Chapter Text
I didn’t have the heart to tell my friends about my scheduled execution. I knew how they would react. Hanna would have panicked, stressing herself out far more than could possibly be good for her. Just being in hell was bad enough for her nerves. Tuck would have gotten upset, before losing all faith in what he’d been doing to help me…and Taylah…well she would have gotten too mad for her own good. All completely reasonable reactions but ones I hoped to spare them from. I’d made Arakiel promise me he wouldn’t mention it to them and while he didn’t seem to see the point, he’d agreed, possibly as some attempt to make my last night of freedom a good one. He’d escorted me back up to my room and promptly dismissed my companions.
They’d looked to me for approval, and I nodded for them to go. I’d be fine. And I didn’t want the demon in question taking out his frustrations on them. I gave them a slight wave goodbye as they filed out, confusion plastered on their faces. I never dismissed them so early, especially not to be alone with Arakiel. It was a break from the routine, and it set an uneasy air over the suite. I sighed as Tuck closed the door behind them, pulling out a nightgown and robe from my wardrobe and going into the bathroom to go through my nightly routine. The woman in the mirror staring back at me almost seemed odd now. My heather eyes looked more grey, some combination of stubborn irritation reflecting in them. My skin somehow seemed paler than usual; my cheeks slightly sullen. Frankly I looked tired. Tired and done with all of the bullshit. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my coming fate or if my time here had begun to take its toll.
When I left the en suite, Arakiel was leaning back on the couch, jacket and tie discarded, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. He held his head in one hand, the other held a heavily nursed crystal tumbler. His usual decorum seemed completely drained. I wasn’t the only one who was tired. I pulled my robe around me, crossing my arms and walking over to sit beside him, tucking my legs under me as we sat in silence, the only sound coming from the embers that crackled in the hearth. We stayed like that for a moment before he turned to me, offering the glass. I took it with a shrug, taking a sip of the scotch before setting it on the coffee table.
I thought about my family. Not just Beth, Ivy, and Gabe…but Maghen too…Xavier…Phantom…My poor reapers…The rest of the covenant… I thought about each of them, wondering what would happen if my confidence about my inability to reap myself was misplaced. If it all went wrong…No. I was right. I had to be. I had them to think about…though for a moment I even let my thoughts wander to the man beside me. After what he’d told me…I felt responsible now more than ever.
“What are you thinking about?”
The question made me jump, tearing me out of my train of thought. “Nothing. Everything. It’s kinda hard not to…I worry about them ya know? My family…”
“I don’t blame you. If they were here, they would have never let you get hurt. Hell, you’d be the one watching out for them.”
“Heh. Bethany at least…I know you don’t really like her and Xavier, but I really am proud of her. She’s really grown since we first met.” Smiling at the thought, I brushed my hair out of my face, running my fingers through it a moment to plate and start braiding it, “And Xavier…He’s not like other humans. He’s one of the good ones.”
“And I’m the one who took you way from them… You must hate me now more than ever.” He turned to look at me, brows furrowed in exhausted resignation.
“No. Angel remember? I’m pretty sure I’m incapable of hating anyone. Mind you I think you’ve made some really selfish decisions and you’re kinda lost right now but I don’t hate you.” It was the truth. Even in the presence of the other originals I felt no anger at them, just sadness at their fates…It made me wonder what it would take for me to actually grow to hate someone. I pushed the thought from my mind, giving him a reassuring smile, “Besides I’ve been working for what...two million years now? If nothing else, it’s a break in routine.”
He snorted, a tiny grin of amusement peaking from behind Arakiel’s somber expression, “Even now you manage to stay positive…Shouldn’t the personification death be ominous?”
“Are you dying?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
We were both smiling now, bittersweet amusement breaking though the uncomfortable air of despair. It was odd. When we weren’t working towards opposite ends, he was actually…pleasant? We settled back it silence, a comfortable one this time. I don’t know how long we just sat there. I pulled the throw blanket from the back of the couch into my lap as the logs broke, sending up a shower of sparks into the chimney. Despite the approaching dawn, it was peaceful, and I found myself stifling a yawn, my head rested against his shoulder, watching the glowing embers.
“We could run…I can’t watch you burn tomorrow…I can’t…I’m sure I could bribe one of the guards to let us out…If we could just make it out to the wasteland, we could…” He seemed to be thinking aloud to himself, but I wasn’t listening anymore as I yawned again, letting my eyes flutter closed as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
The sound of voices roused me from my sleep. I looked up to see an absolutely venomous look on Arakiel’s face. He had dark circles under his eyes the dark eyes pinned to the door, and I couldn’t help but wonder why I was so close to him so early in the morning before the previous night’s memories came flooding back to me. Had he not slept at all? His grip on my hand was iron tight, his knuckles pale at the strength of his hold, fingers laced through mine.
“Arakiel?”
“They’re here.”
The sound of a key card chimed, and the door opened, a group of demons storming in, several I recognized from the various events that I’d been dragged to. Among them was Asia with a wide grin on her face. It faltered for a moment when she saw our position but as if remembering why she was there it was quickly replaced. Arakiel stood, his posture stiff in silent challenge and it was in that moment the tension was so thick I could practically see it.
“Sure you’ve got enough back up there?” the voice of the man between me and my lynch mob was a deep growl, nearly inhuman with fury. I stood up beside him, my blanket falling to the floor. This entire time he’d been protecting me while I’d admittedly, though understandably, been less than accommodating. This time I wouldn’t let him stand alone. This time we’d stand as a united front. My eye’s narrowed at the group of hell spawn that crowded my room. I wouldn’t let them see weakness from me.
“Big Daddy anticipated you might put up a fight.” One of them grinned, a look so slimy it make me fight the urge to squirm in disgust as his eyes raked over me. “Take her.”
Two of the guards pushed there way into the room over to me, one coming around the couch to grab my elbow, the other pulling Arakiel away from me, his hand quaking as he struggled to hold onto me but it was futile, because the other guard wretched me from his grasp. He thrashed out of the hold of the other guard as the one holding me began dragging me toward the door, tying a coarse rope around my wrists.
“Don’t manhandle her!” Arakiel took a step toward me but two more guards moved in to hold him back. In this moment the hierarchy of the abyss had never been more clear. Lucifer held all of the power. The originals only had authority as long as they stayed in his good graces but one misstep…And all that they thought that they had could turn on them to serve him.
“Arakiel.” His eyes flicked at me, wide in desperation. “I’ll be fine. Have faith.”
“Aww~ How cute~” Asia purred, the sound a sickeningly sweet coo of pure condescension and I couldn’t help but snarl as she patted my cheek, “You’re so scared you’re delusional. Poor baby has lost her mind…” She ended the sentence with a loud crack as she slapped me, my hair falling into my face.
The sound seemed to further stir the pot of boiling over chaos. The demons who’d come for me seemed to get even more excited at the sight of my reddening cheek, Arakiel just fought harder to get to me and Asia’s smugness only grew. I only thought over all I had learned here. All Arakiel had taught me about how to survive here. Show no emotion. Show no weakness. Don’t let them see my pain. I lifted my chin defiantly, turning to the guard who had seized me.
“Excuse me. But some of us don’t have all day.”