"Think Ι need tο help yοu.

Ι'm gonna try.

Cute as hell baby,

hοtter than flames.

Wanna burn tοgether

in a milliοn ways.

Νοw let me take the lead.

Κnοw you wanna play with me.

Gοt secrets you might wanna see, yοu might wanna see,

yοu might wanna.

Ι knοw I'm not gonna regret this.

Wanna get reckless."

- Reckless by Dread Pitt

Mazikeen Smith

Bastard.

I keep throwing knives at the wall like it would make me feel somewhat better than I actually was.

I was angry. No. Pissed at Lucifer for holding back the truth about my mother for all these centuries, I started to imagine the red target on the wall as his face.

I swung another blade at the target. Making a sharp thud against the hotel wall.

Screw him.

Another hit.

Son of a bitch.

Another hit.

Uuuhhhh!

"What are you doing?" Comes a distinctive sound of his voice from behind me.

Stopping my movement for a moment to glance at his presence. I hadn't even realized when Michael flew back to the suite. He already made his way to the small bar at the side of the large living room.

It was one of LA finest luxurious hotel suites and the best place to lay low, after all.

I rake him from head to toe before turning back to continue my little exercise. Call it what you want.

"De-stressing." I say simply while aiming at my mark again. Confidently slashing the blade forward, receiving a bullseye.

The sound of two glasses click together as Michael pours a drink into them, distracts me and I turn to him again.

Michael does the same, walking towards me and offering me one of the glasses to drink, while cocking up an eyebrow. "By demolishing the wall?" He asks while eyeing the hole now.

I take the glass from him and gulp it down, licking my bottom lip afterwards. "It's either that or someone's face."

Michael takes his seat on the black leather armchair behind a glass coffee table. "Wonder who could it be?" He says rhetorically as he obviously knows who I'm referring to.

I start to subconsciously walk back and forth in the room while letting my thoughts out.

"It's unbelievable how great I'm at hitting a target on the wall but when it comes to Lucifer, I can barely get a scratch on his smug face."

Michael places his drink on the coffee table and leans back while crossing his hands under his head, his eyes on me at all times.

"What if I told you that you could get a hit on him now?"

"Yeah, right. That would never work." Stupid celestials and their inhuman fast reflexes.

"It could."

"In my dreams maybe. I just wish he would know the pain that he has caused me." I go off and ramble whatever thoughts I have plaquing my mind. It's weird. Michael's actually the first person, besides Linda, who actually listens me.

I stop my pacing and let out a laugh, shaking my head. A lot of the time Michael is just quiet while I talk, and now I'm getting this funny feeling I'm boring him with my stupid 'feelings'.

When he doesn't respond, I turn to him, only to realize he has a smile on his face but not what I'm looking at. His right-hand prompt up, between his index and middle finger is a ring. My mother's ring.

"You got it?" I breath out.

Letting the corner of his lips tug upwards into a smirk. "I got it."

I widen my gaze with a smile on my own face while moving towards him, and the moment my hand tries to grasp the ring, he pulls his hand back, making me frown.

"I will go through with the plan."

"I know." He says while eyeing the ring in his grasp before placing his gaze on me. Holding the ring now between us. "But that's not why I'm giving it to you."

"Then spill." I say seriously but Michael scoffs.

"So, you can trust me. And not stab me in the back when you suddenly want to go back to Lucifer's side when you feel your conscience start to kick in."

I huff. "I'll never do that. Lucifer has taken my last straw." I say trying hold back my ever-growing rage.

"Good. One more thing." He says and I roll my eyes. "It's more of a question, but... are you sure you want to use it so soon?"

"We talked about this. You know I want a soul."

"Yes, but in exchange to become a mere mortal?"

"It's what I want." I say without looking him in the eyes. I wanted this for a while now and ever since Lilith's passing, I wanted it even more. To prove to everyone that a demon could regain a soul and be loved my someone.

The memory of Eve fills in my head and I start to doubt myself. No one ever gave a damn about me and why should anyone do that? But will the ring actually help me. I don't know. The feeling of anxiety soon enters my system and I start to doubt everything I'm doing.

What if I'm not strong enough?

Michael must have sensed my fear because he stood up, towering my shorter frame. His other hand tilts my chin upward, making my eyes connect with his dark ones.

"Mazikeen." His voice low and clear as day when he uses my name, making the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. "You may think that you are nothing without a soul, but I know the truth. You are Mazikeen Smith. You're the most powerful demon in existence and if that isn't enough to make you realize how strong-how powerful you are then I don't know who can."

Letting go of my chin, he gently grabs my right hand, sliding the ring on my middle finger.

"Just promise me you'll think about it, before you do it." He says as the ring is in place but remains inactive until I breath in the essence.

What is there to think about? I want to have a soul but in order to have that I must say goodbye to my inhuman abilities.

Is that what I wanted? Why is Michael the one making me question myself?

Slowly realizing his hand still lingers around mine for a little longer than necessary, my eyes find his staring at my li-

"Am I interrupting something?"

The both of us pull apart and turn to the person who spoke. A man with blond hair, sideburns on his face that was so last century, and a brownish coat wrapped around his shoulders letting it wall down around him, walks in through the balcony.

