Impure

Pulling the coil of binding out in one long creamy length and started to wrap it tightly about the dressing he had already put over his wound. The long length of thin black lines had replaced his wings giving him room to bind it. It hurt, but nothing he couldn’t ignore? He’d washed the blood off his shoulder blade. Tugging a shirt over his head he buttoned it up to hide the wound. He gathered up some things in his arm; he hadn’t forgotten Christian’s own gash. Exiting the bathroom he left the hallway to find Laura was Christian drinking a warm mug of hot chocolate to calm her nerves. Her misty eyes flicked up to Sereph with unshed tears. Dashing her sleeve across her nose with a sniff she eyed him curiously.
“What are you?”
He stalled and looked to Christian. What he’d done was against the rules…not that anyone would complain. He was a watcher, watchers only watched. They didn’t get involved. Yet Demon attacks tended to change the rules a bit. Christian gave him a mournful look and rubbed his neck. It was the universal Christian gesture for ‘doesn’t matter anymore’.
“It’s complicated.” Was his reply.
“Are you angels?” she flicked her gaze between the two. Okay so maybe it wasn’t quite that complicated.
“Guess we are?” Sereph shrugged and flopped down into his chair to relax, he needed it after the crazy day. Laura looked to Christian who nodded.
“Yes, we are angels. Sereph is a watcher.” He made a smooth hand gesture at him. “I’m a guardian.” That same gesture brought his hand to rest on his chest. Laura started to rub her temple confused, her mug forgotten for now.
“But, I don’t get it…if you are angels, why the hell are you living here?”
“Simple.” Sereph replied slipping a smoke between his lips. “We were told too, that and the rent is reasonable.”
The girl blinked at him.
“You smoke?”
He lit it up and looked at her.
“Mhmm.” Before he realized it Christian was at his side, and plucked the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out. He blinked. “Hey!”
“It’s bad for you.”
“No it isn’t…it sure as hell won’t kill me anyway.” He countered. Christian shrugged.
“Well it is bad for her.”
Sereph let out a defeated sigh and sank back into his chair.
“I got the impression angels didn’t smoke? Or live in apartments? Or say hell?” Laura said, her voice still a little shaky.
“Know many angels?”
“Err…not really?”
“Point proven.” He nodded.
“Actually none of us smoke…except for him. And most of us refrain from swearing…except for him.” Christian gave him an impish grin. Sereph snorted and waved him off. Laura had taken too her hot chocolate again seeming completely out of her element.
“What happened to me?” She murmured.
“You got possessed.”
She glanced at Sereph chewing the inside of her cheek going silent again.
“How?”
“That I would sure like to know?”
“You don’t know?” Her eyes rounded a little bit. Sereph tossed Christian the roll of bandage he had brought in for him.
“I could take a few guesses, but there are billions of ways it can be done.” He explained as his companion caught the gift. He neglected to mention the difficulty of using dark magick with in a warded room. Laura didn’t need an extra weight of worry on her mind. Christian bound his thigh tightly.
“I think we should call your mother and ask if you can stay here the night…”
Sereph blinked.
“What?”
“She was just possessed, Sereph. I’m meant to look after her so that doesn’t happen. I don’t want her leaving until I can figure out how it happened.” He knotted the dressing tightly to slow the blood flow. The wound wouldn’t kill him; it took an unholy weapon to truly wound an angel.
“Maybe so, but I don’t see how you will be able to stop it if it happens again.”
“Excuse me, do I get a say in this?”
Laura’s voice brought their attention back to her, as she seemed to frown at them.
“I don’t know what happened, but I just want to get home.”
“But you are safer here.” Her guardian informed. She simply shook her head.
“No, I want to go home…This is just a little too weird.” She was in slight denial. “I’m probably having hallucinations.”
“Laura, I can’t let you…”
“You gonna lock me in here?” Retorting with venom. Christian frowned and Sereph kept out of it. Wasn’t his place?
“No, but I can’t…”
“Sure you can.” With that the girl stood and gathered up her things. “I’m going home.” Slinging the bag of notes and books over her shoulder. Christian made a move towards her.
“Laura…wait.”
But she didn’t wait; she tugged open the door and closed it behind her running. Sereph grabbed Christian’s wrist as he made a move to run after her and pulled him back with a gentle tug.
“Let her go. She’s confused and a little angry right now. Call her house in an hour just to make sure she got home okay.”
He seemed to strain mentally against Sereph’s words, watching the door with determination. Then he gave a soft sigh and relaxed with a nod.
“All right.”
“Just relax Chris.” Soothing his ragged nerves was something he was good at. “I get a feeling she’s safe for now.”
“You and your feelings again ha?” He murmured with defeat and Sereph gave a boyish smile.
“They’ve never been wrong…”

