Antiphon

few steps beyond that.”

“So. it could kill him?” she says, her smile gone.

“Yes.”

“Then he’s not doing it.”

I look at Frannie, who now is looking at me with wide eyes, a little shell-shocked. My intentions are pure, I know that. My only intention is to save her from a fate she doesn’t deserve. But my heart? I’m not so sure. If it’s pure, Frannie made it that way. “What do I have to do? How does it work?” I ask, knowing I have to try. If I can’t protect Frannie, I’m useless. Worse than useless. I’m a liability-a beacon for the Underworld.

Gabriel eyes Frannie, probably weighing how she would react if something happened to me at his hands. Fury, vengeance. all sins.

“Gabriel, this is my decision. Not hers,” I say, drawing his attention back to me.

His eyes pull away from her and focus on me as he nods.

“Hold up,” Frannie says, fiery incredulity all across her face, but fear in her eyes. “You’re serious that he could die?”

Concern passes briefly over Gabriel’s features. He can’t lie.

“That’s a risk, because he’s still tethered to Hell.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s a creature of the Underworld, no matter what he’s becoming. His life force is spawned from Hell, and he’ll always be connected.”

I feel my insides boil as my disgust for what I am starts to feed on me. I can’t look at her. I can’t handle seeing that same disgust for me mirrored in her eyes.

But when she doesn’t respond, I glance in her direction. She looks me in the eye and her expression turns cold. “I don’t think you should do this, Luc. Not for me. Because I don’t love you. I don’t want you anymore.”

And even though I know she’s lying, the crushing pain in my chest is almost incapacitating. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do. I don’t want someone who loves me ’cause he has to. I want someone who loves me for me.” I feel my heart go dead in my chest as she turns to Gabriel. “What needs to happen for you to tag me?”

“You need to forgive yourself.”

For the briefest of instants, pain twists her face, but, just as quickly, she smoothes it away. “Forgive myself. for Matt, you mean.”

“Yes,” Gabriel replies with a sad smile.

Everything in me wants her to be safe-wants Gabriel to protect her. But what I’d never tell her is that, once she’s tagged for Heaven, I’m certain things between us will change. Gabriel said it: no matter what I’m becoming, I’m a creature of Hell. Frannie’s life, and her priorities, will change once she’s tagged for Heaven. She won’t want me or need me for long. But she’ll be safe.

“Do it, Frannie,” I say and turn away. Because, despite my best intention, the pain in my words rang clear.

It’s silent for a long moment, and when I turn back, Frannie looks unsure. Lost.

Finally, Gabriel speaks. “As much as I hate to say it, this is the wrong reason. You will forgive yourself eventually, and when that happens, you’ll be tagged for Heaven. It’s not something you can force, even for him.” He spits the last word, and his face twists into something less than angelic.

She looks at me and a tear slips down her cheek. She flings herself into my arms and nearly squeezes the life out of me. “Luc, don’t do this. We’ll figure something else out.” I can feel her heart thrumming against my chest.

I pull back, kiss her, and look at Gabriel. “Let’s do it.”

“Stop! No!” she yells, squeezing tighter and burying her face in my chest.

“Frannie,” Gabriel says in a sweet, soft melody, “Lucifer is right. If you insist on being together we have to try this.”

Frannie pulls her face out of my chest and looks up at him. He’s glowing again-what a show-off. But it seems to work, because her grip on me loosens. But then I feel her hands on my face, and I can’t resist as she pulls me into a kiss.

Gabriel steps in front of me. “Take off your shirt.”

I pull it over my head and Frannie takes it from me, hugging it to her face. He lifts his hand to my forehead, and I notice it’s wet. Then I’m burning hotter than the Lake of Fire.

Holy water.

Of course this damned Shield of Light would involve holy water. These holier-than-thou types can’t seem to accomplish anything without it. I hold my breath-more difficult now than it used to be-and screw my eyes shut against the pain. I feel the skin on my forehead blister and peel where Gabriel marks the circle there. When his hand moves to my chest and leaves a bubbling red handprint over my heart, I hear the groan escape my throat, and it’s all I can do to keep from pulling away from his touch and doubling over. I grimace, because I know Gabriel’s enjoying this.

Stop being such a goddamn baby and suck it up. This is what you wanted.

I grit my teeth and am acutely aware of Frannie sobbing, piercing my heart, as she holds my hand in a death grip. Gabriel says some words in an ancient language, but I don’t hear them. I don’t hear anything but Frannie. She’s all that matters.

And then she’s in my arms, kissing the raw skin on my chest. I open my eyes and she looks up, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers through her tears.

My pain is lost in her face. I wrap my arms around her and smile. “Why would you say something stupid like that?”

I feel her exhale sharply, the last of her sobs, as she reaches up to touch my blistered forehead. “You’re okay?”

“Never better.”

I take my shirt from her hand and shudder as her finger trails over the welts on my chest. I slide it on and take her hand, pulling her to the door. “We’ve got one more stop.”

Frannie

Grandpa sits across his coffee table from us, in the loveseat, his elbows on his knees, his pipe forgotten in his hand. He looks a little pale, and, for a second, I’m afraid we gave him a heart attack. He glares at Luc, sitting next to me on the couch. “A demon,” he repeats for the sixth time. At first he laughed and told us to stop pulling his leg. He’s not laughing now.

Luc holds Grandpa’s gaze without wavering. “I was. I’m not totally sure what I am now.”

“Human,” I say. “You’re turning human.”

Luc shoots me a wary smile.

“How does that work?” Grandpa’s voice doesn’t boom. He sounds uncharacteristically weak.

“Frannie’s. special,” Luc says.

Now Grandpa’s voice does boom. “I know that! That doesn’t explain anything. Why are ya here?”

“I beg your pardon, sir, but it explains everything. Frannie has special talents. Power that is invaluable to the Underworld. I came to claim her soul for Hell, but her power is changing me.”

Grandpa jumps off of the couch. “Get away from her! Frannie, get over here.” He lunges toward us and grabs my arm, pulling me off the couch and around the coffee table. He tucks me under his arm protectively.

“Grandpa, please. Just listen to us.”

“I’m hearin’ ya loud and clear,” he says, glaring at Luc. “Get the hell back to where ya came from. Ya can’t have Frannie.”

“He doesn’t want me!” I blurt and then blush and smile at Luc. “Well, not like that, anyway.”

Luc smiles back, but then his expression becomes grave. “Sir, I really need your help.”

There’s venom I’ve never heard in Grandpa’s voice. “You want me to help you drag my granddaughter to