Chapter Text
You’d always felt humiliated whenever you made a mistake, no matter how big or small that mistake happened to be. Well, this was a doozy and you were pretty sure you weren’t going to live long enough to feel that way again. You had your back to the wall, quite literally, staring at five sets of fangs snarling back at you while the storms clouds overhead decided now was the time to release a downpour upon the earth.
Two hours ago, letting that kid vamp go free on a promise of staying clean had seemed right. Little did you know you’d signed your death warrant. Baby fang had scuttled back to his nest and led the hunting party right to you. They’d cornered you on the way part to your hotel and had chased you into an alley, and now with the sky drenching everything down below, the cold stone against your back reminded you how much of a dead-end it was.
Your eyes fixed on the rat himself, skulking behind big brother. “That’s the thanks I get for letting you live, huh?” you scoffed, backing up your voice with as much steel as you could muster to disguise how terrified you were. You’d be damned if you were going out as anything less than a hunter.
Baby vamp only bared his fangs and didn’t reply. Typical.
Your breath hitched as the big guy in front took a menacing step forward, swinging your machete loosely in one hand. There it was. One of the group had knocked it out of your hand a couple streets back and you were hoping you could get by them somehow to retrieve it, but fate had decided to crush your chance of survival.
“You killed two of ours. A brother. A sister,” he snarled, pointing the machete at you.
“And how many of mine have you killed?” you snap back as lightning flashed overhead.
The vampire shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. We just want to survive and your kind can’t leave us be.”
You pushed yourself off the wall, the anger rising in your chest giving you courage. “Just want to survive? Tell that to the family your kind just slaughtered.”
Lead vampire laughs outright, the rough sound sending a chill up your spine. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that much.” He paused and his smile turned suddenly from amused to cold in a heartbeat. “But guts won’t save you.”
“I will.”
Six sets of eyes whipped to the newcomer who stood at the entrance to the alley, his body a silhouette in the near darkness. The leader moved first, darting forward when you were caught off guard, grabbing you and placing the cold steel of your machete against your throat before you could blink.
The man had spoken softly, yet his voice sailed through the air as clearly as if the heavens weren’t writhing with thunder and rain. He paused when lighting flashed and exposed the vampire’s fangs. “What manner of creature are you?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” lead vamp growled. This was turning into more trouble than it was worth and he was getting uneasy. He’d never smelled anything like the man before, neither human, nor vampire, or in fact any scent he’d caught before.
With the vampire’s arm tightly around you, you couldn’t move so you did the only thing you could. Try to warn him and pray he’d hightail it out of here. “They’re vampires, just run!” you yelled. Get the hell out of here before someone else dies because of me…
The man stepped forward, seemingly unafraid, his head cocked in curiosity. “No mistake of yours could have warranted this." His voice was calm and direct, speaking just to you as though these monsters weren’t even there.
Your eyes widened. He was reading your thoughts. "What are you?” you whispered.
The man opened his mouth to answer, but the vampire holding you had heard enough. “No more talk! Get ‘im, boys!” he ordered.
The four other vampires moved as one, two heading right, two left, not stopping until they surrounded the man. He glanced around slowly, not yet moving to defend himself. “Let her go and I will not harm you.”
The tallest of the four cackled, extending his arms around him. “Look around, boy-o. You’re outnumbered.”
The man lifted his shoulders in a tiny shrug. “I gave you a chance,” he said simply.
Now he moved. Taking two rapid steps forward, he placed a hand against the tallest one’s head and immediately a scream cut through the air, white-blue light emanating where his eyes and mouth should have been. The smoking body hit to the concrete with a sickening thud seconds later.
You could only watch helplessly as the other three vamps threw caution to the wind and charged, one latching onto his arm while another connected a savage right hook to the man’s jaw. He recovered quickly and threw a powerful punch of his own, shoving the vampire away long enough to slam his palm onto the one holding his arm, burning him out like the first. Now free, he stood at the ready, his eyes constantly darting between the remaining three and you.
There was just the kid, the one picking himself off the ground, and the leader left, the latter of which was starting to panic. You could feel his grip on the machete shake against your throat as he watched the man take out yet another with a touch of his hand.
Baby vamp stared in horror at the three still smoking bodies on the ground, blinking rain out of his eyes.
The man stepped forward and the kid fell back, his fangs retracting as fear took over his features. “Just let me go. I won’t touch another person, I swear!” he gasped.
That’s what you said before you murdered that family.
The man’s eyes shot back to you and you knew he heard. “That’s what you promised before and yet, here you are.” He frowned down at the kid. “I am sorry.”
“No, no!” the kid cried, but it was too late. The man’s hand connected with his forehead and extinguished his life in a burst of light. He stood slowly, turning to the one remaining, the leader whose hands were shaking so hard the blade nicked your throat.
The rain mixed with your blood, making you shiver at the combination running down your collar, though you didn’t dare move more for fear the leader would slice your throat and be done with it.
The man walked forward slowly, stopping a few feet away from the two of you. “You’ve lost. Let her go,” he said softly.
The leader only tightened his grip around you, his arm pressing heavily across your chest. “She’s the only thing stopping you from killing me,” he snarled.
“Then we are at a stalemate,” the man admitted. “But I have the advantage.”
The leader scoffed, a hysterical laugh leaving his lips. “What advantage, freak?!”
A tiny smirk came across the man’s lips, amused by the choice of words. “I don’t have to touch you.” With that, he lifted his arm and spread his fingers, his palm glowing blue with energy.
You felt the vampire’s grip around you loosen and took your chance, shoving the machete away from your throat and dropped, hitting the deck so hard the skin of your chin split against the ground. As soon as you were clear, the man focused the energy and the leader’s scream filled the air above you, his eyes burning with that white-blue light.
The whole thing was over in minutes, leaving you and the man alone with nothing but the sounds of the storm and five bodies decorating the alley.
You got to your knees slowly, swiping at the blood dripping from your chin, all the while keeping your eyes on the man.
“I’m not a man, you know,” he broke the silence, crouching down to your level.
“Then what are you?”
Lightning flashed brilliantly, letting you see his face clearly for the first time. He was handsome with a strong jaw, a peaceful expression, and light green eyes peering patiently into yours. “I’m an angel.”
“An… An angel,” you murmured almost to yourself. You’d never seen one, never quite knowing if you believed the lore or not, but it made sense given those powers.
Now that the danger seemed to have passed, shock began to set in and you slouched against the wall, shivering and a little dizzy.
“You’re hurt,” the angel said, seeing the bloody water dripping off your chin. He came closer and raised two fingers, pausing when you put up your arm warily. “It’s all right. I can heal you.”
You hesitated, then nodded permission, figuring if he was going to hurt you, he’d have done it already.
His skin felt warm as he touched your forehead, that same warmth spreading throughout your body to retreat back to his hand, leaving the newly healed skin tingling.
You reached up and felt your neck and chin. “That is amazing,” you whispered, feeling your cuts completely gone. You frowned suddenly. “How’d you even find me?”
The angel found himself smiling again and stood, extending his hand to you. “When you cried out in your mind, it was as loud as a prayer. Come, let’s get you out of this storm.”
You let him pull you to your feet and keep his hand on your arm until he was sure you could walk on your own. “So, you got a name, angel?” you asked, looking up at him, noticing how the rain pushing his short hair into little spikes on his forehead.
He glanced down at you, a little smile still playing across his lips.
“My name is Gadreel.”