“I can’t change,” Luc says, his voice heavy and low.
Gabe looks shocked, like he actually knows what Luc is talking about and it means something. “Show me.”
Luc steps back from me, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and sprouts small, black horns. I stare, fascinated, and resist the urge to reach up and touch them.
“Try harder.”
“That’s it. That’s all I got.”
“And he’s not as hot as before,” I add. Luc looks at me, and there’s something in his eyes-hope, maybe.
Understanding dawns on Gabe’s face. “I was wondering. ”
Luc’s horns are gone. “Wondering what?”
“Do you remember telling me that you didn’t want Frannie to get hurt?”
Luc’s eyes shift to mine. “Yes.”
“And I told you I believed you.”
“Yes.”
“It was starting then. Your thoughts were hanging right out there for any old angel to hear. I can’t hear a demon’s thoughts.”
Luc’s eyes narrow. “You’ve been in my head?” he growls.
Gabe snorts. “Yeah. And I have to tell you, your plan sucked. You loved her, whether you knew it or not-a fact that shot the rest of your sad plan to Hell, so to speak.”
My eyes snap to Luc.
He loves me too?
Luc glares at Gabe and turns to stare out the window.
My mind is reeling, thoughts, images, and emotions all flying around at random. I’m hearing and thinking things I know are impossible-but I also know they’re true. And there’s a tiny piece of my core that feels relieved, like it knew this was coming.
Luc-Lucifer-hot-horns-demon. It somehow seems more real now, with Gabe standing here, than it did in Luc’s apartment.
Gabe.
I hear my breath catch in some distant place as the pieces of the puzzle click together in my head. Gabe-Gabriel-his glowing smile-and all his warnings. And, what he just said. for any old angel to hear.
No.
I look at Gabe, unable to clear the stunned expression from my face. Angel?
He looks at me, eyes cautious, and answers my unspoken question aloud. “Yes.”
“No!”
Why is that so much harder to accept than Luc being a demon?
Because there are no angels-no Heaven-no God.
The room spins, and I bend over, bracing my hands on my knees, trying to pull air into my collapsing lungs. But my throat tightens more as I think about Matt, completely cutting off my airway.
If there’s a God, why did he take my brother?
My legs go out, and the last thing I feel before I black out is Gabe swinging me into his arms.
When I open my eyes, Luc’s worried face is the first thing I see. He’s sitting on the edge of the couch, holding my hand. Gabe is pacing behind him. I pull a shuddering breath and try to sit, but Luc lowers me gently back down on the couch, adjusting the throw pillow behind my head.
“I don’t understand any of this.” My voice is little more than a rasping whisper.
Luc gazes down at me, promising everything with his eyes. “Ask me anything.”
My thoughts are a hopeless, twisted jumble and what comes out is a ramble. “You’re here. both of you. what. why?” I finally manage through a dry mouth with a shaking voice.
His voice is soft, like he’s talking to a frightened child-which, I guess, he is. “Because that’s where you are.”
“Me. you’re here for me.?” I feel the blood drain from my head again, and stars dance in front of my eyes.
“Yes.”
“Why?” I whisper.
A sardonic smile quirks Gabe’s lips as he sits on the arm of the couch at my feet. “I’m here to protect you from him.” He nods toward Luc.
My whole body shakes and I feel like I could puke. “Protect me from. Luc?”
Gabe turns to Luc, the disdain clear on his face. “You didn’t tell her? You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
Luc looks tormented as he stands abruptly and moves to the window. His hand grips the window frame so hard I’m surprised the wood doesn’t splinter, and his gaze drops to the floor.
Gabe eases in next to me on the couch. He folds me into his arms and I sink into him. “He’s here to tag your soul for Hell.”
“Tag my soul. ” I feel my head start to swim again as stars flash brighter in my eyes. Then my throat starts to close off when I think about why I belong in Hell. “Because of. what happened?”
Gabe pulls me tighter to him. “No. It has nothing to do with that.”
Luc turns back from the window and looks at Gabe and me with the question in his eyes.
I pull my gaze away from him and settle deeper into Gabe. “Then, why me?”
Gabe pierces Luc with a steel gaze, and Luc looks suddenly unsure. “I never knew for sure,” he finally says. “All I knew is that I needed to tag her.”
“Hmm, so Beherit must have a lot of faith in you, then,” Gabe says, sarcasm overflowing.
Luc stares death at Gabe. “Shut the hell up. It’s not my place to know.” But then he looks at me in Gabe’s arms, and his gaze drops to his hands.
“Touchy, aren’t we.” Gabe’s expression softens. “You have a good guess, though.”
Luc nods but doesn’t say anything.
Gabe pulls me closer. “You’re special, Frannie. You have special. skills. Certain gifts that both sides would kill-literally-to get their hands on.”
“Both sides. like, Heaven and Hell?”
He nods.
“I don’t have any gifts.”
“But you do.” He looks at Luc. “Doesn’t she?”
Luc’s eyes shift tentatively from the floor to mine. “You see things, Frannie.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You have Sight. visions. Ghalib, Taylor’s dad. You knew.”
My throat tightens as I think about my nightmares-things I saw before they happened. The faces that follow the lightning in my head: Matt, Grandma, Ghalib, Mr. Stevens, and so many others.
Gabe pulls back and looks into my eyes. “But there’s more. Something even bigger.”
I look back at Luc and his face goes white. He shakes his head slowly. Gabe looks up at him and nods.
“Sway. ” Luc whispers, his brow creasing as if he had a sudden headache. He drops his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Unholy Hell. ”
“What?” I say. A shudder runs down my spine and Gabe pulls me close again.
“Hitler, Moses. what do they have in common?”
I’m in no frame of mind to work out a riddle. “Just tell me what’s going on.” I hate that my voice sounds so small and weak.
“You know the story of Moses. He had the ability to make people listen: to sway their opinions, their thoughts. There had never been anyone like that before. When Lucifer saw what he could do, how God worked through him, he realized he’d screwed up. The next time someone showed up with that same degree of Sway, Lucifer wasn’t going to get beat out. He fought-dirty, I might add,” he says, glaring at Luc, “and he won. We all know what happened in Nazi Germany. There hasn’t been another with that same power until now.” He shares a meaningful glance with Luc and then looks back at me. “You.”
I look at Luc, who’s standing wide-eyed and slack-jawed, horrified.
“Listen, here’s the deal. If they get to you,” Gabe juts his chin toward Luc, “influence you, you’re Hitler-but worse. If you stay with us, you’re Moses. Your power is only going to get stronger.” His jaw clenches and he shakes his head. “And you’re not naive for believing people are innately good, Frannie.”
I feel so small, my whole body collapsing down on itself as everything real, everything I’ve ever known, vanishes. Pieces of a hundred questions tease me, but I can’t put them together in a way that makes sense-except one.
“Why now?” I hear myself whisper.
“You’re coming into your own now. When you were young, we were able to Shield you, to keep you off their radar.” He shoots a glance at Luc. “But not anymore.”