Elle's POV:

"Elle? Are you ready yet?" I hear Lucifer knock lightly on the door and lean against it.

"Almost. The stupid dress is too big for me. I'm gonna have to wear another one." I transform the dress into a similar one, but instead of red, it's blue. And a size smaller.

I open the door and Lucifer staggers back, releasing his wings to steady himself. He narrows his eyes at me, and I giggle uncomfortably. "Oops. Are you okay?"

He nods and straightens his red tuxedo. "I'm fine. Now are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Where are Beelzebub and Maizen?"

"They are already there. Along with everyone else who's coming."

"Why does everyone make girls look slow? It's not my fault your dress was too big.

"Whatever. You did a good job making it fit, now let's go." He grand my arm and pulls me through the door, his wings doing all the work of pulling me. I release mine and fly past him. I want to go somewhere. The sooner the better.

"Which way?" I reach a fork in the hallway and slow to a stop. They both seem to be dead ends, but one or both could still lead to another corridor.

"Neither." He closes his eyes and grabs my hand, sweat beading on his forehead in concentration. The air shimmers and collapses around us, and we appear in a hallway with people rushing around us. Either they haven't noticed us, or they don't care that we teleported here.

"Elle! Over here!" I hear Beelzebub's voice and turn, searching for his face. All I see are clusters of people with contorted expressions that seem to have been cruelly melted into the things of children's nightmares.

A hand grabs my shoulder and I yell, pushing the hand off and turning to fight. Beelzebub is standing behind me, a fox masquerade mask in his hand. "Relax. They're just Glamours. They're meant to scare you away. All the people here think you are a human. Release your wings so that they know you aren't."

I follow his instructions, and almost instantly, the Glamours dissipate, and I sigh in relief. It was a little freaky.

"Lucifer, what is she supposed to be doing here?" Maizen steps up between me and Lucifer. He's wearing a dark blue tuxedo, and his chestnut hair is brushed back and parted.

Lucifer clenches his jaw and answers through gritted teeth. "She will be more for show than anything else. A show of the balance between good and evil and the peace that can exist between the two forces. When the Angels see us interacting like civil Primordials, they may follow suit. Even I have limits to savagery, contrary to common belief." He crosses his arms and sighs.

"Wait. What's a Primordial?" I can hear the capital letter in the word, but I don't understand exactly what it means.

Beelzebub hooks his arm into mine and whispers the answer into my ear. "Primordials are Angels, Archangels, and Replications, etc. Beings like trans-eternals and the other mortals who never quite die are referred to as Ascendants. By the way, don't show that you don't know these things. It's seen as a sign of weakness. And Dark Angels can smell fear. I still can, and you reek." He dips his head down closer to my neck, his breath tickling the back of my neck.

"Stop it, Beelzebub. People are staring." I gently push him back from me, trying to control the jumble of emotions clawing their way up my throat. How didn't I see that Beelzebub liked me more than a friend? I mentally slap myself.

He looks away, his expression reminding me of a scolded dog. "Sorry. Just...be careful. Hell is almost as bad as people make it seem. If people think you're with me, they won't mess with you. And if they do, they will definitely regret it." A defiant smirk crosses his face, and I barely contain a laugh.

"Okay. You win, but only because I don't want to die in Hell only to come back." I take a baby step closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder and earning envious looks from female Angels all around me.

"Don't look anyone in the eye. Dark Angels take it as a sign of confrontation, not innocence." He wraps his arm around my bare shoulders, spreading heat over my collarbone and shoulder blades. The looks increase intensity tenfold, and I let Beelzebub pull me closer, shielding me and shooting looks of his own.

"If this is how life is going to be from now on, I'd rather pass the torch." I sigh and scratch at my neck, where a string of sapphires is irritating the skin around my neck.

"You can't pass the torch. Once the One discovers her potential, none other can fulfill the Prophecy but her. This is your life now. The Potential has been passed down through your bloodline since the beginning of time, and there is a reason you fulfilled the Potential. Archangels don't make mistakes. You being the Earthly One isn't a mistake. You aren't a mistake. You're braver than most warrior Angels I've known, and bravery runs in their ichor." By the time he's finished his Angelic pep talk, we've reached a large marble gazebo in the middle of a field of bluegrass.

He leads me up the steps and catches me when I step on my dress and almost fall on my face.

Lucifer glares at our close contact but continues to a stone podium with a small microphone mounted on the desk area.

