As the first rays of sunlight poured through his window, Nicky climbed out of bed and headed immediately for the shower. As the warm water sprayed his back and traveled down his body, he realized just how frightened he was of the situation. He glanced in the mirror hanging on the wall across from the shower head. Last time he was up against Adrian, he almost failed. In fact, he would have if it weren't for the orb given to him by his mother moments before.

He turned off the shower and, once he was presentable, walked out to greet his wife, Valerie. "Good morning, sweetheart." He gently planted a small kiss on her forehead. "How did you sleep last night?"

Valerie sighed, a sign that told Nicky he wasn't going to enjoy the reply. "I would have slept a lot better if you told me what your dad was calling about." Valerie followed as Nicky walked into the kitchen. "Nicky, please, tell me what's going on."

Nicky started cutting up apples for their breakfast. "I don't want to concern you with the problems in Hell, Valerie. You hate everyone who lives there anyway, remember?"

Hands on her hips, Valerie was a force to be reckoned with. "Your father treated me very kindly at the wedding reception . . . and Jimmy wasn't so bad, either." She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. "It's about your brothers, isn't it?"

A sigh escaped Nicky's lips. "Valerie . . . Cassius is dead. Adrian killed him and robbed him of his powers so he could escape the flask." When Valerie gasped, he knew she wasn't going to enjoy the rest of the news. "Dad thinks Adrian will try to rule over Earth again as he did before . . . and he's afraid Adrian will be coming after me." He couldn't bring himself to tell her Adrian would try to harm them as well. "I'm going to have to take you somewhere safe so he can't use you to hurt me."

"We have nowhere to go," Valerie reminded him. "My family's dead and your family is either in Hell or is trying to send you there."

"Valerie, I'm going to take you and Zachariah to a shelter later today. You won't be close enough to me to be put in danger plus Adrian won't know where you are if you're not with me."

"But, Nicky . . ."

Nicky gently pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. "No buts, Valerie. I can't take a chance of letting you or Zachariah be put in danger." He glanced over at his brown-haired son, now two years old and enjoying the feel of oatmeal inbetween his small, chubby fingers. Nicky smiled at his young child before turning back to his wife. "I would never be able to live with myself if I let Adrian hurt either of you. Please, Valerie, do this for Zachariah . . . for the butterflies."

Valerie finally smiled a little. "Alright. I'll do it for Zachariah . . . andthe butterfiles, too." She gave him a quick kiss before she started cleaning up their son.

Nicky looked out the window toward the rest of New York. I know you're out there somewhere, Adrian, he thought to himself as he scanned the horizon with a better-trained eye. I'm going to find you, brother, and, so help me, I'll go back to Hell with you if I need to protect Valerie, Zachariah, and all the people on Earth.

--

Angelique Dieudonné worked tediously at the shelter, knowing she had to hurry to her other job in order to not be fired. She poured another bowl of hot soup to the next poor soul who had nowhere else to go. Normally, she was deeply concerned with the people she was feeding, but now her mind was distracted with how late she would be staying that night in hopes she would earn the promotion she believed she deserved. Lucky enough for her, she had no one at home to worry about when she came home or any other sort of problems which came with relationships. Of course, Angelique had never had those problems before. Never before had she been given the chance to experience the comfort of a man's arms nor the feeling of being loved. Her parents had sought to that.

It was probably just as well, or so thought Angelique throughout her lifetime. Whenever she looked into a mirror, she could only think of one word to describe herself; ordinary. She had ordinary brown hair, which had been cut short and close to her head. It never really looked good long, anyway. Her eyes were an ordinary hazel, and she was of average height and weight. She had no need for glasses, which caused her to believe herself to be as ordinary as anyone could every become. Her parents constant reminder of how normal and common she would always be kept her feet firmly on the ground, not letting her imagination soar with the possibilities she could encounter during her lifetime.

Angelique quickly gathered up her things and punched out as she hurried out the door. If she was late for work again, she could lose her job and if that happened, she'd probably end up living in the shelter rather than working at it. As she ran through the streets of New York, a chill ran up her spine and she kept getting the feeling as though she were being watched. She looked around hurriedly as she ran, but there was no one in sight. As she neared her workplace, she noticed a large, black crow which seemed to be gliding over her as she ran. It seemed almost as if the bird was following her.

That's ridiculous, she scolded herself. Why would a dumb bird be following me? It's not like it actually cares where I'm going . . . or does it? She carefully kept an eye on the bird until she reached her workplace, where the bird turned and flew off in the opposite direction.

That was creepy. Angelique shook her head at her own nonsense and foolishness for believing a bird was actually following her to work. However, Angelique could not shake away the chill she felt earlier as she entered her warm workplace. It almost felt as if the bird was . . . human. I better talk with Valerie . . . she'll know what to do.

--

Adrian watched from a distance as she entered the building. What was it that made her so alluring? Why did he have this large and nearly uncontrollable urge to sweep her off her feet and make her his right then and there? If she hadn't sensed his presence, he might not have been able to control that urge . . . but why was this happening to him? More importantly, how was she able to sense his presence as a human?

Adrian could have had his choice of any woman in Earth or Hell. The thought of chosing a bride from Heaven nearly made the eldest spawn of Satan vomit just thinking about it, so that was definitely out of the question. There were definitely more beautiful women both in Hell and on Earth, but why was it this particular woman that caught his attention? She was as ordinary as humans could come, yet there was this invisible force pulling Adrian toward her.

Adrian returned to his feathered form long enough to set foot on the ground before he stole an elderly man's slice of pizza. When the old man tried to protest, Adrian back-handed him, knocking him onto the ground. "That should teach you to mess with your future ruler, old man."

He took a large bite out of the pizza as he walked elegantly down the street, striding as if he owned New York. He smiled as several beautiful young women swooned at the sight of him. Adrian had always been the handsome one of the bunch, and he knew it well. He continued his prideful strut until he came to a woman with a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps. With a devilish smile and a kiss on her hand, he soon obtained the beverage and was on his way again. This was the part of Earth he enjoyed the most.

As he enjoyed th fauning of the women, his scheming mind was still distracted by that simple woman from the shelter . . . what was her name? Angelique. The very name of her brought back the very memory of all he had sensed about her. Her chocolate-brown hair, her mysterious hazel eyes, her wonderful figure . . . For such an ordinary woman, I can find such uncommon vocabulary to describe her. That very thought made Adrian even more furious. What is it with that damn woman??

Adrian walked into the Marion hotel, using his powers to once again gain a V.I.P. room without expense. As soon as he arrived in the suite, he picked up the phone and dialed room service, asking for a pizza and several bottles of Peppermint Schnapps. Whatever is with that woman, I won't let it disturb me now. He knew he could drown out her memory with the right amount of scheming . . . or the right amount of Peppermint Schnapps, whichever came first.