I’m still lying on the bed when his lips press against my forehead. His kisses are burning, soft, filled with a love so powerful it makes me dizzy. I open my eyes, meeting his red gaze so intense it sends a shiver through me. His black hair falls around his face, framing his grave expression.

“I have to leave for a bit, my angel. Just an hour.”

I sit up slightly, my new black wings trembling behind me. My heart tightens, as it always does when he isn’t there. My fingers grasp his desperately, seeking his warmth.

“Don’t go…”

He smiles softly, that tender, burning smile that hurts and soothes me all at once. He places his hand on my cheek, his thumb stroking my pale skin.

“It won’t be long. I’ll be back soon… and then, I’ll show you the lava gardens.”

I close my eyes, savoring the heat of his touch. Then he stands, pulling on his black pants and adjusting his golden rune-carved belt. I watch him move away, every muscle shifting under his bronzed skin. At the door, he turns and looks at me, his burning gaze piercing me.

“Stay here. Promise me.”

I nod weakly. He smiles at me once more, then disappears into the corridor.
Silence falls.

I remain still for a while, trying to calm the dull ache in my back. My new wings are heavy, powerful, and my body still struggles to bear them. I close my eyes, resting my hand on the bite mark on my neck. A soft warmth pulses there, a constant reminder of his love… and his possession.

Suddenly, I hear a noise.
A rush of air.
A different scent.

My head snaps up, my heart pounding. Before I can react, a massive hand wraps around my throat, lifting me from the bed like a doll. A choked cry escapes me, my wings fluttering weakly behind me. My attacker slams me brutally against the stone wall. His face comes close to mine.

Baal.
His cruel smile reveals black fangs, his reptilian yellow eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.

“Finally alone… little black angel…”

I try to fight back, hitting his massive arms with my trembling fists, but he laughs, a deep, rough laugh that echoes through the room. He throws me onto the bed, my back hitting the stone hard. I cry out in pain, tears blurring my vision. My black wings crumple beneath me, making me scream.

He climbs over me, his enormous hands pinning me down, his claws slicing into my pale skin. I sob, weakly begging.

“Please… no… Azrael… Azrael…”

His laugh grows louder. He grabs my wrists, chaining them brutally to the bed frame with black chains that appear from his claws. They burn my skin, drawing a ragged scream from me. He rips the thin black toga I was wearing, exposing my completely naked body. His reptilian gaze slides over every part of me with monstrous hunger.

“You’re going to scream… and he won’t be here to save you.”

He opens his mouth and his forked tongue slides down my neck, slowly moving down my chest, licking my tears, my blood, my shame. His massive hand moves between my thighs, his claws grazing my limp cock. I scream, sobbing, trying to close my legs, but he spreads them brutally with his powerful knee.

“Look at me…” he growls, his voice deep and hissing. “Look at who’s going to make you come from pain…”

He strikes me. A violent slap on my thigh, then another on my hip. My screams echo off the walls. His clawed hand wraps around my cock, squeezing so hard I see stars. Blood tears drip down my skin where his claws cut me.

I sob, my broken voice begging again and again.

“Azrael… Azrael… please… Azrael…”

But he laughs, his monstrous laugh drowning out my prayers. He bends down and bites my shoulder viciously, his fangs sinking deep into my flesh. I scream, my entire body arching from the unbearable pain. I feel my blood running in burning streams down my chest. I cry, my sobs tearing at my heart.

Then…
I feel something.
A heat.
A monstrous heat.
It begins in my chest, spreading into my belly, my veins, my wings.
My vision blurs, a red veil covering my eyes.
I no longer feel pain.
I feel… power. A power so monstrous I tremble all over. My breath turns deep, rough. I feel my wings beating, spreading fully behind me, sending Baal flying backwards.

He stares at me, his reptilian eyes wide with surprise.
And I… I stare back.
My vision is red.
My entire body burns with a new strength.
A strength… invincible.

And deep inside me, a voice resonates, deep and powerful.

“You are mine, Caël… and now, you are more powerful than you ever imagined…”

And as Baal backs away, terrified, a slow, burning smile spreads across my bloodstained lips.