The Devil Tips His Hat To Me
The giggling sound echoing down a narrow, barely lit alleyway off some nondescript cobbled-road in London, England, sounded innocent enough. Much like the svelte, dark haired, deep-blue eyed figure whom the laughter was emanating from appeared innocent enough, at least to the intoxicated figure stumbling along eagerly behind him, struggling to keep up with the surprisingly nimble young man. “Wait!” the ruddy-faced, middle-aged gentleman called, doubling over a moment to try and catch his breath, leaning weakly against a dirty brick wall as he thought ruefully to himself that he probably should have politely refused that last glass of Port he had been offered at Mrs Calloway’s dinner party, and left whilst he still had most of his facilities about him.
“Come,” the melodic coo grasped at the man’s attention with as much ferocity as a street-urchin would grasp at sweets that were thrown out of a passing carriage window by some richer, kinder (or as many would whisper, guiltier) passer-by, and Robert “Bob” Holly found himself incapable of resisting. Taking a breath to strengthen the resolve of his fortitude Robert set off once more to capture the elusive minx dancing ahead several feet of him. Had Robert not been so entrance by what he believed to be his quarry for the evening he would have noticed something, or rather, two something’s that should have had him turning tail and fleeing back to the safety of the party he had just vacated. The first was that there were no rats around. Not even a baby rat.
… And anyone who knew London well knew that, like many other grand cities, there was always a problem with rats. And the second thing he would have noticed was that his elusive potential partner for the evening bore the strangest shadow that was thrown into relief against a grimy wall when he passed by a singular, sickly streetlamp… It always seemed as though the shadow bore extended ears, like fairies of old superstition and a tail as long as a cat’s that was pointed at the end like an arrow-head. But, alas, Robert Holly did not take stock of these warning signs, lust and alcohol wearing down his common sense until he was left with the most basic of faculties; which was exactly how the supposed quarry liked it, though his real prey wasn’t to know that.
Finally, after what seemed like a doozy of a chase, Robert finally managed to catch the exotic young creature that had tempted him from the warm, sanctioned merrymaking of the Calloways’ annual dinner-party. “I’ve got you,” Robert announced with breathless triumph, the chill winter air silvering outside of his mouth as it exhaled from his lungs, his cheeks and nose turned an even deeper red than they had been before thanks to the exertion of dancing and copious amounts of drink. Thick, sooty lashes lowered demurely over sapphire blue hues, “You caught me, sir,” there was the barest hint of an extenuation of the youngster’s ‘s’s’, as though he was emulating a snake’s pattern of speech… though Robert, in that moment, found it most endearing.
“So… now, what are you going to do with me?” the mere suggestion made Robert swoon and he eagerly took the young man’s chin in hand, angling that beautiful face upwards. His lips were as red as claret and pouted enticingly, all but beckoning Robert to lean in and drink from the welcoming fountain of his mouth. Unspeaking, too eager to focus upon anything other than what he wanted, Robert continued to lower his mouth until he was a hair’s breadth from his prize--- and that was the moment everything went wrong. Something suddenly lashed around his neck, something black and strong and smooth as leather though it definitely couldn’t have been just leather… it was undulating as though it was alive for one thing, which he felt as he tried to pull it off.
The giggling from before started again, though this time it sounded more sinister than playful, malicious in its jubilance. Choking and spluttering, Robert sank to his knees and continued to try and pry the mysterious black obstruction from his throat, one hand weakly grasping as the other reached towards the angelic beauty before him. “H-Help… Me-“he rasped, hand catching the front of the angel’s loose shirt. Shock welled within him though as his hand was slapped away impatiently, “You missed your chance, governor.” A chirpy, but oddly accented voice; as though the speaker was not native to Great British shores, “Time’s a-wasting now and you took much longer than I expected,” the dark haired teenager looked very unhappy at that thought.
A wretched choking sound filled the air and the beautiful creature sighed, reaching into a pocket of his alarmingly tight trousers to fetch an ornate looking pocket watch. “I’m running out of time,” he said reproachfully, “And I had so much planned for tonight as well. I do hope you’re intending to make it up to me.” By now the world was blacking out around the edges for Robert, his face turning an alarming shade of purple. As he started to fade into unconsciousness he found himself reflecting that his wife had warned him that something like this might happen. Alright, maybe not something exactly like this, but she had warned that his fondness for drink and play was going to be the death of him one day, and it looked like she was going to be right.
As he slumped face down into the snow the black band around his throat eased, Cody releasing the hold his tail had on the man as he sauntered forward, his face becoming thrown into sharper, but no less handsome relief as some of the childishness melted away as fast as the snow underneath his feet. Though there was a good ten inches of snow on the ground his feet were almost burning through the powdery substance, leaving perfectly distinct footmarks in his wake. Humming cheerfully Cody hissed as he felt his teeth returning to their slightly elongated form; hiding his ears and his tail wasn’t the problem, the demon reflected ruefully, what was the problem was trying to hold in your teeth to look as human as you possibly could when hunting.
