Xavier slid off the bed and fixed Jake with a dark look. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
“What?” Jake taunted. “Can’t handle the idea that your little girlfriend was about to let another man enjoy her? Give her something you never could?”
Xavier shook his head. “That’s not true.”
“Ask her yourself,” Jake said smugly.
Xavier turned his head an inch to look at me. “Beth?”
I didn’t know what to say. How could I break the news to him that I had been on the verge of committing an unforgiveable betrayal? I opened my mouth and then closed it again, twisting the bedsheets in my hands.
“I think her silence speaks volumes,” Jake said, sounding pleased with himself.
Xavier flinched and drew back. “So it is true.” He waved a hand around him. “That’s what all this is?”
“You don’t understand,” I said. “I was doing it for you.”
“For me? How exactly do you figure that?”
Jake clapped his hands in delight. “Oh, come now, this isn’t the time for a lover’s tiff.”
“I made a deal,” I blurted out. “If I slept with him, he said he wouldn’t try and hurt you again.”
Gabriel’s silver eyes flickered across to Jake. “You really are the vermin of the earth,” he said in disgust. “Don’t blame Bethany, Xavier — she didn’t know he was lying.”
“You were lying?” I cried. “I was going to give myself to you and you were lying to me the whole time!”
“Of course I was,” Jake scoffed. “Never trust a demon, sweetheart. You of all people should know that.”
Before I could respond, Xavier let rip with a steady flow of cursing. I’d never heard him cuss before and even Gabriel raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“My oh my, it seems pretty boy has some bite in him after all,” Jake said.
“When will you stop screwing with us?” Xavier hissed. “Is this the only way you can get a kick out of life? Are you really that pathetic?”
I took the opportunity of Jake’s distracted state to jump off the bed and run to my brother and sister, positioning myself safely behind them.
“You can hide, Bethany,” Jake called lazily. “But you’re not getting out.”
“Actually, brother,” Gabriel said darkly. “It’s you who isn’t getting out.”
Suddenly Gabriel’s wings lifted him off his feet and in a flash he soared over Jake — Michael’s sword poised above him. It all happened so quickly, it was almost a blur. I heard the swish of metal slicing through the air, a ragged gasp, and when Gabriel’s feet touched solid earth, the sword was embedded deep in Jake’s chest. Xavier’s mouth fell open in shock and he ran to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Jake screamed then and gripped the hilt, tearing it from his body and tossing it to the ground with a clatter. The blood that stained the blade was thicker than normal and black as night. It spurted from the gaping wound to pool around him, his demonic power leaking out with it. Suddenly blood bubbled like froth from Jake’s mouth. A spasm jolted his body as he collapsed, twitching to the ground. Before Jake’s face became a mask he raised his head and reached out to me. His eyes were pleading as he mouthed something soundlessly. At first I couldn’t make out the words but I caught fragments in between his ragged breathing.
“Bethany, forgive me.”
Pity made me move toward him. I was driven by a desire to offer what comfort I could.
“What are you doing?” I heard Xavier’s voice behind me, but I was too distracted by the misery in Jake’s black eyes. He may have been my tormentor in Hades but I knew it all stemmed from a twisted desire to win my affection. Maybe deep down Jake just wanted to be loved. At the very least, he shouldn’t have to die alone. A strange part of me wanted a chance to say good-bye.
“Bethany, no!”
My fingers had almost closed over Jake’s withering hand when I was suddenly yanked back. I toppled onto the ground and saw a pair of luminous wings beating over my head. Gabriel, understanding what I was about to do, had swooped across the cavern to stop me.
“Stay back! If you touch him now he takes you with him into death.”
I curled my fingers into a fist and pressed it against my chest. So I had misjudged again. It seemed Jake had remained true to himself till the bitter end.
He was still staring fixedly at me as his body jerked one last time and then was still. We watched the fire go out of his eyes until they glazed over and stared dully into space.
“It’s over,” I whispered, needing to say the words aloud in order to believe them. Ivy and Gabriel closed around me in a tight embrace. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“We’re family,” Gabriel replied as if it were the only explanation necessary.
I found Xavier’s face and took it in my hands. His eyes were wet with tears and when he touched my cheek, I realized I had been crying silently too.
“I love you,” I said simply, stating an unassailable fact. There was plenty more I could have said, but in that moment it was all I needed to say. It was all that mattered.
“I love you too, Beth,” Xavier said. “More than you can ever know.”
“We need to move quickly,” Gabriel said, shepherding us toward the Chevy. “The portal won’t stay open much longer.”
“Wait.” I resisted as they tried to usher me into the car. “What about Hanna and Tuck?”
“Who?” Ivy asked in confusion.
“My friends, they looked after me while I was here. I can’t just leave them.”
“I’m sorry, Bethany.” My sister’s eyes were full of genuine sorrow. “There’s nothing we can do for them.”
“It’s not fair,” I cried. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
“The demons are coming.” Gabriel took my hand. “They know we’re here and the portal is starting to seal. We must leave or we’ll be trapped.”
I nodded silently and followed them, hot tears trickling down my cheeks. Gabriel took the wheel while I leaned against Xavier in the backseat. I looked over my shoulder one last time and saw Jake’s body floating in the water. What he’d put me through would probably haunt me for the rest of my existence, but he could no longer hurt me. I wanted to feel anger, but I felt only pity for him. He died as he had lived, alone and without ever having known love.
“Good-bye, Jake,” I whispered and turned my face away, burying it in Xavier’s chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head and his strong arms held me close as the Chevy roared to life and sped toward the gaping hole in the cave that had already begun to close over.
I had only one thought as the blackness closed in, drawing me back to my beloved earth. I was going back to the life I’d known before, the life I’d missed and longed for … but there in Xavier’s arms, I was already home.
Epilogue
ON the manicured lawns of Bryce Hamilton the seniors loitered under the bright June sunlight in their royal blue caps and gowns, faces glowing with excitement. Somehow, they didn’t look like teenagers in need of direction anymore; they were young people ready to make their own way in the world. College was still several months away and everyone was looking forward to the summer break. I knew Xavier had received offers from several colleges eager to recruit him into their ranks, especially those with all-star football teams.
Even though graduation wouldn’t impact on my future in the same way, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the flurry of nervous excitement. We were waiting for the signal for the procession to begin. Outside the auditorium I spotted Gabriel and his middle school choristers warming up for their closing performance of “Friends Forever,” a popular if cliched choice as valedictory song.
Among the seniors the buoyant mood was contagious. The girls adjusted their caps and pinned back one another’s hair so it didn’t fall over their eyes and ruin the photographs. The boys were less concerned about appearance, focusing instead on vigorously shaking hands and thumping one another on the back. We were all wearing the class rings that had been delivered only days before. They were simple silver bands engraved with the
