Fallen (Undergoing editing)

Chapter forty-six:

I was back in the dream again.

I was surrounded by fog and a misty aura that seemed to coil around me. I was back in the burning house, except no flames remained or burned. It was only fog and soft white ash falling from the air.

"Lilith," a voice called to me.

I felt my eyes gaze narrow through the thick fog, making out a figure that started to come into focus.

"Lilith."

I scrunched my face up. "Falcon?"

Falcon soon came into view, the white wisps of smoke coiling around him. I made out his smile that I'd loved so much, that I'd missed. The air around us seemed to be calm, there held no trace of urgency like last time. Time felt leisurely, as if I could spend it forever with him.

"Come here," Falcon said, opening his arms.

Without a second thought, I ran to him, falling into his arms that wrapped tightly around me, his wings blanketing us in his warmth.

"You've done well, little girl. I'm proud of you." His voice soothed me, just like it used to when I was a child.

I giggled. "You used to call me that when I was a baby."

I felt the grin on his face widen. "You remember."

I nodded and leaned closer into him. I missed it, his warmth, being close to someone like this. It wasn't something I would ever feel again.

"Falcon, why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me what I was? What you were? How your death wasn't an accident. It would've made things a lot easier," I said pulling away from him so I could gaze into his dark blue eyes.

His dark eyebrow arched. "Would it?"

I bit my lip. "I dunno, it couldn't have made things any worse."

Falcon chuckled and laid his hand on my shoulder. "All in good time. Fate is like a wheel, its always spinning, but we never know what its going to land on. We just jump out into traffic and hope we don't get hit."

"So, you didn't even know if telling me right from the start would make things better or worse?" I said.

"Yes, I supposed you're right." He said with a daunting twinkle in his eye. "I didn't know if things would be worse or better, I just...stepped out into traffic."

I looked at him, his face so clean, so normal. He didn't even look dead.

Dead.

Demetrius.

"Demetrius!" I blurted.

Falcon's eyes darkened as he gazed at me. I whirled around through the smoke, looking around, and my eyes scouring through the fog.

"What—what happened to him, is he alright?"

Falcon chuckled again. "Yes, yes, everything is alright; maybe more alright than you think."

I turned back to him with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"The war, Lilith. Its over, you've won. Many innocent lives were saved, the Capital overturned, and most of all Fallen and angels are beginning quite the understanding friendship together." He grinned. "All because of you."

I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't help, but trust his word on that the world as okay while I was here in dreamland. Everyone was okay, Gwen, Thor, Raven, Alice, even Demetrius.

"Falcon, the souls...I...its gone. I smashed the urn. The magic, I was never able to use it."

Falcon nodded. "Its probably for the best."

"Was it?" I said. "I could've used it to save Demetrius's life." I laid my hand over my chest that felt cold. "I gave my grace instead."

"Yes," Falcon grunted. "You did, and that was most brave of you. You really are your mother's child."

I held myself. "What's going to happen to me? I'm gonna become..." I couldn't say it. I wouldn't say it. I feared it too much.

Falcon nodded. "Yes, you will, but maybe not."

I twitched my eyebrow up at him.

"Demons can't love anything but themselves; maybe you can prove the rules wrong. You're surrounded by people who love you, Lilith."

I felt a shiver race down my spine. "Yeah, but what if I can't control it? What if...what if the demon comes out, and I'm just...nothing?"

"Then it will be like that. No one can say for sure what will happen to you, Lilith, no one. Fate can only say and that's it, but you can't hide yourself from your friends and family because you're afraid of the worst." His eyes seemed to smile. "Embrace the best."

I felt like this would probably be the moment I would be tearing up, but I didn't. I felt nothing. Even in my dreams, the best part of me—my soul had departed.

I would feel nothing ever again.

"Lilith, I must go."

I looked up abruptly, feeling the thickness of the dream begin to wane.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Falcon grinned as the smoke began to fog around him. "Of course, we always see each other in the end, don't we?"

I grinned, and felt happiness from it as I looked to him. He seemed to glow like a big ball of grace.

"Goodbye, Lilith."

I felt a single teardrop slither down my cheeks as I gazed at my mentor—my father, for the last time.

"Goodbye Falcon."

I watched as the fog blossomed and swallowed him whole as he walked away into the fortress of glowing happiness.

I woke up numb, completely numb.

I was in my own bed back at the Fallen mansion. The sheets smelled nice and clean curled up around my body. My body felt sore, as if I'd gotten the royal shit kicked out of me and all I was left with was major bruises.

I sat up, my back, once again bare and wingless. All the way down my back, I felt bandages from where they must've ripped the wings out. Sitting up against the pillow, I gazed around the room, gazing over at the short stack of clothes that sat on the end of the bed, clean and untouched, waiting for me.

Unable to stay in bed any longer, I whipped off the covers and went for them.