Malik's throat momentarily tightened and he swallowed. "So... you've killed people?"

Vasile stared at Malik for a while without saying anything. "Yes. Don't be dumb, Malik." His voice felt blunter than normal.

"You were human once. Do you ever have human feelings about killing?"

Vasile pushed to sit up fully with his hands folded in his lap. He yawned and covered his mouth with the back of his arm. "It's been a long time since I was human."

"And so you don't have any human instincts anymore?"

"What do you think human instincts would be?" Tilting his head to the side a little, Vasile smiled while he watched Malik.

"A human wouldn't enjoy killing another human."

"You're just hopeful. Projecting." Vasile laughed. He shifted, pulling his legs onto the bed and scooting back to lean against the pillows, though never letting his eyes off of Malik for long. He watched for any slight change in Malik's expression. "The human instinct is to enjoy it."

"Do you?" There was no tone in Malik's voice or expression in his face that would give the impression of judgment, negativity, or aggression. Instead, his expression was soft, focused, curious. Maybe understanding, but that might've been giving Malik too much credit. It was the job of angels to judge the sinners, to assume themselves better than the humans, those who have fallen away. There was a time when Vasile wondered what angels talked about when they were with each other, when they were watching humans, when they were doing anything, but answering prayers. How stupid the humans must be, how cruel they must be, how humans — and every creature derived from humanity — likely deserved whatever shit they had to live through. They weren't victims of circumstances, but arbiters of it. They were all holier-than-thou bastards. "Yes, I do."

Vasile watched for Malik's expression to change. Something of disgust or judgment or pain, maybe, but there was nothing.

"Should I assume every vampire has killed at some point, then?" Malik said.

"Yes, you should, because it's instinctual. Any vampire that tells you they haven't killed is either lying or delusional," Vasile said. He gave it a pause and took his phone from the nightstand beside the bed. "And you would be naive to think those same instincts don't exist in an incubus."

Malik gripped the tablet in a pulse, holding his breathe for a moment until they relaxed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the only reason for an incubus to come here is to feed and they have a much easier time 'overeating' than vampires—"

"I understand that. It's one of the reasons I believe he would do better here. He's very young. At the last party, he didn't stay to consume anything—"

"He was still feeding on sexuality."

"I understand that," Malik said. "But I don't think he knows or understands his hunger. I'm not sure if he even knows why he came here. As you mentioned, he wasn't the one who put in the application. I thought maybe he would have come with someone, maybe with someone older showing him some things, but I guess demons do things a little differently than angels."

"They didn't teach you that in Heaven?" Vasile laughed, tossing his phone aside on the bed. "While you'r experiment's here, he's your responsibility."

"Experiment?" Malik said. "I don't have any bad intentions. Why would you say experiment?"

"Would you prefer ward? Or child maybe? I'm sure the angels above would leave references to your child—"

"Experiment is fine," Malik said.

"I don't want any trouble. I don't want any of our clients to worry. I don't want anyone going missing. The sanctuary has promised to keep those who choose to reside here safe and those who travel here a place of refuge from outsiders. Your decision to take interest in a demonic force should endanger them or my business. Is that understand?" Vasile said, again, watching Malik carefully for any change in his demeanor, in his expression, maybe a twitch in his fingers, but the angel's body language didn't defy him and he smiled warmly. "The young ones have a tendency to get ahead of themselves. All young ones."

"I understand. I don't intend for anything bad to happen. I hope that bringing him here might actually stop some bad things from happening. I don't believe I've witnessed you harm anyone since I've been here—"

"And you aren't around me at all hours of the day, are you?" Vasile smiled in a way that showed his fangs.

Malik's smile wavered for a moment, but quickly returned. "It will all be fine. I know plenty of information about incubuses to help him mature without incident. Did you know that most incubuses are born to human women and without the father around? Normally incubuses seduce their partner with the intention of laying an heir, though most never intent to return to the seed once they've sewed it. The behavior isn't discussed in any further way except through general desire to procreate and leave the earth with more destruction and deviancy. With the birth of every incubus, there is a new tempter spawn into the area. As you said, they can severely harm people when they are eating if they aren't paying attention, but the main goal for most incubuses is not to harm anyone. They prefer to engage a continually growing pool of individuals who grow more sexual each time they have an experience."

