I open my eyes and find myself staring up at the ceiling. I blink a few times before turning my head and seeing Angel cooking some food in the kitchen.
"Ellie," he's relieved and quickly walks over to me on his bed.
"Angel…" I give him a small smile.
"I'm so glad you're okay," He softly says as he caresses my hair.
"You're off the hook with Valentino," I say.
"What?"
"I made a deal with him last night… I retrieved some stolen money of his in exchange for your contract termination."
"Ellie…"
"I didn't want you treated like trash by him anymore… You deserve better."
"You got hurt because of me…" Angel tears up.
"Don't worry, it's okay…" I comfort him. "As long as you're free, that's all I care about."
Angel wipes his eyes.
"You got me goin' soft," Angel jokes.
"It suits you better," I tease. "Nah. I like the potty mouth Angel I know best."
"I'm cookin' some breakfast," Angel returns to the kitchen area.
"Smells good," I'm about to sit up but wince a bit from the pain in my right arm. "Shit, I forgot about this damn arm."
I examine my arm and see that it's bandaged up very well.
"Since when do you know how to bandage wounds so well?" I ask Angel.
"That wasn't me," he replies. "That was Smiles."
"What?" I'm surprised.
"Yeah he got here sometime after you passed out. He said he was lookin' for you but quickly saw you on my bed all bloody. Nearly attacked me! He patched you up, spent some time sittin' next to you in silence and left."
I look down at the floor in thought. Angel catches my gaze as he prepares two plates of food.
"What happened between you two?" He asks. "He mentioned that he wanted to speak to ya about somethin' serious. I figured it was about the business."
I'm still in thought.
"The guy looked pretty rattled," Angel walks over with two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. "Is everything goin' alright with your business deal?"
I take my plate and keep quiet for a moment.
"Alastor and I…slept together," I finally say.
"You're shittin' me," Angel is surprised. "How?!"
"It just happened," I face palm. "I ended up going to his place when we were drunk off our asses on Friday night, and that's what happened."
"I thought he wasn't into that."
"That's why I'm so confused! I don't know what his deal is. That was two nights ago. We haven't spoken since then."
"Well that explains why he looked so worried."
"He was that worried?"
"Yeah, he wanted to make sure you were okay. And the way he was lookin' at you…"
"What about it?"
"It's as if...he was in a trance or somethin'. He's really got somethin' on his mind."
"Who knows…."
"Or maybe you got him pussy whipped."
"There's my Angel," I laugh.
"Either way, looks like you win the bet," Angel shrugs with a smile. "Whoever seduces Smiles wins. And you got him pussy whipped."
"Oh, stop," I laugh.
We begin to eat our breakfast. I'm chewing on my toast with some egg as I sit there in thought.
"So what are you gonna do now that you're not working for Valentino anymore?" I ask. "I'm sorry I got you fired."
"Nah, it's okay," Angel shakes his head. "I can get my own clients now. I don't gotta worry about Val shakin' me for payments. All the money I get is for me."
"Just be careful and don't mess with his clients."
"Hell has plenty of other sinners who want this body," Angel has a smug smile.
"I don't doubt that."
We continue to eat our food.
"So what're you gonna do now?" Angel asks.
"Well, my parents won't be here until tomorrow night," I look at my texts. "They're on a business trip for a few days."
"And what about Red?"
"Ugh, I don't know…" I groan. "Hopefully I don't run into him."
"You got a whole business with him. How can you avoid him?"
"I have no damn clue…."
"Well, you're welcome to stay here for now. I'm sure your parents would freak if they saw your arm."
"That stays between us. I doubt Valentino would openly yap about getting the daughter of Lucifer shot if he knows any better."
"True."
"Aw shit…" I shake my head. "I forgot I gotta be at the venue later for some stuff that's gonna be dropped off. It's the supplies the construction crew will be using this week."
"Does Smiles know?"
"More than likely, but I don't know if he's busy with other stuff."
