The world was burning around her. After he had fallen and the demons came upon him one after the other she was frozen with terror. There was so much blood and darkness and fire. She was screaming for him as she dropped to her knees, crawling to the edge to peer down below in hopes of seeing him holding on. From time to time she would see a smoky flash cutting through the demons and knew he still fought on but then there were too many. The tears blinded her and she screamed until her voice went raw and silent. She felt the blood on the back of her throat and then a hand closed around her throat and she was thrown. Her wings snapped out and she hit the obsidian edge of a stone crevice. The breath was knocked out of her as she felt the darkness crowd her.



They had called her the North Star. For obvious reasons and some not so obvious. After Lucifer had fallen and she had been called as his replacement there were so many expectations. So much wanted and required of her. She was meant to be dedicated and sworn to Uriel ? the announcement was supposed to take place soon but all of that went to the wayside when the demons rose. Something of it was a small relief because she had no love towards Uriel. No? she loved another. Forbidden Darkness. A Shadow Warrior that was only meant to be the holy hand of the Lord. Judge, Jury, Executioner. He had a job to do? and yet she loved him. The memories of their stolen moments in twilight left her struggling against the hand of the demon as her eyes snapped open. Fire gold as the wings flared out behind her, burning bright. Once they had shone brighter but after his touch they had dimmed to moon pale. North Star. If they found out that her Glory was tarnished surely they would destroy her. Perhaps Death by demon was not a terrible way to go.



She heard him in her mind. Encouraging her to fight. He never would beg or plead. He always told. Demanded. Forced. To make her stronger. A smile touched her lips and she let out a silent scream. They wanted her to burn? She would light up the world? and that was exactly what she did.




The tea cup was lifted, the warmth a soothing balm against her injured palms as she looked at him with distant eyes. The memories that seemed her own and yet so not seemed to play there in the blue. She ached to be near him and she no comprehension as to why she felt this way. He was a stranger to her. He felt like something else though. So far from a stranger.



Ivy shook her head and sipped at her tea, closing her eyes as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. His words drew her from her thoughts and the mention of the shop drew a small smile upon her lips



?It?s a library of sorts. A used book store really but you?re not going to find any Harry Potter or James Patterson there.?



The words were a mirror of what she had been told when she first came upon the shop. She set her half finished tea down and offered him a dimpled smile as she grinned. For a moment it felt like things were just normal and that the world wasn?t falling apart around her. His offer surprised her as that sudden nature of shyness overcame her once more.



?Thank you. I would like that. I?m sure she would appreciate it too.? She didn?t speak more of the past. Her smile dimmed in the smallest fraction as she looked at him. Tentative steps before she slipped her arms around him and buried her head against his chest. A deep sigh that seemed borderline contentment as she fell silent. This was so out of her nature but she found it seemed so much easier to embrace to speak the volumes of gratitude she felt towards him. Surely it was just that? gratitude.