"Siena, will you leave it alone?" I hissed out through gritted teeth. "It looks fine."
"Fine is not good enough," she grumbled back, fussing over my hair once more. She'd been doing it for the last hour, and my neck was beginning to hurt.
"You're being ridiculous," I mused, glaring at her reflection in the mirror. She mouthed my words in mocking, continuing to braid my hair.
"How is fussing over the bride ridiculous?" I watched Ravenna smile as she walked into the room. She wore a pale blue gown, and her hair was slick straight as it fell to her shoulders. She'd cut it following the war, shortly after she'd had her daughter. God had blessed them with a hybrid child following the Reckoning, borne half Demon, half Angel. They now acted as the judgement that preceded the Afterlife.
"Because I look fine!" I refuted, earning a snicker from Ravenna's wine tainted lips. Her sharp teeth broke into a grin, glimmering in the diffused sunlight that filtered in through the windows.
"Fine isn't good enough," Ravenna repeated Siena's words and I rolled my eyes.
"See?" Siena replied in a snarky tone and I hissed through gritted teeth. It had been hours. How much longer would I have to sit here, victim to their every whim?
"You both are ridiculous," I groaned, shooting daggers at them both through the mirror.
"Your mother said that I could do whatever I liked. I'm only obeying her wishes," Siena smirked.
"Whatever," I huffed as Siena coiled a tendril of my hair and pressed it into its final place at the back of my head. Somehow she'd managed to coil my stubborn waves into intricate curls across my head. I'd been far too distracted with the anxiety coiling in my stomach to pay attention to whatever it was she had been doing.
"Relax, I'm done now," she insisted, taking a step back. Slowly, I rose to my feet, taking a glance at myself in the full length mirror.
The white gown was exquisite. Ravenna had picked it for me. It was covered in lace that stretched down to my wrists, covered the entire bodice of the gown up to my throat. At the waist, the gown became a rich white satin, shimmering in the light as it fell to the ground. It stretched into a small train behind me, enough to add some drama but not enough to be a detraction from the dress.
"You look incredible," Siena murmured, placing a hand atop my shoulder. My wounds had healed, though my ankle still ached every time the sky decided to rain, which was nearly everyday here.
I turned to them, looking first at the glorious Siena, who wore a bronze metallic gown that hugged her every curve and stretched to the floor below, her hair was curled in romantic waves, falling to her waist. While Zadkiel had perished in the Reckoning, she had found new love with Eve, the first woman. God had placed her as Archangel of Soul, managing all soulmates to ever exist. Her wings, once a dove grey, had been transformed into an effervescent white.
With Ravenna and Raziel in charge of judgement, and the death of almost all Angels and Demons, Hell and Heaven had been dissolved. With the disappearance of Hell, there was no longer any need to send the evil to a separate place than the good, because there was no longer anything to separate the two. Good and evil no longer existed. Mankind was simply- for lack of a better term, grey.
"A dress fitting for the Archangel of Mankind," Ravenna turned to me, coiling a tendril of my hair around her finger.
God had named me Archangel of Mankind following the Reckoning. Given that I was the first Fallen to be Created rather than having Fell, she felt I was fitting to represent the true spirit of mankind. Humans were neither good nor evil, they were created as a grey. But that did not mean they could not be as great as any.
She found Grey and I's union, therefore quite fitting. Mankind was so powerful because they had to face mortality, because they were bound to death. It was because of that they were allowed to live without restraint, to live in a world of color that never began to dull. Everyday was a new chance, a new beginning.
"Are you nervous?" Siena questioned, her brows pinching into a concerned scowl. I quickly shook my head.
"No," I murmured under my breath. Even though my heartbeat pounded in my ears, I knew it wasn't out of nervousness. I was anxious for it to happen. I was excited. The future Grey and I had mourned, we were about to have.
"Good. As Best Woman, I'd be a little concerned if you were," she smirked. "You'll do brilliantly," Siena assured me, pressing a kiss to my cheek before sauntering out the room.
I turned to Ravenna, giving her a tight lipped smile. She reached down and squeezed my hand tightly.
"The ceremony is going to start soon," she said gently. Ravenna was my Maid of Honor. I had Allison's name sewn in blue thread into the hem of my dress.
With a deep breath, I nodded as Ravenna led me from Grey's bathroom, down the wooden steps to the main floor. Through the windows from the living room, I could see the peninsula, white chairs lining the grass up to a wooden pedestal that stood at the edge of the cliff. There was where I saw him.
He stood stiffly atop the pedestal, clad in a dark grey suit and cerulean tie. His hair, normally disheveled, was slicked back and shone nearly blue in the diffuse light that bled from between the overcast clouds. He hadn't seen me yet. He stared coolly across the fifty or so chairs, seeming rather disinterested. However, I could hear his heart pounding as loudly as my own. I smiled at the sound.
I walked up to my fathers side, his silver eyes twinkling with tears as he watched me approach.
"You're beautiful, Jo," he stammered out through labored breaths. I could tell he was trying hard not to cry. Seeing him so emotional made my throat constrict, made me hold my breath tightly in my chest.
"Thanks dad," I smiled, blinking the tears away as quickly as I could. I glanced back towards Ravenna, who gave me a broad grin.
