I was close to finally getting that slimy excuse of a demon who got me into this mess. But as I was about to jump to another rooftop, my skin prickled. A heavy scent of dark magic filled the alleyways below.

I couldn't help but stop and look down to see what caused it. Dark magic usage was illegal, but both demons and sorcerers found ways around the law. The key was using it moderately not to gain too much attention from humans. We all had dealings with mortals, so it was not good for business to aggravate them by showing off. If we were too bold, humans could feel threatened, and those ruled by fear quickly turn into violent mobs.

Yet, someone seemed to go all out. I spotted dark agile shapes trotting through the narrow streets, red eyes burning in the dark.

Hell Hounds.

Summoning one or two to threaten late debtors was nothing new or uncommon, but the whole fricking pack? Why would they even need so many? The night quiet was broken by growls, whines and a painful cry.

Oh, right. The Golden Boy.

I turned on my heel and ran towards the sounds of the fight, grabbing a whip tucked onto my belt and unfurling it on the way. Luckily, I didn't have to run far. I had no idea how an archangel could hold against a herd of Hell Hounds without his powers.

When I got to the end of the rooftop, I didn't even slow down, just jumped over the ledge.

I landed in a crouch, taking a moment to orient myself. Golden Boy had his back to the wall, and his sword was already slick with hounds' dark blood. But his breath was heavy, and his left shoulder was bleeding profusely.

So much blood. He's weak as a kitten now. Let's strike him down and get rid of him for good.

We will not. He's an archangel, and we can't just kill him and not trigger an immediate retaliation from Heaven.

Oh, but we could do it quietly and hide the body. It's not like you haven't done it before.

Not the time! I shoved the voice down and looked up at the Hell Hounds, frozen in half motion, surprised by my sudden appearance. I growled, letting the power trickle through the blocker and filling it with malice and wrath.

The creatures whined and backed away with tails between their legs but still lingered. I got back up to my full height, which may not be very impressive, but when you add a sharp crack of the whip to it, you suddenly look more imposing.

"Down, boys!" The hounds quickly flattened themselves on the ground, trembling.

Golden Boy murmured something under his breath but then harrumphed and said louder. "That's a neat trick." 

"They are creatures of the night, just like demons. Sorcerers can summon and bind them to do their bidding, but they cannot go against us." I strolled towards the closest hound and crouched, scratching it behind the ear. The creature tilted its head, and its tail wagged happily. "Consider your last order void, my pets. I need only one of you. The rest of you can go back."

The hounds perked up, and with short bark, they turned to dark smoke, leaving just the one lying at my feet. The creature looked at me with glowing red eyes waiting for a new command. I patted its head gently.

"Stay around. I will call upon you later to ask for your assistance."

The hound barked once in confirmation, got back to its paws and trotted away into the dark alleyways.

I straightened and turned to Golden Boy with arms crossed. "I leave you alone for two seconds, and you are already in trouble."

"I'm honestly surprised you came back," he replied mockingly. But something in his golden eyes told me that bewilderment was genuine. "If you let the dogs do their job or joined them, I would be in real trouble."

I raised a brow. "And then you'd release your powers, and where would that leave me?" I shrugged. The hounds posed a threat to lower-ranked angels but not archangels. If he were in real danger, he would unleash his powers. That was the only reason I came running to help.

Right?

I gave him a closer look. He was pale and leaned heavily on the wall. Without our powers, we were just as strong as our bodies, which were far above mere mortals, but while wounded, we became vulnerable.

Strike now. It's a perfect moment, whispered the voice sweetly.

I gritted my teeth, ignoring it, and walked towards the archangel. "You're hurt. We need to tend to your wound."

"It's just a scratch." He waved his hand dismissively, but I did not miss it was trembling from exhaustion already.

"A scratch doesn't bleed so much." I ripped my shirt sleeve and pressed the fabric to the wound. "Keep pressure on it. I'll take you to a safe place where we can dress it properly."

"What about that Greed Demon? Did you manage to catch him?" he asked, putting his hand on the makeshift bandage. His fingers accidentally grazed my skin, and I quickly withdrew my hand.

"No. But it doesn't matter. I know where to find the scumbag tomorrow. Now let's get you out of the streets before some ruffians decide you are easy prey. Can you walk?"

"Of course, I can." The archangel scoffed and pushed himself off the wall. He managed to take three steps before he swayed dangerously. I dashed to his side and caught him before he fell.

"All right, Golden Boy. Tone down macho instincts, and let me help you." I wrapped my arm around his waist and put his other arm over my shoulders. But my knees almost buckled when he leaned on me. "Oh gods, you're heavy."

"I... thank you," he murmured, barely audible.

"Hang in there. It's not far."

We started a slow and gruelling journey through the cobblestone alleys. Luckily for me, Golden Boy could still walk. He needed just a bit of extra support. I could probably even lift him with my demon-enhanced strength, but the sheer difference between our body sizes would make that awkward and tiring. I was already exhausted. It's been one Hell of a day.

It was still dark when we reached our destination, but the streets around us had already come to life. The doors slammed as people were coming out to start their work. The wooden wheels of carts rattled on the cobblestones, and grumpy, sleepy voices rose in greetings.

I dragged us to a big ramshackle house at the end of the street, carefully stepping over one rotten stair that would probably not withstand our combined weight, and knocked firmly on the door. All windows were dark, and I didn't expect anyone to be up at this time. Usually, I would just come in through the window, which I always left slightly ajar. But there was no way I could drag the tall archangel through such a small opening.

When nothing happened, I knocked again, louder this time. I looked behind us discreetly. It didn't seem that anyone followed us here. It was doubtful that whoever summoned Hell Hounds would have enough strength to repeat the spell soon, but it was better to be cautious than dead.

