I couldn't trust Zane. I didn't know what he was up to.

I lifted my chin and tilted my head. "If you want me to get this halo for you, you'll need to untie me."

"Of course," the queen said, her tone accommodating once more. She arched a brow meaningfully at Zane.

Indecision warred across his handsome face, then he slowly headed over to me. His fingers brushed against mine as his hands moved to undo the knots.

"Whatever you do, Jackie, don't give her the halo." Zane's soft words murmured against my back as he worked to free my hands. "It'll be the end of the world as we know it. If you thought the world was bad before, it'll be Hell on earth if she gets the halo."

I forced my face to remain carefully neutral. The queen was watching me, her body tense with impatience, arms crossed over her bloodred pantsuit.

I tried to think of a plan, any plan, but couldn't. My hands were free in moments and I brought them in front of me, rubbing my wrists. "What now?"

The queen glanced at the dawn-lit sky. "You don't have much time." She extended a long fingernail at the flat ruin that remained of the temple. "Go to the heart of the temple itself and speak his name, and it will come to you." The evil smile split her face again. "Then you will bring it to me."

"On the contrary," A strange voice came out of nowhere, ringing through the dusty ruin. The sound of a gun being cocked echoed in the stillness. "You're going to bring the halo to me. me."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

I stared over the barrel of the gun at the new face on the scene. A priest held the gun aimed at my chest from twenty feet away. Behind him were several rough locals who seemed familiar, but I didn't have time-or the interest-to think further on it.

Not a lot of deep thought goes through your mind when you're face to face with a gun barrel.

Behind me, Nitocris hissed and took a few steps backward. "So you have come at last, Uriel."

I frowned, examining the priest. He was an old man with thinning gray hair and a bad comb-over. Thick, dirty glasses covered most of his lined face, and he was dressed in the suit and white collar of a priest, just barely buttoned over his gut.

I almost laughed. "Dude, that is not not Uriel. I've seen the man, and he's a lot prettier." When the gun cocked back toward me, I raised my hands in the air and added, "No offense." Uriel. I've seen the man, and he's a lot prettier." When the gun cocked back toward me, I raised my hands in the air and added, "No offense."

"Possession," Zane muttered off to my side.

"Huh?"

"Demons can possess a person, and so can angels. They just usually choose not to."

That didn't sound too pleasant. I didn't care if it was for the good guys or not; I didn't want anyone taking over my body. I eyed the priest with horror.

He simply smiled at me. "Hello, Jacqueline." His voice sounded hollow, as if it were coming from far away. "It would not be in your best interest to go for the halo at this time, or I would be forced to shoot you."

The queen spoke up, her voice mocking. "Stop and ask yourself why an angel would defy his superiors and possess a human to chase after a halo, foolish girl."

"Gee, I give up," I said. "Why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"

"Your Uriel," she spat, "has been waging a war against the Serim ever since they fell from the Heavens. He, above all the angels, despises those who were weak, and he would like nothing more than to destroy every last one of them-starting with your friend Noah."

Well, at least they weren't trying to make this hard or anything.

I studied the group Uriel had arrived with, trying to figure out an angle, since it was obvious nobody else was going to help me. Actually, there was something about a few of them that struck me as familiar ...

"Slavers," I said suddenly. "You've brought the slavers with you, Uriel? I thought you were one of the good guys!"

One of the priest's brows quirked. "I do not employ slavers, young woman. These men are my disciples. I instructed them to follow you through the city, so that I might keep an eye on your journey."

Scowling, I turned to Zane. "They weren't slavers?"

Zane shrugged, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips. "You bought it, didn't you?"

"Unbelievable," I said with disgust. "You are such a creep." He had lied to me over and over again. It was beyond comprehension. My heart felt frozen in my breast. I couldn't even trust the guy in love with me.

"Enough of this," the queen snapped behind me. "Either destroy Uriel's host, or retrieve the halo for me. I care not which you do."

