SLAM.
The book that Grey had been balancing on her head tumbled to the ground as the doors to the library were nearly thrown off their hinges. Grey scurried from her seat, her back pushed against the table while Luca hissed.
Taehyung strolled forward, a half-eaten apple in his left hand and a steaming, porcelain mug in his right.
"What's wrong?" His long-sleeve white blouse was unbuttoned casually to his chest and his hair was tousled more than usual. Rain and rosemary flushed into the room alongside him as he took a swig of whatever was in the cup.
Luca's tiny claws tapped against the stack of books she'd been browsing as she stomped her paws. "What is wrong? That is how you enter a room?"
He shrugged. "I thought a surprise entrance would be best."
Grey put a hand over her heart, staring incredulously from the cat to the other immortal. "Do you always do that?"
"No, but Yoongi and I," Tae opened his shoulders to reveal an empty corridor. Frowning, he reassured himself and Grey both. "He was just right there."
They gazed into the hallway's abyss for a few more seconds, expecting a firework of black smoke to manifest between the threshold and the opposite wall. When it did not, Grey stooped to pick up the fallen book and toss it back onto the table. He wasn't coming. Biting back her disappointment, she faced Taehyung who was busy retracing his steps with the other angel on his fingers.
"I don't know where he went. We were just in the living room, and then--,"
Luca's command almost sounded kingly. "Focus, Taehyung."
The young angel immediately glanced at Grey. "Can I talk to you?"
By the time she would leave this dimension, that phrase would be etched into her brain.
"Sure, of course." She watched him approach and set the apple down beside a stack of encyclopedias. Then, he used that free hand to grab hers and lead her down an aisle of shelves. He stopped at one crevice that seemed distant enough, gently tugging her into the space. Up close, where the shadows of the shelves covered them, he smelled of outside and a hint of cinnamon. The cup easily fit on the empty shelf space from one of the wooden planks upholding a row of novels.
Grey mumbled, "Are you sure you want to talk here? Luca might hear us."
Taehyung stared at a row of books above Grey's head. "Let her. It doesn't make a difference. I won't keep you long, but I just need to tell you this." He breathed for a second, fingers tapping against his legs. When he seemed ready enough, he said, "If you should hate anyone in this place, it should be me."
"I don't hate anyone," Grey corrected, "but what's the matter?"
"I was the one that told the others not to say anything to you about the curse."
She blinked once, then twice. The mug steamed over his head, which was bent in submission and peering at the floor like he'd been the one to receive the bad news. He appeared as shameful as she was blind sighted and for the seconds that the truth took to sink in, they stood there, reevaluating one another.
"Please forgive me," he whispered.
"You know," Grey scoffed, "a few days ago, I would have hated you. I would have made you my enemy."
Once he grasped her words, his head tilted upwards curiously. A hopeful gesture that Grey was at least glad to see even though it came at the cost of her outlook towards him.
"If I'm being honest, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt because I talked to Jin and he told me everything about the way people that fall for you become food for Vanity's army. But if I'm really being honest, I want to punch you in the stomach."
He placed his hands behind his back and stepped forward. "You can."
"I don't want to break a hand," she admitted.
He said, "I did it because at the time, I was numb. At least, number than I am now."
"So you didn't care about me then."
"No," he said. "I'm sorry."
"But you're not as numb now. When did things change?"
"On the rooftop."
Grey waited for him to elaborate.
"We didn't talk for a long time, but we didn't need to. It was the first time in years that the voices stopped because I thought of something different. Thinking of you took them away."
The voices. The darkness. The darkening process. Things were beginning to make sense and as she listened to Tae, she made a mental note to thank Seokjin later.
Tae continued, "I had someone to talk about my home with. I noticed I could share stuff with you and the same thing happened at the ball when I talked to you in front of the Starry Night painting. You're a clean slate. You don't judge. You just listen like you're envisioning it and understanding it. I need that."
Grey nodded. "So, you like me, huh?"
He smiled, the shape widening into the perfect square.
