"You need a hot shower" I said while lifting my ball cap and shaking my curls like a wet dog. "Looks like bar soap and two towels."

Nora tilted her chin up. "You can't f-force me to stay here."

"That sounded more like a question than a statement." I was hoping that the lack of intonation in that sentence meant that a part of her wanted to be here with me. I part I knew she was trying hard not to let come to surface. But of course that only made me want to make this night pleasant even more.

"Then ans-s-swer it"

"It's hard to concentrate on answers with you looking like that." She was wearing a pair of jeans that fitted perfectly in her long legs and my black shirt, which was now completely wet and clinging to her body in all the right places. I meant it. It was hard for me to think with Nora standing in front of me like that. I just wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her. God, I really am drawn to this girl.

With that said she brushed past me to the bathroom and shut the door between us.

I heard her cranking the water as I sat on the edge of the king size bed. I had to tell her.

Since the day I first discovered that Nora was Chauncey's descendant I started to study her. I studied her like a killer studies his prey, because that's what I was. I was a killer and I was going to kill her – No, I was going to sacrifice her in order to have what I had been craving for a long time, a human body. One that would allow me to finally feel the world around me for more than just 2 weeks in Cheshvan, in my Nephil vassal. That was my original plan, but somehow I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't kill Nora. Not when the idea of having a human body didn't sound right if I didn't have her. Even though I wanted to be human, I wanted Nora more.

I realized that to make this work I was gonna have to be honest with Nora. But there was no way on Earth I could go up to her and say: 'Hey Nora! Ya know, we only met because I was stalking you so I could sacrifice you and become human 'cause I'm a fallen angel… but hey, I don't wanna do that anymore!' Yeah, that would go just peachy.

I was thinking about a good way to break the news to her when the water in the shower stopped. Two minutes later, the door was slightly open and I heard a whisper passing through it. "Patch?"

"Done?"

"Blow out the candle"

"Done" I whispered back through the door and laughed softly. I didn't need to look at her to know her cheeks were turning pink.

She snuffed out the bathroom candle and stepped out, meeting me in the total blackness that was our motel room. I could sense her right in front of me as she said "My clothes are soaked. I don't have anything to wear"

Grinning, I took off my wet shirt and let it land on the floor at her feet. "Lucky me."

"This is really awkward" she told me whilst biting her lip. Christ. She had no idea what that made me feel like.

"You should shower," she sounded flustered, which only made my grin grow wider. "Right now."

"I smell that bad?" I knew I didn't - One of the perks of being an Angel. I made my way to the bathroom, relit the candle and left the door ajar, as an invitation, though I was sure Nora wouldn't accept it. I slid out of the rest of my clothes, dropped them in a wet heap by the sink and entered the shower. After a moment my mind started wandering off to thoughts about Nora. Very unsettling thoughts and I decided that it was time to turn off the water. I dried myself quickly and strolled out of the bathroom wearing only my still wet jeans.

"Which side of the bed do you want?"

"Uh…"

That seemed to make her uncomfortable. "Nervous?" I asked smiling.

"No." She tried to sound confident but I knew she was uneasy.

"You're a bad liar," I said still smiling. "The worst I've ever seen."

She placed her hands on her hips and communicated a silent Excuse me?

I decided it was time to act. "Come here." I said pulling her to her feet. Nora was staring at something behind me. I knew there was a mirror there so I could only imagine she was looking at my upside-down V shaped scars, from when I fell. She slid her hand up my chest and around to my back. A small finger brushed my right scar and my body tensed under her touch. Shit. I mentally cursed. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this.
Nora's body froze for a split of second, but I knew that for her it was more liking for half an hour or whatever time she needed to see that memory, and in a blink of an eye she was back and her fingertip had left my scar. As she reoriented herself I wrestled her into the bed and pinned her wrists above her head.

"You weren't supposed to do that." I sounded a bit angrier than I wanted, but that was because I didn't know what she saw. What if it was something about her? "What did you see?"

"Get – of – me!" She said whilst clipping her knee in my ribs.

I slid onto her hips, straddling them, so she couldn't move her legs anymore.

"Get – of – me – or – I'll – scream!" She yelled, squirming under my weight.

