that much more. His smooth skin is pale and flawless. Her eyes are once again drawn to his. Sadly, there are no words to describe them. They can only compare to a cerulean blue, but they have a translucency to them that a crayon color could never replicate.

He must feel her eyes on him because their eyes finally meet. Sera freezes, transfixed by his beauty. She finds that she can't move a muscle. He has a spell on her. This handsome stranger glances down to her lips, and she loses her breath, his hand reaching up to the tip of her chin. Tightening his grip around her waist, he draws her even closer against his firm physique. Upon contact, there's a pulse of electricity firing through Sera's entire body, beginning from where he touches her waist and shooting out to her toes, fingertips, and every red strand of hair on her head. His fingers begin to dance across her chin and up her jaw and cross her lips before they find themselves back under her chin. When his eyes meet hers again, he pulls her closer and kisses her softly. The contact of his full lips against hers, shock her yet again. Her knees go weak, feeling as though her whole body is beginning to tingle with a deep fire. The kiss deepens, his other arm tracing its way down her spine to meet its companion at the small of her back. Sera can't help but get the feeling he's been waiting for this moment for a long time as he groans against her lips with passion. Surprisingly, she feels the same way. Her fingers find their way up his arms to the nape of his neck and finally entwine in his hair. She feels like she has found something she didn't know was missing. She feels... whole. The last piece of the puzzle is finally complete. Then he pulls back, everything beginning to slip away, his beautiful face fading, blurring...