I turned to her and thumbed a gesture at Uriel. "In case you hadn't noticed, he's holding a gun."

The queen's look darkened. "I cannot see him."

My eyes widened. "He's right there." I even pointed helpfully.

The queen shot a scathing look at Zane. "Is this ignorance a game?"

"No, I'm afraid she's really that ignorant," Zane said, wry amusement on his face again.

Both of us scowled at him.

Zane explained, "Once you've crossed over to one side, Jackie, your vision becomes distorted against the opposition." He gestured at the priest. "All I see there is a white blur. Likewise, all he can see of the queen is a dark blur. It's like that part is missing from your vision entirely. It's to prevent a war of the Heavens."

"And it's working so well," I said sarcastically. "So basically you have to use us peons as pawns to get what you want, because you can't go after each other directly."

"In a nutshell, yes."

I studied the two sides, one on each side of me. Both looked ready to attack, and frankly, I didn't care if they all destroyed each other. But the bodies of Remy, Stan, and Noah were still in the hot ground in the middle, and I dared not pull anything funny.

Besides-like it or not-I still cared about what happened to Zane. I couldn't separate sex from emotion yet, it seemed.

Which sucked.

"Well?" The queen snapped, and Uriel's gun trained on me again.

"Well what?" I snapped back. "You guys need to decide who gets the toys before I make a move."

"Neither of us can retrieve the halo ourselves, Jacqueline," Uriel explained, his voice taking on an endlessly annoyed tone. Yep, it was definitely supercilious Uriel. "It is up to you to get it and do what you think is best."

"So let me get this straight," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "If I give the halo to Uriel, he'll bring the war in Heaven down here on earth and destroy all the Serim that fell. But if I give it to the queen"-I turned and pointed at her-"she'll destroy Heaven and bring the world into total darkness."

"Something along those lines," Zane murmured.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm just royally screwed either way, aren't I?" I glared at Uriel and gestured at his gun. "In the scheme of things, how much do you think that peashooter matters at this point? You don't have much leverage."

The gun flared to life, and the next thing I knew, I'd been blown six feet backward and was choking for breath on the floor of the temple ruins. My torso screamed with agony, and waves of surging pain rode through me.

"It still hurts, doesn't it?" Uriel's mild voice sneered at me. "You can't die, but I can make living rather painful for you."

I propped myself up on my elbows slowly. A crater the size of my fist had been blown straight through my stomach, and blood was pumping everywhere.

Nobody batted an eye. I guess people had holes blown through their middles all the time in their world. I, on the other hand, was not so used to this sort of thing, and I lost it. My hands touched the edge of the gigantic hole in my middle, and pain cascaded through me. Blood ran over my hands, and I could feel the wind whistle against my internal organs.

"You fucking bastard! That hurts like hell!" Pain racked my body and I bent double with it. It was so bad that I wanted to cry, but I didn't want to give Uriel the satisfaction. How long did it take for our kind to heal?

"Bullets blessed with holy water." Uriel stroked the gun with his free hand. "One to the head and one to the heart should destroy any vampire here, including your sire."

The vampires hissed, baring their fangs. Bluff or not, they didn't like hearing that.

"And once I get rid of your sires, I'm afraid it's the end of you, as well. Unless you bring me that halo."

"Joke's on you. My vamp sire isn't here."

"Isn't he?" Uriel smiled coldly. "Are you certain?"

I stared at the crowd of fanged denizens around me and my gaze settled on Zane. I'd sometimes wondered, but never found, any proof. He shrugged, avoiding eye contact, sending a shiver down my spine. Was he playing me again?

I sat up slowly, pain my new constant friend as I struggled to stand. It was odd to feel the wind whistle through my wound-and rather revolting. My blood was soaking into the sandy desert floor, but between the red lines, I could make out the ancient flagstones.

Uriel had blown me straight into the temple, out of everyone's reach.

I smiled, an idea forming in my head. "What will you do if I just sit here and wait you all out?"

