"Oh, Chloe... Where are you?" Melody paced back and forth in Chloe's living room. The young angel had been out much longer than Mel expected, after leaving in a huff. She should have at least heard from her by now... She wasn't dead. Melody knew she would have felt it. Archangels shared an unbreakable bond with their younger counterparts. But she just couldn't sense her for some reason.

"I can't stand around anymore. I have to find her." Mel told herself. She left the house in a hurry, wondering where the naive angel had gone. Or what she had gotten herself into.

The bar where she frequented wasn't open yet. But Melody could definitely sense that she had been there... With a vampire. The thought made her cringe and panic at the same time. That vampire was no good and Melody knew it. If she ever met the dammed thing, she'd give it what it deserved; a one way ticket to where it belonged...

Melody followed Chloe's faint trail to the beach. She was here with that...thing... But the trail went cold not long after that. It was like, she was hidden. Or masked. Melody couldn't figure out why, but assumed it had something to do with the vampire.

"Chloe, I swear... I'm gonna smack you when I find you..." Mel muttered as she looked up and down the empty, dark beach.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" A voice from behind her called out. Melody spun around and saw a tall man heading towards her with a concerned expression. She sighed and shrugged.

"I'm just trying to find my friend. She's been gone longer than she should have been. I'm just worried." Melody replied. The man was a little taller than her as he came to stand in front of her.

"Does she have a cell phone you could call?" He suggested.

"No. She left it at the house. I just found it, which is why I got worried." She shook her head. It was a little white lie. Angels rarely carried cell phones. That was more of a human thing. They had other ways to contact each other. But they only worked when they could sense the other angel.

"Hmm..." The stranger pursed his lips and scratched his chin in thought. "Well, I can't just leave you to look for your friend by yourself. Let me help you." He offered. Melody smiled at him.

"That would be great. Thank you so much." She replied gratefully.

"No problem. What's your friend's name?" He asked.

"Chloe. Chloe Devin."

"And may I ask your name?" The stranger smiled politely.

"Oh! It's Melody Lightwood." She extended her hand to shake his. He gripped her hand firmly and shook it.

"Steve Rogers."

Chloe wasn't sure what time it was, but it was still dark when she woke up. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness around her, but her surroundings were unfamiliar. She sat up and reached over to the bedside table and clicked on the lamp.

The room was flooded with light and she looked around. The walls were painted a calm blue color, and the wall across from her was covered in a huge mural of a forest. Chloe stared at it as she stood up from the bed.

"Oh right... I remember now." She said to herself. James had brought her in here to sleep off the effects of him feeding from her. Chloe blushed as she remembered the feeling. As a human, she was brought up to be a proper young lady. Therefore, she was instructed to ignore such "devilish temptations of the flesh" until she was married to a man. Now, as an angel, there was still no need for indulging in that act. Angels received all the pleasure they needed from helping mortals.

Chloe couldn't help but feeling like she was breaking some sort of rule. She wondered if she was being selfish for liking the feeling. What was wrong with wanting to make yourself feel good in a different way every once in a while? A part of her didn't care about getting in trouble. But another part of her was terrified of what might happen. She had heard of angels being stripped of their powers and sent to live on Earth as mortal until they died again... She shuddered at the thought.

The door opened quietly and James poked his head in. Chloe looked at him and smiled when she met his eyes. He seemed surprised for a moment, but then smiled back at her.

"I didn't expect you to be awake yet. Much less up and about." He said as he stepped into the room.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"Usually the people I feed from end up needing to sleep for quite some time to recover after a feeding." He explained. "It's not uncommon for them to sleep for almost a full day. You've only been asleep for a little more than an hour."

"Must be my healing ability." Chloe smiled. James nodded.

"It must be. Your body has already replaced the blood it lost." He looked her up and down, as if he was sizing her up. "It's incredible." He added quietly. Chloe blushed and looked down.

"Well, I feel pretty good." She admitted, bringing her gaze back up to meet his. "I don't think I've ever felt my heart beat so fast before." She laughed softly as James closed the gap between them. Her heart started to speed up slightly due to his close proximity.

