Putting any of that into words was beyond his current ability.

At his back, his wings quivered under the strain of holding them closed.

Mika'el rubbed at the back of his neck. "One time, and one time only, Archangel. Do whatever you must, but after this, you break your tie to her, do you understand? And be careful. I can't spare anyone to go with you, and if you're right . . ."

Aramael nodded his acceptance of the warning. And the risk.

"Go," said Mika'el.

Released at last, Aramael's wings shot open to their fullest, knocking aside chairs, taking out a wall sconce, and creating a wind that had the others grabbing to hold the table in place.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," Raphael growled. "You know better than to launch from insi-"

Aramael didn't hear the rest.

Chapter 78.

As the last footsteps of her retreating colleagues faded down the hallway, Alex put the width of a desk between her and Seth. She searched his face for something familiar, something of the man she'd loved and thought she'd known. But while Seth's features remained the same, no man remained.

Seth stepped toward her. Instinctively, she shuffled away. He tipped his head to one side.

"What's wrong?"

Stay calm. "I was worried about you last night."

"And so you're running away from me today?"

Keep him talking until- Until what, help arrived? Not happening, Alex. There'll be no cavalry. Not this time.

Her palms turned clammy, and her heartbeat thudded in her ears. She was on her own here. A deeply buried part of her stilled at the realization. The admission. There would be no peer backup, no divine intervention, no Aramael rushing in to save her. It had come down to her and Seth and a choice she desperately needed him to accept if she was going to get out of this alive. Intact. She took a deep, shaky breath.

"I was worried about you," she said again, "but it doesn't change what I said, Seth. We can't be together."

Dark brows met over the hurt in his eyes. "I don't understand. We chose one another. I love you. I gave up everything to be with you. Always together. You said that, Alex."

"I know. I know, and I'm sorry it couldn't be-"

Before she could blink, he stood before her, his hands on her shoulders.

"But it can," he said. "Don't you see? I meant what I said. I can make you immortal."

It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to cringe from the word, the idea.

His touch.

She made herself stay soft under his hands. Unresisting. No cavalry. Hurt clouded his face. Betrayal twisted it.

"You don't want to be immortal." His voice was flat with dawning disbelief. "You don't want to be with me."

I did, she wanted to deny, but we never had a chance. We were too different, too far apart. We should never have tried. But she couldn't speak past the sorrow clogging her throat. Aramael had been right all along. This, human and angel-or whatever Seth was-coming together, was wrong, unnatural.

Seth turned from her. Bracing his hands on the edge of the desk, he lowered his head. Every rigid line of his body screamed pain. Alex's heart shredded. Whatever had happened, whatever decisions had brought them here, to this point, he didn't deserve this. No one did. She slid a hand across his bowed back and rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"Please," she said. "Try to understand. I belong here. On Earth, among mortals, doing my job. It's who I am. Just as this-this is who you are."

"But I don't want to be this," he snapped. "Not without you. I haven't wanted it since I first met you, Alex. When I brought you back from the edge of death, when I restored life to you"-he tipped his head to rest against hers-"touching your soul made me feel things I never knew existed. Never knew were possible. I can't give that up. I won't give it up." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please. You can't save them. At least save yourself. Come with me. Be with me."

Alex swiped with the back of one hand at the tears on her cheeks. Not for a second was she tempted, but saying so, hurting him like this when she was the reason he had given up so much already- Suddenly the One's voice filled her ears, as clear as if the Creator stood at her side. "I know how much you love him, Alexandra. And I know why. But he's not your responsibility . . . When he chose you, he did so over the fate of all humanity. And he did it knowingly."

Knowingly. Alex hadn't wanted to believe the One that night, but now, seeing what Seth had become, glimpsing what he was capable of . . .

She drew a jagged breath and stepped back, away from him. "I can't," she said.

For an interminable moment, Seth didn't reply. Then, slowly, he lifted his head, straightened, turned to face her again. His gaze met hers, no longer hurt or empty, but burning with a fierce, hot determination. "Then I'll make you."

Her every fiber went cold. He wouldn't. Couldn't. "Seth-"

A gust of wind knocked her sideways. Papers and files scattered. Chairs tipped over.

From the destroyed doorway, a familiar voice growled, "She said no, Appointed."

Chapter 79.

Mittron gazed down in mixed horror and fascination at the seethe of bodies below him. Every inch of every street within view held a Fallen One carrying a newborn infant. Even through the newly replaced window, the squalls were deafening. He shook his head. This chaos was to be Lucifer's legacy? The army that would destroy humankind? Samael might be a brilliant military strategist, but his organizational skills in this arena were severely lacking.

The door opened behind him, and he looked around. A Naphil girl-child of about six mortal years stepped into the room and surveyed him with large blue eyes. Mittron raised an eyebrow.

"You wanted something?"

"You don't look like the others," the girl said. "Where are your wings?"

"Where are your manners?" he countered.

She shrugged, her oversized gray T-shirt-the uniform for all of Pripyat's Naphil occupants-sliding down her shoulder. She tugged it back into place. "I don't need manners. I'm a soldier."

"Indeed."

"Are you one of us?"

"A Naphil, you mean?" He shook his head. "No."

Her head tipped to one side. "Then why would Samael want to speak with you?"

"I'm helping him."

The Naphil considered his explanation for a moment, then gave him a bright smile. "That's nice of you," she said. She skipped to his side and took his hand, her fingers small and warm as they wrapped around his. "I'll take you to him. You can tell me a story on the way. I like the one about the Archangels getting burned in the h.e.l.lfire. Do you know that one?"

