She woke up in a meadow. Only instead of lush green grass and flowers, scraggly black grass sprouted at her feet. She could feel the cold air nipping at her limbs, a stark contrast to the warmth given off by the pale sun. 

She looked around. There was nothing and no one in sight, just black grass extending for miles and miles under a bleak grey sky. Yet there was a beautiful harshness to the land around her and she shivered, feeling quite alone. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a silky voice said behind her. 

Amira spun around, sinking into a fighting stance. About ten feet away stood a man. A beautiful man.

Amira had never thought that the word "beautiful" could apply to a man. Sure, there were good-looking male angels in Heaven but never anyone that she would call beautiful. 

Yet standing in front of her stood someone that embodied that word. He was tall, at least six feet, with long limbs and a lean build. His hair was a shade of chestnut brown, curly and thick, begging for fingers to run through it. He had chiseled cheekbones and a strong jawline, lined with stubble. But most compelling were his eyes: golden and framed by long dark eyelashes, running over her body lazily. There was a feral nature to his eyes as if he was half animal. Yet the charming way he tilted his head made her think of tangled bedsheets and sleepless nights full of ecstasy. He was the personification of beauty. No, of sex. 

Amira sucked in a breath, giving herself a mental shake. What the hell was she thinking? There stood an unfamiliar and unknown being in front of her and all she could do was check him out? 

"Who are you?"  she asked, holding her ground. He had no wings which must have meant that he was a human. 

He came closer and Amira tensed. This far away, she could smell his scent--a hint of spice and sandalwood. She fought the urge to close her eyes. God, he was potent. Were all humans like him? Amira had never seen a human before but if this was how beautiful they looked, they were dangerous. 

"The better question is: who are you? And what are you doing in my dream?"  he purred. 

Amira's eyes widened. This was a dream? And she was in his dream? Was this all just in her head then? Her instinct, which had never been wrong, told her no. This person was real and somehow they were in each other's dreams. 

"No one has been able to enter my dreams without my permission in centuries. Who are you?" he questioned, his voice sharpening. 

For centuries? If he was telling the truth, he couldn't be a human. She was dealing with a very old being. Much older than her seventy years. Then who the hell was he? 

"I've never seen an angel like you," he murmured, his eyes glued on her wings. "Your wings. They're black."  Fascination shone on his face as he stared at her wings. Fascination...and longing? She had the sudden urge to offer him to touch her wings before she mentally slapped herself. What the hell was she thinking? 

Oblivious to her inner struggle, the man's eyes tracked over her face. "Your eyes are brown," he said, surprise coloring his tone. "But your wings are black. Who are you? Are you a demon?" 

Amira recoiled. She was nothing like the hideous beasts. That didn't stop angels from calling her and the other La'ziel demons and it apparently it didn't stop the stranger in front of her. 

 "I am not a demon. This conversation is finished," she hissed. She spun around only to realize that she had no idea how to get out of the dream. The stranger watched her, amusement dancing in his eyes. 

"Obviously that's a sore spot. And you can't leave until you wake up." 

Amira cursed under her breath. "How do I wake up?" 

He shot her a grin and the beauty of him smiling almost made her stumble. "I'm not telling you. You see, I need to understand how you appeared in my dreams." 

Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she tried to make her voice threatening. "Tell me." 

"Make me." 

She jabbed at him half-heartedly, expecting to hit flesh. Instead, her fist connected with air and she suddenly found herself on her back, breath gone. A hard knee pinned her legs and hands like steel manacles locked around her wrists. She struggled to throw him off but he was too heavy. 

Her Warfire, quiet until now, suddenly roared to a flame. She felt herself getting stronger and adrenaline rushed in her veins. With a cry, she shoved him away, rolling to her feet. 

He looked surprised for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked again. "Why are your wings black?" 

Baring her teeth at him, Amira didn't respond. The less he knew about her, the better. She had a feeling that this was someone she didn't want to cross. 

"AMIRA!" 

Amira jerked the moment she heard her name. 

The voice called her name again. 

The stranger chuckled, his golden eyes glowing."Amira. So that's your name. I'll remember that."

Amira woke up with a start, shooting straight up in her bed.  She was in her room and someone was pounding on her door. Ten. 

