Prelude

His cold blue eyes calmly observed the scene before him. The rain pelted off his back and soaked his silver hair, sending the rivulets down his neck to seep into the coat that was thrown over his slender shoulders. The air was cold and with each exhale his breath came out like fog.

He paid it no mind, keeping his eyes focused on the door in front of him. If he strained his hearing, he could pick out the individual twang of each strum she made on her guitar. But it wasn't necessary. All he had to do was wait for her.

Olivia Neveah was a mystery, even to him.

The powers that be had chosen this wisp of a girl to lead them and he could not fathom why. She was stubborn to a fault and held nothing but contempt for authority. Her dress code was far from conventional and from what he could tell, she did not hold a proper job. When she wasn't attending a live show, or playing in one, she spent much of her day sealed up in her room and slaving over her sewing machine.

He'd seen the finished products. They were...unusual. Random pieces of mesh and tartan fabric, held together haphazardly with safety pins and crooked stitches. Who would wear such a thing? He often wondered that, and yet surprisingly her creations sold for a fair amount of profit.

Yes, he had been watching her for some time now. Truthfully, he wasn't convinced she was the one. Despite all the signs that had pointed to her, he was waiting for something to arise. Something that would prove every one of his senses wrong.

The rain continued to pour on him and he continued to stand there. He was tucked away safely across the street, leaning against the door of a closed hat shop. In this weather, hardly anyone was on the street and those that were moving about had just as eccentric an appearance as him.

The only thing he needed to conceal in this part of town were his wings. Splendid white feathers adorned his long wings and they gifted him with the ability to fly through realms. They would easily have shielded him from the rain, but showing his wings would draw far too much attention.

And thus, he kept his appearance as near to human as was safe.

Yue. The voice inside his head rang clear and loud. It was the voice of Eilana, one of his kin. Have you found the one yet?

"I have," he spoke to her with his mind. "Though I am not impressed."

You are not fit to choose nor judge the one who has been chosen by the stars. Return to Eloria quickly, Yue, for the situation here is grim. We have no time to waste.

Yue closed his eyes and sighed. So much for a sign to dissuade him of Olivia being the one they needed. "I will return tonight," he vowed to Eilana. He heard no response from her and so he returned his focus to the venue in front of him and more importantly to the girl inside it.

Olivia was swathed in a knee-length dress the color of cream. Ruffles adorned the neckline and hem of the garment. It would be been elegant if not for the fishnet stockings, biker boots, and leather jacket she wore with it. Her dark hair was swept into a side ponytail and her eyes were rimmed with kohl.

On most occasions, Olivia was merely one of the faceless crowd. But tonight she took the stage with her guitar. The guitarist of her friend's band had come down with a bad case of alcohol poisoning and she was asked to fill in for the night. It was that or the band would have to cancel their show.

However, Olivia was confident in her abilities and know most of their songs by heart. It wasn't difficult to pick up the few she wasn't as familiar with. Earlier in the day, she'd reviewed the cords and strummed them in her mind.

And her quick study had paid off. She barely missed a note.

After the show, she remained in the bar to grab a few drinks with her friends and they toasted her bravery. Olivia had finally overcome stage fright and it was a worthy cause to celebrate. She clinked her beer bottle with every else's and took a swig.

Suddenly she felt it again. Her eyes darted around, searching for the owner of the presence she felt. Someone had been watching her for the past couple of weeks and it was starting to make her feel nervous. It wasn't her first time having a stalker, plenty of her ex-boyfriends had done that.

But this was different. She could feel it.

She finished off her beer quickly and set it back down on the table. "I think I'm gonna head home, guys," she spoke to the group before her. "It's late and my aunt's probably going to kill me for not calling."

She heard a chorus of "aww" and "goodnight" from her friends as she slipped back into her worn leather jacket and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. With a small wave, she exited the bar and slipped out into the rainy night.

Unbeknownst to her and everyone else, a silver figure followed her.

He remained several paces behind her, but always keeping her in sight. Once she stopped to look behind her and he slipped into an alley to avoid being seen. Truthfully, he was unsure of how to approach her. But he had to catch her before she caught the train back to the suburbs.

He unfurled his powerful wings and lifted off the ground, soaring above and beyond her to arrive at the station only moments before she did.

Olivia approached the turnstile and fished absently in her purse for a ticket. Yawning, she pulled one out, slipped it into the slot, and pushed her way through.

The train in her direction was just pulling out as she arrived on the platform.

"Fuck," she muttered under breath. Glancing around, she realized the station was empty. Perfect, she thought sarcastically. Spotting a bench, she ambled over to it and took a seat.

Another train whipped through the station, stopping briefly, and the flying out as fast as it had come in. Olivia glanced up to just in time to see him appear on the platform across from her.

She gasped. He hadn't stepped off the passing train. He'd just...appeared. As if out of thin air. Her dark brown eyes collided with his icy blue ones and time stopped.

Olivia couldn't breathe as she held his gaze. Those clear blue eyes pierced right through her. They drew her deep into their stormy depths, pulling her closer and closer to the brink of oblivion.

And then she realized that she hadn't been moving at all, but somehow he was standing before her. Majestic wings spread out around them and he glowed with a heavenly aura.

It was now or never, and Yue had to do something fast before the trance was broken and reality crashed down on her again. Slowly, he extended his hand to her.

"Come," he whispered. Her lips parted and she sucked in a breath. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and slipped it into his. He was amazed at how soft her skin was and allowed himself to enjoy for a moment, before pulling her roughly from the bench and into his embrace.

He folded his wings around them and they vanished from the platform. The last train of the night arrived and no one boarded.