AN:// It's the end of February!! A little less travelling and a calmer schedule coming up this month so I'll hopefully get some more chapters out than just the one a month I've been doing!  

Manakel's prying eyes did not let up as he watched Bonnie recite what Eyael had told her.

Or prying bandage, she should say.

"And that's all he told me," she finished, drying her sweaty palms on her trousers. "As I said, not a lot."

"No, I suppose not." Manakel let a minute of silence wash over them as though he was scrutinising every inch of her. "He left me to decide on how much we should divulge to you, and I think with recent events you are welcomed to know more than they have allowed you."

She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me everything?"

Something resembling a smile flitted across the angel's mouth, and his wings fluttered in humour.

"To know everything would be a great feat. I do not believe a single soul has had that honour, and if they did I doubt their mind could stay intact. Even angels could not comprehend every detail."

Bonnie bit down on the urge to say something sarcastic. He had to know that isn't what she had meant, but it wasn't worth insulting his ego to clarify.

She needed him to remain open, talkative even.

"But I will tell you the knowledge you need to unravel the string from the end, in hopes of understanding the beginning."

It was a good thing she had sat down.

"Like all things, the truth is warped overtime, but some of your histories contain correct details," Manakel began, his eyes glinting. "The Sacred Whores of Babalon are just that, servants of Babalon, pieces filtered down through descendents and spirit. Over time, humanity has reduced the true nature of them to pitiful stories or woes, descriptions of holy woman who desired money or status. Men are quick to forget that it was them who worshipped. That the whores were their connection to the gods. There is a reason you call it mother earth—after all almost everything comes from a mother."

"They could speak to gods?"

"A lesser being will always see the thing above them as a god. It does not mean they are truly gods. Names change; Daemons, deities, Aeons. They weave together." His hand stretched to the beam of sunlight casting a golden hue across the floor. "Man received one gift, unknown until it was too late, from one who wanted nothing else than to have what she did not. Do you know what it is? What trait stems purely from the gods?"

Bonnie didn't even attempt to answer. Manakel wings hummed as he moved closer to her, a breeze skimming her skin.

"Desire, and all the things it brings." She shivered, and his arm almost brushed her own. "Every creature survives, does what it must, but to desire? It requires something more—spirit, passion, lust. A thousand named for something so simple. But you need a thousand names for something so compelling, a drop in the cosmos that ripples out into change."

Bonnie's chest tightened and her face felt flushed. Manakel's voice wrapped around her, consuming the air with a soft breath.

"The desire to conquer, or to love, both stem from the spirit. The place in which we find the darkest secrets, are often the ones filled with the most pleasure. At what other time is man more truthful than at the peak of pleasure, or more vulnerable and open. Those moments, where souls existed in ecstasy, bridged the divide between man and the gods. If strong enough, if willing enough, and if true enough, their wishes were heard, echoed by a soul which was already connected to the realm they desired."

Manakel walked around the couch, gently touching the blanket thrown over the back of it. Bonnie shuddered with the breath that returned to her.

"But as you know, expectation leads to disappointment. And although it was no one's fault but their own weak will that stopped men from achieving their desires, the Whores of Babalon were blamed, despised for seemingly not fulfilling their role. It was the beginning of jealousy, greed, hatred. Left to fester these things corrupt, and slowly the space between humans and the beings they looked to stretched. And now most only hear silence. Why would Babalon answer prayers of those who disrespected its vessels?"

"So, Babalon is a person?" Bonnie asked bravely, twisting to see the angel over her shoulder.

He gazed out the window, his shoulders sagging with a sigh.

"So many silly human labels, always so eager to define things simply. Babalon is an entity, a spirit, a land. It is the soul of an Aeon stretched into creation and woven into existence, but yes... one form is that of a person. That is who you refer to as the Scarlet Woman. She is a piece of Babalon that lives outside it's realm, the voice heard not by ears but by soul. It is she who is a piece of the Aeons, who will bring forth the change written about by so many of you. When the time comes, it is only she who can decide which path humanity takes."

Slowly, he faced her, and although he had no eyes, she could see what was in them. She could hear what was unsaid.

