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My body felt tingly all over as if all of my limbs were asleep. I groggily opened my eyes and sat up, finding myself in a big room. The bed I was in was made of something that looked like cherry wood with dark gray covers and mauve sheets. Laying on the bed at my feet was a bouquet of red roses. The walls had a grayish purple wallpaper with black vines. In the room, there was a marble fireplace, a minibar, a black vanity (with a golden bell on it) and wardrobe, a crystal chandelier, a purple sofa, and two black, wing back chairs.

I got out of bed, and feeling something furry under my feet, I looked down to see a white tiger skin rug, covering this part of the room. A gray and white oriental rug covered the sitting area. I caught a glimpse of myself in the vanity mirror. I was now wearing a blue dress with a black ribbon...Wait...Who changed me? I tried to open the door, but it was locked and there was no key card in sight.

No matter...Even if I made it out of the room, I'd still have to make it down stairs, into the lobby, and out the door. Even then I'd have to navigate Hell it self and find a way out and back home. Despite my luxurious surroundings, I knew was a prisoner here and I didn't like it. What I didn't know was why. If he wanted me to suffer he could have just killed or taken someone I cared about like Maghen or Beth. Taking me instead wouldn't gain him anything. If I didn't reap, Hell's increasing population would abruptly flat line. He was to conniving to do this spontaneously, so what was the motive?

On the other side of things, he also seemed to genuinely care what I thought and about my comfort. The room was proof enough of that. It was decorated in my favorite colors and unlike everything else in the hotel I'd seen, which seemed classy, yet aged, everything in here was new. The vanity was piled high with makeup in my usual color scheme, the wardrobe was filled with beautiful clothes, all my size. The adjoining bathroom even had my favorite brand of soap along with bath bombs, soaps, bubble baths, and oils. Why go through all of this trouble? Was it possible that he actually thought that I could be happy here?

He hadn't seemed vindictive. Thinking back, I couldn't remember one harsh word or tone toward me from him since he was sent back here. Everything Jake had done to or because of me up to this point was about getting my favor or attention. And the whole thing about knowing me at prom... Who was he? Obviously high ranking here based on what I'd seen thus far. This kind of thing had never happened before. No angel had ever been dragged into the abyss before. It happened to mortals occasionally but the only angels who came here were fallen and they were no longer our kind once they entered. That hadn't happened to me. My faith and love for my Father was intact.

The click and beep of a key card broke my train of thought. I unfurled my wings (rather easily since my dress was backless, possibly for this very reason) and took a defensive pose. A honey haired girl walked in in a maid's uniform with the hotel logo stitched into her breast pocket. She jumped in surprise when she saw me up, wings spread and quickly lowered her gaze.

"E...Excuse me, miss, would you like me to make up your room now or should I come back later?" She spoke English, but her voice had a slight German tone to it. It was faint however, as if she hadn't spoken in her native tongue or to other Germans in a long time. She looked slightly familiar... Perhaps I had reaped her?
"Uh...Now's fine," I said and she visibly relaxed, beginning her work. "May I ask you're name?"

"My name is Hanna Amsel, miss. I've been assigned to you." Oh...She had been one of my students in the 40's...poor thing... "I'm your maid."

"Hanna...It's me...Miss Engel?" I folded my wings and held my hair up in a makeshift bun.

Her eyes widened in recognition. "I apologize for any misconduct I may have caused, Miss. I promise I had no idea you were der Todesengel back then."

"I would have been surprised if you had." I gave her a small smile, letting my hair drop. "You were always a good girl, Hanna. What could you have possibly done to end up here?"

"If you don't mind, miss, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ok...So what was the receptionist going on about Jake being a prince? He doesn't seem regal to me."

"Oh, you mustn't let Mr. Thorn hear you say such things out loud. He is a prince. Of the Third Circle."

"And how did Mr. 'I make teenagers suffer for fun' end up in such a position?"

"He's one of the Originals. Surely you must know that."

Oh. I knew about the Originals. They were the eight original angels who had chosen to follow Lucifer. The first to be exiled with him. The first demons...Maybe I had known Jake after all...before the dawn of man... Lucifer physically couldn't leave Hell, but they could, and they had been causing trouble in the civilizations of man kind since he was kicked out of Eden. "I know them. It's just hard to remember or even imagine someone like Jake as an angel."

"More like impossible," Hanna smiled. "Big Daddy runs a tight ship around here. Even the Originals are expected to behave accordingly."

"I'm sorry...Who?" I furrowed my brow."

"Lucifer, miss. That's what we call him down here."

"Geez..." I groaned. "So what does Jake want this time?"

"That's easy. He only wants for you to be happy. After all, you two are to be bound."

