Smoke In The Clouds

chapter 3

My lids were heavy with unwanted sleep as I slowly began to open my eyes. My vision, obscured by strands of hair sticking to my face.

My head, foggy for a few seconds, was flooded with memories what had happened what seemed like hours ago.

I rolled my head on my shoulders, cracking the kinks in my neck. Scanning my surroundings, it looked like I was dumped in a barred room.

A cell?

A cage?

I made a futile attempt to push myself from the slouched position I was placed in, only to find my hands chained together in a way that made movement nearly impossible. I began to panic, thrashing around, making the chains on my hands, and newly discovered chains on my feet rattle. I shimmied into a kneeling position, with my hands bound to each other.

Whoever tied this knot knew what they were doing.

With my head hung low, I could detect the sound of light footsteps coming my way. Fighting every instinct I had, I stayed docile, not knowing what my captor was capable of.

Only seconds later, the steps had reached directly in front of me, I could see the tips of black boots through the bars of what I assumed was a cell.

"You picked a lovely time to wake up angel, I was getting a bit bored." My head became dizzy from the assortment of memories that came with that voice.

How had I gotten here?

How many other angels had been caught?? Killed??

"Where am I?" My voice was foreign to my own ears, too gravely and deep.

The man simply chuckled, not responding to my question.

"Well hello angel, why dont we get to know eachother?" He crouched down until I could see the familiar face. With his eyes holding an unnatural glint, his fingers slowly moved across the bars of my cell.

From a young age, angels as a whole were taught to call on our Father if we needed help, trusting that he would provide for all his children.

I lowered my head and began to recite the Bible from the beginning, a sure fire way to piss a demon off.

"In the beginning-"

"Shut up." My mouth clamped shut in an unnatural way, lips incapable of movement after he uttered two words. "I've gone through this little routine more than enough times, that is the last thing I want to hear. Yo think it'll get you out of this faster? Let me tell you, baby," he leaned closer until I could smell the cologne on him and uttered words that almost stopped my heart, "your father cant help you down here." 

Under my hair, my eyes were wide and filled with tears, from both the pain of a clamped shut mouth and the realization it would take everything I had to get out of there.

***

Hours had passed, maybe it was days? Minutes? Who knew.

I was in my same position, hands tied too tight behind my back, feet under my things, and in pain. The sound of footsteps once more had piqued my interest, but there was something irregular about the pattern.

Two sets of feet?

As usual, I kept my head lowered, and by force, my mouth closed. My breathing remained regular until both sets of feet stopped directly in front of my prison.

My stomach rumbled from fear, and the most intense hunger I had ever known.

A man's soft voice echoed through the room, "Levi? Have you been feeding her properly?"

I permitted myself a look at the one called Levi, he was the one that had dragged me down here for sure. The hair, that sly cocky smile, those eyes. We made a millisecond of eye contact before I turned back to face the cobblestone floor.

"What is your name angel?" The voice was full of authority, but it for sure did not belong to Levi.

"Do you not hear his request? You must like punishment." Levi's eyes flashed with mischief.

Please, dont...

"You may speak, vile tool of destruction." From those words, a new looseness was in my jaw arrived.

"Levi, that is no way to speak to a guest. Do I make myself clear?" Once more, the man's voice boomed through the small space.

"I understand your highness. My apologies." Levi's tone was clipped. 

Highness? What the fuck was I in for? 

"Take her out, and bring her to my room. Keep her quiet please, I have work that needs to be attended to."

Levi bowed in response. 

The other man left the room, light steps traveling slowly up the steps. 

Levi reached towards the lock on my cell, and my heart galloped with fear. 

What would become of me? I wasn't able to contact any angels or warriors to come to my aid, and I was stuck with an unbearable ass. 

I heard the latch of the cage as the stepped inside, lightly gripping my arm before I viciously yanked it away.

"Do not ever touch me. The next time you do, you will not have fingers to touch with." 

He managed a deadpan expression before bursting out in non-comprehendible hysteria. "Y-you think you're in any position of power? Let's go, before I kill you for the fun of it."

He practically dragged me up the stone stairs, fingers tight around my arm, resulting in bruises. 

Two flights of stairs later, I was in front of a large wooden door. 

"When you two are alone, you shall address him as sir, and don't get too eager ok? We don't need another whore trying to get in the prince's pants."

Prince? 

Fuck. 

Levi looked at me with an unrelenting stare before he gave me a subtle wink and knocked. 

What a shame, he could be so attractive if he wasn't a dick. 

The man from before slowly opened the door and bright green eyes locked with mine. 

"What happened to her Levi? She looks like she's been beaten half to death." 

"I gave her to you in the condition she was brought in sir." Levi's response was automatic, monotone, I could only imagine how many times he had delivered that exact line. 

With his hand uncomfortably on the small of my back, he gently led me further into the man's room. My blood boiled as my restrained hands thrashed around, trying to get him off of me. 

"If that'll be all, I'll be taking my leave. Good luck with-" he gestured to me, "-that." 

Levi shut the door, and along with it, took all of my hope with him.