Chapter 37

Argh! White. Blinding white light shot through Tayla's irises, burning a hole in the back of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, shielding them with her hand, but tiny red spots continued to flicker on the backs of her lids.

Where am I? The last thing she remembered was—

Oh my god.

She tested the brightness by peeking open her lids and waited for the laser beams of light to dull before declaring it safe to open fully—

Tayla jumped back as a man appeared out of nowhere—no scrap that, not man, angel. Her gaze tracked past his large silvery-grey wings folded behind his back, all the way up, up, up to his square jaw with three-day growth and haunting eyes.

“I…died?” she whispered.

He gave a curt nod and motioned to one side with his open hand.

Tayla's breath hitched as she followed the direction of his outstretched arm. The landscape began to unveil, like thick white fog fading away to reveal a bright, sunny day. Two white iron gates appeared feet from her, and the more she stared, the more they came into focus.

She craned her neck, following the iron bars of the gates all the way to the tip. They resembled gates commonly found enclosing those fancy estates for famous people, only these were white, and much more extravagant. The iron illuminated like it somehow glowed, and the center where the two gates joined, shimmered with a swirling pattern of jewels and—

Her eyes widened. Are they diamonds?

She closed her gaping mouth. “Are these the gates to…?”

“Yes. This is the mortal entrance to the Heavens,” the angel replied.

She turned to face him. “What am I meant to do now?”

He arched a dark eyebrow. “You go through. Obviously.”

She mentally rolled her eyes. Okay, maybe that was a stupid question. Her gaze drifted to the sides of the gates where there was…nothing. White vacant space. She turned around on the spot, taking in her surroundings, but it all appeared the same. The whiteness continued for as far as she could see, like they stood on a giant cloud. No, not on a cloud, more like in a cloud.

What the…?

She leaned to her left to peer around the gates; no oversized fence joined them, no wall, no visible intercom system. Not even a trench or moat filled with snapping crocodiles. Why have a big set of fancy gates when someone could just walk around them?

“The only way in is through the gates,” the angel prompted.

She peered over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. It appeared like it would be quicker to go around the gates.

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and the opening in his tunic revealed thick cords of muscles along his forearms. “Go ahead; try it.”

Stepping forward, Tayla reached her palm toward the empty space beside the gates. The air rippled and shimmered around her fingertips, but her hand couldn’t penetrate the invisible barrier.

She stretched forward further with both hands, forcing her palms harder against the space but again, nothing happened. As though she’d pressed her hands into a bottomless bowl of clear jelly.

Tayla stepped back and inspected her hands, rotating them this way and that. No marks, no left-over shimmering; absolutely nothing lingered on her skin. She turned to face the angel.

He half-shrugged. “Told you.”

“How do they open, then?”

“Once you decide to go in, they will open for you.”

An image appeared in her mind, and her chest tightened. Raven. No, how could she have left him?

She bit the inside of her lip. “What if I don't want to go in?”

The angel stepped closer and peered down at her. “Then you'll exist here, in Anahel, the in between. Outside the heavenly gates for the rest of eternity.”

She grimaced. That didn't sound like much fun at all, but maybe Raven could…

“He can’t reach you if you're out here. This is the mortal entrance. The mortal in between,” the angel said, his tone slightly snappier than before.

Darn those mind-reading abilities.

Well, the decision was easy, wasn’t it? If Raven couldn't reach her out here, there was only one thing to do. Enter the fancy gates and wait for him on the other side.

The instant her thought formed, the gates slowly swung inward, revealing vibrant green grassy hills and brilliant clear blue skies.

Tayla crept forward a step. “Do I just, you know, walk through?”

“Yes. Farewell, Tayla.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you…um?”

“Cole.”

“Right. Thank you, Cole.”

She turned back to the gates and took another step closer. A balmy breeze brushed her cheeks, and the possibility of seeing her parents again brought a smile to her face. One more step, and she could reunite with them. Would they be waiting on the other side for her?

The sweet scent of blooming jasmine and the tang of freshly cut grass filled her nose, while weightlessness drifted through her entire body. So peaceful…

Raven’s face appeared in her mind, the image of him cradling her body in her final moments. Whispering in her ear, sweet words meant only for her…made me whole…you were the key to my faith, this whole time.

Her foot froze mid-step, hovering above the threshold to the gates.

She couldn’t leave Raven. He needed her. If they weren’t together, there was a huge chance her death would make him lose his faith again…then he’d turn into a Fallen…

She sucked in a breath and staggered back.

No, she had to get back to Raven before it was too late.

She spun to face Cole. “How do I get back?”

“Back to the mortal realm? Are you serious?” he scoffed.

She straightened her shoulders. “I can’t stay here. Raven needs me.”

Cole sighed heavily and glared at the sky above. Is there sky above us? “Tayla, you can’t go back, you’re dead.”

Duh! “Yeah, I know. But how do I become undead? And not in a freaky zombie way.”

His grey eyes locked with hers. “You’d need Fate on your side. And good luck with that,” he almost spat the words at her.

“There has to be another way.”

He shook his head.

Her shoulders slumped and her heart sank. She was left with no other choice than to enter the gates and wait for Raven, and hope like mad he maintained his faith long enough to complete his mission so he could return to her.

“Right. Well, thanks anyway, Cole.” She trudged back to the threshold of the gates.

Think of her as you enter, the words whispered in her mind the moment blinding white light engulfed Cole’s body and he disappeared.

Think of who?

Tayla peered at the picturesque landscape on the inside of the gates. Hopefully, Raven would hang on long enough to make it back.

She took a deep breath…here I go.