"I'm going to live through this, you know. I'm not going to be stopped. By any of you or Vanity or whatever else. I'm going to do this."
"I know," he said. "There's no doubt that you will."
"I just need to get better at surviving. Maybe doing more than that."
Taehyung nodded, turning a little to pick the coffee mug off of the bookshelf. It must not have been as hot, because he gripped the full length of the cup with both hands. "I'll be there every step of the way. Here's your tea."
He handed her the drink and said, "This is the most I've felt like myself in a while."
Grey took a healthy sip. "Good. Listening to the darkness is overrated. Instead, listen to me. I'll keep you in your right mind and you keep me alive."
"I can do that," he chuckled.
She grinned, her foot rising up and stomping onto his with all her might. His eyes widened, more surprise than pain showing on his face while he gaped.
"That's for being an asshole and not trusting me with the truth."
He'd barely flinched and she felt like she'd stepped on solid metal, but his reaction was still worth it.
"I deserve it," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. Satisfied, Grey stormed away first.
They escaped the looming bookshelves and arrived at the reading tables. Luca hummed to herself amidst her reading and to her side, Jungkook poured over an old tome with pages that had been kissed by the sun. He repeated some speech in a language Grey had never heard and even as he tore his gaze from the page to stare at her, the rich lilt of words fell off his tongue like music.
When he finished, he didn't bother to take his eyes off hers. So, she asked, "What was that?"
Luca's tail swished from side to side. "Our native language."
Taehyung settled into a seat next to Jungkook and rested his chin on the youngest angel's shoulder. "I haven't heard that in forever," he mused.
"I thought it would be different if someone else read it, but I get the same result." Luca trotted towards Jungkook's book and rested her two paws on both open pages. "Riddles are not my strong suit."
"Can you translate that?" Grey stepped forward, setting her tea onto the table. "What's it for?"
"On my brother's sword, Gatekeeper, there's an inscription on the blade. It didn't mean anything to me back when he wielded it, but I figure anything could help. Anything might be a clue to the book's location or even the sword's. How good are you with riddles?"
"I suck at riddles," she stated. Jungkook's timid smile made her smile a bit too. Taehyung chuckled at the way Luca raised an eyebrow. "I just want to know in case I'm able to help in the slightest."
"Fair enough. Jungkook, repeat it in modern language, please."
The bodyguard recited it effortlessly.
"I encompass my enemies in stone. Amidst eternal flame, I rise."
Grey pursed her lips. "That was on his blade?"
"There was a back side," Luca licked her snout and drawled, "But, that is all I can remember. It was all decor. A show of strength that made the sword look nicer."
"Oh!" Taehyung exclaimed, "Remember what he said it could do?"
Jungkook leaned his head against his friend's. "If the First King told us, I don't remember."
Tae beamed. "It sets stuff on fire."
Luca piped in before Grey could. "Eternal flame comes onto the blade when used in battle. An old perk."
"An old perk?" Jungkook sat up. "We've never seen it used in battle for a reason. The fire was more than a perk, it decimated things."
Taehyung sat up straight to speak when Grey finally interjected. "The trip down memory lane is great, but where's the book? Because we can't have a flame-shooting sword unless we get the manual."
Luca said, "When you solve the riddle, let me know. I am going to retire from research for now."
Everyone watched the kitty leap from the table to the tile floors, her hips switching as she sauntered towards the colossal doors.
"Is it bedtime already, cat?" Taehyung raised a playful eyebrow at Luca's behind.
"If you took a page out of my book, you'd be able to transform already, wolf."
"Get some rest," Grey called. "Thank you for everything."
"Do not thank me yet." With that, Luca vanished into the empty hallway.
Taehyung leaned forward. "Is she acting weird to you?"
Grey shrugged. The cat had been studying nonstop for days on end. Anything could be going on. Frustration, hunger, maybe even something as simple as an intense desire for a break.
Jungkook nodded. "She's skittish. When we were reading, she stared off into the distance more than at the words."
"Let her get some rest." Grey sighed, her thoughts swirling about stone and flame and one other thing. She turned to her two companions and asked, "Have you guys seen Yoongi?"
