Lovers & Devils [BxB]

Apple tree

        Loud and heavy footsteps in the gazebo awoke me from my short slumber. Thum. Thum. Thum. I grumbled. Who in God's name could that be? I'd be damned if it was another dominion coming to chide me for sleeping. I groggily rubbed my sleep-crusted eyes and slowly removed the plumy wings screening my face. I looked up pointedly.
It was Adona—who was indeed a dominion—towering over me like an iceberg in cobalt waters whilst squinting at her leather notebook, the Celtic-ie border of her bell sleeve hitting against it. Her focus scrawled the page, ignoring that I was wide awake and gawking at her.
Seriously?
My gaze sprung to her hand, noticing that the glistering gold staff she carried around religiously was nowhere in sight. I raised an eyebrow. She would never travel anywhere without it. Other angels even thought it as a bad omen to see Adona without her staff—the bad omen being her ore of temper. And, I really didn't want that upon me.

"Good morrow to you too Luka." She snapped shut her textured brown leather notebook, making the marked seal of God jammed between her fingers and the book more visible. At least she had that.

"What is it you need, Adona?" I replied, my voice more irked than I wanted to express.

"You sure are jolly this morning. Didn't get enough sleep?" It was scathing, the bitterness like black ink.

"And I suppose someone woke up on the wrong side of bed." I crossed my arms and puffed my chest with the warm jasmine-infused air. It was a joking show of retaliation, of course. "Pray tell, why are you here? All my tasks are complete, I'm a throne after all. No need to lecture me, of all angels."

I could see the way her jaw pulsed, grinding her teeth flat behind that tight smile.

"I have some news for you. You won't like it, so stay seated."

I furrowed my eyebrows. A part of me itched to rise up to tick her off, but I decided against it. I shifted against the smooth marble pillar, my rustling wings sweeping over the grey-lightning bolted tiles. I nodded for her to continue.

"You have been selected to convert Mammon." I recoiled like hot oil shot out of a pan. "A lower class Pride demon residing on Earth."

I just blinked. Heavens above and below. Had this woman finally lost it? I knew those soothing spearmint and crushed tulip teas she drank would never in a million years work.

"Adona," I scoff out, unimpressed. "If that's your attempt to get back at me, it's not working very well. In fact, it's not very holy to joke about things like that."

"It's not a joke, Lukas. I don't joke, especially not about these kind of situations and especially not with you!" she barked, her burnt brown-orange eyes narrowing to slits. I winced more at the sudden drop of my name. Long elven ears with gold hoops twitched and her pink-tinted wings shook in agitation. They eclipsed the little light creeping inside the gazebo, crawling around her cheekbones and creating sinister shadows. "This is serious. I expect an angel of your rank to take it seriously."