Paul paused and tilted his head as Gabriel began to plead, asking for things he knew he had no right to ask for, speaking beyond what he was allowed to say. Gabriel was never this disobedient, never this brazen and it surprised Paul. The separation was no excuse for lack of discipline, no matter how they might have missed each other.<br/><br/>"What is this...?" Paul asked, the riding crop lowered with no intention of being used again any time soon. "What has happened to my obedient angel? You cannot possibly be him.<i>My </i>angel would never be so selfish as to beg.<i>My </i>angel would be happy and content with what I choose to give him.<i>My </i>angel earns what he deserves."<br/><br/>Paul's vague and bored voice grew ever harder as he spoke, the cold, harsh anger apparent in his steadily rising tone.<br/><br/>"My<i>angel </i>would never dare to disappoint me," he murmured coldly, the words dropped into a low and dangerous timber. "You cannot possibly be him."