Go to Hell (on hold)

EIGHTEEN

"Is it bad if I'm a bit nervous?" I asked as Gabriel swiped mascara onto my lashes. There were three hours until the ball. "There's going to be so many people."

"You're nervous?" Gabriel asked, incredulous. "I've got less than three fucking hours and I haven't even done your hair yet."

"You'll get it done. I have full confidence in you."

"Well, thanks, Trouble. But that doesn't exactly turn the Goddamn curling iron on, does it?"

"Can someone please turn the curling iron on?" Silas, Luke, and Nathan had stuffed themselves into my room. What they were doing here, I had no idea. But they all seemed content to stay.

"I got it," Nathan said.

"See." I eyed Gabriel with a smirk. "The curling iron's on."

"Fuck you, Nate."

Nathan threw his hands up in surrender. "Sorry you can't complain anymore."

"There's no need to be nervous, aggele," Silas said. "We'll be there. No one will get to you." It made me feel a bit better, but I still felt my attackers hands on me. The things he called me ringed in my ear.

Gabriel finished with my makeup and went to grab the curling iron.

"Sang," Luke said, his expression serious. "I can see where your mind is going. That's never going to happen again."

"I appreciate that. But it might. He's not the only man of his kind down here."

"But there will be no one like that at this event," Nathan reassured me. "It's mostly the white collar criminals. A couple murderers. Nothing too serious. And we were careless before. We had gotten too comfortable. That won't happen again"

Was it bad that the guest list was reassuring? Probably. But I was a murderer. There was a lot that went into killing someone. It wasn't just psychopaths who did it.

"Amen to everything they said," Gabriel said. "Now keep your head still or you'll get burned."

Gabriel gently curled my hair then wove it into an intricate crown around my head. He procured pins with diamonds and pearls on the ends and tucked them into my hair at random intervals. The result was a masterpiece. The cracks in the mirror obscured part of my reflection, forcing me to duck to see the whole thing. But it was so very worth it.

"Gabriel, this is amazing," I breathed. "Thank you."

"The mirror doesn't do you justice." He looked around. "Nothing in this room does."

"I'm serious. I've never felt so beautiful."

"Wait until you have the dress on to start fishing for compliments." Despite his harsh tone, the crests of his cheeks went pink. "Speaking of which, everyone out! I have a gown to lace her into, and you oafs have tuxes to put on."

I waived goodbye to the others as Gabriel ushered them out the door.

"Finally," He huffed. "This room is too fucking small for five people. The testosterone was suffocating."

Gabriel picked up a little bag with tissue paper sprouting over the top from beside the mannequin displaying my gown. That gown. It was incredible. Blush pink with silver embroidery, perhaps the most stunning thing I'd ever seen in my life. Gabriel was truly an artist.

"Put this shit on and then we'll get to the dress." He shoved the little bag into my hands. I pulled out the tissue and unwrapped the garment. It was panties. Very small, very lacy panties.

"I'm not wearing this."

"Why not? No one will see it."

"Then my normal underwear will work just fine."