Grey stood in the living room brooding, his arms folded sternly over his chest as he stared out the massive windows overlooking the peninsula. Dark clouds were rolling in as the sun dipped below the horizon, perhaps an ominous sign of what was to come. I shut the front door gently behind me with a sigh and walked towards him.
He had a right to be irritated. He had a right to be scared. But he didn't have a right to make this decision for me.
"I've faced death before, Grey. I'll be okay," I said softly, leaning against the side of the sofa. I watched him clench his jaw slightly, but that was the only indication he'd heard what I said. "You know I can do this. I've fought five demons at once before, remember? And that was as an Awakened. I'm strong. I'm strong enough to do this."
"You don't know that for sure, Greene," he mumbled back, his voice taking on a sharp edge. He was irritated.
"No. But we also don't know for sure that I won't survive. And that if I don't do this, that Hell won't find out how to re-Pledge me before we can. These decisions were made for us, Grey. We have to proceed," I insisted. I heard a frustrated grumble resound from his chest and he turned slightly, watching me out of the corner of his eye.
"I know we have to. I wish we didn't. You can't blame me for wanting to keep you safe," he replied gruffly.
"I'm not blaming you for that, I'm just asking you to act in spite of it for the greater good. We have to make sure Hell doesn't blindside us. We can't risk losing the Reckoning. I can't lose my soul to Hell," I explained.
"You're a lot more selfless than I am, I think you forget that sometimes," he sighed heavily, turning around to face me. The last light of the day cast a deep shadow across his features, but his eyes appeared to glow a faint blue. "I'm extremely tempted to say 'fuck it' to Heaven and Hell and take you somewhere safe."
"There's nowhere we can run that will be safe from both, Grey. You know that," I frowned slightly. Even I wished I could run away with Grey. Leave all of this behind. Abandon all responsibility and to Hell (literally) with the consequences.
"I know. But it seems like there's nowhere we will ever be able to go that it will be safe, even after all of this is sorted out. It's this never-ending cycle, Greene. Heaven sucks you in, and they never let you go," he replied coolly, his eyes narrowing slightly at me. "I know you're ready. I know Siena is right. I don't want to lose you."
I sighed and walked towards him, wrapping my arms tightly around him and resting my head against his chest. "You won't lose me," I hummed. I felt him exhale as he wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin atop my head.
"I'll contact Michael and let him know you're ready for the transition. We'll do it tomorrow morning, give you the day to recover, and leave first thing the next morning. Our plan, right now, is to fly to Los Angeles by tomorrow night. We'll stay in a motel, then head to Colorado, then Nebraska, and then we'll try to make it to Pennsylvania. It'll be four days of straight flying- are you sure you can handle that?"
"There's only one way to find out," I shrugged nonchalantly, then rested my chin on his chest to look up at him. "What do I need to prepare myself for, for tomorrow?" He sucked in a deep breath.
"Well. They're gonna say some weird shit you don't understand. And then they'll take an anointed blade, carve an angelic symbol right here," he placed his thumb over my heart, "and then they'll take the blood and mark your forehead in another symbol."
"That's all?" I raised an eyebrow slightly, a little amused. I could handle a cut and a blood smear. Grey tilted his head to the side.
"When it activates the rest of your soul, you'll feel the power flooding your body. I have heard people describe it like being electrocuted- when they survive. Sometimes, the body gives out because it can't handle all the power. If that happens, every cell in your body will combust. At once," he sighed.
"Oh," I mouthed. That sounded- less pleasant.
"Mmhmm. You sure you still want to do this?" The corners of his lips curled up slightly and he raised an eyebrow. I gulped.
"I don't have a choice," I huffed, pressing my lips together. Grey let out a breath and pressed his lips to my forehead.
"Your body was able to withstand Hellfire. You'll be fine," Grey murmured, but I wasn't sure if it was more for my comfort or his. After a few moments like this, Grey took my hand and led me upstairs. I took a quick shower to get all the sweat off my body, then put on one of Grey's t-shirts and clambered into bed next to him.
"Am I going to feel different?" I asked, looking back over my shoulder at him. He clenched his jaw slightly and turned off his nightstand lamp, maneuvering closer to me and holding me against him.
"Not personality-wise, I don't think. You're still you. Just a hell of a lot more indestructible," he hummed, his breath fanning my neck. And with that, I fell asleep, wondering if this was truly the best thing, or if it would only make the target on my back that much larger.
