Hunger (Damnation Book 1)

Chapter 18 - Don't Fear the Reaper

"This fight is going to be a bad one," Triny tells me.

"Why?" I ask leaning against the bars as I stretch out my muscles. Idle sitting before a fight can lose it for you. She's not normally this skittish before a fight. She's pacing around her cell, unable to stay in one place longer than a few seconds. As I stretch, my eyes follow her back and forth across her tiny cell.

She wrings her hands and says, "He's treating me like I'm about to die. Not to mention he's training a new girl. Nothing says it's over like being overlooked in this business."

Triny's not entirely wrong, but maybe the Fallen just has a fancy for another girl. "I'm sure it will be fine. You're one of the best ones here," I tell her. "He'd be losing money to get rid of you. Maybe she's just supposed to be upstairs."

For a human girl, she's really not that bad. She hasn't lost a fight she's been in yet. From what I can tell, she's beaten every other girl here. We fight in different divisions, so I haven't seen her. I only know what she's told me, but I know she's not lying. I'd be able to feel that.

"I'm not so sure, Angel."

"Rosaline," I correct her finally. She should know who I am.

"Huh?" she asks, looking at me in confusion.

I shrug. If it's this bad, she deserves to know who I am. "My name is Rosaline. Angel was my name when I worked at the Backbone," I tell her.

She smiles at me, but it's a sad smile. Her fear seeps into me. I'm scared for her. She's tough. Sometimes I wonder if death isn't just the best escape from this life. I don't want to know what's going to happen to her after she's reached past her prime. The Fallen won't just let her go. That would just be dumb and possibly suicidal.

"It suits you," she says softly.

When the Fallen comes to get Triny, I stand. He's got death in his eyes. She's going to die in this next fight. I can see it. Then, Gabriel is standing at the edge of my cage. "New rules, Angel. The girls fight to the death," he tells me as we watch her go.

"How come?" I ask softly. I don't really want to get beat before my fight tonight.

"Too many girls to fight. The cages are getting too full. We need to up the ante," he tells me.

I stare at him. "Is this how you plan on killing me? Letting some fighter kill me?" I ask. I guess this means Michael doesn't care anymore. I try to stop the hitch in my breath, but I know Gabriel sees it.

"Despite what you may believe, my Angel," he starts, his fingers tracing lines down my arms. "I've grown fond of you. I don't want you to die. I could have killed you every day for the last month. Michael has told me he no longer cares what happens to you. You belong to me now."

His hands come to either side of my face and he leans down to kiss me. I don't respond at first, but then his desire hits me and my demon side flares up. I've held off from more that I absolutely need, the lust he is sending me is a piece of the world's most delicious chocolate and I lick and taste him until I get every bit of it. He pulls me close, his hands digging into the flesh of my back and I hold onto his shirt for dear life. I drink it in until I'm fully sated. When we pull apart, both of us are short of breath. I won't die in my next fight. Gabriel has just made sure of it. I don't know if I should be thankful that I won't die tonight or angry for prolonging my pain.

Perhaps it's a bit of both. He's got to be lying. Michael would never say those words. Even if he stopped caring about what happens to me, he would never say it. It would be an automatic death sentence and he seemed nicer than that.