Antiphon

Chapter 18

Frannie

It’s almost comical to watch these guys. They’re so busy trying to hate each other that they don’t see how alike they are. Well. alike except for one being all dark and dangerous and the other blinding me with his radiance. But other than that.

I’m starting to get my mind around some of this. In the week since Luc and Gabe filled me in, they’ve both backed off to give me room to think. And Gabe’s backed off in other ways. We’re almost never alone together, and he’s hardly touched me. Which I’m not sure I’m happy about. I haven’t asked him why, but I’m pretty sure Luc’s comment about losing his wings might have something to do with it.

All the white in Gabe’s kitchen creates a glare, and I’m not sure Gabe’s not adding to it. He glowers at Luc, and Luc stares him down, challenging him.

“It’s beyond my comprehension how, after everything you’ve seen, you can still have that attitude. The only reason the Almighty doesn’t send another flood is that the first one was useless.”

Gabe shakes his head. “People do stuff every day to prove you wrong. Completely selfless acts of kindness.”

“I disagree. Nothing is selfless. At the bottom of every good deed, there’s a self-serving motive.”

“Dude, you need to lighten up.”

I roll my eyes. “Give it up, Gabe. He’s hopeless.” I open my calculus book on the kitchen table and push my empty ice cream bowl aside. “I know you guys are geniuses and all, but finals start tomorrow, and I’ve got to study or UCLA is gonna change their mind about me.”

Luc looks at me and smiles. “What’s the deal with UCLA anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just curious why you feel compelled to go three thousand miles away for college.”

“Well. partly ’cause it’s three thousand miles away. But really, they have the top international relations program in the country, and I’m thinking I can double major in political science or maybe Middle Eastern studies.”

Luc raises an eyebrow. “And do what?”

I feel warmth creep into my cheeks. “I think that most of the crap that happens in the world is ’cause people don’t know how to talk to each other. You know, ’cause of differences in culture or religion. Stuff like that. That’s why I started that whole pen pal thing. I wanted to try to understand. So. I guess I’m thinking I’d like to do something bigger. Not quite sure what or how. ”

Gabe smiles. His glow is blinding me again. “Lofty goals.”

“Shut up,” I say, embarrassed. I know how stupid it sounds, what I want to do, but I’ve always wanted it. I’ve always been good at talking to people, helping them find common ground. Like now, with Luc and Gabe-although I think their only common ground might be me, so I guess that doesn’t really count.

“And you think you’re going to make a difference.” Luc’s expression is serious now.

“Probably not. But it can’t hurt to try,” I say, watching my fingers twirl the pencil on my calculus book.

“You will make a difference, Frannie.” Gabe is suddenly as serious as Luc.

“Will I? I’m not sure I’ll get the chance.”

Luc and Gabe share a wary glance. They know I’m right. Then Luc looks hard at Gabe, and, behind his eyes, there’s anguish. “Tag her.”

“You’re even dumber than you look,” Gabe says with a sardonic smile and a shake of his head.

“What’s stopping you?”

Gabe’s expression darkens as his eyes shift to mine. “Frannie’s stopping me.”

My stomach’s in my throat. “Hold up. How am I going to have a life if I’m tagged for Heaven? How is that better than being tagged for Hell?”

I watch as Luc struggles with the answer. “The Almighty. ” He hesitates and glances at Gabe for confirmation. Gabe nods and Luc continues. “He won’t use you as. poorly.”

“But He’ll still use me. It won’t be my life anymore.” Resentment and anger are threatening to take control of me. I stuff them into the black pit. “I don’t want to be Moses or Hitler. I want to be Frannie.”

Gabe finally speaks. “If you’re tagged for Heaven, I can protect you. It would be extraordinarily difficult to reverse your tag, and eventually they’ll stop trying. If you remain untagged, they’ll keep coming for you.”

“And so will you.” My heart sinks. There’s no way out of this. Suddenly I feel claustrophobic-trapped and terrified. I slide my calculus book in front of me with a shaking hand. “So, do you guys get this stuff?” I say, needing to change the subject.

Luc’s worried gaze lingers a moment longer, but he takes my cue. He pulls my book toward him. “Which one are you working on?”

I slip my paper out from under his fingers, and he jerks his hand.

“Ow!”

Gabe cracks a smile. “Ow? You’re kidding, right?”

When Luc lifts his hand and turns it over, a tiny bead of crimson blood is sprouting on the tip of his middle finger. A paper cut.

“Well, that answers that,” Gabe says.

