My Fallen Angel

Chapter 10

When it was over, I descended back to the earth. The hole was gone, replaced with an empty expanse of charred and blackened ground. The church was still utterly destroyed, but gone were the orange flames and the twisting shadows. Everything was still and silent.

But strangely, Jungkook had vanished. I looked around, growing uneasier by the second. A cough drew my attention to the others, still lying on the ground and looking like they'd been through hell.

I rushed over to them and placed my hands over each wound, concentrating on accessing that same reserve of power I'd unleashed only moments ago. I visualized their healing, letting the feeling guide me. That was the key. Trusting in my instincts and in those feelings. It still took intense concentration, and a few tries on some of the more grievous injuries, but miraculously, I healed them.

When I'd finished healing the last angel's bloodied knuckles, I glanced around.

"Where's Jungkook?" One of the angels asked, eyes wide and searching.

I frowned. "I was going to ask you the same question."

We began searching. There was so much destruction, it was hard to make our way through the remains of the building. But at last, I found him.

At least, I thought I did. The thing lying curled up on the ground looked nothing like the man I loved. It was buried in writhing black rivulets of dark liquid, squirming as though it was alive. If not for the subconscious pull in my heart toward him, I would never have known that my Jungkook was lying underneath this mass of poison. He let out a small groan, breaking my heart.

I approached him cautiously. He seemed to flinch away from me, which made me fear that my presence was hurting him. But I needed to get closer. I needed to help him, no matter the cost. Bianca had told me that I was the only one who could save him from himself. Now, I saw what she meant.

"Jungkook," I murmured softly, "It's time to come back. You're safe now. We're all safe."

There was no response. I inched closer. He recoiled. I tried again.

"Jungkook, I met Bianca. She talked to me. She says she doesn't blame you for what happened. You did the right thing. You protected her from herself. You protected the world from what she would have become."

I reached a hand out toward him; this time, he didn't pull away. Taking this as a good sign, I kept going, speaking to him as quietly and gently as I could. "No one blames you, Jungkook. No one hates you. No one thinks you deserve to suffer. We want you to be happy. All of us do. Even Bianca. You deserve to be happy. That is a choice that we all want you to make. You aren't alone. We will never leave you. Never."

I cleared my throat, fighting the emotion creeping into my voice. "I love you, Jungkook. And I will always be here to pull you out of the dark. There is no place you could fall that I can't reach." My hand came to rest on him, sending shadows scattering from my hand. His shoulder became visible beneath my touch.

"I love you," I repeated. "Come home."

In an instant, the darkness vanished. I let out a sound that was halfway between a sob and a laugh and launched myself at him, embracing him so tightly that I could hardly breathe. When I pulled away to gaze at his face, his eyes were wide as saucers. At his Bambi-eyed expression, my heart melted.

"Evie?" He croaked, raising his hand to rest it against my cheek tenderly, as though he couldn't believe that I was truly there. I nodded.

The smile that spread across his face was radiant. Without warning, he pulled me toward him and claimed me in a powerful, hungry kiss. I lost myself to that kiss, reveling in the joy at being here, being alive, being with him.

An awkward cough from my left me reminded me we were not alone. I looked up to see six angels standing off to the side, with varying reactions to the scene. Most were politely pretending to look elsewhere, but two of them were avidly staring at me, unabashed.

I blushed. Jungkook laughed softly. When we rose to our feet, he slipped his hands in mine, and together we walked toward them. I could feel the rigid tension radiating off of him in waves of apprehension, but he smiled weakly as he faced all of his brothers.

V approached him first. I held my breath.

And he folded him in a bone-crushing hug. Before long, Jungkook was buried in a tight group hug. I slipped away, allowing them to have this moment to themselves. But before I could make it far, he called out to me. I turned.

He had extricated himself from the center of the pile and held a free hand out to me. "Let's go home," he said.