21. M A L A K H I T E S : Fallen

CHAPTER IV

Zuriel woke to the sound of the shower running and a high-pitched voice singing beautifully but much too loudly. "What the blazes..." he muttered, rolling out of the bed. He bent backward and winced as his back let out a few cracks.

"That sounds painful."

Zuriel looked down sharply, where he saw Hadali curled up and staring up at him. "What?"

"Your back," Hadali clarified. "Does it do that every morning?"

Zuriel snorted and stepped over the jaguar, ignoring him. He marched up to the bathroom, from whence the deafening singing originated, and pounded on it angrily. "HEY! Shut up in there!" he barked. "I was sleeping!"

The singing stopped abruptly. "Sorry!" came Cecelia's sheepish reply. "I thought you'd be up by now!"

Zuriel let out annoyed growl and stormed toward one of the two couches, sitting down and taking out his phone. He prepared to contact Ariel, but suddenly realized that Hadali's sensitive ears would most likely pick up the conversation. Blast it, he thought, putting his phone away. I can't risk him hearing anything damning and potentially revealing it to Cecelia. That means I'll have to find somewhere a bit more private.

Zuriel rose and went back over to his bed. Hadali watched him carefully, eyes narrowed to slits. "Going somewhere?" he asked as Zuriel grabbed his travel bag and slung it over his back.

"I just need to make a call in private," Zuriel replied gruffly.

"How do humans 'make a call'?" Hadali inquired curiously. "Don't you just yell?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Zuriel said in a condescending tone. "I wouldn't expect you to understand the—"

The bathroom door suddenly opened, and Cecelia twirled out of it, singing to herself and dancing clad in nothing but her undergarments.

"—the..." Zuriel repeated slowly, his eyes widening.

"A mulatto! An albino!" Cecelia belted, swinging her towel around. "A mosquito! My libido!"

"WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU DOING?!" Zuriel cried, mortified.

Cecelia paused. "Oh. I'm singing again, aren't I?" she realized, blushing. "Sorry! Again."

"That's not what I—" Zuriel stopped and rubbed his temples, shaking his head. "Blast it, Ariel... what did you get me into?" he muttered under his breath.

"Oh, are you talking about this?" Cecelia gestured to herself, and then put her hands on her hips. "I believe in freedom!" she declared.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zuriel asked, throwing up his hands. "I am asking you why you are almost naked!"

"I don't see a problem with it," Hadali commented as he licked himself. "Animals are usually naked—no reason humans shouldn't be."

"Humans have just a bit more dignity than animals," Zuriel snapped at him. "We don't usually parade around in our undergarments in front of strangers!"

"Hrmph. Well, clothes are weird, if you ask me," Hadali muttered.

"Clothes are normal," Zuriel retorted.

"Oh, stop it!" Cecelia scolded him as she unzipped her travel bag and pulled out her clothes and a bottle of lotion. "Clothes are weird. Humans weren't even meant to wear them in the beginning, you know."