"You're already screaming and it isn't going to cause a stir in this place. It's more of a whorehouse than a motel." I gave her a hard smile. "Last chance, Nora. What did you see?"

I caught hold of her eyes and saw her fighting back tears that were threatening to come out. "You make me sick!" She shouted at me. "Who are you? Who are you really?"

"We're getting closer." I whispered with a grim smile.

"You want to kill me!"

Oh… So she had just found out, in the worst way, what I was trying to tell her the whole time without hurting her. Peachy.

"The Jeep didn't really die tonight, did it? You lied. You brought me here so you could kill me." I wasn't surprised she'd reach that conclusion. She was smart. "That's what Dabria said you want to do. Well what are you waiting for?" She said holding my eyes. "You've been trying to kill me all along. Right from the start. Are you going to kill me now?" She stared at me unblinking.

"It's tempting."

She tried to roll to her left, then to her right. She finally figured out that I wasn't going to ease up and stopped, settling her grey orbs on me. "I bet you like this."

"That would be a smart bet." I answered her. I wasn't particularly liking this right now, but I'd most certainty enjoy what was yet to come.

"Just do it." She challenged me.

"Kill you?"

She nodded. "But first I want to know why. Of all the billions of people out there, why me?"

"Bad genes." She wasn't prepared to know the truth about that now.

"That's it? That's the only explanation I get?" She said, raising her voice.

"For now." My answer upsetting her more.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice rose again. "I get the rest of the story when you finally break down and kill me?"

"I don't have to break down to kill you. If I'd wanted you dead five minutes ago." But I didn't want her dead.

Nora swallowed at the less-than-cheerful thought my last comment brought to her mind. I softly brushed my thumb over her birthmark. That's what had brought me to her. That's what made her especial and in danger. I'm probably not the only one who would kill her, just the only one who knows the outcome.

"What about Dabria? She asked, breathing hard. "She's the same thing you are, isn't she? You're both – angels." Her voice cracked on the last word.

I rotated slightly off her hips, but kept my hands at her wrists. "If I ease up, are you going to hear me out?"

"What do you care if I run? You'll just drag me back in here."

"Yeah, but that would cause a scene."

"Is Dabria your girlfriend?" I could hear her heart beating faster in her barely covered chest. Was she afraid I'd say yes?

"Was. It was a long time ago, before I fell to the dark side." I gave her a hard grin. "It was also a mistake."

I rocked back on my heels, slowly releasing her, testing to see if she'd fight back. Nora was breathing hard and propping herself up off the mattress with her elbows. Suddenly she hurled herself at me and hit me in the chest. I swayed back slightly surprised and tried to stop her, not that I could feel any pain, whatsoever. Well, she knows how to fight – for a human girl, of course.

"Done?" I asked her.

"No!" She shrieked while kicking me.

"You've got one minute. Get your anger out of your system. Then I take over."

Nora made a leaping run off the bed, towards the door, but I snagged her midair and backed her against the wall. Her bare legs were now flush with mine. God, those legs.

"Did you come to school to kill me? Was that your aim right from the start?"

"Yes" Well, now she knew.

"Are you gloating inside? That's what this is about, isn't it? Getting me to trust you so you could blow it up in my face!" She said, swiping a tear that dared to escape.

"I get that you're angry – "

"I'm ripped apart!" She shouted.

I didn't want to see her like that anymore so I put my hands in each side of her head and kissed her. My hands flew to her hips in an attempt of pulling her closer to me but she bit my lip. I licked it with the tip of my tongue. "Did you just bite me?" I said smiling.

"Is everything a joke to you?" She asked.

I licked my bottom lip again to make sure it wasn't bleeding. "Not everything."

"Like what?"

"You." I answered with smirk and then talked to her in her mind. Relax. Trust me.

"Oh My God! You're doing it again, aren't you? Messing with my mind." She said. "You can put more than words in my head, can't you? You can put images – very real images – there."

"The Archangel ." Nora said after a moment. "You tried to kill me that night, didn't you? But something went wrong. Then you made me think my cell phone was dead, so I couldn't call Vee. Did you plan to kill me on the ride home? I want to know how you're making me see what you want!"

"I put the words and images there, but it's up to you if you believe them. It's a riddle. The images overlap reality, and you have to figure out which is real."

