I tapped timidly on the door to Caelin's room. I was alowed to go around the house now, as long as I had somebody with me. Zara stood over my shoulder as I took deep, slow breaths.
I was going to talk to Caelin, and I was going to try not to be hostile.
When he didnt come to answer, Zara rolled her eyes and puonded on the door, shouting: "Caelin!"
I grinned at Zara. She was officialy my only friend in Hell.
"I should warn you," she said now. "He's got a few, ah, collections from your dimension. Weaponry. Be careful.
I nodded. Caelin still wasnt coming to the door. Zara groaned.
"Goddess dammit..." she tried the doorknob, and it was open.
"Caelin...?" she asked.
Caelin sat on his bed, which was actually quite simple, despite the fact that he was rich, compared to hells standards. The bed was low to the ground and had a simple wood frame.
Caelin looked up.
"What?"
He was bed-mused; his night-dark hair ruffled, as were the silky feathers of his wings. He wore a normal black t-shirt (which had two holes cut out where his wings were,) and bluejeans. He was cleaning a pistol.
"Hi," I said. My voice sounded nervous.
He sighed. "Whats wrong?"
I shrugged, and glanced at Zara. Caelin looked in the same direction and said, "Out, demon. Be gone, thy servant of hell." he said it as if he were a preached, and oddly enough...
It almost made me laugh.
Zara stuck her tongue out at him and left the room. Caelin looked back at me. "Whats wrong?" he asked again.
"Whyy am I not in trouble?" I lnew he knew what I was talking about. A few days ago I had tried to escape. He hadnt talked to me since.
He sighed. "Do you want to be in trouble?" For the first time, I noticed he sounded tired.
"...No," I replied.
"Then you're not in trouble. Goodbye."
"Whats worng with you?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying." I said.
He rolled his dark eyes at me. "I'm an angel from hell who has a fucking gun. Dont tick me off right now, pet." He snapped a pice of the pistol into place and pretended to aim it at me. Somehow, I knew it wasnt loaded. I didnt flinch.
"Whats up with you?" I repeated.
He shrugged. "Tired. Why do you care? You hate me."
"Who's the Angel Deliah?" I asked.
I could see the tremor go through him. I had asked the question suddenly, and I think I supprised him.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.
"How do you know about that?"
"Well, I dont, really. I just heard sombody say that I looked like her while we were at that gala," I said.
His jaw clenched. "Dont... ask about that. Dont ask... questions. Its none of you buissness. Get out."
He turned his eyes on me, and they were filled with some emotion so deep that it shook me to the bone. I couldnt identify the emtion, but it looked almost like...
Terror.
"Who was she? Why was Caelin so scared?" Why had I tried to talk to him... that was the real question. Why had I gone to the one thing I hate most?
Zara was uncomfortable. "She was a dark angle... Like Caelin. She and Caelin had a thing for a very, very long time. Caelin misses her a lot."
"But what happened to her?"
Zara hesitated. "She died. She's gone now."
"Did Caelin love her?"
"Yes."
I couldnt help the emotion that ran through me then. The emotion for Caelin.
I felt pity. Concern.
