once again. Sister Faith hurried to bring a wet cloth and gingerly wiped away the dried blood that caked her lips and chin. When Gabriel moved his hands, I saw that Sister Mary Clare’s teeth had been restored as well. My brother had left her with no physical reminder of the torment she’d endured. Although her body was returned to full health, her chest was still. Ivy remained hunched over her, eyes tightly shut. My sister’s body trembled with the effort and Gabriel put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Bringing a soul back from the brink of death was tiring work even for an angel as strong as Ivy and I could see that Sister Mary Clare was almost beyond help. A soul, once taken by Death, was almost impossible to get back. The soul belonged to him until it was claimed by either Heaven or Hell. If no one wanted it, it was tossed into Limbo like garbage.
I knew Ivy had to travel down the tunnel of Sister Mary Clare’s subconscious and coax her back before she slipped away forever. I imagined her mind was like a mess of crawling vermin, contaminated by the evil that had inhabited her body for so long. Death was close, anybody could see that. She was probably teetering on the edge, unwilling to return to life lest it be full of the agony she remembered. The tunnel of death sucks the life out of you, it wants you to give in. It wants you to surrender. Of course, the darkness could never touch my sister, but it could still deplete her strength and being inside Sister Mary Clare’s infected mind was bound to take its toll.
Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Ivy released the nun’s hand and watched as her eyes blinked and then opened. She immediately took a deep, gasping breath like someone who had been held underwater too long.
“Oh praise the Lord!” Sister Faith cried. “Thank you, bless you.” She seized Mary Clare in a tight hug as the bewildered woman sat up and looked around in confusion. I saw her properly then and realized just how young she was — no more than early twenties with a clear face and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
“What … what happened?” she stammered. Her hand reached up to touch her knotted hair, which was caked with blood. Sister Faith’s mouth fell open.
“She doesn’t remember?”
“She’s in shock,” replied Gabriel. “Over the next few days it will come back to her through flashes and nightmares. She will need your support.”
“Of course.” Sister Faith nodded frantically. “Whatever she needs.”
“Right now she needs a shower,” my brother said. “And then you should get her into bed.” He looked around the trashed room. “Is there somewhere she can stay while this mess gets cleaned up?”
“Yes, yes,” Sister Faith was muttering to herself. “I’ll have Adele set up a bed.” She looked at Gabriel and Ivy. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, her eyes welling up again. “I thought we had lost her forever, but you have given us our sister back and reaffirmed our faith like I never expected in this lifetime. You have our unending gratitude.”
Gabriel only smiled. “It was our pleasure,” he said simply. “Now take care of your sister. We will see ourselves out.”
Sister Faith gave my siblings one final look of rapture and then hurried the frail Mary Clare out of the room. I heard her calling through the house to the others. I wondered if they would believe the story of the mysterious visitors and the heavenly retribution they’d delivered.
When they were gone, Ivy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, let out a soft sigh and seemed to sway for a moment on her feet.
“Easy there,” Xavier said, taking a step toward her. “Are you okay?”
With a resounding swish Gabriel’s wings retracted, folding behind his muscular back. He wrapped a strong arm around Ivy’s waist to support her and she leaned against his shoulder, regathering her strength.
A moment later her wings also retracted, but I could see the effort it cost her. She took a deep breath and gave Xavier a faint smile.
“I’m just drained,” she said. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
Gabriel began to usher the little party toward the door. “Come,” he said. “Our business here is finished, we should leave.”
Outside on the porch, Gabriel caught sight of Molly. Clearly, the full impact of what she’d witnessed had just hit her. She clutched the porch post, her hands shaking. She looked as if she could hardly support her own weight and took one wobbly step forward, stretching out her hands to regain her balance. Gabriel slipped an arm around her waist to help her down the steps, and when they reached the bottom, he wordlessly sank down beside her as she knelt on the ground and threw up into the flower beds. One hand still on her shoulder, he gently lifted her hair away from her face and held it back — not speaking, just patiently waiting for her to finish.
27
He Loves Me Not
IT was the early hours of the morning by the time the four of them made it back to the Easy Stay Inn. Although some color had returned to Molly’s face, she seemed overcome with exhaustion. Xavier looked equally worn-out and badly in need of sleep. Only my siblings remained as composed and pokerfaced as always. The only indication of the stress they’d just undergone was their rumpled clothing. Ivy’s strength seemed to have replenished by the time they got back, but I knew it had been a tough night for her. It must be frustrating, I thought. Her strength and power in the Kingdom was boundless. But from what I could see, the longer angels lingered on earth and mingled with humanity, the more finite their powers seemed to become.
At the first opportunity, Xavier disappeared to his room without saying a word to anyone. I wanted to follow him so we could be alone for a while. I imagined myself lying down beside him on the bed and pressing my head against his chest the way I used to do. I wanted to focus every shred of energy on letting him know I was there; to offer him what little comfort I could and let his presence comfort me. But Ivy and Gabriel were the ones planning the next move and I needed to stay put if I wanted to be kept in the loop.
“What’s with him?” Molly muttered as soon as Xavier shut the door behind him.
“I imagine he’s disturbed by tonight’s events,” Ivy said drily as she fitted her key into the lock. “He needs some time to process it.” I knew Molly’s naivete irritated her sometimes.
For some reason, Molly was still purposelessly hovering beside my siblings. They both had the good grace not to ask what she wanted. Maybe she wanted out of the whole rescue mission. Maybe she’d taken on more than she bargained for and was ready to go home.
The bedroom door was painted a murky maroon color. With a heavy sigh Gabriel pushed it open and flicked the switches on the wall. The room was filled with a harsh amber light and the rattle of a defective overhead fan. The twin beds were covered in thin floral duvets with matching bedside tables and fringed nightshades. The carpet was a faded salmon color and curtains on a metal rod covered a single rectangular window.
“It has a certain charm,” Ivy said with an ironic smile. Although my siblings had grown used to the luxury of Byron, their surroundings were immaterial to them. They could’ve been in a luxury suite at the Waldorf Astoria for all the difference it made.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Ivy said, scooping up a bag of toiletries and disappearing into the bathroom. Molly watched her go, biting her lip and shifting anxiously from foot to foot. Gabriel’s penetrating eyes watched her patiently. They reminded me of a snowstorm — clear and pale and so full of depth that you could easily lose yourself in them. He removed his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. The tight white T-shirt he wore accentuated his impossibly perfect physique. Molly couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from his rippling body and the way the fabric strained across his defined chest. He looked superhuman, as if he could shoulder a car with minimal effort. That was probably because he could if the situation called for it.
The sound of water running through the old pipes filtered out from the bathroom and Molly immediately seized it as an opportunity to strike up a discussion.
“So, will Ivy be okay?” she asked awkwardly. It was clear she wasn’t there to talk about Ivy, but a more effective opening eluded her.
“Ivy is a seraphim,” Gabriel replied as if that settled the matter.
“Yeah,” Molly said. “I remember. And that’s pretty cool, right?”
“Yes,” said Gabriel slowly. “It is