"Is this a special angel power?"

I shook my head. "Fallen angel power. Any other kind of angel wouldn't invade your privacy, even though they can."

I braced my hands against the wall behind Nora, one on each side of her head. "I put a thought in Coach's mind to redo the seating chart because I needed to get close to you. I made you think you fell off the Archangel because I wanted to kill you, but I couldn't go through with it. I almost did, but I stopped. I settled for scaring you instead. Then I made you think your cell was dead because I wanted to give you a ride home. When I came inside your house, I picked up a knife. I was going to kill you then." I lowered my voice. "You changed my mind."

Nora was looking straight through my eyes not saying a word. I couldn't wait anymore. I slid my hands up her neck and tipped her head back gently. Our lips met in such a heated kiss that I could feel shivers of panic and pleasure passing from Nora to me. I skimmed my hands down her arms and let them come to rest at the small of her back.

Nora's POV

I ran my right hand through his dark curly hair, tugging it slightly whilst my left was resting in his bare chest. I felt pale compared to his toned torso. I felt Patch's tongue lick my lower lip asking me for permission. I granted it, parting my lips and our tongues started fighting for dominance. He tasted so good.

He was still pinning me to the wall as we kissed furiously not wanting to break away from each other and I kept pulling him even closer. I needed to breathe, so I broke the kiss, rolling him over so that he had his back to the white wall. I caught hold of his eyes. They were even darker than usual, absorbing everything and giving away nothing – nothing but lust and desire, mirroring mine. I wanted this guy like I had never wanted anyone before.

Patch's hands were still at the small of my back, underneath my top and he was staring at me. I got the silent question he was making with that stare and lifted my harms in the air allowing him to slide the white fabric above my head. My hands were shaking a little as I unbuttoned his jeans. Patch placed his hands in my smaller ones, calming me, while he got out of his pants and shoved them aside.

We started kissing again as he lowered me in the king-size bed. His full lips started living a trail of kisses through my jaw line and then trough my neck causing me to shiver. Patch lifted his head up to look at me and show me a mischievous smile. He really was beautiful. And hot. God I want him.

I want you too, Angel. I heard him say in my mind. That was reassuring – knowing that he wanted me like I wanted him.

Patch continued his trail of sweet kisses between my breasts. He raised my back a little, to unclasp my lace bra with his right hand whilst supporting himself with the other one, so his weight wouldn't crush me. I couldn't help to think that the way that he had unclasp my bra with only one hand, at his first attempt, meant he was very experienced with women. Of course he was. He was a drop dead beautiful angel with a sexy smile that could make every girl fall under his spell, which made me a nervous. But all this babbling going one in my head stopped when I felt his mouth close around my left nipple. His hand cups my other breast causing my back to arch a little bit and I repress a groan. He switches his lips to the nipple his skillful hand was previously caressing.

Suddenly his fingers move down my stomach until they're in my panties. Oh God. He slips them through the soft fabric of my underwear and starts circling me with his thumb causing me to moan. He inserts one finger inside me and I cry out as he does it again and again, hitting my sweet spot… Jeez.

He really his good! I think to myself whilst I'm about to reach my first orgasm of that night. I was panting heavenly when Patch's pouty lips crushed mine, for a moment. His hands were now on each side of my head, caressing my hair. Looking at my grey eyes, he positioned the head of his erection in my entrance. "You ready?"

A small nod was all I could manage to say and then the most amazing pleasure shot through me as Patch pushed himself inside me.

"Again?"

"Yes… please." My voice not coming out higher than a murmur. As I begged him to, he thrusted inside me again as deep as he could making us both groan in unison. And he repeated this movement over again. I was tugging his hair, pulling him closer to me, not wanting him to slow down. I could feel my walls tightening around him. I was so close.

"Hmm, you're so tight Angel." He said has he bit my neck gently. That was enough to tip me over the edge.

"Patch!" I shouted is name as I came. He rocked against me once more and then found his release, biting his lip.

He slid out of me and lay down in the mattress next to me. We staid like that, looking at each other's eyes, until our breathing slowed down. Then Patch pulled the covers up, to cover our naked bodies and I rested my head on his chest whilst he stroked my back and kissed my messy hair.