"And now that they've found me..." Xavier trailed off.

"Now that they know your identity they will not relent," Ivy said. "But we will do everything in our power to protect you."

"They want you and Bethany separated," Gabriel said. "Especially after what happened today. Your combined powers are too strong, they feel threatened."

"Are you saying if we weren't together they'd leave us alone?" I asked in disbelief.

"They would continue to monitor Xavier and watch him from afar," Gabriel replied. "But he wouldn't pose such an immediate threat."

"He's not a threat now!" I cried. "He hasn't done anything!"

"The Sevens are competitive creatures," Ivy said glumly. "They know your alliance overpowers them and they can't deal with that."

"What if we promise to keep to ourselves?"

"That would hardly make a difference," Gabriel said. "You must understand how they work by now."

"Okay." I bit my lip and tried to keep my hands from fidgeting. "What do we do now?"

"They'll be back," Ivy said. "And this time we'll be ready for them."

WHEN Ivy and Gabriel left us alone, I waited for Xavier to speak. This was a lot to take in and he must have a hundred things on his mind right now, unanswered questions and accusations of blame.

"So this is..." He lifted his hands and let them fall limply on the couch. "I don't know what to say."

"Xavier..." I began, but he cut me off.

"How could I not know? There must have been signs. Did I just miss them?"

"There were signs," I insisted. "Just nothing you took notice of. I mean think about everything that's happened since you and I first met. How many people could watch their friends die in front of their eyes, how many people could witness a full-blown exorcism and not be traumatized? How many people could break into Hell to save someone they love? And how many people could be possessed by Lucifer, literally have him inside them, and survive? You're special, Xavier. The angels chose you."

He stared into space. "I just feel like I don't know who I am anymore."

"No," I said, shaking my head vigorously. "No, it's the exact opposite. Now you know who you are. You're blessed and you're on a path that will lead to great things. God is looking out for you."

"It seems like I'm just pissing Him off," Xavier answered in a dull voice.

"The Sevens," I corrected. "You're pissing the Sevens off. But God loves you. He's marked you as one of His own."

"Then why is everything so hard?" Xavier looked at me intently, needing my answer to make sense. "Why does it seem like we're being punished?"

"Because the path of the righteous man was never supposed to be easy," I whispered. "Those who are chosen by the Lord are given a hard journey. The rewards will come later. And if He is the merciful Father I know, we'll have eternal peace together. You just have to believe in Him. Believe in His plan and trust Him with your whole heart. I know it's hard but look at the proof you've been given through my siblings and me. Most people have to go on blind faith, but not you. You've been given proof."

"Okay." Xavier looked at me, a pensive expression in his turquoise eyes. "Okay..." he repeated. I knew it must be a lot to take in and we couldn't rush him.

"Wait..." A sudden thought occurred to me. "You two were always talking about how I'm different, how I feel things I shouldn't for a human. Could this be why? Because Xavier isn't"-I caught myself just in time-"entirely human?"

"It's the most likely explanation," Gabriel replied. "The bond you share surpasses the human experience. Otherwise, it's unlikely your relationship would have survived so many hurdles."

"Are you saying I wouldn't love her if I were normal?" Xavier asked sharply.

"No," Gabriel's voice was steady. "I'm saying you may not have had the resources to cope with the things you've seen and the truths that have been revealed to you."

"Xavier." Ivy put her hand on his shoulder. "The blood of angels flows in your veins. It means angels will always be with you. It means you are protected and you are destined to be a protector of men. But the choice is yours. You can take this knowledge and do something with it or you can pretend you never found out."

"I don't think that's an option," Xavier replied. "I guess I just need time to process."

I didn't know why the new information wasn't rocking my world. I supposed it was because Xavier already rocked my world and the idea that his creation was extraordinary seemed natural to me. In my mind, he had never been an average human; his presence was like fireworks and even just hearing his name made my knees weaken. Of course he was special, how could he not be? I supposed the fact that my sister had a hand in his conception was a little weird but I had to keep reminding myself that Ivy was not my biological sister. We were connected to a greater heavenly family but there was no shared DNA. That was uniquely human.

And so I accepted the fact that Xavier was a Halfling with little question. If anything, I was a little proud.

25.

Watch Me Burn WE all agreed there was no point in trying to calculate when the Sevens might attack next. We were through with schemes and strategies. We knew what we could do now and we were not afraid. Of course, the fight wasn't over, but I doubted the Sevens had much more up their sleeves that could rattle us.

Xavier was still trying to wrap his head around the concept that angelic blood flowed in his veins and didn't seem to want to talk about it further with anyone. I didn't press the issue, knowing he would need time to come to terms with such staggering information. So instead, I decided to worry about Molly.

The next afternoon, I dragged Xavier out of the house to come and look for her. She'd been avoiding us since the spectacle with Gabriel in the kitchen and I was worried about her. Oxford was a small town, there weren't too many places to hide and we eventually found her, sitting in a corner of Starbucks frowning at her phone, a crumbled scone on a plate beside her. Xavier and I decided to act as if nothing had happened.

"Bad news?" asked Xavier sneaking up behind her.

"No," she said, quickly putting her phone facedown. Molly had never been a good liar.

"Why the long face then? Your manicurist out of town?"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Her smile froze on her lips.

