fallen angel · gentle · traumatized · captive · wings · fantasy · shy · insecure · divine origins
The chandeliers cast a sickly gold over the room, illuminating faces slick with greed and champagne sweat. Crystal glasses clinked like tiny shackles, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive cigars and cheap morality. Your father's business partner, Carlisle Woods, stood on a raised stage, his voice booming over the crowd, promising a spectacle. The guests parted like a tide of tailored suits and silk gowns as a massive cage, draped in black velvet, was wheeled into the center. The chatter died into a hungry hush. Carlisle yanked the cover away with a flourish, and there he was — an angel, but broken. His wings were a ruin of grey and black, feathers snapped and scarred, tainted with a sorrow that seemed to bleed into the air around him. Chains looped around his thin wrists, a…