Hunger (Damnation Book 1)

Chapter 14 - Rule One

Gabriel drops me onto the ground. It's concrete, smooth but cold. There is one window really high up on the wall, so I know it's not a basement. Basements don't really exist in Louisiana. Maybe it's some kind of shed or back room kind of thing. I sit up and try not to puke. I don't know the details of the way angels travel, but it does crazy stuff to your digestive system. I just want to hurl.

"Take a moment," he says. "It's something your body isn't made for."

"No shit," I wheeze, trying to get control of my stomach.

As I'm crouched on the floor, I feel a heavy blanket drop on top of me. I clutch it tight around me, trying to fend off the cold. A deep chill runs through my body and I can't stop the tremors coursing through my body. Finally, I'm able to stand straight, so I take in my surroundings. There is a twin mattress in the corner but no bed frame. There is also a chair and a small dresser. That's it; nothing else. There's a door but it doesn't have a handle. This is a prison; a jail cell. I'm not here to die.

"What is this place?" I ask.

Gabriel smiles and it's not a charming one. The malice and anger in his smile are not making me feel grateful to still be alive. Actually, they just freak me out more. "This," he says gesturing to the room around us, "is your new home."

"Why don't you just kill me?" I bite out at him. Being his pet I feel would be worse than being dead.

"Are you so ready to die?" he retorts, his temper flaring, just like mine.

"Well, no," I answer. "But I just thought that was why you came to get me. Aren't you going to kill me to punish Michael and follow your precious Creator's orders?"

Gabriel shakes his head no. "Killing you will just make him vengeful. The world doesn't need another of those. He needs to learn to forget you. Punishing him will consist of him knowing you are alive and he cannot help you. When he has fully learned his lesson, then I will punish you for your misdeeds by killing you."

I take a deep breath. Okay, I'm not going to die soon, but what is he going to be telling Michael? What am I going to be doing that he can't save me from?

"There are clothes in the dresser. I will return in a few days," he says before leaving the room in a blaze of white light.

Turning toward the dresser, I find a pair of cargo pants and a black fitted t-shirt. Not horrible clothes, but they will have to do. I find a thick pair of socks and wrap myself back in the blanket. It's well into November and it's getting cold. Lying down on the mattress, I try to reconcile myself to the thought that I'm not going to die. I was so prepared for it and now it's not going to happen. Tears spring to my eyes as I try without success to not miss home. For the first time I can think of, I actually cry myself to sleep.

Three days of nothing. No one comes to speak to me. No one even enters the room. Food is shoved through the little gate at the bottom of the door. Nothing. No human contact. No speaking. After three days, my energy is gone. I can barely lift my head. I haven't fed in four days and I'm paying for it. When the blinding light returns to the room, I barely have enough energy to close my eyes, but I can't reopen them.

"Wake up, Nephilim," Gabriel orders.

"Can't," I quietly mumble.

"Get up, you lazy whore," he barks.

I don't even flinch at his loud tone. He storms over and he pulls me up by my arms. My head falls back because I can't support it.

"What is the matter with you?" he asks.

"Need. To. Feed," I say with the last bit of my energy. I go completely limp in his arms. I feel him sit on the mattress and cradle me in his arms. I'm sure he didn't think this part through. Gabriel wouldn't stoop so low as to feed me himself. He's too freaking pure for that. He's going to have a fun trying to figure out what to do.

"How do I feed you?" he asks. There is frustration in his voice. He's being forced into this and doesn't like it.

At least he understands I don't need food. "Desire," I whisper. I can't say more. My language has become monosyllabic.

Then, he surprises me. His arms lock around me and I feel his lips touch mine. His kiss isn't aggressive like I would have thought, nor is it very pressing. It's slow and soft. It's not what I would expect from Gabriel, especially when all he's done is yell, boss, and threaten me since the moment we met. Still, the heat is the same. The need is there and I pull it from him like an addict. I can't stop from clutching him as close to me as possible. My fingers pull him in tighter. I need his touch. Quickly, the kiss becomes more forceful. As I get my energy back, I'm able to kiss him, too. I need to stockpile this. I don't know when the next chance will be for me to feed.

When he finally pulls back, forcibly wrenching his lips from mine, I blink a couple of times. His eyes are wide as he looks at me, taking me in. Then, Gabriel drops me like a hot potato. I guess he finally came to. Throwing me a black hoodie, he says, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" I ask softly. I can't speak loudly, not after what he just did. Nor can I look him in the eye.

"To show you what you have to do to survive," he says simply. He holds his hand out and I take it. He pulls me close again, but it's anything but passionate. The blinding light envelops me and I wait for that gut wrenching feeling to pass.

My eyes take a moment to adjust, but when they do, I'm shocked. It's a cage ring. There is yelling everywhere. I thought that deafening yell was from traveling like an angel, but I was wrong. It's the crowd. There has to be a few hundred people in this building. Looking down from my perch on the second floor to the cage, there are two girls not much older than me. I watch as blood is spat from one of their mouths after she is punched hard. Gross. "What's this?" I ask Gabriel.

He's watching the fight with glee. His arms are crossed across his chest and his smile is hungry. He likes the violence. I'm not sure why I'm surprised. This is the archangel Gabriel we are talking about. He probably laughs when humans die. "This is your new job. Welcome to the Cage."