“Still, you sure were stupid,” Cody crossed over to the slumped body and straddled it, gripping the dying man’s chin and tilting his head upright, pulling on his chin enough to part his lips. Lowering his head until there were scant centimetres separating his mouth from his victim’s Cody then opened his own mouth and took a deep breath. Almost immediately Robert’s skin began to grow mottled, losing more and more colour with each second that passed. And, as Robert began to draw his last breaths in the mortal realm Cody felt himself getting stronger; coming to the surface expended a lot of energy after all, and he really needed to stock up. But, just as he was about to take the last ounce of life left in the carcass below him, something caught his attention.
Quick as a flash he was off of the body, hovering a few inches off of the ground as strong, supple bat-wings sprouted from his back, tearing through the shirt he was wearing. “Oh!” he huffed, pouting at the figure that had emerged from the shadows and was currently tending to the figure on the ground, “Now look what you made me do! Shirts don’t grow on trees you know!” or did they? Cody would be lying if he said he paid too much attention to this sort of thing. Another figure joined the first trying to save his evening meal and Cody giggled, perching himself atop the wrought-iron lamp-post, “It’s too late,” he informed them lightly, “Even for you.” He pretended to cock his head as though listening, a hand cupping around his almost elf-like ears.
“A little birdy’s telling me that he’s got mere moments to live,” he announced. And, sure enough, it was almost though someone had blown out a candle over Robert, and his life was extinguished the same instant as the flame. The blonde figure who had accompanied the brunette whom had first interrupted Cody crossed himself (Cody hissed, cringing back even though the Holy sign was not directed at him) and then gently closed Robert’s eyes. He remained kneeling, handsome face a mask of sadness as he offered a prayer for the departed soul. The sacred words itched like a thousand ants unleashed beneath Cody’s skin… but he had bigger things to focus on then: namely the gorgeously broad-shouldered Pious glaring up at him.
“You don’t look happy to see me,” Cody mewed, as though this was a devastating blow to him, “You’re so cruel to me, John!” John’s bright blue eyes seemed to darken as he regarded the demon, his nostrils twitching slightly at the scents of sin, seduction and death lingering in the air. “What you have just done, Demon,” Cody mewed again, sending John another hurt look but the pious refused to be taken in by the deceptively sweet face, “-is a mortal sin against God and Man.” John ignored the look that Cody sent him which asked ‘and your point is?’ to address his fellow pious. “Theodore… I’m going to need your help.” Though John was a much older angel than his accomplice, and much older than the demon they faced, that didn’t matter right then.
Since demons were more prone to trickery there was an increased likelihood that he would escape just as soon as John could try capturing him. “Ooh,” Cody shivered, wings fluttering and his tail lashing as he licked his lips slowly, eyes locked on John and barely acknowledging the secondary angel, “Are you going to tie me up, John?” John refused to move even when the demon was suddenly in front of him, dangerously close and Ted gasped. “Are you going to make me hurt so good?” Cody all but moaned, rubbing himself against John like a cat in heat. Though the angel barely flinched Cody could smell the forbidden desire and knew that he was the biggest temptation the angel had ever wanted to give into… and how Cody wished he would.
A sudden sizzling sound rent the air and Cody shrieked, springing back and shooting several feet into the air again, cradling his lightly smoking hand. “A crucifix?!” he snarled and John absently held the gold necklace up, revealing the ornate cross. All pious bore them, a mark of their ‘place in God’s family’. Cody whined in pain, blowing on his injured hand to try and stem the burning--- and how ironic was it that a cross could burn him, but should he stick his hand directly into a raging fire he would only feel a pleasant tickle? “You’re coming with us, Cody,” sleek, feather white wings emerged from the backs of the two pious, lifting them several inches from the floor and for a moment Cody looked almost frightened, recoiling back.
“Look out!” John felt Ted’s hands against the back of his jacket and then suddenly he was being propelled backwards just as a large chunk of brick (which appeared to be part of someone’s chimney) went crashing into the ground where he’d stood. “Well done little pious,” a deep, velvety baritone sounded, and Ted felt goosebumps rise on his skin and his heart-rate increase. “You’ve just saved a life. Consider yourself a big boy now,” Ted bristled despite himself, only calming when John placed a warning hand on his chest. On the rooftop level with Cody, still floating, stood a very tall, muscular young man, probably a little younger than John who looked no older than his late twenties. Besides him stood another demon, smaller than any of those gathered.
“Randy, Evvy!” Cody nuzzled the tallest of the trio affectionately, and he caressed Cody’s cheek in a glaringly intimate manner before narrowing his eyes as he noticed Cody’s injury. Quicksilver eyes turned towards John and Ted, lingering on Ted even though he was clearly addressing John, “I take it you’re the one we have to thank for that particular present?” he asked dryly, the third of their little group, ‘Evvy’ (who looked almost like a relation of Cody’s, similar in colouring and build) picked up Cody’s hand and tenderly began to lick at the injury, Cody making a quiet sound of pleasure that had the two angels present shivering with revulsion and forbidden promise. Slowly but surely the searing, blistered cross-mark on Cody’s hand vanished.
“Thank you darling,” Cody purred as he kissed Evan squarely on the lips, causing Ted to gape openly in shock at their physical audacity whereas John’s lips merely compressed into such a tight line that his jaw ticked. When the two younger demons then attached themselves to the sides of the taller, who was smirking, and looked very interested in their display, John and Ted both tensed reflexively; though they themselves didn’t actively seek out a fight demons had no such compulsions… and they wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the area around them in the quest of a victory. However, this time around, it seemed as though they weren’t interested in sticking around for a little skirmish. “You’re going to see more than your tender-hearts can cope with one day.”
