The Angel, the Vampire, and the Demon

Chapter Ten- Struggling with Feelings

Telantes

A loud crash woke Telantes, he looked at the small, handmade wooden clock on his light brown bedside table. It was about eight, late for Abrariel, normally he was up earlier... Well, he thought it was Abrariel, surely no one broke into their house, this was Heaven, not Hell.

"FATHER! FATHER! Raziel! Pleas—"

The screams were cracked with pain, panic, and fear. It was Abrariel alright. Telantes sat up, the light blue blankets of his bed falling off him, he watched the door and listened, he didn't bother to use his Demon hearing, he knew that Raziel would come and get him. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, Raziel knocked on the door quickly, almost in panic before he opened it.

Raziel was very pale in the moonlight coming from the open bedroom window, his green eyes were full of panic, his feathers ruffled with worry. Telantes tried to look shocked and scared while hoping what he thought had happened had happened.

"I'm taking Abrariel to the hospital, he has a very high fever and has just fallen unconscious—" Telantes tried hard not to smirk "—I've got my mate coming to look after you while we're gone, I don't know how long I will be away for," Raziel explained. He walked in and gave Telantes a very rushed hug goodbye before he left.

Telantes heard murmured voices down the hall, more than one person, Raziel and three others. Telantes slipped out of bed and tip-toed to his door, he heard the front door close and then the gentle whooshing sound of wings. Telantes peeked out from his door, another Angel was there, locking the front door. He was pure white and looked like marble in the moonlight, he turned and spotted him.

"Hello, you must be Telantes," the Angel greeted him with a small wave.

"Who are you?" Telantes asked, not moving from where he was standing.

"My name is Jorden, I'm a Main Angel, and I work in Heaven's Court. I am also Raziel's mate," the Angel introduced himself with a small smile, fluffing his wings up a little.

So that is Raziel's mate... Telantes thought as he stepped out of his room and headed down the hall. "Does that mean you're also my adoptive father?" he asked.

"In a way, I guess I am," Jorden murmured.

"How come you and Raziel don't live together?"

"Our relationship is a secret, it's a very taboo subject for a Main Angel to mate outside his own kind," Jorden explained.

Ohhh, blackmail! Telantes thought, now he had something against Raziel if he ever needed it. He looked up at Jorden's kind face and gave a small smile. Time to act nice. He would need as many people on his side as he could get for his plan to work.

"Are you hungry?" Jorden asked, bending down to be eye level, "What do you want to eat?"

"Taniusa," it was something Telantes had been craving for a while now.

Jorden's smile faded a little with uncertainty, he stood there, clearly hoping Telantes would give more information on the dish.

"It's a Demon dish, commonly served in July, the coldest month in Hell. It's my favourite dish," Telantes explained meekly, shifting his weight, hoping Jorden understood.

"I see," Jorden looked at him apologetically, "I don't think I can make it. Heaven doesn't have any of the ingredients that grow in Hell's farmlands, I'm sorry, but I can make you our own seasonal dish if you like?" He suggested.

"What's that?"

"Penny, also served at the coldest point in Heaven," Jorden murmured, "would you like to try it?"

"Sure..." Telantes mumbled, trying to hide his disappointment. The one piece of home he thought he could have in this unfamiliar world, he couldn't get, and that hurt.

He went into the dark living room as Jorden headed into the kitchen. Telantes sat down on one of the green plush sofas, he could smell the food being cooked in the kitchen, a sweet but sour scent, it made his stomach rumble.

It was late, Raziel had been very tired that evening, so he hadn't gotten up in time to make dinner, leaving Telantes waiting with an empty stomach. Telantes looked out the large window, the sky was inky black, stars bright dots, scattered like glitter in a child's drawing. How long he was sitting there, mesmerized by the stars, he didn't know, but at least it filled him with a temporary peace.

***

Jorden placed a heaped plate on the coffee table in front of Telantes. It was a heap of white rice with some kind of mashed—what looked like potato—but was blood red, next to it were what seemed to be tomatoes, but they were green. The dish smelled heavenly; a little bit of Spanish spices met Telantes' scent glands. It looked and smelled delicious.

"You cut the Greenartos up and mix their juice in with the rest of the meal, it adds a burst of flavour while bringing out the flavours of everything else," Jorden explained as he sat down on the sofa across from Telantes and started on his own serving.

Telantes did as he was told and cut the green vegetables up, letting their purple juice seep out, he mixed it all together before trying it.

There was a burst of flavours in his mouth. Sweet, sour, a bit of bitterness, an earthy taste... He spooned the rest of the meal down quickly, Jorden watched him, smiling.

"This is delicious!" Telantes cried when he finished, setting his knife and fork down with a clatter and looking up at Jorden, a massive smile on his face.

Jorden beamed. "I'm glad you like it; I will know to make it next Winter Snow."

Telantes ended up having three servings, it seemed better than Taniusa. Almost. When he was finished, he sat back against the sofa, content.

"Finally full?" Jorden asked with a smile.

"That was the best thing I have ever had! Thank you!"

Jorden's smile widened. "I'm glad you liked it. Now, it's time for bed. Raziel will call to let us know how Abrariel is in the morning," he murmured gathering up the plates, keeping his wings folded and out of the way.

Telantes tried not to frown at the mention of the Vampire, he hoped he was suffering badly from the fever. Telantes didn't care about him at all. He plastered a smile to hide his thoughts and looked up at Jorden.

"Ok! See you in the morning!" He gave Jorden a quick hug around the waist before heading to his room.

It was very late, and he was tired, but even though he wanted to get under the covers, he clambered over his bed to look out the open window. The stars were bright that night.

I hope he's ok...

Telantes brought himself to a standstill, he meant Raziel, right? His brain meant Raziel, not the Vampire... Right? He didn't care about the Vampire, not at all, he deserved to rot in Hell.

The child too?

Yes! He didn't need another Vampire, he would have a hard enough time trying to get rid of Abrariel, and a baby would be a lot harder to get rid of. He had to make sure Abrariel was banished.

The child can live, but not here.

Telantes tried to banish the Vampire from his thoughts as he got under the soft warm covers of the bed. He didn't need to think them, not at all, they were useless. Abrariel would be gone by the time the child was born... Right? Why did he care anyway?

Telantes closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly. The Vampire appeared in his mind's eye, a rare smile on his pale face, making him look friendly and brotherly. Their eyes met, and Abrariel turned away first, the smile vanishing.

Telantes squirmed and tried to get the Vampire off his mind. He thought of his parents, and his little brother, born days before they abandoned him. He had always wanted a brother.

Abrariel is my brother... NO! He isn't! He isn't my brother! Max is! Maxis is... He's my brother...