All the while Malik spoke, Vasile watched him. A plain expression, inquisitive, raised eyebrows maybe and a small smile, he couldn't help but be entertained. He didn't care about the information. Over the centuries Vasile had heard his fair share of incubus lore from different cultures, lore, and points in history. While he wasn't a scholar on demonic entities, he knew enough about incubus in general and what parts of the lore were real. Where they came from or the lack of a father was no concern to him. "Is that why you're so interested in him?" Vasile said. "You want him to make each interaction with you more sexual?"

"No. I've told you, it doesn't work like that with me; with angels. The only way we can ever be aroused is if we have love for the creature. The free-love type you are thinking of is no longer an angel if they ever once were. They are either humans or expats, fallen angels with their grace stripped away or they've become demons. But angels can't fall victim to normal lust and the phenomenal inclinations of an incubus have no effect. There's nothing to manipulate."

"That's interesting..." Vasile pursed his lips and then grinned. "But don't believe it. You're saying you can fall in love and then have sex, but you can't or won't... just do the do?"

"No. Of course not. It's strictly an expression of love — which angels shouldn't have anyway. To fall in love would bring an angel closer to humanity and would break the angelic oath—"

"Is that what happened to you? Did you make the mistake of falling in love and have sex?" Vasile hoped to see something change on Malik's face. A flicker a guilt, a twitch, a turn away, something fairly visible that showed Malik's shame or embarrassment or repulsion. There wasn't anything big; maybe the swallow was a hint. His fingers gripped the tablet and let go, but he'd done that a few times already. "You have a pretty good poker face."

"Why don't you ever participate?" Malik said.

Vasile leaned up and tilted his head to the side.

"I would think someone who starts a business like this would gleefully reap their own benefits, but you don't even unbutton your shirt or loosen your tie at any of the events you've held since I've been here. You don't seem entertained by the acts you've created."

Vasile stands up. "I didn't build this place up to get off." He meanders his way toward Malik. "This is purely work." He pressed his fingers to Malik's chest. The angel stood his ground and hardened himself in place. Vasile's hand flattened against Malik's chest and slowly moved up against it. "I get off on my own time, in my own way..."

"By killing people?" Malik said quickly. "Is that how you do it?"

Vasile dropped his hand to his side and walked past Malik. "No, it's not by killing people. Everything is about staying low these days. No murder, no... careless feeding. There's an order to things now. Why do you think I'm sipping off a glass and desperate whores who'll let anyone latch on to their necks for some money?"

Malik was quick to follow Vasile, leaving room between them. His eyes brightened and his lips threatened a smile. "So if you could freely kill without the order, you would do it right now? Not right his second, but, normally?"

"No. I wouldn't." Vasile turned back to Malik. "I'm not an animal." He winked. He moved from his room past the living room and to the small dining room. Corners of it were cluttered with carefully arranged notes, applications, letters, gifts, notifications with more than a handful of books stacked on another side. The table hadn't been used for meals in quite some time.

Malik smiled. "I knew you weren't as bad as you said you are." He came up behind Vasile and squeezed his arms.

"Nice try." Vasile shrugged out of Malik's hold. He didn't move away, but turned to face Malik and gave him a close inspection. Malik was a young-looking angel, technically he was young in the way angel's age as well, but he looked it. His appearance wasn't much older than Vasile's, if they didn't share the same 'age' of appearance in general. He had a gentle face, a gentle, square jaw, but strong, bright eyes. The one blue eye was bright at least, and that gave him a perpetual look of hope and curiosity. In some ways that made Malik look younger as both those traits were more youthful. Vasile would know; he hadn't been hopeful or curious since he was a child. Malik's form was fit and trim and perfect for a performer. A smile spread on Vasile's lips and he stroked his chin. "They really took their time to craft you a nice body, didn't they?"

Malik shook his head immediately. "This body wasn't designed for this purpose; angels have the appearance of their soul."

"Oh?" Vasile chuckled. "That's perfect. If your body matches your soul, it must mean you were meant to work the stage—"

"What?" The smile vanished from Malik's face and changed to alarm.