Luc just stares, openmouthed, at the growing bead of blood. Then he turns to me with a tentative smile on his lips just before he loops his other hand behind my neck and pulls me into a kiss.

When he finally lets me go, I look into his smiling eyes. “What did I miss?” I ask, a little breathless and totally confused.

He grins. “Demons don’t bleed.”

Gabe’s eyes are storming as Luc lets me go and I try not to feel guilty. “And neither do angels,” he says.

Luc

I try to wrap my mind around what this means on the way home, but I’m having a hard time. Am I mortal? Am I turning human? I think about what that would mean for Frannie and me as she sits next to me in the Shelby with her head on my shoulder. My pulse pounds in my ears-something new-as I think about all the possibilities. Can we be together? Really together?

But a downside of turning human is that the thread that binds me to the nefarious is thinning. Good and bad. Good because I’ve decided that they’re a bunch of shitbags and I really don’t want to be in their heads anymore. Bad because I can’t tell when they’re here. If I can’t tell when they’re here, I can’t protect Frannie from them.

I take my right hand off the wheel to pull a small box out of the console between the seats and wrap my arm around her shoulders, holding it in front of her face. “I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, how it works is you take the box out of my hand and open it,” I say with a grin.

“Jerk,” she mumbles, grabbing the box and yanking it open. She pulls the crucifix out by the chain and watches it dangling there for a long minute.

“Put it on. The cross is iron with gold edging, and the Jesus is silver and platinum.”

She looks at me, a cynical expression almost masking the mischievous gleam in her eye. “I can see that. If you’re trying to lure me into bed with gifts, this was the wrong choice.”

I can’t help chuckling. “That really wasn’t my intention, but I’ll tuck that tidbit away for future reference.”

“So. is this a joke?” she says eyeing me warily.

“No. It’s a weapon.”

“I thought it was vampires that have a problem with crosses.”

“They do. But in this case, the other side keeps saying ‘Jesus saves’ and I’m hoping they’re right.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Every demon has a weakness-something programmed into us by King Lucifer at the time of our creation to keep us from becoming too powerful.” A product of His paranoia, no doubt. “Mine is gold. I don’t know what Belias’s is, or Avaira’s, but this crucifix hits on the most common weaknesses. I want you to wear this, and if either of them comes near you, gouge it into them or scratch them with it. It will at least slow them down a little.”

“You really think I need this?”

I turn away from the road and look her dead in the eye. “We need all the help we can get.” I watch as her eyes widen. She loops the chain around her neck and fingers the crucifix.

“Why is this happening?” she asks, her voice deceptively calm.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens. “I don’t know.”

She looks up at me with big, wounded eyes. “Whatever Gabe thinks I’m supposed to do. I don’t want it.”

“I don’t think it’s a choice. Your Sway is something you’re born with, like blue eyes or blond hair.”

“But I can change those things-wear contacts or dye my hair.”

“That’s not really changing them, it’s just disguising the truth. Your Sway is going to be difficult to hide.”

She sinks into the seat, dejected. “How can I make them all just leave me alone?”

“I don’t think you can. Hell won’t stop coming for you until you’re tagged, one way or the other.”

She groans and buries her face in her hands. “I just want to be me. I want to have my life.”

I reach for her and she drops a hand into mine. I squeeze it. “We’re both going to find a way out, Frannie. I promise.” I just have no clue what it is yet. I stare out the windshield, because the only way out I can see for her is to let Gabriel tag her. “Frannie?”

“Yeah.”

I hesitate. “Will you tell me about your brother?”

She lifts her head and looks at me warily. “Why?”

“Because I can see how much you’re hurting.”

Her face darkens and her eyes look haunted. “What do you want me to say? I killed him. End of story.”

“I know that’s not true.”

She pulls her hand away from mine and folds her arms tightly across her chest. “Yes it is.”

“Tell me what happened.”

She turns to face the window. “No.”

“Please, Frannie.”

I reach for her hand again, but she yanks it away. She turns back to me and her expression is feral, a pinched snarl. The bitter scent of garlic rolls off of her, filling the car. “Get out of my face, Luc.”

I pull a deep breath. “It might help to talk about it.”

My sympathetic tone only serves to aggravate her more. “Nothing’s going to help. He’s dead!” she spits.

I pull over to the shoulder and she reaches for the door handle. I reach across and grasp her arm before she can get it open.

She squirms out of my grasp. Garlic and black pepper sting my nose. “Leave me alone, you bastard!” Angry tears flow freely down her face as she glares up at me.

“Let me help. Please. ”

With surprising strength she pushes me hard into the door.

