Three Angels walked into Grey's house, eyeing me as they entered. Zerachiel was the first, the second was a girl with pale skin and pitch black hair cut in a modern bob, and the third was a man with ebony skin and golden eyes.
"Jordan, this is Haniel, Angel of Joy," Zerachiel motioned to the girl, who outstretched her hand. For being the Angel of Joy, she sure didn't seem joyful. Her dark eyes narrowed at me slightly, the corners of her lips just barely twitching upwards in a polite smile. "And this is Jophiel, Angel of Wisdom," he motioned to the other man, who gave me a sincere smile and shook my hand.
"Pleasure," Jophiel smiled and nodded. I felt Grey tense next to me, and his heart rate picked up a little in irritation. Oh for God's sake, Grey- he shook my hand. Calm the fuck down.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, let's begin. I can feel the strength of her soul from here, so I believe that she would be a valuable asset to the Heavens should she survive the Unlocking. Therefore, I consent to the Unlocking of her soul. Jophiel, Haniel- thoughts?" Zerachiel's eyes swooped over me and then flicked to his Angelic counterparts.
"I agree, Zerachiel. She has a powerful soul. Tell me, Ms. Greene, do you believe your body is capable of withstanding it's full strength?" Jophiel cocked his head to the side slightly, his golden eyes dilating a little.
"I believe so, yes. I was an Awakened prior to this, and Grey trained me to fight Demons as an Awakened. Since my transition, I've been training for our flight to Paris. I believe my body is as strong as it will ever be," I explained.
"You speak with conviction for so young a person. I admire that. I consent to the Unlocking," Jophiel nodded at me with a friendly smile, bowing his head slightly. "Haniel?"
The girl eyed me, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Are you sure this is what you want, dear?" She asked, her voice surprisingly soft and feminine for having such a stone cold exterior. I sucked in a breath. This might not be what I wanted, per say, but it was what I had to do. It was what I wanted to do, given the circumstances.
"Yes," I replied firmly. She pressed her lips together and nodded.
"I give my consent to the Unlocking," Haniel replied, turning to Zerachiel. Zerachiel nodded and turned back to face me.
"Very well. Then we must go outside. Unless you want to break everything in a 15 foot diameter when your wings release," he smirked slightly and I shook my head. He nodded and lead the other Angels outside and out towards the peninsula.
God damn it, why is it always the peninsula?
I swear if they tell me to jump, screw this, I'm leaving.
Grey took my hand firmly in his as we followed the Angels to the tip of the peninsula, where they stood in a triangular formation and turned to me.
"I love you," Grey whispered lowly under his breath, leaning forward and placing his lips on my forehead.
"I love you too," I whispered back as I pulled away from him. As I turned back to face the Angels, I made eye contact with Siena and Allison. Siena nodded firmly in reassurance and Allison smiled, giving me a cheesy ass two thumbs up. Classic Allison.
"Are you ready, my child?" Zerachiel asked as I approached. I nodded with a heavy sigh. "Take a knee."
I did as I was told and knelt down on the wet grass. I could feel it soaking through my leggings, chilling me to the bone. It was already freezing outside, and now I was wet. Awesome.
The three Angels locked hands around me, forming a triangle above me with their bodies positioned at each corner. They each tilted their chins up to the sky, their eyes rolling back in their heads.
Well that's not creepy.
Then I felt it.
The air around me began to hum with energy, vibrating all around me, like each individual atom was fighting to get as much space between it and the next atom. I could feel the vibration against my skin and in my lungs with each breath I took. It was frightening to say the least.
Then, they began to murmur, "O Deus, resera anima de hoc Angelus ita posset tueri nos omnes," over and over and over again. Each one of them said it at a different note, harmonizing together somehow, even though they weren't singing. The air began to vibrate even more. I could feel it in my chest, threatening to rip my body apart. This continued on for God knows how long until suddenly, they stopped. They slowly lowered their heads down to face me, though their eyes were still rolled in the back of their head.
"Tu suscipe hoc?" They all asked at once.
"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow. I sure hoped I didn't just accidentally fuck up or something, because I couldn't understand a single word coming out of their mouths.
They all nodded once, then released their arms from the triangular formation, sending a visible shockwave of air out from where we stood. Zerachiel pulled a blade out of his pocket, raising it high above his head for a moment, and then lowering it back to his level.
"Ostende cor tuum," he said sternly.
Uh.
What.
I glanced back towards Grey, who pointed at his heart. Oh! They wanted me to show my heart! Why couldn't they have just switched back to English after the whole cult-y voodoo thing?
I pulled down the collar of my t-shirt to expose the skin right above my heart. Zerachiel knelt down in front of me, then pressed the blade to my skin.
At first I thought it wasn't too bad. Just felt like a little cut.
But then I felt it.
I really felt it.
As he carved the diamond shape into my skin, it felt like every nerve in my body was spontaneously combusting. I could feel the flames licking underneath the surface of my skin, burning and seething as they tried to escape. I could feel every atom in my body trying to rip itself apart from its neighbors. I could feel my body tearing itself apart from the inside out. And when I opened my lips to scream from the agony, nothing came out. No satisfying scream to relieve the pressure in my lungs. Nothing. He finished, carving two bent lines coming out of the top of the diamond, like how you'd draw birds in the sky as children.
I let my head hang back in relief, hoping the worst of the pain was over. But then, he pressed his index finger against the wound, taking the blood and drawing an circle on my forehead. The moment the circle closed, a shockwave of energy resounded through my body, electrifying my veins. I felt my wings fly out from my shoulder blades without hesitation. They stretched out and above my head on accord of their own, as if preparing for flight.
I could feel it.
The power.
It surged through my veins like a live wire, flowing down to my fingertips and toes, and then back towards my core. It flowed back and forth like this for a moment, like a wave slowly calming down. But I didn't want it to calm down- oh no, I wanted to feel it flow. I wanted to feel this power surge through my veins for as long as I lived. I never wanted it to stop.
My head was bowed as I panted, trying to get these emotions- this power- under control. I could feel the Archangels watching me, wondering if they'd made the right decision or if I would spontaneously combust and with me, all hopes of winning the Reckoning.
I could handle this.
It had felt like I wouldn't be able to for a minute there, but I could feel the power slowly settling in and settling down.
I brought my leg up underneath me and shakily rose to my feet. My heart was racing in my chest. My mind whirring at a million miles a minute. My wings aching to stretch out and fly, show everyone just how powerful I really was.
But I held it all still.
And raised my eyes to meet Grey's.
And his eyes widened.
Alright, I hate to do this to ya (actually I don't really lol) but I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger for a week. :)
If you hate me, I'm sorry. Actually I lied there too. I'm not. I love cliffhangers. They suck, but it's so fun when you get to read the next part after all that anticipation. It's like Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa etc)
point is, you'll love me next week when i return.
Also, this is the symbol that was carved into her chest just fyi. Yes I know it's the same one used in Mortal Instruments but it's the Norse symbol for Angelic Power so they don't get dibs on it because it fits my story too. ok i'm done now
i love you all.
have a good week.
-TJ