“Where?”
“On....on my car.”
Nisha steps in front of me. “Go back to Erazel.”
“No, it might—” I didn’t get to finish my warning before the creature charged. It moves so quickly I don’t have time to react.
The thing shoves my cousin out of the way, causing her to hit the ground. It rears its claws back to strike, but just as it swings, Erazel appears. He takes all five claws to his chest.
The way he hisses lets me know he’s in pain. He fights through it, grabbing the creature around the waist and slamming it to the ground. The monster snarls, trying to get up.
Tanisha groans. I rush to her side.
“Are you okay?”
There is a cut on her forehead that’s bleeding, but other than that she looks okay. Erazel howls in pain getting both our attention.
“Oh shit. I can see it now.” Tanisha says, covering her mouth.
The creature has its claws in Era’s back as he tries to choke the life out of it. Just then, something to my right catches my eye.
“You got to be shitting me.” Another one of the skinny creatures appears. This time, I don’t hesitate. “Raziel,” I scream as the thing charges at me.
Out of nowhere, he appears. However, it isn’t the man that I’ve grown to know. This is what I think of when I hear fallen angel. His bat-like wings span so wide they nearly block out the sun. The first time I saw them, I couldn’t tell how big they were. At the tip of each wing is a sharp talon.
His skin is charred and nearly black as if he’s been burned alive. He’s shirtless but has tattered black slacks on. His feet are large and clawed, like they belong on a beast instead of a human.The black smoke I’ve seen around him many times hovers over every inch of his skin. When he turns to glance at me, his eyes are pitch black. Although he looks terrifying, my heart still races at the sight of him.
He turns back to the approaching demon. Raziel snatches the snarling creature around the neck, flies into the air and with both hands rips the thing in half. He then tosses the monster to the ground. It hits with a sickening crunch.
Loud screeching brings our attention to the other one that Erazel was fighting. However, it isn’t Erazel with it now.
The same black guy who came to my rescue the other night is here. He has the creature on its feet in front of him, his arm wrapped around its neck from behind. His free hand then punches into the creature's back, and it emerges holding a black object. He squeezes the black organ, and the creature goes limp.
Raziel is kneeling in front of me now. He’s back in his human form. His dark brown eyes scan over my body as he cups my face.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, but Erazel—”
He places a desperate kiss on my lips cutting off my concerns and my thought process. When he pulls back, I feel drunk.
“Era will be fine. I promise,” he says.
“Hi,” Nisha says, getting Raziel’s attention. “I’m Tanisha. The cousin and best friend. Nice to formally meet you.” She holds out her hand. Raziel shakes her hand but then touches her forehead.
“We’re going to get you cleaned up.”
He helps me to my feet first and then Nisha.
The other guy lifts a limp Erazel onto his shoulder in a firefighter carry.
“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” Nisha asks as the black guy disappears into what I now know is the void.
Razzy glances over at my cousin. “He will. But if you want to make sure, you are welcome to come to the house with us.”
Nisha glances over at me. I dip my head to let her know it’s alright.
“Okay. I’d like that.”
