True Confessions of the Angel of Death

Keeping up Appearances

I rummaged through my wardrobe, occasionally tossing dresses on my bed. This was...almost...like being on earth. If I wanted to go unnoticed, I would have to blend in to the crowd. The only problem was that half of the clothes I had here would make me stand out more than I already did and the other half I wouldn't wear if my life depended on it. Cocktail dresses with hemlines so high I would be afraid to sit down and heels so high I would break an ankle if I wasn't careful. As dire as my situation was, I was still an angel-an archangel at that, and I was going to behave like one.

I combed my hair back with my fingers in exasperation, one had on my hip as I examined the outfits I'd pulled out. They were almost worse. Just barely modest enough for me to dare to wear but enough so that it would be clear I didn't fit in...Not that I would ever want to fit in with the damned, but It had to be convincing. Sighing, I sat down on the stool at the vanity. I didn't have time for this. Jake wouldn't be in his meeting forever and I had no doubt that If I was still here when he got finished, he'd escort me himself and it would all be for naught.

A knock at the door interrupted my train of thought and Tuck moved from his chair to open the door. To my surprise and skepticism, Asia stood on the other side, a bored if not slightly irritated look on her face and a dress bag over her shoulder. Tucker, almost as if sensing my discomfort moved to close the door on her but the she-demon pushed her way past him with inhuman strength, scowling at the few selections I'd made.

"Ugh...I hope you weren't planning to wear those...Not that anyone ever accused angels of having good taste."

My eyes narrowed slightly, and I crossed my arms over my chest defensively, "I don't see how it's any concern of yours what I wear."

"Hex is full of higher ups. You need to make a good impression," She scoffed "You're Jake's guest. What you do reflects on him...He sent me to make sure you're presentable."

She hung the dress bag on the wardrobe door, unzipping the dark cover revealing darker fabric. Tossing it to me, she crossed her arms, tapping her heeled foot impatiently. Still cautious, I stood, going into the bathroom to change. The dress was skimpier than I would have liked but it was still better than some of the pieces I'd seen. It was tight, showing off my figure, stopping a few inches above my knees. One side was had a thin strap to hold it up, the other a gossamer sleeve that was loose enough to flow. The neckline, while not too scandalous, did show off slight cleavage and the back was much lower with gold chains holding the sides together near the curve of my spine.

Walking out, I attempted to pull down the hem without exposing my breasts further, but it was a mostly pointless endeavor. Asia nodded, seemingly satisfied for now. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She spent what felt like almost an hour taming and straightening my dark curls, wrangling me into enough makeup to make my face feel heavy, and black and gold platform heels that matched the dress. As uncomfortable as I was, I had to admit looking in the mirror that she'd done an expert job making me look 'presentable'.

"Azrael...wow...You...you just..." Tuck stammered when she was done.

"Quit drooling farm boy." She snapped. "Can we get out of here? Sooner you have your little outing the sooner I get to be rid of you." My look of surprise must have been evident on my face because she sneered, her dark glossy lips setting off white teeth, a small jewel on one incisor. "Don't tell me...You thought you and Forrest Gump over there were going out alone...Hope you don't have a problem with me tagging along."

"Of course not." I gritted my teeth, "Now that Jake is done with you must be terribly bored."

She scowled, sending Tucker a venomous glare as he failed to hold back a small snicker. I new provoking her was risky...but something about Asia just rubbed me the wrong way...more than the other demons did... Maybe it was that she'd tried to kill me...maybe it was that other than Jake, she was the demon I saw the most of...maybe I was just playing off of her obvious disdain for me...maybe I'd just been down here so long I was officially done with the bullshit. Whatever it was, the risk of pissing her off was at the very bottom of my list of current concerns.

I ignored the "respectful" smiles of the hotel staff and the smug and lusty gazes of Hotel Ambrosia's patrons as I passed. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of getting a rise out of me, especially when it appeared to them like I was making myself at home. Playing nice here wouldn't get me anywhere with anyone but Jake but as awful as it sounds, pride prevented me from making a fool of myself in front of such filthy creatures. I could feel their eyes on me as we walked through the lobby, on my curves, my face, my wings-tightly retracted against my back.

Jake had ordered a car for us to get to the club district, the catacomb like maze I'd seen when I first arrived. Maybe I could have flown, I would have a better idea of the layout of my prison...figured out a way to the exit, but there was no way I'd be able to get far without drawing a lot of unnecessary attention. It seemed like forever since I'd flown and I could feel it in the tightness of my wings...they ached with soreness and I couldn't help but think about what the guest had said at the dinner, about me losing them...I made a silent promise to myself that if I lost my wings because of Jake, I would never forgive him.