The new pet.

The Elf Elder lay on the lawn, his back propped up on the trunk of a tree as his arms circled around his lap.

Despite his stern and cold exterior the man was still an Elf at heart and still shared the same love for plants and animals.

As such through his many years he had collected quite a few rare or endangered animals, keeping them as pets and assisting in breeding programs to help boost numbers.

So when he heard from one of his trading partners in Africa that he had come across a creature the Elf may be interested in purchasing Lycus had jumped on the opportunity and today it had arrived, delivered by hand by one of his personal couriers.

The small Serval cub lay mewling in his lap, looking up at him with dark grey-blue eyes, rubbing it's head against his arm.

"Alright, alright."

He cooed, pulling the bag next to him closer and taking out a small bottle, bringing it to the feline's mouth. It quickly latched on and started feeding with contented purrs.

Apparently his parents had been hunted for their pelts, as such for the next few weeks he would be bottle feeding it and slowly transitioning it to solids.

Achinoam was used to seeing the beauty of gardens around her. She was guardian of Eden, after all. Her job was to protect the most beautiful garden in all known realms.

As such she strived to be in the gardens here often. She liked these gardens though they couldn't hold a candle to Eden.

Her long hair flowed out behind her as she moved. She wore jean shorts and a tank top the colour of her eyes. Her feet were bare and her hair was down for the first time in a long time.

Her fringe wasn't tucked behind her ears; it fell in her tired looking eyes. She'd had another sleepless night last night. Usually she slept during the day but she hadn't been able to fall asleep so she had ventured outside.

The Angel's eyes strayed when she heard the chirp and settled on Lycus.

She'd met the Elf in passing during talks she had had with the Elders.

Deciding on a whim to get to know him better, she strode over to him, a smile curling her lips.

"Good morning, Lycus."

The Elf looked up curiously as his name was called, a small smile spreading across his lips, he was in a good mood for company, granted Alek couldn't be close to him, but at least he had some comfort in his loneliness, his new pet.

"Morning Achi."

He replied, at least it was the Angel and not the twins, he'd rather not have to deal with them right now, more so when he had such a vulnerable creature in his care, those two were malicious and there was no telling what they would do.

His pale blue eyes flicked back down to the drinking cub, his finger reaching over to stroke it's head gently.

She knelt next to him, tucking her feet under herself. Long white hair pooled around her body.

Immediately her eyes descended to the animal in the Elf's hands.

Her head cocked to the side slightly. It was adorable. Fluffy. But she had never seen it before. There were a lot of animals in Eden but she hadn't seen all of them. She doubted she would ever see every animal. There were just far too many.

"May I?" she asked, gesturing to the kitten with a raised hand.

She didn't want to overstep any boundaries by touching it without permission.

She had been raised respectful of other's property.

His eyes turned back up to her as she spoke, he didn't know the woman well but their brief encounters were enough for him to trust her enough for this.

"Of course, gentle though, it's only very young."

He muttered as he looked down at the mewling cub.

"Here."

With a gentle smile he passed the creature over to her, she could feed him for a while.

Achinoam hadn't meant for him to give her the cub.

She had merely wanted to stroke it but she was flattered that he trusted her well enough to allow her to hold it and she showed that with a bright smile.

The Angel held the kitten with a gentle tenderness that only an Angel could possess, stroking at its back and cheeks gently as she held the bottle for it.

"It's beautiful."

She held a great love for animals. She held a great love of everything living. To be able to help an animal like this - helping it feed so it could survive - was a truly amazing experience for the Power.

"Does it have a name?"

He knew she merely wanted to pet him, but he wanted the creature to be handled by numerous people to help promote good behaviour around others.

"No not yet, I only just got him, still have to think of one but it shouldn't take too long.

I didn't intend on getting a new pet but when I got a call about him I simply couldn't resist."

He replied, his eyes looking over the two of them, she definitely was gentle, it was so odd being next to an Angel like this, he had so many questions he wanted to ask, though he also didn't want to know the answer to them, life needed a bit of mystery.

"I am not surprised you couldn't resist him. He is beautiful."

A truly wonderful creature. Adorable.

Especially when he pulled away from the bottle for long enough to give a soft chirp and look up at her with wide eyes before his teeth latched onto the rubber teat again.

Her fingers danced over his soft, fluffy fur.

