Rayline. My lips parted as a wave of sadness washed over me, but not for me or what I wanted, but for him. It was beyond my imagination. The angels made him agree to never bear children. It was either that or his life... He was so young, it was no wonder that he did not care about the possibilities. He never thought that he would want children. He never even thought that he would fall in love. "...Is that part of the reason why you want to stay safe?" I asked, my voice shaking. He bit his lip and looked away, but then I grabbed both his hands. "If something happened by accident... there would only be one choice for you." There was a tremor in his hands as he stared at me again. "And I don't want you to be forced to make that decision." I hated it. I hated that he was being forced into a position like this. I hated that he was treated differently. I hated that people were so afraid that they chose to make him suffer instead. "I'm sorry," he said weakly, looking defeated. I frowne
Rayline. We made our way down a few hallways until we found the main room, and my vision began to adjust. There were benches lined up, and my eyes looked up to see the beautifully decorated ceiling that hung high above our heads. While I was busy admiring the architecture of this building, Cole went on to observe his surroundings carefully. He then started to take a step in another direction, and I could feel a growing sense of intention in him. At last, after a seemingly endless walk in the darkness, Cole finally stopped in his tracks, and I came across a large display case guarded by ropes. I took a step forward and gave him a fleeting glance. "Do... do you think this is real?" He pressed his lips together and took a step closer, his keen eyes looking at them closely. "I don't feel anything." He paused for a moment. "Joey might be right." "Are you sure?" I looked down at the spearhead. It looked centuries old, but that did not mean it was real, it could have been a copy. "Well,
Rayline. He gulped down harshly before leaning over and placing his hand on my shoulder. "That is not going to happen. Cole is very strong. I have seen how much power he has and how hard he works to control it for you. You are just as strong for standing beside him... in a world like ours." My eyes locked onto his as tears began to form in the corners of my vision. "I made a promise to his mother... that I would take care of him." I gulped in a deep breath and looked back up at the dark sky. "I did a terrible job. That time he was gone for months... I was not there for him, and now... I might not be able to keep that promise." My voice cracks as tears roll down my cheeks. Before I knew it, Joey wiped them away, and I let out a sad laugh. "I'm sorry." I raised my hand to wipe away another tear. "It's okay," he said quietly. "And it's not your fault if he chose to run off. You are not to blame for that." The look on my face didn't change, and he gave a sigh. "Rayline, I don't know m
Rayline. I was standing in a large hall, taking a deep breath. As my eyes looked around, I recognized that this was the same hallway I remembered Cole introducing himself to his father, which meant the door he was standing in front of was the door to his father's office. He held the handle of the bag on his shoulder, and he shifted in one place before dropping it to the floor. He then straightened up and stepped towards the door, taking one last breath before pushing it open. It revealed his father sitting at his desk fiddling with papers, and as soon as Cole stepped into the room, he glanced up. "Oh, Cole." He moved a piece of paper to a pile on the side of the desk. "I have been meaning to call you for a while." Cole took a step forward but did not speak. "I need you for more work." He reached the front of his father's desk and stopped in place. There was silence before his father's eyes finally met his son's, and Cole's hand turned into a fist at his side. "No." His father's
Rayline. "Hey." That was how Taylor greeted us when Cole and I reached the doorway. He immediately came over to wrap his arms around Cole, then turned to give me a hug as well, much to my surprise. "Hey, Ty," I greeted him back while flashing a small grin. He then motioned us into the house, and we started taking all of our stuff with us. "Are you guys tired? Jetlagged?" "Not really, we slept on the plane," Cole told him. "You mean that I slept on the plane, right?" I asked, tapping his arm. "You should have taken a nap too, you know." "No, I'm fine," he shrugged leisurely. Just a few moments later, Jesse entered the living room along with Nicolas. I turned my head while flashing a big smile. "Hey," Nicolas smiled widely as he met my eyes, and I walked over to give him a hug. "Hey, Nick." The rest of us then spent a few moments greeting each other and talking about what had happened in Rome, but I could not help but cast a glance in Cole's direction to see how worn out he lo
Rayline. "Because..." Jesse started but cut himself off as his eyes locked with Taylor's. He shook his head with a sly smirk. "Taylor recently found himself getting involved in... steamy activities in the demon world." Cole lifted his brows. "Is that safe?" A hint of concern filled my tone. "Taylor can move into the shadows and get past any man that would be guarding, is that right, Ty?" Jesse pointed out. Taylor nodded in agreement. "They are all low-class demons, their minds should be easy to persuade." "You can do shadow shifting?" I asked Taylor, who nodded. "That is advanced demon magic. It requires an enormous amount of mental power, and since it's his specialty, then he can," Cole explained. "I would say shift into a worker, but your aura might be too strong to be a servant," Jesse added in a concerned tone. "I'd be fine to get around. My only concern is reaching the layers. You need clearance to go between them unless you can summon a portal." "What about Asmodeus?" C
Rayline. My mouth dropped open as my tongue felt tongue-tied. I knew that Cole had told me that Hayden had some sort of power, but I was not quite sure what it was. "Yeah... How did you know?" I managed to sound out. He shrugged and sat back down casually. "Everyone knows about him. He has the power to control those in this world and those not." "You never seem to have a problem with him though." "He's never given me a reason to be cautious of him. He never caused any trouble at all. Despite what the others of my kind think, I see no reason to fear him." My eyebrows shot up in shock. Never did I expect him to be so concerned about Cole. "But I'm sure he must have warned you about my kind, am I right?" I sealed my lips together and nodded slowly. "Let me guess, like untrustworthy, deceitful, having ulterior motives?" "Uh... yeah, something like that." "Hm," he grinned amusedly. "Looks like we already have quite the infamous reputation." He was being so open about it now. Hopef
Rayline. I'm woken up by the sound of knocking at the door, turning over in bed to look around and realize that it's going to be sundown soon. My head was feeling dizzy, and it hurt as I rolled onto my side to face my bedroom door, where I found Cole leaning against the door frame grinning. "Good afternoon." He made his way to the edge of the bed and squatted down to be at eye level with me. "Someone looks like she had a nice nap." "Hmm," I mumbled while flashing a forced smile. "Surprised you didn't come through the balcony." The corners of his lips curled up in a smile. "No need to sneak around," he shrugged. "Just had a nice chat with your father." I groaned in response and rolled over, making him chuckle. Taking my time, I slowly sat up, and Cole got to his feet to sit on the edge of my bed, while I lifted my hands and placed them on top of my head. Then I turned my face to cover my mouth as I coughed into my elbow, followed by a sneeze as I turned to him. "What's wrong?" His
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