Bonnie laughed, shaking her head. "There is no way I'm her then." Relief slipped through. "Oh thank the lord, no wonder they said it couldn't be me. At least now I know they were just being realistic and not hurtful."

Something akin to a frown dusted over Manakels features.

"I forget how disappointing humanities nature is and that it's hatred spills into self too. Such wasted potential across millions. But I suppose that's why you're the inferior species."

Bonnie blinked, her laughter dying as she digested the harsh words. Her mouth a letterbox in the wind as she tried to comprehend a response.

But Manakel gave her no time, instead he looked out the window once more before huffing.

"We have visitors, and shortly I'll be gone, so let me give you some advice Bonnie Lawrence."

He rushed to her and gripped her forearms tightly, forcing her to comply and look at him with wide eyes. She forgot her questions as his brows pulled together, the lines of his forehead like cracks in stone.

"Do not follow what you think, do not see with only your eyes or you will be deceived. Dig deeper, pull the thread until it unravels and you find the beginning. That is the only way to see. No one truly knows the truth, or can guide you without yourself, so you must find the strength from within. You must find the parts of you that you know and learn from them, there lies the only thing you can trust. The truth is woven, do not let yourself become moulded to others' ideas or the world will forget you. Believe in your spirit, and its untainted purity—there is a reason Bifrons called you that name."

"How did you—" Manakel ignored her confusion as he straightened up and stepped back from her, right as the door behind them swung open.

"I'm just saying, you could have been nicer to the receptionist," Gremory said as he pulled the keys from the door. "She was just doing her job."

"Well, I wasn't in the mood to deal with her."

Bonnie's eyes widened at Kimaris' words and she glanced at Manakel in panic, but he only smiled and sat down on the sofa, his large wings comically taking up all the space between the two arms.

Gremory's easy expression tensed as he took in the scene a moment before Kimaris did, and Bonnie only offered an apologetic grimace as he froze.

"Prepare for your mood to get even worse."

Before Kimaris' figure had even stepped through the doorway, he knew who was sitting in the flat. A sound like a snarl ripped through the air and Bonnie wanted to strangle Manakel when he only snorted with amusement.

"I did not realise we had opened our home to winged rats this winter."

The door slammed, and Bonnie couldn't help but jump. Manakel's face tilted as he looked over to the men, his calm voice riling them up even more.

"She summoned me. Here I am."

Kimaris' steel gaze slid over to the ground where the ritual items were still laid out perfectly, untouched and glowing. The candle was nearing its end, but unfortunately still had a short while to go.

"Is that my room spray?" Gremory gasped with a smile. "Doesn't it smell divine? I'm so glad it genuinely has all those fresh ingredients in it then, I was worried the label was lying."

A weak laugh, resembling a strained choking noise, left Bonnie's mouth as she took in Kimari's shaking form. His eyes followed her feet and up through her legs at a painstakingly slow pace, but once they met her own she saw the rage frothing in the dark waves of them.

"Don't blame the human," Manakel oozed, his voice different from before. "Blame yourself for creating such curiosity and dismissal at the same time... and for having summoning books in your possession."

All eyes fell to the open book lying on the ground.

"And perhaps your blinding arrogance."

With a snarl Kimaris attempted to lunge forward, his hands outstretched for Bonnie or the book she didn't know, but his speed was terrifying. Before he could reach them, Gremory had stepped in front, and Bonnie was only met with his tense back as he shoved Kimaris away.

"Don't be stupid, Kimaris, use your head. He wants you to break the summoning."

Manakel began laughing, standing from the couch with a satisfied grin while Kimaris stopped thrashing against his brothers hold. Bonnie blinked, swallowing down the fear that had crawled into her throat.

"As fun as that would be," the angel mused, stretching his arms above him as his wings rippled. "Nothing about this realm appeals to me. Apart from maybe you being here and so easy to annoy."

Now Bonnie could see the arrogance that shined in every cell of his skin. He'd hid it well before, or perhaps he just laid it on thick in front of his counterpart. Either way, it didn't take a genius to see why he and Kimaris did not get along.