Once again those hypnotic eyes levelled upon Ted and the blonde’s sky-blue hues narrowed before he wrapped a hand around his crucifix, drawing strength from it and relishing in the way the three demons shifted restlessly. “We’d love to stay and chat,” Randy, drawled, before the smallest, Evvy, continued, “But we’ll be missed if we don’t go home soon. Good morning.” And then, as though they hadn’t even been there in the first place the three of them vanished completely, leaving John and Ted alone in the alleyway with only the dead man, the chimney chunk and the set of footprints in the snow to prove that they weren’t dreaming. Sighing heavily John pressed a hand over his eyes; he always got such a headache when dealing with demons.
Not just any demon though, is it John? Came a little voice in the back of his mind which John shushed immediately and turned towards Ted. The blonde was staring into the lightening sky where the trio had vanished and there was a strange expression on his face, showing that he was so conflicted in his mind that he didn’t know what to think right then. Sighing slightly John then glanced upwards and spoke casually, “We could do with some help right now, Christopher.” A soft crunch of snow denoted a third person entering the scene, the oldest gentleman that had appeared as of yet, about mid-thirties in age. “Well, Jonathon, I only just arrived, how was I to know you needed me?” asked the blonde genially, smile slipping when he saw the body.
“They’re getting cockier and cockier,” the blonde growled before sighing slightly, “Right… I’ll go and plant the suggestion in the police-chief’s mind to come looking down here because of suspected misbehaviour happening in one of the abandoned houses.” The little court they were in was completely uninhabited; something that was surprising considering the amount of homeless people dressed in rags that littered the London streets. The houses might not be overly warm, or clean, but at least they would be sheltered somehow. “Should… Should we not move him somewhere else?” Ted asked a little uncertainly and John felt for him; it didn’t get easier. They may not have known this man, hadn’t been the ones to kill him, but they felt responsible for it.
“No,” Chris commented firmly, but there was understanding in his eyes, “We just need to leave him here.” The cause of death was most likely going to be attributed to freezing to death in the snow after wandering around in a drunken stupor. Sad, not true, but that was the best humans could do after all. John was silent, staring down at the final set of Cody’s footprints. Ted glanced across at his more senior pious, a concerned look on his face; something had been off about the brunette since they had discovered exactly who they would be dealing with, and Ted was beginning to get the feeling more and more that there was something he was somehow missing in all of this. He glanced across to Chris and found that he was looking at John too.
“We need to get out of here,” the blonde prompted and John stirred then, shaking off whatever thoughts had been plaguing him and nodding his head, “Yes, dawn’s almost here and there’s nothing more we can do now.” He smiled then, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I trust we’re going to see you later?” he asked Chris and the blonde chuckled lightly before nodding his head in return, “I was promised some delicious cakes at your place, my dear Lord Cena, and I expect you to deliver.” Mocking a bow, John then placed a hand on Ted’s shoulder, “Come on; you’ll catch a cold stood out here like this. Goodnight, Lord Jericho.” Slightly confused by the strange atmosphere Ted bid Chris goodbye too, allowing his caretaker to direct him back onto the street.
As the pious returned to their respective homes, the demons that they had been facing off with prior were congregating inside of the grandiose mansion belonging to Earl Randal Orton, guardian of two young wards, Cody Rhodes and Evan Bourne. They had moved to London recently, and they were essentially celebrities in the London area, with many gentlemen being envious of them and all manner of ladies, young, old, unattached and married alike, wanting to be with them. The three appeared to be confirmed bachelors, though it didn’t seem enough to put off the numerous suitors. “I can’t believe he did that to me!” Cody growled inspecting his hand, the smallest hint of a welt left behind thanks to Evan healing him earlier in the evening.
“Are you OK baby?” Randy purred, caressing the back of Cody’s neck from where the younger was perched on one of his thighs, Evan settled neatly on the other. The three no longer had their tales, elongated ears or sharp teeth thusly leaving them looking like three very handsome, very human young men. “If it hadn’t have been John to do it then I would have ripped their throat out!” Cody lamented, pressing his throat into Randy’s neck and nibbling at his pulse-point with playful firmness, causing Randy to growl back seductively, causing both Cody and Evan to shiver. “What are we going to do about them?” Evan asked suddenly, pushing his plain-glass-glasses up his nose; he found they helped him project an intellectual image and so liked wearing them.
“What do you mean, puppy?” Randy asked and Evan leant his head back, considering; none of the three were especially stupid but Evan was a scholar and his mind was definitely worth respecting, “Well, if the pious keep finding us like this then we’re getting no chance to feed properly are we? I mean, the pickings used to be easy and we could eat multiple times a night but now…” with the angels hounding their every move as they were they were barely getting to feed twice a week. And when they didn’t eat they got cranky, and when their tempers rose so did their recklessness-and none of them wanted a repeat of what happened the last time that happened. There was a reason they had had to leave America after all.
