FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING

"State your business," his hand rested on the hilt of his word.

"Just passing through," Arella stood up from her crouched position. "I apologize about the lantern pole." She glanced at it guiltily, "I am looking for a place to rest for the night, and perhaps some food?"

The man stepped into the light some more, and she could see his raised brow as he looked at the creature, "The, um, creature will not cause you any trouble. I promise."

The man's brow raised even higher.

He obviously was not convinced.

Heck, Arella had not convinced herself either.

The man's eyes narrowed, and Arella saw the grip on his sword tighten, "That there is a Shadow Hound Miss Angel. What would a shadow hound be doing with a pretty little thing such as yourself? They don't travel with angels- or anyone else for that matter. You expect me to believe its tame?"

Arella's own eyes widened. How could she have forgotten. She was an angel for goodness sake.

In her defense though, it had been centuries since she had done her course on demonology. The only species she remembered was the Angry Bees. Those were a species of demon bees that made honey toxic to humans.

It was also the only demon species she had ever encountered and fought.

She looked at the creature silently communicating with her eyes, 'Why didn't you tell me you're a freaking Shadow Hound.'

The creature gave her a look back, one that seemed to say, 'You didn't ask.'

"You know what a Shadow Hound is, don't you Miss Angel." The title angel was spoken with some sort of bitterness that Arella did not understand why.

"Of course I do." She all but sputtered out. "We are taught these things."

The man squinted his eyes, obviously not believing her, "Then why would an angel such as yourself be travelling with one. You are aware that they are spawns of darkness, and hunters of souls. If you have one following you, there is no way you are …"

He did not finish his words, but she knew what he was insinuating. The accusation hung in the air.

That she was a defector of the heavens. These were angels who joined forces with the demons to rebel against the angels.

Corrupted Angels.

Arella was not sure if being a Fallen Angel was any better.

"Listen," she crossed her arms, "I know the stories of Shadow Hounds aren't that great, but this one," she looked back at the creature. Its jaw was slack, with its tongue lopping outside its mouth. Drool dripped from its tongue to the ground. It looked at Arella with puppy dog eyes, trying to look as pitiful as possible. "This creature attacked me. I didn't die, and now it won't leave me alone. If you want it gone, be my guest, I just need a bed and food."

Arella refused to look at the creature, knowing that she would protect it if the man decided to attach.

The man hesitated, glancing between her and the creature again.

The puppy dog eyes might have won, (either that or he was too scared to fight it), for he let go of his sword, letting out a sigh, "If it steps out of line, it's dead, and you're out of the village. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

He gestured for her to follow her, leading her to the village square as she had been instructed. Just like the other man had told her, there was a building with a sign that had a bed carved onto it.

As they walked, villages began to cautiously emerge, their eyes full of curiosity. The children were kept hidden in the houses.

 "Is there an angel stationed in this village." Arella tried to make conversation with the man.

"None for the last few decades. Last I saw one, I was just five."

Music started playing from somewhere, "Today was our annual village celebration, you are welcome to join." He gestured at the some of villagers who had started to dance.

Her stomach growled, loud enough to be heard over the low music. "I guess you do need to eat first.

Inside the inn, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. The smell of spicy roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air. At the reception was a tiny human girl with bright red hair, pale freckled skin and green eyes. She smiled up at Arella, who wondered if human girls were so small.

She was almost the same height as the human male, if not taller.

Arella's stomach rumbled again. This time, she rubbed it, 'Don't worry tummy, mommy's gonna feed you in a few minutes.'

"Room for one?" the tiny human girl asked her. She was staring up at the halo at the top of Arella's head.

"Yes." Arella smiled, as she placed the travel case on the receptionist table.

"Just a moment," the girl fumbled with a set of keys that had been hung to the wall that was at the right of the table.

She finally managed to grab one, and handed it to Arella. Both her hands were outstretched, and her head was bowed, leaving only the crown of her head visible to Arella. "Thank you." Arella took the keys in her hands.

"I will go put your case in the room. The number is on the key. Please take a seat in the eating area, someone will come to serve you." The human girl rambled before grabbing Arella's case and all but running up the stairs.