"Zadkiel. Good to see you." Michael smiles stepping away and over to what I gather is yet another one of his brothers and greets him like he actually has a decent relationship with him.

"Likewise, Michael." Zadkiel says with an equally warm smile on his face, he claps a hand on Michael's shoulder to greet him while he copy's his action. "Did you hear the news? I could not believe it, I just had to come down and see for myself."

Michael crosses his hands over his chest. "Our father on Earth. Yes, that's news alright."

"And now we have a gathering. Here? I do not understand his intentions, brother. What is he planning?"

"That's what I would like to know." Michael goes off to find his glass and that's when Zadkiel finally acknowledges my presence.

"A demon?" Zadkiel grimaces at me which in return makes me grip one of my knives in my hand. "I know Lucifer always parades with them, but you? I never thought you stoop so low." Addressing to Michael with wave of his hand.

I let my face morph into a fake smile. I may find Michael's company pleasant, but I wasn't about to put up with a nose-up-his-ass gossip girl like Zadkiel.

"Nice to meet you to pal." I say while pulling my knife out ready to throw it when I wanted to. "You're starting to remind me of a pumpkin who's begging to be carved."

"Excuse me? Do you have any idea who you are talking to, demon?" He asks taking a serious step closer to me. "Mind your manners in our presence."

"Well too bad cause I don't have any!" My hand automatically raises as I ready to through my blade when a hand claps mine in place, lowering it down.

Michael gives me a look that says, 'calm down'. The old me would've not even let herself be told like that, but weird enough I listen. I'm not too happy about that.

"Zadkiel. This is Mazikeen." Michael addresses him in a different tone, not too friendly but not threatening either. My gaze was focused on Zadkiel disapproving face when suddenly I felt a hand slip down my hoodie and to the small of my back. "She's with me."

My questioning gaze meets Michael's but his is too busy glaring at his brother to notice.

"Well I will not trust her." Zadkiel shakes his head.

"Then trust me, brother."

Zadkiel crosses his arms. "Fine. As long as she does not tell anyone."

I keep my mouth in a steady thin line. This guy is really getting on my nerves.

"She won't." Michael speaks on my behalf, feeling a light pressure against my back where his hand resides. Probably to tell me to hold my tongue.

"Good." Zadkiel says. "Because if father finds out that you were the one who orchestrated all of this, he will punish you."

"I'm well aware what he might do. But that's beside the point. This family reunion is the perfect opportunity to get some answers from him."

"What if he does not? It is not like it is the first time he has been silent towards our questions."

"He will. Lucifer already stepped on his shoe with the whole damn 'mom question'. And I'm almost certain he can't bring every family member here."

Zadkiel smirks while lowering his head to agree. "This might actually work, brother. I should inform Gabriel and perhaps Raphael as well. The more siblings we have on our side the better it will be for the both of us."

"Good idea."

Zadkiel turns around in his heels and heads off to the balcony, letting his peach colored wings spread wide as he takes off. Leaving me and Michael alone.

Suddenly realizing that Michael kept his hand on my back all this time, I pull myself out of his touch, right after I place my hands against Michael's chest, sending him against the nearby wall in a fast push, nocking a painting off it in its wake.

"Mazikeen!" He grunts, confusion clouding his features. "What are you-"

Placing my index finger against his chest as I look him in his scarred face. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I know what you're doing."

Michael lets out a breath, letting the corner of his lip tug upwards as he wets his bottom lip. "And what exactly do you think I'm doing?"

"I'm not in the mood for you to you use me for that." I say. I know, it's unbelievable when it comes to me but there's a first time for everything, right.

"You already agreed to it."

"For you to warm my bed?"

In a blink of an eye, Michael's features turn into confusion, but just as quickly turn into an amusing grin. "I thought we're talking about the plan?"

Immediately I let go of him. Feeling heat run against my neck. Is this how embarrassment feels like?

Letting Michael compose himself as he straightens his jacket.

"S-So. You weren't suggesting..." I try to get my thoughts out while letting frustration take over me. "Then what the hell were those weird signals you gave me?" I ask bewildered. I know I didn't make those up.

Michael brushes my question off like it was nothing. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He says honestly judging by his demeanor.

"Well, I guess... it was my mistake then." I bite my lip angrily and shake my head, hating that I have to apologies. How could I be so wrong about that?

Years of learning about sex and every way of how humans communicated by desire, showed me today that I was wrong?

The hell.

Michael suddenly coughs the awkward silence away from behind me while I raise my eyebrows, staring at the wall like a gaping wish.

"I'm going out, feel free to continue your... renovation." As he implies on my carved-up wall.

But just before he leaves, I sense the unfamiliar feeling again. And now I'm certain I'm not crazy.

"And just so you know." Michael's adds, his voice suddenly deeper than usual against my right ear, sending that all too well surge against my neck, making the hairs rise at its action. "You can warm my bed anytime."

Just when I turn around his gone. I grasp my throat with my hand, still feeling the heat on it.

I exhale.

"Bastard."

Thank you guys for your lovely and encouraging comments! They mean a lot to me.

Love ya!