"I'll undress you, 'cause you're tired

Cover you as you desire

When you fall asleep inside my arms."

- Lady Gaga, The Cure

, which I'm dying to know. Whenever I try to ask him where we are going, he'd only reply "We'll get there soon, and you'll love it" and trust me, I want to smack the back of his head hard. I know hurting someone purposely is wrong, but he's making me. He annoys me, really, but one touch and everything will be okay. That's how it always works. Damn him for having such a strong effect on me. Everything he does, it has an effect on me, and when he does sweet things, damn it, I just want to wrap my arms around him and let myself be cocooned by his strong arms.

My arms are crossed across my chest, puffing my cheeks, drawn on my face is an annoyed expression. He chuckles at my expression, which makes me turn my head away from him in embarrassment. I sulk like a little child while he drives. Can you believe it? This demon has a car. And it's not just a regular car, he told me. In a monotonous voice, he told me "This is not just a car. It's a Limited Edition Bugatti Veyron that costs 3.4 million dollars." Of course, I don't care if it's that expensive, but to think that a human, much less a demon, would spend a lot of money for this car is just appalling to me. It's crazy.

Money is a necessity for mortals, and with that amount, it can feed a lot of people. Heavens, it can even help reduce poverty. And the fact that demons use this as an advantage frustrates me. They use money. They use money to make people commit sins. And now I'm wondering if he's using the car to lure me into committing sins that would involve touching him. Just thinking about that kind of intimacy makes me feel so tainted.

As if sensing my uncomfortableness, Slate turns his head to look at me, stretches his arm forward, and rests his hand on my thigh, which makes me blush. I quickly push him hand away, as if his touch burns me.

"No touching," I mutter, looking away. I can practically see him smirking, but I choose to ignore it since I will be able to do nothing about it. His hand comes to rest on my thigh again, and I glare coldly at him. "I said no touching."

Apparently, this triggers him; he snaps his fingers and immediately, we are transported into a secluded place. I become more uncomfortable and seeing his expression right now, it doesn't help anything at all. Slate is annoyed, and he's gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles are turning white. I'm afraid that he might crush the steering wheel, and who knows, his magic might not work this time and send us crashing to our deaths. Well, if I die, then am I going to Hell? Or will I be sent to Heavens?

I want to say I'm sorry, for offending him, but it seems like the words keep choking me and wouldn't get out of my mouth. Slate is pissed, and I wonder if there's anything I can do to calm him down. But the truth is, I'm afraid. I don't know why, but I just do. I know that Slate is never going to hurt me; he will do whatever it takes to protect me, to keep me safe, and somehow, with the aura he's emanating, I wonder if that would change.

"I'm so – " I begin.

He cuts me off immediately. "Some demon was following us, and no, it's not Dantalion." His jaw clenches, and he's still gripping the steering wheel hard as if he wants to break it. Knowing him, he can actually do it without any hesitation. After all, I guess, he can get another one of these cars. "And it's no ordinary demon. I sensed that it's powerful, and I'm guessing that it's one of the Princes of Hell."

That captures my attention. If the demon who was following us was a powerful one, then that means Slate and I are both in trouble. I look at him with wide eyes, and he knows what I'm thinking. He shakes his head, indicating that only Dantalion knows that I'm an angel and no one else.

"From what I've sensed, it's Carreau." He states.

As if my eyes wouldn't get wider, I open my mouth in shock. "You... you mean..."

When I was growing up, when I was studying about demons, my tutor listed all of the powerful demons. Demons who were once angels, and demons who were born demons. She taught me their histories and downfalls. She told me about their hatred for angels, for mortal kind. I had to sit through the day just to learn about demons, our nemesis. It bored me, but then the tutor stated that this would be helpful to me someday. Of course, I was a child, and if you're a child, you take things lightly. I didn't believe her at first, because well, she was just telling me stuff that happened in the past, and the demons. She didn't tell me anything about fighting, on how to defeat them, so of course I really didn't believe her because what she was telling me was not helping me at all. She kept telling me that, but really, I was shrugging it off because it didn't make any sense to me. At all. So I just stayed silent, not saying anything, but inside my head, I was finding it a bit crazy.

My tutor wasn't really judging me. She understood my point of view, and never questioned me. She knew that I didn't believe her, and she didn't say anything about it. Her eyes, though, did. Her eyes told me that one day, I was going to believe her, that I was going to think about what she had said to me in the mini library down the hall of our home where our tutor sessions were always being held.

And now, thinking about those words and lessons she told me, I'm starting to believe that I have been a very bad boy, a bad angel. I should have listened to her more carefully. I should have taken our lessons seriously because never would I have thought that a powerful demon would be following us, until now.