I glance at the clock and see that it's almost noon.
"I gotta go," I climb off the bed. "The delivery will be there soon."
"You need company?" Angel asks.
"No, it's okay. It's a bunch of boring business shit anyway. You need to find some time to relax after last night."
"Me? Look at you! You're the one with the bullet wound!"
"As one of my favorite songs goes: there ain't no rest for the wicked."
"Until we close our eyes for good," Angel finishes the line. "Just please be careful. I'd hate if anything else were to happen to ya."
"I'm the daughter of Lucifer, the Princess of Hell! I'm naturally rebellious and stubborn."
"Both a good and bad thing."
"Alright, gotta go!" I take my unfinished toast with me.
"Text me that you're alright, please."
"If I remember!" I open the door and run out.
The door closes after me and Angel lets out a sigh.
"She's one crazy bitch," he shakes his head with a smile. "But she's my crazy bitch."
I'm signing off on the delivery that's been brought in. It's a bunch of materials for renovation that will be done to the venue. I hand the man the signed paper and he hands me the receipt.
"Thank you," I tell him.
"No problem!" He nods.
I massage my sore arm while heading back into the venue. After locking the door, I head over to the table with some papers and begin to look them over. I review them and move on to the next one. The door to the venue then opens which makes my heart skip a beat. I play it cool and keep my gaze down at the papers. I can hear footsteps approaching me, but I keep my eyes on the papers as I review them.
"I thought I'd missed the delivery," Alastor says from behind me some feet.
"Nope. All good," I keep looking through the papers.
Alastor approaches the table and begins to examine the papers as well. He's about a foot to my right and I take this chance to escape.
"I gotta head out," I put the papers down and turn to take my leave.
Before I can walk away, Alastor takes a hold of my left arm and keeps me from moving.
"Why in such a hurry?" He asks.
"Gotta go home and wash up…" I glance down at my wounded arm. "Don't want this getting infected," I nervously laugh.
Alastor stares down at me for a moment before gently taking a hold of my right arm.
"How is it feeling?" He examines my bandaged arm.
"Sore," I reply with a wince.
Before he can examine it any further, I pull away from his grasp.
"Listen, I gotta go," I turn around and head out of the venue.
Alastor watches me as I take my leave, the door opening and closing after me. He knows I'm avoiding him. And he knows why.
As soon as I got home, I bathed, cleaned up my wound, took some medicine and knocked out for a good while. It's now late in the evening as I'm in my room after having finished my dinner. I'm in my black satin nightgown with my midnight blue robe over it as I sit on my bed, taking the old bandage wrap off my arm to clean the wound. I grit my teeth a bit at the pain as I finish taking the wrap off along with the bloodied gauze pad. As I'm cleaning it with a strong antiseptic, I hiss in pain.
"Son of a bitch!" I grit my teeth.
"You're not cleaning it well enough," I hear that static radio voice say from behind me.
"Well, I'm no doctor," I'm not even surprised that he's here.
Alastor closes the balcony door after him and heads over to me on my bed. He's not wearing his full usual outfit, missing his suit jacket. I'm surprised that he's brought a small bottle of whiskey with him as he sets it down on my bed along with two glasses.
"Make sure to wipe the wound thoroughly," he says after sitting down on my bed and taking over the disinfecting of my wound. "If you don't, you'll only bandage it up with the bacteria still there."
"And we don't want that, now do we?" I give a small smile.
He finishes cleaning my wound up and wraps it up. He puts the bloody wrap and gauze in a plastic bin that's on my bed and puts it on the floor. I wince a bit again from the pain.
"I figured some whiskey would help ease the pain," Alastor tries to humor. "Consider it a get well gift."
"Load me up with a glass," I say with a wince. "I'm gonna need as much as possible."
Alastor chuckles as he pours our drinks. I adjust the sleeve of my robe back over my right shoulder.
"Two glasses, huh," I take my glass. "Seems to me you planned on drinking this with me."
"One must come prepared for anything," he smiles.