"He is so young," she whispered in awe. The youngest thing Achinoam had touched since holding her child for the first time many many years ago.

The sheer youth of the kitten intrigued her. Children of any sort always held a soft spot for her.

"He lost his parents to hunters I'm afraid, but I'll take good care of him from now on."

He cooed, reaching over and running his fingers gently down the creature's spine, a soft smile gracing his lips.

Lycus looked up at the woman as he sat back against the tree and got comfortable.

"How are you liking it down hear, surely it can't compare to where you came from."

"I am freer down here."

Heaven was a very beautiful place. A place that could never be replaced with any other location in her mind. But she hadn't been able to do much there. She was a Power. A guard for Eden.

"It is good to be able to socialise for the first time in mill- A very long time." Millions of years, she had been about to say. Since her Brother's fall. Close to the dawn of all time. Before humans had existed so spectacularly.

She had fought and sexed people while a guard but she had not been able to talk to them. Be friends with people.

All she had been allowed was a quick fuck or a life-threatening fight.

"I enjoy it here."

"Can I ask you a question? If it is inappropriate feel free to shut me down."

He started, brushing the hair from his face.

"You're the only person who knows anything about Belial, he confuses me immensely, it just seems like he is this unknowable creature.

One moment he seems like this demon who wants nothing than his own sense of self satisfaction and the next he does something kind for someone, at a cost mind you but...I just don't get it...who or what, is he exactly?"

He knew that Belial wasn't an angel like her, but he didn't seem like the demonic spawn that the books depicted either.

Why had Belial agreed to save him? He wanted to know, was it just to have Aleksandr in his debt? After all the man didn't even know him at the time.

"Belial is..."

Hooo boy, how could she explain Belial?

"He is a complicated creature. King of the Lies. The embodiment of sin. A Demon." Here she snorted. No, he wasn't a Demon. He never had been.

"He is a Fallen Angel. An Elachim. One of the first few Angels to come into existence. He is coming to terms with finding his Angelic nature again after so long." He had been so... demonic when Achinoam had first appeared and slowly she had watched him gain himself again.

Become nicer. Fall in love.

She bit her lip. "He was always so close to me. My lover. My husband and wife and brother and sister." A soft smile curved her lips.

"He is not as terrible as the texts make him."

"I never would've thought of him as an Angel, I mean, I've seen his wings first hand but I always thought of an Angel to be more like...well, you."

He replied, gesturing toward the woman, long white flowing hair, graceful beyond measure, gentle and kind.

"What part of the texts are true? If he has fallen then surely he has done some wrong in order to deserve it?"

Lycus hoped he wasn't over stepping boundaries but he was a curious person by nature and as such he wanted to learn as much as he could from a being much older than himself.

She gave a soft laugh.

"You know little of the two of us, Lycus. On base levels, Belial is far more Angelic than I am. I am a warrior at heart. I have the knuckles of brass and he has the tongue of silver. He is calm and smooth talking. I am the one that is willing to jump into battle at a moments notice."

Take away everything but their needs and skills and Belial would most definitely be the more Angelic of the two of them.

"He was jealous. We all were. He just... He took matters into his own hands. Convinced other jealous Angels to do as he wanted."

She gave a dry, humourless laugh. "I was so close to joining him. So close. If it weren't for Jegudiel, Gabriel, Uriel... If it weren't for those three I would be in very much the same place as Belial had been months ago."

"Father doesn't like it when his Angel's turn against him. Belial did nothing wrong in many peoples eyes. He was like a teen talking back to his father. And Father...grounded him." It was a very good analogy on a much grander scale. It fit perfectly.

Lycus gave a soft snort, he couldn't imagine Belial as Angelic, he was far too sinful for that, but he had done things for Aleksandr and himself for no reason, he had sent the two of them away to be with each other for a few days and brought him back to life.

"Grounded him..."

The Elf replied, slightly stunned, he would've thought that Belial had done something monstrous to receive such a punishment.

"That seems excessively harsh."

He added as he looked over at her.

"What seems excessively harsh?"

Asked the Fallen, who seemingly appeared from thin air, like he often did.

Belial had been searching around for Achinoam but he had the feeling she had been avoiding him for a while now, it had been too long since they last spoke.

But with all creatures of their age time passed so quickly that years could feel like a few seconds.

"I've been looking for you."