"Yes, Carreau. Prince of Powers. He who tempts men with hardness of heart." Slate confirms, nodding his head. "He's not really that powerful, but it's enough to give us serious trouble." He shakes his head, taking a deep breath as if this is all exhausting him. Is he scared of this demon? Is he more powerful than Slate? "I could overpower him, but it's not really that easy. He wouldn't have become one of the princes of Hell if he's a lousy dumbass."

Of course I know who Carreau is. My tutor told me about him. He's part of the second hierarchy that includes powers, dominions, and virtues. He's dangerous (all demons are!) and is one of the reasons why most of the mortals commit suicide. He is the demon of heartlessness and sadness, and is employed to break mortals, even the most determined ones.

It's funny to think that I didn't feel his presence nor his aura. Usually, based on what I've learned from my tutor, when he's around, you would feel his demonic aura. You would lose courage, and he would suck all of the positive emotions out of you. The most mortals he's affecting are those who have a weak faith or lack of any faith at all. That's probably the reason why I didn't feel his presence; I believe in my parents, and to the Good Goddess. I believe that everything will be okay.

Looking at Slate, his body is tensed, hands in a fist and his jaw is clenched. "He must have sensed the positive emotion in me." He growls, banging the steering wheel and the car honks, making me jump. "Damn it." I purse my lips. "But he's a nosy bastard. I've known him for so long, and he will not tell anyone unless he finds the truth. So that's a good thing."

"But we just disappeared, and you said he was following us, don't you think it's a bit suspicious? To him?" I ask him, furrowing my brows in confusion. "I think it gave him another reason that you're hiding something."

"Don't worry. I'll fix this." He assures me, giving me a smile that makes me calm.

"You said that he must have sensed a positive emotion in you," I say, "what's that?"

"Love," he says with no hesitation or breaks. "I love you, Hadraniel." He stares right into my eyes, and I suck in a breath. He said it confidently, as if he's so sure that he really loves me. What are his reasons? Clearly, there's nothing good about me. His beliefs and mine are different. He can't really love me, can he? "I know that it seems impossible for a demon to fall in love with someone, much less to an angel, but I do, Adrian. I do. I've fallen in love with you."

I remain silent; I really don't know what to say. My head becomes blank, and I wish I could reply, wish I could say the same thing towards him, but I can't. Because I'm not sure. Because I'm scared. Because I still don't know what the meaning of love is. And worse, I don't know if I'm capable to love.

Without giving me any warnings, he leans down and captures my lips with his. Instantly I moan against his lips, my fingers immediately gripping his hair, pushing him closer to me, if possible.

"I love you more than my darkest sins," he manages, pulling away just so he can take a breath and then goes back to kissing me. "You may not believe me, but I am hundred percent sure that I love you."

"I don't know what to say, to be honest." I say honestly, my voice wavering as I look up at him.

"You don't have to say anything to me," he tells me, resting his forehead against mine. "I'll keep convincing you, will keep telling you how much I love you, and I'll never get tired of it. Damn it, look what you have done to me. I've become a cheesy demon."

He grins at me, and then winks, which makes me blush. I purse my lips, preventing myself from kissing him. This hot demon is making my heart melt with his words, and with his looks. I wonder how many loves he has had. Probably a lot, and it's hurting me just by thinking about it. So I throw the image out of the window and just admire what's happening between us, in the present.

I've finally noticed our surroundings. We're at an open road, the sun is scorching hot in the sky. There are cars, but they seem to be abandoned. Despite the warm glow of the sun, the air is chilly, and it's sending shivers down my spine. It seems like we are in different world, yet it looks like just the earth. The trees don't have leaves but branches only. There are a few houses, but there isn't a building, like the ones in Brooklyn city. They are made of woods. Right in the middle is what I assume is a church. Surrounding it is overgrown dying bushes.

"Where are we?" I ask Slate.

"We are in Bodie, California." He tells me. "It's practically a ghost town. Abandoned. This has been abandoned since 1942. People go here just to look for treasure as this town was used to be a gold mining town."

"Why did they abandon this town?" I ask him, completely curious. I mean, the town is beautiful, especially if there are mortals walking across the streets and mingling around.

He shrugs. "I don't know. Seems like we're going to wait before we can continue our date."

"Yeah, that seems like the best option." Though I'm disappointed. This day was supposed to be fun, but the demon who was following us had to ruin everything. "Okay. So what are we going to do next?"

"It's up to you, baby." He smirks, winking at me while putting his arms behind his head.