Rayline. "Ray?" I heard a call, followed by a loud bang that made me jump. I heard it again - the voice was coming from behind my door. "Ray, why is your bedroom door locked?" I heard the doorknob being turned repeatedly and jumped to my feet. As I ran to the door, I saw Cole get up as well and look around before rubbing his eyes. "Sorry Mom, I'm not dressed yet." "All right, can you get the door?" "N-no, I'm still not dressed." I looked at Cole, who also looked worried, and there was a hint of hazel in his eyes. "Okay, but dinner's ready." "All right, I'll see you in a minute." "Okay." I waited until I heard her footsteps disappear down the stairs to breathe a sigh of relief, but then I saw the naked young man on my bed and I panicked again. I looked down at the floor and the medical supplies. Everything on the floor was covered in blood, towels, and his torn clothes. Then I rushed to the mirror, only to find his blood covering my hands and arms, stains on my pajamas, and even
Rayline.I quickly ran across the hall to the bathroom, opened the sink, and grabbed a pair of gloves along with a bucket, sponge, and disinfecting wipes. When I returned with everything in hand, Cole was on the phone."Yeah, I'm sorry... No, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you..." I made sure to lock the door again and put all the cleaning supplies on the floor. "I'll be home soon, I promise... Okay, I love you." He hung up and put the phone down, watching me as I tied up my hair. "That's my mom.""Ahh," I nodded. "Is she worried?""Yes. She's afraid I won't come home.""Well, that's understandable," I said as I knelt down and started piling the blood-stained towels next to his torn clothes. Then I reached over and grabbed his jacket, and when I lifted it, I saw there was a hole in the back, two large cuts down the middle. But he had no injuries on his back. I took the cloth and ran my fingers along the holes."Are you trying to find out?" His voice sounded low and I jumped slightly,
Rayline.I didn't remember Cole ever saying he had siblings, but I didn't remember him ever saying he didn't have siblings either."Please, I know he's here," he pleads, his voice full of concern that makes my eyes soften. Something in my heart told me he was telling the truth."He's in my room," I replied, but didn't move."Can I see him?"I looked him up and down for a few moments, then nodded and stepped aside to let him in. I closed the door behind me and started to lead him into my room, hesitating for a moment before pushing the door open. Cole was still sitting on the bed, but when he saw the door, he immediately stood up."Brother?" His eyes widened with a flash of hazel color, and with that, Chase stepped onto the bed and took a deep breath before pulling himself away from him."What's wrong with you?" he yelled loudly, and Cole's jaw clenched. "Do you have any idea how stressed out Mom is? She has to hear from Taylor that her son is missing!" then I saw a flash of blue in his
Rayline.I put a large pot of water on the stove and turned it on. Then I turned to the cupboard and waited for the water to boil. As I started chopping vegetables, I heard footsteps coming from the stairs, and when I raised my head, I saw Cole walking toward me with sure steps, his face full of excitement."Hey, you can't move yet!" I yelled as I ran towards him, but he stopped me with a confident smile."Don't worry, I'm fine," he said, but I was still worried."Are you sure?""Yes, I heal faster than humans." He walked over to the table, and I went back to the cutting board as I repeated his words over and over in my head. He said human, which meant he didn't consider himself human, which might have dispelled the idea that he was a mix of human and something else, or something. But what?"Don't think too hard, or your brain will explode," he said, and I snapped out of my sea of thoughts with a laugh, then continued cutting. Wow, I guess he can read minds too, it seems."Can I help y
Cole. My eyes blinked, bright sunlight peeking through the balcony, and I could feel the warmth. When I looked down, I noticed that her head was resting on my chest like a pillow and that her arms were wrapped around my waist. Only then did I notice that my arms were wrapped around her as well. I smiled for a moment, but as time passed, the happy feelings turned into feelings of sadness and guilt. Nevertheless, I still couldn't force myself to move, so I just left it like that. Then she started to move and I closed my eyes again. *****Rayline. I moaned softly as my eyes slowly opened. I lifted my head and pulled one hand back. But instead of feeling the texture of the sheets, I felt something stiff. I looked down to see Cole's body, my hand now resting on his stomach, and it took a moment for reality to hit me as I realized the position we were both in. I immediately pulled my hand back with a gasp and sat up completely as I slid away from him. This caused his eyes to slowly open
Rayline. I walked up the stairs to the room. I could hear the cars pulling out of the driveway, which meant that Cole and I were going to have the whole house to ourselves for a couple of hours. I felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety about this. I knocked on Cole's bedroom door, but when I called his name, I didn't hear an answer. I turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. I walked in and saw that my balcony door was open. I could see him leaning against the railing. Maybe he opened it just in case he didn't hear me from outside. Fortunately, there was no sign of my parents coming upstairs. I put the plate of food on my desk and went to the balcony. It wasn't until I stepped out that I noticed he was shirtless, a large incision scar was visible on his side, and the bandage that had previously been wrapped around him had now fallen off his lower body. "Hey," I called as I walked over, and he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hey," he said, looking back at the forest. "What are
