Claimed By Azaziel

Demon In Shining Armor

Vynessa walked into her house after the date-not-date she had with Azaziel, she noticed he had not spoken for a while, turned around and Azaziel was no where to be found, even the Rolls-Royse was gone. She panicked for a minute, searching everywhere, including the sky like she would find him floating just above her chimney.

Then it dawned on her, he had not spent the night at her place the night he came to her either. He just materialized there in the morning.

Where did he go when he wasn't with her? Did he have someone else he had cut a deal with? Was it a lady? Was she pretty? Did she smile really brightly the way he always said he liked?

Vynessa groaned and went straight into the bathroom to wash off the stress of the day.

She knew that the rabbit hole she was digging for herself now will hurt her later, bury her alive, but she could not stop the low self-esteem from gnawing at her.

What was she doing? What did she expect from a demon? To stay with her forever? In her home? Like a freaking roommate??

Vynessa scrubbed at her skin roughly till it began to sting.

"Well, if he has better things to do, I'll just be busy as well. I won't even acknowledge him when he comes back!" Finally done with her painful bath and pep talk, Vynessa wrapped a towel around her body and walked out into the room.

"Your arms are red, Vynessa"

"Jesus! f**k you scared me!!"

"Language, Vynessa"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't see you or even hear you come in" She said as she looked at him, trying to understand where he must have gone.

Azaziel leaned his butt on her vanity table, crossing his legs at the ankle. He still wore the same clothes he had on before.

"You left me" she said before she could stop herself. What the f**k!? Why was her mouth betraying her like this?

"I looked for you and you weren't there. You just disappeared" She corrected. Hoping it sounded more firm and aloof. Like she really did not care about where he was or WHO he was with.

"I had things to do" Was all he offered.

"Things? Do I ever get to know about them?" When Azaziel did not respond, she reviced her question and asked again. "Does it concern me?" No answer.

"It does, doesn't it? Tell me, please"

"You're not ready for that information, Vynessa Thorne, not yet" Azaziel finally answered.

"Is it about the deal? Is something wrong? Will I die?" Vynessa rambled on with her questions.

"Who was it that begged me to kill her just a day ago?" Azaziel asked, flashing his lazy smile.

The demon was deflecting. There was something going on, and he was keeping it from her. Vynessa's mind swam with memories of having the same thing done over and over again to her. Of her parents keeping secrets from her, only to abandon her later. Their divorce had been messy and even while they were at each other's throat on what property to divide, no one had moved to claim Vynessa.

Being an only child, she turned to friends for company, until they too began to choose others, leaving her out, abandoning her all over again.

"I don't like liars" Vynessa stated finally.

"It is the same everywhere, Vynessa. Nobody likes liars"

"But you're lying to me"

"I have never lied to you, Vynessa Thorne"

"But you're keeping things from me!!" She yelled, closing her eyes tight to keep the tears in. She would not cry in front of him. She had done it before on front of her parents, friends and everyone else. It had changed nothing.

"Is it dangerous? What you're keeping from me, does it put me in danger? Or are you just plain f*****g avoiding me?!" She opened her eyes and he was gone.

Azaziel did not come back for two weeks. And in that time, Vynessa had reverted back to her old self. Dark, sad and yet unfeeling.

They had to be something wrong with her. Even a demon from hell avoided her.

In two weeks, she had run out of groceries, and had to drag herself away from the bed to put on a tank top and loose trousers.

Even the sun outside was too f*****g high for her eyes, so she put on a face cap.

"It would just be a quick in and out, Vynessa, you need the food". She encouraged herself as she strolled into the Walmart store, and walked straight to the food stuff stand.

" You need the food. You need the food. You need the food. You need the food. You need the food. You need the food. You need the food. You need the food, she kept on saying to herself with every weird look a karen gave her, for every unfriendly or friendly stare at the state of her clothes, she just kept saying it she got every thing she needed. Once done, she walked to the cashier to pay.

"Nessa?" A small female voice said. Vynessa turned to find one of her old friends staring at her, and then her clothes, and then she could see the amusement light up in the girls eyes.

Vynessa nodded in greeting before paying, grabbing her stuff and walking out.

Vynessa did not even make it half way to the parking lot before the girl grabbed her by the hand, effectively stopping her and then swung her around.

"Where are you going to, Nessa?" The sneering lady asked.

"I don't have time for this Bridget. I've got plans to meet up with. Vynessa said with her voice buried somewhere in her throat.

"Oh come on, Nessa. What plans? I heard you were spotted with some hot hunk some weeks ago, but I called bullshit!! And seeing you right now, I still call bullshit" Vynessa tried to move but Bridget still held on to her hand.

"I mean, look at you. You're dressed like a f*****g hobo. You look f*****g homeless. I just had to find out for myself and honestly, I have to say, him not surprised.

Vynessa felt strange. She remembered she had felt that way before, at the restaurant when Azaziel had walked out of the back kitchen. Like someone, another presence was in her mind. Almost like they were just there breathing close to her ear. She could almost feel them.

" Vynessa " that voice, that sultry, dark, ensuring voice spoke a few feet away from her.

He must have seen the look of pure desperation and equal thanksgiving on her face because he walked straight and briskly toward her.

Azaziel wrapped both of his arms around her and then brought them to place on both sides of her face.

"You left the house looking like this? Do you want to murder me, woman" Azaziel said in the most calm and swoon worthy voice ever.

"I'm wearing─"

"You're wearing my trousers, baby. I don't mind, but now you just look so hot, what if someone kidnapped you just for your beauty. It's a dangerous world, woman"

From the side of her eye, Vynessa could see Bridget re-examining her clothes like she was seeing them in a new light.

She was angry with Azaziel, but at that moment, all she felt was gratitude. Vynessa played along.

"You're just jealous they look better on me"

"That they do, Vynessa. That they do indeed. Now how about I take this things off of you" Azaziel said and took her grocery shopping bags from her; "and then we can go have a long talk about you taking my things without permission" added, leaning his head close to hers like he was about to kiss her.

Vynessa's heart seized.

"Ahem. Ahem" the fake cough came from Bridget who must have felt left out since the couple in front of her appeared to be in their own little love bubble.

"Nessa?"

"Who is this?" Azaziel asked with the same raise of his eye brows.

Vynessa who was still reeling from the... Whatever it was needed time to even remember her name, let alone someone else's.

"This is...uhh...uhm..."

"Bridget! My name is Bridget" Bridget supplied hastily. "And you are...?"

"Not interested in knowing you" Azaziel finished for her.

"Maybe if we met under better circumstances..." Azaziel continued.

"Oh no no no. Nessa here has been my friend for years. We even went to the same college, well, she dropped out. Failed so many of her classes, she could not keep up, I guess. I don't blame her though"

Why didn't she just take out a gun and shoot her instead of being such a sneaky hater? Vynessa thought.

"She probably just could not handle her friends."

"Huh?

" Come on, love. Let's get you home"

Azaziel said and then stirred Vynessa towards the very clean, very shiny Lamborghini.

"You got another car?"

"I've got a lot of things, Love. Get in" Azaziel said as he opened the car door for her to sit, leaving an annoyed Bridget staring after them.

Immediately they were finally inside the car, the air immediately became cold, like Azaziel was resetting himself. Going right back to the distant demon who avoided her. Azaziel breathed in deeply and let out a sigh.

"I need to tell you something"