"It's time," she smiled and I nodded, gripping my fathers arm tighter.
As the violins began to play, I felt an eruption of goosebumps cascade across my skin. This was it. The moment I'd prayed for, the moment I'd mourned, the moment I'd dreamed of. Ravenna's dark eyes gave me one last glance, one twinkle of elation, before she strode out the front doors towards the peninsula. I watched her walk, bouquet of baby's breath and branches of pine in hand. Each step was measured to the beat of the music as she gracefully walked down the aisle towards the pedestal, taking her place at the left hand side. She turned to face the audience and I glanced up to my father.
He didn't dare return the look. He had stopped his tears once before, I didn't know if he could the second time.
So I swallowed and began to walk towards the doors, clutching my father's arm as tightly as I could.
We left the house and turned towards the peninsula, and the moment we did, my eyes met Grey's. They were cerulean once more, glimmering with sunlight as they gazed back at me. I watched as tears brimmed those otherworldly eyes and he reached up with a hand, brushing the lone one that had strayed down his cheek.
God, I loved him.
I felt tears begin to sting against my own eyes as my gaze held his, each step sending my heart rate higher and higher. He was my destiny, my fate. I had believed my fate ended with the Reckoning, that I was destined to die in the war. I had been so wrong, so so wrong. I was destined to lead mankind towards a peaceful future with a beautiful man by my side, bound to me by heart and soul. I was destined for happiness.
How unfortunate I'd never believed that a possibility.
I felt the eyes of the guests land on me as they all stood from their seats, watching my approach. The music began to crescendo, the high notes of the violins sending chills racing down my spine the way that Grey's eyes had always done. With every step, I felt Allison's spirit cheer me onward, telling me that love had won, that I deserved all the happiness in the world. I would continue on in a way that she would've been proud of. I would live every moment to the fullest. I would see the world with color, just as she had.
I felt my mother's hand slide into my free hand, gripping it gently as we reached the wooden pedestal, overlooking the very cliff I'd fallen from. However, my eyes did not stray from Grey's, just as his did not stray from mine. Even as my mother kissed my cheek, my father kissed my forehead and placed my hand in Grey's, my eyes did not leave his. I could stare at nothing else for all eternity, and never complain.
He was everything. Everything I'd ever needed, ever would need. Despite everything, we were here, together. Despite everything, I loved him, and he loved me.
I stepped atop the pedestal, eyes remaining glued to his. I could see tears brimming those stunning eyes even now, see how he fought to blink them away.
As the priest began to speak, I only paid attention to Grey's heartbeat, which echoed as loudly in my ears as my own. My soulmate. My destiny.
"I believe you two have written vows?" The priest continued, and I felt his eyes shift from me to Grey, who gulped down whatever emotion had swirled in his chest.
"Jordan. Greene. Mea bellator. From the moment I met you, I knew that was exactly what you were, a warrior. You have fought in every aspect of your life, especially when it came to us. Even when I was afraid, even when I tried to pull away, you kept me grounded, remained my steady anchor despite the wars that raged around us. I never knew a love like this existed, never knew something like this waited for someone like me. I will-I will never think that I deserve you, Greene, but I will spend every moment of eternity trying to," he murmured, squeezing my hands as he spoke.
My heart raced as the priest turned to me.
"Grey, I- I never wanted to fall in love. This was not the future I had planned, the one I had wanted. But who I was- who I was is not who I was meant to be. You made me who I was meant to be, who I was always destined to become. You not only saved my life more times than I'd care to acknowledge, but you encouraged me to become more, to become who I am today. I might've fought you every step of the way, but you have become the very air I breathe, the entire reason my heart beats. I could not survive a second without you, and I wouldn't want you. You are- you are everything to me. Everything," I croaked out, my voice growing weak as the emotions I was feeling began to weigh heavily on my chest.
And as the priest told Grey he could kiss the bride, I felt the world fall away beneath my feet. I was no longer anchored to the Earth, to anything at all aside from him. He was my center, my world.
I'd never wanted this for me. I'd never wanted to fall for anyone, let alone the Archangel of Death. But since I'd met Grey, the world had become all the more colorful, all the more vibrant and alive. Whatever peace and happiness followed this day, I knew it was all because of Grey.
THE END.
Thank you all for joining me on this incredible journey. I'd started writing this as a freshman in college and had it in my head for several years prior to actually putting it on paper. Three years later, I'm so incredibly blessed to have you all. You encouraged me to continue writing, to continue Jordan and Grey's story. I am forever grateful to all of you. With the end of 2020 comes the end of the Grey Saga and the dawn of a new era.
I would like to formally introduce you all to the reason why chapter postings have been so sparse this year.
On my page, you will find a new book titled
lovely, dark, and deep
It is a new series, in a new world, but I am beyond proud of it. I think it's the best thing I've ever written, and I plan to expand it beyond the one book into several more. I'm not sure how many yet, but if you like my writing and would like more of it, I would encourage you to give it a chance. The entire book has been published at the same time I published this.
I love Jordan and Grey with all of my heart for everything they've given me. I've grown as a person and as a writer because of them. This has given me the ability to express myself in a way I never had before. I am truly so so blessed.
I hope you all will give my new story a chance. Quinn and Salem would love to meet you.
Until next time. Happy New Year.
-TJ