Rayline. I managed to see through my tears. I could see the anger radiating from Cole's body, and it was obvious that Kody was no longer smiling. He lifted him from my desk and pushed him out the balcony door. They both stared at each other and I could see the red spark in Cole's eyes in the reflection of the glass. Out of nowhere there was a big gust of wind, just like before, but when I opened my eyes to look, Kody wasn't there. "Hey," Cole said in a low voice as he knelt down beside me. I was still holding back the pain, tear streaks running down the side of my face. Then he reached his hand out to grab mine and a cry escaped. "It's okay, let me see." His voice sounded soft. I lifted my hand, bleeding from the wound, four large claw marks stretching from my elbow to my wrist and up my hand. I saw his eyes flash blue and he pulled my arm forward, another groan escaping. "Shhh," he whispers softly, bringing his hand to hover over my wrist, placing his hand over the wound. "It's ok
Rayline. Somehow I managed to get Darren to say less without going into detail. Basically, what I said was that I ended up spending a lot of time with one of my classmates, and I spent the whole weekend hanging out with him. But I told him that when I confessed to him, I was rejected by him. Even though Darren kept asking me who it was, I refused to say, and I think the only reason he didn't try harder was because I was so upset. It was the first time I really liked someone, so he was very understanding. I couldn't sleep that night. My mind couldn't stop running through all my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried. Part of me wanted to take Cole's advice and forget about it all. But how could I? He can't just tell me that he had a good time and then throw me away like a piece of trash, can he? It's almost the end of class and he hasn't shown up. Maybe he knows I'll try to catch up with him, so he thinks it's better to just skip class. But that pisses me off even more because it means
Rayline. The meeting went exactly as I had expected it to go. Harvey briefly explained the entire situation and what he knew. Basically, all the causes of the riots and rebellion are related to years ago, and the roots have been resolved and dealt with. However, there would be unresolved loose ends and there were still ropes to be tied. Lilith most likely still has more allies and connections in places they have yet to discover, and they need to be sought out and dealt with. It may take a long time to clear things up, maybe even years, and the impact could be catastrophic. Harvey then asked everyone to share their stories and their connections. Cole spoke in front of us all, sharing everything. He talks about how he was first sent to Earth, and how Lilith gave his mother the disease out of spite and revenge. He spoke about the recent attacks, and how they were done as hatred towards him when they were actually related to the rebellion. He then spoke about me, how we met, how he bec
Rayline. As I lay nestled against his chest, I playfully drew small circles on his chest, the warmth of his skin keeping me wrapped in his arms, his wings spread out around me. The morning light sneaked in through the bedroom curtains while the two of us were still snuggled together on the bed, the sheets tattered messily. He ran his fingers through my hair, fiddling with the strands as I listened to his heartbeat, hearing every breath he took. "Did you fall asleep?" he asked softly, making me smile. "I should be the one asking you that." Spinning around to face him, my hand came to rest under my chin. "You were so busy as soon as we got back, and it doesn't seem like we got any sleep last night... or this morning." His lips curled up mischievously and his hand slid down my bare back, giving me goosebumps. "I'm doing okay. It was all definitely worth it." "Mmm...hmm." I tilted my head cheekily. Right now I was in his room at his father's house. As soon as the chaos died down, h
Rayline. He placed his hand on Cole's chest. There was light... a glowing white light that emanated from the archangel's fingertips, covering Cole's body. The light grew more and more, wrapping everything around him, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut because of the blinding light. I clutched Chase's hand as a wave of power pulsed through the room, shaking everything around me. I could feel my heart beating faster, my breath catching in my throat as the tension continued to rise in my chest. The light was retracted back into Cole's body, clinging to his skin. As I opened my eyes cautiously, I saw the light fading away as the archangel got to his feet and stepped back. Without holding myself back, I jumped forward, rushed to Cole's side, and with trembling hands, placed them on the side of his cold face. A few moments passed without anything happening, waiting. I gently brushed his hair aside. Then all of a sudden, his chest heaved, catching a deep breath that sounded so sharp, and