***
"So where do we have to go for this whole cult-induction thing?" I raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of my coffee and resting my elbows on the kitchen counter. Siena's lips curled in an amused smirk and Allison rolled her eyes.
"They're coming to us. This will be the first time they're doing this procedure on a Fallen, so-" Allison began, but when all three of us turned to glare at her, she paused.
"Choose your next words very carefully, Blondie," Siena eyed her warningly.
"I was just going to say, be careful," Allison shrugged with a heavy sigh. Siena clenched her jaw slightly, as if biting her tongue.
"They want her to save their asses. She's the one with all the power, Allison," Grey replied coolly.
"I don't know that I'd put it that way," I eyed him, "- they could probably kick my ass if they really wanted to."
"Yeah, but if they want you to save their little paradise, they kinda have to treat you like it. Plus, everyone up there knows that in a few years, you'll be able to rip them to shreds," Siena winked at me.
"What do you mean?" I chuckled.
"One of the most powerful souls in existence, remember?" Grey narrowed his eyes slightly. Oh. Yeah. That part. The entire reason I'm here. Good job, Jordan.
"You think it'll only take a few years for me to get that powerful?" I raised an eyebrow at Siena, a little excited now. She rolled her eyes and leaned over the kitchen counter with a dangerous smirk.
"If not sooner. Whatever side you're on is the winning side. And Hell wants you bad," she hummed. I exhaled, pressing my lips together.
"Heaven wants her more," Allison frowned, as if frustrated in being excluded. Not gonna lie, it was kinda cool having our little Fallen clique here. Having others that related to existing somewhere in the middle between two warring sides. Not belonging, but still thriving.
As if on cue, three knocks resounded on the front door.
Oh, God.
Literally.
My heart immediately began to race in my chest. Grey sensed this, I guess, because he reached out and gripped my hand tightly. I turned and looked at him and he smiled softly, a silent reassurance that he believed in me.
Siena let out a low growl from her chest as she glared at the door. She saw me raise an eyebrow at her and she sighed, "I haven't seen an Angel since I fell, let's hope they leave in less pieces than they did last time."
"Please, for the love of God," Allison scowled at her, "play nice." Siena responded with a wink, following Grey and I as we walked towards the door. Grey glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob, cracking the door open.
"Azrael," a deep voice hummed in utter disgust.
"Zerachiel. Trying human fashion now, I see?" Grey chuckled, opening the door a little wider. In the doorway stood a man who appeared to be in his 30s, with fawn brown hair and warm brown eyes. His face was clean shaven and angular like Grey's, like he were carved from marble. He stood a little shorter than Grey, and his skin a little warmer. He wore a white cashmere sweater and white slacks, as if to oh-so-subtly display his Angelic-ness. As if the look of disdain on his face didn't already portray it enough.
"I'm the Angel of Judgment, I don't need any from you. Where is she?" His eyes searched over Grey's shoulder. Grey opened the door a little wider, letting me into his field of view. I tightened my jaw slightly as his judgy little eyes swept over me.
"And she was born human, you say? I can feel her soul from here," Zerachiel tilted his head to the side.
"She can speak for herself, thank you very much," I held my hand out for him to shake. "Jordan Greene." One of his eyebrows shot up, his lips curling in amusement as he reached out and shook my hand gently, as if I could break.
"Interesting. I must say, Ms. Greene, most human-borne Angles grovel at the sight of Archangels, you're a pleasant surprise," he smiled, but it did not meet his eyes.
"I bow to no one," I replied.
"Even God?" Zerachiel questioned, as if waiting for me to slip up.
"I will bow when He has dominion over my soul. As of right now, He couldn't protect me from Lucifer, so no. I protected myself. Therefore, I bow to no one," I explained sternly. Zerachiel clenched his jaw slightly and nodded slowly.
"I see. Very well. Well then, Grey, care to let us in?" He eyed Grey in amusement. Grey sucked in a breath and nodded, moving aside and opening the door wide.
Us? There were more?
HELLO.
Ok first off, wanted to thank you all because
GREY IS #1 IN DEMONS???
AND SILVER IS #22 IN FALLEN???
wow.
thank you guys so much.
Ok. I will try to get another chapter up tomorrow, but no promises. It will, however, be up before Friday, because I leave for another vacation on Friday and won't be back til March 25. So I will get up what I can
because I love you
that is all.
Alright.
See you all soon.
-TJ