The Hidden Angel

Damien

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway as Damien made his way to his master’s war room. The chilled air clung to his red coat, causing an involuntary shiver. Hell was always chilled though, and Damien relished in it. It made the smell of decay and burning flesh that much more pungent.

Two dark shadows stood at the entrance of the war room, their hollowed eyes of the Lost staring into nothing as they pulled the door open for him. He barely paid them any mind as he passed through the entrance. Lost Souls were beneath him, after all.

“Glad you could finally join us, son.” The air seemed to crackle with chilled electricity as the low voice echoed across the room. Damien bowed lowly, his blonde hair hiding his face momentarily.

“My sincerest apologies, Master. I was in the middle of a session when I heard your summons. And I wanted to make sure the soul had learned its lesson.” Damien replied evenly. He heard his master’s chuckle, followed with more by the rest of the officers.

“Come take your seat, Damien. I have an important job that I need to fill you in on.” At his master’s command, Damien rose and moved swiftly to his seat. Being Lucifer’s third in command, he sat to the left of his master. The other demons watched Damien enviously, as if they already knew what his mission would be. Perhaps they had already discussed it before his arrival.

Once seated, he looked to his master expectantly. A glint of malice passed in Lucifer’s cold blue eyes before he spoke. “As I’m sure you all have heard the rumors, I have a special pet that I keep locked up in the dungeons.”

Damien held back the scoff that lunged from inside him. Of course they knew of his pet. The Angel stolen from Heaven. Her warmth and light was like a drug to the demons of Hell. A drug all of them wanted to devour and revel in.

Even Damien couldn’t deny the yearning he felt to get a taste of the Angel. But his Master kept her away in a cell, away from lower demons who could come across her and not control themselves.

Lucifer continued on in the eager silence. “Despite my efforts to break her the ‘traditional’ way, it seems I will need some assistance to break her down.

“Damien… this is where you come in. I need you to do whatever it takes to break down those walls. Bargain with her, lie to her, even beat her if you must. Whatever it takes to break her so she will obey. But…” His cold eyes bore into Damien’s empty green with a hidden warning.

“I do not want her virtue taken. That’s mine and mine alone to claim. If I even think you’ve taken it, your days as my officer are through and I will make sure you spend the next millennia burning. Do well to remember that.”

Damien felt his masters power overwhelm the room, but he forced a nod of understanding. “Yes, Master. She will be yours, I can assure you of that.”

Lucifer studied Damien’s features closely for a moment, the silence ringing in their ears as the room waited for their master to speak.

“Very well. You will henceforth have access to her dungeon. I also have a room up here at the ready if you get her to agree to comply. It’s been a few centuries since she’s had any contact. If we’re lucky, she’s learned her lesson by now. Dismissed.” His master waved his hand, signaling Damien to depart. With one more bow as he stood, Damien made his way out of the room as daggers were shot at him from every demon’s eyes. They all had wanted what Damien was getting, access to the warmth and light none of them could even get a lick of.

The dungeons of Hell were meant to only be for show. No souls ever really caused enough trouble to deserve a place down there, which made it the perfect place to hide Lucifer’s pet. The Angel was in a secured, hidden cell. No demons guarded it, and only Lucifer could open the door… until now.

Damiens stony face allowed a small smirk as he walked down the stairs. He already had some ideas for his prisoner.

‘Show me what you can do, Angel.’

Laila

The darkness of the room had consumed her senses for so long, Laila had forgotten the concept of time. The chill of the cell clung to her pale skin and hair, creating a never ending wave of chills and shivers. Every time she shivered, the chains binding her wings to the wall would tighten. Old wounds would open again and a feather or two would fall to the ground next to her. The sound was loud enough to her sensitive ears for her to flinch. Another feather fell from the movement.

The only solace she had was her memories. It was the only thing she could cling to to keep her sanity. She didn’t know how long it had been, or if her brothers were still looking for her. She had no way to contact them from here. In Lucifer’s realm, she was completely isolated from her family. Her memories were the only things that kept her light and warmth with her.

The wall across from her suddenly moved to open, the sound deafening to her ear. She moved to cover them, biting her lip to keep the cry of pain inside. Light flooded into the room, or at least it seemed that way to her as a figure walked in with a torch.

