"You're not gonna like this," Allison hummed as she strolled absentmindedly down the concrete stairs that led into the gym.
Siena and I stopped sparring, both equally out of breath, and glanced back at Allison. She twirled a lock of her silvery blonde hair in her index finger, leaning casually against the cobblestone wall.
"What?" I asked coolly, wiping the sweat that had collected above my brow.
We'd been sparring for a few hours now, and I think Siena and I were both exhausted. It'd been like this for the last week- us training until we couldn't hardly stand anymore. I knew Siena had been doing it for me. She didn't need the training, being as skilled a fighter as she already was, and I doubt she wanted to do it every day in a row. But I appreciated her distraction. The physical exhaustion helped distract me from the emotions raging inside that heart of mine. I'd started eating and drinking again because of it.
"Word from Michael. He said the Archangels are still decoding the tablet, but apparently Grey contacted him about your-uh- your outburst. Michael thinks it would be best if you had something to help restrain your soul," Allison explained, choosing her words as carefully as a diplomat might.
"My outburst?" I felt the corners of my lip pull upwards in a slight snarl.
He had no right.
He'd broken my heart and my soul and literally everything I had believed in and he expected me to keep this raging tempest of a soul under wraps? He can kiss my ass. He wouldn't have lasted a second against the will of my soul, let alone be able to rein it back in. My soul could've easily incinerated both of them on the spot. He's lucky I didn't let it.
"What could possibly be strong enough to restrain her soul?" Siena asked with an amused snort, walking over to one of the benches and unwrapping her knuckles.
"He mentioned something about hardened Hellfire," Allison murmured, eyeing both of us.
Hardened Hellfire. The only thing strong enough to keep Grey bound when Lucifer had trapped us on top of that mountain and forced me to walk into Hellfire. He had explained that the black ropes binding Grey could only be broken by him, being that he controlled the Hellfire. If that remained the case, how would I be able to get any hardened Hellfire off of me in the event I needed to defend myself?
No way. Too risky.
"Lucifer's the only one who can break hardened Hellfire's bondage. I won't willingly bind myself to his will and whim," I retorted, unwrapping my own knuckles.
"Michael said you would protest. But he also said that Hellfire dissolves like salt in Holy water. Whenever it needs to come off, he can remove it off of you. Hardened Hellfire can't be taken off by force, I believe," Allison explained.
"Still. It renders her pretty much useless if she needed to tap into her soul's full power for some reason. Sure, she's kind of like a nuclear weapon that could easily wipe out all of Paris if she wanted, but I'd rather blow up all of Paris than let Lucifer kill her," Siena clenched her jaw a little.
"Michael said that while the tablet is still being debated, this isn't up for discussion. The Council had deliberated and decided that having your soul at full power was a risk they aren't willing to take. Not when you're young and don't have complete control over it yet," Allison frowned a little.
"Great. So they're forcing me into shackles because Grey cheated on me and I got pissed. Sie- is there any logic in that decision whatsoever, because I'm having trouble finding any," I narrowed my eyes at Siena, who rolled hers in irritation.
"Don't ask me. You know I hate those self-righteous bastards," she bit out, pulling a fleece jacket over her shoulders.
"Ahem," Allison cleared her throat, casting a steely glare Siena's way.
"Not an Angel, Al. You can't smite me," Siena winked playfully.
"On the bright side, Michael does want to meet up with all of us tonight. There, he will give you the hardened Hellfire. But he also wants to discuss next steps. It appears the Archangels are coming close to reaching a decision on what to do with the tablet's information, and he wants to figure out what our plan should be," Allison flicked a golden lock over her shoulder, eyes flicking back and forth between Siena and I.
"And how exactly is that the bright side?" Siena raised an eyebrow and I snickered.
"We're meeting him at the Louvre. During an exclusive art gala," Allison's lips curled in a mischievous smile.
"Art gala?" I mouthed to Siena, who shrugged.
"For Heaven's sake, you idiots- exclusive art gala means exclusive formal gowns," she wiggled her brows and Siena glanced back over her shoulder at me.
"How is that the bright side?" I asked again.
Allison let out a frustrated growl and stomped her way back up the concrete stairs, Siena and I following behind her.
"So not only am I getting shackles put on my soul tonight like a sort of felon, but I have to wear a dress at an art gala?" I chuckled in disbelief.
"I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress," Siena snickered and I rolled my eyes in response.
"Yeah, it's 'cause I hate them. I think the last time I wore one was-," I choked on my own words as they died silently in my throat.
It was when Grey and I went on that date to Seattle. He had rented out the entire Space Needle and helped teach me about Empathy and listening to other people's heartbeats. He had been such a gentleman that night- so kind and patient with me while I was learning, so attentive, and so loving.
"Jo?" Siena furrowed her brows a little in concern.
"Never mind," I clenched my jaw a little.
Siena must've noticed the sorrow in my eyes or my voice, because she left it alone. I was grateful for that.
