"Miss Bishop is calling the sheriff," Ivy announced, sounding like she had half a mind to call him herself.

"Should we go over and try to stop her?" I asked apprehensively.

"Not now; Gabriel needs us."

We watched as Gabriel picked Xavier up and threw him sprawling face-first into the gravel. I wanted to run to his aid but Ivy restrained me.

"Gabriel's hurting him!" I yelled in her face. "Make him stop!"

"He's trying to help him." Ivy grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "If Xavier leaves there's no telling what he might do ... how many people he might hurt, including himself. You have to trust us, Bethany."

I looked into her ice-gray eyes and nodded, trying to keep my eyes averted from the scuffle. My loyalties had never felt more divided. There was very little I wouldn't do if my brother asked it of me. At the same time, I couldn't be expected to abandon my husband when he needed me most.

Xavier got up looking dazed, which gave my brother the opportunity he needed. He quickly maneuvered himself behind Xavier. I wondered what he was doing until I saw him slip both arms underneath Xavier's armpits and lock his hands behind his neck. In this position, Gabriel was able to render Xavier immobile long enough to herd him back into the house. I wondered whether the poor Bishop sisters across the road would ever recover from hearing the profanities Xavier was shouting.

"You're nothing but whores," he screamed as he passed us. "Whores with wings! I'll see you all in Hell."

"Er ... he's a distant cousin," Ivy called to the gawking woman across the road, who looked on the verge of collapse. "He's having a bad day. So sorry."

Then she quickly shut the door behind us.

"OPEN the basement!" Gabriel yelled once we were back inside the house. Ivy did as he asked and Gabriel and Xavier stumbled their way down the narrow concrete steps that led into the bowels of the house. I peered into the dark nervously. I didn't like being belowground.

"Can't we talk up here?" I asked.

"With the racket he's causing?" Ivy shook her head. "We might as well broadcast it on the seven o'clock news."

I trudged down the steps behind my brother, keeping a safe distance from Xavier's thrashing legs. His attempts at a struggle had no effect on Gabriel, whose body it seemed had turned to stone.

I shivered. The basement was cold and had a dank smell. The whole place, with its stained floor and spiderwebs dangling from the rafters, was reminiscent of a tomb. There were no windows, only a small ventilation grate, too narrow to let in much more than a sliver of daylight. The basement walls and floor were reinforced concrete, typical of many in the area designed to withstand the force of a tornado. There were the usual items one might expect to find: storage boxes, a washer-dryer, and a freezer. But there was also an old iron bed with a moth-eaten striped mattress and springs protruding from the stuffing. Seeing the iron manacles hanging from its posts gave me a sick feeling right down to my bones.

It seemed Gabriel and Ivy had anticipated such an emergency because they knew exactly what to do. Gabriel struggled to hold Xavier down on the bed long enough for Ivy to bind his wrists and ankles. Xavier thrashed around and hissed like a wild animal. Finally they both stood back. Xavier must have exhausted himself because he was now lying spread-eagle on the bed, perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Ivy, can you go and deal with that?" I wondered what Gabriel was referring to until the sound of sirens reached us seconds later. Xavier laughed softly to himself, pleased to be causing trouble.

"You sure you're okay here?" Ivy asked, and my brother nodded.

"Just make it quick."

Ivy went silently but Xavier, alerted to the possibility of escape, began shouting so loudly that Gabriel had to clamp a hand over his mouth. We could hear car doors slamming and voices at the front door. I heard Ivy's voice, deferential and apologetic. I caught fragments of her explanation of her young cousin's relapse after a spell in rehab. She was a good liar, blaming the fact that he traveled in the wrong circles and promising to keep him under watch until he made a full recovery. The sheriff's voice in turn was all sympathy. He was evidently charmed by her and made clucking sounds with his tongue, called her a "brave young lady," and urged her to hang in there during tough times. He also reminded her to call him anytime she needed assistance. Ivy thanked him politely and shut the door firmly.

She came back stony-faced, carrying an armful of salt containers from the kitchen. She proceeded to spill the salt in a careful circle around the bed.

