Hades (26 page)

threw down the two duffel bags she’d packed. Her ice blue

eyes kept flickering toward the kitchen and back to Gabriel.

The stress of the situation seemed to have brought out a

new side of Ivy. My gentle, patient sister was fading fast

and in her place was a soldier of the Kingdom, a seraphim

preparing for battle. I knew that seraphim rarely got angry, it

took a lot to invoke their wrath. Ivy’s behavior told me that

perhaps my capture meant more than I realized.

“This is a serious breach of the rules,” Ivy said darkly,

turning to Gabriel. “We can’t afford any more setbacks.”

“What rules?” Xavier asked. “There don’t seem to be

any.”

“Demons have never targeted us before,” my sister

replied. “They go after humans in order to spite Heaven.

But this time they’ve taken one of our own knowing we must

retaliate. Unless that’s exactly what they want us to do … in

which case they’re trying to start a war.” Her gaze fel on

Mol y. “It’s not safe for her.”

“Like I said,” Gabriel replied. “I don’t think we have a

choice anymore.”

“Just because Mol y and Bethany are school friends does

not mean we can simply abandon normal procedure.”

“There is nothing normal about this situation,” Gabriel

snapped. “The Covenant is clearly not concerned about

another human knowing our identity. If they were, Michael

would have timed his arrival more careful y. You may be

right in thinking something much bigger is going on here.”

Ivy remained skeptical. “If I’m right, think of what we’l be

facing. She’s a liability.”

“She’s very insistent. I can’t reason with her.”

“She is an adolescent girl and you are an arch,” Ivy said

bitterly. “You’ve had to deal with much worse in your time.”

My brother simply shrugged his shoulders. “We need al

the al ies we can get.” Ivy scowled and pointed a finger at

him.

“Fine, but I assume no responsibility for her. She is

yours.”

“Why are you wasting time arguing about Mol y?” Xavier

burst out. “Don’t we have bigger things to worry about? Like

getting on the road and finding this nun?”

“Xavier’s right,” Gabriel said. “We must put our

differences aside and deal with the present. I only hope we

get there before it’s too late.”

As soon as he’d spoken the words, Gabriel seemed to

regret them. A pained expression crossed his face while

Xavier’s flushed with emotion.

“You sound like you’ve given up already.”

“I didn’t say that,” Gabriel replied. “This is a unique

situation. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. The only

angels that ever see the inside of Hel are those that go

there of their own volition, the foolish ones that are blinded

by pride and turn against Our Father, choosing to fol ow

Lucifer.”

“What are you saying?” Xavier said. There was

indignation in his tone. “You think Beth did this on purpose?

She didn’t choose this, Gabriel! Have you forgotten that I

was there?”

I could have kicked my brother at that moment. Did he

real y believe I had chosen a path of darkness?

Ivy crossed the room in a flash and placed a hand on

Gabriel’s back. “What we’re trying to say is that Jake

shouldn’t have been able to drag an angel into Hel . Either

Bethany went wil ingly or we are on the verge of

Armageddon.”

16

One Heart

IT was getting harder to hold on. My spirit form seemed to

be blurring around the edges, anxious to return to my body.

But Ivy’s words had me reeling. Could my capture real y be

a sign that something terrible was brewing?

Unlike Xavier, I didn’t blame Gabriel for saying what he

did. He was merely cal ing it as he saw it. It was true, I had

accepted Jake’s offer. I had done so unwittingly, but that

didn’t seem to matter. I knew Gabriel hoped for the best,

but it was his job to consider al possibilities. I just wished

he would soften things a little for Xavier’s sake. But my

brother could never shy away from the truth. His very

creation was intended to embody and protect the truth.

Xavier didn’t understand that and I could see he was

frustrated. He was used to Ivy and Gabriel always having an

answer for everything. But this time things were different

and their indecision scared him.

Xavier was growing restless. He sat down and then

immediately stood up again. His entire body was as taut as

a bow and his pent-up energy was almost tangible.

“I saw her,” he said after a long pause. He spoke with a

quiet intensity. “You weren’t there, you didn’t see the

expression on her face when she realized who she was

with. She was terrified once she realized what was

happening. I wanted to help her, but I was too late. I tried to

save her … ,” he trailed off, staring uselessly at his hands.

“Of course, you did,” Ivy said. She was always more

attuned to Xavier than Gabriel was. “We know Bethany; we

trust in her. We know that Jake employed the dirtiest tactic

of al to win her trust. But it doesn’t matter now. Jake won—

she’s on his turf now. The situation is delicate and the truth

is there is no easy way to get her back now.”

Gabriel was less inclined to sugarcoat the facts. “If there

is a way for us to access the dimension known as Hel , I’ve

never heard of it. No angel has returned to that place since

we sealed Lucifer beneath the ground.”

“I thought you said we needed to find a portal.” Xavier’s

mouth was a tight line and he was fighting hard to control

his emotions. Seeing him like this made my own eyes

sting. I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around him,

stroke his face and comfort him, whisper that I was alive

and even below the earth I’d never stopped thinking about

him.

