"I can't get into it."

"Then just piss off!"

"I think I better get you home."

"I'm not done here."

"Yeah. You are."

The driver of the truck spat his toothpick onto the ground and turned to Nikki in a show of solidarity.

"I can give you a ride home," he offered.

Xavier gave him a withering look. "She's got one."

The boy shrank into his seat. Knowing her brother wasn't about to back down and wanting to avoid a public confrontation, Nikki jumped from the truck with an exaggerated groan.

"This isn't over," she muttered with a sidelong glance at Xavier. But she followed us back to our car.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you," Xavier said. It was clear he didn't want to fight with his sister so soon after his return. "But Mom and Dad are bound to be worried about you."

"That's real funny," Nikki snorted. "I don't think breaking curfew even comes close to skipping town without telling anyone."

"Touche."

"And you!" she said, turning to me. "I don't know if you want to be showing your face around our place. My mom isn't your biggest fan right now."

I looked at Xavier anxiously.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll talk to her."

"Are you sure?" I whispered.

"She probably won't even notice you," Nikki said. "Not after the prodigal son returns."

"Okay, Nikki. That's enough."

I remembered the two-storied house with its wide front lawn and windows that glowed like lamps. Two SUVs were parked side by side in the driveway. It struck me as odd how normal it felt being there.

When Bernadette Woods opened her shiny black front door, the dishcloth she was holding slipped from her grasp. She stood rigid, her eyes fixed on Xavier.

"Mom?" he said, trying to gauge her reaction.

She reached out and gripped her son's arm, still speechless. Nikki stormed past us, stomping noisily upstairs to her room. We heard her bedroom door slam shut. Even then, Bernie didn't react. She looked as if she didn't quite trust what her eyes were telling her. Nikki was right; it was as though I didn't exist at all. And I was grateful. It was a relief when Xavier's father walked out of the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. There was a sharp intake of breath when Peter first saw us, then his face broke into a smile. He seemed to absorb the situation in an instant.

"Don't mind your mom," he said, gently shuffling her aside. "Come on in. Honey, why don't we fix them some tea?"

Still staring, Bernie stepped mechanically aside to let us in.

"So Nikki hasn't changed much," Xavier said casually.

"She's in a hurry to grow up," his dad replied. It was as if they'd spoken yesterday.

Things should have been strained, but they weren't. The bonds in this family were too deep to be erased by time. Just like my love for Xavier would outlast eternity.

We sat facing each other on the overstuffed sofas in the formal living room. I was too nervous to make eye contact with anyone, so I just stared at the toys that Madeline and Michael had left on the floor. An oversized ginger cat was asleep in a basket just as it was the first time I'd come over. That seemed like centuries ago now.

"We thought we were never going to see you again." Bernie choked on her words and her eyes had misted over. I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep my own emotions in order. I didn't dare speak. Xavier had to handle this one.

Bernie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I've been praying for you every day. Praying you were safe and that you'd come home."

"I know, Mom. I'm really sorry."

"Where exactly have you-" she began, but Peter raised a cautionary hand, as if to say, now is not the time. The relief of seeing his son alive and well outweighed any need for explanations. Bernie picked up on her husband's signal, coughed, and changed her tone.

"All that matters is that you're here now. Have you eaten? Can I fix you something?"

"We're okay."

"And you're safe?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Xavier nodded. "And I want you to know, I never meant to hurt you ... or our family."

I waited for Bernie to respond, but she had gone silent again. Xavier followed her gaze as it fell on the soft sheen of the diamond I wore on my ring finger-her mother's antique ring. Bernie's face seemed to cloud over, and I squirmed in my seat and tried tucking my hand underneath my knees.

"Mom, Dad, there's something you need to know," Xavier said, even though there was little he could do now to minimize the shock.

"Oh my God." His mother covered her mouth with her hands. "No, it can't be true."

"Don't freak out," Xavier said. "I know you weren't expecting this."

"You're married?" Bernie sounded heartbroken. "My son is married?"

"We wanted to tell you," Xavier said. "But there wasn't time."

Bernie suddenly jerked in my direction, addressing me for the first time that night. "Are you pregnant? Is that what's going on here?"

"No!" I exclaimed, feeling myself flush deeply. "Nothing like that."

"Then why?" She waved a hand at the ring. "And why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm sure they had their reasons," Peter said softly.

I was impressed with the way Xavier's dad was handling things. He must have had a million questions of his own, but he was making a real effort to be our ally and make this reunion go as smoothly as possible. He stood up and pumped Xavier's hand. "Congratulations, son," he said, before pulling me to my feet and enfolding me in a vigorous embrace. "Welcome to the family, Beth. We're proud to call you one of the Woods."

"Um ... thanks," I said, taken aback. Surely, they must have blamed me for taking their son away from them. But I couldn't see any anger or accusation in Peter's face, only openness and genuine happiness. The warmth of Xavier's hand reaching for mine was all the reassurance I needed. I was Xavier's wife, part of him now, part of his family. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, and nothing was ever going to change that.

"We need to celebrate with some champagne," Peter declared, rubbing his hands together.

"Dad, we can't stay."

Bernie looked distressed. "But you just got here!"

"We'll be back as soon as we can."

"I don't like this," Bernie said. "I don't like all these secrets. What's going on? Why won't you let us help you?"