"Here's to getting shot," I hold my glass to him.
Our glasses clink together and we take a sip of our drinks.
"Speaking of your wound," Alastor begins. "Please do explain what happened."
"You're gonna think I'm crazy," I laugh. "But you probably do already…" I shrug. "Well, Angel called me last night and called me over to his place. That's when I saw how beat up he was, done by Valentino per usual."
"Ah yes. He was worked up too," Alastor recalls seeing Angel's condition last night.
"I can't stand seeing Angel beat up like that. So I took it upon myself to have a chat with Valentino himself. We made a deal: if I retrieve some stolen money of his, then he will terminate Angel's contract – for good."
"I know you're the Princess of Hell and all, but that still won't stop some of Hell's denizens from causing you harm. You never know what to expect from us."
"Right…" I think of our night together.
He knows what I'm thinking about and there's a moment of silence.
"Look, let's address the elephant in the room…" I begin to say. "What happened the other night...I want to apologize."
"What is there to apologize for?" Alastor questions.
"I know you're not into that kind of stuff, so I feel bad for maybe...pressuring you."
Alastor stays quiet for a moment.
"Well, what are your thoughts on it?" He asks.
"I thought it was just that – sex," I lie.
"Just sex?" Alastor raises a brow.
"Yeah, like a hookup. We were drunk and just got carried away. It happened and we carry on with business as usual."
"Is that what people do nowadays? Just hook up?"
"It's pretty common, actually. Not my cup of tea to hook up with any random guy. But to each their own, I guess," I drink.
Alastor takes a sip from his drink and thinks for a moment. I see how he's so pensive on the matter.
"So you've really never done anything like that before?" I ask before taking a sip.
"No…" he admits.
"Wait...are you saying…"
"I was a virgin up until then."
"Alastor…" I'm surprised and feel bad. "I'm so sorry if it meant something to you."
"No matter. After all, it was just sex."
I can sense the sarcasm in his voice. I finish my drink and sit in thought. Maybe I hurt his feelings.
"Look," I say. "I want to make this clear. What happened between us was fun, don't get me wrong… but I don't want any feelings getting involved. We have a business to run. I don't think it would be a good mix."
"If that's how you really feel," he sips from his drink.
I have a feeling he knows I'm not being completely honest with him, but I just ignore it.
"How about a tour of my place?" I suggest as I get up off my bed.
"Your parents are out of town, correct?" Alastor states.
"They won't be back until tomorrow night. So we're good to roam around."
Alastor fills our glasses up and we head out of my room.
"Let's check out the music hall," I head down the stairs.
We head down the hallway and into the music hall. A grand piano sits toward the back center of the room. A saxophone, drum kit, bass drum, flute, trumpet, guitars, and trombone are amongst the array of instruments all setup on display, ready to be played at any moment.
"It's just as big as your hall, right?" I ask before sipping from my drink.
"Yes, though yours has more instruments," Alastor glances around in amusement.
"Yeah, these are all my father's," I stop by the piano. "I have some too but we share them."
"Your father is very musically talented."
"He is! Even more than me I'd say. I did learn everything I know from him, after all."
"Perhaps one day I shall get the chance to join him for a performance!"
"Though that would be entertaining to watch, it's not happening anytime soon," I giggle before drinking from my glass.
I sit on the bench of the piano, setting my glass of whiskey on the bench next to me.
"The piano was the first instrument my dad taught me how to play…" I brush my fingers over the keys.
I get the urge to play a song and Alastor senses it, standing a few feet behind me. I begin to play.
"Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
'Cause I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines"
My voice echoes beautifully throughout the music hall. Alastor listens intently, feeling the emotion in my voice. He knows well what this song means to me.
"Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
'Cause now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
And who will fall far behind?
Come on skinny love
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my"
I keep my hands on the keys as I sit in thought. Alastor comes closer and places a hand on my left shoulder.
"You're doing much better now," he comforts me.