For a moment, Laila thought it was Lucifer coming to play with his pet after leaving her in isolation. The aura in the room didn’t fit Lucifer though, it wasn’t as chilling and powerful. Her bright blue eyes began to adjust to the light, and she took in the demon that stood in front of her.

Blonde hair hanging loose around his broad shoulders. His face was handsome with only a scar on his chin. His green eyes held no emotion but the longer she looked at them she swore she could sense something hiding behind them. Whatever it was, he did his best to hide it.

“So you’re the infamous Angel that our master has kept locked away.” He eyed her up and down slowly, as if savoring her.

Laila kept her face composed, not showing the embarrassment she felt. Her raven black hair was tangled and matted, frost clinging to the ends. The dress she wore at her first arrival here was shredded, barely covering her torso and past her hips. She hated being seen like this, but there was little she could do. The chains around her wings bit into them at the slightest movement.

She only stared at him as the silence dragged on. He stared back, as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. She refused to give him any clues though. After a few moments, he spoke again.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked simply.

“A soul that has been tortured and twisted to follow Lucifer’s will. But yes, I know who you are Damien. Even if I’ve never met you physically.”

Shock crossed Damien’s features momentarily before returning to his natural stony expression. He didn’t know much about Angels. Only that they serve God and had ethereal powers beyond human comprehension. Could she truly see his soul? Could she see everything?

Damien cleared his throat before continuing. “Good, then introductions can be kept short. I assume you have a name.”

“Laila” She simply stated.

“Laila,” He said her name as if tasting it on his tongue. “Well I’m sure you know who sent me here.”

Her throat was growing dry from the conversation, despite how small it had been so far. She only watched him warily as she waited for him to continue. Damien had started walking closer to her, crouching down to get to her eye level. She turned her face away from him, but he grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger to keep her face straight. The chains rattled gently at the movement, causing her to stiffen.

“Word is you’ve become quite a nuisance for my master. He’s sent me here to find a way to make you more… agreeable. A deal, if you will.” At the lack of a vocal response, he let go of her chin and stood.

He walked behind her slowly, his fingers grazing her feathers. Though Damien didn’t know how to be gentle. A few feathers came out as his fingers tugged at them. Laila grimaced slightly but did her best to keep herself composed.

“The issue here is that my master wants you to comply with his wishes, and he's made it my mission to find out how to do that. But clearly, torturing you won’t work. I doubt seducing you will.” Damien heard a soft scoff from her. He held back his own chuckle.

“So my last resort at this point is bargaining. And if I can’t find what that bargain is, you and I are in for a lot worse than anything you’ve been dealt so far.”

“He’ll just torture me if I comply.” She finally rasped.

“Yes, but not as much if you do as he asks. And he’ll make sure you’re well cared for while you’re here.” He said as his hands grabbed the chains, tugging at them. A small hiss escaped Laila’s lips from the motion. He gave her a sympathetic glance before returning his attention to the chains.

“I don’t care if I’m well cared for. I won’t give myself to him. He can torture me all he wants-“ Her words were cut short as Damien gave a sharp tug on the chains, breaking them from the walls and loosening from her wings. The relief was almost overwhelming. They tucked in close to her back, allowing the rest of the chain to fall to the floor.

“It’s not just you he’ll be torturing if I fail. He’ll come after me and anyone else who tries to work with you.” He stated as he came back around to stand in front of her.

As much as Laila didn’t want to sympathize with demons, she couldn’t help but remember what they once were. Humans. Her father’s creation that Lucifer twisted into his own slaves. Even the idea of them suffering because of her made her see the situation in a new light.

Damien saw that he had her on the edge of compliance. He crouched in front of her again, his eyes boring into hers. Almost as is he was pleading silently. “I can also help with the pain. I can freeze the bruises, numb the pain and the memories.”

His hand reached out and touched the top of her wings, watching to see if she pulled away. She remained still, her blue eyes wary and exhausted. Suddenly her aching wings grew cold. After a few more moments, the pain had numbed to almost nothing. She let out a long breath and allowed her muscles to relax slightly.

“So tell me Laila, do we have a deal?”