“We don’t need to worry about anything until it comes down to it,” Randy said firmly as he moved onto the giant, satin covered bed that dominated his large bedroom, “If anything it just means that we’ll need to be a little less… choosy about who we dine with from now on.” He yawned, grimacing a little as he noticed sunlight valiantly trying to make itself know around their thick, deep red velvet curtains covering the windows. “Let’s get some sleep; we have to make an appearance at Mayor McMahon’s party this evening after all, and he would be so disappointed if we didn’t make our presences felt.” It was his daughter’s engagement party after all, and anyone who was anyone was going to be there to give the couple their well-wishes tonight.
“Do we have to?” Cody sighed, though he perked immediately when Randy said that the party meant he’d have an excuse to get a new outfit and some new shoes. Evan didn’t much like parties but he didn’t fuss; he definitely was the quietest of their trio… unless you managed to push him enough to unleash his much understated temper. His boys were beautiful when they got angry, Randy thought to himself as he kissed both of them, passionately and affectionately, before sending them on their way to bed for a couple of hours sleep. None of their staff would be surprised by the fact that the three were sleeping late after all, because that was what young bachelors did anyway, and, well, it wasn’t as though they were unawares were they?
Satan’s son needed his beauty sleep, many of them joked to themselves, but then shushed the moment they felt Hell’s Prince making an appearance. Randy hadn’t been around on Earth for all that long but where he had been he was leaving such sin behind him that his father had to have been proud. If he had any qualms about leaving the Realm of the Damned to someone else when he finally decided to retire he really had nothing to worry about so long as Randy and his boys continued as they had been. The only thing that made him wary was the sudden influx of angels that God had been sending down to the Human Realm in order to try and rein his son in… the old man just didn’t know when to keep his nose out did he?
~:~
John was not looking forward to attending the party that night. Some of that was down to the humans themselves - there were so many of them who seemed to use any excuse to fall into debauchery and what should be a happy event, the coming-together of two people in love, was probably going to be marred by the nonsense that people could get up to when they were the worse for drink. Not to mention the indiscriminate carnality that seemed to occur as well. God was surprisingly okay when it came to two people having relations outside of marriage, no matter what the church would have the mortals believe, but he frowned upon sex without emotion. It was supposed to be a gift, not a quick fix of good feeling.
Not that John would know anything about that. Angels weren't supposed to have any carnal desires, at least that was what he had always been told. But there were stories, angels enjoyed gossip as much as their demonic counterparts. And John couldn't deny there were times when he felt... something. Most recently the night before when the little demon had been rubbing up against him, sweetly tempting words falling from his perfect, pouting lips.
And that right there was the main reason that John wasn't looking forward to the party. The presence of the demons in the city had thrown everything into disarray and he knew that their presence at any gathering seemed to be an incitement toward sin, as if they brought out the worst in everyone around them. John could only hope that his own presence would counteract theirs. With three of them, his aura wouldn't be enough but Ted and Chris would be there as well and he just prayed that they would act as a damper, completely neutralising the auras of the demons present. The presence of an unknown angel made mortals lean toward charity, while the demons led them to depravity - maybe with the competing influences, the mortals that night would merely be themselves, for good or for ill.
Although he had never come across a demonic aura as strong as Randy's and his presence in the city made the entire place seethe. London wasn't exactly known as a place where good deeds abounded but with Randy in the centre of it, there was a greater probability that the evil in men's hearts would overflow to their acts. That was why John had been sent to counteract him. His own aura was strong and the best proof he supposed was in his closest neighbour, a joyless, miserly man who within a week of John arriving on the scene had suddenly started making anonymous donations to charity, given his maid a generous raise and had even been seen to smile on occasion. Not that he realised he had a recent neighbour. Had anyone asked, his brow would have been creased as he claimed that John had always lived there. It wasn't true of course, but easier to put that suggestion as a cover story since Randy had arrived in town with his demons in a blaze of publicity and speculation. Had John simply arrived at the same time, there would have been too much coincidence.
He sighed, checking his reflection in the plain mirror that hung on the wall of his simple room. His main concession to comfort was a double bed, the largest he could find - most angels were broad-shouldered and attractive and he was no exception, it was difficult to find sleep when only a single bed was available. And sleep so often took their kind by surprise. In the mortal world they had to make concessions to their laws of being and that meant sleeping. John was rather used to it, although Ted's reaction the first time had been hilarious. It was Ted's first time chasing demons and this assignment was his first in the mortal realm, the laws of the place often caught him off guard. Angels didn't go in much for comfort though and other than the large bed there were no real trappings of the wealth that one might have expected of a Lord. John would have preferred to skip the titled cover altogether but there was no help for it; he had to be able to go to the same places as Randy did and that meant he would have to be a part of the same social circle. He had to assume the title to keep an eye on the man.
Not that he was really a man of course.
Randy was charming, attractive, persuasive. He exuded wickedness, the kind that seemed desirable. Hell, Randy himself was desirable. But his purpose was not good, he could tempt any man to sin and where ever he went, disaster followed. Disaster, and a trail of unexplained bodies. Demons fed on life and although he'd been able to stop them on many occasions, there had been too many times when it hadn't been possible.