My ears finally caught the sounds of the stairs creaking inside the house, and weak, flickering candlelight illuminated the windows. A thud of unfastening bolts sounded, and the door opened wide, revealing an older lady in a white nightgown and nightcap covering her grey hair.

"Sanna, why are you knocking at this hour..." she started with a grumpy tone, but she trailed off when her eyes rested on Melkyal leaning heavily on me.

"I have a... situation," I said curtly.

Her eyes went wider the longer she looked at him. "But he's─"

"Hush!" I interrupted her with a low growl. "I need to take him off the streets, Milla."

She stepped away, letting us in, but I saw the worry in her frowning wrinkled face.

"Does she know who I am?" Golden Boy whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "How?"

"Do you remember I told you about mortals gifted with special Sight?" I replied while dragging him through the hall to the first doors on the right. "Milla's one of them. She can see through any glamour." 

"That's right,"  the old lady confirmed, opening the door for me. "Care to share why would you bring a wounded archangel here, Sanna?" she asked impatiently. "Is it because of─"

"No!" I snapped, interrupting her again and helping Golden Boy sit on the bed. My room was small and didn't have much furniture- just a tiny rickety bed, a little table with a chair and a chest instead of a wardrobe. I straightened and rolled my aching shoulder, glaring at Milla. "It has nothing to do with that. We are currently... working together on something."

"Working together? With an archangel?" she asked incredulously, and her brows probably couldn't go any higher.

I rubbed my neck. "It's a long story. I promise I'll tell you all the details later. But now I need some fresh towels and bandages to clean his wound. Oh, and I brought this." I unlatched the bag of food I tucked into my belt. I felt embarrassed when I realised how light it felt now. "I gathered more, but then things happened, and I lost some and... that's what's left."

"Every little bit helps." Milla patted my arm affectionately, her initial grumpiness all gone now. "I'll bring you water and towels. But be quiet, please. Children are still sleeping." She closed the door gently, and her light steps receded further into the house.

"Children?" Golden Boy raised a brow. He was looking around curiously with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

I crossed my arms, feeling anger rising inside. Archangel or no, he had no right to judge this place. "Yes, it's an orphanage. What of it?"

Golden Boy wanted to shrug, but the movement must have aggravated his wounded shoulder, so he only clenched his teeth to suppress a painful hiss. "Do you live here?"

"Yes."

"Why would you live in an orphanage? You're not an orphan."

I opened my mouth to snap at him, and his smart mouth, but Milla chose that moment to come back, carrying a bowl of water, towels and bandages, so I busied myself with helping her set everything on the table.

"If you need anything else, let me know," she said, then nodded to Golden Boy curtly and left the room, closing the door behind her.

A lone candle on the table filled the room with dancing shadows. I moved the table close to the bed and sat on the chair, dipping a towel in water.

"Take off your shirt," I commanded, using the most neutral and disinterested tone I could muster, sitting a foot away from a tall, handsome man.

But he didn't snicker or throw an inappropriate comment. After all, he was an angel. He did as I asked, only grunting when he had to move his injured shoulder. I cleaned the wound without a word, focusing on not letting my eyes wander on his naked torso. The injury was not as bad as I first thought. The fangs bit deep, but it had already stopped bleeding. If I cleaned and patched up this wound, he would be as good as new in a few days. Angels, just like demons, healed quickly.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"You said that already," I replied, not looking at him, wringing the now bloodied towel.

"Because I'm grateful. I never imagined that a demon would patch me up one day," he said with a gentle smile that dragged my eyes to his face like a magnet.

I snorted. "Well, it's my first time too, and I didn't see that coming." 

He opened his mouth to say something, but he only grunted and looked away, and I could swear his cheeks tinted pink. I got back to cleaning all the dried blood from around the wound. For some bizarre reason, I didn't feel nervous around him. Angels always made me stand on my toes, claws ready to strike, with their beautiful but condescending glances and grimacing lips.

But Golden Boy was just... sitting there and looking at me with curiosity and wonder. I could see no derision or judgment in his golden eyes. At this moment, it didn't matter who we were. We were just two people trying to find a way to work together.

I was still surprised when the words came out of my mouth. "Milla was the first human I met when I got out of Hell."

He looked back at me, clearly alerted, his curiosity shining brightly in his eyes. "Oh?"

"The transition was very abrupt, and I was very lost...."

"How does Hell look like then?" Melkyal asked, but he flinched as if he just bit his tongue. "I'm sorry I shouldn't ask."

I shrugged. "It's all right. Hell is different for everyone," I said and dipped the towel in the water again. "That's what makes it so unbearable. For me, it was cold and dark. Emptiness─no up or down, no way to guess how much time had passed or if time even existed. It was only me, suspended in the darkness. Freezing darkness."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be." My face twisted in anger despite my efforts to keep my emotions at bay. "That's where all demons go when we stop being useful. It is what it is." I wrung the wet towel more forcefully than it was necessary. "Even though it was the middle of the night, everything was too overwhelming when I got out. The moon and stars were too bright, the noises of the city deafening and don't let me start on the stench."

"Right, I'm with you about that." He snorted.

"I was completely shocked and baffled. Many would take advantage of a demon in such a vulnerable state. But it was Milla who found me. She knew what I was, as she could see through any glamour. Still, she took me in and kept me safe until I could do that myself."

"She must be a remarkable woman."

"She is. So, I decided I stay here and repay her kindness by helping a bit. This place is for"─I paused, looking for the right word─"special children."

Golden Boy raised a brow. "Special how?"

But before I could answer, the knock at the door interrupted, and Milla's head popped into the room. "Sanna, a man came to see you. A customer."