Monique's POV:
I walk down the lonely, dark street toward my house, my body and mind blank and on auto pilot.

These streets don't scare me anymore. I know I can handle myself against anyone who might try to get at me. I've done it before; and I'm sure as Hell not scared to do it again.

Even as I think of this, I hear the echo of footsteps join my own. I smirk to myself and scratch my neck. I still don't know why, but that's how I know when someone's following me. Even when I'm in a room full of people, if someone's following me, I'll know.

The lonely, dark street is interrupted by a flicker of light from a streetlamp as the bulb comes to life, brightens exponentially, then blows. It happens over and over again, until every light on the block is burst and shatters of glass are crunching under my feet.

"Whoever's there, come out now or forever stay the Hell away from me."

A chuckle from behind me surprises me a little, then gets louder and louder, until the ominous voice is bouncing off of the stone walls around me.

Now, when I say "ominous", I mean that more in a sense that it would go well in an episode of Scooby-Doo. Real life creeper...meh.

"Ah, I see you're the one in the friendship with all the courage." A low voice comes from behind me, and I quickly sidestep to the right, barely missing the fist he throws at the spot where my skull was.

"If you're talking about the one between me and the Devil, I'd agree. I guess I'll have to tell him I'll be late for tea." I spin on my heel and find myself inches away from a boy who looks just a few years older than me, his pale blonde hair dyed blood red at the tips.

"Oh, I remember you. That wimpy little Angel who came to save your General. What was your name again? Haven? Damien? David?"

"Daevon." He growls at me, and I see his irises flash bright yellow.

"My bad. So what are you going to do? Slit my throat and kill me? Or are you gonna try and drag me back to Lilyth and give away some big secret?"

His eyes widen in surprise for a second before he returns his expression to a scowl, hinting at a growl.

"Bingo, if I'd have to guess?" I grin at him and turn back and continue walking toward my home.

"Stop."

"Now why would I do that?"
Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I see light from the full moon glint off of his bright white teeth, and reminding me if the Cheshire cat.

"Because if you keep walking..." he pauses, and I stop, waiting to see what he's going to use as leverage against me. "...your family may or may not end this night in a body bag."

I feel ice flow through my veins as my mind replays his words over and over again.

Because if you keep walking...your family may or may not end this night in a body bag.

That little bitch just poked the wrong bear. If anyone plucks a hair off of the head of one of my immediate family, I'd better be sushi lying in a gutter somewhere, and that person better be limping something fierce.

No one touches my mom or my two month old brother. No one.

"You just signed your death certificate, Davis." Spinning suddenly, I slam my elbow into his nose, gold spurting over my sleeve and the dark cement beneath me.

"You little-" I interrupt him by slamming my fist to his mouth, and I can feel his teeth loosen under my hand.

"You shouldn't have mentioned anyone who I have talked to at all. You really shouldn't have mentioned anyone I'm close with. And you asked for a world of pain when you said "family"."

He stumbles and tries to return my swing, but he's horribly off balance. Rolling my eyes, I grab the back of his jacket and knee him in the stomach before shoving him away to bang into a wall, coughing up the golden blood I've seen now come out of my best friend and her Soulmate.

And I'd rather him keep bleeding than either of the other two.

He leans against the wall and coughs violently, ending on his knees, ichor staining his face, shirt, and an area of ground in almost a two foot radius.

"Well someone's daddy loved his daughter and wanted a son."

I storm forward and kick his face, more gold staining my boot and the bottom of my skinny jeans.

"Bitch, you just don't know when to shut your ugly face."

"Elle had better keep you close. You'd be hard to get rid of for your enemies."

I crouch down and grab his face roughly, yanking his head forward and holding it by his hair. "You should listen to yourself sometime. You make such good points, but you don't realize you could apply it to your sad little life with great results. So I'll show you."

I wrap my hand into a fist and slam it into his windpipe, letting him crumple to the ground, choking. "If you don't stop bothering me and my friends, I will be your worst nightmare."

He feebly sits up, his breathing shaky. I grab his broken nose and twist brutally, ignoring his inhuman screams as the warm golden fluid drips down my hand to the ground. "You made a mistake by listening to Lilyth and going against us."

I let go of his nose, and he tries to scoot away, but his shaking arm gives way, leaving him cowering.

I grab him by the throat, lifting him to meet my eyes. "When you see Lilyth, tell her I said she should change the shade of bitch she wears. It doesn't go with her skin's slut undertone. See ya."

