"Where did he go?" he asked. "Where are we?"

"Ivy and Gabriel are with us," I said. "We got away."

"How?" Xavier asked. "The Seven was going to take you..."

"I think..." I hesitated. "I think I sort of set him on fire."

"No way." Xavier looked stunned for a moment and then couldn't hold back his laughter. "That's awesome. He really had it coming."

Ivy had a slightly different reaction. "Have you lost your mind?" Her silver eyes were almost metallic with shock. "Using powers like that on a Seven. It's treason against the Kingdom!"

"I didn't mean to," I protested. "He was trying to kill Xavier!"

"Well, now that you set him on fire, I'm sure we're well on the path to reconciliation," Gabriel said drily.

The wind rustled in the treetops and I was suddenly conscious that the Seven might still be out there.

"Do you think he'll try to follow us?"

"No, he's lost the scent by now. He'll need to start over. But we should leave anyway." Gabriel turned the key in the ignition and reversed across the overgrown track.

I couldn't help feeling a little bit smug. I'd succeeded in thwarting the plans of Heaven's most formidable agents. Gabriel seemed to read my mind.

"Don't get too confident; you managed to fend off one. There are legions of Sevens. We can't fight them all."

"How are we going to deal with them?"

"We've convened with the Arch and the Seraphs," Gabriel said. "That's why we were late getting back to the cabin."

"And? What's the verdict?"

I knew the news was bad when Gabriel remained silent.

"The Sevens are out for blood. They are not willing to compromise," Ivy said. "They want your marriage dissolved."

"I thought angels were supposed to be fair and just," Xavier said. "Since when do they go around trying to kill people? Since when does Heaven condone that?"

"What makes you think Heaven condones it?" Gabriel asked sharply.

Xavier was unapologetic. "They're not exactly doing much to stop them."

"What you must remember about the Sevens is they were created to be Heaven's watchdogs, designed to keep order. They have no understanding of human behavior, so it's easy for their power to get out of hand."

"You're defending them?" Xavier was taken aback. I could hardly blame him. Everything he'd ever been taught about Heaven and its inhabitants was being turned on its head.

"I'm not defending them," Gabriel replied. "I'm trying to explain how they work. In their minds they're only doing their job."

"Well, somebody needs to fire them."

"The Covenant is working on ways to limit their power."

"And in the meantime they're out of control?" I asked skeptically.

"Essentially," Ivy replied. "Their perception of justice is perverted. Once they have a mission, nothing else exists."

"You'd think they have better things to do," Xavier muttered. "Worry about world peace or something."

"Exactly," I seconded. "Why is our marriage so high on their agenda?"

"I don't know," Ivy said simply. But I got the distinct feeling she was holding out on us. She pressed her long, white fingers together and fixed her rain gray gaze on the seat in front of her.

Gabriel concentrated on the road ahead, his face rigid with some internal struggle that was waging. I pushed myself up between the two front seats and studied him.

Finally he took his eyes off the road and met my gaze. When I saw the expression in them, I guessed immediately what he wasn't telling me. "They've asked you to turn us in, haven't they?"

Gabriel frowned and closed his eyes for a moment. I would have told him to watch the road only I knew he could drive with flawless precision even if he was blindfolded.

"Yes," he admitted. He pressed his lips in a severe line. "That's exactly what they've asked."

"How dare they!" I was outraged on his behalf.

"They claim that any faithful servant of the Kingdom wouldn't need to think about it."

"So they're questioning your allegiance now?"

"They have told us surrendering you is our only option."

"I can't believe they've put you in this position," I fumed.

"Wait." Xavier held up his hands, his voice uncertain. "Gabriel, what did you tell them?"

My brother went silent.

"Gabe?" Xavier repeated, his voice now tinged with doubt. When he spoke again, Gabriel's voice was heavy with sorrow.

"I said I would."

There was a beat of dead silence.

"You what?" I asked softly.

"They're waiting for us right now. They believe I am bringing you to them."

It only took a moment for panic to set in.

"No!" I cried. "How could you?"

I realized then that the doors of the car had automatically locked. There was no way out, unless we tried to break a window.

"Bethany, please." My brother's voice was calm. "You are not a prisoner with me." He turned his head and I saw his flawless face was pained to think I had doubted him. A wave of guilt washed over me.

"You mean you're not..." I faltered.

"I am not turning you in to the Covenant. I have not betrayed you."

"Wait." I clamped a hand over my mouth. "That would mean you lied to them?" The idea was incomprehensible. It went against everything I thought I knew about my brother. I couldn't believe he had willingly put himself in such a compromising position.