That night neither of them got much sleep. Christian had called to check up on Laura, the girl wouldn’t talk to him, but her half drunk mother had taken the call and confirmed she was home safe. Sereph had spent a majority of the night typing up the incident for the report to get it out of the way, no doubt he’d get told off for meddling…but he preferred it too living with a girls death on his conscience. He set the third sheet of paper typed for the night on his very small pile he was pretty positive would stack up after a while. Raking his fingers through his hair thoughtfully he began to feel uneasy again. He was worried about Laura, and about Chris. Expelling a long breath he sighed and tilted his head back, slumping into his seat. Demon possessions, new wards, and the council hiding something, was not what he needed while being plagued by insomnia. Groaning he rubbed his face in a mild attempt to gather his dreary wits. It was all connected some how, but he’d be damned it he could figure it out. Sereph pushed himself from his seat and wandered to the window of the study and peered out of it. It was dark, the pigeons that roosted on the ledge of the building cooed at one another settling in. He tapped out a cigarette and set it between his lips without lighting it. He moved to the other end of the room and left going down the hallway and grabbed his jacket, leaving the apartment.

Hands stuffed into the warm hold of his jacket he wandered down the street. The line of pavement was flooded with a pale moon-like glow from the lights that dotted the city. The tip of his cigarette smoldered and sent wisps of mousy smoke into the night air, forgotten. There was a limited amount of people spotted about this time of night. Some lived here, on the streets, other wandered, and others sold their wears bodies hugged in cheap fur and skirts.
“Yo! Sereph, gotta light?”
Cool blue eyes rose from their cast gaze to meet the misty hazel, rimmed with a sick yellow. The man tumbled towards him and the larger man caught him before he fell. A chuckle stuttered from the drunkard’s lips as a broken smoke limply hanging from the corner of his mouth. Broken glass sprayed the pavement, drink trickling into the gutters.
“Rodny.” He sighed and hauled the man to his feet to stand straight.
“Hey, just wanna light. Not the first d’gree.” He slurred. Sereph handed him his lighter and gave him a skeptical look.
“You shouldn’t be drinking.”
“Yah, yah…not now am I? Dropped it.” Rodny struggled with the small device flicking it again and again to get a spark his hands shaking. “What’s ya story. You neva come outside this late.” The lighter clicked again before flaring to life and he rose it, hands unsteady.
“Needed some fresh air.”
The drunk snorted, unmindful of shaggy look then laugh.
“In the city? Ya mad.” He laughed again then coughed ferally.
“I’m not the one drowning my brain cells in drink and smoking the ones in my lungs out of house and home.”
“Rich com’n from ya, with a cig in your lips.” He wheezed. Sereph plucked Rodny’s poison from his lips and dropped it crushing it beneath his booth then spat his own out and ended it’s own life. “Hey!” He squeaked, then grumbled eyeing the taller man at his side. Sereph gave him a small smile.
“Problem solved.”
Thrusting his hands into his pockets he muttered to himself.
“Was no problem, now a problem…” He toddled down the street as Sereph followed him to the box the drunk crawled into.
“You shouldn’t be smoking Rodny.”
“Yah, I should. Keeps the demons out.” He rasped laughing to himself. The corner of his mouth curled into a soft smirk.
“No such thing as demons.”
“Pfft, I’ve seen ‘em. Slithering about, ‘bout ‘ere.” Voice low as his sick looking eyes narrowed. “They dun like you though. Them demons…don’t like you.” Snuggling down into a ratty blanket he coiled himself tight in it. His gaze glazed over a moment before peeking off at something behind Sereph.
“Isn’t that ya friend…aye?”
Sereph stole a glance over his shoulder. Christian was running across the street. Still in jeans and shirt. He looked distressed.
“Chris!” But the other man didn’t pay any attention. “Damn.” He sprinted off.
“Ay! You owe me a cig!”

Christian had vanished, and he couldn’t find him anywhere in sight. Finding himself at an intersection of the city, they were close to the park. His eyes turned as he swore hotly.
“Looking for someone?” A smooth voice questioned warming from behind. He met the cool crisp green eyes of a woman, dark hair and all legs. She was dressed in something far less than modest and it was easy to guess what she was doing on the streets this late. She smiled.
“A man…”
“Oh, one of those?” Her smile faded about the edges; normally he would have laughed at the irony.
“Yes, but did you see a man, about my height running past here. Dark hair…”
“Kinda cute? Yeah I saw him.” He pointed one slender finger towards the park. “He took off that way after some girl.”
~Laura!~ He thought his gut clenching coldly. “Thanks!” He took off after him. Laura, it had to be her. He couldn’t think of any other girls that would be running from him this late at night. Damn.