I slam my face against his as hard as I can, a cruel smile growing as he goes limp.

I let go, watching as he falls onto the wet cement, his breathing ragged and shallow, but not near enough to death to worry me.

I stand and walk away, leaving the "Dark Angel" alone in the dark.

"You know, they really shouldn't just give that title out to anyone. It makes it to easy for people like him to ruin it for all the real badasses out there." I sigh and shrug, weighing those words. I guess it's true. If I was a Dark Angel, I'd be angry if I had to share the title with someone like Daevon.
**********
Groaning, I roll over and answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Monique, can you come over? We all need to talk."

""We all" who? Elle, what are you talking about?"

"Just, can you get over here as soon as you can? Please?"

I rub my eyes and yawn, throwing the blankets off and shuffling to my dresser to find a pair of pants.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a bit. Bye."

Without waiting for her to respond, I hang up the phone and toss it back to the messy bed.

"Hmmm...let's see. How about some band merch?"

Thumbing through the stacks of shirts in my dresser drawers, I pull out a Metallica top and pull it on, along with a black pair of leggings and my boots still stained with golden blood from last night.

I gather my phone and wallet and toss them into a small backpack, slinging it over my shoulder.

I stroll into the kitchen and grab a couple of granola bars before leaving, locking the door and sticking the key behind my phone case.

I start the short walk to Elle's house, passing shops and stores on the way.

"Pardon me, miss, bur would you happen to have any spare change?"

Turning, I see a gaunt woman carrying a small child, another clinging to her tattered simple dress, their hair matted and snarled.

"Oh. Give me a minute..." Pulling out my wallet, I search for my small bills, before realizing I'd put them into the change drawer earlier.

Sighing, I count my larger bills. $250 dollars, all in twenties and fifties.

"Here. You need this more than I do." I hand her a fifty dollar bill, smiling a little as her eyes begin to water.

"Thank you. I don't know how I could thank you." She wipes at her eyes, and the child walking beside her mother runs forward, hugging my leg and blubbering about me being an Angel sent from God.

"Come with me. I'll get you all something to eat so you can spend that on a hotel room or something." I grab the woman's hand and drag her to the porch of a nearby bistro, sitting them at a table in the early morning sun. The woman smiles at her two little girls, patting their heads.

I walk inside and place an order, then we'll back outside and sit with the small family.

"So what happened? How long have you been out there?"

"About two weeks. My ex got me fired, and rent was due the next day. My pension isn't coming for another two days."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you can get back on your feet soon."

"Thank you, sweetie. No one's-"

"Ma'am, I have to ask you to please stop harassing our customer. Please take your panhandling elsewhere."

A cold-eyed waitress walks up to us, glaring at the poor mother.

"Excuse me, but she's with me. If I didn't want to talk to her, she word be long gone."

"Please, you don't have to stick up for these homeless scum. We would like to personally apologize for the inconvenience and would like to make it up to you."

"Okay. Make our meal free and give the money to this woman so that she can feed her children!" I stand up from my seat and face the woman, about an inch taller.

"Please sit down, you're making a scene."

"Please. If I wanted to make a scene, you would be crawling under the table to hide from your boss who would be trying to find you so he can let you off." I snap at the woman, making her cringe a little. I can hear the little girl mumbling about her family's new "Guardian Angel" and smile a little.

"Ma'am, I'll have to ask you to leave and take your hitchhikers with you."

"I'll have to ask you to get you head out of your rear regions and at least give me a refund."

She pulls out a few bills from her pocket and slaps them onto the table. "Here. Now leave."

Grinning at her, I take the money and hand it to the shocked woman.

"Here."

"No, I can't take your money after I get you kicked out of a restaurant."

"Please just take it. And follow me. I have a friend who'd be more than willing to help you out."

As she follows me down the road, I hear her begin to cry, and turn to face her.

"What's wrong?" I walk over to her, resting a hand on her back.

"I can't accept all your help."

"Yes, you can. I know how you feel. When my father left my mother, we were left in almost the exact same position as all of you. And no one helped us. I can't leave you all. Because I see my family in yours. And one of ours should survive these ordeals."

I pause, a carefree grin overtaking my face. "Besides. My friend's house is huge. She'll never even notice you're there."

After a few moments of debating, she finally lets me lead her and her daughters to the house, where we wait for someone to open the door.

Beelzebub finally opens, his eyes still lined with sleep.

