Scott stood at the bow of the ship, leaning on the deck railing, his phone clutched in his hand as he stared out over the moonlit ocean water, the stars brilliant in the night sky. He was worried…extremely worried, something he was not accustomed to feeling. When it came to Colin, he felt many things he wasn’t accustomed to.

He liked it.

Colin had told him to dress in his very best, that he was going to give him a night he promised Scott wouldn’t forget.

One-thirty-two is a big number, he’d texted, it should be celebrated accordingly.

Scott had worn his finest white dress shirt under a velvet lined jacket, butt-hugging black trousers he knew Colin loved, and a golden chain necklace with a sapphire pendant he’d received from Colin for Christmas. His hair was styled perfectly, combed over so some of it hung over his forehead, his blue eyes sparkling like radiant gems. He looked, as Colin often said, absolutely perfect.

He looked at his phone again, biting his lower lip as he saw his messages were still going unread. 

What the hell is going on? He always replies…

He called again, bouncing on one leg and chewing on his bottom lip as he listened to the ringing tone that only increased his anxiety.

“Hey, you reached Colin James. I’m not available right now…”

With a growl of annoyance, Scott hung up, bringing up the text string one more time.

SCOTT: Hey, baby, just got here. The ship looks beautiful, thank you! 🥰

SCOTT: Are you on your way? Everyone’s standing around looking uncomfortable…

SCOTT: Babe, where are you? I’m starting to get worried. 😥

…

SCOTT: Colin, where ARE YOU?! What’s going on?! Why aren’t you answering my calls or texts??? Is something wrong??

SCOTT: Seriously, love, you’re scaring me…I can’t see your location, did you turn it off by accident?

SCOTT: Colin, I’m sending someone to find you. This isn’t like you at all…please, baby, be okay… 😰

SCOTT: Colin, please, it’s been hours…what’s going on…did that bastard get to you?! I swear, if he did, I’ll tear his fucking heart out for touching you. 

SCOTT: I have a very bad feeling that asshole has you somewhere. I’m coming to get you. Hang on, my love. Please wait for me.

He pocketed his phone and ran a hand through his now disheveled hair, his breath unsteady, his heart pounding. Ash had him, he knew it. He felt a burning in his chest, his core roiling with anxiety and fear. He should have left hours ago but he was certain Colin was just running late. He’d been late before, sure, but he always called or texted to apologize and say he was on his way.

He pushed off the railing and marched across the deck, slowing slightly when he heard a disturbance coming from the lower deck. He frowned as a few men darted past him. He hurried after them, suddenly feeling more uneasy than before. 

A splash off the starboard side caught his attention, followed by a series of ripples. He froze, all color leeching from his face.

That’s not a fish…

Turning forward, he ran, shoving through the crowd, demanding to be let through, to tell him what was going on, to tell him…

Four men were kneeling on the deck, surrounding something big and wet, a large puddle of water under it. 

Not it…

Him.

Scott barely heard the murmurs of the men around him, didn’t register their shock and revulsion at the sight of what was dropped at their door. All he saw, all he could focus on, was the mutilated body sprawled on the deck of his ship. The ship Captain Yates had gifted him, that Colin had named.

He dropped to his knees, crawling quickly to his side, not caring how people saw him. 

“No,” he murmured. “No, no, no, no, nononono…Colin? Baby? Baby, no!” He gasped, a tiny wail escaping his throat when he saw Colin’s hands. He took them gently in his own. “What have they…your hands! Your beautiful hands, what have they done!?” He brought them to his lips, sobbing loudly as he kissed each skinned finger and torn palm, tears, snot, and drool sticking to the pale muscles and deadened nerves, the bones cold against Scott’s skin. Carefully, he placed them on Colin’s chest, touching his torso, his arms, taking his face in his hands and leaning over him, his tears falling on his love’s once perfect, ebony skin, now gray and ashen. 

His eyes went wide and his wailing grew louder when he saw the deep gash in Colin’s throat.

“Noooo,” he keened, sobs wracking his body. “No, Colin! My love, how could he do this to you? It was him, wasn’t it? That bastard…that fucking bitch, Ash, he did this to you, didn’t he?” He pressed his lips to Colin’s cold ones, his heart breaking into a million pieces. These lips…these magical lips that kissed him so tenderly, spoke words Scott had never truly believed before, loved him, pleasured him in ways he’d never thought possible. 

This face, this body, this man…

His man.

Was dead.

Taken.

Stolen from him.

He reached deep into Colin’s body with his energy, his breath catching when he couldn’t feel Colin’s soul respond to him. His face fell and he wrapped his arms around Colin’s body, burying his face in his chest as he sobbed, begging for Colin to come back to him, that this wasn’t happening, cursing Ash Turner’s name for what he’d done.

