Fallen for the Damned

Chapter Ten: The Fallen

Zion stared at the stars. It was a nice distraction from everything that'd happened. The patterns in the sky were easy to spot for the demon. He's been alive for so long, the patterns just stood out to him now.

Sighing, the demon laid back in the grass. Even though he wasn't as enthusiastic about nature as Malak was, he still enjoyed being outside. The wind softly blew, creating a cool breeze. It felt good against the demon's skin. This was the perfect way to relax.

The past few days have been stressful. He thought being mates with an angel would be difficult for different reasons. Like their personalities clash or Zion's crippling insecurities. But it hasn't. In fact, Malak made him feel wanted, easing his insecurities. And the angel's curious personality matched perfectly with the demon's affectionate one. It was everyone else who caused their relationship to be difficult.

Both angels and demons seemed to want to tear the two apart. Yet they stayed together. But at what cost? His angel always seemed to get hurt because of their relationship. He despised this. Seeing his angel hurt, took a toll on him. Zion wasn't sure if he loved the angel but he did care for him deeply. It hurt that he couldn't protect him from all the danger in the world.

"Hello, Zion. You are deep in thought and you look sad. Can I do anything to help?" Zion looked at his angel who was standing close by his head. He looked much better now that he slept but he shouldn't have to sleep. Neither being needed to sleep unless they were hurt.

Zion sighed as his angel got down on the ground and cuddled with him. If only he knew how to protect his mate. "I just want to be able to protect you but I feel like I'm failing. I'm such a sh- crappy mate," the demon sighed.

"I do not think so. I think you are doing your best and that is what counts," Malak pointed out, cuddling closer into his mate's side. "Also, you make me very happy and I think I make you very happy. That must count also. Correct?"

"It counts for a lot, Malakai-" He kisses the angel's forehead- "I wish there was a way for me to protect you from all the evil in the world. That way we can be happy in peace."

"I think that will happen one day. Though something tells me that is not soon."

"I feel that too. Something is coming and I don't know if I like it," the demon muttered. He couldn't tell the future but he knew what the angel was feeling. It was like tension in the air. Warning them not to get too comfortable. Zion chose to ignore it for now. He and Malak needed a break.

The angel was concerned for his demon. It was clear his mate was worried about him. He didn't know how to help but he did have a question for his mate. Maybe it would distract him? "Zion, may I inquire about your wings or will the topic upset you?"

The demon sighed. He knew his angel would want to ask about them sooner or later. At least it would be a good distraction. "Malakai, I'll answer whatever you ask. You know this," he responded.

"Yes, I know but I do not wish to bring back any bad memories for you."

"Don't worry about it, Angel. It was thousands of years ago."

Zion kisses the angel's forehead causing him to blush. Malak was glad his mate was open to him. His curiosity almost always got the best of the angel and he was lucky to have a mate who loved it; who answered all his questions. "I do not know much but I know demons do not have wings. Unless they are- were angels."

"We're called fallen angels since we fell from the Heavens or whatever bs," Zion muttered.

"How did you fall from Heaven?"

The demon sighed and grabbed his angel, gently placing him on his chest. Malak laughed softly before burying himself in his mate's shirt. While running his fingers through his mate's hair, Zion told his story: "This is going to be a long back story so prepare yourself, Angel. I'm going to start with my parents. When they both turned 30 thousand, they were arranged to be together by the elder angels. Neither of them found their mate at the time so they lost hope. Everything was fine in their relationship and they had me. But it didn't last long.

"Around the time I turned 12,500, my mother found her mate. He was a human which was fine. Quite a few angels had human mates. However, if an angel wants to be with the human, the angel must lose their wings. From what I know, it's really painful but I think it's worth it if you get to be with your mate.

"Back to my mother. She had a choice to make her mate or her family. They couldn't intertwine. She chose her mate and I can't blame her for that now. Mates are an incredible gift. No one should pass up the opportunity to be with them. But at the time I didn't understand. It hurt seeing my mother chose someone else. However, I still loved her and every time I got permission to go to Earth, I visited her after my job.

"On one of my visits, I realized my mother was very sick. She was a human now so she died a lot faster than she was supposed to. So, I decided to stay on Earth longer than I was supposed to so I could say goodbye. That was the worst week of my entire life. I'm pretty sure all I did was cry but I can't really remember.

"What I do remember is angels coming to take me back to Heaven right before my mother's funeral. I tried explaining why I broke the rules but they didn't care. They said my mother made her choice and I needed to get over it. This pi- angered me a lot. They wouldn't even let me stay for my mother's funeral.

"That's when things got violent. I fought back against the angels. In hindsight, I shouldn't have but I was so fu- dging angry at them. Thankfully, we fought on Earth and not Heaven. Still, I fought an angel which is punishable and I was thrown out of Heaven. I was no longer an angel but a demon. The exact being I was taught to despise. Even my father despised me.

"But throughout the years, I learned how to be average. Though I hated it. I hated taking souls from angels but as long as I was average, I wouldn't have to do it as much. Then about 6,500 years later, I meant a handsome angel with white hair. Who unknowingly changed my life for the better."

Malak was feeling a lot. Love was very prominent. But he also felt sadness for his mate. He didn't like what the angels did which confused him. His guardian always taught him not to question anyone older than him because they knew more. However, Zion said she was wrong a lot and not a very good person which Malak is starting to believe. So maybe he should question things because no one is right all the time.

"I do not think that the angels were in the right. It was wrong to keep you from your mother. However, as you said, you were also in the wrong for being violent but I understand why you did it," the angel said thoughtfully, looking up at the demon. "I wish I could take away your pain but I know I cannot heal that kind of pain. I can offer you comfort if you would like."

The demon smiled and kissed his mate's head. He wasn't surprised when the angel's face turned pink. Zion found it adorable. "You're really good at comforting me without knowing it. Don't worry, Malakai."

"That is good. I like making you happy," he smiled, resting his head on Zion's chest.

"I like making you happy too, Angel."

The two laid in silence, enjoying each other's company. They were safe for now. But Malak started to worry. What was that power he released? He's never had it before so why now? The poor angel had no control of it and that was terrifying.

Zion noticed his angel's anxiety. The younger being's mind seemed to run a mile a minute. He always seemed to go down a rabbit hole which Zion couldn't comprehend. "What are you thinking about?" He inquired.

"What happened earlier," he muttered, still worried. He didn't understand what happened.

"If you're worried about Lucifer, he woke up and left. I think you hurt his ego a bit but he won't be back. He'll respect the win," Zion informed him. Lucifer did have some integrity. He, like Zion, was a fallen angel. Therefore, the elder demon wasn't completely bloodthirsty and was actually quite smart.

The angel shook his head and softly responded, "That is not why I am worried but that is good to know. I did not like that demon. However, I am more worried about what I did because I have no idea how I did it. I have never felt anything like it and I am worried."

Zion studied his worried angel. The unknown scared the poor angel but also excited him. It was an unusual combination. But it made Malak who he was.

"We'll figure it out together. I promise."