Wingless

Chapter 7 [Lues' POV]

I wake up early, Celeste still asleep, curled up against me. If anyone back at home knew this, my life would end. I'd never hear the end of it - that's if I didn't end up Wingless. But that doesn't stop me. Maybe I'm not just in love with Celeste, but in love with the person I am when I'm with her. I'm less ... evil. 

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know. But I like my new self. Celeste seems to awaken the good inside of me.

I stop thinking and just lie on the pillows, eyes shut, waiting for Celeste to wake up. A few hours later, she does. You might think it was boring, just lying there for hours, but it wasn't. Celeste, even asleep, was entertainment enough, and anyway, I had a lot to think about.

Pretending to be asleep, I don't budge. I want to see how easy it is to wind Celeste up. She gets up. I can tell she'd be blushing, even if she thought I wasn't awake. I can hear her going through her bag: she's going to get changed. It takes all my concentration to hide a grin. This is going to be fun.

I wait until she's in her underwear. Then I look straight at her and say, "hi." The effect was predictable. She screamed, went bright red, and grabbed her discarded nightie and held it against her. 

"Go away!" she yells.

"Where to?" I smirk. "Would you rather I had a peep at Mary?" 

She goes crimson and runs into the bathroom. I burst out laughing. When she returns, dressed, with a sulky look on her face, I can't help laughing again. She glares at me. I grin. 

"I'm sorry, m'lady," I tease.

She scowls at me. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Aren't you supposed to be drifting around singing heavenly psalms and ... I dunno ... donating food to the poor?" 

"Well yes, but there's no need to say it in such a disparaging tone."

"Well yes, but I am a demon after all. I'm supposed to run amok yelling swear words and stealing peasant's food." I blink. "Before I would have done that for fun instead of saying it as a joke. What is it about you?"

"Angelic influence. I'm sure it's not just me; and anyway, you make me worse than I really am. But if it were any other angel it would have exactly the same effect."

"If it were any other angel, they'd probably be dead by now. You're lucky I like you."

"Well ... I did give you that cut on your face."

"What cut?" I scrabble in my pocket for a mirror. I'm not exactly obsessed with my appearance, but Vanity is a sin, so I was - I mean am; what's wrong with me - totally up for it. There are three deep scratch marks in my face surrounded by raised pink flesh. "You did that?! Ugh. I can't go downstairs like this." I rub my cheek grumpily. "They'll be on it like a shot."

"Come here," she says impatiently.

Gently she presses her hand to my face. I can feel the cut getting warmer until it closes over and is healed. All that is left is slightly pink skin - which looks odd with my usual paleness, but it will have to do.

"How come you didn't do that with my leg?"

"Minor injury."

"You can say minor. It hurt like hell." She rolls her eyes, then suddenly remembers something.

"I still can't believe you looked at me naked!"

"In your underwear. Big difference."

"Two scraps of material? Big difference! Haven't you heard of modesty?"

I smirk. Despite what she says, Celeste is definitely an angel.