"I had no choice."

I was overwhelmed by the sacrifice he'd made. "They could throw you out for this. I can't let you do it."

"It is done." He spoke the words gravely, as if someone had just died-maybe a part of him had. All I could think was that I'd never seen so much emptiness in his eyes before.

For as long as I could remember, Gabriel had been one of the most dedicated and faithful archangels in the Kingdom. His allegiance went back thousands of years. Time had tried and tested his resolve, but he had remained true. He and Michael represented the two pillars upon which the Arch was founded. Was he really willing to turn his back on everything just to protect me?

How would I ever repay him?

"So you intend to renounce them?" I whispered, aghast. I couldn't imagine what fate awaited my brother were he to be stripped of his angelic identity. I didn't want to think about it.

"No," Gabriel replied. "But they will renounce me once I fail in my duty to serve."

7.

College Kids "I can't believe this is happening," I said. "I can't believe God could be so angry with us that He would unleash the Principalities." I couldn't make the idea gel in my head.

"Bethany," Ivy said, her oval face full of sadness. "This is not God's doing. Surely you know that?"

"How?" I asked in confusion. "Everything that happens only happens because it is His will."

"On earth that is true," my sister said. "But the angelic hierarchies settle their own disputes; they have not sought His counsel."

"The Sevens especially," Gabriel cut in, "are a rebel faction; the Covenant struggles to keep them under control."

"Are you saying God has no idea what's going on?" Xavier asked.

"I cannot speak for Him," Gabriel said. "But you must not blame Him for your troubles. It is the Sevens who seek retribution."

Gabriel leaned forward over the wheel and rubbed his temples, scraping back the blond locks that fell in front of his sculpted face. Ivy looked equally glum. I knew she was worried about their future. This was not the outcome either of them had hoped for.

"You don't have to do this, Gabe," I said earnestly. "I know how much this is costing you both."

"You are my family, Bethany," replied Gabriel. "I won't just hand you over to some unknown fate."

"Thank you," I said humbly. "I'll never forget this. You are by far the best brother anyone could ask for, human or angel."

Gabriel seemed unsure of how to respond to such praise, but I saw the corners of his mouth lift in a smile.

"So what now?" Xavier asked, steering the conversation in a more practical direction.

"We keep running, I suppose," said Gabriel.

That just didn't sound like my brother. Since when had Gabriel ever supposed anything? He was the one I consulted for answers when I had none. Life might be a constant puzzle for mortals, but Gabriel knew the reason behind everything. Among angels his wisdom was unquestionable. His uncertainty now cemented my deepest fears. The Sevens were going to try and tear Xavier and I apart, and everything so far indicated that they would eventually succeed. There was only so far you could run, only so many places you could hide. If I were taken away, I knew I wouldn't get Xavier back until his soul eventually ascended to Heaven. That was if I could find him ... Heaven was vast. And by that time I might be nothing more to him than a faded memory. I knew I ought to feel devastated, but instead I was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of arguing, tired of always second-guessing.

"So, if you're not taking us to the Covenant ... where exactly are we going?" said Xavier, trying to dispel the grim silence that had descended over us.

"You need to go into hiding again," Ivy said.

"Oh, no," I groaned.

"But this time it'll be someplace harder for them to track you."

Xavier was skeptical. "Does a place like that even exist?"

"I'm not sure yet," Ivy replied.

"I don't care where we go so long as Beth doesn't have to be locked up. She didn't handle it well."

Xavier's comment seemed to trigger something in Ivy. A sudden spark appeared in her eyes as a new idea took shape.

"Maybe we need to do the opposite," she murmured cryptically.

"The opposite?" I echoed. "What are you thinking, Ivy?"

"The Sevens expect us to hide you in some remote location. Those are the areas they search out first. Maybe it's better to get lost in a crowd."

"That could work," said Gabriel, catching Ivy's drift before either Xavier or I did. "The Sevens have finely tuned sensors that pick up electrical currents emitted by angelic beings. The more humans around, the more diluted those currents become."

"So where're you taking us-China?" Xavier asked.

"Actually somewhere a little closer to home."

"I don't get it." I frowned.

"Think about it," replied Gabriel. "If circumstances were normal right now, where would you two be going?"

"Home?" I asked.

"Think harder," Gabriel urged. "Where is Molly planning to go this fall?"

"How would we know?" Xavier said, irritated with the code cracking.

I touched his hand suddenly. "Wait. Molly's going to Bama ... to college."