"I could promote you," Vasile walked around Malik, letting his eyes wander down Malik's back and over his ass before reaching the other side. "Perhaps you and Gage could put on a nice show. Demon and angel, priest and altar boy? I think it'd be cute."

"No!" Malik stepped back and turned to Vasile quickly. "No, no, no, no, no." He continued stepping back with each word falling faster than the last, nearly cutting himself off. "My body wasn't meant for that."

"Doesn't look like it to me." Vasile shrugged and went back to the stacks of papers on the table. "How did you get yourself in this predicament again, Malik?" Vasile shuffled through a finances book with a green cover. "What did you do to wind up on trial?" When Malik didn't respond for a while, Vasile closed the book and turned around.

Malik took a step back and shook his head. "I never told you anything about that. I'm not allowed to talk about pending trials."

"What's there to hide about a trial?" Vasile craned his head to the side. "Perhaps they already know you're a lost cause."

"Why would you say that?"

Vasile pulled out a chair at the table and sat. Lacing his fingers together, he rested his chin atop his hands and watched Malik. "If you're such an upstanding citizen of... wherever it is you came from, then how did you end up here, in this situation? Hvn isn't the only sanctuary around here." He blatantly stared at Malik's black eye and even after Malik broke the glance, he continued to stare. "Just call it a hunch."

"Trials and tribulations happen to everyone," Malik said through a tight jaw. His shoulders tightened and shook slightly. "You can recover from anything, seek redemption. I don't know how it works for you, being a vampire, but you aren't instantly removed as an angel if you... stumble on something."

"I disagree." Vasile folded his arms and leaned back. "Sometimes there are things you can't come back from, sins no amount of prayers can cleanse your soul of. Even if you are lucky enough to be given forgiveness, it doesn't undo what you've done; it leaves a stain." Vasile grabbed one of the books off of the nearby stack and sharply flipped it open; the hardcover smacked into the table. He pressed his finger to the pages and gently ran it over the ink. "A dark mark that might fade, but it's always there, even if you cover it up with paint.

Malik laughed, but it was jagged and uncomfortable and it didn't last long. "You sound like you want me to fail — or anyone to fail if they seek redemption." Malik looked back at Vasile, but turned away again when it was clear Vasile still stared at him, at his bad guy. "You choose to live in Hell, but no one else has to." Keeping his arms at his sides, Malik walked to the table and stood across from where Vasile sat. He pressed his palms into the wood and leaned forward. "You said you don't kill people anymore. You could seek forgiveness. It might not erase what you've done on earth, but it will set things right in the holy court. No one is stained forever, Vasile."

Vasile ran his tongue over his fangs before peeling his eyes away to look down at the words on the page beneath his finger. "I don't have any desire to set things right in the holy court. The point of a stain is that it doesn't go away and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Your eye is evidence you've learned something you didn't know before, done something you hadn't done before. The point of a stain is that it doesn't go away, Malik. I don't deserve to escape the crimes I've committed and I've accepted that. Life is far more interesting this way."

"I can't speak for the judge," Malik straightened out, "but I don't hold anything against you for the wrong you might've done."

With a small smirk on his lips, Vasile squinted at his work. He shook his head and flipped the pages in the book. "You're foolish then if you're willing to forgive me without knowing the things I've done."

"That's fine. I'll be foolish then." Malik took his tablet off the edge of the table. "Some would say that's already self-evident." He pointed at his face, a half-hearted, sheepish way to point at his eye without actually drawing full attention to his eye.

"Let me know when you want a pair," Vasile said. "I'll promote you immediately."

Malik laughed and shook his head. "I'll perform in your club the day you actually enjoy your own amenities."

Vasile crossed his arms, a smile slowly curled onto his lips. "I'll keep that in mind and hold you to it, Malik. Don't worry, I'll cater a show just for you."

"That won't be necessary," the words became stuck in Malik's throat for a moment. A soft buzz interrupted and Malik lifted the tablet and flicked his finger over the screen. "Your dinner is here. I will bring her up," and without any pause, hesitation, or another word, Malik left.