"What was that about?" Arella turned to the man, very confused.

He raised that brow, and stared pointedly at the wings resting behind her back, and the halo behind her head.

"Touché." She followed him to the eating area.

The creature chose to remain by the door, its glowing green eyes scanning the reception and what he could see of the eating area. Arella chose to seat somewhere the creature could see her.

A stout woman with kind but wary eyes approached them. "Jim. What will we be having today."

"Thank you Amanda, I already ate. I brought Miss Angel here to have a meal and to get a room. That beast out there is hers. No need to be scared."

The woman turned to her, staring at Arella with piercing gray eyes. Her dark hair had been pinned at the nape of her neck, and there was a scarf covering the crown. "Hello there Miss Angel, I am Amanda, the innkeeper. What will you be having today? I have a goat stew and a vegetable stew going. You can have either with bread."

"The vegetable stew please." Arella smiled up at her. She had been taught to never mess with the person preparing her meals.

"And the beast?"

"Have any spare raw meat?" Arella could not clearly remember what Shadow Hounds ate, but meat was a good choice for any carnivorous animal, right?

"None at the moment." Amanda seemed nervous.

"The goat stew should work then. In the biggest bowl you have please."

"Yes ma'am."

Amanda nodded, took out a rag from her apron, wiped down the table, then left.

"As you heard, the name's Jim. Assistant village chief." Jim stretched out his hand.

Arella stared at the outstretched hand for a few seconds, confused as to what to do with it.

"Not that big on handshakes it seems." Jim slowly took his hand back.

Arella cocked her head, "Handshake?"

"It is sort of a greeting for humans." Jim seemed to realize his mistake, "When you introduce yourself, you shake someone's hand to show that you mean no harm."

"I see." Arella looked down at her palm, then stretched it out, "Arella of the Angels of water."

Jim took her outstretched hand and shook it. It was a new experience for Arella. After letting go of his hand, she looked down at her palm once more.

"Handshake." She murmured.

Just a few seconds later, the innkeeper came back, holding a steaming tray of food. She placed it on the table and placed three plates in front of Arella.

One bowl had the vegetable stew, another bowl some steamed potatoes and the last plate had the bread. "Thank you." Arella offered Amanda a smile as she immediately dug into the meal.

"One spiced wine for me Mandy."

"Will be right out Jim." Amanda left.

As Arella ate, she could feel the man's gaze upon her. He waited until she had finished half her meal, and his wine had been brought out, before he spoke up finally.

He leaned forward on the table, "So," he began, "An angel in the human realm. You don't see that every day. Have you been assigned to our village?"

If that was the case, then Arella would have been dropped off at the village church, not in the middle of nowhere. Still, she did not divulge this information.

"I am on a temporary assignment."

"Temporary assignment?"

She shrugged, "It is a little bit complicated, so let's leave it at that."

The man frowned, but did not press her further. Instead, he glanced at the Shadow Hound that was enjoying its own meal. Arella followed his gaze, but did not keep her eyes on the creature for long. The stew was too good and the last thing she wanted was for it to finish it when it was cold.

"And what plan do you have for that thing?" he finally asked. "You cannot drag it around through the villages without causing a panic. You already saw how the villagers acted just on seeing it."

Arella was frustrated, "It's not like I planned for it to follow me." She took another bite of the stew, "It is not attacking anyone though, is it?"

"Yet." He took another sip of his wine.

Arella gripped her spoon a little bit tighter, "Look, I know it is weird, I get it. It's a dangerous being. I am not here to cause any trouble. If you want, I will be gone by morning, and you will never have to see me or the creature again. Deal?"

He studied her for a moment, before nodding reluctantly, "Deal, but if anything happens..."

"You'll kill it. We already went through this Jim."

He nodded tersely, finished the last of his spiced wine, then stood. He gave her one last wary look before leaving the table.

"Such a friendly place." Arella scoffed to herself. Even in the inn, the people stared at her wings and halo. It was almost like she was an exotic animal.

Granted she was a totally different species. However, that was not the point.

The Shadow Hound let out a low growl from the doorway, and she glanced at him, "You agree with me huh." She continued to eat her food, enjoying the brief moment of peace.