"Like it is now?" James asked as he brushed some hair out of her face. Chloe stared at him, feeling herself beginning to melt under his gaze.

"You can hear it?" She asked. James nodded as he brushed his fingers down her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she felt his fingertips glide over her neck. "H-How...often do you feed?"

"Whenever I'm hungry. It depends." James replied, letting his fingers rest in the crook of her neck.

"Are you hungry now?" Chloe asked, hoping he would say yes. She wanted to experience that feeling from earlier again. She wanted to just melt in his arms again; have him hold her against his body.

"Not really." Yes, really! He lied. Honestly, being around her was difficult now that he had tasted her. His mouth was practically watering when he thought about feeding from her again. Sinking his teeth into her neck and hearing her whimper in pleasure. Feeling her tremble and shake in his arms as he drank from her. The sound of her heart hammering in her chest... It wasn't just her blood, or her scent, that got him going. It was the fact that she was just...her. She was intoxicating in more ways than one.

"Are you sure?" Chloe prodded. James brought his face closer to hers.

"Don't tempt me, doll." He whispered in a husky, low growl. Chloe bit her lip and felt her face get hotter. James could hear her heart beating louder and faster. He was fighting hard against his urge. So far, he was winning. But he didn't know how long he would be able to last.

"I...I just..." Chloe stumbled over her words as she stared at him. She was tempting without even trying. James wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. "I just...want...to make you feel good." She whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly.

Oh fuck... James could feel his control starting to slip. He wanted so badly to just throw her down on the bed, rip her clothes off, and ravage her. Another part of him still wanted to drink from her. Still, another part of him wanted to protect her; be gentle with her. She was like a porcelain doll. Fragile and flawless. He was torn between keeping her that way, and... Well, not keeping her that way.

"Oh, Chloe..." He breathed softly. "I'm fine. Really." Lying through his teeth. He hugged her close to him, holding her head against his chest. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and slowly calmed himself down. The last thing he wanted to do was lose control and do something he'd regret.

"If you're sure." She replied, not pushing the issue any further. James sighed inwardly with relief. She had no idea how hard it was for him to decline her offer. He knew he needed to say no. He wanted to prove that he wasn't like all the others. The only thing now, was that she was still here. Her presence was still somewhat tempting.

"I am, doll." James released her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She stared up at him with a shy smile. "I really enjoyed our time together." He said. "I hope you did as well."

"More than you know." Chloe replied quickly. She blushed again and James gently stroked her cheek. "I'd like to see you again." She admitted.

"As would I." James agreed as the two of them headed for the front door. Chloe saw her shoes by the entryway and slipped them on. She found herself staring into James' eyes again.

"I don't want to go..." She whispered. James felt the same, but he knew that if he admitted it then she would want to stay. He couldn't fully trust himself yet, but he didn't want her to worry about his urges. He didn't want her to be fearful that he might lose control and end up killing her.

"I know... But you can't very well stay here indefinitely." James laughed softly. "At least not right now." He smiled at her. Chloe didn't say anything, but he heard her heart flutter. That was all he needed to hear to know that she wasn't opposed to the idea.

"I guess you're right." She conceded with a dramatic sigh. "I should probably go home and tell Mel that everything turned out fine."

"Mel?" James asked curiously. Chloe held her hand against her forehead.

"Oh, gosh... I didn't even tell you about Melody. Sorry." She apologized and shook her head. "She's my mentor. An archangel. But she thinks that all vampires are terrible and should go to hell..." Chloe sighed and looked down. "Part of the reason I went out with you was...to prove her wrong." She admitted.

"I see." James replied with a nod. "I understand where she's coming from, though. Only takes a few bad apples to ruin the bunch." He said. Chloe looked up and smiled.

"I'm glad she was wrong about you, though." She tilted her head to the side as she stared at him.

"Me too, doll." He replied. Chloe was starting to really like his little old-fashioned habits.

"See you soon?" She asked. James leaned down and kissed her softly for a few seconds before replying.

"You can bet on it."