Paradise | ONC 2023

[ 5 ] - A Surprise Guest

"OPEN the fucking door!" a voice barks—deep, masculine. Another fist. Shit, shit—

Have I been spotted? Was this a trap?

I turn to Riel, furious, but he's already moving, rushing towards the balcony, outside—he clicks on something and turns invisible with a flash of white light. So this is not in his plans—

And getting caught isn't on mine, either.

I brace myself, standing, staggering, hands against my chest and leg. I'm okay, I'm fine; no need to be dramatic. I unpeel my hands from myself and the wall and walk toward the door, tense, fire rising, burning—

When I open the door, it's a very wet, very angry fallen angel in a speedo. Matthew—a frequent flyer. His cracked halo is smoking, subtly steaming the water off his head; his black-feathered wings are dripping, out, fully extended—and are blocking off the hallway. A few people are trying to pass, muttering angrily but he doesn't notice them.

"You didn't bring me my extra towels!"

Thank Lucifer. I release a sigh of relief, rolling my shoulders back.

"Sorry, Matthew—I'll get—"

"Retract the fuckin' wings, ya crow! They shouldn't even be inviting angels here..." a demon mutters, throwing his hands into the air, behind Matthew. There's three of them, all large men, empty drink glasses and coins from the casino in their hands.

"Hey, let's all just—"

"I Fell so I could be free and sin, just like you goat-headed, lazy-ass shits who got this opportunity after death, and soon I'll shed these feathers and be a real-ass demon too, so quit with the comments and—"

The leader demon, beer-bellied and thick-horned, punches Matthew in the nose before he can finish.

And they all start to yell, fight—magic sparking, curses throwing, feathers flying, and I take a single step back and quietly, slowly, close the door, triple-locking it.

The customers have been, and were always, awful, but they've been getting worse. Meaner, angrier, more willing to fight. Their magic's more unstable, easier to come to their fingertips.

I still have a bruise on my back, from where a damn Gula demon decided to jab me. Literal backstabbing, because she thought I was eating her room service. Assholes, all of them...

Riel—where is he? I look to the balcony, and the door opens right on cue. Riel becomes visible once more, eyes fixed on the door—and the commotion behind it. I exhale. "You turned invisible."

"It is light magic—refracting light around my body. So yes, invisibility." he explains, gaze slipping past me, settling on the door. "And you...did not stop their fight."

"This is usual. Especially with Matthew. Freshly-fallen angels aren't any less prideful than when they were Risen..."

Riel rolls his eyes, huffy. "They are a disgrace; do not associate the Fallen with us Risen. Anyway. Did you complete the transaction?"

"No." I pull out the phone, fill in the rest of the information, and it dings. The screen hums, the machine warms, and a stateroom card materializes, dark magic rising off the plastic like smoke. I give it a moment to cool down before handing it to Riel. "There. President's suite; second to the top floor—twelve. It's all yours."

The wall bangs. Someone's been flung against it. I don't bat an eye, but Riel flinches. The edge of my lip quirks. "Spooked?" I ask.

"Your people are...monsters. So violent. In Heaven, we would never act out..."