"Bound?"

"I don't know what you would call it... And I really shouldn't say more. He intends it to be a surprise after you've adjusted."

"I need to see him. Now. Can you take me to him?"

"Yes, of course. The prince has asked to see you anyhow."

I slipped on a pair of heels from the wardrobe, retracted my wings and followed Hanna downstairs. She paused in front of big paneled doors. "It's safer if you go in alone, miss. I know he means you no harm."

"That's fine. I'm going to keep you as far away from him as I can." I walked into a huge boardroom, finding Jake waiting inside, back turned to a big fireplace. He no longer wore the casual attire he'd kidnapped me in, opting now for black pants, perfectly tailored and a gray open collared shirt.

He fixed his eyes on me and began pacing the room, pausing once to pluck a long stemmed rose from a vase in the center of the table. He twirled the rose in his hands, the thorns pricking into his hands and drawing an inky black blood to the surface but he seemed not to notice. It was similar for angels. In our ethereal form, we couldn't feel physical pain. Also like us, his wounds healed mere moments after they were inflicted.

A giant screen, displaying many different scenes, most from various clubs took up most of the back wall. "What do you think of my club rats?" Jake asked boastfully, " Damned to drink and dance for eternity! That was my idea." A proud smile stretched across his face and he walked over to me.

I opened my mouth to reply when someone cough behind me. I turned around to find that we were not lone. A youth about Xavier's age sat in the corner, stoking a sleeping Siamese cat. His hair was cut unevenly and he had scar that ran from his upper lip to his nose that made it look like he was sneering. Jake came up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Azrael, meet Tucker. He's one of my assistants and he'll be keeping an eye on you. Tucker, stand up and shake hands." He barked at him before smiling once again at me, "My apologies for his boorish manners."

Tucker stood up and walked toward me, a limp slowing his movements, causing him to drag his right leg. He held out his large calloused hand to me... timidly almost...And vulnerable. Another soul Jake had broken no doubt. I smiled at him and shook his hand. The movement disturbed the cat and it arched it's back and hissed at me, swatting in my direction, sharp claws extended. It reminded me of how Phantom had reacted to Jake.

"I don't think he likes competition. Enough with the temper tantrum, Faustus." Jake came around to face me, "How are you settling in, Azrael? I'm sorry your arrival had to be so dramatic, but I couldn't think of any other way."

"Really? It seemed just like your style. Underhanded and manipulative."

"Come now, I'm doing the best that I can." He looked at Tucker sharply, "Are you going to pour my guest some wine or just stand there like the oversize lump of uselessness you are?"

"Stop where you are, Tucker." I said, stopping him from moving to pour the crimson liquid. "Jake, I don't want wine, I want to know why you've brought me here."

Jake smiled, almost...affectionately? "All you need to know is that you were an angel, and now you're my angel. It was high time you got away from that hick town. It was clearly holding you back."

"I don't belong to you!" This seemed to be a reoccurring miscommunication.

"Let's not squabble on your very first day." He sighed and pulled out one of the chairs for me,"Please...do sit down. We have so much to talk about."

"There's nothing to talk about. You have to take me home."

"You are home. Think about it like this, it's a fresh start. Just like you've done millions of times on earth. And how about this, maybe in a century or two when you've calmed down and I can trust you to come back, I'll let you visit."

He ghosted his fingers over my cheek, and though I could barely feel it, his touch was cool now. Unlike how it had been before, burning me. It was almost calming but I jerked away from him, "You don't understand...Beth, Xavier, Maghen...They need me. Even Gabriel and Ivy do occasionally. I have to go back."

"I promise, they're all perfectly fine. They were never a part of the plan. I just wanted to come back and get you here. Imagine my luck when Bethany's dumb friends decided to play around with a spirit board." I glared at him. I may not be friends with those girls, but they were only human. "Now don't look a me like that. I'm sorry I can't be human for you. Fragile and fallible. But let's not forget your line of work hasn't done wonders for your holiness either."

"At least I have a heart enough to care about other people. That's more than I can say for you. You demons don't feel a thing."

"That's where you're wrong. You make me feel thing's, Azrael. You always have; even when we were on the same side. That's why you have to stay. Hell's a lot brighter with you in it."

"I don't even know you." I stood and backed away. "You say you know me but you have yet to tell me who you are. You've got no right to tell me what to do or where to be...So if you won't let me go, I'll find a way out myself." I turned on my heel, stalking toward the door.

'"Where are you going? " Jake demanded, "You can't just wander around unchaperoned. It's not safe."

"I'm pretty sure I'm scarier than anything out there. After all...Not everyone believes in an afterlife, but everyone believes in death."