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should avoid that place. Ren wanted to be anywhere but at that
marketplace. But if Adam went alone, the demoness would be there, pushing him
toward the scroll. He needed to keep Meela and her evil well away from Adam.
    “I would love to go with you.” The words rang hollow and a
vile taste filled his mouth.
    A lie.
    He, a ranking Angel of Annunciation for the Most High, had
lied. The honesty inherent in beings of the Heavens had been violated.
    By him.
    Meela had been right. He was Falling.
    He curled his hands around the cup of hot chocolate and
watched the steam curl up from it. The night shadows painted the back of his
hand black, as black as the scales which covered the Fallen.
    Adam took a sip of his coffee and leaned over the table.
“It’s colder than I’d realized out here. Would you be interested in going back
to my place for a while? Just to talk, or whatever.”
    Ren took a too-large gulp of the scalding chocolate.
    Whatever.
    Even Ren’s awkward social skills couldn’t mistake the
invitation the human offered. The image of the two of them, tongues tangling,
limbs intertwined, hard body pressed against hard body, flashed through his
head.
    Did he want that? His cock, now hard in the denim pants he
wore, assured him that he did.
    But was he really ready for Adam’s whatever ?
    “I would like to go to your place, but am not sure…”
    “No pressure. Nothing you don’t want. I’m not ready to say
goodbye yet.”
    “Neither am I.”
    * * * * *
    When Adam finally pulled into his driveway, the tension was
so thick he felt as if his nerves would shatter. He wiped his hand on his jeans
for what must have been the hundredth time. He had been hyperaware of Ren the
entire trip to the house. The scent of him, a scent unlike anything Adam had
ever smelled before, filled the car, leaving Adam’s head spinning. Unlocking
his front door, he automatically reached his right hand out and brushed his
fingertips over the mezuzah.
    He hesitated, his fingers still poised on the scroll case.
    You are a man of faith.
    He brought his fingers to his lips and moved on, leading Ren
inside.
    Adam hung his coat on its hook and emptied his pockets,
placing the contents in the bowl on the entry table. Rote. Routine. Thoughtless
actions he always performed as he walked through his front door. Just like
touching the mezuzah his parents gave him.
    He was not a man of faith. He’d lost that five years ago
when his heart had been shattered.
    Now he was a creature of habit.
    Adam turned to find Ren poised in the doorway, looking for
all the world as if he was making a decision that would change his life
forever. Maybe he was. Adam gave Ren what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
    Returning it with an uncertain smile of his own, Ren turned
to study the mezuzah for a moment before brushing his fingers over the scroll
case. Then, meeting Adam’s eyes, he brushed his fingertips over his mouth.
    Adam’s breath caught and he couldn’t look away as Ren
stepped over the threshold.
    “Your home is quite pleasant, Adam.” Ren’s voice wavered
ever so slightly.
    “Um, thanks.” He glanced at the simple furnishings, unsure
what Ren found appealing. “My mother wanted to decorate it, but I just went for
comfort.”
    “It does look quite comfortable. I find the lack of artifice
refreshing and relaxing.”
    A bark of laughter escaped before Adam could stop it. “Does
that mean you like things plain?”
    Ren cocked his head and thought before answering. “I suppose
it does. There is a truth in the plainness, is there not?”
    Adam looked at his home once more, studying it this time.
There was nothing in the room that was not his. The simple beige walls and
brown leather furniture, the shelves of books, even the stack of newspapers by
his favorite chair were all things which appealed to him, which reflected his
taste, his desire for simplicity, comfort and function in his home.
    “I suppose there is. In which case, what you see is what