I noticed Molly looked different. Her unruly curls had been tamed into a long braid that hung over one shoulder like a flame-colored rope. She'd abandoned her customary Nike shorts and T-shirt for a high-collared floral blouse and faded jeans, which she'd teamed with tennis shoes. The old Molly wouldn't have been caught dead wearing jeans and tennis shoes.

It was definitely a new look for her and I figured it must have been an attempt to win favor with Wade. Her wide blue eyes lacked their usual luster but seemed to brighten when she saw us. She peered closely as we pulled up chairs to join her and the Molly I knew seemed to surface for a moment. "You two look like crap!"

"Gee, thanks!" said Xavier.

"Sorry, but you seriously need more sleep and less sex."

Xavier gave her a forced smile. "It's nothing like that."

There was a pause, neither party wanting to bring up the scene with Gabriel when we'd last seen her. But Molly seemed happy to pretend it never happened. Was she scared of getting hurt again?

"So what's up?" she asked. "How are things?"

"They've settled down a little," I answered carefully.

"There's always another crisis with y'all," Molly said, exasperated.

"Yeah." I nodded. "But listen, at the moment it looks like we won't be able to come back to school."

"No way! You are not disappearing on me again!"

"Of course not," I said quickly. "We'll still be in town, you just won't be seeing us on campus. We've told people there was a family emergency, so if anybody asks, that's the story. Tell them that's all you know."

"Okay." Molly traced the rim of her cup with her fingertip. "I guess I'll pray for you."

Xavier raised his eyebrows. It wasn't the idea that surprised him; it was just hearing those words coming from Molly. She kept her eyes downcast as she spoke, as if she was simply repeating what she knew Wade wanted her to say.

"Thanks," Xavier replied lightly, letting the moment pass.

"So will I be able to come see you?" Molly asked.

"Sure," I said encouragingly. "Anytime you want. Just call ahead."

Molly nodded, but she seemed a little unsettled, sneaking furtive looks at the entrance. I had the feeling it was more than our nomadic lives that was causing her jumpiness.

"But you can't tell anyone where we are," Xavier added. "Not even Wade."

"Don't worry; I can keep my mouth shut."

"Good," said Xavier. "We trust you."

It was warm in the confined space of the cafe. When Molly unthinkingly pushed up the sleeves of her sweater I saw bruising that wrapped around one of her wrists, like someone had grabbed her with extreme force. It was already fading, tinged with yellowish green at the edges.

"Molly, what happened to your arm?"

She pulled down her sleeve, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm such a klutz. I fell down some steps wearing high heels."

"Where were you?"

"At a frat party."

"With Wade?"

"No! He doesn't know so please don't tell him. He wouldn't approve."

"He sounds a bit controlling," Xavier ventured. "If you can't even be honest with him."

"No, no, he isn't," Molly insisted. "Wade's good for me. I just need some time to catch up to where he is spiritually."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well..." Molly frowned. "I'm not exactly sure. But Wade has a plan."

"Sure he does," Xavier muttered, and glanced up. "Speak of the devil."

We all looked up then to see Wade walking through the door in a crisp polo buttoned up to the neck.

"Oh, no." Molly grabbed my hand under the table. "You won't tell him anything, will you?"

It was the first time she'd mentioned it. I knew she must be repressing a whole lot of emotions and it wasn't healthy. But we would deal with that later.

"I would never," I said, almost offended. "What kind of friend do you take me for?"

"Thanks." Molly bit her lip and slipped her phone into her bag as Wade approached. She couldn't wipe the guilty look off her face and Wade, of course, picked up on it. But he greeted us with a gracious smile.

"Hi. What are y'all gossiping about?"

"Girl stuff," said Molly.

"With Xavier here?"

"We think of him as one of the girls."

"I usually tune out," Xavier corrected, eliciting a sympathetic chuckle from the usually poker-faced Wade as he bent to plant a dutiful peck on Molly's cheek. Wade frowned and pulled away suddenly.

"Molly, is that lip gloss I smell?"

"You noticed! It's new. It's called Strawberry Fields, or Strawberry Kiss, or something like that."

"I thought we agreed you weren't going to wear makeup anymore." His reproving look made Molly's cheeks color.

"Wade, I wouldn't exactly call lip gloss makeup."

She flicked glances at us for support, but Xavier and I were too surprised to say anything.

"Does it enhance the natural appearance of your lips?"

"Um ... I guess so. Yeah."

"Then, Molly, you don't need it. You're perfect the way God made you. Why would you tamper with His work?"

"I'm sorry." She hung her head. "I never thought of it that way."

"That's because it's so easy to be sucked in by the lies cosmetic companies feed women. But it's the Devil's work, don't you agree, Xavier?"

"Uh ... yeah." Xavier and I exchanged awkward looks. "But it's not that big of a deal. Molly's always worn it."

"And now she's trying to better herself," Wade interrupted. "Is it in your handbag?"

"What?"

"The lip gloss." The way he said it, the offending item might as well have been illicit drugs she'd stashed in there. Molly fished out a pink-tinged cylinder with a gold tip. I couldn't see the label but I could tell it was from a higher-end cosmetic line. It had probably taken her ages to pick out. Wade held out his hand.