Her gem circle was glowing bright red in the darkness, insistently beeping, indicating an approaching demon horde. She groaned, rubbing her face. The stranger's golden eyes lingered in her mind. She could still feel his body pressed against hers. 

"AMIRA!" Ten called again through the door. Could he shut up?!  

"I'm coming," she yelled, moving across the room to the door. She opened the door to Ten's smiling face and Amziel's expressionless one. 

"Hey," Ten greeted. "I've been calling your name for ages. We gotta go. There's another demon horde." 

She squinted at them. "How many hours has it been?" 

"Not long enough. But duty calls." 

Indeed, it did. At the crack of dawn, apparently. 

--

Ten hours later, their weary squadron emerged with the rest of the squadrons from the rip linking Heaven and Hell. Today was especially rough and there seemed to be more demons today than ever. 

She glanced at her squadmates. Ten was limping, his face set in a scowl of pain. Amziel fared better but she could tell he was favoring his left side. They would eventually heal but that didn't make their pain any less real.  Amira was covered in demon blood and some of her own. She had a nasty side wound, courtesy of her inattention. Luckily for her Warfire, it was healing in minutes. 

For some reason, her mind lingered on the strange dream she had and the mysterious stranger in it. She knew better than to think of other things when battling demons yet her mind kept slipping back to the dream. She couldn't help but worry about what he knew. If he was real--Amira was pretty sure he was--he now knew her name and her face. 

She had a thousand questions. Why did she have that dream? What was he? 

Lost in thought, she almost slammed into Amziel who had come to a complete stop. Ten cursed. 

Stomach sinking, Amira looked up to see a group of angels clothed in military white approaching them. Carriers. 

Carriers were angels that policed behavior in Heaven. Any time there was a severe crime or infraction, carriers were the ones to arrest the perpetrator. Drawing their attention was never a good sign. Some of the carriers had also put in charge of raising the La'ziel when they were first created by the archangels. 

Since the La'ziel were created by archangels and not God, they didn't have any parents. They had come into being seventy years ago, shaped to life by an archangel. Yet they had been children and children needed guardians. So the carriers were charged with raising the La'ziel and teaching them the protocol of Heaven. 

As the carriers drew closer, Amira saw the female angel leading them. She had brown eyes and curly hair that was gathered in a braid. Her wings were pure white. Amira recognized her carrier, Verna, immediately. It had been at least forty years since she last saw her.

Verna came to a halt a few feet away from her. Her gaze clinically looked Amira up and down. There was no trace of affection, let alone love, in her eyes. Amira pushed away the sudden stab of pain. She didn't expect Verna to love her but it would have been nice to see at least fondness in her eyes. 

"Amira of the La'ziel, we hereby have orders for your arrest. You are to obediently make your way to Headquarters. We will be escorting you," Verna declared. 

Amira almost collapsed. Next to her, Ten's jaw dropped open while Amziel's eyes widened. 

"What?" Amira croaked. The world spun for a dizzying moment. "I'm under arrest?" 

Verna did not respond, instead pulling wing shackles from behind her. She nodded to two of her carriers who stepped forward and locked Amira's wings in place. 

The cold metal of the shackles bit into her wings and she jolted out of her trance. She panicked, struggling when suddenly a sword was placed at her neck. Amira stood still. 

"We would advise you to not resist," Verna told her. "Any attempt at resisting or escaping will only end in your own pain."

"What's going on?" Ilana asked, frowning. The other squadrons had caught up to them. 

"Why are you arresting Amira?" Asa cried out.  

Verna looked coldly at the La'ziel angel. "That is none of your business. This is Headquarters business and will be treated as such." Verna withdrew her sword before nodding again at the two carriers. 

The two carriers handcuffed Amira's wrists before pulling her roughly forward. This was happening, she thought. This was actually happening. She hadn't done anything and they were arresting her. 

"Wait, you have to give an explanation," Ten started. 

"I don't have to give anything. If you want to see your friend, you are welcome to come to Headquarters after the hearing."

A storm of protests rose from the La'ziel yet Verna ignored it, dragging Amira away. 

Amira glanced back at her friends, trying to force a smile that said she'd be okay. Even if she wasn't so sure she would be. 

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