"I don't really care if you hate dresses. Both of you are coming shopping with me. We're in Paris, for crying out loud! The city of fashion! Let's go embrace it!" Allison spread her arms out to both sides and spun dramatically in a circle as we walked out of the gym and into the courtyard of their apartment complex.
Surprisingly, it wasn't raining today. The sun was glimmering down on us through the patches of clouds in the sky, illuminating the dewdrops that rested on the trees and cobblestone paths in the yard. Everything was glowing. Including Allison, it seemed.
"I don't really mind dresses. I even like some of them. I just don't like heels. They're hard to walk in and make it so you can't run from an attacker if they come at you. They're death traps. But you could theoretically use one to stab someone's eye out, so I'll manage for tonight," Siena smirked back over her shoulder at me as we followed Allison through the courtyard and out the big wooden doors.
"Beautiful use of imagery, Siena. Thank you for that," I replied sarcastically and she chuckled.
We followed Allison throughout the winding streets of Paris until she finally decided on a designer store that was expensive enough for her. I didn't recognize the name, but Allison had seemed excited, so I didn't ask questions.
The people working in the store seemed hesitant at first to help us look for gowns, but eventually warmed up to us. I think they thought we couldn't afford anything in here because Sie and I were still in our sweaty training gear and looked like slobs. However, once Allison told them our budget, their eyes had widened and they began to cater to us like we owned the place. I didn't mind that, at least.
After a while, Allison was struggling between a blue and a rose hued gown, changing back and forth into the two in an attempt to decide. Siena had picked the first dress she'd put on- a scandalous off the shoulder black gown with a high leg slit. She had looked like an avenging Greek goddess with the way the pitch dark dress appeared to make her warm skin glow.
I hadn't tried any on. Allison kept pushing me towards the dress racks, but every time I did, I cringed as if the dresses burned.
"You have to wear a dress, Jordan," Allison spun around from the full length mirrors to face me.
She now stood in her rose gown, which fell like sheets of pastel mist down past her ankles to sweep across the floor. Little flowers adorned the top of her dress, slowly fading into intricate beading down to the waistline. The dress seemed to be simply made for her.
"Why? Why can't I just wear my battle suit?" I folded my arms tightly across my chest.
"You show up in that disgusting outfit, I'm gonna murder you in your sleep," she warned, narrowing her eyes at me.
"Hey, I happen to love that suit. Has all I need, right there, and protects me from getting hurt. What else could I ask for?" I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Um, a sense of style?" Allison drawled and Siena snorted.
"Hey, you love that suit as much as I do," I scowled at Siena.
"I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you wear hardly anything else, Jo. It's okay to dress like a human being every once in a while. Sure, we don't know when Lucifer will attack, but sitting around in battle armor waiting for him isn't gonna make you feel more prepared," Siena explained coolly.
"You both are mean," I frowned.
"And yet I've never tried to blow up one of my exes. Go put on a dress," Allison swept her silvery locks over her shoulder, resuming her self admiration on the large mirrors.
I cursed under my breath at her as I stood up and walked over to the dress racks, thumbing through the ridiculously expensive gowns. They were all red, pink, or black. I hated pink with a passion, Siena was already wearing black, and red seemed too- I don't know, too forward. I was much more of a muted color kind of girl. However, I couldn't seem to find any earthy greens or beiges here.
I'd about given up when my eyes finally landed on a color I didn't hate. Well, I mean, I sort of hated it now, but it was better than my other options. And it made a spiteful statement, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I removed the silver gown from the rack and walked over to the dressing room. Allison clapped with glee, taking my seat on the sofa as I pulled the curtain shut.
As soon as I had the dress on, I knew it was the one.
The silver looked like a mix between liquid steel and intricately carved battle armor. From farther away, it appeared to be a liquid fabric, clinging tightly to every curve of my body as if it were a second skin. From close up, however, you could see the intricate beading over every square inch of that fabric. It was mesmerizing.
The gown had a high neck that reached up past my collarbone, but was sleeveless and had open slats in the sides that began underneath my armpit and remained open the entire way down to the ground. The only thing that held the dress together and to my body were the chainmail laces that looped down the open slats to my hipbone. The sides of my legs were exposed, as was my hips, the side of my stomach and chest. I would have to go commando. But I mean- for this dress, I would.
My entire front and back were covered, which was all that mattered.
With a subtle nod towards my reflection, I turned on my heel and open the curtain that closed off the dressing room. I walked up onto the little pedestal in front of the couch, glancing briefly at my reflection again in the large mirrors around me before facing the girls.
"That one. That's the one," Siena motioned to the dress with her index finger and nodded.
"I almost feel bad for Grey," Allison hummed so quietly I could hardly hear her.
"I don't," I clenched my jaw, glancing back over at my reflection.
He'd screwed this up and lost me for good. Now, it was time for him to realize just what he lost.