Vox was standing next to Charlie’s seat and had one of his assistants bring over a cart filled with bottles of every kind of drink.
He wanted to give his royal guest the best possible welcome.
“What?!” Vox asked, shocked, as he prepared drinks for himself and Charlie. “An ambush inside the hotel?!”
“Yes, but based on how you answered my questions, I know now that you and the other Vees had nothing to do with it.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened; how is Alastor doing now?”
The mere thought brought tears to Charlie’s eyes.
“Well, he... we... we really came close to losing him; if it hadn’t been for Angel Dust, Husk, and my father, by now he’d be...” and she burst into tears.
Vox handed her a tissue, which Charlie accepted.
“Vox, I’m sorry, but after what happened with Pentious, I feel like I’ve lost all control over my emotions.”
“Princess, please, don’t mention it! After all, Al was a friend of mine too; I understand how you feel.”
Charlie sniffled one last time before Vox offered her his drink.
“Well then, cheers,” he said, raising his glass toward the princess.
Charlie returned the gesture and took a sip.
Her gaze drifted blankly to her glass as she repeated Vox’s words—perhaps more to herself than anyone else: “He was a friend of mine”.
Charlie’s phone rang, and she pulled it out immediately.
“The asshole just woke up.”
Her eyes filled with joy.
She sprang from her chair, intending to find Angel and leave.
“Where are you going?” Vox’s tone sounded concerned, but Charlie didn’t seem to care; in fact, she headed for the door without even looking at him.
“Alastor’s woken up, I have to go—” then something held her back.
She spun around to see what it was and found Vox’s hand gripping her wrist tightly.
His eyes were wide, fixed on hers.
“Vox?” She was confused, and her head was starting to spin—though not because of Vox; he wasn’t hypnotizing her.
It was strange; she felt unsteady on her feet.
Her vision blurred, and closing her eyes, she fell into Vox's arms, ready to catch her and keep her from falling.
At that point, Charlie's phone rang.
Vox had no problem taking it from her pocket and answering it for her.
"Charlie," it was the cat's voice, "get out of there right now, it was Vo—"
"Look who's there, isn't it the former Overlord of Gambling?" Vox interrupted.
"Vox, what the fuck is going on?"
"Where's Charlie?" Alastor also interjected.
"So, look at that, are you still alive?" Vox had a mocking tone in his voice.
"Calm down, relax; stress isn't good for you in your condition. The princess is right here with me at the moment, though I'm afraid she can't answer you right now—"
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER—"
Another voice joined in from Vox's end of the line; someone had entered the room. "Hey, hey, amorcito—did you call me, by any chance?"
“Oh, what a lovely guest we have here.” Vox handed the princess's unconscious body over to Valentino.
“VOX, DON'T YOU DARE!!!” Alastor tried to summon his powers; in his rage, his horns sprouted and his irises darkened, but it was all cut short by another searing pang in his chest.
Husk immediately stepped in to back him up.
“So, here’s the deal, Alastor: you’re going to hand over the princess’s soul to me. And don’t even think about bringing in Lucifer or anyone else—you know how it is, Val gets bored easily, and I’d hate to be forced to have him keep the little princess company. If you catch my drift.”
Alastor’s heart began to race; he had never felt as trapped as he did in that moment—not even when he had risked his life just hours earlier.
“I want you here at the tower in thirty minutes to seal the deal. Make sure you come alone, and don’t be late.”
Husk stared at the phone in disbelief, while Alastor gazed into the distance.
“I’ll try calling Angel right away.” Husk stood up immediately and dialed the number, moving a few meters away from where Alastor was sitting.
Alastor closed his eyes and furrowed his brows.
What if Vox saw through his bluff? Yet, the way he had put it, he didn't seem to suspect a thing.
And what if Charlie woke up before he arrived?
What could he offer Vox that held more value than the soul of the Princess of Hell?
He thought a moment longer about what he would say to Husk.
“Angel isn’t answering.” Husk walked back toward Alastor, looking worried.
“Husker, call Niffty.” Husk looked confused.
“I think I know what to do.” Alastor fixed his gaze on Husk.
Charlastor Fancomic Masterpost