Of course he did, but as the girl led him from the room and down the dank, narrow hallway, she kept up an endless stream of chatter that made it impossible to get a word in edgewise, let alone tell a story. By the time they reached their destination, down four flights of stairs and through a maze of corridors, he was exhausted, annoyed, and more than happy to see her skip away after delivering him to Samael.

He threw himself into a chair and scowled at Lucifer's aide. "Let me guess," he said sourly. "You're planning on having the Nephilim talk humankind to death, right?"

Samael looked around from the window. "Don't get comfortable," he replied, ignoring the remark. "You have a job to do. Things are moving faster than we expected. Lucifer and the One are gone."

Mittron sat up straighter. "What? When? I heard about no battle."

"A short time ago, and there was no battle to hear about. Verchiel invited Lucifer to Heaven, he went, and now he and the One are gone. End of story. Except for this mess." Samael stared out again, feathers rustling irritably. He crossed his arms and scowled. "Already the Fallen are dividing, and I'm still not a hundred percent certain we have Seth on board. I need that backup from Limbo. How long to open it?"

Mittron tried to wrap his mind around the sudden turn of events. "There are no guards, so once you get me there, a few minutes at most. But remember the risk, Samael. Some of the Fallen have been in there for thousands of years. They'll be beyond reason. Beyond your control. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If we're to hold on to h.e.l.l long enough to put Seth in place?" Samael's expression turned grim. "Yes."

Chapter 80.

Alex's heart had leapt at the sight of the winged figure looming in the doorway. An Archangel, fully armored, sword at his side, controlled wrath rolling off him in waves. Aramael. But as Seth's face morphed into a mask of pure hatred, hope evaporated. She stepped forward, intending to put herself between them, but an invisible force knocked her from her feet before she could. She landed on the floor with a grunt of pain and surprise.

Aramael's scowl deepened. His expression granite-hard, he stalked across the room, shoving aside overturned chairs, ignoring the scattered papers beneath his feet.

"Leave her be, Appointed. You're done here."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Seth snarled. "Do you really think I'll just walk away and leave her to you? Do I strike you as that stupid?"

"That's not what this is about. I can no more have her than you can. I told you that."

"You lied!"

A tiny blue spark snapped beside Alex's cheek. She cringed and, scrambling to her feet, flicked a panicked gaze over the room. She'd seen sparks like that only once before, wielded by Lucifer in a Vancouver alley. But there was no sign of the Light-bearer now. There was only Aramael, her-and Seth.

Another spark ignited beside her face. She inhaled sharply.

Seth?

"You lied," Seth repeated. "I have had her, Archangel. I've held her, and loved her, and possessed her, and I am not giving her up. Not to you, and not to the mortals. She belongs to me."

Raw pain flashed in Aramael's eyes at the words, but his voice held steady. "She belongs to no one but herself."

Seth stared at Aramael, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Then, after a long moment, he turned to Alex, his eyes tired. Sad. Lost. "You truly don't want to be with me?"

She hesitated, still loath to hurt him. Still hoping she could somehow make him understand. Uncurling her fingers, she spread her hands wide. Made her voice gentle. "It's not that-"

"Answer me!" he snarled.

She jumped. Then she straightened her shoulders. He was right. She'd tried explaining, tried to ease this, but no matter how she phrased it, Seth would never see it as anything more-or less-than outright rejection. He just had to accept it.

"No," she said. "No, Seth, I don't want to be with you. I'm sorry."

The blue crackles intensified, filling the air around him. "So am I," he said. "I didn't want it to be like this."

Seth spread his hands wide in the gesture his own father had once turned against him. Alarm raced over Alex's skin, standing every hair on end. But before she could react, strong arms wrapped around her and held her tight against a broad, muscled chest. She barely had time to inhale the familiar warmth of Aramael before ma.s.sive wings folded around both of them-and then chaos erupted.

From every direction, every angle, objects bombarded them. Desks, chairs, gla.s.s from windows imploding into the room, ceiling tiles, light fixtures. The very air itself turned solid, slamming into them with a force that made Aramael stagger and the coc.o.o.n of his wings open slightly. Alex looked up into his eyes and quailed at the grimness she saw there. It wasn't just her; he hadn't expected this force, either. Hadn't expected Seth to be this strong.

A shard of gla.s.s flew between the gap in his feathers, slicing open his cheek. The wound sealed itself almost instantly, but not before crimson spattered onto her own cheek and pain winced across his features. Behind him, a support post ripped out of its mooring and spun toward them. She closed her eyes as it thudded against the arch of Aramael's wing. The floor bucked beneath her feet. .

Dear G.o.d in Heaven, what had she loosed on the world?

"Enough," Aramael growled.

Her eyes shot open as he put her away from him, his hands solid and rea.s.suring in their grip on her arms. "Stay behind me," he ordered. "My wings will protect you."

She clutched at him when he tried to let go. "What are you going to do?"

His gray eyes hardened with resolve. "What I should never have let you talk me out of in Vancouver," he said. "I'm putting an end to this. Now."

She wished she could object. Wished Seth had given her some reason-any reason, however small-to do so. But whatever Seth might have been, whatever he could have chosen to be, that chance had long since pa.s.sed.

"He's not your responsibility," the One's voice whispered in her memory. Her throat tight with fear, regret, and a mult.i.tude of other emotions it would take a lifetime to identify, Alex let go her hold on Aramael's sleeve.

Metal hissed against hardened leather as he drew the sword from its scabbard. It glinted dully in the light coming from the broken windows, plain, unadorned, built for one purpose and one purpose only. His wings lifting clear of Alex, he turned.

"Be careful," she whispered.