T W E N T Y - S I X

T W E N T Y - S I X

Switchblades

LUCIUS HAD BEEN surprisingly quiet since the very second in which we had touched the earth of Heaven. Though the pavements were not made of clouds that puffed up like cotton candy, the angel still walked in a way that he seemed to float, moving such as gravity did not affect him at all.

I was, though, weighed down by the gravity of the situation, knowing that now my fate rested in Lucius' hands. My precious little weapon tucked away in my costume of glamour will have no power over any angel, knowing that he could probably easily disarm me in one simple movement. It was still best to let this little weapon of mine remain a secret until necessary. Though, the thought of owning a switchblade at the current moment instead of a trusty pistol still irked me to no end.

Switchblades were small little things, harmless unless at a close distance or used as a one try shooting weapon. Neither of that I am very good with. Which was a foolish thing, considering what I had gone through since my last birthday.

"Where are you taking me?" His hand, in contrast to Dimitri's, was warm to the touch. It stuck itself to my skin, grazing the hem of the low back cut on my dress. The breeze gently caressed my face, acting as the only reply I will probably receive for a very long time. Lucius' silent was deafening, echoing brilliantly into the sky as a well-structured hut came into view.

The small building had straw covers as a roof, building upon the cottage-like image it already bore. Along with wooden planks for walls and windows that bore no glass, the hut seemed almost like any other ordinary little quaint housing one could find in the rural corners of Earth. And yet, what stood contrastingly different to constructions back in reality was that the building was colored white to match the theme of this realm, having the wood painted to the core. Tinges of gray and silver leaked through the natural lines of the wood like veins in a human body, and yet it still seemed too unnatural.

Lucius finally broke the silence the second we approached the hut, the front of our toes barely kissing the wooden door. The back of my heels screamed in pain, yet I could only bite down on my lip in an attempt to suppress my irritation and discomfort.

"Jonah, take her inside and bind her hands. I want guards at every post around the perimeter of the hut." My nose immediately wrinkled in annoyance, every fiber of my body daring me to yell out in annoyance. I had been perfectly compliant through our short trip around Heaven, having been more awed with the surroundings than to have the strength (and weakness at the same time) to fight back.

And yet I knew that it was best to be silent, for the blade rested heavy on the holster strapped high up my thigh. It dug into my skin, providing me a constant reminder of how powerful a simple blade could be when equipped truly well and properly.

I was passed over, no more than a rag doll passed down to the next owner. While Jonah's metal grip tightened on my upper arm and lost the false gentlemanly facade he had kept up when we had first met, he turned to eye Lucius, almost in a way that screamed of submission.

"Getting the girl into Heaven is a risky move, Lucius." He dared to defy his master's orders, speaking past the obvious overall schemer of this grand masterplan. Speaking past Lucius. "Dimitri will storm Heaven--"

"Call him by what he is, Jonah," Lucius snapped, anger firing up deep within his beautiful caramel eyes. "He is Death, nothing more. Even the Devil had once been an angel, and look how he is now. Chained and jailed into what was his own domain many centuries ago."

The older looking man dipped his head down to face the floor in submission. His eyes were downcast, embarrassment filling his features almost immediately.

Watching the exchange became borderline painful. Jonah was obviously older, wiser, stronger, and yet his mind was wielded around like a puppet's limbs, steered by his puppeteer; Lucius.

"Understood, brother. Forgive me for my own foolishness." With that, Jonah did not question Lucius any further. Instead he pulled both my arms behind my back, steering me into the main room of the house.

Two sofas sat smack in the middle of the room, filling up the already tightly-spread space to the brim. Without hesitation, Jonah pushed me down to sit on the armchair, nearly cracking my ankles into two clean pieces with that sharp movement on heels. He easily bound my wrists to the soft cushion of the sofa, tightening the ropes until my flesh bulged in weird shapes that seemed completely unnatural.

Almost too instinctively, I tugged at the restraints, testing the boundaries in which the ropes had newly set for me, besides the prying eyes of the beautiful angel sat opposite of me.

Jonah kept himself busy, never looking me in the eye like he had so charmingly done before in Paradise. It was as if he had snapped a switch, turning his personality upside down. Still, he held himself the same way as before, just more subdued. The same joyful and bubbly charisma now tossed under a damp sheet in an attempt to suppress the man's natural behaviors of kindness.

Though Jonah and I had not exchanged more than a couple of pleasantries, much less been close, I could still feel his compassion radiating off of him in waves. He absolutely reeked of it. What he was doing with Lucius, I truly do not know.

He hummed under his breath, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his couch as his head bobbed slightly to the beat of whatever song that was stuck in his mind. It was as if I wasn't even there, just a speck of dust settling itself upon a nice little couch in the cottage.

"Jonah, what does Lucius want in this? Why am I here?" The angel hesitated before breaking his resolve, eyes turning over to briefly glance at me before he stood from his seat and moved to stare out of the windows.

Perhaps a wise move on his part to not look me in the eye.

Although I had not expected an answer out of Jonah, the man still answered after a few moment's worth of silence. It was as if he loathed the very idea of it; silence. The small movements he made seemed quite showing of the pet peeve.

On my side, prying for information is perhaps the best tactic. I'll find a way to break free, get myself back to Hell, and relay what I know of this angel camp to the four royal brothers. This all seemed so much easier in my head than it does now, unfortunately.

"What Lucius plans of is not of your concern, m'lady. I'm afraid I am unable to explain the circumstances to you just quite yet."

His answer was clear as day: 'Lucius forbids you to know. You are an enemy now, perhaps even since the very beginning.'

Admittedly, being thrusted back into the dark really stung. Not only was I useless, I put up barely any fight when Lucius had brought me away. Though it had been a split second's action, there will always be something in which I could've done to better my situation.

And still I didn't do it. And still even if I could, I will never know what my could-be actions will lead to. It's all in the past now, and dwelling in the past is to step into dangerous waters.

'But you're a switchblade.' My mind reminded me. 'They think you are weak because of the events of your past. And yet they forget who you once were before Death ruined you. You may be small, unsuspecting, but still useful, still deadly nonetheless.'

That was what I was counting on. Still deadly.

And in this sort of silence, everything is.

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