"You both mean the world to me," Xavier said earnestly. "And there isn't anything I wouldn't trust you with. But Beth and I have to handle this on our own. And I need you to trust me. I've never lied to you before; I've never let you down. Just trust me, okay?"

His mom nodded mutely. I could see in her eyes that she would never understand what had caused her son to abandon his home, but she knew she couldn't argue with him.

"You'll be in town?" she asked anxiously.

"For now, yes."

"Is there anything your father and I can do? If you're in trouble, we know people...."

"It's not that kind of trouble, Mom."

"There must be something! I feel so useless."

"There is," he said, standing to kiss the top of her head. "You can stay safe."

Aside from me, there was nothing Xavier cared more about in the world than his family. It was one of the reasons I loved him. So in that moment, I didn't care that the Sevens could be zoning in on our location. I didn't care that our future was uncertain and everything could slip away in a heartbeat. Right now, nothing was more important than this reunion, and what it meant to this family. It was worth the risk.

Back in the car, Xavier and I sat for a moment, looking down the familiar street. For the first time in a while, we both felt utterly at ease. I didn't know how long the feeling would last, but I knew I wanted to savor it. Chances were, Xavier and I would never truly be free of our persecutors. Our union had disturbed too many in both Heaven and Hell. Maybe there would never come a time when we could rest easy. I didn't know. All I knew was that every day we woke up in each other's arms was a blessing. So, if fate was offering us even a fleeting moment of happiness, we should grab it.

And for the first time in months, the lines of guilt I'd seen etched in Xavier's forehead disappeared. At least for now, he looked happy.

27.

Hostage THE night sky was like velvet and studded with stars. A full crater-faced moon lit up the streets in a soft glow. It was good to be home, where everything felt so familiar, where every place had a memory attached to it. Xavier and I walked hand in hand until we reached the pier where I'd first seen him fishing and my siblings had hurried me away. Had they known who he was even then? Had they sensed something? I wondered if they'd had any inkling of how our lives would unfold, the saga we would be drawn into.

Neither of us wanted to go back to the hotel yet. This was our town and we'd been away too long. We needed time to rediscover it, to visit our old favorite haunts, but mostly just to be reassured that it hadn't changed too much in our absence.

"It's just as sleepy as it ever was," I murmured. "Good old Venus Cove."

"Nothing to do and nowhere to go," Xavier replied. "Until you came along."

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be." He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. "Wouldn't trade it for anything."

When we reached the shore, I slipped off my shoes and let my toes sink into the sand. It had been awhile since we'd just been able to take a break from everything. The beach was more surreal than my daytime memories of it. The black waves encroached territorially onto the shore. We sat on the cool sand in silence for a while. The horizon and the water had long merged into a mass of undulating darkness. A few white yachts moored to the pier swayed gracefully on the surface.

Xavier suddenly stood up.

"C'mon. Let's walk to the Crags."

"Really?" I asked hesitantly. "Are you sure? We haven't been there in forever."

"Exactly," he replied. "And so much happened there. I feel like we need ... closure or something. We go one last time and then we never go back."

"Alright." I stood up to join him. "Deal."

We walked along a flat stretch of beach until we reached the rock pools, which were like tiny aquariums left behind by the sea. Even in the dark, I could still catch the darting of tails in the shallow water and see the twisted braches of dead coral like pretty skeletons on the sand.

We rounded a bend and then there they were. We'd reached them. Towering, black monoliths washed in moonlight. I felt like I was standing side by side with the Bethany of two years ago. I could almost picture us-we seemed so much younger then, so carefree with no idea what lay in store for us. We were a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. We couldn't wait to see how our story unfolded. We thought there was so much in store for us. And there was, just not what we'd been expecting. And now, we felt so much older, heavier, weighed down by too many cares.

The Crags were deserted as usual. No one came here except people who wanted a break from the world or a place to think uninterrupted. All noise was wiped out by the waves smashing against the rocks and the wind howling as it danced in and out of the caves around us. Despite the warm weather, it was chilly under the looming shadow of the Crags, in a place where the sunlight never could reach. I backed up, pressing myself against Xavier and absorbing his heat. His arms closed around me from behind.

Somewhere far above us, we heard church bells chiming the hour. Was it really midnight already?

"Gabriel and Ivy are gonna be mad," I groaned.

Xavier laughed softly as he rubbed my shoulders. "You still think like you're in high school," he said. "You're in college now and we're married. You can do what you want."

"Hmm." I paused to consider that thought. "I guess so."

"It's funny how you've got no problems taking on a Seven, but your brother and sister still make you nervous."

"They're scary!" I protested. "Have you ever seen Ivy get mad? She can spit fire with her tongue."

"That's not scary," Xavier said. "It's kind of cool."

"You used to think I was cool," I said teasingly. "Sorry I don't have any celestial tricks to show you."

"Yeah." Xavier shook his head. "It's pretty disappointing. You really need to pick up your game."

"Oh, really." I folded my arms. "In that case there's no lovin' for you tonight."

"Using sex as a weapon already," Xavier replied. "Two can play at that game."

"You can't withhold sex, you're a guy," I told him.

"With a lot of willpower." He smirked. "I bet you'd break first."

"Please," I snorted. "I'm an angel."

Xavier winked at me. "Turns out so am I."

We were both quiet for a while, watching the clouds drift across the moon.