Silver

Chapter 10

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.