“I. hate you,” she says. But there’s no conviction. She sounds defeated, spent. Her face drops into her hands again as all her anger dissolves into tears. When her sobs slow, I brush the tangled locks off her damp face. She stares silently back at me as the last of her tears roll down her cheeks.

“We were in a tree.” Her voice breaks with every word. “He loved to climb trees. and. ” Her body hitches as she tries to stifle another sob. “He was climbing so fast. I couldn’t keep up.” She turns her head away from me and leans on the door. She makes a sound like a wounded animal, somewhere between a whimper and a moan, and then she’s still for a long time.

“He fell?” I finally prompt.

She heaves a sigh. “I was so mad. ” Before she can finish the thought her voice chokes off and silent tears start again.

I slip my arm cautiously around her and pull her to me. She leans into me and I hold her and say nothing until she’s ready to talk. When she does, her words are barely audible. “I hated that he could climb faster, so I. grabbed his leg. ” She pauses and I pull her tight to me. “I ran for Mom, but. ” Her voice is a raw wound, catching in her throat with every word. “He was my. twin. the other half of me. And I killed him.”

And there goes my brimstone heart, shattering into a million pieces. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper into her hair. “But you were only seven, Frannie. It wasn’t your fault.” I pull her closer and wish there was some way I could fix this for her. But even my magic can’t banish her personal demons. She’s got to face those down on her own. All I can do is hold her while she cries.

As I sit here with my face buried in her hair, feeling the sobs rack her body, I wonder if love truly does conquer all, because otherwise, despite what I promised her, I think we’re screwed.

Frannie

When we get back to Luc’s, Taylor and Riley are sitting on the hood of Riley’s car in the parking lot, and I’m trying to remember when I told them where he lives. “What the hell are they doing here?”

“Gearing up to kick my ass, no doubt,” Luc says.

“Well, you deserve it.”

He looks at me from under an arched eyebrow, making me tingle all over.

We pull into a parking spot near Luc’s building, and I work to get myself together as they bounce over to us. I’m happy to see Taylor looking almost herself again. Today was her first day back at school after her dad, and she’s been pretty down.

“We came to kidnap you,” Riley says, wrapping her arms around me from behind.

“You’re coming with us. Girls’ night,” Taylor says.

“It’s not ‘night’ and it’s not Wednesday. What’s the deal?”

“Just shut up and do as you’re told,” she smirks.

I step forward and hug her. “How you holding out?”

She looks a little confused for a second then says, “Fine.”

“Did your dad come home today?”

She glances quickly at Riley and back. “Yeah.”

“He’s doing okay?”

“Yeah.”

I wait for her to elaborate, but then decide she must not want to talk about it. “So, what’s going on?”

“You’re coming with us.”

“Sorry. Luc and I are kinda busy,” I say.

He looks at me, and I see his eyes drop to the crucifix under my shirt. “No, it’s okay. I think you should go.”

I glower at him. “I thought we had plans.” At least I did. Plans involving cool sheets and warm bodies.

“Go ahead, Frannie.” He steps away from us, scanning the lot and buildings with growing concern on his face.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” he almost growls. “Just go.”

Something’s not right. I force my eyes away from Luc and scan the parking lot then shift them to Taylor. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” she says with a sparkle in her eye.

When I turn to kiss Luc good-bye his eyes are still darting.

“What’s up?” I whisper in his ear as he leans down.

“Nothing. I’ll see you later.” He kisses me, and I force myself to let him go.

I slide into the back of Riley’s car. As we pull out of the parking lot, Riley keeps looking at me in her rearview mirror.

“So, really. What are we doing?” I ask.

“You’ll see,” she says into the mirror.

“How did you guys find me? I never told you where Luc lives.”

Riley glances at me in the mirror again. “Yeah, you did. Remember that time at school?”

“Actually, no. So. ” I look back at Luc’s complex, fading into the distance, “this is all a little weird, don’t you think?”

Taylor turns and looks at me. “You’ve been blowing us off for Lucifer. You left us no choice.”

Lucifer? Suddenly alarms are ringing in my head. I work to stay calm. Panicking isn’t going to help anything. I feel the weight of the crucifix against my chest and breathe into it. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry. But what about Riley and Trevor? They’re just as bad.” I watch for Taylor’s reaction.

They share a quick glance, then Taylor turns back to me with a grin and says, “Yeah. I had to kidnap her too.”

Wrong reaction. Shit! And as I look at her, I notice for the first time that her eyes are glowing red. Just a little behind her gray irises, but enough that it’s just noticeable in the shadows of the car.