"What are you doing?" I quizzed.

"Salt and iron repel demons," she said matter-of-factly. "We need all the help we can get here."

I wanted to tell her this was no ordinary demon but I didn't think that would prove very helpful.

"Do you remember why?" she asked. My basic training as an angel flashed back to me.

"They're pure compounds, and demons, being the essence of impurity, can't handle being near them," I recited.

"Good." Ivy nodded curtly.

"It won't be enough, though, will it? It can't be that easy."

"Unfortunately, no. The demon has already gotten inside him. But this will stop it from escaping, until we work out how to destroy it."

"Can I stay with him?"

"Definitely not," Gabriel said bluntly.

"Why not!"

"Isn't it obvious? You're too emotionally involved. That makes you vulnerable. We can't risk you being tricked."

"I won't let that happen."

"Bethany..." said Gabriel in such a warning tone that I knew to let it go.

"Fine," I snapped. "But you can't stop me speaking to him."

Gabriel didn't try to prevent me from approaching the bed. Xavier's eyes were still riveted on the ceiling and there were gravel scratches on his face from when he'd fallen outside. Even with his battered body and wild eyes, he was still achingly familiar and it still made my heart stop just to be near him. I leaned carefully over him so I could whisper even a fraction of what I felt, but the words failed to come. The person lying on the bed was a stranger. What could I say to him that would make any difference to his plight? I was wracking my brain for the right words when Xavier suddenly turned his head and gave me a look so penetrating I couldn't tear my gaze away. I forgot all about Gabriel and Ivy standing there frowning at me. I looked deep into the crystalline blue of Xavier's eyes searching for a sign of recognition. Just for a second a strange thing happened. I thought I saw him. The expression in his eyes softened and I caught a brief glimpse of the boy I loved. I could see what it cost him though. It was like watching a drowning man claw his way to the surface, only to be pulled under again by a wave more powerful than his will to survive. Then he was gone and the flinty look was back. But it didn't matter. I knew Xavier was in there somewhere. It was the only incentive I needed. Even though every fiber of my being was telling me to run, I knew I would never leave him to face this alone.

18.

Things That Go Bump GABRIEL frowned, looking lost in thought. I sensed there was something about our current predicament he wasn't telling us.

"Let's go upstairs," he said suddenly. "We need to talk." I shook my head adamantly.

"I'm not leaving Xavier."

"He'll be fine."

"You think he's fine?" I asked incredulously.

"I didn't say he was fine; I said he'd be fine down here for a while. Now, are you coming or not?"

I decided to stand my ground.

"Not," I said stubbornly. "You and Ivy know what you're doing. You don't need me."

Gabriel's sigh was audible. I knew he was tired and I was trying his patience.

"And what exactly do you hope to achieve by staying down here?"

I shrugged. "I don't know yet," I said tartly. "I'll be up in a minute. I'd just like some time with Xavier alone if that's okay with you."

"It most certainly is not," Gabriel said irritably. "Have you gone insane?"

"Isn't it time you stopped telling me what to do?"

"He's just worried about you," Ivy said. "You can't help Xavier right now and it's probably safer if you weren't alone with him."

"He's in chains!" I exclaimed. "What's the worst he could do?"

"Bethany, this isn't a time to argue. Xavier needs us to work together. The longer we waste time, the longer that thing stays inside him. Now, are you going to help us or not?"

Unlike Gabriel, who had yet to learn the skill of tact despite centuries of interaction with humans, Ivy always knew just the right thing to say. As usual, she succeeded in making me feel petulant and shortsighted. I reluctantly followed them up the steps, looking back to check on Xavier's condition. He hadn't stirred and was still staring unblinking at the ceiling. I paused at the top of the stairs.

"What if something happens?"

"I promise, we'll hear him."

"All right," I said gruffly. "Let's make this quick."

But it wasn't quick. I should have known my siblings well enough to realize they weren't going to make any snap decisions. When dealing with something so delicate, it was like walking a tightrope. Human life was fragile and demons were destructive. One mistake could cost us everything. I stood in the kitchen, my frustration mounting as Ivy drifted around the kitchen putting together some kind of herbal infusion. She was calmly picking leaves off stalks and mixing them in hot water. Gabriel too was rummaging through cupboards, pulling out boxes of salt and lining them up on the countertop. They were both behaving like eccentric witch doctors rather than angels with the power to tear the demon out of Xavier if they chose.