Taehyung shook his head, Jungkook shrugged. She focused on the younger angel. "What does that mean?"
"He's everywhere and he's nowhere. I hear him, but I don't see him unless I'm lucky. If I had to guess where he'd be, I would say he's doing some hardcore training. There are new marks in the training room. On the walls and dummies, too."
"There's a training room?"
"We haven't used it in years," Taehyung chimed. "We don't fight very often these days."
Unaware of what possessed her to say what she said next, she blurted, "Wouldn't you want to fight harder as time runs out?"
Neither of them looked at her. Perhaps out of pride or shame, but she did not waver.
"I didn't take either of you for the type to give up."
She flipped a loose curl over her shoulder, unrelenting in her honesty.
"Fight for something. Not just me. Fight for you."
The human girl turned to exit and just as she reached the door, Jungkook's voice reached her.
"He's in charge of watching you next, so you'll be able to see him tonight if you can bring him out."
Little did the bodyguard know that Grey had already been on that track.
:::
Luca was not on her cat bed as Grey expected her to be when she entered the room. Her suite was entirely empty save for all of her furnishings and the entirety of her closet, which she rifled through mercilessly. Hanger by hanger, metal scraped against metal as she shuffled through the different ensembles and finally paused on a single one. Without hesitation she yanked at the hem of her shirt and pulled it overhead.
After she changed, she grabbed a pair of knee-high black boots and went to her bathroom mirror. For the first time in a while, Grey coated her eyelids with smoky shadow and doused her lashes in mascara. As a finishing touch, she covered her lips with gloss and tousled her free-flowing hair.
When it was done, she was a pretty little package. The perfect bait. The version of her that was just as reckless and skewed as her dumb idea. She unbuttoned the silky button-up blouse she'd chosen as a coverup to reveal the lace bodysuit underneath that hinted at lingerie more than an undershirt. But, something was missing around her neck.
She made her way back to the closet towards her jewelry and grabbed the first necklace she found. It was silver and thin, and a compass dangled from the chain like a glittering charm.
Jungkook's necklace fit perfectly over the hollow of her collarbone. Seeing her reflection, she expected nothing less from someone that fit her just as well. Meeting him again in the library brought the shyness and excitement back to her chest in a way that clearly translated how much she missed him. His morning visits, his evening visits, his watchful eye that was not only protective but also hinted with gentleness. Perhaps she would ask him to stay with her again sometime soon. Until then, she had a single job.
Since the boots had heels, Grey carried them out of her room and into the penthouse. She tiptoed down the steps, careful to bound over the places where they might creak or make noise. In the living room, Namjoon stood with his back to the staircase peering into the night sky. She stopped before he could turn and see what she was wearing. If she was going to creep past him, she needed a plan and she needed one now. She shuffled through ideas and as she retreated back up into the corridor to put it to use, Seokjin called from the kitchen.
"Namjoon, where did you put the soy sauce?"
Joon's head whizzed in the direction of the kitchen with a lopsided frown. "I didn't use it!"
"You mean to tell me you didn't eat the ramen I was saving for lunch today? These aren't your Koya chopsticks in the sink? That's not my packaging in the trashcan with my name clearly printed over it?"
Grey stifled a laugh by covering her mouth.
Personalized Koya chopsticks?
That might be the cutest thing she'd ever heard. She chuckled harder as Namjoon groaned and sauntered towards the kitchen. Relaxing, she came closer to the edge of the stepsâand flinched as her boots scuffed the wood. Joon paused.
She held her breath as he began to turn towards where she stood. And yet, Seokjin whirled him right back around.
"Namjoon, not only is it an offense for you to eat my lunch without asking, but you also misplacedâ,"
"I'm coming," Joon growled.
He charged towards the kitchen, disappearing behind the doors. Grey jogged down the steps and pressed the call button to the elevator. She tapped her foot while she waited anxiously. The chrome doors opened a few seconds later. She slipped inside, holding the "close door" button until she was safe. As she plummeted to the ground floor, she slipped into her boots.
