Zeev POV
I set Harlee down on the raised platform at the center of the chamber. There was a carved stone in the center that looked something like a seat. I let the blanket fall away as I set her down, kneeling in front of her. She was quite the sight. Several of my gold feathers, currently tainted a bronzed reddish hue, mixed with the hair on her head, framing her face in a wild display. Her cheekbones stood out more pronounced and her blue eyes were lighter in color, their pupils slitted. The blanket draped across the stone, fanning around her thinner, slightly elongated form, the leather skin looking for all the world like a strange bodysuit that exposed her midriff, creeping partway up her neck, and slightly down her shoulders and calves. I hadn't gotten the best look at her back before, but I knew a trail of feathers ran down her spine widening out into a skirt-like tail at about her waist, resembling a peacocks tail when it was closed, but all in my gold color. She definitely took several of my Demon aspects during her first shift.
The room around us grew silent and then a flurry of activity began. I knew Harlee couldn't understand the mix of languages being spoken around us, so I translated briefly in her mind for her as she began to get nervous.
'They're wondering who might challenge.' I told her. In my True Form, I turned and stood at the edge of the podium, looking out, glaring at the other Demons. I could feel Harlee's urge to reach out and touch me, so I circled the stone, eyeing the spectators and settled on my haunches beside her so she could reach out a hand and dig it into the feathers along my back. The feeling sent a shiver up my spine, especially with those long claws she had now. If I was the wolf she liked to think of me as, I probably would have rolled over and asked for tummy rubs. I still might, when we were out of danger.
A Demon approached the podium and I felt Harlee's hand clench. She was doing her best to do as I asked and just sit very still. I moved forward and she let me go. The Demon snarled at me and spat 'traitor' in another language. He was a Corrupted, formerly human, which made him a strange sort of hypocrite in a way. I huffed as if I didn't consider him a challenge and turned my back. This excited the crowd gathering around us and angered the Demon. He sprung from the ground in his Demon Form-something like a Jackal/human hybrid, and I caught him across the belly with my talons. His innards spilled out and the crowd took care of the rest for me as I pushed his body back off the podium. I huffed again and went to sit by Harlee, licking my talons clean as she dug her fingers into my feathers. The crowd began to mill restlessly.
Harlee POV
Now I understood why it was called Hell as I watched the Demons tear apart the fourth of their own kind that had challenged Zeev. There was a mix of human looking Demons, Demon Forms, hybrid Forms and various stages of other Forms below. They eagerly ripped the Demon from Zeev as he casually pushed the limp body off the stone podium we were on. As Zeev turned, I noticed he was now completely splattered with blood. I was trying to keep a neutral expression, but as he stalked back towards me, the night we first met hit me again and I felt my expression break briefly before I could bring a bored look back. His talons clicked on the stone and I could hear that strangely above all the other noise in the chamber, even above the roar of the crowd. He rested his bloody head on mine for an instant, then turned to roar wordlessly at the crowd and they screamed back with excitement.
Someone else landed on the podium and spoke Zeev's True Name. Zeev and I both froze and I saw his eyes go wide as he ran through several calculations. I heard a brief snippet of though about the Fallen rarely getting involved in what the other Fallen do and then he turned to face the newcomer. The crowd screamed their approval.
A giant pair of black wings folded and drug the ground as the most beautiful creature I had ever seen walked forward.
"I'm losing one of my best soldiers to a pitiful human girl." Tsked the androgynous looking creature. "And what-what is this?" The Demon strode forward and plucked the normally invisible glowing blue thread between us. I gasped and clutched at my chest. The Demon eyed me.
"Interesting." It stated and yanked the cord. I was pulled from the stone seat immediately and Zeev roared as I screamed in pain. "What would happen if I were to cut it, I wonder?" The Demon hissed, eyeing us with curiosity and its fingernails grew to wicked sharpness and it raised the hand to strike. Zeev, fluttering between his human and Demon Form, caught the hand as it descended.
"No." He rasped. "You will kill us. Brother." The Demon blinked lazily and looked between us.
"I lose you either way, so what do I care?" He tsked again and tossed the cord away. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed on to Zeev.
"However, I didn't come here to kill you." The Demon said, striding away. 'I came here to warn you. Don't come back."
"Can you actually get tossed out of Hell?" I whispered to Zeev incredulously. The Demon turned in an instant and had me by the throat.