I don’t know what’s going on, except I’m pretty sure I’m screwed.

I look for a spot to bail, but by now we’re out of town and there are no more stop signs. We’re heading out into the middle of nowhere. Riley’s driving much faster than usual, or I’d open the door and jump. I’m trying not to freak as I look out at our surroundings. and then I get it. We’re heading up to the quarry.

We park near the trail into the swimming pit, and I open the door and start to move away from the car.

Taylor-or whoever this is-swings behind me in a flash. “Hey, where you going?”

That’s a really good question. Where am I going? I look up the dirt road. The main road is at least half a mile away and the dense woods are quiet. Too early for the groups of summer swimmers. There’s nowhere to run. “Nowhere. So, what are we doing here?”

“Just hanging out. Maybe skinny-dipping. Sound good?”

Yeah, sounds great. “Not really up for skinny-dipping. Water’s freezing.”

Taylor shoots a glance at Riley, and her eyes flash red. “We’ll have to huddle up for body heat,” she says with a lascivious grin.

This is bad. I watch Riley slide her keys into the pocket of her cutoff shorts as she heads up the path. Taylor is hanging back, waiting for me to go first. I follow Riley, trying to figure out how to get those keys.

We wind our way down the wooded path, and when we get to the quarry, Taylor saunters over to the edge and sits on a rock. Her eyes flash, and an evil smile turns up the corners of her mouth. “I say we get naked. The water looks great.”

“Mmm. sounds good.” Riley says, eyeing me with that same gleam. “But I gotta take a piss. I’ll be right back.” She slinks off into the woods. Crap-there went the keys.

Taylor gets up and comes over to where I’m standing. “You look so uptight. Chill,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the rocks. She’s as hot as Luc ever was. She sits me down and stands behind me, rubbing my shoulders, then starts pulling my shirt over my head.

I yank it down. “It’s way too cold for that. I’m serious,” I say. I don’t turn to look when I hear her growl. I need to think, but my heart is thundering in my ears, making it hard to concentrate. Then I hear the faintest rustling in the woods. I look up and exhale the breath I’d been holding as he walks out of the trees, silky black hair glistening in the sun. Thank God. “Luc,” I say, shaking Taylor off and standing up. I take a step forward, but then he lifts his head.

“Hi Frannie,” he says with a wicked gleam in his glowing red eyes. “I’m Belias.”

I look at him and know I should run, but my feet seem rooted to the ground, and I’m feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Taylor slink off up the path.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the night we met in front of your house.” His voice is velvet, and I feel my legs go soft. He steps slowly forward till he’s right in front of me. He touches my face and traces a burning path across my cheekbone. “Everything is fine, Frannie. It’s going to be great.” His hot hands slide around my waist, pulling me to his burning body.

The black fog permeates my brain as I melt into him. He feels like Luc, and I can’t help but lose myself in his touch. When his lips touch mine I can barely breathe. My hands slide around him and I press into the curve of his body, but then some little corner of my mind screams, “No.” I pull a deep breath and try to think. Almost instinctively, my hand gravitates to the cross dangling from my neck as I fight to hold on to my remaining shred of conscious thought. With my last scrap of free will, I pull back from his kiss, look up at him, and smile.

Then I yank the cross from my neck and jam it into his eye.

A bestial roar shakes the woods as he drops to his knees, clawing at his bubbling face. He shimmers for a second, almost like a mirage, as something terrifying peeks out from under his skin.

The smell of rotten eggs instantly clears my head. I turn and run full speed up the path without looking back. I don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do when I get to the car. Is there a car? Were Riley and Taylor ever really here? I don’t know what’s real.

I’m trying not to cry, a useless effort, since I’m pretty much crying anyway, and everything is a green blur as I stumble up the path, so I don’t see Taylor lying there till I trip over her and launch face first into the dirt. As I scramble to my feet, I hear something moving through the woods toward us. Belias. Damn!

I grab Taylor under the arms and drag her, but we’re moving too slowly and he catches us. I prop her against a tree and step in front of her, crouching into judo stance, as he bursts out of the woods and onto the path.

“Frannie! Thank God!” Luc grabs Taylor and throws her over his shoulder. “Let’s go!” He pushes me in front of him as we run up the path, and when we get to the road he throws Taylor into the backseat of the Shelby with Riley, who’s lying there unconscious.

We climb into the car and slam the doors.

“Jesus, Luc! What. ” But then I remember.

Belias! He was in a Black ’68 Shelby Cobra that night. This isn’t Luc.

