Rayline. I could see that Nicolas' eyes widened in surprise, and quite frankly, I was surprised too. He even blinked a few times before straightening up his body. "Yes... of course," Nicolas replied, and Cole nodded before straightening up once more. "Oh, Ray, I... um," he started as he reached into his pocket for something. "We found this when you went missing." He held his hand up, and I saw the sparkle of my black angel wing necklace, which made my face brighten instantly. "Gosh, I knew it had fallen off back then, I even thought it would disappear," I said as I raised my hand to my mouth as Nicolas leaned over the table to place it in my palm. "I knew you would want it back." He said with his eyes shifting to look at Cole for a moment. "I know how much it means to you." I can barely hide the smile on my face, and I feel Cole start to take small steps to get closer. "You... are you still wearing it?" he questions in a tone of astonishment, and I turn to him. I pressed my lips t
Nicolas. As I walked out of the kitchen doorway, I looked around in various directions before heading down the hallway. My feet twirled frantically as I searched for the person I was looking for, and as I turned around the corner, I almost jumped in startled shock. I spotted Jesse standing there, leaning against the wall. "Hey," I said, and Jesse's eyes snapped up to look at me. "You scared me." But Jesse had nothing to say, instead his eyes lowered to the ground, while his fingers fiddled with the bracelet around his wrist. My gaze dropped to the chain, and I gulped before finally turning my face to the side. The awkwardness was mounting, and I sucked in a breath while taking another step back to retreat, but Jesse's eyes stared at me instead. "Why did you go to find him?" Jesse asked, his voice sounding as bitter as ever. My body froze before slowly looking up at Jesse. "Huh?" That was my only reaction. I was too surprised by his question. Jesse straightened up with his back ag
Rayline. Chase burst through the door of the mansion before heading into the living room, finding everyone sitting around. When I looked up, he locked eyes with me before finally stepping closer to me. He bent down and instantly pulled my body into his arms, and my eyes widened in shock as I sat there. "Are you okay?" Chase let go of his embrace and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. "Yes, Chase, I'm fine." He let out a sigh of relief. "I tried to get here faster, but I got stuck." He straightened up and put his hands on his hips. "All I could do was send you the message." I furrowed my brows for a moment but then flashed back to the memory of my dream. "That... that was real?" I asked and Chase nodded. "I thought it was just a dream." "It was," he said with a laugh. "But I sent you a message to hang in there." He trailed off for a moment. "I know Cole is already on his way, but I'm not sure if Nicolas can catch up with him." Then Chase glanced at Cole and stepped aside to
Rayline. Instantly, we were up in the air, the world around us seemingly shrinking as we soared into space. I was getting used to flying, whether it was with Cole or one of the other guys, but the way he was holding me now gave me a whole new view, and it was just as scary as the first time I flew with him. I let out a little squeal and held on to his hand that was holding me tightly, and I could hear a small laugh. Once we started to align, our bodies turned horizontal and our faces faced downwards. I forced my eyes open, feeling the wind on my cheeks. I sucked in a deep breath and looked around. At this angle, it felt like I was flying alone. Though I had never once flown during the day, the scenery below me looked breathtakingly beautiful, bringing a smile to my face. The green expanse of the trees radiated in the daylight, and the surface of the water shimmered in the reflection as we passed over it. Feeling more secure in his grip, I let go and spread my arms out to the sides
Rayline. We both took a seat at one of the tables in the small cafe. Cole sits across the table from me and starts reading the menu while I just stare out the window. "This feels weird," I said with a small smile. "What?" he asked, looking up. "This is it. It feels like everything is back to normal. Like I was not kidnapped a few days ago." "Yeah..." he muttered as he looked down. "Let's just hope it stays like this," he said, and I nodded in agreement. The two of us quickly ordered our food, and as we started to eat, my eyes were completely fixed on his eyes. "So," I said, resting my elbows on the table, "tell me about what you have been doing these past few months." Then he finished his chew of food and put down his cutlery. "Well..." He talked while adjusting his sitting position. "I guess when I first left, I just wanted to get away. Make sure that you are safe and just... try to forget about it." He picked up the time to take a small pause. "But it did not take long for me
Rayline. As I walked, I could hear the quiet rumbling of thunder, and as I walked, water droplets slowly started to drip around me until it turned into heavy rain. I raised my hands and started walking faster, but Cole stopped instead. "Come on, we are going to get wet," I said, but he stayed where he was. "Look at this." His eyes looked up to the sky, and I waited. At first, I did not realize it, but his gaze met mine again with a toothy grin, and I came to the shocking realization that the rain was no longer pouring down on me. I looked around, but it was still raining, but nothing was falling within range of the two of us. "How was it?" I turned around and looked up, my smile widening. "How did you do that?" "Magic," he shrugged his shoulders, and I let out a small chuckle. Our eyes met again, and he grabbed both my hands to pull me closer to him. His hair was slightly damp from the water, and as I wrapped my arms around him, there was a piercing chill against his clothes. As
Rayline. All of a sudden Chase barged into the room, his attention instantly drawn to the two of us curled up on the floor. "What happened?" He asked with a look of shock at Cole's bloody face, as well as the knife on the floor. "We," Cole started but then trailed off, "we don't know either." His eyes dropped down to the floor. Then Chase looked around the room and found the sacred dagger stuck in the door. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out, eyeing it closely before walking to Cole's side and kneeling down. "Are you okay?" He threw the question at Cole, who nodded and responded. "It's just a scratch." Chase clicked his tongue and placed his hand on the side of Cole's cheek. Meanwhile, I myself lifted my head, while wiping my eyes as I watched the wound on his skin close on its own. "Then what about you?" Chase now turned to ask me as he stared at me, and I shook my head. "I'm fine," I said in a hoarse voice due to my crying earlier. Chase nodded and looked around again, pr
Rayline. All of a sudden there was the sound of the library door opening, and Jesse walking in. It only took a second to realize that his mother was walking behind him, making the three of us instantly freeze. They both walked closer to the table, and Jesse was seen giving a reassuring look before he retreated to the side. Meanwhile, his mother seemed to be looking Cole up and down, giving him a sinister look before facing me. "Is it you that wanted to talk to me?" she asked in a tone that made me catch my breath as if I was wasting her precious time. The woman stood in front of me, the aura of confidence and arrogance emanating from her making her look even more intimidating. "I... um..." I glanced at the guys. "Yes, it's me." The woman tilted her head slightly as if I were a kitten shivering in the rain. "Rayline was hit by a curse with a demonic rune," Jesse said from the side. "We were hoping you could help us." His mother pursed her lips in a sign that she was thinking, and
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