“I did say that,” Gabriel conceded. “But that task is easier

said than done.” He wore his faraway look now and I knew

he was no longer present. He was locked in his own private

world of contemplation. Despite the doubts I’d just heard

him express, I trusted Gabriel. If there was any way to

rescue me, I knew he was the one who would find it.

“I don’t understand. If Jake broke the rules, why can’t

we?” Xavier persisted.

“If Jake tricked Bethany into trusting him, then no rules

were broken,” Ivy said. “Demons have been manipulating

souls and damning them to Hel for centuries.”

“So we need to play dirty,” Xavier said.

“Exactly.” Ivy put a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you

stop worrying for a while? Let us figure it out. Maybe this

trip to Tennessee wil shed some light. What happened to

Bethany, an angel of the Lord being taken into Hel , is total y

unprecedented. There is no rulebook to consult. Do you

see what I’m saying?”

“I think it might be a sign.” Gabriel had drifted back to the

present.

“What kind of sign?” Xavier asked.

“That Lucifer’s powers are growing. This could be an

indication of his rising strength, even if it manifested

through Jake. We have to think careful y. Rushing in could

make things worse. That’s why Michael is sending us to this

source.”

“Look, sitting around drinking herbal tea isn’t going to

help Beth. You two can think about the big picture al you

want, but for me this is about her and I’m going to do

whatever it takes to bring her home. If you’re not with me,

then I’l handle it alone.”

Xavier rose to leave and I panicked momentarily thinking

he might do something reckless. But Gabriel moved like a

flash of lightning to block his path.

“You won’t
handle
anything.” Gabriel’s tone was chil ing.

“Is that clear? Control your raging testosterone for a minute

and listen. I know you want Beth back—we al do—but

acting like some comic-book hero isn’t going to help.”

“And sitting on your butt acting like there’s nothing we

can do isn’t going to help either. Beth once told me your

name means ‘Warrior of God.’ Some warrior you turned out

to be.”

“Watch what you say,” Gabriel warned, his eyes flashing.

“Or what?” Xavier was seething now. At any minute he

might lash out and do something he’d regret. I wished I

could just reach out to tel him that Gabe was right. Much as

I loved him for his loyalty and determination, I knew this

wasn’t something that could be solved through valor alone.

Deep down, I knew Gabriel was hatching a plan, at least I

hoped he was. Xavier just needed to give him time to think.

Gabriel was stil blocking Xavier’s path, their eyes locked in

mounting tension. To his credit, it was Xavier who backed

down first.

“I need to get out of here and clear my head,” he said,

pushing past Gabriel.

“Okay,” Ivy cal ed out after his retreating back. “We’l wait

for you.”

I trailed behind him as Xavier tripped lightly down the

sandy steps leading to the beach. I tried to send out rays of

calming energy and hoped he could at least sense them.

Xavier seemed to relax a little once he hit the beach. He

took deep breaths and exhaled in relief. He walked right

down to the dark sand of the shoreline where he stood with

his hands deep in his pockets looking out to sea. I watched

him shift uneasily from foot to foot, struggling to overcome

his restlessness. If only he could stop focusing on his own

sense of failure for one minute I might have a chance of

making him aware of my presence. He needed to stop

mourning my disappearance and just free his thoughts.

As if he could read my mind, Xavier calmly peeled off his

sweater and tossed it aside. He pul ed off his shoes and

left them lying in the sand so he was standing in just his

shorts and white T-shirt. He looked down the deserted

beach and took a deep breath before breaking into a run. In

my spectral form I ran beside him, exhilarated by his

accelerated breathing and pumping heart. It was the

closest I’d felt to him since our separation. Xavier’s

movements were graceful, those of a trained athlete.

Sports had always been his release and I could feel his

tension ebbing. Suddenly his brain had something to focus

on other than losing me. The exercise was helping. The

expression on his face was less drawn and his body moved

with its own rhythm now. I was aware of the muscle

definition in his calves and broad shoulders. I could almost

feel his agile movements and his weight hitting the sand. I

lost track of how long he ran, but when Byron was just a

speck in the distance, Xavier final y came to a halt. He bent

over, bracing his hands on his thighs. The sun was already

setting and tingeing the ocean red. Xavier’s chest heaved

as he waited for his breathing to slow. I could tel he wasn’t

thinking about anything right now—for what was probably

the first time in weeks his mind was completely clear. I

realized there was no time to lose. I had to seize this

opportunity. The Crags were behind us, not far from the

spot where I’d first revealed my identity to him by releasing

my wings and throwing myself from the cliff. I had to wonder

now whether I’d done the right thing. From that moment I

had complicated his life irrevocably. I had tied his existence

to mine and burdened him with problems he should never

have had to deal with.

I studied Xavier’s face, only inches away from where my

own would have been. I could already see his expression

clouding as his body resumed normal temperature. The