"How about you just fly on back there then, you're not welcome here."

Manakel tutted, holding a hand to his chest.

"I am so hurt that you don't want to spend even a couple of minutes together after all this time. And Bonnie went through so much trouble to get me here." He shook his head, throwing a pout her way. "Imagine, throwing out your blind brother."

"You're about as blind as I am human," Kimaris hissed, and in an instant Manakel's easy smile was gone and replaced with one that looked like the tips of his wings.

Sharp. Deadly.

"Oh, I don't know about that Khem-oor," he chuckled, turning so his wing almost brushed the rage filled face of Kimaris. "You certainly have some human emotions from time to time. Although, who hasn't—right Gremory?"

From the looks on their faces, it would not be long before Kimaris broke free... or Gremory joined in on the attack.

"How about I just close the summoning," Bonnie announced, making them all look to her. "The candles almost burnt out anyway, may as well end on a good note."

No one smiled at her weak attempt of a joke, and she quickly cleared her throat and dropped to her knees, reading the instructions.

If closing a summoning early, recite the angels name and say the words...

"Well then, I suppose that's our time finished. It's been so lovely to see you gentlemen, even if only briefly," Manakel sighed as he watched Bonnie recite the incantation. "I owe Umabel a bottle of Ambrosia, he guessed that you'd be living in Scotland."

He waved a hand and his cape reappeared, settling onto his shoulders and shrouding his wings in darkness again. Kimaris didn't even dare to breathe as he watched his counterpart smirk in their direction.

"Pity. I always thought Ireland had more for you, Gremory."

He turned his back on Gremory's confused face, looking down at Bonnie as she spoke the last line written below her.

"And remember, the worst weakness is that of self doubt. That's why I don't have it."

With a cackle and a flurry of wind, the angels figure was swept up and the only thing left behind was the soft trail of smoke leading from the blown-out candle.

The open window gently knocked against the wall.

Bonnie stood up cautiously.

Kimaris' hands looked like bones, and in the few silent moments that passed, she could have sworn that his chest did not even rise with a breath.

Gremory bit his lip, torn between talking and hoping that if they stayed still long enough, Kimaris might forget what had just happened.

But when it was clear that nothing was happening without someone making the first move, Bonnie cleared her throat.

The sound crackled.

"Look, I know that—"

"Get out."

She hesitated. Kimaris' tone was deadly, but she wanted to explain herself.

"I'm sorry, I—"

"I said get out."

Bonnie looked to Gremory, but he was as wide eyed as her, he even took a step back as Kimaris lifted his chin.

"I just—"

"Do you even understand what you've done?" he snarled, accusing eyes pinning her in place. "Of course you don't, because you didn't bother to think about the consequences for even a second. Because you wanted to know something and your selfish needs took first call."

"That's not fair," Bonnie interrupted weakly, trying to maintain some semblance of strength. "You wouldn't tell me—"

"And so you summoned Manakel to our home to find answers?" Kimaris' voice boomed and she could have sworn a new crack appeared in the ceiling above them as the walls shook. "For years I have kept this place secret, I've covered my tracks, so that there wasn't a huge fucking beacon over where we live. So that Angels didn't know what country I was in let alone the fucking building, but now? Ha! Now they can throw a bloody dinner party in our kitchen because you've just given them the address!"

Bonnie had been stunned into silence.

He was right. She didn't think of the consequences. It hadn't even crossed her mind that they would want this place to remain anonymous, or that Manakel could figure it out in the short time he was here.

Was that why he had stood by the window? To figure out the location?

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, the crippling feeling of doubt making her spine curve.

"A lot of use that is now," Kimaris scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "Just get your things and go. This embarrassing charade is over and it's time for you to leave."

Gremory made a noise to argue as Kimaris walked past him and headed for the door to the stairs, but the raven haired man only shot him a look to shut him up.

"Be grateful she gets to stay alive with the knowledge she has."

Bonnie's blood ran cold as he left the room without even looking at her, his heavy footsteps echoing in the silence.

There was a buzzing noise in her head, one which stopped her from moving, much less saying anything, and Gremory quickly walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing a smile.