I continue to stare down at the keys for a moment before turning to him with a smile.
"I am," I say. "And it's thanks to my friends like you and Angel."
Alastor stares down at me for a moment, appreciating my genuine warm smile.
"Anyway, I digress!" I get up from the bench and take my glass of whiskey in hand. "On with the tour!"
I lead him out of the music hall and down the hallway. Hanging on the walls are some of our family portraits, beginning from when I was a baby.
"Here's my family when I was first born," I stop in front of the portrait. "I was a little potato."
"A potato born in Hell," Alastor jokes.
"A baked potato," I can't help but laugh and Alastor does so as well.
We move down to the next portrait, drinking from our glasses.
"I'm about five years old here," I say.
"Ah, this one shows your wings," Alastor takes note.
"Yes, my wings sometimes protruded, and I didn't have much control over them. My father insisted on taking the photo with him in his own wings as well so that I wouldn't feel odd."
"Lucifer really has a soft spot for his daughter."
"His loved ones especially."
We continue to make our way down the hall. After a good amount of portraits, we finally reach the most recent one. In it, I stand between my parents.
"I've grown so much…" I think to myself. "Sometimes I forget how strong I really am…"
Alastor watches me stare up at the portrait for a moment.
"I can't forget what my father has told me since I was a little girl," I turn to Alastor and then deepen my voice to sound like my dad. "Ya don't take shit from other demons!"
"Clearly," Alastor refers to my wound.
I laugh at his remark. Before taking another sip from my whiskey, I look up at Alastor.
"What was your relationship like with your family?" I finally ask. "Your mom? Your dad? Any siblings?"
Alastor is a bit surprised at the questions but thinks for a moment.
"Sorry if I'm intruding," I say. "I just...don't know much about you, yet you know a lot about me at this point."
"It's only fair I share some of my life stories with you, I presume…" Alastor agrees. "My relationship with my mother was loving. She loved me dearly and I loved her all the same… My father was a good for nothing drunk bastard who would always beat her," his voice deepens at the thought. "I grew up seeing my mother abused by my father. He abused us, made our lives a living Hell. That is until one day I had enough… I was 17 when I shot my father in the head when he wouldn't stop beating my mother."
"I'm...so sorry…" I look down in sorrow.
"I have no remorse. It was a release I'd wanted for so long. My mother loved me so much that she took the blame for his death. She ended up being thrown in jail for life despite claiming self defense. At that point, I was on my own."
"Did you ever get to see your mother again?"
"I visited her even though it was painful for me to see her shackled away for something I'd done… But she insisted that she would have done anything for me. Even rot in jail… The last time I saw her she was very ill with pneumonia. I didn't get to see her one last time before she passed away."
The last sentence Alastor spoke without the radio static. He gazes up at my family portrait in thought. I hadn't expected to hear that from him. It's tragic. But then what did he do during his life that he acquired such powerful abilities?
"Sorry to kill the mood," he turns to me.
"No, it's alright," I assure him. "Thanks for sharing that with me. I'm sure it's difficult to talk about."
"It's not necessarily difficult, more so not feeling the need to share that information with anyone."
"Have you ever done so?"
"No."
I'm surprised.
"Damn," I shake my head with a small smile. "First I take your virginity, and now I'm the first you share personal stuff with. I'm on a roll," I joke.
"I'm sure there's a reason for that…" Alastor sips from his whiskey while glancing away.
I stare down at the floor for a moment to think of what he's just said.
'There's a reason?' I think to myself. 'What does he mean? Could he possibly be romantically interested in me? Alastor? The fucking Radio Demon? How could that be possible?'
I dismiss the idea and begin to head upstairs to my room.
"I need to sit down…" I say. "There's too much for me to take in right now…" I laugh a bit.
We make our way back to my room. After closing the door, I put my empty glass down on my nightstand. I then make my way to the closet and get a hold of Alastor's red robe. I walk back to him as he stands next to my bed.