Only a few cars she recognized were left in the parking lot this late. Jimin's, Taehyung's, Seokjin's. When she found her own, she climbed inside and drove away as fast as she could. Amelia would know the directions to this place better than her, but Grey knew enough to remember it was smushed between two similarly sketchy buildings in a part of town that was worse for wear. And she knew she was coming near it by the sheer anxiety that forced her heart to beat in her ears. She ended up parking the car an entire block down from the bar so that it would at least be somewhat secure.
Gripping the steering wheel, she swallowed a deep breath. Maybe it was this dimension or really the reality of this place that had a way of making her uncomfortable. A discomfort that caused her to keep moving and keep eyes on everyone in the vicinity. However, if she was going to do this, she'd need to do it well. So, as she exited the car and strut down the street, she attempted to mimic her plan perfectly.
Closer to the entrance of the bar were three silhouettes hanging out under a flickering streetlamp. Their talk filled the night air and so did their laughter; gruff voices that seemed human enough but slurred from alcohol or their inability to grasp the local language. Either way, they gave Grey a feeling strong enough to almost make her turn around.
It was supposedly impossible to identify evil solely by the atmosphere surrounding it, but she saw it and she recognized it and she squared her shoulders back as the distance between she and them shortened.
Their chatter halted at the same time she became loud enough to hear. They lowered the beer bottles from their lips and curled them into pleased grins.
"Look who we have here," the tallest one said, a baseball cap darkening the lining of his eyelids and upper half of the face.
"Here I was, thinking we'd have to search for something to do." The second one, leaner and shorter balanced a toothpick between teeth Grey couldn't find. The taller man chuckled and so did the third man leaning against the lamppost with his new tennis shoes hiked against the concrete pole.
He instantly lowered his leg, nostrils flaring. "Do you smell that?"
The second, skinnier fellow raised an eyebrow. "Smell what? The alley or your breath?" He laughed at his own joke. The others were so focused on Grey that they leaned forward to have a better look.
"Is she?" The man in the baseball cap turned to the one in new shoes. The other man nodded, licking his lips.
"I can hear her heartbeat from here."
The toothpick shifted in the second man's mouth. "Who cares about her heart? She's got a lot going on in front of it."
Grey cringed internally, stopping before the group. As confidently as she could, she said, "Which one of you are irkans?"
The second man spit his toothpick to the ground. "Irkans? What are those?"
Definitely a human. Grey kicked the pointed toe of her boot into his groin. He yelped and keeled over, swearing and hissing between his teeth. His companions didn't care to watch him struggle, but instead leapt towards Grey with such speed that she barely had time to move out of the way. Strong, rough hands clamped onto her forearms, black veins weaving through the skin in a streamline.
In what sounded like old and ancient tongue, the man in the baseball cap chuckled. "Pure heart bearer," he jested. "Have you given up on your life?"
Before Grey blanched, a silver glint sliced through the night sky and into the largest irkan's wrist. The useless arm fell away while fingers loosened their grip on her skin. Tendrils of black smoke whisked around his body, a figure stepping from the shadows that opened like gaping jaws behind him. Two matching daggers cut into his neck, slicing at the dead skin as though it was no more than a vegetable. The baseball cap and the irkan's head landed on the floor with a thud.
The third irkan, the smaller one, had not yet registered the scene before him. Duly recovering from shock, the irkan lunged for a cloud of smoke and passed completely through it, a pale hand emerging from the mass to wrap around it's neck and tug it backwards. As soon as the demon stumbled, another dagger spun through the air and buried itself in the irkan's chest. The human man screamed as both of his companions turned to dust.
Yoongi appeared from the shadows, white-hot anger gnarling his beautiful features. He snatched his weapon from the nightstalker's corpse and raised it overhead at the crying man that still gripped his pants.
"Don't!" Grey ran until she stood before him. "He's a human."
Yoongi's dark eyes flashed from her to the man on the ground. A wet stain spread from his zipper down his leg. "Coward," Yoongi spat, sheathing his dagger behind his back. "Remember none of this," he commanded. The man nodded, transfixed enough to cease his sobbing.