A thought occurred to him just then. He lifted his head, sniffling hard as he gazed back into the bloodless face and empty eyes of his beloved. 

“Colin,” he whispered, hope filling his chest. “Colin, hey, I have an idea. Stay here, okay? I can save you. I can make you good as new. Fix you up. Make you even better! Okay?” He cupped Colin’s cheek, kissing him over and over again. “Okay, baby? Okay, just…stay here for me. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back to you, I swear. Wait for me, my love.” 

With one final kiss, he tried to push himself up, his hand sliding from Colin’s chest to the inside of his brand new jacket. He winced when he felt something hard press into his palm. 

“What the hell?”

Lifting the right side of Colin’s jacket, he dug into the inside pocket, his fingers curling around something small and square. When he pulled it out, he fell back on his butt, another low cry escaping his lips.

A blue box with a slightly curved lid.

With trembling fingers, he opened it, his hand slapping over his mouth, fresh tears welling in his eyes.

It was the most beautiful ring he had ever seen in his entire life. Silver with five gemstone inlays, the center one, the biggest one, blue with silver swirls inside. Scott’s eyes slid back to Colin’s body. A body he loved and treasured more than any other. It was empty right now, but that would change very quickly. And once filled, his injuries healed, his life extended to match Scott’s own, and his perfection restored, Scott would give him the answer the angel knew he wouldn’t hesitate in giving.

Yes. For a million years and longer, Colin James, YES.

He got to his feet with the help of a couple of the men, and put the ring box in his own pocket. He would let Colin put it on his finger once he was awake, just like he was supposed to.

“Stay with him,” he ordered in a low voice, his throat raw and cracked. “Don’t leave his side and don’t let anything happen to him, understand?”

“Yes, sir,” a few of them replied gently.

Scott nodded absently, mumbling to himself as he backed away, his eyes going to the sky, flicking back to Colin’s body once more, before he spread his wings and launched himself into the air. The closest door to the Divine Realms was ten miles away, but he could make it in no time. He just had to fly faster than he had in a very long time.

With one hard thrust of his wings, he pushed himself forward, hearing a loud BOOM behind him as he broke the sound barrier, a stream of white light in his wake. When he reached the door, he blasted straight through, his speed remaining the same as he tore through the Veil, toward the door that would lead him to the Second Realm.

He gritted his teeth, and forced himself to go even faster. The wind tore at his hair, his wings streamlining against his back, adjusting every so often to keep him steady, beating hard when he needed them to. He would not be stopped, not even by the laws of physics; laws that really didn’t exist in his world.

Laws he could break without consequence. 

The door to the Second Realm opened seconds before he shot through, as though Nox himself knew the angel was coming. Even if that wasn’t the case, Scott still took it as a sign of good fortune. 

I’m coming, Colin. I’m coming, just wait another minute or two. We’ll be together again, I swear it.

It took another five minutes or so to traverse the vast expanse of the Realm before he drew close to the place he was looking for. The place where Colin’s soul, among millions of others, would be taken by the Reapers once they had passed through the Void.

The River Styx.

Contrary to popular myth, the River isn’t an actual river; it’s a road. Given how many people die each day, that road is so populated with souls, it appears as a long, slowly moving, glowing river. Most souls lose their former bodily shape after they pass through the Void, becoming orbs of light. They still contain memories and emotions of their former lives, but they have no real form. Not until they’ve gone through the process of sorting. Once sorted, depending on the judgment received, they will either regain their former form, or they will remain as an orb of light to be sent back to the Soul Garden and reshaped for their next life.

Scott needed to get to the River before Colin’s soul was sorted. While he was certain he would have his form regained, there was no guarantee, and if his memories and emotions were drained from him by an angel, since that is what they feed from, then Colin would forget Scott completely in every respect.

He would no longer remember loving Scott.

Scott began to slow, though he was still going incredibly fast, the closer he got to the River Styx. His heart pounded in his chest, every ounce of hope he had that he could find and rescue Colin’s soul flooding his core.

Colin…my love, I’m coming for you.

He felt a lump rise in his throat, and he swallowed it back quickly. He couldn’t afford to give into his emotions right now. Breaking down on the Pretty Dove was bad enough. To do so here in the Second Realm was unacceptable.

He found the gate that led to the River and dipped in its direction, flying over the heads of several demons and other beings who were milling about, mindless of the angel who had invaded their territory. While rare, angels never willingly came to the Second Realm. It did not matter that their Princess was one.

Scott opened his wings, slowing his descent as he approached the massive gate made of wrought iron and energy, blocking the way at the end of a long stone bridge to anyone not authorized to enter the River to keep the souls safe on their journey. There were several podiums near the gate, but only one was manned.

Slow day…good for me.