Balendin Abbandonato rolled the shoulders of his new body. The doctor's conscience was slowly fading away as his own thoughts, memories and knowledge of Balendin's past began to fill up his new brain.

Recollections of the centuries he spent in the rancid and destroyed parts of purgatory as punishment for his previously mortal existence were now a distant memory in the body of the vengeful ex scientist. Thanks to his angels and a few other powerful beings, he had returned to Earth. And almost to his full power.

His fallen angels truly had impressed him. To even perform such a complicated and power draining ritual must have taken thousands of years of practice.

They even managed to scrounge up new members of their order! Many of whom would gladly allow him to drain their spirits so that he could obtain more supernatural powers.

How easy mortals fell to the soft whispers of everlasting life and power.

Then again, Balendin wasn't so different.

How he ended up dead in the first place was thanks to his insatiable need for more knowledge and power of the dark arts. He had summoned the devil himself. Then deeply insulted him by challenging his power, suggesting he could control his realm better than the banished angel could.

That explained why, when he died, he ended up in purgatory.

Not even Satan wanted him in his domain.

Now, Balendin knew that Hell did not hold the ultimate power. He had to return to the source of power and energy itself.

According to the good scientist that he had so rudely taken, the SCP had knowledge of the place he was looking for. SCP-001 as they called it. Well, it wasn't SCP-001 specifically, it was what SCP-001 was guarding that had Balendin's obsessions.

But he needed the boy.

Able.

"Your ridiculous plan couldn't bring him in."

"The girl got in the way."

"There is always an excuse with you Ragiel. That girl, could have easily been dealt with. Your "champion" failed."

Balendin looked behind him to see Yazrel (the purple haired female fallen) and Ragiel (the older caucasian fallen) arguing with each other. The purple haired fallen angel pointed an accusatory finger at her angelic brother.

"We should stop relying on those demons and bring him in ourselves." Yazrel argued.

"And when that undead abomination tears you apart then what?" Ragiel asked. Referring to Able as the "undead abomination".

"He can't take us all at once."

Jundal, the fallen angel with Asian features walked up the steps into the main conference room of the old stone church that the cult of The 5th Church now occupies.

"Why can't we just take the other brother again?" Ragiel asked, annoyed at his siblings bickering.

"Any harm that befalls that one is inflicted on the one who harmed him. He is protected by the big guy upstairs." Ragiel huffed. "Regardless, he's just as powerful as Able. It's suicide."

"We are immortal." Yazrel said.

"Demons are immortal too. Did you not see what happened to the one we sent?"

The angels fell silent.

"There is no need to fight." Balendin cooed, "no creature of your inherent existence could summon a powerful enough entity to overpower Able."

"We need to act now. Please, Balendin, Master, let us bring him to you." Yazrel begged, "it's been centuries since we've seen battle."

Balendin rubbed his beard. Considering the angel's request.

He just needed time.

-*-

Arms and legs twisted together in the bed of the immortal being named Able.

Emre was the first to wake up. It was nothing like those teen dramas where you wake up spooning with your dream boy. Where he's whispering good mornings into your ear and creepily watching you while you sleep because he woke up first.

Nope.

Because there isn't a teen drama in the world where you're trying to fight the temptations of a biblical, thousands of years old, grumpy, killing machine who is now apparently very interested in you.

There's no how to girl handbooks and relationship magazines to help you navigate what to do when your "suitor" is sleeping next to you, sharp teeth showing, and uncut deadly nails twitching near your neck and hair.

No advice out there when he actually fucking purrs and pulls you in closer. Just for you to begrudgingly melt into his touch like a lovesick puppy because he smells like evergreen trees in the woods and the cinnamon in the cabinet.

There's no advice columns for this kind of shit! Emre screamed internally.

Emre screwed her eyes shut. What was she thinking? What possessed her to ask Able, out of all men in the whole entire universe, to sleep next to her.

Furthermore, what possessed him to take her into his room to do so?

Wasn't there traditional rules and regulations to this kind of stuff? Or did Able like to pick and choose which old customs he was okay with following?

Emre looked at him. Really looked at him under the cover of sun peeking out through his window blinds.

She would be a total liar to say that he wasn't gorgeous. His curled, wooly black hair needed to be cut again. And she realized that she always said that to herself. He had a 6 o clock shadow because he started shaving weeks ago just to appease her. As he slept she could see his pointed teeth behind full lips. Teeth that he would probably use on her if he got his way. Lips that could kiss so well despite his age. Able cut his freaking nails two nights ago and they were already forming points again on his fingers again. Emre mildly wondered what they would feel like raking down her skin, then she shut her eyes to get rid of the thoughts that were making her cheeks redden. His hot, tanned skin was covered in black arcane tattoos that she didn't understand and was pretty confident that not even Able understood them all.

He was still good ole, demanding, assertive, aggressive, rude, territorial, grumpy Able. Just...different. He's been different ever since that demon attack landed her in the hospital.

And honestly, since then, she was different too.

Her ribs still had a dull ache. But Emre was beyond scared. She didn't have a lot of boyfriends over the years and she wasn't even a virgin. But this whole thing scared her. She was privy to every fling and relationship her best friend Tana had gotten herself in.

Emre's eyebrows shot up.

That's it!

She could ask her! Tana would know what to do. Tana could give her advice about this kind of stuff.

Emre's bladder started to tighten. Uh no...why now? I gotta pee...she groaned. Emre tried to gently wiggle free out of Able's possessive hold. His large arms encircled her. Reminding her of just how big he was compared to her. Just as she gained the tiniest bit of freedom, Able had pulled her in again, growling and mumbling something in his native language.

"W-what?" Emre strained to hear what he was saying,

"Why are you trying to escape me." Was what she managed to understand as Able rubbed his face into her long curly hair.

Emre actually chuckled. Then she was sure that the tiny lifting of Able's mouth was her imagination. Did he just smile at her laugh?Emre poked him on the tip of his nose with a skinny finger. A bold and yet strangely intimate action that surprised even her. Able opened his eyes. Steely grey eyes gazed down at her and It surprised her even more when Able didn't give her an angry or annoyed look, but instead let out a pleased rumble from his chest.

The guy is more animal than human with all these noises.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Emre told Able.

Able still pulled her in closer.

"Kiss me first." He purred. The vibration making Emre feel like a jiggling jelly.

"No. I have morning breath." She chuckled.

"And I have 3 days to court you, starting today." Able responded gruffly, "now...mortal...das tu'r la'li aḥ tun." (Let me kiss you)

The way Able spoke his own language made everything go straight between her legs.

Emre leaned into Able and kissed him. Her smaller hands resting on his shirt covered chest as his own clutched her back and shoulder. She faintly felt his skin beneath the cloth vibrating.

Able kept the kiss relatively...pure. She felt him holding back as his skin burned and his lips gently took hers.

He stopped the kiss this time. Rubbing his forehead on her own and holding her as if any second he'd be ripped away.

Did he know something she did not?

Able hesitated before rolling over onto his back. His arms releasing her. Leaving her uncomfortably cold.

"I'm going to make breakfast after I go, Okay?"

Able only nodded. His mood and attitude suddenly much different. Reserved.

When Emre left the room Able looked at the arcane tattoo on his right arm.

It had changed over night.

The symbols clearly warning him of something that was coming.

Something dangerous.