He muttered, staring down at the woman.

Her lips pressed together.

"I never said Father was-" A wonderful parent, she would have finished.

Her eyes flickered up, her words fading into nothingness as her gaze fell on Belial. An odd look passed her expression then. A look of both happiness and pain merged into one confusing expression that couldn't decide which emotion it wanted to be.

"Good morning, Belial," she muttered softly, gaze turning down to the kitten still in her lap.

"How are you?" she asked, sounding more polite than truly curious.

She felt... awkward. It wasn't something she had ever felt around the Fallen before. She didn't like the feeling at all.

"I'm fine? and you...?"

He replied sounding slightly confused, the only time she ever asked him that was when he was injured or emotionally distressed, she could tell how he felt most of the time, they had been together long enough that she could take one look at him and know everything.

"You got a cat?"

He asked, that seemed even more strange, he hadn't known her to keep pets wandering around before.

His eyes turned over to Lycus, studying the Elf, something strange was going on.

"I'm well."

She spared a small smile for him, golden eyes flickering up to meet his bright purple for a moment before dropping to the cat in her lap.

"Ah, no. He belongs to Lycus. I was feeding him."

Belial knew her well enough that she liked animals but she would never own one. She felt it too cruel to the animal. She spent too much time fighting to care for an animal properly.

"As I was saying before, he is the more angelic of the two of us. I am a fighter by nature. Less loving than he is." A quick end to the subject.

"Sit with us if you have time, Belial."

"I see."

He muttered, that made more sense, Lycus had got himself a kitten, idly he wondered what Aleksandr would think about that little development.

"I always have time."
Time was not really an issue for him.

"For you at least."
He added with a small grin as he looked down at the Angel and sat beside her.

The two of them looked like polar opposites, her long white hair compared to his short black locks.

A very soft smile curled her lips.

He always had time for her.

That made her feel... loved. It made her feel like how they were before everything had happened to them. Back when the two of them were truly together and they'd always be around for each other.

Immediately she reminded herself of Zakhar.

Don't get your hopes up for everything going back to how it was.

"How is Zakhar faring with your temporary separation?" she asked curiously. She held no resentment for the Lycan. In fact she was pleased that Belial had found someone he loved.

Belial reached down and plucked the small kitten from her lap, handing it back over to Lycus before laying out on the grass and resting his head on her lap, looking up at her through his thick fringe of hair.

"I don't know, I don't want to know."

He replied, the less he knew about Zakhar, Coilean and Asher the better, if he knew any of them were having a hard time he would immediately go to them, something he wouldn't risk doing.

He may be powerful but there was only so many times you could pull a soul back from the dead before it fell to pieces as such he would do anything in his power to stop them from dying.

"You've been avoiding me, I can tell."

He replied, gazing up as the Elf excused himself and said his goodbyes to the two of them, walking off to get his kitten another bottle.

Her eyes flickered to Lycus when the kitten was removed from her lap and replaced with Belial's head.

In the past this would have been such an easy action. The two of them would lie together and enjoy each other's company and everything would have been fine. Now awkwardness swathed them like a thick smog.

"I've been doing no such thing." Her eyes followed Lycus, uttering a soft goodbye. When he left, her eyes trained on the mansion rather than falling to Belial.

She hadn't been outright avoiding him. Just... staying away from the general areas in which she knew he frequented.

Yes... Yes she had been avoiding him.

They had barely laid eyes on each other since he had hugged her after she had bought him and his mate together. They hadn't spoken a word since then. Not even in passing until now.

"Finally realized that I am bad news and that it is best to stay away?"

Belial could feel the tension between them but he could not pin point why it was, normally the two of them were completely in sync.

"Too bad, I'm not letting you stay away from me, I don't have you for long so I am going to spend as much time with you as possible until our asshole of a Father takes you away from me."

Until she crossed the barrier between Heaven and Earth he would follow, she didn't have a choice in the matter anymore.

She snorted softly.

No, that was most definitely not it. She still loved Belial with all her heart.

That was where the fault laid. She loved him. Even when he was mated with someone she loved him.

Her lips twitched down into a little frown.

He'd still come back to her as often as he could spare. She didn't know whether to like or hate that fact. She wanted him. Wanted to be with him and love him but she couldnt. Not in the way she wanted.

Call her selfish but she didn't want to be around him and not have him.