"Just wait here a minute, I'll grab your keys and phone."

Bonnie didn't know if she reacted or not, she was too busy replaying Kimaris' cold words back to herself like a record stuck on a loop.

She placed a hand on her chest, remembering the way his felt underneath it. How soft his touch had been, how gentle his voice was.

Would he have really killed her?

Gremory's kind smile appeared in her vision again and he delicately took her shoulder, guiding her from the room.

She could only blink as her eyes became foggy, and the door shut behind them.

"Why don't I walk you home?" Gremory offered, looping her arm through his as they descended the stairs. "Kimaris just needs a bit of time to cool off."

She was grateful for his attempt at reassuring her, but they both knew it was a silly attempt. They had both heard the anger in his voice.

"I really am sorry," Bonnie said meekly as they walked down the street, the morning sun peeking out from behind the roofs. "I didn't know that it was a secret."

"I know," Gremory sighed, squeezing her arm. "And Kimaris knows too. He's just blinded when it comes to Manakel."

"Yeah, I've realised. Not that I totally blame him, the man is infuriating."

"Right!" Gremory groaned with a shake of his head. "I mean at least Kimaris makes sense in his dulcet tones, it usually takes me weeks to figure out what Manakel actually meant."

"Tell me about it."

They were silent until Gremory's curiosity won.

"Would you tell me about it? About what he said?"

Bonnie frowned, her hand shielding her eyes as they crossed the street. Manakel had told her not to trust, and she supposed he might have meant the men she had been staying with.

But how much did she trust Manakel? He had basically turned into a different person in front of her, one which was quite jarring if truth be told.

And although she could see where Kimaris might have some hidden agenda, and a temper to match...

She looked at the blonde next to her, his eyes eager for information underneath their kindness.

She held his arm tighter.

Gremory wasn't like that.

"He told me about the Sacred Whores of Babalon and the Scarlet Woman. He said that there was a reason Bifrons had called me that and that doubt was the biggest flaw of humanity. He also said that he could give me information but that I needed to unravel the thread to find the answers at the beginning."

Gremory scoffed, rolling his eyes as he muttered, knocking a stone with his shoe.

"Clear as always, of course. What a load of bollocks."

"I know," a small smile slipped onto Bonnie's lips. "His wings were quite impressive though. Once I'd got over the initial fear."

"Another thing he and Kimaris have in common—a flair for the dramatic."

It was hard not to picture what Kimaris might look like with wings.

As they rounded a corner and Bonnie saw the sign for her street only a few steps ahead, she slowed. Gremory followed suite, and soon they had stopped at the edge of the curb, the tips of their shoes hanging over.

Bonnie's stomach coiled as she looked at her friend, her fears no doubt clear in her eyes. Gremory heaved a breath before pulling her into him, his arms providing the reassurance that he knew words wouldn't.

"You're safe here, we put up some protection symbols on the streets outside to ward off any demons that come sniffing around, they shouldn't be able to even smell you."

She nodded, her chin hitting his shoulder.

"And this isn't the last time you'll see me Bonny Bonnie." They pulled back from each other and she got a real look at the honesty in his expression. "I'll come back with the rest of your things soon, and I'll work on Kimaris too. I promise."

"Thanks Grem." She smiled, and he gave her an apologetic one back. "For everything."

"Stop making this sound like a goodbye," he laughed lightly, squeezing her one more time. "I mean it. I'll see you soon."

"Okay," she mumbled, straightening her shoulders. "I'll see you soon."

"Fabulous. Now go inside and get a shower. I love the smell of lavender but you're frankly reeking of it right now."

Bonnie nodded and tried not to blush as she crossed the street and headed for her flat, turning to wave one more time with a heavy heart.

"And Bonnie!" Gremory called, making her pause. "Manakel was right about self doubt—remember, not everyone could have summoned an angel, and especially not him. Don't forget that!"

As she made her way through her front door, the realisation settled on her and she even smiled at the thought.

She had summoned the angel of dreams—all on her own.

Perhaps she was more like the Scarlet Woman than she thought.