Yoongi concentrated on Grey.
"Are you out of your damn mind?"
Both of his hands gripped the sides of his head as he breathed. "Hanging out here? Wearing that? Picking a fight?"
"I needed to find you," Grey explained. "You weren't in the skyscraper where I searched, so the next step was bringing you to me."
"You summoned me?" Yoongi looked about ready to strangle her. "Button your shirt," he barked.
A retort was hot on her tongue until he said, "If I have to kill someone tonight for looking at you the wrong way, I will."
"That won't be necessary," she replied, still getting to work on covering herself up as quickly as possible. "There was a reason for this, I promise. You're the only one that can help me, I told you before."
"Then stop beating around the bush! Stop asking questions! Tell me what you want."
"Help me kill Vanity!"
Yoongi cocked his head to the side, fury dissipating into extreme cynicism by the return of his familiar scowl. "You made me save your ass to hear that?"
"Well, yes."
He crossed his arms, staring from the floor, to the bar, then back at her. "Elaborate."
She didn't picture herself getting this far. She also didn't picture any outcomes where Yoongi was willing to listen. "You'll hear me out?"
"Elaborate," he urged, rolling his eyes.
"Let's go inside," she said.
"There might be more nightstalkers in there."
"You're here. We'll be fine." Grey entered after he held the door for her. The sweet stench of spilled alcohol and smoke was nearly suffocating. Dim lighting from hanging lamps shone on booths near the back and by the bar across the room, all the old leather seats were full of men and a few questionable women hanging on their arms. Heads swiveled towards the direction of the new guests. She found a table in the very back next to a hooded man that swirled whiskey in his glass aimlessly. He seemed the least threatening, and if anything, lost.
"It's one thing to inquire about the life of a lower fallen angel or a demon, but a queen is an entirely different story," Yoongi leaned against the seat.
"You make quick work of everyone you face. With the right plan, we could do it."
Yoongi shook his head. "I'm not enough by myself. She's one of the Three Scepters. Higher than all seven of Anaphiel combined. She's also the woman I vowed to serve since my beginning."
The woman I vowed to serve.
Something about that pissed Grey off.
"She isn't your queen. I have your queen. Unless you serve Aelith."
"What do you mean?"
The incidents spilled from Grey to Yoongi. Everything she could remember about Variel and her dreams. The appearances, the visions of the future, the request that landed her in this bar begging him to join her team. When she finished, Yoongi nodded slowly.
She crossed one leg over the other haughtily. "Now we're on the same page?"
"I need a drink."
"Yeah, I thought that too."
"She's inside of your head?"
Grey nodded proudly. "Taking up space and offering her two cents when she so pleases."
"That makes you the weapon."
"I'm not following," Grey raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not Nico, but I know that in terms of possession, a soul is misplaced. It attaches to something else. In this case, you. To put the soul back into that body, whatever it's bound to needs to be present. It has to physically interact with it's original vessel."
"You sound a lot like Nico to me."
Yoongi ignored her comment. "If I kill her, Vanity dies. Variel doesn't get that body back."
"Why not?"
"Variel isn't in me, she's in you. She bound herself to you and so--,"
"No." Grey shook her head furiously. "No, I can't do it."
"You may not have to wear her down, but you have to be the one to land the finishing blow."
Because she had to interact with the original vessel. Grey had to transfer Variel from her to Vanity.
Grey rolled her shoulders, the image of Vanity squaring in on her like a trapped mouse too familiar for comfort. "She'd see me coming before I even got close."
"She might, but she won't."
"Those terms shouldn't go in the same sentence."
"Trust me on this," he grinned to himself, smiling at the table.
"You're on board with this? You almost killed me outside, but now you're hopeful?"
Yoongi was lost in thought, but she'd never seen such eagerness from him. "If there's a way to save V, I have to try."
V?
Grey bit the inside of her cheek to conceal her surprise.
"Aelith is good at what she does, but we've always given her hell. You can too."
