It Comes Down To You

Sera stares at her ex-husband, the man whom she had given her heart to at one point. There were all sorts of emotions going through her, but the one that simmered under her skin and had her storming forward was rage. Pure rage! She felt like killing the bastard man with her own hands!

Silas was quick to put some distance between him and Kerry's father before Sera flung a vase at him. The angel evaded the attack, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Sera reach out for something else to throw at him.

"Sera, please, we don't have time for this."

"How dare you! How dare you show up here after all those years!"

"Sweetheart, please calm down," Bill, who had been stunned, finally reacted. He moved forward to stand by his wife. He looked at Seth with confusion—Bill didn't know what relationship the two of them had, but he'd never seen Sera this angry before. "Let him talk first."

"Do you even know who he is?" Sera glared at her husband. Her vision was going blurry as she teared up. Her emotions were almost overwhelming, and she felt like she might pass out. She was still worried about her daughter's disappearance, and then Seth suddenly showed up at their door after abandoning her so many years ago. "He... He is..."

"I'm her ex-husband," Seth said. Bill's eyes flashed a dangerous red as understanding finally settled in. He eyed the man warily, remembering the countless times his wife had woken up in panic, fearing that he might abandon her like her ex-husband had. He wouldn't fight Seth, but he certainly didn't have a good opinion of the man. He wrapped a protective arm around his wife as she buried her face in his chest. She didn't want to cry in front of Seth, but she was hurting so badly.

Seth's expression didn't waver as he watched the couple. If he was feeling bad for making Sera so distraught, he didn't let it show. He was here for one reason, and that was more important than any other matter at the moment. He turned his gaze to Silas, who stood by the side and watched him with gloomy eyes. "I know I'm not welcome here, and the last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable in your own home. However, my daughter's safety is most important to me, and if there's any way I can help, I will ensure I do so."

"If you cared about her so much, why did you leave?!"

"I had to!" Seth snapped. Sera's eyes widened, and she felt herself take a step back. Just now, she had seen his eyes change color, and the whole air had grown heavy and nearly suffocating. "I am... not as human as you think, Sera. If I had stayed with you and Kerry, I would have only been putting our daughter's life in danger."

"Wait... you're a supernatural?"

"I wish it was that easy," he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Seth never thought he would be unveiling his secret like this. "I... I am what you call an Archangel."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I was."

Sera scoffed. It was clear that she didn't believe anything he said. He was simply making excuses, which was intolerable. Sera wasn't very religious, and she didn't believe that angels or devils existed. Now her ex was claiming to be one.

Seth glanced at Bill, who was eyeing him warily, as if he expected him to attack at any moment. He then eyed Silas, who had long stopped paying attention to what was happening. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking very much like his world had crashed. With a sigh, the angel took a step and shrugged off his jacket. "I'll show you," he said. He felt the familiar sizzling of energy in the air that came before a transformation. He saw his ex-wife's shocked gaze as a bright light engulfed the room, making the people around close their eyes instinctively.

When the light cleared, Seth was standing in his true form, with large white wings curled behind him. He ignored Sera's look of disbelief and addressed Silas directly. "Kerry and I aren't human. My daughter is a Nephilim. You could say her blood is a lot purer. There have only been a few rare cases of hybrid horns in history. I believe whoever took Kerry is aware of this as well."

"You are saying Kerry was taken because she is a Nephilim?" Silas asked, feeling dread settling inside him. He thought of all the horrible things his lover must be going through. "Why?"

"I am still not certain. However, angels are able to sense each other, which is how I knew Kerry wasn't fully human even before her powers manifested."

"What powers?! My daughter doesn't have any!" Sera said in exasperation.

"None you are aware of. I will find Kerry. It's just a matter of time."

They all exchanged looks but easily agreed to accept his help. As long as Kerry returned home safe, nothing else mattered.

---

It's been two days since her kidnapping, and honestly speaking, Kerry had no idea what to expect anymore. She had expected Asher to torture her, force her to do something for him. But the monster merely hung around her, always a small distance away as if he thought it would make her more comfortable. He would watch her with that thoughtful gaze that made her skin crawl. She knew he was planning something, but she had no idea what that was.

He fed her well. At first, she didn't eat anything he brought for fear of poisoning. But then again, she was pregnant with a vampire's baby, and not eating when she was hungry (which was more frequent than she would have liked) meant dying a painful death. How gleeful.

It was evening now, and Kerry was watching some boring show on the TV that served as the only form of entertainment in this desolate place. Asher suddenly appeared in front of her, making her flinch. He had a displeased frown on his face.

"It's taking too long," he said. "We both can't wait for this to be over with."

Before she could ask him what the hell he was talking about, Asher was reaching out and brushing a hand across her stomach. Kerry looked at him in stunned silence. For several minutes, she didn't know what to make of the odd behavior. That was until a mind-numbing pain shot through her middle.

"What the fuck!" she cursed as she nearly doubled over on the sofa. Asher watched her with folded hands. Kerry cried out in horror as her stomach started growing right in front of her eyes. It was bloating, and so damn painful. Plus, she could feel it kicking. Tears ran down her face as she tried to hold back her cries of pain.

"Remain calm," Asher said, his voice void of any emotion. "It should be over soon."

She hated him! She hated this bastard so much! "Aww!!" Kerry slid to the floor with her legs wide apart. She felt like something was going to crawl out of her. Oh God, the baby!

"It's labor. I sped up the process for you," his voice was very nonchalant as he helped her slide out of her pants. Kerry could hardly register what he was saying due to the immense pain. "After this, I'll let you go home. You can live happily with that man of yours."

"It hurts!! I... I... Can't..."

"You can. I wouldn't have chosen you for this if I knew you couldn't do this. Now breathe, and push."

She wanted to fuck this man up, but now wasn't the time. Kerry strained with every ounce of strength she had. Her face contorted in effort as she pushed with all her might. Sweat dripped from her brow, and her breath came in ragged gasps. But nothing seemed to be happening. Just when she thought she couldn't push anymore, when her energy was utterly spent, she felt a sudden movement.

A tiny head began to emerge, and with one final surge of adrenaline, she summoned the strength to keep going. Then, in an instant, the baby's head slipped out, followed swiftly by the rest of its tiny body. Asher reached out with gentle hands and took the baby, cutting the umbilical cord with sharp claws. Kerry collapsed back, feeling like she would pass out at any moment. Her heart was beating with fear as she watched Asher hold her child, a small smile playing on his lips.

"A girl," he said, glancing at the exhausted mother. "Just as expected."

"W... What?"

"Hush." Kerry didn't know whether he was talking to her or the crying baby. He brought a finger to his lips and bit on it, then proceeded to feed his blood to the baby.

"What are you doing?!"

"I can't let my future bride starve, can I?"

"What the hell are you talking about?! Give me back my child!"

"You still haven't figured it out yet, have you? All the effort, it all leads to this."

"You....."

"A child, half-vampire, half-nephilim. With blood so pure and a body so powerful, could there be a more perfect bride to rule this wretched world by my side?" Asher glanced at the newborn briefly before placing her in the hands of her mother. He patted Kerry's sweat-soaked hair with a gentle smile. "Well done, Kerry."

Then he simply disappeared, like he had never been there.

Kerry looked down at her baby. Red eyes peered up at her. Her eyes inevitably teared up as she brushed a drop of blood from the newborn's lips. "My poor girl."