Lucy stood frozen on the warehouse rooftop with Raphael only inches away, his pale gold hair catching the moonlight like a halo made of frost. The angel's wings were folded tight against his back, silver edges shimmering faintly, and his clear blue eyes held hers with a mixture of fear and longing. Thorn perched on Lucy's shoulder, tiny body tense, petals along her horns glowing a nervous silver-blue. The little devil's tail flicked back and forth, ready to strike if the angel tried anything stupid. The night air felt thick and electric, like the moment before a storm breaks.
Raphael lifted his hand slowly, fingers trembling just a little. "I have watched you from above," he said, voice soft and reverent. "Every time you choose mercy when you could destroy, every time you feed without breaking a soul… something inside me wakes up. Something I was never supposed to feel."
Lucy swallowed hard. The hunger inside her stirred, drawn to the angel's pure, bright life-force like a moth to flame. It smelled clean and sharp, like fresh snow and sunlight on stone. She could almost taste it already—sweet, endless, overwhelming. "You're an angel," she said. "You're not supposed to want this."
Raphael's smile was small and sad. "And yet I do. I want to know what it feels like to be so close to the edge… and still hold on."
He stepped closer. Their faces were almost touching now. Lucy felt the warmth of his breath on her lips. The hunger surged, eager and bright, but the silver-blue light inside her rose to meet it, cool and steady, keeping it leashed.
Lucy reached up. Her fingers brushed Raphael's cheek. His skin was warm, impossibly soft, like sunlight trapped in marble. She leaned in.
Her lips met his.
The kiss was gentle at first—tentative, careful, like two people testing a bridge they weren't sure would hold. Then Raphael sighed against her mouth, a soft, broken sound, and the kiss deepened. His hands found her waist, pulling her closer. Lucy slid her fingers into his hair, gold strands slipping through her grip like silk.
The hunger woke up fully.
It rushed forward, rose-gold and wild, ready to drink.
Lucy braced for the burn. Angels were holy. Their essence was supposed to be poison to demons. She expected pain, fire, rejection.
It never came.
Instead, the first taste hit her tongue—sweet, pure, endless. Like honey made of sunlight and fresh rain. It flowed into her, warm and bright, filling every empty corner she had been carrying since the crypt. The hunger drank deeply, eagerly, but the silver-blue light inside her met it halfway, wrapping around the angel's essence like a gentle hand. Instead of burning her, the holy power sank into her own silver-blue core, replenishing it, strengthening it, making the light inside her glow brighter than it ever had.
Raphael gasped against her mouth. His wings flared wide, silver edges shimmering. "I feel you," he whispered. "Inside me. Inside you. It's… beautiful."
Lucy pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were wide, pupils blown, cheeks flushed with something that looked dangerously close to ecstasy. The hunger purred, satisfied, content. The silver-blue light pulsed in time with her heartbeat, stronger now, steadier.
Then the words bloomed inside her mind again, clear and calm.
Veil System: Bond Formed**
Name: Raphael, Guardian of the Lower Choirs
Type: Holy Bond
Effect: Angelic essence integrated. Holy reserves restored and enhanced.
Loyalty Oath Detected: Eternal allegiance sworn.
Raphael sank to his knees in front of her, wings trembling. He looked up, eyes shining with tears he didn't try to hide.
"I swear it," he said, voice rough with emotion. "I am yours. Forever. My light is yours. My wings are yours. My heart… is yours."
Lucy stared down at him. The angel—perfect, holy, untouchable—was kneeling in front of her, blood still drying on her hands from the massacre, a tiny rose-gold devil on her shoulder, and the hunger purring like a pleased cat in her chest.
She reached down and cupped his face with both hands. His skin was warm against her palms.
"Okay," she said softly. "Then get up. We've got a lot of work to do."
Raphael rose slowly, wings folding behind him. He took her hand in his, fingers lacing through hers.
Thorn fluttered to sit on Lucy's other shoulder, petals blooming bright silver-blue, then rose-gold, then silver again, as if trying to match the moment.