Like the night before. The body had been found, natural causes assumed. There were enough people who had seen Mr Holly stagger off into the night as drunk as, well, a Lord and although he hadn't been on the route to his home, it was assumed by the police that he had gotten himself lost. There were darker murmurs of course, that he had been in the neighbourhood looking for a prostitute, but those murmurs would be quiet out of respect to the widow. No one knew that he had been chasing one of Randy's pet demons, the one who had tried so hard to bring John down to his level. There was little more delicious to one of the demons than to taste an angel’s sin.
“Come,” the melodic coo grasped at the man’s attention with as much ferocity as a street-urchin would grasp at sweets that were thrown out of a passing carriage window by some richer, kinder (or as many would whisper, guiltier) passer-by, and Robert “Bob” Holly found himself incapable of resisting. Taking a breath to strengthen the resolve of his fortitude Robert set off once more to capture the elusive minx dancing ahead several feet of him. Had Robert not been so entrance by what he believed to be his quarry for the evening he would have noticed something, or rather, two something’s that should have had him turning tail and fleeing back to the safety of the party he had just vacated. The first was that there were no rats around. Not even a baby rat.
… And anyone who knew London well knew that, like many other grand cities, there was always a problem with rats. And the second thing he would have noticed was that his elusive potential partner for the evening bore the strangest shadow that was thrown into relief against a grimy wall when he passed by a singular, sickly streetlamp… It always seemed as though the shadow bore extended ears, like fairies of old superstition and a tail as long as a cat’s that was pointed at the end like an arrow-head. But, alas, Robert Holly did not take stock of these warning signs, lust and alcohol wearing down his common sense until he was left with the most basic of faculties; which was exactly how the supposed quarry liked it, though his real prey wasn’t to know that.
Finally, after what seemed like a doozy of a chase, Robert finally managed to catch the exotic young creature that had tempted him from the warm, sanctioned merrymaking of the Calloways’ annual dinner-party. “I’ve got you,” Robert announced with breathless triumph, the chill winter air silvering outside of his mouth as it exhaled from his lungs, his cheeks and nose turned an even deeper red than they had been before thanks to the exertion of dancing and copious amounts of drink. Thick, sooty lashes lowered demurely over sapphire blue hues, “You caught me, sir,” there was the barest hint of an extenuation of the youngster’s ‘s’s’, as though he was emulating a snake’s pattern of speech… though Robert, in that moment, found it most endearing.
“So… now, what are you going to do with me?” the mere suggestion made Robert swoon and he eagerly took the young man’s chin in hand, angling that beautiful face upwards. His lips were as red as claret and pouted enticingly, all but beckoning Robert to lean in and drink from the welcoming fountain of his mouth. Unspeaking, too eager to focus upon anything other than what he wanted, Robert continued to lower his mouth until he was a hair’s breadth from his prize--- and that was the moment everything went wrong. Something suddenly lashed around his neck, something black and strong and smooth as leather though it definitely couldn’t have been just leather… it was undulating as though it was alive for one thing, which he felt as he tried to pull it off.
The giggling from before started again, though this time it sounded more sinister than playful, malicious in its jubilance. Choking and spluttering, Robert sank to his knees and continued to try and pry the mysterious black obstruction from his throat, one hand weakly grasping as the other reached towards the angelic beauty before him. “H-Help… Me-“he rasped, hand catching the front of the angel’s loose shirt. Shock welled within him though as his hand was slapped away impatiently, “You missed your chance, governor.” A chirpy, but oddly accented voice; as though the speaker was not native to Great British shores, “Time’s a-wasting now and you took much longer than I expected,” the dark haired teenager looked very unhappy at that thought.
A wretched choking sound filled the air and the beautiful creature sighed, reaching into a pocket of his alarmingly tight trousers to fetch an ornate looking pocket watch. “I’m running out of time,” he said reproachfully, “And I had so much planned for tonight as well. I do hope you’re intending to make it up to me.” By now the world was blacking out around the edges for Robert, his face turning an alarming shade of purple. As he started to fade into unconsciousness he found himself reflecting that his wife had warned him that something like this might happen. Alright, maybe not something exactly like this, but she had warned that his fondness for drink and play was going to be the death of him one day, and it looked like she was going to be right.
As he slumped face down into the snow the black band around his throat eased, Cody releasing the hold his tail had on the man as he sauntered forward, his face becoming thrown into sharper, but no less handsome relief as some of the childishness melted away as fast as the snow underneath his feet. Though there was a good ten inches of snow on the ground his feet were almost burning through the powdery substance, leaving perfectly distinct footmarks in his wake. Humming cheerfully Cody hissed as he felt his teeth returning to their slightly elongated form; hiding his ears and his tail wasn’t the problem, the demon reflected ruefully, what was the problem was trying to hold in your teeth to look as human as you possibly could when hunting.
“Still, you sure were stupid,” Cody crossed over to the slumped body and straddled it, gripping the dying man’s chin and tilting his head upright, pulling on his chin enough to part his lips. Lowering his head until there were scant centimetres separating his mouth from his victim’s Cody then opened his own mouth and took a deep breath. Almost immediately Robert’s skin began to grow mottled, losing more and more colour with each second that passed. And, as Robert began to draw his last breaths in the mortal realm Cody felt himself getting stronger; coming to the surface expended a lot of energy after all, and he really needed to stock up. But, just as he was about to take the last ounce of life left in the carcass below him, something caught his attention.