"I figured you want this back," I hold out the robe to him. "I don't think having it here would be a good idea. Don't want the risk of it being discovered by my parents."
"That wouldn't be good," Alastor has his smirk as he puts his empty glass down on my nightstand.
He takes the robe as we stand about a foot apart. I keep my gaze down, feeling his stare at me. There's a sensation I have. I recall having sex with Alastor and feel myself heat up. Here he is, in my bedroom, all alone. There's no denying that I want to experience that again with him. He can sense I want something, and he knows what it is.
"I don't know if it's the whiskey talking," I begin to say with my gaze still down. "But… I really did enjoy our night together…."
Alastor continues to stare down at me with anticipation. Whatever I'm thinking of doing, he hopes I do.
"I've got nothing to do on this lonely night…" Alastor tempts me with his deep normal voice.
I look up at him, gazing into his red eyes. My heart is beating hard and fast. I place my left hand on his cheek, testing if he'll pull back. He doesn't. I slither my hand behind his neck and pull him into a kiss. He kisses me back with just as much desire, putting a hand on the side of my face. He drops the robe on the floor. I back up onto my bed, pulling him down with me. My arm hurts a bit, but I manage to deal with the pain. I reach to undo the buttons of his dress shirt from his high collar. He stops my hands with his.
"What's wrong?" I see hesitation in his face.
"It's just…" he hesitates. "I have scars...on my body."
I then remember the scars from our first night together. After a moment of understanding, I slowly unbutton the high collar and down the rest of his shirt. His grey skin is covered with scars that are scattered throughout his body. I brush my hand over some on his neck with a sad gaze and he sees.
"I'm sorry if it's not to your liking," he feels self conscious.
"What? No," I shake my head. "I just feel bad for whatever happened to you."
Alastor is surprised to hear that. I bring him closer to gently lay kisses on scars that are on his neck. He appreciates my gentle kisses, relieved that I'm not fazed by them. Now I understand why he covers up so much. The high collar, the long sleeves, the gloves – but what caused these scars? Once Alastor becomes more comfortable, he helps me take off his shirt, followed by his pants and the rest of his clothes.
"Are you okay with this?" I ask between kisses.
"Yes," he replies.
My mouth moves from his lips, to his jaw, down to his neck as I caress my fingers through his hair. He thoroughly enjoys my loving kisses on his skin. I return to kissing his mouth, our tongues fighting for dominance now. Seeing as he's not holding back, I flip him on his back and climb on top of him and continue to make out. I slip my robe off and toss it to the side along with my nightgown. Alastor's right hand slithers down my sides along my curves. He feels himself get harder with every second his skin touches mine. My eyes lower to below his hip line, seeing the v from his abs lead down to his crotch. His body isn't too thin nor too thick and is well defined. He sees I find his body enticing, despite the scars, which further excites him. I position myself at his crotch, Alastor intrigued at what I'm doing. With my hand slowly pumping his shaft, I insert his dick in my mouth. Alastor watches as I suck on him, my eyes gazing up at him. My eyes are hypnotic and seductive which excite him more. He caresses my hair, breathing a bit faster. I continue to pump and suck on him, his head leaning back in pleasure as he caresses my hair with his hand. His breathing gets gradually faster as he moans a bit the more I suck. I can feel him about to finish.
"Elena…" he breathes. "I'm going to…"
He tries to stop himself but can't. His hips rise a bit as he finally climaxes in my mouth, letting out a deep moan. I suck on him once more before swallowing his cum. I climb on top of him, leaning my face over his.
"I'm sorry…" he breathes.
"No, it's okay…" I purr into his ear. "I don't mind swallowing."
Alastor is surprised but even more aroused. I position myself over him, holding his hard shaft in one hand. I lower myself over his hips, inserting him inside me. I bite my lip as I feel him fill me up and he grunts in pleasure. His eyes admire my body, getting a nice view as I'm on top of him. I begin to grind my hips rhythmically as my hands lay on his abs for support. It's very obvious that I have the upper hand in experience.
