Above the Winter Skies [English Version]

12

Irritated, I tried to turn around, only to find that I couldn't: He had fixed me in place. So, there I stood right in front of his door, in my thin dress, hands bound above my head. And suddenly, I was incredibly glad I had chosen the long evening gown.

I knew what he was doing. It was a test. With the safeword he had given me, I could break the spell and leave, but that would be a definitive rejection of him. Otherwise, I had to endure here, withstand the humiliation and the stares of the other Seraphim who would eventually come by and immediately understand what was happening—while trusting that Cassiel would redeem me when he deemed I had suffered enough.

I was determined to pass his test, so I waited.

Already after a short time, my arms and back began to ache from the unfamiliar position. Since I could move my legs easily, I started shifting my position every few minutes as best as I could in my bound state. However, I had little room to maneuver, and my feet also hurt in the high heels, so it wasn't long before I had to grit my teeth.

Nova's words about thoughts and feelings came back to me. If what she said was true, then Cassiel didn't need to test me. He could have just read it, he had to know I was serious. Or that I believed I was serious. This test was basically unnecessary; why was he doing it? To torment me? Did he take pleasure in it? Was he watching me?

The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, reminding myself that I had endured much worse in Hjartvik. I imagined Cassiel possibly watching me and enjoying seeing me squirm in front of his door, waiting for him to redeem me.

For some reason, the thought excited me.

It would be so easy. I'd only have to say the word and I would be free immediately, but I didn't do it. I willingly chose Cassiel's will, the pain, the humiliation.

This was just the beginning. My body was in his hands; his word would now be my law. I had to obey, whether I liked it or not.

Eventually, I lost track of time and perhaps dozed off briefly, but then I jolted awake as I heard voices and laughter. At first, I couldn't make out the words, but they quickly grew louder, coming closer. They seemed to be coming from the direction of the elevator, but the hallway was dark before me, the universe fading into blackness.

I squinted to see something and then saw the outlines of three figures forming in the distance. No, not figures—angels.

My heart raced, and I felt a bit nauseous. Of course, I had known that sooner or later someone would come by and see me, but now I wished I could sink into the floor with embarrassment. Sure, I was fully clothed, but that was a poor consolation. My position was clear; Cassiel might as well have written "whore" on my forehead.

As the three Seraphim reached me, I realized it was even worse than I had feared. One of them was Michael, the other two were his friends whom I had seen on my first night at the nightclub, though I didn't know their names.

Michael came to an abrupt halt when he saw me. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained control of his features. A smirk appeared on his full lips.

"Well, well," he said. He crossed his arms over his chest and openly scanned me from head to toe. I wanted to look away, but resisted the urge to lower my eyes. He shouldn't see that I was ashamed and scared of him, so I defiantly lifted my chin.

"So, this is how the music plays," he said. He thoughtfully stroked his three-day stubble with his fingers. "I should have guessed. That's why Cassiel was so interested in you—because he wanted to get a piece of you, right? And do you like it? Is he doing a good job?"