Uriel smiled. "When dawn is fully upon us, the denizens of the night must return to their holes or risk being at our mercy. They do not have long. Then you will be free to give the halo to me."

"Gee." I rubbed what used to be my stomach and winced at the pain. "And if I don't want to give it to you?"

"Then when the vampires leave, I will execute your friends."

Pfft. A hollow threat. He couldn't kill Remy, Zane would be long gone, and Noah-well, I didn't know that he could kill Noah, since he was a Serim.

But Stan was there, mucking up the works. I didn't want the blood of an innocent on my hands. I turned and examined the captives, as if debating my choices. Stan was seated next to Remy, and the front of his pale shorts was wet. No doubt he'd pissed himself at the sight of the gun, the vampires, or the queen. I didn't blame him one bit. Remy was crouched next to him, an odd look on her face. As I glanced at her, she kept her head down but I saw her mouth moving as she attempted to tell me something. Noah lay collapsed next to her, his body pressed up against hers.

I squinted, raising a hand to my eyes as if shielding them from the early-morning sun, concentrating on Remy's lips and hoping nobody else noticed my sudden interest.

Hands free, she was mouthing. Her fingers wiggled slightly behind her back. Hands free. Hands free. She gestured ever so slightly at Noah. His eyes shone with alertness, and I realized he'd fooled me as much as he had them. A smart trick; he could do more if they thought of him as no threat. She gestured ever so slightly at Noah. His eyes shone with alertness, and I realized he'd fooled me as much as he had them. A smart trick; he could do more if they thought of him as no threat.

Time to get this show on the road.

"Okay. One halo, coming up."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

I stood in the Temple of the Aten, the sun cresting above my head, a big hole in my torso, and wondered why I'd ever thought this was a good idea.

"Hurry," came the imperious demand from Queen Nitocris. "Bring me the halo, or your vampire lover will die in excruciating agony."

Don't remind me, I thought as I walked through the broken flagstones of the temple.

Seek the heart of the temple, the queen had said. Call him there, and you will find his halo. Call him there, and you will find his halo.

I studied the vast emptiness around me. It had been grand at the height of its glory; now there were just a few fake columns and a lot of nothing separating the desert from it.

I took a few tentative steps forward, and froze. Whispers began to fill my mind, soft whispers that spoke in a language that I didn't understand. The air around me grew cold and the wind began to pick up, whipping my hair around my face. Unnerved, I took a step backward, and the effects lessened. Testing, I took a step to the side. Nothing.

Following the whispers would lead me to the heart of the temple. My heart thudded in my breast. I took a hesitant step forward again, clutching my wild hair against my neck to keep it out of my face. The whispers assailed me again, thicker and more ferocious with each step that I took.

The intensity of the wind increased and the voices in my ears began to form words, soft and hollow and sad.

My heart grows weary. My flesh is weak, as it always was. I was wrong. Save me from this eternal damnation. Forgive me.

Forgive me.

With those words ringing in my ears, I stopped near a series of nearly perfect flagstones, a broken crumble of rock ahead of me that looked like it had once been an altar. I lay a hand on the broken surface and found it to be warm to the touch, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Forgive me, the sad voice intoned. I was weak, foolish. Let me return to Your glory. Oh please, God, forgive me. I was weak, foolish. Let me return to Your glory. Oh please, God, forgive me.

"Jackie," Zane called behind me, a note of frantic worry in his voice. "Jackie! Be careful!"

I barely registered his voice, lost in the sad sighs and endless whispers of the temple.

Call his name, Nitocris had said.

"Joachim," I called, my voice breaking through the tornado of whispers. "Come to me, Joachim."

The intensity of the whispers increased, now screaming and shouting their words. The winds around me became gale force, and the rest of the world was drowned out in a sea of sandy wind and shouting, unholy voices.

Forgive me! I was weak and foolish. Heaven above, take me back!

Forgive me!

"Joachim," I called again.

The intensity of the shouting turned to violent screaming, and I covered my ears. What did he want want?