Divine Beings

Julian

A system error flashes on the screen, and I glance up at the celestial clerk. “What has happened?” I asked, my voice cutting through the silence as they stared intently at the glowing screen.

“I’m not sure. The system just had an update.” She presses buttons, but the huge red letters keep flashing.

System error.

She calls the Divine Order and asks me to wait over by the chairs.

Soon there is a stream of angels behind me passing through, and none of them have any issues.

I sit and my leg bounces as more pass through, registering the new “good” souls they have brought.

What is taking so long? It must be at least an hour when someone from higher up walks over. His long, white, glowing robes have golden markings to say he is from the High Council.

“Julian Vance, please come with us.” He turns and walks off.

I rushed after him to catch up. My six foot three frame is no joke, but he must have at least two inches on me. We step into an elevator, and I want to ask him where we are going, but I stay silent. It is rude to ask questions of someone higher than yourself.

We are going down. Down to where, I have no clue. Eventually, it slows to a stop. Doors open, and we walk out into…

“No way,” the words left my lips before my brain registered.

“What the hell!” the guy in front of me huffed. His eyes burned red, and the horns on his head grew. He has an extra couple of inches on my height, and his black hair is darker than the night sky. He is standing next to an older devil soul collector.

“Your souls appear to be fused, merged into a single entity. So, until we can sort this error out, you will have to work together.” The high council next to me says.

“I am not working alongside some pompous goody-two-shoes.” The devil guy says.

“You have no choice. Malakor,” the older devil man next to him grips his shoulder. “Malakor Cross, meet Julian Vance.” The devil man sneers.

The high council that I came down with looms over my shoulder. “Until this predicament is resolved, your fates are intertwined, so you will journey to Earth and live there together as companions.”

I grit my teeth and nod. It is incorrect to talk back to someone higher, so I accept my fate. The sooner we get this over with, the better.

“How am I supposed to collect souls and send them to hell if I have this prick bound to me?” Malakor sneered. It is obvious how much he hates me; hates this.

“We have some undisclosed souls lingering on Earth. These gray souls need to be registered and sent to the correct place. So, between the two of you, you can send them to the right place.”

“Gray souls?” Malakor says, then snorts. “I’ll register them all and send them to hell, saving you the hassle. Then this will be done.”

“It will not be as simple as that.” I said to him.

“Oh, so you do speak?” He steps forward.

“I am not rude, and I know my rightful place and when to speak.” I lift my head and stare at him.

He leans closer to me, his hot breath ghosting over my face. “I’ll show you right from wrong, little angel boy!” A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. “I bet you have never had a dirty thought in your life before?”

“That’s enough, Malakor. You don’t want to corrupt the angel. You both have to work together until we resolve this. I’m not happy about losing my best soul collector to a clerical error.” The devil man pulls Malakor back.

“Here is a key to an apartment in downtown New York.” The high council hands me a key. “This will enable you to communicate with us when you have souls to collect.” He hands me a watch. “Keep it on your wrist at all times so we know where you are.”

I nod and accept them, placing the watch on my wrist. Meanwhile, Malakor is grumbling about wearing a similar watch. He relents eventually, and we stand together.

“Take the elevator down, and you will appear inside your apartment.”

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into the quiet, enclosed space. I stand at one corner; he stands in the center as if he owns it. His black leather pants and jacket were a stark contrast to my white, pristine outfit.

With a soft *thud*, the door closed, and the elevator jolted downwards. He turns to me and casts his burning gaze over me.

“So, did you get a system error when you checked in?” I ask him.

“So, if you’re saying that everyone in hell discovered I was a failure this morning, then yes.” Then he stalks towards me, crowding us in the already small elevator. He places his hands on either side of my head and leans in. “I don’t want to be here anymore than you do. But don’t forget, I work for the devil, and by the time I’m finished with you, you will be lucky if Heaven takes you back.”

“We are here to do a job, and you will not corrupt me.” As an employer of Heaven, we adhere to the rules.

“Corruption is the very reason I ended up in Hell,” he declared with a smirk. Lucky for me, the door opens and Malakor pulls back. “Home sweet home,” he mutters as he steps inside the apartment we are to share.

I follow him inside, my nose wrinkling with disapproval. As the elevator door closed, it seamlessly transformed into the apartment’s exit. Wonderful, now I am stuck here with the devil.

I walk through to the other rooms. “Where is the other bedroom?” I panic. There is no way they put us in here with only one bedroom?

Malakor walks through the apartment, then flops down on the bed. As he tucked his arms behind his head, his shirt rode up, exposing the flesh around his waistband. The ink from a black tattoo peeks out, and a trail of hair from his belly button disappears into his leather pants.

“Do you like what you see, Julian?” his voice teases me as he raises his hips.

“What? No, you shouldn’t expose yourself. It will make this more awkward.” I can already feel my cheeks heating with embarrassment. I’ve never felt a sexual attraction towards a man in my entire life.

“I’ll see if there is somewhere else I can stay.” With a pivot, I depart from the room. I pressed the call button on the watch, and a faint beep emanated from the device. An annoyed-looking high council answers. “There is only one bedroom; I need another place to stay.” With a thumping heart, I voiced my words, my inner voice protesting that I was making demands.

“Julian, a magical tether binds you to Malakor, keeping you within ten meters of each other. You can not separate, or both of you could be stuck in limbo forever.”

“What does that mean?” How did they not tell us this to begin with?

“We will contact you when we know more. But we will send you your first assignment shortly.” Then he hangs up.

“That’s it? I’m stuck here with him?” I mutter.

“You sound disappointed?” Malakor appears behind me. “So, no more than ten meters apart. This is going to be fun.”

“We are here to do a job, not to have fun.” I snap and then take a step back, shocked that I raised my voice.

He broke into a wild grin, the smugness of his initial smirk amplifying as if he were already winning this game he thought it was.

“Oh, pretty boy, you are going to be so much fun to break.” He grabs my chin and leans in. “Because I’m dirty as sin, and by the time this is over, you will be begging me for more.” His eyes, alight with a fiery intensity, felt as though they could devour me.

A spark ignited in my chest, a warm blush rising to my cheeks as the boldness of the statement filled me.

“You will not.” I state, but even as I say the words, I don’t believe them myself. What in God’s name is happening to me?