My heart stops. “Oh, shit!”

“What is it, Frannie? Are you okay?” The Shelby fishtails as he guns the engine, sending gravel flying up behind us.

I look in the backseat at Taylor and Riley, then back at Belias. What do I do? I breathe and try to think. And when I look back at the road there’s a tall, raven-haired girl standing in the middle of it. The girl from Luc’s bed. “Oh, shit!” I say again.

I expect Belias to slow down, but instead he stares out the windshield, determined, and speeds up. I bring my arms up, expecting her to come crashing through the windshield, but instead she evaporates. Poof-gone.

When we get near the main road, I grab the steering wheel and yank. The car swerves to the right, nearly swiping a tree before Belias yanks the wheel back and brings the car up onto the dirt road.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Go to Hell!” I yell and try to grab the wheel again, but he pushes me back.

“Frannie, please! Stop trying to kill us, will you?”

I look in his eyes. God, he looks just like Luc. And then it hits me. what he said when he found us on the path. He said, “Thank God.” Would Belias say that? Would Luc?

“Luc?”

“Who were you expecting?” The rasp from the backseat makes me jump, and the smell of rotten eggs chokes me.

I turn to see the real Belias-I think. But he doesn’t look like Luc anymore. There’s no mistaking what he is: steaming, crimson skin, flat, pinched face, and horns, with one clawed hand around each of my best friends’ necks. But what gives him away as Belias is the black ooze dripping from where his left eye once was.

Luc slams on the breaks and I nearly slide onto the floor. Then he turns and points a glowing fist at Belias.

“Do you really want to do that?” Belias says, shaking Riley and Taylor’s unconscious bodies. “Course, Frannie didn’t come out all that worse for wear, did she?” A grimace pulls at his leathery lips, exposing a mouthful of fangs. “Go ahead. Give it a shot.”

Luc

“Luc?” Frannie says, urging me with her eyes.

“I can’t,” I say, dropping my fist. “He’s right. If he doesn’t shield them it would kill them.”

“Good boy,” Belias smirks.

“What do you want?” I say.

He coughs out a rasping chuckle. “You have to ask? I thought you were smarter than that, being a First Level and all.”

Unholy Hell.

I look back at Riley and Taylor. Can I sacrifice them for Frannie? My head says yes, but my annoying new conscience tells me it’s wrong. Plus, if we survive this, Frannie would never forgive me.

“So how is this supposed to work?” I ask past the lump in my throat.

“Frannie gets out of the car,” Belias says, gesturing to the side of the car, where Avaira is now standing, a scowl gracing her flawless face, “and she and I have a little party in the woods,” he finishes with a heinous grin.

I look at Frannie as she reaches for the door handle, the tangy citrus scent of her terror replaced with the spicy-sweet of clove and currant-her soul, ready for the taking. My hand shoots out involuntarily and grabs her wrist. She tries to pull away, but I shake my head, pleading with my eyes.

“There’s no choice, Luc,” she says, her expression calm, resigned.

She tugs her arm away and I let her, my mind racing. Pushing open the door, she looks back at me one last time before climbing out and standing next to Avaira. With a burst of brimstone, Belias is standing next to her, slamming Frannie’s door.

I pull slowly forward and watch in the rearview mirror as Belias takes Frannie’s wrist and starts to drag her across the road, toward the woods. As he moves, I can see he’s weak. The crucifix did more damage than he let on. He shouldn’t need Avaira, but she’s following behind for backup, her glowing fist targeting the back of the Shelby.

And then I drop the Shelby into reverse and floor it, sending Riley and Taylor to the floor in the backseat. I duck as Avaira’s blast takes out the back window. Belias drops Frannie’s wrist and lifts his fist just as I slam into him at full speed. He goes careening over the car and onto the dirt road in front of me, but I don’t wait to see if he stays down. I throw it into first and push open the passenger door, slowing as I reach Frannie. She throws herself into the seat, and I floor it, door still open, running over Belias on our way to the main road.

She pulls herself the rest of the way into the car, slams the door, and looks out the shattered back window at the lump in the dirt-Belias. Avaira is nowhere in sight. “Is he. dead?”

“Unfortunately, it’d take a lot more than a 1968 Shelby Cobra to kill him, but he’ll feel it for a while.” I can hear the shake in my voice. “Truth is, your crucifix to his eye probably did more long-term damage. That’s going to set him back a bit.” I grab her hand. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” she says, checking herself over as we pull out onto the main road.

I feel her shake as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. This is as far from me as she’s ever going to get.