"I have not ventured to Earth in several millennia, but when I do, it is never for a dismissable reason. The most recent of these was two days ago, when it was discovered that the Earthly One had discovered her potential." Shocked gasps reach my ears as the information sinks in, and I roll my eyes. "I have brought her back to experience our world, so that she will not be swayed by her people's opinions of us. Standing in front of you all is the Earthly One. She is stronger than any could have imagined, and as kind as the Prophecy foretold. I present Elle McPhearson, Earthly One extraordinairre." Lucifer flashes a cunning smile and gestures me to the podium.

I stand on shaky legs, suddenly feeling nauseatingly nervous, when Beelzebub's voice sounds off in my head.

You have nothing to fear, Elle. If you turned me, you can handle lesser Angels.

Thank you. Have I mentioned I don't like public speaking?

No. But I got the impression.

He squeezes my hand reassuringly before letting go and pushing me forward. I stand to join Lucifer, dwarfed by his slim but tall frame. He slips his hand into mine and slightly squeezes, then pulls away. Is today my day to get reassuring hand squeezes from men? Sheesh.

I pray to any deity that's listening, then prepare for public humiliation. "I...um...I really don't know what to say. I'd like to thank Lucifer for allowing me to come see how Angels live here, and for ensuring that I'm not 'swayed by my people's opinions' of you. So far, I'be only seen good people-" Beelzebub leaps on top of me, shielding me with his body. "Excuse me? What was that for?" I know I sound harsh, but you don't just jump on a 17 year old girl, even in Hell.

"Angelshot. Your 3 o'clock." He nods his head in that direction, and I see the same small arrow as yesterday.

But instead of creamy ivory, it's a deep ebony.

Lucifer stares at the arrow imbedded in the marble wall, and his bright red eyes darken a shade. "Whoever just shot an Angelshot, step forward and I may have mercy on you."

A lone Angel steps forward, looking me in the eye the whole time. She raises her chin defiantly and sweeps her gaze to Lucifer before turning back to me.

Lucifer quickly announces that the gala is over and all the Angels rush to leave, tripping over one another.

Lucifer jumps out between two marble columns and stands in front of the Angel, his expression lethal in the intensity of his anger. "Lilyth, how could you? How could you intentionally jeopardize any semblance of understanding of how we live by trying to kill her? How, Lilyth! How?" He presses the bottom of his palms to his temples in frustration, and I can feel the anger building a store of Energy in his body.

I leave the gazebo, following Lucifer, and separate the two of them. "Stop it, you guys! If it's that much of a problem for me to be here, I'll just spend the rest of the month in my room."

Lilyth ignores me and continues to talk to Lucifer. "Because she's trying to steal your Angels! How blind are you? Beelzebub is protecting her!"

Behind me, Beelzebub echoes part of the oath of fealty. "I vow myself to Her cause and protection. I give Her my life as Her own..." He trails off, and a flash of gold catches my eye, highlighting a dove on the inside of his wrist. He must have Vowed to me while I was asleep.

"Beelzebub! You traitor! How could you betray the Lord of Darkness for a puny human girl?" She narrows her eyes and moves to stand in front of me, but I beat her to it. We glare at each other, and I can feel the tension building in the three men standing beside us.

She laughs mirthlessly and sighs. "You realize you will die here, yes?" She has a slight Russian accent, and her speech is overly formal.

"No. I won't, but you might. You don't realize that I know what you were going to have Lucifer do, and I really don't approve. Oh, and your little Angelshot crossbow contraption? It won't kill me. Just thought you might like to know before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

She snarls and throws the crossbow to the ground, shattering everything except for the arrow itself. She lifts the arrow and twirls it. "How do I know you aren't bluffing?"

I snatch the arrow from her and drag it across my bicep near my elbow, drawing a line of blood and shooting a stream of fire through my veins, melting my bones. I clench my jaw and lock my knees, refusing to collapse in front of Lilyth. She gasps and stares at my arm. I follow her shocked gaze and almost choke in surprise.

Trails of silver and gold are fading into my blood, leaving my skin tingling and warm. Everyone goes silent as Lilyth curses under her breath and lunges at me. I swipe my hand in the air in front of me, forming a curved shield. She bodyslams it over and over again, then steps back panting.

"Choose now Lucifer. Me or her."

"Neither. Not now, at least. Guards." Three heavily built men approach Lilyth from behind and bind her with a gold chain, looping it around her elbows and down to her knuckles. She stays silent, but sends me a look that says "I'll be back".

