Deprecated (On Hold Indefinitely)

Deprecated: Chapter Seven

The grass was warm beneath me, and the sun glinted off my hair. Kade was lying next to me as we watched the clouds at sunset. It felt like we had been talking for hours, just about nothing. He reached for my hand and pulled it to his lips to kiss my knuckles. He then stroked my fingers against his cheek and sighed, looking over at me silently.

He pulled us to our feet and my wings unfolded. He smiled and ran his hand along my right wing as the sun made the light bounce off of it in multiple directions.

"You're my personal sun, Deryn." He kissed me.

The scenery changed, and I was walking in the midst of several robed people with wings. I glanced down at the white rope that held my hands together. My eyes wandered furiously as I tried to process what was going on. The robed angels stopped, me along with them. They all dropped to their knees, and I found myself mimicking them.

"Deryn," a loud, yet soft voice boomed. "You are guilty of adultery and the interference of angelic lives."

I frowned. Adultery?! I had never committed such a thing before! Interfering with angel's lives? I've always kept to myself.

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person," I squeaked.

The angel stared down at me with no sympathy. I was gently coaxed forward by the angels behind, and I realized that there was a path made out for me. I trudged forward, up onto the platform. I turned around to stare at the crowd. Kade was staring at me, wide-eyed. Aileen was looking at me angrily, but there was a hint of something else in her face.

Kade dashed forward, but he was quickly held back by three or four angels.

"Deryn!" He yelled to me. I looked at him pleadingly.

"Enough!" the angel behind me yelled, making me jump. "Take him somewhere else. He shouldn't have to see how awful his lover is."

I wanted to cry. I didn't understand why they were doing this. I had never done anything awful in my entire existence. I followed the rules. I've kept one lover. A tear ran down my face as the angel told me my sentence.

"You are damned to earth for eighteen years. During those years, you are expected to learn what kind of hell humans have to live through."

"But-"

I was whisked away before I could finish my sentence, down the steps beside the platform and off to the Earthen Portal, where my entire life would change.

"Deryn!" Kade broke through the crowd. How he got loose again was beyond me.

"Sir, you're going to have to leave."

He looked at the angels that held me and said, "I just want one minute to say goodbye."

They all looked at one another dubiously, but allowed Kade to step forward. The first thing he did was kiss me.

"I won't let them get away with this," he whispered, pushing his forehead against mine. "I'll come for you, I swear that I will. It may not be right away, because I'll need time. But I promise you on my existence that you will not walk through this alone." He was gently pulled away, but he managed one more kiss before he said, "I love you, Deryn."

My fingers twitched, and I woke myself up. My fingers grasped the sheets and I gasped. I ran my hands across my face to wipe the sweat, but then I realized that there wasn't any. My back ached, and I stretched to get the kinks out of my muscles.