"Does this feel good?" I ask in a bit of a moan.
"Yes…" he breathes heavily.
The fact that I'm the first ever to do this with Alastor turns me on, giving me the chance to teach him more about sexual pleasure. After all, I love to be dominant in bed. I ride him harder and faster and he holds my hips down to deepen the thrusts. One of his hands reaches up to massage my breasts as his jaw clenches. After a while of riding him, I feel myself about to climax.
"Alastor…" I gasp. "I'm coming…"
I place my hand over his as it's on my breast. Alastor feels himself about to climax as well, his heavy breaths mixing with mine. I tilt my head back as I let out a moan which drives Alastor into finishing in me, also letting out a deep moan of his own. I grind my hips one last time as I stop to catch our breaths.
"Sorry if I'm getting carried away…" I breathe as I look down at Alastor.
"No, not all…" he breathes. "Clearly I'm enjoying this."
I give him a smile as I scoff.
"You seem very experienced…" Alastor says.
"Well, yes…" I look away for a moment. "I was with only one other man before you…"
Alastor sees the sorrow in my eyes and caresses my cheek. He feels bad for making me remember my ex.
"I'm sorry…" he says.
"Don't worry," I shake my head.
I slip him out of me and sit next to him. Alastor also sits up and sits close to me on my left as I bring my knees up to my chest. He scoots closer as he sees I'm a bit sad now.
"I probably don't match up to him because of my inexperience…" he says.
"No, you're good at this," I reassure him. "You may be inexperienced, but...it's not the same with you."
"Perhaps because you had a connection with him."
"No, that's not it. I feel like I have a connection with you and it feels different… Making love with you...is a lot better."
Alastor is surprised at my words. We were in fact making love.
"So it isn't just sex?" Alastor questions.
"I thought it was," I shake my head. "But I can't deny anymore that it's more than that…"
I relax my legs down and turn to Alastor, and his attention is at me.
"Alastor…" I gaze into his eyes. "It isn't just sex. It's making love...and I feel it's different because… I'm falling for you."
Alastor's brows rise, completely stunned.
"I can't deny it anymore," I shake my head. "It just hurts a lot to know that you can't return the feelings… I didn't think you could...or if you do now…"
Alastor stays quiet for a moment, processing not only my feelings but also his own.
"There's just something about you," I continue. "You've treated me so well… and I guess I've come to see you for who you really are as a person."
I sigh and shrug.
"I guess you can consider this as my confession," I lightly laugh. "I just don't know if you feel the same."
Alastor stares at me in silence for a moment. Hearing no answer, I turn my eyes down in disappointment.
"I guess it's just me, huh?" I say.
"No…" Alastor takes a gentle hold of my face and turns it toward him. "I never had any interest in physical and emotional connections with someone... But you make me feel something I've never felt in both my living and dead life."
I stare into Alastor's eyes. Despite the redness in them, his eyes are soft as he gazes at me.
"I do feel the same for you, Elena," he admits. "I've been doing so for a while now but couldn't seem to comprehend those feelings. But now that you've expressed how you feel...I understand my own feelings now."
He slowly leans his face into mine as he kisses me. He lays me on my back as he holds himself over me. We continue to make out as he positions himself between my legs. He takes a hold of his hard shaft and enters me with a slow thrust. My fingers run through the back of his hair as he thrusts. He feels how warm I am around him as he leans his face next to mine to breathe. He thrusts harder and faster, causing me to dig my fingers through his hair, exciting him more. He moves his face in front of mine as he holds my face in his hand. We let out one last passionate moan together as we climax, staring into each other's eyes. We catch our breaths as Alastor then leans his forehead against mine, our eyes still on each other's.
"I can keep going with you if I could…" he mutters as he caresses my hair. "I just can't seem to control myself with you anymore."
"Then let's keep it that way," I caress his face.
I pull him into a kiss and he returns it.
(Song Skinny Love by Birdy)
