Zeev POV
This beautiful creature was mine for eternity. Who cares of Heaven nor Hell wanted us. As long as I had her, I had everything. We would make a place of our own if we had to.
I blinked. This emotional outpouring was unfamiliar to me. I was beginning to think Harlee's soul had fully integrated with my Heart now. The two must be completely inseparable for me to be feeling such emotions. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Core of my being. The white ring of light that always seemed to hover at the edge of my being, elusive and untouchable, had now completely sunken in. I had a soul. I felt tears spring to my eyes. Harlee... What does this mean for you? The blueish-white thread that bound us still throbbed visibly between us. I looked for Harlee's soul and found the ragged tatters pressed in my direction, but did it look healthier?
I kissed Harlee gently. For her sake, I hope it did. I closed my eyes again, concentrating on the thrumming between the soul fragments.
Harlee POV
"Zeev?" I called gently and rubbed a finger between his wrinkled brows. "Zeev?" I brushed my lips across his and he smiled gently. My heart throbbed. "Ah the precious Demon baby!" I squealed.
"Demon baby? Not possible-I haven't..." Zeev's eyes shot open and he looked at me in a panic.
"Were you... asleep??" I asked incredulously.
"I uh... guess so. Huh, that's strange. Must be because your soul fragment has sunk into my Heart now. So I guess human things come easier now. Though really I was just listening to your soul, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Zeev shrugged.
"Oh my goodness, that's so cute! Wait-what?" I clutched my head. "So much in that statement to unpack. What do you mean my soul fragment sunk into your Heart?" I demanded.
"My Heart is sort of... absorbing it." Zeev replied apologetically. "It's.. my soul now." Zeev said quietly.
"But it's also mine!" I cried.
"I know. I'm so sorry Harlee. And it's still yours in a way, because you do own my Heart.." Zeev answered. I gaped at him.
"I... don't know how to take this!" I screeched, gripping my head again. Zeev looked upset and reached for me.
"My, my, my, do calm down." Said a chillingly cool voice.
"How did you get in here?" Snarled Zeev, immediately standing.
"Oh come, dear brother, you know these wards are nothing for an Arch Angel." He snapped, and the room lit on fire.
"Harlee." Zeev called and I immediately grabbed onto him.
"You're crazy!" I shrieked. "What about the innocent people in this hotel?!" Zeev moved backwards and we were in a deserted location.
"Zeev-what about all those people?" I asked again desperately. He wrapped a sheet around my shoulders.
"I'll do what I can." He told me with an anguished look. "But it won't be long before the Angel arrives. The only think I can think of to keep you safe is-Harlee.." He grimaced. "Will you allow me to take in the rest of your soul for a time? Like before?"
"You mean when we, what, merged or whatever?" I asked doubtfully. Zeev grimaced again.
"Yes. So I can protect you." Zeev replied. I smiled slightly and placed a gentle hand on his Mark.
"Then open wide and say 'ah'." I answered and Zeev shifted into the shadowy Form. In the depths I could see the spark of his Heart. My soul string led to it, disappearing somewhere in it, and the entire Heart gave off a soft glow. I reached out a hand and walked without hesitation into the depths of the shadows, into the depths of the Demon that tried to consume me, reaching for the Heart of a Demon and the rest of my soul.
Zeev POV
This transformation was different. Everything about it was different. We had the Bond now, so we were already so tangled up together it was ridiculous, but Harlee didn't have any hesitation either and neither did I. We completely opened ourselves up to it, and then there was the matter of my Heart. It had absorbed her soul, so it accepted her willingly, and the rest of her soul wrapped around my Heart like a gentle cocoon. I felt my body crack and splinter and a bright light burst from us as my Shadow Form split apart.
We stepped forwards as a brand new creature. We were even closer to Zeev's Original Form, but there was so much of Harlee here too. Zeev's love had influenced the design. We had six wings now, that beat powerfully as we winked out of existence and then reappeared at the hotel. The fire had not spread yet from the room, but we gathered people and placed them outside as quickly as we could anyway.
"Imagine that. What kind of a hybrid would you even call yourselves? Demon and Human? Fallen Angel and Human? Either way, wasting all your time saving pitiful human lives, when you should be worrying about your own." The Arch Angel tsked. We snarled at the Angel. Just a few more within. The Angel tossed a car at us.
"Are you just going to ignore me here?" The Angel screamed.
"Yeah, probably." We replied and winked out of existence, back into the Hotel to grab the next person. The Angel followed.
"How DARE you!" He screamed and swung a lamp. We caught it. The Angel looked surprised, so we tossed it back in case he needed it for something else. At his face. Then grabbed the next human, who was screeching uncontrollably, and vanished, placing them outdoors.
"Get out." We growled to Zeev's Demon friend.
"Arch Angel?" He asked and we nodded.
"Saw it on the security feed. What the Hell are you, it looks like.. but it can't be. I haven't seen that Form in millennia." The Demon spoke.
"Just go." We replied, then vanished again. Just the staff left to clear out. We popped in on a couple of housekeepers and deposited them outside. Firemen had begun to arrive, but they were too late. The inside of the building cracked loudly. Our soul... it cracked with it... There were still people inside... We sank to a knee.
"I can't believe you are mourning the deaths of a few insignificant mortals. After all these years." The Arch Angel used Zeev's True Name. "You used to be a Messenger of God's Wrath. Destruction on Earth. Look at you." He sneered.
"That is not our name." We murmured. In this form.. we have not yet been Named." The Angel tsked.
"Would you like me to name you then?" He taunted.
"You do not have that right." We answered. "You did not create us." The Angel tsked again and drew a sword.
"No matter, you don't need a Name to be killed." He started raising the sword.
"No!" A familiar voice shouted and suddenly ice formed a barricade around the Angel. We stood.
"Young Mage." We said quietly.
"Harlee? Demon? What happened to you? It is you in there, right? I can see Harlee, I think... You shift too much-it gives me a headache to look at you." Josh squinted his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You moronic human!" The Angel roared, bursting from the ice. We unfurled our wings and snatched Josh away just as the blade fell where he had been standing.
"Did that Angel... just try to kill me?" Josh's teeth chattered.
"Zeev did try to warn you that they did not care for humanity." We replied.
"Can you not talk about yourself in the third person like that? It's creepy." Josh complained.
"But we are neither Zeev nor Harlee, but a combination of both-now duck-the Angel is back." Josh squeaked as we said this and we tucked our wings on the right to roll as he ducked his head to prevent the Angel from taking a swipe at either of us. "Now would be a good time to use that power of yours Mage." We scolded.
"Oh, yeah." Josh replied and we heard a couple of chinks and thunks and an enraged roar behind us, then Josh cheered. "Nailed him with some icicles." He said smugly.
"He's an Angel." We reminded calmly. "They heal quickly."
"Oh yeah." Josh looked crestfallen as the Angel dove at us once more. We landed and put him down, turning to prepare for the drawn blade headed our way. The Angel roared again and concentrated his fury on us, suddenly exploding into Holy Fire. We flinched but steeled ourselves as the blade came directly towards our torso, aflame.