Quick as a flash he was off of the body, hovering a few inches off of the ground as strong, supple bat-wings sprouted from his back, tearing through the shirt he was wearing. “Oh!” he huffed, pouting at the figure that had emerged from the shadows and was currently tending to the figure on the ground, “Now look what you made me do! Shirts don’t grow on trees you know!” or did they? Cody would be lying if he said he paid too much attention to this sort of thing. Another figure joined the first trying to save his evening meal and Cody giggled, perching himself atop the wrought-iron lamp-post, “It’s too late,” he informed them lightly, “Even for you.” He pretended to cock his head as though listening, a hand cupping around his almost elf-like ears.
“A little birdy’s telling me that he’s got mere moments to live,” he announced. And, sure enough, it was almost though someone had blown out a candle over Robert, and his life was extinguished the same instant as the flame. The blonde figure who had accompanied the brunette whom had first interrupted Cody crossed himself (Cody hissed, cringing back even though the Holy sign was not directed at him) and then gently closed Robert’s eyes. He remained kneeling, handsome face a mask of sadness as he offered a prayer for the departed soul. The sacred words itched like a thousand ants unleashed beneath Cody’s skin… but he had bigger things to focus on then: namely the gorgeously broad-shouldered Pious glaring up at him.
“You don’t look happy to see me,” Cody mewed, as though this was a devastating blow to him, “You’re so cruel to me, John!” John’s bright blue eyes seemed to darken as he regarded the demon, his nostrils twitching slightly at the scents of sin, seduction and death lingering in the air. “What you have just done, Demon,” Cody mewed again, sending John another hurt look but the pious refused to be taken in by the deceptively sweet face, “-is a mortal sin against God and Man.” John ignored the look that Cody sent him which asked ‘and your point is?’ to address his fellow pious. “Theodore… I’m going to need your help.” Though John was a much older angel than his accomplice, and much older than the demon they faced, that didn’t matter right then.
Since demons were more prone to trickery there was an increased likelihood that he would escape just as soon as John could try capturing him. “Ooh,” Cody shivered, wings fluttering and his tail lashing as he licked his lips slowly, eyes locked on John and barely acknowledging the secondary angel, “Are you going to tie me up, John?” John refused to move even when the demon was suddenly in front of him, dangerously close and Ted gasped. “Are you going to make me hurt so good?” Cody all but moaned, rubbing himself against John like a cat in heat. Though the angel barely flinched Cody could smell the forbidden desire and knew that he was the biggest temptation the angel had ever wanted to give into… and how Cody wished he would.
A sudden sizzling sound rent the air and Cody shrieked, springing back and shooting several feet into the air again, cradling his lightly smoking hand. “A crucifix?!” he snarled and John absently held the gold necklace up, revealing the ornate cross. All pious bore them, a mark of their ‘place in God’s family’. Cody whined in pain, blowing on his injured hand to try and stem the burning--- and how ironic was it that a cross could burn him, but should he stick his hand directly into a raging fire he would only feel a pleasant tickle? “You’re coming with us, Cody,” sleek, feather white wings emerged from the backs of the two pious, lifting them several inches from the floor and for a moment Cody looked almost frightened, recoiling back.
“Look out!” John felt Ted’s hands against the back of his jacket and then suddenly he was being propelled backwards just as a large chunk of brick (which appeared to be part of someone’s chimney) went crashing into the ground where he’d stood. “Well done little pious,” a deep, velvety baritone sounded, and Ted felt goosebumps rise on his skin and his heart-rate increase. “You’ve just saved a life. Consider yourself a big boy now,” Ted bristled despite himself, only calming when John placed a warning hand on his chest. On the rooftop level with Cody, still floating, stood a very tall, muscular young man, probably a little younger than John who looked no older than his late twenties. Besides him stood another demon, smaller than any of those gathered.
“Randy, Evvy!” Cody nuzzled the tallest of the trio affectionately, and he caressed Cody’s cheek in a glaringly intimate manner before narrowing his eyes as he noticed Cody’s injury. Quicksilver eyes turned towards John and Ted, lingering on Ted even though he was clearly addressing John, “I take it you’re the one we have to thank for that particular present?” he asked dryly, the third of their little group, ‘Evvy’ (who looked almost like a relation of Cody’s, similar in colouring and build) picked up Cody’s hand and tenderly began to lick at the injury, Cody making a quiet sound of pleasure that had the two angels present shivering with revulsion and forbidden promise. Slowly but surely the searing, blistered cross-mark on Cody’s hand vanished.
“Thank you darling,” Cody purred as he kissed Evan squarely on the lips, causing Ted to gape openly in shock at their physical audacity whereas John’s lips merely compressed into such a tight line that his jaw ticked. When the two younger demons then attached themselves to the sides of the taller, who was smirking, and looked very interested in their display, John and Ted both tensed reflexively; though they themselves didn’t actively seek out a fight demons had no such compulsions… and they wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the area around them in the quest of a victory. However, this time around, it seemed as though they weren’t interested in sticking around for a little skirmish. “You’re going to see more than your tender-hearts can cope with one day.”