He pushed through a small gang of kids mulled about. They passed a bag between each other and swore at him as he shoved one aside to get through.
“Hey man.” One was ready to take him with a knife, but he wasn’t in the mood, nor did he have the time. As the kid came at him he dodged to one side, grabbed his wrist and twisted until he was forced to drop the small silver weapon. With a cry he let it go. The knife dropped into his open hand and he threw it, letting it bed itself in a tree trunk. He growled at them before hearing a scream. His head shot up as the kids looked like a group of shocked sheep. The scream made them scatter. Obviously not wanting to be around for whatever was about to go down. That was fine with him, he didn’t was anyone around for this. He sprinted across the graveled path and over the grass to vanish behind a hill. Sereph came to a skidding halt as he saw what lay before him. A shot of pain lanced through his chest that was near unbearable as he felt the pain that washed about him. Christian’s soft wings were draped about him as he cradled Laura’s limp form in his arms with a brotherly care. He bowed his head and pressed it to her forehead a tear trickling down his cheek. His sword forgotten and left scattered upon the earth stained with mortal blood.
“Chris…” He whispered as the man sobbed. Not looking up his pale voice whispered through the air.
“I killed her Sereph, I thought she was already gone…but I killed her.”
Taking a few slow steps forward he stood behind Christian and the man clung tighter to the girls dead body.
“I thought the demon had already killed her for the body…I couldn’t feel her anymore.”
Sereph knelt next to the two and looked to him with pained eyes, looking upon Christian as pain tore him apart.
“I was angry. I wanted to kill the demon, but she was still alive…” He voice quavered as his face was hidden by a veil of dark hair. A thin trail of blood snaked down his right cheek.
“Chris, it wasn’t your fault.” He heard a hiss as he drew in a sharp breath not responding. “You didn’t know.”
A cold laughed shook his form, desperate and crisp.
“What kind of guardian am I if I can’t even sense my own ward…” He whispered.
One hand reached out to grasp his shoulder but Christian shied away quickly one arm still coiled tightly about Laura. A glimpse from beneath that thick shield of hair showed an angry red gash across his eye, the lid torn and his eye a mangled mess. Tears of red stained the lashes left. The dark line followed through over his cheekbone.
“Christian, we have to get you too a healer.”
“NO!” He roared lunging to his feet holding the girl in his arms. “I have to take her home.”
Looking up at him Sereph frowned with worry.
“Listen to me, you did all you could…”
“You don’t get it Sereph! I killed a mortal.” He broke in cradling the body like a sacred thing. “I killed my ward! It isn’t okay!” Turning to leave he was fronted with two imposing forms. Wings of white stained their back, but cloth of mossy green clad their form. Sereph went wide-eyed as one grasped Christian’s arm the other taking Laura from him.
“What are you doing.” Sereph cried flying to his feet and propelling towards them. A third came from no where and grabbed him from behind. Both arms pinned at his back. He struggled, as Chris looked bewildered.
“We have been requested to bring the guardian back to the council for trial.” One explained.
‘What! You are insane!?” Sereph thrust his foot back and into the angel’s kneecap. With a grunt he lost his balance and he slipped from the man’s hold, dropping to sweep his feet out from under him. With a shocked cry he toppled backwards.
“He killed, it is against our laws.” The one grasping Laura offered calmly as Christian and his watcher vanished, two dots whisking away.
“CHRIS!”
Sereph sprinted after them, but before he could shift the man he had taken down before jumped on him, pinning him firmly to the ground. Considering Sereph’s height and unusual strength, he had quite a job.
“Get off me you bastard!” He bellowed jerking under his restraining hold. “Chris!!”
“We are sorry Serephium, but he killed a human.”
Sereph scrunched his eyes closed and clenched his jaw. No, the word repeated over in his head.
“He was tricked…now get off!”
“We ca-.” He was cut off quickly as he freed his wings. The flare of power swelling and bursting feathers from his back. The jacket and shirt he wore tore relentlessly, and then with one powerful shove of his wings he sent the guard into the air and slamming into his companion. He scrambled to his feet and flickered in a small speck of light darting off.
“Shit!”