Darius and Tribal my angel and demon

I’m taking part in the Hot Angels and Cool Demons blog tour with a little blog post of my own today.

“Angel in the Middle” began as a response to a call for angel / demon stories, but during the writing I found out that writing about demons was fun. Angels are beautiful and good. In Darius’s case so good that one editor suggested that I change the story to make him less of a real angel so that readers wouldn’t be confronted with a real angel having sex. I didn’t make that change.  I wanted that conflict between innocence and experience.

Franco gestured toward Darius’s waist, then down a bit. His finger waved back and forth, indicating Darius’s crotch. “You’re anatomically correct?” Darius frowned at the question. “You have balls and a penis?” Franco said with an air of patient explanation.
“Of course. I’m male. I sing tenor.”
“I see. Do you ever use them for anything other than singing?”
The strange warmth returned and grew even hotter. Maybe its purpose was to remind him of sin and Hell. But if he didn’t answer, Franco could order him to. “This morning. I touched it.”
“What? For the first time?”
Darius nodded, ashamed.

Now, Darius is a minor angel, created to run errands for the Seraphim, and totally unprepared for life anywhere but heaven. Or for running into a big bad demon hunter like Franco. Franco however, is prepared for anything but being sent to hunt down an innocent angel.

Tribal was once the same as Darius, a minor angel tasked with fetching, carrying and delivering messages. Tribal wasn’t overly upset about falling from Heaven. He prefers the freedom of Hell and Lucifer uses him as a messenger, a job that for Tribal has certain extra benefits.

Franco finds he’s just had a run in with the Rent Boy from Hell.

Tribal slithered up his sweaty body and met his eyes. He pulled the two fifties out of his pocket and let them fall to the pavement. “My master says he will speak with you when you find the fallen one. There will be payment for services rendered, of course.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Franco’s. “You taste good, Big Guy.” Then he vanished in a flash that left spots whirling in front of Franco’s face.
He stood there, with his jeans around his ankles, smelling the brimstone of Tribal’s departure. Damn. If there’d been anything missing from this problem, it had just shown up and fucked him. He picked up the bills, pulled up his pants up, and climbed into the Hummer.

So, why would this minor demon suddenly decide to play cupid?  Well, basically Tribal is protecting his turf. But when he finds out that doing good deeds comes with certain benefits … Well, Tribal will be showing up to play cupid in other stories.

His name rang like a bell in the massive entry hall. He could feel himself vibrating with the air itself. “Sorry, dudes, do you later. Love ya. Mean it.”
He landed on his hands and knees in the sand pit. He didn’t move. There were granules of blessed silver in the sand, and that stuff stung like heaven. He lowered his head until it was almost touching the sand. “Master.”
“You’ve been showing initiative.” The voice was deep and smooth, the words almost a melody.
“Yes, Master.” He didn’t move or raise his head. He wasn’t sure how big a sin initiative was. He’d never been accused of it before.
“Subverting my guards by making yourself available to them is something I expect from you. But servicing one of my demon hunters was,” the voice paused, “unplanned. I wouldn’t have expected Franco to fall for a demon, considering his job.”
“I’m better looking than Gressil.”
The Master chuckled at that. “And do you think the fallen one will also be able to seduce Franco?”
Tribal snorted. “Darius couldn’t seduce a fire demon on a cold day.” He raised his head just a bit. “Franco won’t be able to resist him for a second. Big Guy has the hots for angels, and Darius still fucking glows.”
“You’ve done well.”
Tribal raised his head the rest of the way. The figure on the throne smiled at him with a gentleness that was never seen in the pits of Hell. The Master had wings with ebony feathers that stretched out behind him. And he still possessed the ethereal beauty that marked an angel. Darius still had that beauty, and there was no way Tribal was letting a glowing angel boy get in on his territory. If his plan worked, Darius would stay right where he was–on earth.
“If this works, I will reward you,” the Master said. “If it fails … ah, but there is time to consider that later. Come, take a place at my feet.”
Tribal scrambled out of the sand pit and across the dark stone of the floor. He knelt at the Master’s throne, his head at the perfect level to observe the folds of the robe that covered the Master’s crotch. He looked up and winked. “Anything I can do for you while I’m down here?”

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