Chapter 25. Broken Heart, Broken Wings

They parted ways with hardly a word. Looks were more than enough, and they spoke volumes. Cassie only took what belonged to her and when Pearly went to hand her back the silver wings, she rejected them, closing his fingers around them.

"Keep them. I know you always wanted wings" Cassie tried to smile a little, "Consider them something else you've stolen from me".
"Fine by me" he replied simply, his face stony and unfeeling.

Cassie's eyes watered and she looked down. She held back tears as her voice broke.

"I was only trying to help…I only wanted you to be happy".
"Go…now…".

She released his closed hand and turned away. She didn't want to leave him, not like this. Cassie found that she still at least had to tell him one last time.

"When winter comes in summer, when there's no such thing as forever, and when lies become the truth…that's when I'll stop loving you, and never will I stop fighting for you. I stand by what I told you, that I love you and always have. I always will. I hope someday you can forgive me for this, because I've already forgiven you".

He didn't reply but watched as she left. When she was outside he went to the nearest window and watched her from there. Cassie mounted Nyx and looked briefly up at the house, her eyes and face moist. She shook her head and went on her way. All the while, Pearly's grip on the wings tightened until his fingernails dug into his palm. His other hand he put to the wall, his head against the window, eyes closed in a horrible pain.

His breath came out in a trembling quiver, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. Pearly turned from the window, his back to the wall, and he finally broke down.

Hurt.
Anger.
Sadness.

He didn't know which one felt more rampant within him. He took the silver wings from his pocket and looked at them for a moment. Once they were a reminder of her, of her love. But now all they did was bring him pain. With a yell, he threw them across the room, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the silver clattered against the wall. But the satisfaction broke with one of the wings, which brought him out of his anger.

"No…no, no, no!" he practically crawled to reach the necklace, feeling drained under the power of his emotions.

The left wing was cleanly broken in two under the force of his throw. Pearly found the other piece and tried to put it back together but no matter what he tried, the pieces just wouldn't come back together. He took the wings into his hand and in a saddened daze made his way to Cassie's room. It was still a wreck from their earlier confrontation but…it was all he had left of her. The only thing that was whole, intact. Somehow he found his way on her bed, holding the silver necklace to his heart, trying to soothe the pain away. But it didn't help, the pain intensified and it crept even into his sleep, into his dreams.

The nightmares were back, but this time there wasn't an escape. There wasn't anyone there left. This time, he was alone, truly alone.

"Chun go léir Tá mé grá riamh…"

To all I've ever loved…

She was just a human…Andras told him.
"No…no she was more than a human. She was someone who loved me…She thought she was helping".
She was trying to separate us!
"Because she thought you were harming me! That someone, that Luca…who…".

It dawned slowly on him. Luca…light bringer…Pearly growled as he realized.

"That sneaky son of a bitch! Lucifer set us up!" he got up taking the necklace in hand, "He did this…he knew I would…".

Don't tell me you're going after her?!
"Damn right I am! If he thinks I'm gonna give her up this easily that bastard has another thing comin'!" Pearly hurried out, for once feeling a spark of hope in what was left in his own heart.

Because now finally he had something real worth fighting for…

Author's note: Sorry the chapter was short, I kinda ran low on inspiration sadly…But the next chapter will probably be the last before the epilogue and will take place after Cassie's funeral. The epilogue itself will be set in the modern era and probably also will be short and sweet. Hope you liked. Please review they keep me going guys. Don't forget to stay awesome.