"It'll kill him, you know," Gabriel said, reading my thoughts. "If we try to rip it out ... it would be like ripping stitches from a wound. He won't survive the pain. We need to weaken it first."

"Okay," I said stiffly. I could hardly argue with that. I kept my ears trained on any sound coming from the basement but there was only Xavier's breathing, which sounded more rhythmic now. I only hoped it meant he'd exhausted himself into sleep. It killed me to think of him like that, chained underground, trapped inside his own body. I knew we couldn't rush things, but we didn't have all the time in the world either. As neither Gabriel nor Ivy had any understanding of human love, they didn't understand my urgency. They didn't understand that it was my husband down there, being torn apart from the inside out.

"I think we're going to need backup," said Gabriel pensively. He said this casually, as if he might have been discussing what we were going to have for dinner.

"I agree," said Ivy, only she looked less comfortable with the idea.

"Aren't you guys big shots? Can't you handle this?"

"Ordinarily, yes, but this is different."

"How?" I asked, and Gabriel glared at me impatiently.

"I think you know how."

"You mean because it's him?"

I didn't know why I was unable to call him by name. Perhaps his name and everything it called to mind was so distasteful I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud. Maybe there was also the fear that if I acknowledged him, it would bring back a flood of memories I'd been trying desperately to obliterate. Part of me was still hanging on to the childish notion that if evil doesn't have a name, you can convince yourself it exists only in your imagination. Whatever the reason, I knew I had to keep it together for Xavier's sake. It was an impossible situation, having the person I loved most and the thing I despised most within one body. Which emotion was I supposed to feel, love or hate?

It took Gabe awhile to answer me, as if he'd had to consider his words carefully.

"Because we cannot afford to fail."

"What does that mean?"

"It means if we fail, Xavier may not come out of this alive."

The thought short-circuited my train of thought and the world blacked out for a moment, but I managed to recover.

"Why would you fail? Expelling demons-that's your thing. It's what you do, right?"

"Yes." Gabriel hesitated. "But only through the power vested in us from above."

Suddenly the fog lifted. "Oh, I get it." I felt my fists clench. "Given recent events, you can no longer be certain of corporate backing."

"That's one way of looking at it."

"So Heaven isn't on our side. That puts us in a pretty vulnerable position."

"We don't know that for sure," Ivy said. "We can still find allies."

"Assuming we have any left," I muttered, and my sister raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think that way."

"We're outcasts." I tried to keep my voice from becoming shrill. "Nobody is coming to help us! Why would they?"

"Because we're all part of the same family."

"We're screwed," I mumbled.

"Have you no faith left at all?" my brother remarked in surprise.

"How can I, when God seems to have abandoned us?"

"That is when you need faith the most," Gabriel said. "Not when everything is going your way, not when you have much to be thankful for, but when there is darkness all around. He is always there, He is always watching, and one way or another, He will set you on the right path."

I hated my brother sometimes for being so wise. Everything he said made sense and I knew he was right, but we weren't out of the storm yet. I, of all people, should have had faith but I was so tired and learning fast that even angels are not infallible. But somewhere inside me, through all the layers of worry and hurt and anger, I did feel a comforting hand, like a whisper on my back, guiding me forward and letting me know I wasn't alone.

The basement door was still tormenting me and Ivy caught the glances I kept darting in its direction. She finally took pity on me.

"Bethany isn't going to be much use to anyone until she checks on Xavier."

A slight inclination of Gabriel's head indicated that he understood. I thanked them and forced myself to walk slowly rather than bolt for the hallway.

"Five minutes," Gabriel called after me. "Make sure you leave the door open. And no matter what he says to you, do not untie him."

"Got it," I said.

"Wait!" Ivy said, and handed me a pottery mug that gave off a strange pungent aroma. "See if you can get him to drink this."