Rayline. A wave of cool air filled the room as the flames died out, leaving a trail of empty craters. No one moved. No one dared to breathe until the demon himself, Harvey stepped back. All the Nephilim watched his movements in awe, and some of them even bowed their heads in his honor. I leaned over Cole's body, my hands shaking as I brushed his hair, which had fallen to the side. Tears fell again, rolling down my cheeks without stopping. The sound of footsteps coming closer, got louder until they finally stopped right behind me. "Rayline?" I blinked slowly, turned my head towards the source of the voice, and saw Cole's father standing there. His expression changed as his gaze fell on his son who lay motionless in my arms. He swallowed, his gaze filled with such deep pain. "...Is there any other way?" I asked hoarsely. "Is there anything you can do?" He knelt beside me, pain filling his eyes. "I'm sorry," he says hoarsely. I look back down at Cole, and the sobs I have been holdi
Rayline. Seconds. In a mere few seconds, my entire world comes crashing down, shattering into pieces as the heart-wrenching pain rips through my soul. My lungs burned as I let out a horrifying wail, holding onto Cole's chest with all my strength, begging, pleading for him to come back to me. My hands are still clasped tightly in his now cold hands, while my tears are flowing freely. I clutched at his shirt, crying helplessly as if I could bring him back with the despair welling up from within me. Out of the blue, I felt a gentle hand placed on top of mine, and I jumped, before I froze at the sight of Jesse looking up at me, his tattered wings dragging behind him. Tears streamed down his face from pain and sorrow, and his eyes lowered to the motionless Cole. He bites his lip as he looks down, squeezing his eyes shut as more tears fall. A sob that sounded like it was choking his throat before he sucked in a deep breath, and his head lifted. He reached out his trembling hand over to C
Rayline. Chris lifted the sword back up with a solemn look, ready to chop his bones off, and started to swing. But before Chris could swing the sword, Lilith suddenly stepped aside, stopping him in his motion. "Hmm..." Lilith stepped forward, and Chris suddenly stopped in midair. "I think I have seen this before." He said, moving between me and Cole. "You are ready to give up everything, while the ones around you squirm helplessly." She went on, talking about the night Cole would trade himself... to let them kill him so that all of us could leave. Cole's head snapped up to meet her eyes, with a glint of hatred. "But there was something missing, something that happened afterward. What is it now?" She tapped her fingers on her lips, as if in deep thought. "Oh! I remember now!" She let out a maniacal laugh. "You lost the person you loved the most..." Then she lifted a sacred sword, the reflection of its light glistening down on the steel, as her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a pie
Rayline. To my horror, I watched as the skin of his wings was ripped away from the bones that reached out below, leaving only shredded pieces of flesh. His blood spilled onto the ground, soaking the tiles beneath him. She did not stop. With an expressionless face, Lilith continued to shred her own son's wings... the most precious thing to them. "STOP!" Cole's shout echoed out, filled with pain. Tears flooded his eyes. In a fit of rage, he let loose a blast of power that sent the men flying across the room, crashing to the hard ground. Cole reached out his hand towards Lilith, trying to stop her. Lilith froze in place, while Jesse's screams stopped, his body falling to the ground with a sound that struck my heart. I rushed towards him, my heart sank as I made my way to his side at the sight of the remains of his wings in a pool of blood, and a sick feeling came over me, making me bring my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the gasps. How could she do this? To her own son. "...H
Rayline. Cole let out a slow breath, as if trying to calm himself down. I hold on to his side, trying to provide support. "But I'm not done with you yet," Lilith continues with a sinister smile. "Cole!" I exclaim as his body abruptly slips out of my arms, throws onto the stairs of the dais, and lands hard on his back. A groan escaped his lips. "To think a half-breed like you could beat me." Lilith walked haughtily towards Cole, her smile full of disdain. "What happened to all those threats, huh?" she asked, her eyes flashing with cruelty as she lifted her hand, making his eyes widen and I could see her power take hold of his throat. "What happened to ripping me apart, hm?" She took a step closer. Cole remained motionless, his blood-red eyes locked on Lilith, full of malice. "What's wrong? Nothing left to say, mutt?" But then, Cole smirked. His blood-stained lips curled up, making Lilith frown, puzzled. Slowly, his hands opened, causing the melted pieces of metal to fall to the gr
Rayline. Chaos broke out in a split second. Before I could even see his movements, Cole was already whizzing over to Lilith. The blazes lining the entire wall burst with the sudden increase in heat, forcing me to lift my arms to protect myself. Screaming and roaring could be heard clearly as Cole furiously swung his claws at her while she quickly dodged out of his reach. Lilith sent a wave of fire that blasted across the room, scorching the air around her, which made Cole lift his wings and throw them off to the side. I ducked down to avoid the lick of flame that shot out when I heard my name being called. As I turned my head, I caught sight of Taylor staring at me, tugging on the enchanted chains that held both him and Jesse, and without thinking, I jumped to my feet and slid towards them. In another corner of the room, Levi and the other demons were too distracted with helping their leader to focus on me, in addition to the battle that was going on inside the room. Once I reache