Rayline. Kody quickly tugged roughly on Aunt Spencer's hair to yank her head back and expose her neck as she shrieked in pain, and Cole's eyes glanced up at her in panic. Silas then used this opportunity to shift his hands into claws and slash at his arm, causing his blood to rush out and spill down as he screamed in pain. Jesse quickly moved my body by leaping to the side to pull him away from Silas. "And that was for attacking my men." Cole continued to hold his arm as Jesse stood in front of him. "What do you want?" Silas smirked at the question from Jesse, and he took a step forward. "That's not what I want." My head tilted to the side. "There are a lot of people who want him dead, sweetie." "Then give her back," Cole cut in from behind, still clutching his arm. "Just let her go, and you can kill me." My heart nearly dropped at his words, and Jesse turned me around to glare into his eyes. This was not part of the plan. Silas's smug smile widened as he pulled out the hidden sa
Rayline. It was quiet. Nothing but complete dead silence. Silas gradually turned his gaze to Cole, there was a smoldering anger behind his gaze. "Unfortunately, Cole, I can no longer fully accept your offer," he started, and everyone took notice. "Because you owe me a favor." A look of confusion crossed all of us, but Silas' head slowly turned toward Kody. "I told you we would let them go," he said as he pointed at me and the guys before a sinister gaze corrupted his expression. "...Well, now it is time for you to repent for your sins." The next thing that happened made the sound that came out of my throat choke. Kody then raised the large blade and stabbed it into Aunt Spencer's back. The blood-stained blade protruded out of her abdomen, while her face remained frozen, the shock evident on her face. "...Mom." Cole's voice came out so faintly that it was barely audible. "Mom!" This time he shouted while trying to sit up, and tears started streaming down my face. Kody then pulled o
Rayline. Little by little, Cole forced Kody to walk forward like a puppet on a string, and that is when I realized that his body was heading towards the sacred blade that he had used to stab Cole's mother. Jesse's lips clenched at the realization. "He is going to make him kill himself," Jesse said under his breath. "We have to stop him!" Taylor exclaimed, trying to rush towards his body, but the sparks of fire burst up into a wave of heat, forcing him to back away. "You can't! That fire will burn you to ash!" Jesse snapped as he pulled Taylor back, and I could do nothing but gaze at Kody who screamed in pain as he stepped in front of the bloodied sword. As Silas rushed over to Kody, another burst of flame exploded in his direction, and a hole in the ground created a pit of fire, separating the demon from his friend. "No... Cole definitely did not want this," I muttered under my breath. "He can't control himself now... He's already blinded by his anger," Chase said tensely, and I
Rayline. Taylor is pulled over in the driveway leading to my house, and I glance out the window at the orange sunrise in front of my house. Cole rested his head on my shoulder with his eyes closed, his eyes still red and puffy, and his arm hooked around mine. "Cole." I wiggled my arm, and he stirred a little before opening his eyes. "I have to go in for a minute, but I will be right back, okay?" He nodded silently before pulling himself away from me, and I opened the car door to walk toward my house's porch. I twisted the lock and slowly walked into my house. It was very quiet, but I could hear the gentle sounds of humming coming from the kitchen, so I slowly made my way there. There I saw my mom making breakfast while dancing to the music with her headphones, and she did not realize that I was standing in the doorway until I stepped closer and leaned against the counter. "Oh, good morning, sweetie. Did you just get home?" she asked while taking off her headphones. "Yeah," I repl
Rayline. It's been a few weeks since Aunt Spencer passed away, and I feel like things have not gotten any easier for him. He could be hard to read sometimes. One minute he wants to be alone, and the next minute he will cling to me like I'm going to fade away. I only stayed at Taylor's house for a few days before I had to go home, but every day after class I would visit him. Jesse and Taylor were just as worried. Chase had to go back shortly after that. As much as he wanted to stay, Cole knew that he would get in trouble if he did, so he told Chase to go back. However, he was still here again today. As of yet, Cole has not been attending classes again. He had been absent for a while due to a death in the family, but that period should have ended a while ago. I assumed that Taylor had done his best to keep him on track, but I did not blame him for not having the motivation to do normal things. Today was a gloomy day. Dark clouds hung over the sky as we all walked through the cemetery
Rayline. I cast a sidelong glance at Cole who was slowly looking up at his father, whose eyes were deep in thought. "I asked her, 'Why do you want to help me?' But she only replied, 'Because you're hurt." He could not help the faint smile on his face. "I watched her as she took care of me, and when she was done, I asked her why she was on Earth. Then she said that she wanted to go away for some time, that she needed a diversion, which made me start to wonder what was really going on that would make an angel so depressed. And for some reason, for the first time in my life, I just wanted to get to know someone. I wanted to know why she was unhappy, why she had to leave, and everything about her." "Then what happened afterward?" "The night was getting late, but I told her that I did not want to go home, and neither did she. So in the end, I asked if we could meet again, and she made me promise to meet her at the same place in three days. But before she left, I asked her, 'Why do you wa
Rayline. Once we were at Taylor's house, the two boys were engrossed in their own chitchat, while Chase was watching television and I was busy with my own thoughts, however, Cole was probably still at the cemetery, alone. Since he might still need some time to himself and I was perfectly fine with that. "I have never seen him like that. He was always so stoic and composed," Jesse revealed while still lying on the couch that I could hear clearly, and I rested my chin on my elbow while sitting on one of the lounge chairs. "I tried to listen to what they were talking about, but I could only hear a little bit of it," Taylor said from below the floor while focusing on his video game. "Do you think he might be his least favorite person?" teased Taylor, and Jesse rolled his eyes, lazily. "Cole can have that title all he wants. To be honest, I don't give a shit." Jesse said bluntly. "What are you listening to, Ray? You are the one who is closest to them." Chase said while fiddling with th
Rayline."When I first met your mother, she asked me to tell her if your eyes ever turned into magenta." I started to tell him the story as I could feel his body tighten against mine. "I forgot she ever asked me to do that, so before she died, I told her that your eyes had done it even very often. And she smiled, and the last thing she told me was that it meant you loved me." Then I paused and gazed into his eyes. "Is that true?" His eyes suddenly became soft. "Of course it's true." He put his hand on my cheek. "Of course, I love you Ray, very much." He let out a mirthful laugh and looked down again. "Ray, I love you so much that I don't know what to do with myself." There was a long pause. I should have felt happy, jumping up and smiling. But somehow, the way he spoke sounded painful like he was not telling the truth about it, and I could not help myself anymore and asked him. "Cole, I feel that somehow you are not telling me something." His eyes flutter closed, and he takes a deep
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