"How?"
"I'll teach you how to fight."
:::
Nico stepped from the penthouse to an abandoned lounge. The jump from location drained his power, but he focused his thoughts on Grey to maintain the sky blue glow around his body, to keep his legs and arms moving fluidly. Using this much of his strength again in one go was invigorating, but he wasn't sure if it would be enough to get him through the night.
Tall, ornate windows let in moonlight from a rounded wall. Red velvet settees were torn through the cushions, white cotton and filling spreading around the floor like dingy clouds. Spiderwebs hung from a balcony to where he stood. Dust and ash and debris peppered the cracked tile floors. Broken glass shimmered under his feet. On the far end of the room was a bar covered with white sheets and next to that, a stage crowded with twisting shadows.
He was sure that at one point in time, before this world knew evil, it had been a beautiful bar filled with song and laughter.
Nico shouted towards the second floor, towards the open doors to the hallways. "This is where you stay?"
Footsteps echoed from a distance. Cherry red hair draped through an entrance, followed by upturned eyes and a coy smile.
Vanity cooed, "To what pleasure do I owe this visit?"
"It was about time I came."
"You know where to find me?" Vanity put her hands on her hips.
Nico admitted, "I have always known. I just never wanted it to come to this."
Vanity raised a seductive eyebrow, her laugh sounding like twinkling bells. "Brother, that sounds like a threat."
Nico stepped forward, "I mean you no harm."
"I hope not, I can see how weak you are from here."
"I am weak because I defend the good in this world. There is so little of it left," Nico protested.
Vanity strode towards the foot of the stage, one clawed hand grazing the splintered wood. "More like you defend humans that insist on murdering one another anyway. It's in their nature to be dense, why are you the only one that hasn't caught on to it?"
He yelled, his passion seeping through his voice. "Vanity, your outlook is destructive. You, like me, are tasked with defending this realm and helping it improve. We are the keepers of this world. I will not leave evil unpunished as you have. And there was once a time where you would have vanquished the evil swifter than me."
Vanity yawned.
"You are good. Inside and out, you are good. You have never been Dark, you have never dreamed of turning from the light. Why do you act this way?"
"You know," she drawled, shaking her head and moving towards him, "I thought you came here ready to make a choice."
Nico tensed, his hands flexing at his sides. "I will never give up and you know that."
"Then you came here to die," she said, gathering her skirt in one hand to sprint at him.
She lunged over one of the fallen love seats, nails outstretched for his throat--and slammed into a solid, invisible wall that sent her doubling back. She landed on her side, rolling over with wicked laughter.
"Strong enough to put a ward around yourself?" She pushed onto her feet.
Nico waited for her to blink before winnowing behind her back. His hand curled around the back of her throat, and she gasped as his power flowed over and around her. When his hand fell away, she remained frozen, yet blinking and panting.
"I do not wish to use my gifts against you," Nico said. "I want things to go back to the way they were."
"They won't," she spat. "They will never. You will not return home. Anaphiel will die soon enough. As long as I'm alive you will always fear me. I will always stand in your way."
Nico did his best to hold the ward, but he felt his grasp slipping. He felt Vanity pushing back, refusing to yield even as she stood motionless.
"You cannot stand in the way of justice."
"I can when I hold all the keys."
The realization dawned on Nico quickly enough that he prepared to ask her another question, but that lack of focus was all she needed to break his hold. She surged into action, one arm swiping at the space behind her and digging into flesh. Nico's head whipped to the side as her nails tore into his face.
She rounded on him, other hand shooting for his chest until he stepped back and vanished into his own portal. His blood dripped down her fingertips, light and crimson. And as she rubbed her fingers together and felt the warmth, she craved more.
It was time for her to lure Rowan home.
:::
(A/N) Elated reader,
Next release: 8/16 or 8/17 (August 16th or 17th)
Thank you for waiting! I underestimated how much of a commitment coming back to school would be. It really took time away from my writing, but I promise I won't let it get in the way of updating!
Also, one last powerful word: JINTRO.
With love,
M