"Dear Lord, how do you all wake up so early?" He steps aside to let me in, his brows furrowing as he sees the three people behind me.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Chill, dude. They're with me."

Shrugging sarcastically, he lets them by, following us down the hallway.

"Is he your "friend"? Because I think you could do better." The mother drags her daughter along, obviously wanting to be away from him as soon as possible.

"But Mommy! He's not just a normal person! He's special!" She whines at her mother, and me and Beelzebub share an anxious look. Uh oh.

"Are you part if a cult or something? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"No, Zeb just isn't a people person."

"Mmhmm." She sarcastically agrees, following me into a room next to the one I stay at when I'm at Elle's house.

"Okay, my room's right over there. If I'm in there, just knock on the wall and I'll be right over. I just gotta go find Elle. And I'll bring sandwiches or something."

"Wait! I don't know your name."

I clear my throat. "Okay. Well, I'm Monique."

"I'm Anastasia, this is Maddie," she points to the older child, then the small toddler sitting on her lap. "And this is Rebecka."

"Nice to meet you all. Ill be back in a minute."

I quickly exit the room, finding Beelzebub walking away.

"You, special guy. Where's Elle?"

He doesn't turn to face me, just tilting his head back to see me through the corner of his eye. "Kitchen."

"Thanks." Without thinking, I kiss him on the cheek, then quickly walk away.

"Elllle!"

She pokes her head around a corner and glares at me.

"What took you so long?"

"Long story. Basically I was being a nice person, and those people need your permission to stay here."

She cringes and sighs. "Please tell me these aren't druggies you picked up off of the street."

I smile proudly and rest my hand on my hip. "Nope. It was a mom and her two kids."

"Monique! Do you even think when you do things like this?"

I frown, crossing my arms. "Things like what? Are you trying to imply that I do this a lot?!"

"No. I'm sorry. Just take me to this family." She smiles a little in apology, and I head back down the hallway, not having to look behind me to know that Cole decided to follow Elle. Classic.

We turn the corner to the hallway where my room is, and I want to bang my head against the wall.

Beelzebub is trying to hold back the angry woman without needing to unfurl his wings, while she demands to be let go. Maddie is telling her mom that she shouldn't yell at Angels, while Rebecka is probably lying down asleep somewhere or crying her dear little heart out.

"Anastasia, please calm down. This is Elle, Cole, and you've already met good 'old Zeb."

"Why won't he let me leave this room? I'm my own person. I should be allowed to walk around."

"I'm sorry, but you just can't leave this room." Beelzebub blocks her again, earning a desperate groan and tired and angry beatings on his chest

"Well why not?!"

"I've already said I can't tell you!"

Elle turns to whisper something in Cole's ear, and he shrugs.

"Yeah. I guess."

She takes a deep breath and turns to Maddie.

"Sweetie, come here." She happily obliges, stopping in front of her and smooshing her face between her little hands.

"Your eyes are so pretty."

"Thank you. Now, you really know what we are, don't you."

The little girl nods happily, turning to her mother. "Mommy, they're all Angels. We can trust them!"

Her mother shakes her head fiercely. "What did you do to my daughter? Why is she talking this nonsense?"

"She isn't talking nonsense. We can prove it if you promise, if you swear to never tell a living soul what I tell you."

"Sure. It's not like you're telling the truth, but okay."

Elle looks off into space, and I feel a low thrum grow in my skull, her eyes flickering with gold and bright blue.

In unison, they all release their wings, and Anastasia gasps and stumbles back. She stumbles and trips, but Beelzebub catches her.

"What...what the...oh good God." The woman staggers to the bed and curls into a ball, and before long she's asleep.

"Monique, what happened to Mommy?" Maddie grabs my leg and leans against me.

"She's just tired. You should stay with her and make sure her and your sister are okay. Zeb can stay here if you'd like."

"It's okay, I know his real name is Beelzebub. He's not a mean person anymore, so it's okay." She runs up to him and wraps her arm around his leg, hugging the tall man.

"Okay. I guess I'm staying here, then. Have fun getting chewed out by Cole and Elle."

By now, they've both left, and I smile a little at Beelzebub, who's sitting with Maddie playing with the downy feathers on his wings.

"I will. Have fun with the little children."

I leave the room, quietly shutting the door behind me.

I walk down the long hallway and sit at a chair in the kitchen, biting into an apple.

"Monique, did you see Daevon last night?"

"Well...that depends on what you mean by "see"..."