Beelzebub spins me to face him and inspects my arm, where the metallic colors have almost faded away. "What were you thinking? You could have died! And then I would have died! Cole would have killed me!" He shakes me roughly, making my hair fall out of a bun and over my shoulders.

"No. A Reaper came to the school today and tried to kill either me or Cole. I poked myself in the hand, and it hurt, but it didn't kill me. You could have killed yourself by jumping in front of that Angelshot. And then Lilyth would have died."

Lucifer clears his throat and scratches his neck. "Ahem. If you two could control your wanton emotions, I would appreciate it. We have to take care of some things so that that evil little demon that is Lilyth doesn't ruin our lives."

He leads us out of the place that I've now realized is a domesticated meadow, and I transform my blue dress into a navy blue jumpsuit that clings slightly as I run up to Lucifer.

"Two questions. One, I thought 'demon' was a misnomer, and two, what can Lilyth do to ruin our lives?"

He sighs and looks up at the sky, squinting against what I think is midday sun. "And I have two answers. It is a misnomer. To Dark Angels, calling one a demon is an insult. A huge one, really. And about your second question. What do some people call Lilyth?" His tone is that of a schoolteacher asking a question to a struggling pupil.

I frown, searching my thoughts, then remember our earlier conversation. "Queen of the Damned?"

"Yes. She didn't get that title for nothing. She can control damned spirits and manipulate them to do her bidding. And of course, she can use her wiles against Angels, too." He shoots me a pointed look. "I was wondering...is there something between you and Beelzebub?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. My whole life went from a manageable albeit jumbled thing to a hot mess in a matter of eight to ten hours. I'm just so confused.

"If you told me last week that Angels are real, and Lucifer and Lilyth, I would have called you a psycho and avoided you like the plague. Now, I wish someone had known and had given me that information before I leapt headfirst into this." I shakily take a deep breath, and try to ignore the tears pooling in my eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never really liked to be the center of anyone's attention. I've always been sort of a wallflower, and I never wanted it to change. Being so special, so unique all of a sudden... it's a little unnerving to say the least."

He sighs and pulls off his suit jacket, slinging it over his shoulder. "I wish I could say I know exactly how you feel, but I can't. Since almost the beginning of time, I've been the center of attention. People call me evil, a monster, the Primordial who doomed humanity. People from now on will pretend to know what makes you tick. To know you like the back of their hand without once talking to you. People think that rights come with responsibility. That's their set of ideals. But the reality of the situation is that with responsibility comes scrutiny. People pretend to know exactly what we are, and frankly, I think ignorance is bliss."

"I never realized that things got to Angels. I always saw them...saw you...as some stoic force of nature that always stays the same and was either black or white. Good or evil. I guess nobody realizes that when the bible says that God created men in his image, he wasn't kidding. He even included emotions, I guess."

Lucifer holds a finger up, interrupting me. "Ah. But there is no God. His role is played by a choir of Angels called the Arc Angels. They're thirteen Angels, each with a different task having to do with Heaven and Earth. The one who communicates with humans and the Earth directly is called Rafael. He is the spokesperson of Heaven, and relays the decisions of the other twelve Arc Angels. He's also the one who decided to use a rainbow after the Flood. He thought an arc of light would be like a hidden message."

A grin sneaks onto my face. "I guess that would make sense. Like an encrypted reminder. What do all the other twelve Angels do?"

He shrugs. "The others don't like to be called by their real names. They prefer more literal titles. I'm not going to go through them, because their names are Latin and too complicated to be translated correctly."

"That's fine. You know, you don't have to help me anymore. I'd feel bad if I was the reason your standing was threatened."

"Don't mention it. But we have to hurry up and get to the soldier barracks before Lilyth. You can fly, right?"

"Of course." I release my wings and flare them behind me. I hear a similar sound and look behind me to see Beelzebub's downy gray wings folded behind his back like a perched bird.

"Barracks?"

Lucifer grins and gestures to him. "And that is why he was my general. Let's go."

He pumps his wings, jumping upward into the sky, and me and Beelzebub follow him, gliding lazily as we pass tall buildings. He swoops down in front of a sprawling stone building.

I follow him and instantly regret it. Lilyth stands on the steps, in front of at least a hundred Dark Angels with determined expressions on their faces.

"Oh good. You brought the human. This should be fun."