Once again those hypnotic eyes levelled upon Ted and the blonde’s sky-blue hues narrowed before he wrapped a hand around his crucifix, drawing strength from it and relishing in the way the three demons shifted restlessly. “We’d love to stay and chat,” Randy, drawled, before the smallest, Evvy, continued, “But we’ll be missed if we don’t go home soon. Good morning.” And then, as though they hadn’t even been there in the first place the three of them vanished completely, leaving John and Ted alone in the alleyway with only the dead man, the chimney chunk and the set of footprints in the snow to prove that they weren’t dreaming. Sighing heavily John pressed a hand over his eyes; he always got such a headache when dealing with demons.
Not just any demon though, is it John? Came a little voice in the back of his mind which John shushed immediately and turned towards Ted. The blonde was staring into the lightening sky where the trio had vanished and there was a strange expression on his face, showing that he was so conflicted in his mind that he didn’t know what to think right then. Sighing slightly John then glanced upwards and spoke casually, “We could do with some help right now, Christopher.” A soft crunch of snow denoted a third person entering the scene, the oldest gentleman that had appeared as of yet, about mid-thirties in age. “Well, Jonathon, I only just arrived, how was I to know you needed me?” asked the blonde genially, smile slipping when he saw the body.
“They’re getting cockier and cockier,” the blonde growled before sighing slightly, “Right… I’ll go and plant the suggestion in the police-chief’s mind to come looking down here because of suspected misbehaviour happening in one of the abandoned houses.” The little court they were in was completely uninhabited; something that was surprising considering the amount of homeless people dressed in rags that littered the London streets. The houses might not be overly warm, or clean, but at least they would be sheltered somehow. “Should… Should we not move him somewhere else?” Ted asked a little uncertainly and John felt for him; it didn’t get easier. They may not have known this man, hadn’t been the ones to kill him, but they felt responsible for it.
“No,” Chris commented firmly, but there was understanding in his eyes, “We just need to leave him here.” The cause of death was most likely going to be attributed to freezing to death in the snow after wandering around in a drunken stupor. Sad, not true, but that was the best humans could do after all. John was silent, staring down at the final set of Cody’s footprints. Ted glanced across at his more senior pious, a concerned look on his face; something had been off about the brunette since they had discovered exactly who they would be dealing with, and Ted was beginning to get the feeling more and more that there was something he was somehow missing in all of this. He glanced across to Chris and found that he was looking at John too.
“We need to get out of here,” the blonde prompted and John stirred then, shaking off whatever thoughts had been plaguing him and nodding his head, “Yes, dawn’s almost here and there’s nothing more we can do now.” He smiled then, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I trust we’re going to see you later?” he asked Chris and the blonde chuckled lightly before nodding his head in return, “I was promised some delicious cakes at your place, my dear Lord Cena, and I expect you to deliver.” Mocking a bow, John then placed a hand on Ted’s shoulder, “Come on; you’ll catch a cold stood out here like this. Goodnight, Lord Jericho.” Slightly confused by the strange atmosphere Ted bid Chris goodbye too, allowing his caretaker to direct him back onto the street.
As the pious returned to their respective homes, the demons that they had been facing off with prior were congregating inside of the grandiose mansion belonging to Earl Randal Orton, guardian of two young wards, Cody Rhodes and Evan Bourne. They had moved to London recently, and they were essentially celebrities in the London area, with many gentlemen being envious of them and all manner of ladies, young, old, unattached and married alike, wanting to be with them. The three appeared to be confirmed bachelors, though it didn’t seem enough to put off the numerous suitors. “I can’t believe he did that to me!” Cody growled inspecting his hand, the smallest hint of a welt left behind thanks to Evan healing him earlier in the evening.
“Are you OK baby?” Randy purred, caressing the back of Cody’s neck from where the younger was perched on one of his thighs, Evan settled neatly on the other. The three no longer had their tales, elongated ears or sharp teeth thusly leaving them looking like three very handsome, very human young men. “If it hadn’t have been John to do it then I would have ripped their throat out!” Cody lamented, pressing his throat into Randy’s neck and nibbling at his pulse-point with playful firmness, causing Randy to growl back seductively, causing both Cody and Evan to shiver. “What are we going to do about them?” Evan asked suddenly, pushing his plain-glass-glasses up his nose; he found they helped him project an intellectual image and so liked wearing them.
“What do you mean, puppy?” Randy asked and Evan leant his head back, considering; none of the three were especially stupid but Evan was a scholar and his mind was definitely worth respecting, “Well, if the pious keep finding us like this then we’re getting no chance to feed properly are we? I mean, the pickings used to be easy and we could eat multiple times a night but now…” with the angels hounding their every move as they were they were barely getting to feed twice a week. And when they didn’t eat they got cranky, and when their tempers rose so did their recklessness-and none of them wanted a repeat of what happened the last time that happened. There was a reason they had had to leave America after all.
“We don’t need to worry about anything until it comes down to it,” Randy said firmly as he moved onto the giant, satin covered bed that dominated his large bedroom, “If anything it just means that we’ll need to be a little less… choosy about who we dine with from now on.” He yawned, grimacing a little as he noticed sunlight valiantly trying to make itself know around their thick, deep red velvet curtains covering the windows. “Let’s get some sleep; we have to make an appearance at Mayor McMahon’s party this evening after all, and he would be so disappointed if we didn’t make our presences felt.” It was his daughter’s engagement party after all, and anyone who was anyone was going to be there to give the couple their well-wishes tonight.
