Page 65 of His Angel

“The ones from the masquerade party. Hurry now, there’s no time to lose,” she says as we all step-to.

“Is there something wrong?” I ask, hovering in the doorway, Aimee and Stephanie paused on their way to the stairs.

“Not at all,” Liselle replies, her smile way too easy for me to feel comfortable with her reply.Something’s amiss.

“We’re meeting The Devils there, so put your best foot forward, please.”

Wonderful.

I’m sure she can hear my eye roll as we walk away, digging out the delicate masks from the masquerade party.

It’s just as beautiful now as it was all those weeks ago, a lifetime, or at least that’s how it feels. Tamsin smiles, adjusting hers as she slides it on. And then, the four of us are ready, gathered and loaded up.

Liselle takes her own car as the four of us pile into the G-Wagon, and nobody dares to comment or question as we drive, keeping conversation to the minimum as the nerves eat away at us. Well, I’ll be damned if I show any weakness here, either to her or the men trying to use us like prizes in some fucked up game.

Liselle said to put our best foot forward, and that’s what I’m going to do. Head up, shoulders back, smile, but take no shit.The game plan is ready.Charlotte and Penelope are waiting nervously as we arrive at the old church building, their driver-slash-security already masked up and waiting disconcertingly by the car.

Our driver slides out too, hovering nearby like we might be a flight risk.

“Game face on, ladies,” I comment quietly, handing their masks over. “We’re together here, right?”

It’s been tense over the last few days, the fallout from Stephanie’s actions and the words that followed being felt by everyone, or at least that’s how it’s felt for me. But right now, we need to be unified. We don’t know what awaits us here, but historically, it’s not been anything inourbest interests.

They nod, sliding the masks on, clearly as aware as we are that something isn’t right this afternoon. The cloud coverage is thick as we get ourselves together, not raining but cold, that winter chill imminent.

“Ladies,” Liselle calls, gathering us together at the entrance. She waits until we’re all there before continuing. “The Devils are already here, keep your masks on at all times, and remember, this is a privilege, please approach it as such.”

Great.

The main doors draw back, the security behind us pressing forward as Liselle strides up the stairs, waiting for the rest of us to catch up before entering the old hall. There’s nothing more than a handful of masked men standing around, with who I assume to be our Devils gathered together in the centre.

The last time we were all brought here together we were dressed to the nines for our official introduction—we’re a long way from that right now. That night, the room was full to bursting, with an energy that I couldn’t explain, and now, it’s sombre, quiet, concerning.

“Thank you for joining us,” the man standing by the Devils says, drawing all attention to him.

The Devils watch us as we meander down what used to be the aisle, everyone else focusing on him as Liselle joins him, gesturing for us to stand at her side.

“So, it looks like our first official pair has been created,” he continues. “Can you come forward, please?”

Nervously, Tamsin steps forward, twining her fingers with Taylor as he joins her, the two of them standing before everyone.

“Your fates are now mirrored, your achievements and weaknesses linked,” he declares.

“There are some practical things to address,” Liselle says a touch lighter, keeping the tone more familiar. “There are suites on the second floor if you’d like to stay together. You can use them permanently, or whenever you need to, should you decide to stay with your respective roommates for the time being.”

A honeymoon suite, great.

Well, at least that answers the question about what happens to the roommate. Not that I’d given much thought about it since she mentioned it after Nickclaimedme, and to be perfectly honest, I’d completely forgotten.

The two of them nod their understanding, and whilst I get wanting to be with your other half, I’d prefer to keep hold of my best friend.

“There are some other benefits,” the man continues. “At any point during a challenge you can call in your Angel to assist, or we can request you work together for it.”

Not necessarily a benefit…

“You two are a unit now,” Liselle says, looking between them. “You’re a mirrored pair, and around here that means something. So, treat each other with care and respect.”

They both nod, and I can’t help but feel like this explanation is more for us than for them. They’re together,in love, of course, they’re a pair and they’re going to look out for each other, but Nick and I aren’t, not properly, so that makes the explanation all that more poignant.

---