"Yes, you can, little changeling. Heaven will not have you and neither will Hell. You and your little Bonded Demon pet here are Outcasts, Doomed to wander Eternally with no place to call your own." The Demon hissed in my face. I gagged and heard Zeev choke behind me. Deciding this wasn't how I was going out either, I sunk my claws into the Demon's arm. The Demon hissed, but refused to let go, so I exerted more pressure, and the Demon's blood dripped to the floor in large drops.
"You are a feisty one, I'll give you that. Come back to see me when your soul has been properly converted. I might reconsider my decision, and keep you around as a pet. Until then, we have no use for you." The Demon dropped me on the floor with disgust. I coughed and gasped for air.
"Remember what I said. Nothing but death awaits you here." The Demon tsked and spread his large wings, jumping into the air, and was gone. Zeev growled and snatched me up, tossing me onto his back. The crowd jeered as Zeev took off with a beat of his four powerful wings. I clutched his feathered back tightly, where it melted to fur on his head. I buried my face in the soft fur and closed my eyes, inhaling his scent to calm myself.
"Harlee, that's very distracting." Growled Zeev.
"Is it over?" I asked him softly.
"For now. This won't prevent Demons from coming for us, but it may make some rethink their plans. We've shown ourselves as having some power, but we've also just been cast out. However, we still haven't come across those that are hunting us at present. We were run off before they appeared. My hope is they return here and hear of the fight or our new expulsion status and become bored with us. At least for a time." Zeev remarked. I rubbed my raw throat.
"Who was that?" I murmured into his fur "The Demon at the end?"
"One of my Superiors. A Fallen. A former Arch Angel. He is not overly fond of humans." Zeev replied quietly. I felt his body settle and looked around to see a large empty school football field near my home.
"He could have killed us, couldn't he?" It was more a statement than a question. Zeev shifted Forms and I slid off his back. He caught me before I hit the ground, already in his human Form again.
"Close your eyes." He murmured and I felt Zeev run a hand over my face. A woozy feeling hit me and the feeling of tugging at my skin made me squirm. Even my muscles and bones seized up like I was suddenly one big cramp. I nearly fell over, but Zeev caught me. "The shift will become easier as time goes on." He said holding my head against his chest. I took a shallow breath.
"We can't go home, can we?" I asked. Zeev clutched me tighter.
"Not..right now." He replied.
Zeev POV
There were a million things I wanted to say to Harlee.
Just give up your old life and come with me-you can see the world, we'll always be one step ahead of those Demons. You know, you don't have to work yourself to the bone now that you have me, use me, I'm a tool in your arsenal! Let me take care of you, Mistress!
Of all the people in the world to be granted access to virtually unlimited power, it would of course be this creature, whose only wish was the one thing I could not give her-her soul back. I held her closely.
"Come with me." I murmured and stepped us into a nice bedroom in a nice hotel.
"Where are we?" Harlee asked blearily.
"Just a little place I keep on retainer for emergencies." I replied soothingly. "I'll run you a bath and fetch you some clothes, then I really think you should get some sleep.
"Mmhmm." She mumbled.
Harlee POV
I couldn't help but groan at the light. There was too much of it and it was too bright. I cracked my eyelids and my heart rate increased. Wait-where was I? Zeev smoothed my hair and murmured something soothing to me and I jerked. He paused, hand held midair. I looked at him with apology on my face.
"I'm sorry-I just-where are we?" I looked around at the room, it was decorated all in white, from white sheer curtains on the windows to white silk sheets on the bed. This was definitely not my mismatched and random house.
"It's a room I have a.. ah.. special arrangement.. with the owner for. After all, he's a Demon too." Zeev replied. I kept examining the room and the was it was decorated, from the lush carpet to the way it was furnished screamed-
"Oh God-is this where you bring women to have sex?" I groaned. Zeev chuckled, then kissed me on the neck.
"Why, is it giving you ideas?" He purred. I groaned again.
"I can't get STDs from a Demon, right?" I moaned, covering my face. Zeev laughed.
"No-I'm not really even human, this body can't support your human viruses." Zeev bit my ear lightly.
"Good." I sighed. "Oh God-I have to work today!" I yelped and sat up quickly.
"That was yesterday, and I went in for you." Zeev replied.
"Went in..for me?" I questioned him, confused.
"Yes..." He purred against my throat "I disguised myself as you-you know I can take any shape I want-and pretended to be you at work yesterday. I've seen you do your job enough times, it's relatively simple. The only one it freaked out was the young Mage, because he could see through the illusion." Zeev waved a hand, but then ran it across my collar bone.
"What are you doing?" I swatted at him.
"I'm sorry, all this demand for my powers lately, plus being in this room... I'm hungry..." Zeev gently bit my lower lip.