“Do we have to?” Cody sighed, though he perked immediately when Randy said that the party meant he’d have an excuse to get a new outfit and some new shoes. Evan didn’t much like parties but he didn’t fuss; he definitely was the quietest of their trio… unless you managed to push him enough to unleash his much understated temper. His boys were beautiful when they got angry, Randy thought to himself as he kissed both of them, passionately and affectionately, before sending them on their way to bed for a couple of hours sleep. None of their staff would be surprised by the fact that the three were sleeping late after all, because that was what young bachelors did anyway, and, well, it wasn’t as though they were unawares were they?
Satan’s son needed his beauty sleep, many of them joked to themselves, but then shushed the moment they felt Hell’s Prince making an appearance. Randy hadn’t been around on Earth for all that long but where he had been he was leaving such sin behind him that his father had to have been proud. If he had any qualms about leaving the Realm of the Damned to someone else when he finally decided to retire he really had nothing to worry about so long as Randy and his boys continued as they had been. The only thing that made him wary was the sudden influx of angels that God had been sending down to the Human Realm in order to try and rein his son in… the old man just didn’t know when to keep his nose out did he?
~:~
John was not looking forward to attending the party that night. Some of that was down to the humans themselves - there were so many of them who seemed to use any excuse to fall into debauchery and what should be a happy event, the coming-together of two people in love, was probably going to be marred by the nonsense that people could get up to when they were the worse for drink. Not to mention the indiscriminate carnality that seemed to occur as well. God was surprisingly okay when it came to two people having relations outside of marriage, no matter what the church would have the mortals believe, but he frowned upon sex without emotion. It was supposed to be a gift, not a quick fix of good feeling.
Not that John would know anything about that. Angels weren't supposed to have any carnal desires, at least that was what he had always been told. But there were stories, angels enjoyed gossip as much as their demonic counterparts. And John couldn't deny there were times when he felt... something. Most recently the night before when the little demon had been rubbing up against him, sweetly tempting words falling from his perfect, pouting lips.
And that right there was the main reason that John wasn't looking forward to the party. The presence of the demons in the city had thrown everything into disarray and he knew that their presence at any gathering seemed to be an incitement toward sin, as if they brought out the worst in everyone around them. John could only hope that his own presence would counteract theirs. With three of them, his aura wouldn't be enough but Ted and Chris would be there as well and he just prayed that they would act as a damper, completely neutralising the auras of the demons present. The presence of an unknown angel made mortals lean toward charity, while the demons led them to depravity - maybe with the competing influences, the mortals that night would merely be themselves, for good or for ill.
Although he had never come across a demonic aura as strong as Randy's and his presence in the city made the entire place seethe. London wasn't exactly known as a place where good deeds abounded but with Randy in the centre of it, there was a greater probability that the evil in men's hearts would overflow to their acts. That was why John had been sent to counteract him. His own aura was strong and the best proof he supposed was in his closest neighbour, a joyless, miserly man who within a week of John arriving on the scene had suddenly started making anonymous donations to charity, given his maid a generous raise and had even been seen to smile on occasion. Not that he realised he had a recent neighbour. Had anyone asked, his brow would have been creased as he claimed that John had always lived there. It wasn't true of course, but easier to put that suggestion as a cover story since Randy had arrived in town with his demons in a blaze of publicity and speculation. Had John simply arrived at the same time, there would have been too much coincidence.
He sighed, checking his reflection in the plain mirror that hung on the wall of his simple room. His main concession to comfort was a double bed, the largest he could find - most angels were broad-shouldered and attractive and he was no exception, it was difficult to find sleep when only a single bed was available. And sleep so often took their kind by surprise. In the mortal world they had to make concessions to their laws of being and that meant sleeping. John was rather used to it, although Ted's reaction the first time had been hilarious. It was Ted's first time chasing demons and this assignment was his first in the mortal realm, the laws of the place often caught him off guard. Angels didn't go in much for comfort though and other than the large bed there were no real trappings of the wealth that one might have expected of a Lord. John would have preferred to skip the titled cover altogether but there was no help for it; he had to be able to go to the same places as Randy did and that meant he would have to be a part of the same social circle. He had to assume the title to keep an eye on the man.
Not that he was really a man of course.
Randy was charming, attractive, persuasive. He exuded wickedness, the kind that seemed desirable. Hell, Randy himself was desirable. But his purpose was not good, he could tempt any man to sin and where ever he went, disaster followed. Disaster, and a trail of unexplained bodies. Demons fed on life and although he'd been able to stop them on many occasions, there had been too many times when it hadn't been possible.
Like the night before. The body had been found, natural causes assumed. There were enough people who had seen Mr Holly stagger off into the night as drunk as, well, a Lord and although he hadn't been on the route to his home, it was assumed by the police that he had gotten himself lost. There were darker murmurs of course, that he had been in the neighbourhood looking for a prostitute, but those murmurs would be quiet out of respect to the widow. No one knew that he had been chasing one of Randy's pet demons, the one who had tried so hard to bring John down to his level. There was little more delicious to one of the demons than to taste an angel’s sin.